Chapter 3: I've Got a Dream
"I can't believe I did this!" Rapunzel exclaimed to the open forest.
Then, a bit more seriously, "I can't believe I did this."
Then, shouting again. "I can't believe I did this!"
And once again serious, "Mother would be so furious."
"Well, that's okay. What Mother knows won't kill her." She said, to which Toothless nodded.
"Oh my Gosh, this would kill her!"
"THIS IS SO FUUUUUN!"
"I am a terrible daughter. I have to go back."
"I AM NEVER GOING BACK!"
"I am a despicable human being!"
"BEST! DAY! EVER!"
And finally, Rapunzel collapsed against Toothless, sobbing quietly to herself.
Flynn approached her for the first time since she had started, clearing his throat. "I think I speak for all of us when I say, it seems you're a bit at war with yourself."
Though her head was buried in her hands, Rapunzel managed a nod.
"And I'm only picking up bits and pieces here. Forbidden road-trip, overbearing mother… but this is pretty serious! But let me ease your conscious: this is all part of growing up."
Rapunzel finally looked up out of her hands. "Really?" She asked quietly.
"Of course! You're way over thinking this! Does your mother deserve this? Probably not. Would it break her heart? Most definitely. But—"
"Oi!" Merida rose and stormed up to Flynn, faces inches apart. "Now who's sayin' tha' this would be bad for her?"
"Nothing! Nobody is!" Flynn backed up and held up his hands in the universal defense position. "I'm just giving her a chance to get back her mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust!"
"But isnae this all part of growin' up?!" Merida responded back. "Ye said it yerself!"
"Yes, but if Blondie here is really all that worried about horribly betraying her own dear sweet mother—"
"Well, who said that her mother dinae deserve this!?"
"HEY NOW!" Hiccup rose. All heads turned towards him. "We're all a bit heated up here. Now let's just calm down, and…I dunno…get some food before we set out?"
The four stilled stared at Hiccup. It was rather amusing to see just how quickly he folded back into himself and sat down, desperate to avoid any conflict. Merida rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. It reminded her too much of the other tribe boys; all talk, no backbone. Still, her growling stomach betrayed her on this one.
"Kid's right." Flynn said. "And I happen to know one of the best restaurants just across the way. Real five-star joint, you'll know it when you smell it."
Flynn kicked the door open. "GASTON! Your finest table, please!"
All the heads in the restaurant turned to them. Which was pretty bad, because they all looked like the ruffians, thugs and thieves that Rapunzel was trying so hard to avoid.
"Remind me to never ask you what 'five-star' means." Jack said as he glanced around. He generally stayed away from restaurants, since he didn't really need to eat, but he could easily tell that this was less 'five-star restaurant' and more 'bar you hid out in to stay away from cops'.
Flynn ushered them along, all the way talking about how good a place this was. Rapunzel was nearly terrified, and was collecting her hair with one hand while holding the frying pan out with the other. Merida was putting on a tough face and trying to look intimidating. Hiccup, however…well, he didn't exactly look comfortable, but he didn't look like he was scared by any of this. Jack was very much aware that all of the patrons' attention was still turned to them, and he followed Hiccup to the bar.
"Do you have anything that isn't alcoholic and won't make me sick to my stomach?" Hiccup asked. Jack was surprised; there still wasn't any indicator that Hiccup was just masking his fear.
The bartender tossed down Hiccup a glass of water. It looked dirty, though Jack couldn't tell if it was the glass or the water.
"Great. Thanks." Hiccup sighed.
"Hey, one for me too?" Jack asked, but he was ignored. He glanced around again. The occupants were looking at Flynn, who was talking casually with a man who certainly wasn't enjoying his company (and was that blood in his mustache?), Merida and Rapunzel, who were trying to find a safe place to settle down, and Hiccup, who certainly was acting like he knew the place or one like it. None on Jack.
So were they the only ones that could see him? But Hiccup didn't seem to recognize his name, and none of them seemed to either.
