AN: SO LONG~ anyways, so I figured I should give you guys a fair warning: The hiatus between this story and the next (fourth year) is going to be a bit longer than usual. NOT VERY LONG, just about three weeks, I think? This is because of several different reasons: school, thanksgiving, Moana comes out in theaters... Anyways, it won't be TOO LONG, so don't get paranoid or anything... Also, a lot of you are really excited for naked Jack and Hiccup, aren't you?
NOTES: Noble Maiden Fair.
REVIEWERS!:
BrawlerGamer: I'm glad! I think one of my favorite parts of this story was the dynamics between Jack and Hiccup in their bear forms because they're the perfect compliments to each other. Kind of both, you're on the right track... King Fergus is trickier than you might think, he wouldn't have bothered locking the door if he thought they could just get out using magic. Yes, yes they are. :)
Arwen Eledel: Thank you! Most of my time with this story was spent figuring out different ways to involve Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup. Yeah~ I really like that part. Hiccup is always fluffy, he's a fluffy nerd. I just made him MORE FLUFFY! Don't worry, it'll all make sense in a bit! I'm pretty sure everyone reading this series is going to freak with the fourth book... And, yes! It is coming very soon! Mmmm... You'll have to read and find that one out for yourself ;)
C: Thank you! This one is even more emotionally packed, so prepare yourself first! One thing everyone should remember is that no matter who's POV we're seeing the story from, everyone is always doing something. The boys have their mischievous happenings, Rapunzel is training, and everyone else is doing stuff too. I've probably mentioned this before, but Jack and Hiccup's friendship is what inspired me to start writing this story, and I still love it with all my fragile heart! Hearing that the ending was good makes me feel better, I felt it might have been a bit rushed, but I guess not. Don't be sad! Year four is up next! And it's not a problem! It made me smile on a very unexpected day! And you are so amazingly sweet and kind, thank you so much for all of your wonderful words! I wish you Jell-O as well, and I hope you have a wonderful week! :3
Chapter 18: Mor'du
Merida could still hear her father's hounds barking in the distance and the sound of thundering hooves trampling through the forest as Rapunzel knelt beside her. The golden-haired princess rested a hand on her shoulder, and Merida looked up at the other girl.
"Merida, we can't give up. There's still time to fix this, we just need a plan, o-or -" Rapunzel babbled, trying to encourage her, and Merida caught on pretty quick.
"The Tapestry." Merida said, interrupting Rapunzel's stutter, and the two girls looked at each other, and then over to the tapestry that still hung on the wall.
Within an instant, they were both at the wall, grabbing the bottom of the tapestry and pulling as hard as they could. With their combined strength, the hanging post came off the wall and the tapestry fell with it as the two girls yelped, falling to the ground after the shocking loss of all tension.
Pushing the tapestry off her head, Merida's eyes landed on the locked door, and her eyes lit up with a memory from one of their more recent Charm classes.
Merida stood and pulled out her wand. "The Unlocking Charm we learned a couple weeks ago. That'll get this door open!" She grinned, and then started to flick her wand into the proper movement as she opened her mouth to say the incantation, but the word quickly died on her tongue when Rapunzel grabbed her arm.
"Stop!" The other girl cried. "These are the guest rooms." Rapunzel told her as if that explained everything. "Professor Sandman Charmed all the locks on this side of the castle himself. No wizard is strong enough to open that door, let alone a third-year Thief spell. Who knows what will happen if you try to use magic on it."
Merida groaned loudly, her hands tensing into almost claw-like shapes. "How do we get it open then? We can't break a Sorcerer's spell, so magic won't help, and we haven't got anything that could break the door down."
"The only way we'll get that door open is if we have a key..." Rapunzel trailed off, and Merida had to think for a few moments before she finally thought of something that might help, and she ran to the door.
"MAUDIE!" Merida screamed at the top of her lungs, standing on her tip-toes to stick her head through the slightly too tall hole in the door. "I need you! NOW!"
