Chapter Eight
People glorified being airborne too much. Merida clasped her hand tightly with Jack's as she braced herself for the inevitable thud she would have to endure when she landed. The wind cold against her sweat, she clenched her eyes shut, but instead of hearing the fear thumping in her heart, she heard Jack's buoyant cheer and laughter.
Suddenly, Jack jerked Merida's arm forward and she yelped loudly as her eyes were forced open. Jack snaked his arm around her waist and hugged her close to his side. All Merida saw was a bright azure sky and then a giant blur of brown and white as she felt gravity pull her. Jack whistled loudly that it seemed to echo throughout the village.
A stick was thrown at him. That strange looking one. Merida, who was still holding her breath found herself clung on top of Jack's back as he swung himself to the next building with the curved part of the staff onto some clothes lines that were situated on the second floor between the houses. When they reached the house's thatched roof, Merida slid off. Jack quickly held her hand again and pulled her with him as they jumped the gaps between buildings and swung jauntily on second floor clothes lines.
Merida watched as she mimicked Jack's movements. It was like he was born to fly.
They paused as they peered back. The soldiers were no longer after them. Jack heaved an extremely satisfied breath and crouched down at the edge of the roof. Out of curiosity, Merida wandered over to him and peaked over his shoulder. He seemed to be estimating the distance he was from the ground, but jumped up in surprise when he felt Merida's warm breath trickle down his neck.
"Why don't we just jump?"
Jack smiled, "Well, I don't want you to get hurt."
Merida rolled her eyes, "I appreciate it, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
Quietly, Jack surrendered and motioned her to do whatever she wanted to do. Merida leered at him before she sat on the edge and slipped down onto a protruding stone, her fingers still in contact with the straw of the roof. Jack loomed over her, his eyes gleamed in slight smugness and amusement while Merida stuck her tongue out at Jack. She was still far from the ground. As she attempted to reach the other protruding stone, she slipped. Yelling in shock, Merida grabbed for the nearest solid thing. Which turned out to be the end of the strange looking stick Jack carried around.
"Saved your life," Jack said in a teasing voice, "Actually, I reckon I've saved your life heaps of times today. Where's my thank you?"
"Here."
Merida yanked the stick downwards, sending Jack plummeting to the ground. His face inches from the ground, Merida smiled cockily as she held onto Jack's leg while he merely dangled there like a wind chime. She hopped down confidently from the stone and landed elegantly, elegant in Merida's opinion, beside Jack who laid on the ground, mouth full of dust.
Coughing, Jack pushed himself up, "Some thank you that was."
"Were you expecting a kiss?" Merida laughed.
Jack smirked, "Well, yeah, it's part of the contract of saving princesses right?"
Merida halted, 'How did he know I was a princess?'. Vigorously, Merida bit her tongue and feigned a grin, "Aye, but you're not a prince."
"I can be anything you want me to be," Jack winked, his smile still cocky and lighthearted.
When Jack left the whole 'princess' comment hanging, Merida decided to let it slip. It was probably a silly thing he says to the women he wanted to flirt with. Merida felt colour flush to her cheeks at the idea of Jack trying to make her his wife or anything of the sort, but immediately shot the idea from her mind when 'marriage' popped up involuntarily.
"The soldiers are probably patrolling the village now," Jack began as he peeped his head from behind the building. People were minding their own business so they were relatively safe.
He pulled the cloak over Merida's head, "Cover your head. We need to go to the brothel okay? I don't think the soldiers will look there just yet."
"What about Rapunzel?" Merida grabbed onto Jack's arm as he went to leave, "She's still out there and you know she's never been outside her entire life!"
"You got her to go outside?!" Jack exclaimed wide eyed, "I've been trying to do that for months!"
"Aye, but Gothel might realise she's gone!" Merida pointed out frantically, "You have to get her away from here before her mother catches her!"
"Okay, but you go straight to the brothel. Don't let anything distract you," Jack ordered seriously before he hastily rushed off into the crowd.
When Jack was washed up in the sea of people, Merida took this chance to slip away into the woods nearby. She pinched the tips of the cloak under her chin and softly trod over the cracked, dry leaves and the many ferns and plants that brushed against her legs under her nightgown - which she didn't bother changing from. Aside from her movements, there was no other noise around her.
The lingering tingle of Jack's cold hands against her's made her rub it aggressively against her gown. As she did this, a loud rustle stopped her. Slowly, she reached for a stick on the ground, but the rustling paused. Merida gulped and grabbed the stick before bolting. Don't let anything distract you, Jack's voice repeated in her head as she sprinted as fast as she could, dodging the trees and rocks.