Where had that snowglobe taken him, anyway?
"Well that was rude." Hiccup said, pulling Jack out of his thoughts.
"Nah, I'm used to it." Jack shrugged.
"Still, let me just—" Hiccup was cut off as the door slammed shut. Jack rose a bit of his chair to overlook the crowd, and wished that he still had his staff on him.
"Is this you?" One of the ruffians asked. Jack could just barely make out a Wanted poster of Flynn and another one that seemed mostly curly hair. His eyes darted over to Merida, who was still holding onto most of Rapunzel's hair and didn't seem to be noticing what was going on.
"Well, now they're just being condescending." Jack didn't think this was much of an answer, but the thugs did. Once Flynn said it, chaos broke out as each thug tried to claim Flynn as their own.
Jack started to think fast. He didn't have his staff, which was always a problem, but he didn't know how much magic he could do without it. He probably couldn't turn this place into an ice rink on the fly, but if he had something with him...
Jack turned back to Hiccup. "Give me your water." He demanded.
Hiccup slid it down to him, with only a slight "Why?" of protest. Jack didn't respond, and held the glass up to eye level. He tried to ignore that his sigh was one of relief as the water turned white and powdery. Quickly, he emptied the contents into his hands and molded it into a snowball. As soon as he got an opening, he tossed it directly into one of the thugs' face.
Everything stopped. All the thugs turned to him…or rather, Hiccup. "He did it!" Hiccup protested and pointed at Jack. Jack held back a laugh.
Rapunzel took this as her chance. "Listen, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming of it my entire life. Don't you all have dreams?! Find your humanity!"
It was silent. The one Jack hit let go of Flynn and withdrew his ax. The one that was still holding onto Flynn, whose face was obscured by a large helmet, carefully put Flynn on a coat-rack. The thug walked closer and closer to Rapunzel, nearly backing her up into a wall. Merida tried to rush forward, as if she could do anything, but stopped once the thug spoke.
"I had a dream…once…"
The ax was tossed over the head of a nearby accordion player, who quickly started playing.
Strange things were happening at the Snuggly Ducking. Gothel usually tried to avoid that bar when she could; even ignoring the company, the same type she would scare Rapunzel with when she had to tell her to forget about the outside world, they couldn't mix a good cocktail to save her life. Still, when she heard the uncharacteristically chipper music pouring out, she had to take a look.
She drew her hood up closer and poked her head through the window. She froze, barely processing the scene in front of her. Singing and dancing was definitely something that never happened at the Snuggly Ducking...
Then she saw 70 feet of golden hair.
Her blood nearly boiled. Of course! She should have known better than to think that Rapunzel could just drop something like that! Of course she snuck out, and of course she had to go and ruin everything!
Gothel was ready to storm in there herself when she saw more hair. Not as gold as the sun and flowing as a river like Rapunzel's was, but a bright copper color and in a mesh of ringlets. It might have actually been rather pretty had she bothered to style it better. Even with that, Gothel was smart enough to realize that that hair also didn't belong in a place like that.
But there was a place where it did belong. And Gothel had seen it rather recently...
She glanced around, trying to put where she had seen it last. A piece of paper grabbed her attention. That was it. They were on Missing signs in the forest. Gothel hadn't payed much attention to them at the time; so long as it wasn't Rapunzel who went missing, she didn't quite care. She walked towards the tree, determined to get a better look this time.
No. That still wasn't it. This was of a man, older than either the girl or Rapunzel but not but a whole lot, and by the looks of it with a rather unfortunate nose that reminded Gothel a lot of her sister. Unlike the poster before, this was labeled with WANTED.
Gothel ripped the sign off the trunk. It wouldn't be missed; he had to have done something big to be so hunted throughout the kingdom. She went black towards the window, holding up the poster as reference.
There. There he was, currently dancing on the bar like he was an idiot but also mortified of the consequences if he stopped. Flynn Rider, Gothel read.
