Wow, this one's later than I thought it would be. Not by much, thank God but... still...
I don't really have much to say this time around; I think this chapter will speak for itself.
Thanks for all of the reviews on this story so far; they've all made me smile and giggle. And thank you guys for liking my story. I didn't expect this to catch on as much as it has. ... But I kind of always say that so... I'll leave you to read now...
Jack's flight back to the Guardians' makeshift headquarters was performed on auto-pilot. He wasn't entirely sure how he managed to get back to the unfamiliar space without getting lost; for his mind was pre-occupied with the so-called "legend" he had just heard about himself. Jack always knew that Jokul Frosti was one of his many worldwide names, but he had never heard the beliefs behind this alternate, far older version of himself before.
He'd heard countless Jack Frost stories in his three hundred years of existence, with very few lasting longer than a few decades before they pattered away with history. This narrative shouldn't have been any news to the teen, really. When people hear about Jack Frost, they don't necessarily think of a tall, handsome teenage boy in a blue hoodie and sporting spikey white hair without a matching beard. He'd been called old before; he'd even been portrayed as dangerous because he's so carefree. One of Jack's personal favorite misconceptions about himself when Americans depicted him as a general who rode on a steed made of ice. Time certainly changed how people who couldn't even see him thought of him.
But this… this one was different. He could handle the nose nipping myth (which he only did on maybe three occasions because he was bored), he could take the warnings given to kids about being alone with him because, hey, stranger danger and all. But he'd never been called evil before. Sure, Jack was mischievous and sometimes things got a little out of control; but he never intended to harm a soul. If anyone had ever died because of his winters, it was always because he went a little more extreme than he should have or that the victim was even more insane than the action that caused their awful demise.
The Guardian of Fun tried to dismiss this lie about himself the whole trip back to the cave. He tried his best to ignore that comment. "Too bad he's evil." That kid's voice echoed in Jack's head over and over again; each time it grew louder and harder to ignore.
The whole scene replayed in his mind. The speech about why winter's supposedly evil, how Jokul is said to hibernate when it gets warm and that being the Vikings' safe haven from him. It just all felt wrong on too many levels to count. If there was one thing that Jack wasn't, it would be evil.
He landed before his destination with a huff. "Old Man Winter… really?!" Jack scoffed as he entered the cavern, which was now warmed by a fire sitting a few yards from the pond. Jack's muttering caught the attention of North and Tooth; Jack guessed they finished scouting already too. "Of all the stupid stories I've heard about me…" he kicked the dirt in frustration.
"Jack, what is it?" Tooth cautiously asked "Did you find anything?"
The teen's muttering grew a little louder "Yeah, a village that needs to find better legends…"
North perked up "You say you found a village?"
Jack let out an exasperated sigh "Yeah."
"Then what is problem?" North chuckled "We may be closer to Pitch-"
"Do you two have any stupid legends that people have made up about you?" Jack abruptly questioned. North and Tooth stared at one another and back at Jack.
"Of course." Tooth confessed "We all have some story we don't like having our name on."
Jack turned to his fellow Guardians "Are they as bad as being an evil old man who walks around with a bucket and paintbrush?"
Tooth ran her hand over her feathers with a giggle "There have been people who thought that I was a bear… and a man." She looked back at Jack, who cracked a smile.
North sighed "Some cultures think I ride goat." He laughed some more "The sad thing is… was once true. Sleigh got in… eh… an accident right before Christmas. I still needed to deliver toys, so I found the closest thing I could ride that night."
"And it was a goat?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
North's smile widened "Yes." The man's bellowing laughter soon resonated in the space and invited the other two Guardians to join in. "You see, Jack," North continued, once he caught his breath "Part of being a Guardian is acknowledging the tales about you that seem silly and embracing them. Because, though maybe wrong, stories can say that the teller believes." He crossed his tattooed arms with a faint smile.
Jack paused for a moment. He replayed the instance before he stormed out of the village in his mind. He looked over the faces that were even remotely looking in his direction before he fled. None seemed to show any signs of looking at him. Even the children seemed to look right through him when their sights were directed his way by the snarling dragon. The teens seemed to show the same plain faces. But then… Jack remembered that boy who was holding the book. The teen with freckles that matched his brown hair. Jack recalled the expression within his summery green eyes. They didn't go through him… they were locked on him! He was looking at Jack!
"Are you… are you saying that they might be able to see me?" Jack stammered.
"Is not impossible." North smirked. "If legend exists in this time, there is chance."
"But that's why we need to be careful." Tooth reminded "If we tamper with anything too much, the timeline could become messed up. And who knows what that could mean for all of time to follow? Chronos would be angry with us for sure." She started to nibble her nails.
"Tooth is right." North declared "Try to avoid any contact with humans of this time. Speak with them, should they be able to see you, only if you must."