"Do you think she can hear you?" Rapunzel asked, her hands visibly shaking as she bit her lip worriedly.
"I don't know, but we've got to do something!" Merida replied.
A noise from the other side of the door caught the girls' attention, and Merida poked her head through the window once again. She looked down the corridor in both directions, but looking to her right, she saw three little black bear cubs walk out of the shadows on their hind legs. Merida gasped sharply, and the triplets looked up at her with smiles, their ears perking excitedly.
"Oh, no..." Merida muttered, mentally reminding herself that she now had six bears to worry about, but then she caught movement in the corner of her eye. "Maudie!" Merida smiled, somewhat relieved.
Maudie froze where she was and looked at Merida with eyes the size of the Hogwart's dinner plates. The woman's eyes then drifted down to the three bears standing just a few feet in front of her, and a terrified frown found it's way to her petrified face.
She cried out, throwing herself back against the stone wall, and looked at Merida in her fright. Merida's face curved into a half-frown as her brow furrowed, and then she looked down at her brothers with a rather deadpan expression.
"Get the key."
The center cub, whom she assumed was Hamish, nodded with a hardened look, and then the three turned to face Maudie. The maid looked between Merida and the cubs, and then gulped as she steeled herself, holding up the key and stuffing it into the front of her dress.
The boys paused for a moment, and then all three of them started roaring with tiny, rather adorable squeaky roars. Despite the lack of intimidation, Maudie ran away screaming, and the boys hurried after her, leaving Merida and Rapunzel to their own devices.
"Alright, needle and thread, needle and thread..." Merida rambled as she gathered up the tapestry and looked around the room for a moment before her eyes landed on the chest across the room. She darted over and pushed the top open, digging through the contents of the chest until she found the tiny piece of shiny silver. "Ah! You're a beauty!" She exclaimed, holding up where it got the light.
Down in the lower levels of the castle, Maudie ran down a dark corridor, struggling to catch her breath as she headed towards a light-filled hallway. She stopped, though, when three long shadows appeared. Maudie stumbled backwards a bit, and then ran to a door on her right. Pushing her way through, she found herself in the kitchens, and she quickly used baskets and sacks of cooking and baking ingredients to blockade the door.
Once she was satisfied that nothing could get through the door, she hurried down the steps from the side-door, and breathed a sigh of relief as she backed away from the door, keeping her eyes on it before turning to walk away.
Maudie froze in her spot after she turned, her eyes finding a medium sized polar bear hunching over to look down at the red panda tha was chirping at him rapidly. Jack and Hiccup stopped instantly when they noticed Maudie's presence, and the two bears stared at her as she stared at them, unable to even make a sound.
Maudie started to back away from them as they continued to watch her, but a noise from above her head made Maudie look up at the metal hanging mantel that hung from the ceiling. One of the three bears that were perched on top of it jumped off, as if diving into a swimming pool, and dove straight towards her.
Merida and Rapunzel were hunched over the tapestry, knotting the thread and starting the sew. They stopped and looked up at the squeaky roar of Merida's bothers, and the two princesses grinned at the sight of Hamish's little paw holding up the key.
Within a few moments the door was open, and Merida charged down the corridor with the tapestry bundled partially in her arms and the needle and thread gripped tightly in her hand. Rapunzel followed close behind with the triplets around her feet and Jack and Hiccup taking up the rear.
The seven of them ran to the upper stables where Angus was, and Merida threw herself onto his back, her brothers racing to join her, while Rapunzel and Hiccup climbed onto Jack's back. Sensing her urgency, Angus didn't need any more prompt than Merida's kick to set off at full speed, and Jack somehow managed to keep up with them even while carrying Hiccup and Rapunzel.
They reached the edge of the tree within a few minutes, the triplets holding onto Angus's reins as Merida focused her attention on sewing the tapestry back together. Angus gave a lurch to one side, and Merida waved her arms as she cried out, nearly falling off of her horse's back, but she managed to steady herself again.