He had to have some enemies that would want to get back at him. And if the way they were hanging onto each other now were any indication, he had to know at least something about her disappearance.
And if he didn't, then she could at least claim the reward money.
"WHERE DID HE GO!?" North demanded.
No answer came. North nearly slapped himself in stupidity. Of course there would be no answer; he was asking the elves for an intelligence report! He groaned as he stormed down the halls, stopping nearly all the activity around him. This was not the time for this! There was an emergency at the Tooth Palace, and he was missing a Guardian who didn't even know his center!
The door to the Snowglobe Room was open. North sighed. Well, now he could be anywhere! He ran in and scanned over the shelves quickly. None of them seemed to be missing…except…
"Oh dear." He said aloud.
"What?" Bunny asked from behind him.
"Well…Imayhavebeenexperimentingwithtransdimensiontravelthroughsnowglobes, and Jackmayhavedecidedtotakejustthatone." He said quickly.
There was a pause. "Sorry, mate, you're gonna havta repeat that one."
The door slammed open once again. "I found the guards!" He announced.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been there for when the thugs were decided to let them go.
All the festivities stopped. Hiccup downed his drink and stood. "Well, as fun as this has been, we'd better get going…" He started, before he was dragged down, under a table where the rest of his group hid.
Hiccup waited patiently as the footsteps around the table grew and shrank steadily. "Tear this place apart if you have to." One of the guards, probably the captain or the like, ordered. "The Princess and the Viking we can forget; Rider's our focus."
Flynn gulped.
A hook cut across Hiccup's vision. He glanced up to the one owning it. The thug-pianist, gestured over his shoulder with his eyes, and Hiccup could barely see a door behind him. Well, if the last five minutes had taught him anything, it's that these guys were mostly harmless. He took his chances.
The five were lead back behind the bar. Hook pulled down on one of the taps, causing the floor to slink slightly. A door opened, and while the inside of it was still too dimly lit, Hiccup could just make out that it was an underground passage. He frowned. Toothless was still waiting for him outside, and he wouldn't know if he had sneaked off...He felt bad about it, but the only plan right now was that he had to go back and find him later. Even without a working tailfin, Toothless could handle himself.
"Go. Live your dreams." Hook said.
"Thanks. I will." Flynn nodded.
"Your dream stinks. I was talkin' to her."
They waited until they were positive they wouldn't be heard before they began speaking again. "So, uh…Merida?" Jack asked.
"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to pry if it's personal, but you wouldn't have done anything that would have cause you to be wanted by the guard?"
Merida stopped, stunned. She glanced down at the floor slightly as she thought, the wheels in her head spinning. "No' that I know of…why?"
"Well, let's just say, you were. You too, Hiccup."
"What?" Hiccup nearly froze. "Why?"
"Dunno. Didn't say. If it makes you feel any better, it did specify they want you alive." Jack said casually, inspecting his fingernails as he walked. "More than Rider can say."
"If you ask me, kid, it has something to do with the giant, fire-breathing lizard." Flynn remarked dryly.
"Dragon, and…" Hiccup trailed off. Maybe Flynn had a point, if not for the reasons he was thinking. Could the village be looking for him? No, he only left a few days ago! They wouldn't have tried to look in other kingdoms just yet.
Hiccup's thoughts were cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. He glanced behind him, where a light was growing. "RIDER!"
"Run!" Flynn exclaimed. Rapunzel gathered up as much hair as she could, Merida took the rest, and the five ran off.
Toothless, being too big to enter the Snuggly Duckling, was taking a small nap outside.
Was. He was rather awake now.
It had started when the guards arrived. At first, they had simply jostled him out of his sleep. It was only when they had entered the bar when Toothless began to worry.
He couldn't speak himself, but he could definitely understand the word "Viking". He could understand that Hiccup was probably the only person within miles that fit that description. And most certainly, whatever the angry looking guards wanted with him couldn't be good news.
