Sorry about the long wait as well as the lack of ANs on the past chapters (though I'm sure I can guess which one is the more concerning). I made sure to make this one of the bigger chapters seeing as your patience definitely deserves it. Not a lot happens, but this is kind of where the change in Jack starts to get worse. I'm trying to build relationships between each character individually since I've never been good at writing for a group of people, but you can tell me how well/bad I'm doing at the end.

There is a bit of a warning, thouth, I didn't really edit much of this as I haven't had much time to even write it so feel free to let me know if you have any questions or see any mistakes. Your feedback is always appreciated!

I'll update as soon as I can, but for now and as always…

Read. Review. Enjoy!

Nothing gold stays. Jack remembered hearing that long ago and passing it off without a second thought. Not having anything in his life he could label as 'gold' was more than likely the reason, but now he understood.

He knew he couldn't stay wrapped up forever. Well aware of how much time was passing with each beat of the pulses around him, Jack decided the time had come to pull away. It was not worth the mortals' limited life to waste on the lost cause that he was. Shifting back towards the dragon brought the human to light of the movement and he pulled away. Toothless seemed a bit more reluctant to uncurl himself from the cub, but he followed suit.

The world around them was far more accommodating than expected. As it was hours past noon, the trees provided enough shade as to not blind them and Wind gently circle around her sprite to fend off the opposing warmth of the surrounding climate. Still, Jack squinted at the light and shivered at the warm air.

He had to give them credit as they were obviously fighting the urge to swarm him, but the smile it brought didn't last as long as it should have. With a deep breath and a practiced masking of emotions Jack stood and stretched his pale arms above his head with a plastered grin on his face. He groaned a bit as his muscles protested the movement after so long of being immobile.

Despite the attempts to keep themselves from staring, there was no mistaking the unnerving swirl of black in the sprite's endless blue eyes even as his all-too-fake smile shone.

"What are you making?" Jack asked curiously once he caught the girls' eyes.

Far too much time passed before they could catch on an answer and both were relieved by the Viking's save. "I'm surprised you found anything. I just assumed we'd have to restock."

Merida was the first to recover her emotions enough to produce a semblance of normalcy. "It wasn' easy, I'll tell ya tha'. Took us a bit to find anythin' at all."

"We have enough to make a…stew of sorts, but it will only last us one meal. We'll have to visit another village before the day is out." Rapunzel added, voice slightly too quiet to be considered normal.

The others, of course, did their best to ignore it.

"Do you want me to go out again?" the youngest offered, "I can take Punzie with me again or try to fly with someone else if she doesn't want to go."

Toothless grunted grouchily and pressed his head against his rider who forced a chuckle at the movement. It was obvious that the dragon could sense the tension and was doing what he could to ease it so Hiccup played along. "It seems as if our resident reptile would rather a group trip. That way we can get everything we need and not over-burden you too much to fly."

"That's a good idea," Rapunzel added, her tone a bit more upbeat, "That way we can all keep to our preferences. Last time, I wasn't too sure what all to get because I didn't know what all you lot wanted." She tried to end it with a smile.

Merida caught on, "Uh, huh. You jus' don't wanna pay for it all."

The group shared in a laugh as the princess' attempts to disagree. Though the sound of Jack's laughter should have been relieving to the humans, it only proved how accustomed the boy was to hiding his emotions. As genuine as the happiness seemed, the darkness continued to dance through his eyes uninterrupted. They wondered briefly if he even knew it was there.

A few more failed jokes lasted them until the food had finished cooking and, as it turned out, catering to their growling stomachs was enough to brighten the mood. Even Jack seemed more genuine in his expressions. Soon, they were left to clean up the clearing and pack what little survived the fire before heading out. Winter's child floated above the trees every now and again to ensure they were on track towards a village that looked a bit more promising than the last.

It was during one of Jack's recon missions when Rapunzel couldn't stand to hold back her question.