"Steady, Hamish!" Merida cried, her hands trembling as she tried to work with the tiny needle.
They rushed on, Hamish steering Angus and Jack running as fast as his legs would carry him. Merida could hear her friend's heavy panting as his paws thundered against the ground right beside Angus's.
Seeing a small stone in the path, Angus leaped over it as his adrenaline pumped with all of the tension in the air. Merida and her brothers wobbled in their spots, and struggled to hold on as the large horse continued on without slowing down even the slightest.
"Angus, easy laddie!" Merida shouted, but just as the words escaped Angus went flying into another leap over a fallen log. Jack ducked under and skidded a bit, but managed to move fast enough to keep up even without jumping the log. "Hubert, Harris, help Hamish!" Merida called to her other two brothers, and the scrambled to help calm Angus before someone fell off.
As Angus steadied out a little, Merida managed to get focused on the last bit of sewing that the tapestry needed. With a few more stitches, Merida quickly tied a few knots to make sure it would hold, and then she snapped the thread, holding up the tapestry with an ecstatic cry.
Before she could say anything, though, Angus slammed his front hooves into the ground and skidded to a stop. Jack tried to do the same, but he only managed to skid and fall onto his side, and then scrambled back to his feet in the next instant.
There, just in front of them, was a Will of the Wisp. More appeared beside it, forming a trail that lead away from their current path and off into the distance where a faint glow of fire could be seen and shouts heard.
Merida took the reins from her brothers and turned Angus towards the Wisps, calling for him to keep going. Merida followed the Wisps through the trees, the yelling in the distance growing louder with every stride.
Elinor's heart hammered in her chest as the shouts and yells grew louder behind her. The hunting hounds barked wildly, and Elinor turned to look over her shoulder, to see if they were gaining on her, but when she took her focus away from where she was going she lost her footing and fell forward.
Elinor landed hard on her chest and shoulder in the middle of a clearing. Looking about her frantically, Elinor realized she was laying in the middle of the stone circle that she and Merida had seen before.
Hearing the echoing sounds of her husbands battle cries much closer to her snapped the Queen from her daze, and she rushed towards the treeline. She ran towards one of the gaps between the stones, but the hunting hounds appeared, blocking the path as they snarled and barked viciously.
Frightened, Elinor whirled around to find another escape, but that was blocked by men waving swords and torches. She turned and ran towards the other side of the circle, but another torch and a spear met her then. More and more men appeared, surrounding Elinor and pushing her back until she was cornered against one of the stones.
They threw ropes over her, and pulled her this way and that. They managed to rope her front legs, and yanked the ropes in opposite directions so that her legs crossed awkwardly, forcing her to the ground.
Elinor struggled helplessly as all of the men pulled on the ropes, keeping her trapped as her husband came forward, pulling his sword from his sheath. Elinor looked up at him in a mix of terror and sadness. Her own husband, the man she loved with all her heart, couldn't recognize her. He was going to kill her.
Fergus raised his sword over his head, and with a mighty yell, he swung, but his sword was knocked away mid-swing by an arrow.
Angus appeared from the trees, and Merida dropped to the ground as her horse kept running through the clearing. The Princess drew her bow and leveled it at her own father, stepping over to stand between him and her mother.
"Get back! That's my mother." Merida snapped as her father stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you out of your mind, lass?" King Fergus questioned, still holding his sword despite being put off course.
Merida ignored him, and turned only slightly to speak over her shoulder. "Mom, are you hurt?"
Elinor shook her head, but Fergus shoved Merida aside with one hand, pushing her to Lord Macintosh who held her with his spear. Fergus lifted his sword again, and Merida reacted, grabbing Lord Macintosh's spear and pulling down. Lord Macintosh flew over her head, and Merida whirled, knocking the sword out of another man's hand just in time to grab it and lunge to meet her father, blocking his attack.