He circled around the building, trying to get as good a glimpse through the windows as to what was inside. He couldn't see a whole lot, but he saw enough to know that Hiccup, nor any of the others, were in there.
That's when he heard a scream.
Toothless' head shot towards the source almost involuntarily. The jerk that jumped on him earlier. That was him. Wherever he was, he had to know where Hiccup was.
He kicked up his wings, earning a gasp from passer-bys, fully prepared to speed off. He stopped once he took his tail-fin into account. Without Hiccup to steer him, he would crash easily, and that would be somewhat counter productive.
He would just have to walk.
Merida glanced around. She saw that they were in a small canyon, with a dam nearby, but that wasn't what she was focusing on. She sought out the next cave, just across the canyon.
And then she saw the two thugs walking out of the other cave entrance. "Who are they?" She asked.
"Let's just say they don't like me." Flynn answered.
"And they are?" Jack gestured to the guards, who were already catching up.
"They don't like me either!"
A whinny echoed through the cave behind them. Merida turned her head. Now with the guards was a very large white stallion, who was sending them death glares.
"And he is?" Hiccup asked.
Flynn pushed them all a little more forward. "Let's just assume no one here likes me!"
Rapunzel sighed. With one hand, she yanked the hair out of Merida's arms; with the other, she shoved her frying pan into Hiccup's arms. Expertly, she tossed her hair over the canyon, where it wrapped tightly around a beam. With her spare arm, she grabbed Jack, held him close, and swung over to the other side.
Leaving Merida, Hiccup and Flynn to face the approaching guards. "I've waited a long time for this Rider," One of the guards spoke as he approached them.
Hiccup acted on instinct. With one swing of the frying pan, he managed to knock him unconscious. Merida scrambled for his sword. Sure, swords weren't her main weapon, but she could manage with them. She followed Hiccup's lead, disarming what guards she could while he smacked them in the head.
Once all the guards were under, Merida glanced up. Flynn was staring at them in disbelief. "I have got to get me one of those!" He exclaimed.
A loud grabbed their attention again. The horse was staring them down, a sword clenched in his teeth. Merida didn't have nearly enough time to stare in disbelief as she realized she was the only one with a functional weapon.
The horse took turns between fighting her, Flynn (who grabbed another guard's sword) and Hiccup, who was now moving the pan around like an actual sword. And even more, he was holding his own.
"Now who taugh' a horse how ta fence!" Merida asked as she fought.
"I don't know, but this is the strangest thing I've ever done!" Flynn replied.
The swords were knocked to the side, the frying pan into the ravine. The horse held up the sword dangerously close to their necks, ready for the final blow.
"Best two outta three?" Hiccup asked.
"FLYNN!" A steam of hair was being sent their way. It wrapped around Flynn's hand, and with his other arm he managed to catch Merida. Merida grabbed Hiccup by the collar as they swung down.
The thugs were still on the ground, and now they were waiting for them with swords. Merida scrambled up the hair just a bit more, just as much as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rapunzel as she yanked on the hair, and just barely did the hair rise. Flynn still had to swing his legs upwards, but the group sailed over the thug's heads unharmed.
"Ha!" Flynn shouted back. "You two should really see your faces because you look-!"
A beam collided with Flynn's stomach. "Ridiculous." He finished in a grunt.
Merida didn't waste too much time feeling bad for him. She followed Hiccup as he climbed the hair up to one of the beams. Once she got her footing, she glanced up to Jack and Rapunzel. The horse had knocked down a support beam, and was now using it as a very effective bridge to where the two stood. And now most of the guards were waking up and following him…
Merida thought fast. She yanked up the rest of Rapunzel's hair, and the Flynn that was still attached to it. "RAPUNZEL!" She shouted. Rapunzel instantly figured it out. She grabbed onto a bit of her hair, pulled Jack close again, and jumped.