From last night's memory, Merida guessed the brothel was close by. However, as expected, the memory of a dark night in the woods didn't serve her well and Merida stumbled aimlessly forward. Even though the rustling was gone, she still felt the presence of something behind her. It watched her. It waited.
Between deep breaths, Merida continued to run. She slapped the hanging twigs and plants that were in her way, hearing nothing but the sound of her breathless, erratic pants and feeling nothing but the sting in her overly exposed eyeballs that were blown dry by the wind. Eventually, she had to stop. There was a giant hollow log which Merida could fit inside. She crawled in backwards and stayed there in a fetal position as she caught her breath.
"I can do this," Merida murmured, the stick cradled in her arms, "I faced Mor'du, I can do this."
As she repeatedly chanted this in her mind, she cautiously crawled out and crouched on the ground, waiting for the mysterious thing to jump out at her. Yet it didn't. Relaxing her pose, Merida stood up straight and scanned the area, but it was still. She hesitated as she proceeded to finding the brothel, only looking back once to make sure nothing was following her.
Jack was agilely rushing through the crowd where he presumed Rapunzel had loitered. He had to double check if the play was still going, just so he wouldn't ruin the magic for the children. When Tooth, Bunnymund and Sandy weren't there, Jack assumed it was safe to make his presence by the well. Expecting bright, golden blonde hair, Jack stood atop on the well and cast his eyes over the bobbing heads of the crowd for Rapunzel.
Grumbling in irritation, Jack hopped off. When he spotted blonde hair, he piped up, only to find that the girl was tiny, wobbled as she walked, and possessed the speech of a typical five year old.
"Hey, Sophie!" Jack laughed as he crouched down, "What have you got there?"
Sophie giggled and held out the silver box Tooth had given her, "Box!"
"I know that, it's a very pretty box," he chuckled before rubbing the girl's head playfully, "Hey, I need some help. Can you help me?"
Sophie nodded eagerly and clenched the box so hard it crinkled around the sides.
"Have you seen Rapunzel?" Jack asked, his hands moving along with his voice, "She has really long hair, golden hair, green eyes, my age?"
"Rapunzel! She has brown hair!" Sophie corrected, "Big eyes. Pretty…"
Jack raised an eyebrow at the correction, but if Sophie responded to the name then he was probably on the right track. Thus, he decided to go along with the brown hair comment, "Okay, where is she?"
"Rapunzel is with mummy," Sophie giggled, "Jamie likes her very much."
With amusement, Jack asked Sophie if he could go to their house. Sophie giggled again and nodded before she tugged on Jack's pants and dragged him with her.
Their house was situated beside the smithy which was a few houses away from the well. It looked like it was newly polished, the wood gleaming and smooth to touch. It was two storeys and on the door was a sign that said 'Bennetts' Trade & Merchandise' which Jack guessed was their family name and business. Besides the sign, the house looked basically the same as every other house in the village.
Jack opened the door for Sophie whilst she shot into the house like gunfire and attacked her mother, who was peacefully sitting by the table contemplating something, with a bear hug. She lifted her gaze to Jack and greeted him with polite smile before ushering him inside. Jack shook his head and declined the offer to eat snacks or look at the various toys and items the Bennetts' had on display on the counter. Instead, he was about to ask whether Rapunzel was with her, but was cut off by a remark that took him by surprise.
"I am truly sorry about your father," Mrs Bennett sighed, "And after losing your sister too… It must be very hard for you."
She placed her hand on Jack's cheek in the intention to comfort him, but it only proceeded to discomfort him and he brushed her hand off, "Um, yes, my father was very important to me, but you said something about a sister. I don't have a sister."
"What, you don't remember?" Mrs Bennett gasped, her hands covering her mouth, "Why, I didn't think your condition was this bad, I must apologise, I didn't mean to remind you of such a tragic event."
"Tragic.. What…?" Jack frowned, feeling his patience run thin, "Look, thanks for your concern, but I really need to find Rapunzel. Is she here?"
As if embarrassed by all the things she had said, Mrs Bennett nodded slowly and pointed upstairs. Jack hastily thanked her and jogged up the stairs, and considering the presence of Sophie who was racing him, he ended up running instead. When he reached the top, he was presented a hallway with three rooms which paralleled with the windows. Judging by the loud banging and high pitched singing, Rapunzel had to be in the room closest to Jack.
"Jamieeee! Jack is here," Sophie sung as she danced around Jack.
There was a loud thump and the door swung open, almost smashing into Jack's face. Rapunzel stood in front of Jack and launched herself onto him. Her hug was brutal and squeezed most of his air out of him. Sophie laughed while the little boy who sat on his bed stared agape and eyes tinted with slight jealousy.