Fergus looked at her sword, wide-eyed, and then at her. "Merida!"
Merida beat on his sword, forcing the King back a few steps, and then swiped at his false leg. King Fergus fell onto his back with a thump, dropping his sword at his side. Fergus pushed up and stared at his daughter who held her sword at the ready against him and his men.
"I'll not let you kill my mother." Merida told him firmly.
The triplets appeared then, jumping on their father and sniffing at him curiously as their ears perked excitedly. They smiled widely as Fergus cried out in horror at being crawled on by three bear cubs.
"Boys." Merida said in that same hardened tone, and the boys looked up at her before moving to follow her silent order and getting off of Fergus.
"Boys?!" Fergus exclaimed incredulously, but then Jack came bounding from the edge of the clearing with Rapunzel beside him and Hiccup still on his back. He skidded to a halt at the sight of everyone staring at him. Jack grinned sheepishly, Hiccup tilted his head slightly, and Rapunzel bit her lip, unsure of what to do or say.
Before anyone could say or do anything, a loud stomping noise sounded on the other side of the clearing. Everyone looked over towards the sound, and a dark figure moved to stand twice as tall as it had before.
"Mor'du." Merida said.
"Kill it!" King Fergus shouted, and the men surged forward in their great numbers. Mor'du roared and swatted them to the side like toy trinkets. Throwing them into the stones, slamming them to the ground, and swiping at them with his deadly claws.
Within a few moments the men were down, and Fergus leaped into action. He punched the demon bear in the muzzle, circling to it's front as it rose to stand on it's back legs.
"Come on!" Fergus screamed. "I'll take you with my bare hands!"
Mor'du shoved him to the ground, and then took his good leg in his mouth and used it to throw the King across the clearing. Fergus hit one of the stones and then fell down to the ground hard.
"Flipendo!" Rapunzel cried, flicking her wand and sending a bright flash of light at Mor'du, but the spell simple shattered against the bear's ancient hide.
Mor'du turned on the golden-haired princess and started to advance as Rapunzel stumbled backwards. Jack lunged forward then, coming between the two and shoving Mor'du backwards. Mor'du stumbled slightly, but retaliated by biting Jack's throat and throwing Jack to the other side of the clearing.
Jack flew several feet and then landed hard on his side. Jack let out a high pitched whine as he tried to pick himself up, but Mor'du was already standing over him, one clawed paw raised to cut into Jack.
A flash of red fur appeared, and suddenly Hiccup was scrambling all over Mor'du's back, biting and scratching while squeaking furiously. Mor'du roared, dropping onto all fours and trying to shake Hiccup off, but the little guy refused to let go. Hiccup grabbed onto one of the shorter arrows embedded in Mor'du's hide with his teeth, using his paws to secure himself.
Then Jack roared in what seemed to be a desperate warning, but it was too late. Mor'du twisted suddenly, and his jaws clamped around Hiccup's small body, causing the tiny bear to squeak in pain. Mor'du yanked Hiccup off of his back, but Hiccup wouldn't go easily. He took the arrow with him, and Mor'du roared louder than Merida had ever heard as the surprisingly long arrow left behind a deep wound in the bear's shoulder.
Hiccup hit the ground near Jack, and the white-furred bear roared worriedly, rushing to his feet as his red-furred companion remained completely still. Jack nosed Hiccup, but the small bear didn't respond.
Mor'du stalked towards them, raising up onto his back paws as he roared his fury. Jack stood over Hiccup's unmoving form protectively, roaring back just as ferociously.
Two arrows struck Mor'du's shoulder, and Merida drew another, trying to draw his attention away from the boys. Mor'du turned on her and snarled, swiping her bow right out of her hands. Merida gasped as the force of the attack knocked her to the ground. She scrambled back as Mor'du advanced on her, but it did little as the demon bear loomed over her, trapping her between his front paws.
Mor'du roared as he leaned down, ready to bite Merida's head off, and with a feeling of pure terror gripping her heart, Merida screamed, unable to fight back.
