Inhaling deeply as sweat dripped down her face, Merida tightened her grip around her sword and lifted it to prepare for her next attack, ignoring the shooting pain in her shoulder and upper back. She let out an intimidating yell and charged towards the young teen who looked equally ferocious with her raised ax that glinted menacingly in the sunlight. Sword and ax met in mid swing, making a terrible clang throughout the battle ring of the village's dragon academy. Merida narrowed her eyes at the teen and continued to hold her ground, the other girl doing the same. "Yeh can't beat me, lass," teased Merida with a smirk.
"Oh yea?" The ax was dropped from its position and Merida swung done with all her might, but the girl quickly dodged towards the ground and swung her leg out, tripping Merida up and causing her to fall. She landed with a grunt and her sword clattered down beside her. Scrambling, she reached out for the sword only to find the sharpened edge of the ax beneath her chin.
Groaning in defeat, Merida said, "I yield." She was helped up by the teen who then swung the ax over her shoulder and grinned.
"Best two out of three?" she challenged.
"Yer on, Astrid," Merida returned with a broad smile. The two never got to their next fight though as they heard the familiar roar of Toothless marking Hiccup's return. They quickly ran out of the battle ring and on to the grass to see Toothless land with Hiccup astride. Once the dragon was on the ground, Hiccup leapt off and ran straight towards Merida.
"Merida!" he yelled. "I've got to-something big has happened! Something huge!"
"Are you okay, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, concerned for her best friend.
"I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? Everything's great! Except for the fact that a time traveling frost spirit has just told me that the fate of the world hangs in mine, his, Merida's, and a girl with really long magic healing hair's hands!" The two girls raised their eyebrows at this, slightly worried about the crazed words coming out of the dragon trainer's mouth.
"I think he might have heat stroke," Merida whispered to Astrid, who stood rooted to the spot dumbstruck.
"Hiccup, I think you need to go lie down," Astrid calmly said while walking towards him with an outstretched arm.
"No, I don't!" he responded firmly, pushing her arm away. "Sorry, Astrid. I guess I didn't make it clear, but what I said is true. You have to believe me." Astrid took a step back, realizing that the last time he had said this he had been imploring her to believe that the dragons truly were good. "Would I lie about something like this?"
"No," Astrid breathlessly said. "No, you wouldn't."
Merida threw up her hands exasperatedly in the air and her voluminous red hair bounced, the curls settling in an unruly fashion. "Agh! This is a trick, Hiccup! I know it! If a time traveling spirit has summoned us, then why can't I see them, hm?"
"Because you don't believe in him!" Hiccup shot back. He flinched slightly when Merida started marching towards him, but stood his ground determined to make his fiery cousin see the truth. She grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him forward until they were nose to nose.
"If yer playing tricks on me, I will get my brothers to terrorize you from dawn 'till dusk, got it?" she threatened in a low, cold voice. Hiccup gulped and nodded. Satisfied, Merida released her grip on his shirt and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Now, where is this frost spirit?"
"Erm...he's right behind you," Hiccup said, stifling a chuckle. Merida quickly whipped around, but saw nothing except for Astrid standing off to the side, still trying to make sense of the whole situation.
"I don' see anythin'!" she cried out. Hiccup couldn't help it anymore and fell to the ground laughing. "What're ye' laughin' at, shrimp?"
"He's...oh gods, he's been imitating you the whole time!" Merida frowned at her cousin as her eyes continued to search for this spirit. She suddenly felt very cold and shivered, wondering where the chill had come from. The grass around her become frozen and crunchy while a slight frost started to creep up from the hem of her dress.
"What the...?" She murmured as she regarded the situation unfolding before her. A light snow began to fall around her and she locked eyes with Hiccup, who had since stood back up and was giving her a knowing smile.
"Wait for it..." he teased. A snowflake landed on Merida's nose and her eyes fluttered. She slowly turned her head to the right and gasped upon seeing the teen boy with unruly white hair and ice blue eyes.
"Yer...yer real!" she exclaimed, jumping up from shock. "Hiccup! I see him!" She rushed over to the boy and carefully touch him to confirm that he was, in fact, there and not just a crazy hallucination. When her fingers made contact with his face, an incredibly cold sensation shot up them and she instantly recoiled with a slight yelp. "Yer freezing!"
The boy laughed and said, "Yea, cold as ice. Jack Frost's the name, by the way." He gave her a smile and she gaped, still hardly daring to believe that this was indeed happening.
"I don't see anything," Astrid shouted, interrupting them.