"Jack! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M OUTSIDE!" Rapunzel squealed, jumping up and down while Sophie mimicked her actions, "I'm going to see the lights, and Merida said she'll- wait, where's Merida?"
"You can't be serious," Jack face palmed.
"Merida, poof, poof hair girl!" Sophie burst out.
"So, where is she?" Rapunzel queried, "She was with me before, I swear!"
"There's no time to explain everything now, we need to go to the brothel," Jack pulled at Rapunzel's wrist, "I'm not joking this time."
Rapunzel turned bright red, "Jack! Not in front of the children!"
Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation, "That's not what I meant!"
"Leave her alone!"
Out of nowhere, Jack felt someone push his thigh. He looked down and found Jamie Bennett, missing tooth, brown hair and brown eyes, glaring up at him, "Whoa little man, I just need to talk to Rapunzel. No harm done yeah?"
"I don't believe you," Jamie remarked.
"Well… How about I duel you in a snowball fight? Whoever wins gets to talk to Rapunzel for a day, yeah?" Jack dealt, hand out.
"It's not Winter yet," Jamie stated stubbornly.
"Yeah, but I can predict when Winter is coming, and I'll say, it's coming soon!"
"How?"
"I'm Jack Frost!" Jack beamed, "You know, I greet you guys at the beginning of Winter on the well."
Jamie faltered, "But Jack Frost isn't real, neither are any of you on that well. You guys are all entertainers," he whispered, his tone slightly bitter.
Jack pursed his lips, "Look, I promise that I am the real Jack Frost, and you know what, I bet you can't beat me in a snowball fight," he teased.
"You promise?" Jamie murmured, a smile cracked through his originally solemn expression.
"I promise."
"Okay," Jamie nodded to himself and stared straight into Jack's eyes, "You can take Rapunzel for now, but you have to give her back!"
"Alright," Jack laughed, "I'll give her back!"
They shook hands which made Rapunzel laugh boisterously. When Jack and Rapunzel were about to exit the house Mrs Bennett called to Rapunzel.
"Here," she placed a small crystal which was carved into the shape of a flower on Rapunzel's palm, "I hope that when you go see the lights, you'll come back here and tell me all about it - just like all that time I took from you by recounting my trip from Burgess!"
Rapunzel stared at the object, "B-But I don't have anything to repay you."
Mrs Bennett placed her finger on her lip in thought, "Hmm, I think you being here safe and sound afterwards is enough for me."
With that, Rapunzel hugged Mrs Bennett and Jack bid the Bennett family goodbye before they hurried to to the brothel. Jack hoped that Merida was waiting safely there.
Merida, unfortunately, was lost. She swore to herself as she walked around the woods trying to find her way back. However, she felt that she was too far away from the village now to hear any sound of people or domestic animals at all. There was a sense of futility that resided in Merida's mind, but she urged on and found a pile a stone rubble piled up among the trees.
She crept closer to examine it. Close by, was a wall and a pang of recognition struck her. She slapped herself mentally for wandering so far from the village to the point where she was literally right beside the place she had originally intended to escape from. The castle.
There was a loud rustling again. Merida jerked around, stick in hand and ready to defend herself. She approached the moving bush in front of her. She could hear a faint gurgling sound emitted from it and she frowned at the strangeness of the sound. Cautiously, she prodded the bush, but it caught the end of her stick and she yanked back. Out of instinct, Merida began smashing the stick onto whatever was behind the bush. She was basically raging as she did this
"Stop, stop, OW, STOP IT!"
Merida froze, her weapon still in her hands. A head of brown hair rose from behind the plant and Merida immediately dropped the stick when Hiccup stood there awkwardly all bruised on the face. He limped out from the bush and faced Merida with his arms crossed in almost anticipation and questioning. Merida smiled uncomfortably at him, but even that didn't faze Hiccup who was too exhausted and annoyed to even tolerate Merida's charming smile.
"What are you doing here? And why were you with Jack Overland?" Hiccup queried, eyes narrowed.
"I got lost?" Merida said, rubbing the back of her neck. She deliberately dodged the question about Jack and pursed her lips hoping that Hiccup might forget about it.
"You're not supposed to be here! What if you get caught?!" he chastised as he tugged Merida away from the castle walls. Unfortunately, Hiccup hadn't forgotten his question about Jack and asked again, "A-Are you… Um, what's your relationship with Jack?"
"We don't have a relationship," Merida lied through her teeth, "We're sort of acquaintances verging to friends… Nothing bad."