"I don't understand," she began, her gaze trained on the white dot far above them, "He's not upset anymore so why are his eyes…"

Merida's face twisted sourly. "Ya, I was wonderin' the same."

"Well, with the movement pattern and color we can basically confirm that it's something that Pitch did, but from there I'm not really sure where to go. I've never seen anything like it before." Hiccup rubbed his dragon's head in consideration. "Maybe if we break it down…We know it gets worse with his mood like with his nightmare and Pitch's attack. It's also safe to assume that he doesn't know about it though, if you notice his expression, it must trigger a painful train of thought…"

"What if it makes him remember? Ah mean, he's been by 'imself for years and surly 'e wouldn't wanna relive tha'." Merida provided.

Rapunzel quickly nodded, "That makes sense. When he attacked that boy in the village, he begged me not to hate him which, I'm sure wouldn't be a new reaction to him if Pitch was the first person to talk to him. Plus, before we could see him the first time we met Pitch, he seemed to be losing the verbal battle. People who fight for themselves often don't have such trouble."

"So mental warfare against Pitch," the Viking pondered, "That fits. I doubt someone called 'The Nightmare King' would have any trouble finding and exploiting weaknesses. That explains why he had such a terrible nightmare."

"Exactly! But what-"

"Jack! About time you got back here!" The boisterous voice of their resident redhead interrupted Rapunzel just as the winter sprite came into hearing distance. The others shot her a thankful nod before turning their attention towards their youngest as he landed gracefully on Toothless' back.

Lounging on the back of a dragon who clearly didn't mind the weight, the boy cracked a smirk at his human companions. "Had to make sure you lot didn't get us lost." He threw himself completely sideways with his head hanging off one side and his legs off the other like an exasperated child. "It's so much faster to fly. Wind is just begging me to play with her."

That almost stopped the group in their tracks if not for the fact that the object of their fascination was riding away atop a contented Night Fury.

"Wait," Merida called, "who?"

Winter's child lifted his head slightly before spinning himself to lay with his feet bent above Toothless' head and his hands folded beneath his chin further along the dragon's back. "You mean who's Wind?" he asked a bit confused. "Isn't it obvious?"

Hiccup took pity on the sputtering girl and tried to interpret the question. "I think she's asking why you named a force of nature and called it a 'her' as well as inferring that you can understand it."

"Now that's just rude." Jack's pouting remark was emphasized by a brief gust of air as it they had agitated the breeze itself. "Wind is a real person…well…she's sentient at least and doesn't much approve of being referred to as an 'it'. Not to be trifled with, I can tell you that." His words ended in a bit of a mumble making his listeners wonder if he had, at one time, been the outlet after such an occurrence.

"Ay, so ye weren't foolin'…" the archer breathed, her bewilderment deepening her accent.

The burnet princess blinked owlishly. "So you can understand the…I mean…it…Wind- you can understand her?"

"Of course I can. How do you think I'm able to ride on her currents? I mean, I have to ask first, but she can pick up on silent signals better than anyone I know." Jack announced, doting on his bodiless friend as a gentle breeze whirled around him. "She was the first one to speak to me after I woke up and she's been there the whole time."

They would be crazy to admit it, but none of them missed the change in the air that made it seem almost…apologetic and guilty.

Closing his multi-colored eyes and smiling into gusts that lifted his already messy hair, Jack seemed to make the perfect picture of bliss, though, the smile didn't last as long before it melted away.

"I owe her a lot," he said quietly as if his words were just for the fluttering Wind to hear.

There was a moment of hesitation in which the humans wanted nothing more than to break the silence, but couldn't find anything to say. Much to their relief, however, a few short steps later found them in a large clearing surrounding a shimmering pond. The only word to describe it was serene. From the gentle sound of a bird passing through the trees to the flowers cast about in a way only nature could arrange to the scent of trees monopolizing every breath.

The pure definition of peace in realistic view.