Elinor's eyes widened, and rage filled her at the sight of her daughter in danger. Despite the remaining men still holding her binds, Elinor stood and ripped the ropes from her body, roaring in her rage as she charged at Mor'du.
Elinor leaped, and she and Mor'du rolled across the grass in a wrestling match. Elinor snapped at his throat, but her swiped at her muzzle. They stood and faced each other as they bellowed as loud as they could. Mor'du tried to go for Merida a second time, but Elinor got between them, snarling at the larger bear.
The two locked in a stalemate, biting and swiping at each other as they swung back and forth. Mor'du threw Elinor against one of the stones and then pushed her down to the ground, but Elinor shoved him off with her lower legs. Back on their feet, they wrestled and struggled to gain the upper hand, but Mor'du was quickly winning due to his superior strength and size. He grabbed Elinor and threw her against another stone, and she fell to the ground, but her head went up as she heard and crumbling sound above her.
Merida's cry brought her attention back to see Mor'du advancing on Merida and her friends. Merida grabbed a spear that had been dropped on the ground, and leveled it at Mor'du, but it didn't faze the beast in the slightest.
Elinor grabbed Mor'du's back and dragged him away from them, pulling him back towards the stone. Angered, Mor'du turned and lunged at her, but Elinor dove out of the way. Mor'du crashed into the stone, and when he turned around, Elinor was there. The Queen slammed Mor'du against the stone over and over and over again, watching as the crack in the stone grew larger and larger.
Mor'du swiped at Elinor, and he hit her head, sending her flying backwards. She landed on her side just in front of Merida, and the two faced Mor'du together as he slowly stalked towards them, snarling and spitting.
The beast lunged forward, and the broken stone fell on top of him.
A cloud of dust rose from the stone's crash to the ground, and once it cleared they could only see a single paw that stuck out from beneath the stone. From the stone came a soft blue light, just like the Wisps, and it grew until it became a large man dressed in fine clothes. The Fourth Prince looked directly at Merida and Elinor, and nodded to them in a silent thanks, and then, with a flash, his image became a Will of the Wisp that disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Merida looked on in shock, and then looked at her mother. Elinor looked at her as well, exhausted after the fight.
A lightness came to the clearing, and Merida gasped. "The second sunrise!" She whispered as light began to appear beyond the tree tops. Merida ran over to Angus and yanked the tapestry off of his back as the sunlight touched the tops of the stones. She rushed back to her mother and threw the tapestry over her.
Elinor looked at the tapestry, and then up at Merida as the girl took a few steps back, waiting for something to happen. They waited, but the sun continued to rise, and Elinor tried to stay focus, but her mind clouded and as she looked on, her pupils grew large, turning into the black eyes of a bear.
"No... I don't understand, I..." Merida murmured as tears spilled down her cheeks and weeps escaped her throat. She dropped to her knees as her despair overwhelmed her, and she sobbed into her hands as the men and her friends looked on, unsure of what to do. "Mom... I'm sorry." Merida wept. "This is all my fault. I did this to you... To us." The bear reached forward, sniffing Merida's cheeks as her tears continued to fall. Merida shuffled forward, hugging her mother. "You've always been there for me. You've never given up on me. I just want you back." Merida choked on her tears.
The men stood in the clearing, watching on with saddened hearts as they realized what had become of their dear Queen. The King stood in disbelief and agony, he the triplet cubs gathered at his feet. Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hands as tears silently slid down her cheeks, and Jack whined helplessly as he looked between Merida and Hiccup who lay between his front paws.
"I want you back, mommy." Merida whispered, and it seemed cruel that the sun continued to rise, filling the clearing with bright light. "I love you." She breathed, wishing with all her heart that she could have her mother back.
The sunlight continued to spread, washing over the men, her friends, and her mother's back where the tapestry had been lain, but no matter what, Merida wouldn't let go of her mom. She refused to let her go, and so she wept, but held on tightly as the sun rose above the tree tops.