The Guardian of Fun nodded.
"Now which way was that village, Jack?" Tooth implored.
"East." Jack answered "A mile or two out of the perimeter we established." His elder Guardians gave him knowing looks. "What?"
"You still don't listen…" Tooth rolled her eyes "At least this time it paid off." She patted his shoulder.
"When Bunny and Sandy return, we tell them and we will set out for this village tomorrow." North glanced at his colleagues "Sound good?"
Tooth and Jack looked at each other and smiled in response.
From the moment Hiccup woke up the next day, all he wanted to do was go back to bed. That party the night before kept him awake until the blackened night sky began to fade into the scarlets and violets of the rising winter sun; and he knew that the rest of this week was going to be just like this. When Snoggletog came around in his village, parties that lasted well into early the next morning became a near nightly occurrence. The holiday itself was still a week away, but that didn't stop everyone from partying like they were going to Valhalla tomorrow.
The disgruntled teen would have gladly slept longer, except the black monster stomping on his roof was still as persistent as ever. And if the Viking didn't take him out flying soon, some of the shingles would be shattered again; and guess whose job it is to replace those…
He slipped on his fur vest and fumbled down the stairs, trying to rub the remainders of sleep from his eyes, and found that he no longer had to force his desire to slumber away. His heart beat intensified greatly when the front door flew open and slammed into the wall with no restraint. He jumped backwards and fell onto the wooden floor, which must have caught him a million times by now. The groggy boy was suddenly very much awake, thanks to the scare and the pain forming in his back.
"Astrid…?" He asked with a shaky voice, once he saw the girl leaning against the doorway.
"Hiccup…!" Astrid gasped. She stared into his expression, panting heavily. Her skin was paled and her eyes darted all around the space, as if she was watching out for someone. Hiccup knew that look… but he hadn't seen it on Astrid until that moment. That was none other than a stare imprinted with fear.
Hiccup stood "What is it?" He asked in a soothing tone.
She gulped and began to fiddle with a strand of her unkempt hair "I…" her voice cracked "I had one of those nightmares last night…"
"Alright," Hiccup began "I said last night that we would discuss all of these weird nightmares everyone seems to be having and we're doing that now."
Himself and the other members of the Dragon Training Academy were seated on the floor of their arena; and all but Hiccup and Astrid were less than happy about being dragged back to the place once again, especially at such an early hour. The sun was still tinted pink with sunrise for Thor's sake!
"Why do we have to talk about it again?" Snotlout groaned "They're just stupid bad dreams."
"Says the guy who hasn't had one yet." Astrid snarled, hugging her knees closer to her chest "The way it's going, you'll get your turn soon enough, Snotlout."
"Just hear me out." Hiccup interfered. All eyes turned to him "Now, it wasn't so much the dreams that I thought was interesting, but the one thing that seems to be inside every one of them." He stated with his gaze fixed on Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut.
"The eyes…" Fishlegs gulped.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Ruffnut moaned "I'm trying to repress that."
"Me too." Tuffnut shuddered "They were totally creepy."
"This may be a long shot," Hiccup warned "but I did learn a bit of soothsaying in the past and maybe these nightmares are bad omens of some kind. They could be warning us about something and we just have to figure out what it is." He stood and started to pace before the others "Maybe if we hear more about them, we can figure out what else they all have in common?"
"Well, you already know our story." Tuffnut stated "We don't have to re-tell it, right?"
"I think you two are ok." Hiccup replied "Fishlegs, maybe you can go first?"
Fishlegs whimpered, almost inaudibly "I suppose so." He sighed "I don't remember much, but… somehow, everyone I talked to was smarter than me-"
"Wow, that is scary." Snotlout chuckled.
Fishlegs shot him a glare and continued "A-and the only other thing I remember is that, after I found that out… no one seemed to know I was even there. It's like… I was invisible."
Hiccup nodded understandingly "And what about the eyes? Where were they?"
Fishlegs' voice hitched "I saw someone I didn't recognize in a crowd and then everything went around me black except for those eyes."
"Alright…" Hiccup began to think aloud "Random person in a crowd, lights in the forest… Astrid, would you care to share yours now?"
"I guess…" Astrid glanced at the ground for a moment before re-focusing on her friends "I was in battle with someone in a dark hood. It seemed like I was winning until… something happened… and the next thing I see is him towering over me with an axe at my neck. I saw that yellow glow in his eyes and everything went black and then…" She gaped for a moment, the words stuck in her throat "I-I was somewhere else and… I was in chains… his slave." She forced her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break free. And the harder I struggled, the more he laughed." A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Hiccup sat beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes shot open and darted to him. "That sounds terrible." She nodded "They have to be connected. But the eyes are the only constant. I'm not sure what it means…"
"What happened to your soothsaying powers, Hiccup?" Snotlout sneered "Looks like your crazy grandfather didn't teach you too well."