"Ye jus' need to believe, lass!" Merida hollered back. "Believe in Jack Frost and ye'll see 'im!" Astrid rolled her eyes and decided that she had nothing to lose in trying. Silently she willed herself to believe in this so-called frost spirit and it wasn't long before she too could see him.
"Oh gods!" she cried out. "I...I see him!" Jack gave her a slight wave of his hand, which she returned with a small one of her own before running over to join them all.
"All right, now that you can see him, Mer, we better be going!" Hiccup announced, adjusting the saddle on Toothless in preparation for their journey.
"Go?!" the two girls said simultaneously.
"You can't just take off!" Astrid interjected, grabbing Hiccup by the arm. "We need you here! I need you!" Hiccup felt his heart sink upon hearing this and found it difficult to look Astrid in the eyes.
"He has to go, Astrid," Jack explained. "Pitch is coming back to destroy the world with fear and darkness and without him or Merida, we don't stand a chance!"
"Who CARES about your world?! You're from the future!"
"She has a point," Merida contributed. "Why should we go with you to save a world that doesn't even exist for us, nor ever will."
"Because it's the right thing to do," Hiccup stated grimly. "We can't let the world fall into darkness, especially if we're the only ones with a chance to stop it from happening." Astrid and Merida looked down guiltily, understanding that, as usual, Hiccup was right.
"I'm in," Merida flatly said. "Let me grab my bow"
"No time!" Jack exclaimed. "We have to keep moving!"
"Right," she said in a monotone. "I still need my bow though."
With a wave of his staff, Jack commanded the winds and the bow and quiver came flying out from the battle arena to smack Merida clean in the face.
"Oooo," Jack said as Hiccup and Astrid winced. "Sorry there, princess."
"Why you-" Merida growled while rubbing her temple.
"Merida, I'm sure it was an accident," Hiccup quickly said, attempting to calm her. It was no use though for she launched off the ground and grabbed Jack by the scruff of his neck.
"Don't. Call. Me. Princess," she tersely demanded, tightening her grip after each word.
Jack cheekily grinned and challenged, "Aw, dainty princess going to rip me apart?" He quickly found himself on the ground and an arrow pointed directly at his head.
"No, but I could give you a horn or two to match your seemingly devilish personality."
"Merida! Jack! Stop it!" Hiccup jumped between the two and pushed Merida's bow down. "If we're going to work together, we can't afford to be at each other's throats. Now apologize to each other and let's get moving."
Merida eyed Jack viciously, then sighed and reluctantly said, "I'm sorry."
Jack floated back up off the ground using the winds and gave an amused laugh. "I'm sorry, too." Bowing in a grandiose manner, he added teasingly, "Princess." Merida let out an enraged shout and charged towards him, knocking Hiccup to the ground. She quickly found herself restrained by Astrid who had jumped in to assist Hiccup with the situation.
"Let go o' me, Astrid!" Merida yelled, struggling against Astrid's strong grip on her arms.
"I will once you drop it!" She gave one last tug, then threw her arms down in a huff and turned on her heel, throwing her bow and quiver on to her back and leaping on to Toothless in a single bound.
"This isn't over," she glowered towards Jack.
"Likewise," Jack returned with a mischievous grin. He then faced Hiccup and asked, "Ready to go?"
"Give me a minute, okay?" he requested, seeing Astrid's saddened expression. Jack nodded then strode over towards the dragon, sticking his tongue out at Merida who retaliated by shooting an arrow into the tip of the "G" of his wooden staff.
"Hey!" he yelled, pulling the arrow out and throwing it back at the wild haired girl, who caught it and stuck it back in her quiver all the while sticking her own tongue out triumphantly. Hiccup rolled his eyes at this display before taking Astrid's hands in his own.
"I'll come back, promise," he said.
"I know, doesn't mean I won't worry though," Astrid replied. "Be careful."
"I will." He then felt her lips against his and melted in her kiss. When they broke apart, they smiled at each other.
"Just, don't let them kill each other okay? I don't want to lose my sparring partner."
"Eh...no promises there," Hiccup replied. He embraced her before running towards Toothless, waving back at her. "I'll be back before you know it!"
He jumped up on to Toothless's saddle in front of Merida and turned towards Jack who was using the winds to float beside him. "Where to, Jack?"
Jack tapped the clock charm two times and they were all enveloped in brilliant white sand as Astrid looked on. Barely a minute had passed by before a bright flash caused Astrid to shield her eyes. When she opened them back up, they and the sand were gone.