And then a gentle hand smoothed her wild curls, and Merida's eyes widened. She lurched back with a gasp, looking at her mother's face, and there was her human mother, completely back to normal. Elinor let out a weak chuckle, and Merida found her heart was clenched so tight she could barely breathe.
"Mom!" She gasped. "You're back!" She exclaimed, her face stretching into the largest grin, and this time, her mother laughed, pushing Merida's hair out of her face, and then proceeding to kiss her forehead, which was followed by multiple kisses that made Merida laugh happily. When they pulled back to look at each other, Merida smiled. "You Changed."
"Oh, darling." Elinor smiled brightly. "We both have."
"ELINOR!" Fergus cried, running forward he tripped and rolled, but that didn't stop him for a second as he rushed to be with his beloved wife. He wrapped Elinor and Merida up into one big, joyful hug, and then he turned to Elinor, touching their foreheads together lovingly.
Then a growled playfully, dipping Elinor and kissing her deeply. Merida leaned back, feeling a bit awkward, but the moment ended as Fergus brought Elinor back up to sitting. Too happy for words, Merida hugged her father, and then the Lords started to come forward.
"Oh!" Merida said, noticing her mother's lack of clothing beneath the tapestry. "Uh, Mom." Merida pointed a bit down, and Elinor quickly pulled on the tapestry to cover herself even more.
"Um, dear." Elinor addressed Fergus, and he leaned down to her. "I'm naked. Naked as a wee baby." Fergus stared at her for a moment, and then Elinor smacked his shoulder. "Don't just stare at me! Do something!" She muttered, motioning towards the Lords.
"What the -!? Avert your eyes, lads! Show some respect!" Fergus ordered, using his large hands to held shield Elinor's body, and the lords quickly turned around.
The triplets chose then to run through their feet and join the rest of their family, running about completely naked and perfectly happy. They jumped into their parents arms, and Fergus laughed.
"Now that's what I call a wee naked baby!" Fergus chuckled, throwing Hubert up into the air before catching him again.
"Um..." Merida looked up and saw Rapunzel standing there, trying hard not to smile. "I don't mean to interrupt, but none of you would happen to have a few extra cloaks, would you?"
"Oh!" Merida bubbled as she realized why Rapunzel wanted a couple of cloaks, and then Merida found that she couldn't stop the chuckles that flooded from her chest.
"Oh, yeah, laugh it up, Princess!" Jack's voice shouted from across the clearing, and a laugh burst from Merida before she could smother it. Jack stood tall and unashamed behind a bush that covered everything below his waist. His expression was rather annoyed, his bandages for his head had fallen off to reveal his partially-healed cut, and his fists were planted firmly on his hips. "See if I ever eat your cooking ever again!" He shouted, and Merida and Rapunzel couldn't help but burst into giggles.
"Jack, would you sit down!? You're naked for Thor's sake!" Hiccup's choked voice came from behind the bush, and Jack looked down at his side.
"Yeah, so, what's your point? We're both naked!" Jack retorted.
"Don't just shout it out for the whole world to hear!" Hiccup yelped, his head poking up just enough for Merida to see that his deep red blush reached back to the tip of his ears.
It was then that Bunnymund appeared through the treeline, taking in the scene before him with wide-eyes.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" The Pooka looked around in complete confusion. "Where have you all been?! And why is Jack naked?!"
"It's not just me!" Jack argued immediately
Before long Bunnymund had gotten enough information to decide that he didn't need to know what happened as long as everything worked out in the end, and then the large group managed to pull up two cloaks for Jack and Hiccup so they wouldn't have to return to Hogwarts completely naked.
While there was still some explaining to do, and plenty of injuries to be seen to, Merida couldn't be bothered to be worried or concerned about any of it. Her friends and family were safe, her betrothal had been canceled, and she had finally mended the bond between her and her mother.