The humans seemed frozen by the sight, but the young sprite floated onto the ground and started forward as if he'd seen it a million times as he, in fact, had. Once he realized that his companions were no longer following him, he turned to ask why before bursting into laughter at their amazed expressions. Though the silence had been broken, the ringing sound of the boy's giggles did nothing if not add to the serenity of the clearing.

Merida was the first to break out of her thoughts as a playful scowl was shot towards Jack. "It's not nice ta' make fun of people, ya' know," she scolded lightly.

Her voice snapped the others out of their endless staring while it only made Jack laugh all the more.

"I can't help it," he choked, "you guys looked so weird!" Taking breaths to calm himself down, he was soon left with hiccups. "You looked like you'd never seen a pond before."

"It's just so…" Rapunzel couldn't finish her sentence.

"I've never seen a clearing so…serene…before," Hiccup admitted softly, unable to find a better word to fully describe their discovery.

Jack looked about considerately. "I guess," he said with a cryptic fondness, stepping toward the sizable pond without any sign of stopping before he placed a gentle foot on its surface. "I've never really seen it that way."

Confusion flitted through the Princess' eyes. "What do you mean, Jack?"

"Hmm?" He hardly paid them any mind as he gracefully slid across the glittering surface. It was only then that the humans realized the pond was frozen.

"Wait," Merida drawled, "when'd you freeze the water?"

Attention still elsewhere, winter's child voice was a bit more distanced than normal. "It's always been frozen."

It was now Hiccups' turn to scowl. "How's that possible?"

Jack shrugged honestly, "I've just always assumed it was because of the moon. That he'd kept it like this so I would never forget." Deep blue eyes drifted to an oddly colored patch of ice near the center before his thin shoulders shuddered slightly.

Light brightened behind the Viking's eyes as the epiphany hit him. "You'd said you were pulled out of the water when becoming a spirit," he mused as his voice darkened with the realization, "This is where it happened, wasn't it?"

Twin gasps fought to be stifled by the girls who hadn't yet connected the dots as their young friend nodded distractedly.

"Yes. I don't remember anything before the pond so it's kind of special to me, which works because nothing ever disturbs this place. I've never once seen any life go beyond the border. It's as if they don't even know this is here. Maybe it's something the moon did when he pulled me out of the ice." Darkened eyes lifted towards the sky, but there was no moon for them to glare hatefully at.

Following his gaze, the humans glanced between each other before coming to a silent consensus.

"Why don't we stop here for the night? If nothing even enters this place, then we won't have to set up a watch." Rapunzel forced happiness through her words as she successfully pulled Jack's attention off the darkening sky and back to the earth.

He nodded quickly, realizing he had spaced out and not wanting to worry his frien-company. "That's not a bad idea, Punzie!" he grinned halfheartedly, "I don't know if you'll be able to make a fire or anything that can change something in here, but you can try while I go out for more supplies. The village isn't far from here. It'll only take me a few minutes."

The humans blinked. Wasn't the whole idea of this trip so that everyone could get the things they needed? Why was Jack trying so hard to get away? Plus, thanks to Rapunzel's explanation of their first supply run, they knew the sprite had no money or ability to buy rather than steal. He'd previously said he didn't like stealing, but wasn't that exactly what he was offering to do now?

"Why don' we all go if's tha' close?" Merida said with a shrug of indifference, though her eyes betrayed her unwillingness to leave the boy alone.

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea! I know I need some pretty specific things and don't want to make you carry it all by yourself, Jack."

After a moment of shifting hesitation, Jack spoke in a mumble. "I guess, but I can't carry everyone…"

"I'm sure Toothless won't mind giving Merida and I a lift while you carry Rapunzel," he turned to the resident reptile, "Sound alright, bud?"

Having perked up from his nap under a tree at the sound of his name, the dragon seemed to assess the situation by peering at each of them in turn before jumping up and prancing around animatedly. He nudged against the frost child's legs and brought a small smile to his face as he began to dance around with the reptile.