She could tell from Hiccup's disgruntled expression that he didn't believe her. They walked quietly until there was a loud BANG that made both of them jump up in shock. Suddenly, a roar of barking and yelling could be heard. Hiccup in a panicked frenzy, pulled harshly on Merida's arm and they ran as fast as the nearby frenetic deer from the noise and the castle. However, there was a loud scream that made Merida jolt.
It resonated from inside the castle walls. Wrenching away from Hiccup's grasp, Merida sprinted past the rubble and up to the castle. She searched around for an opening, perhaps that hole that was her door to freedom, but she found it covered.
"ANNIE?!"
Hiccup hurried up to Merida and grabbed her shoulder, "We have to go!"
"But Annie is in there!" Merida exclaimed, pushing Hiccup's hand off of her shoulder, "I heard her scream! We have to save her!"
"Screams all sound the same!" Hiccup yelled above the loud noises of dogs and the thundering of hooves, "We have to go, now!"
Reluctantly, Merida accepted Hiccup's hand and they ran as fast as they could back to the village. With Hiccup leading with his lame leg, the metal struggled to maintain itself and constantly buckled. There was a sense of urgency that drove Merida on, she held Hiccup up and they managed to half stumble half sprint through the woodland.
At the brothel, Jack and Rapunzel were inside with Bunnymund, Tooth and Sandman. Jack was biting his lip as he paced around. Tooth and Bunnymund were preoccupying themselves with a board game while Sandy was entertaining Rapunzel with his drawings and mimes. There was a loud horn that vibrated through the village which reached Jack's ears like the calling of nightmares.
Jack slammed the door open. Eyes wide in fear, he signaled the others to come out. They all trudged towards the heart of the village, where a large group of dark soldiers on black stallions stayed in line in an ominous and enigmatic fashion. In front of the army was the prince himself, Mathias Gallach, who sat on the horse with his posture poised, but his face was pale and almost sickly. Next to him was a man who resembled a shadow, who almost appeared invisible as he silently judged everyone with his piercing eyes.
"I am your Prince!" Mathias started with volume, "I demand the return my wife, Merida DunBroch Gallach, as she has possesses something important that must be returned to the King. If this item is not returned along with Merida by the beginning of Winter; there will be consequences!"
For a brief moment, Mathias met eyes with Jack's who stared at the prince with cold fire in his eyes. Rapunzel seemed to go stiff with fright as she hid herself between Bunnymund and Sandy. The golden eyes seemed to lay subtly on Rapunzel who tightened her grip on Bunnymund's arm. The people started to murmur and bicker as the prince's words sunk into their heads.
"But Winter starts in a few weeks!"
"Why would we have a princess here?!"
"This is ridiculous! Stop blaming your problems on us poor folk!"
"What do we do?" Tooth whispered.
Jack growled at Mathias, but the prince was preoccupied with the dissatisfied behaviour of the peasantry. In the distance, a blob of red hair caught Jack's attention. He shook his head vigorously at Merida as if hoping she would get the hint and quickly go hide. Heaving a thankful breath that Hiccup was there to read the situation at hand, Jack watched as Hiccup hastily wrenched Merida away from the speculating eyes of the people and from the soldiers. Jack exhaled sharply, he checked if Mathias was looking, but he was speaking with some of the soldiers who were trying to calm the village people. Jack nodded his head to Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy and Rapunzel to head for the brothel.
They narrowly squeezed out of the crowd and sneakily slipped out of sight into the alleyways of the houses. Hurriedly, Jack sharply turn the corners and led them into the woods where it was difficult for any stalkers or followers to trail them. When they made it to the brothel, Jack's heart escalated at the sight of Merida, but it dropped when he saw the blood drained, paleness of her face that looked like she had witnessed torture.
Before any of them had the chance to question Merida's social background or her reasons for escaping, she rushed over to Jack, fear engraved in her irises.
"We have to save Annie," Merida whispered desperately, hands clasped over Jack's, "Please."
Hey there :). So Jamie doesn't believe in fairy tales (?) here, but he will inevitably play an important role in Jack's part of the story (as always haha). Oh, and Jamie has a boy-crush on Rapunzel, I hope you guys don't mind that. I've always pictured him as a stubborn and determined kid who won't let go of anything or anyone he loves/likes a lot. Is that just me? Or am I seeing things the wrong way lol?
Replies:
DD: Thanks for reviewing! Um, about the Astrid bit, I plan to have her in the story, and it does follow from their relationship from the original movie. But I haven't decided on whether or not I'll elaborate on their relationship yet, so bare with me :P. Merida and Jack always has some over-the-top love/hate or pull/push chemistry ;). That's just how they roll even if Merida were married or not haha.