"Don't talk about him like that." Hiccup snapped "He was your grandfather too, remember."
Snotlout scoffed "Yeah, yeah, I know. But even so, he was still a terrible fortune teller; and an even worse doctor."
"Not everything's as easy as you make it out to be." Hiccup retaliated.
Assisted by Sandy and his cloud of dream sand, the Guardians followed Jack as he led them to the island that he found to inhabit their first possible target. After nearly an hour of flight, the five protectors of childhood touched down where the forest met the village's border.
"Here we are." Jack directed an arm towards the town "Just like I said."
"Not bad, Frostbite." Bunny complimented, once his paws were solidly back on the frozen ground "Any longer and I'd say you got lost."
Jack ruffled his own hair "I kinda did…" he admitted "But I got us here, right?"
"Alright," North clapped his hands together "We should split up and look for signs of Pitch being here. We rendezvous back here at high noon." He gestured to the rising sun "If we find anything, we stay here until we find Pitch and take him down." The Guardians all nodded in agreement and split apart, vanishing behind the trees and buildings that were spread about.
Jack's first choice of action was to track down that group of teenagers again. Now that he thought about it, a few of them had the aura about them that emitted the type of fear that Pitch just loves to feed on. Maybe that would be a decent first clue. The only problem was figuring out where to look. Where around here could he find them? It was still pretty early, but his flying over the square told Jack that about half the residents had started their days and were already hard at work with whatever it is that they do. Using this logic, it was likely that the younger members of this town would be up and about as well.
He swooped through the square and found only adults starting to swarm the area as shops and businesses began to open their doors for the day. Jack peeked inside the windows of any open building and found no youth in sight. It was beginning to get frustrating that he didn't know where these kids hung out during the day. Usually, it was pretty easy to find these spots. After all, they were almost always places that Jack himself was drawn to. But, for the most part, he found nothing. Though, he did get an amusing glimpse of Tooth floating around a man with a ridiculously long blond moustache who looked like he was inspecting a dragon's teeth. He chuckled at the sight. Classic Tooth… he mused with a smile. Even when they were on a mission, it seemed that the faintest thing involving teeth, human or otherwise, was enough to distract the Tooth Fairy. It wasn't surprising at all, but every instance when it occurred granted Jack with a moment's entertainment.
Where could they be? Jack pondered They have to be somewhere around here… His flight over the island continued, after a small slab of slick ice was carefully placed in front of a Viking lugging a mountain of bread loaves. The boy started to think back to his days in the colonies and thought through the progressing time that he'd experienced. What was the one quality that was always a part in where the teenagers spent their time? Where they could be entertained easily, where there was enough room for many to gather… where they could get some space from the adults. Seclusion was no longer Jack's ideal of a fun place to be, but it seemed to be something all teens desired throughout time. Privacy to do whatever in secret; their own space. He wandered over the small village with this ideal in mind and eventually came across a worthy target. He landed before a large structure that lacked a roof, which was replaced by a chain net of some sort. The sign on the front read "Berk Dragon Academy."
"This has to be the place…" Jack reassured himself.
From what he saw, there were no dragons on the island besides that one he saw the night before. But that one seemed quite attached to the group in question. So, maybe they held the dragon in this place. Or maybe they spent a lot of time here because there were no dragons to train and, therefore, a lonely place that they could make their own. Jack strode into the edifice and was soon proven right. Conversation began to resonate through the tunnel leading into the large, open space that made up the whole construct. Jack couldn't make out most of the echoes, but the words "nightmare" and "yellow eyes" continually caught his attention.
Looks like my hunch was right… Jack smiled to himself.
The six teens sat in a circle and, lone behold, there was that dragon again. It was reclined on the ground only feet from them. Jack noticed it and grew more cautious in his movements. He was only here to investigate; that dragon noticing him could ruin that, especially if one of these kids really could see him. So, he decided to stay distant, just in case the giant reptile on the ground could sense his presence again. He rested his staff against the wall and he leaned next to it. The Guardian watched as a small argument began to unfold between two of them. It didn't take long for him to recognize these boys. One was the idiot who called him evil… and the other was the one that Jack thought could see him.
"Not everything's as easy as you make it out to be." Jack's possible believer spat.
Jack wasn't sure exactly what this verbal struggle was about, but he couldn't help but say to no one in particular "You have no idea how true that is…"
He expected it to go unnoticed by all the ears that it could reach. He expected his thoughts to stay his own, to stay as invisible as he was sure he was right then. But that's not what he got in response to his remark. Green eyes found their way back onto Jack and widened slightly, as if in some kind of shock. Their owner's mouth was left open just a crack and his judging finger fell back to his side.
Jack was sure of it this time… that kid can see him.