"Then it's settled!" Rapunzel said cheerfully, "We'll all go to the village and then come right back here to set up camp as long as that's alright with you, Jack."

The boy nodded soberly, ignoring the rest of the conversation about what all they needed in favor of dodging away from Toothless who had just pounced at his 'prey'. Jack laughed openly at his playmate as he gracefully lifted off the ground and tip-toed on the dragon's back. Swinging his head back and forth, the Night Fury crooned in annoyance at his limited reach before standing on his back legs, successfully spilling the child onto the ground where he balanced on his staff to keep from falling. Too quickly for him to face the beast, Toothless had finally managed to pin Jack to the ground with his paws laid gently over the thin shoulders even as they shook with laughter.

Staff still in hand, winter's child laid a patch of ice under the dragon's back paw to make him slip slightly, but it was enough for Jack to silently call wind to sweep him out from the trap. Now standing before his 'adversary', he leveled his trusty weapon just above the reptile's head and created a flurry of snow that distracted him. This, however, seemed to backfire as they were both soon caught up in a game of who could chase more of the evasive flakes. By this time, the other teens had finished their conversation and had become the audience to the dragon and sprite. Holding back their chuckles in case it would cause any unnecessary embarrassment on their companion, they simply watched the game with a hint of envy at their ability to let go.

As the day was closing they managed to call them to attention long enough to mount up and head towards the small village. Any worry about their interruption ruining the mood was lost as soon as the two took flight and continued their games in the air. Racing, chasing birds, swooping in dramatic loops, by the time the group made it to their destination it was no surprise that the passengers of said flight were a bit nauseous.

Jack and Toothless opted to stay closer to the trees rather than follow the others into the crowds of people. There weren't many too humans wandering around, but the dragon was easily annoyed by the attention and petting while winter's child hated being reminded of his invisibility. Instead, they dropped to the ground, let their partners stumbled a bit, and sat comfortably in a pile under the comforting shade of the leaves. This also worked well because it was a bit too hot for the snow sprite to be out in the sun, but the shade seemed to be enough for the short time they needed it.

Hiccup cast a parting glance at the two creatures as they parted. He knew they wouldn't be gone long – even less time if he was able to get the girls in on his hurry – but something in his gut made him want to take that last look. It brought a smile to his face to see Toothless curled up on the ground between Jack and a large tree while the pale boy stood out dramatically against his dark scales obviously telling a story of some sort. They didn't seem to notice his passing glance, though the same could not be said of his fellow humans.

"They'll be fine, Hiccup," Rapunzel smiled sweetly, linking her arm with one of his.

Merida copied the movement from his other side. "We'll be back befor' ya' know et."

He chuckled as he was pulled along and was thankful when they let him go before entering the small shop.

They managed to find most of what they needed in the first stop, but had to ask the keeper where to find the rest. After two more buildings were ravaged by their overcompensating, the sky began to show the first signs of sunset and the need to return to their camp urge them onward.

Without communicating it to each other, they all seemed anxious to get to Jack. It was as if there was a voice whispering to them that they had to hurry before something horrible happened. There was no rhyme or reason to it seeing as they had a dragon guarding the child who – if nothing else – would call out if any problem arose, but logic did not seem to be reaching them at the moment. Finally, they broke passed the crowd to lay eyes on the peaceful pair.

Toothless hadn't moved much more than a slight shift while Jack now lay with one arm and leg hooked overtop the dragon's back as his others were dangling off the side; staff as always in his hand, however loosely.

A communal sigh passed through them at the sight and their pace slowed dramatically. Now, it was a bit of a snail's pace as they were almost unwilling to wake them from the obviously needed rest. Still, it was beginning to get dark and, though it was a short distance back to their camp, they wanted to get something food cooked before night fell. Plus, this would be the last place an untrusting boy such as Jack would want to be left sleeping thorough the night.