Merida froze as the horse reached out. The horse was only inches away from her hair, but a large gust of wind seemed to kick up right at that moment, giving the two the boost needed.
Once Rapunzel was safely on the ground, Merida scrambled down off the beams that followed them. She knew that Flynn and Hiccup were following behind here, but she didn't really think about it until the beam began breaking under their weight. She hit the ground, stumbling slightly, and grabbed what of Rapunzel's hair she could.
And that's when the dam broke.
The four scrambled. Merida didn't even get a good look behind her, content on avoiding the destruction. A large shadow was forming overhead. She glanced up. A boulder. A very very large boulder that was just about to squish them like a pancake. The tidal wave caught up with them at just the last second, and they were launched into the cave entrance just seconds before the boulder fell.
It was dark. It was quiet. And the water kept coming in.
Hiccup and Rapunzel scrambled to the back, trying to find whatever entrance they could. Flynn dove under. She and Jack took to the walls, desperately attacking for any gap they could take advantage of.
Flynn rose up. "It's useless. It's pitch black down there, and even if it wasn't I don't think there are any openings."
The water was at hip level. Rapunzel collapsed against the wall, sobbing softly. Merida didn't blame her, and was halfway to that herself. "She was right. I never should have done this." She said in-between chokes.
Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." It was a half-hearted cliché, but it seemed to cheer Rapunzel up a bit. It didn't stop the sobs from coming, though.
Hip level.
"I'm so sorry…" Rapunzel continued. "Hiccup…Merida…Jack…Flynn…"
"…Eugene." Flynn spoke. All heads turned. "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. I…I thought someone should know."
Rapunzel nodded.
Waist level.
"I ran away from home too." Hiccup said. "We…Toothless and I. I couldn't kill a dragon. Not when I considered one my best friend."
There was silence.
"Me too." Merida added. This was her last minute alive; she might as well get if off her chest. "The Wisps can change yer faet an'…I suppose anythin' would be better than marryin' someone I didnae know."
"Don't have a home to run away from." Jack said next. "I'm…alone. I'm Jack Frost, Winter Spirit, and I have no center."
Merida glanced up at him.
Shoulder level.
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Rapunzel said, a slight laugh in her tone.
"This conversation has taken a sudden turn." Flynn said.
Rapunzel didn't seem to be listening. All traces of sadness left, and she suddenly looked like she had an epiphany. "I have…magic hair…that glows when I sing!" Rapunzel drew a quick breath with what air they had left. "Flowergleamandglow, letyourpowershine-"
The water filled the cave.
Flynn hadn't been lying when he said it was dark. Merida would probably have been able to see more with her eyes closed. But what struck her the most was how cold it was. It felt like a thousand pins were striking into her all at once. It was cold, and dark, and she was scared-
But then it wasn't so dark. Merida glanced at the source. Her vision might be blurry, but she could still see the source; Rapunzel's hair. She bit her lip to avoid gasping out what air she had. Flynn wasn't as lucky, and he scrambled to get his air back.
Rapunzel remained on task. She gestured behind them. The boulders should be easy to move now. Merida swam over and began digging as quick as she could.
Toothless studied the cave entrance in front of him. It certainly smelled like Hiccup was in there, but for the life of him, Toothless couldn't figure out how to get in. He reached out gingerly with his paw, just barely touching one of the boulders blocking the path.
The boulder shot out as a leg made its way through the crack. Toothless glanced at it curiously, before yanking it out with his mouth, teeth detracted.
Four bodies came tumbling out of the wreck and into the river. Hiccup only dangled, still being supported by the dragon. "Thanks, Toothless." He sighed.
Author's Note: I figure Hiccup would be comfortable around the Snuggly Duckling. I think if they were able to spend a bit more time there, he could learn a lot about being comfortable with his passions and also being a major ass-kicker. Also, Flynn should not have played the teenage rebellious phase when he is around two people in their teenage rebellious phase who have good reasons for running away.
