The only thing Jack knew for certain was that he really did not like time travel. Jack had always expected time travel to be freakishly awesome, which it was for about ten seconds before the swirling sand vortex sucked him up and spit him out.
Jack's landing wasn't graceful; it was anything but. The only real comfort was the frosted air and the cool embrace of the wind as Jack tumbled from the vortex and landed awkwardly on his staff. He spit out peices of dying grass and wiped his chin of dirt and sat up, groaning. His eyes widened when he actually took in his surroundings.
Jack was perched on a rocky cliffside, overlooking the Isle of Berk, which was a mostly round island covered in several large forests, rocky beaches, cliffs and odd geological arches and forms placed throughout the surronding waters. There was an obvious village full of newer homes tucked near a harbor and deeper within the island; Viking ships with wooden sea monster heads bobbed over the roaring waves of the Meridian of Misery.
Jack hopped to his feet and dug through his silver satchel until he found the leather book. He flipped through it, furrowing his eyebrows at the drawings of winged beasts and the odd language written in charcoal. "I can't read this; it isn't even English!" Jack shouted in frustration.
There was a shriek in the air and Jack jumped, almost dropping the book. Jack searched his surrondings, heard the peircing shriek again and reluctantly looked to the skies.
Jack had to do a double-take and a triple-take until he stood gaping at the sky, his mission forgotten. Was that...?
It was. A streak of black flashed through the blue irredescent sky, two bolts of black flaring up into wings. A shot of purple fire smashed through a cloud and exploded, causing the purple to smear across the sky, which the winged beast soared through.
"Dragons?" Jack gasped and laughed. "This is so cool!" Of course, being a Guardian and frozen at the age of eighteen, Jack had seen some insane things but never in three-hundred years did he expect to see a dragon.
The dragon shrieked once again and did something Jack didn't expect; it soared in his direction. Jack took a step back and watched in awe as the dragon swept its tail-which was actually half of a tail, the other half red leather painted with a skull design-and gave a majestic roar. In tune with the roar was a wild whoop.
Jack knew that sound; it was sound Jamie made whenever Jack showed up to start a snowball fight. It was the sound of utter joy.
As the dragon neared, Jack spotted a flash of fur and hair, pale freckled skin and metal. A light exploded from the satchel, painting the lowermost side of it auburn. Jack raised his eyebrows and opened the satchel, pulling the auburn hourglass from its leather confines. It hummed with energy and began to pull Jack toward the dragon.
Jack had a sense of panic. The hourglass's pull to the dragon was strong, strong enough that Jack had to dig his bare heels into the grass and dirt to try to slow the pull.
The dragon was landing. It was going to land on top of Jack if he didn't move. Jack took a deep breath and somehow grabbed his staff and kept the book in his grip at the same time, before he struggled to tug the hourglass and himself into the foilage of the surronding forest.
The dragon landed swiftly on the cliffside, its large feet crushing rocks like pebbles underfoot. The dragon was sleek and black as midnight and its scales glistened like weathered stones at the bottom of a riverbed. The dragon's wide curious green eyes dialated slightly as the dragon sniffed the air but the dragon's eyes refocused when a hand caressed the top of its head affectionately; the dragon gave a purr and took a few steps forward as its master unhooked himself from the homemade leather saddle.
The dragon master unclenched his prosthetic foot from the metal stirrup and brought his leg up and over the dragon's body before placing both of his feet on the ground. The dragon rider was much younger than Jack had been expecting; he looked about fifteen or maybe that was just because of his poor physique and slouched shoulders, which made him look much younger than he might've been. The boy - Jack couldn't help but consider him that - looked like he'd been through a lot, as Jack noted the metal leg jutting from his knee down.
"That was a great ride, buddy," The boy told the dragon reassuringly as he walked around to pat the dragon's snout. The dragon bumped its snout against the boy's hand before hitting him roughly with its head. "Okay, okay," The boy laughed, taking the hint. "We'll go catch some fish, then. You're impatient today!"
The dragon rolled its eyes and followed the boy, licking its lips hungrily. Jack caught a glispe of glistening pink gums and Jack had to smile slightly. Tooth would have a heart attack, he thought, feeling a slight pang as he remembered his good-bye with the Guardians.
The hourglass flashed in Jack's hand and began to unceremously drag him a few feet behind the dragon's swishing tail. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, reconizing the dragon. He willed the wind to flip through the leather book and he could see sketches of the beast in front of him. Jack grabbed the book and stuffed it into the satchel, trying to keep a hold of his staff and the hourglass.
The dragon and the boy seemed to know exactly where to go through the winding twists and turns of the forest. They eventually stopped near a log which lay on its side; the boy stepped around the log whereas the dragon stepped over. Jack tripped over it, clutching the hourglass now with two hands, his staff hooked around the slash of fabric which held the satchel across his chest.
The dragon's ears perked as Jack grumbled under his breath about talking moonbeams and stupid destinies. The boy walked to a cluster of bushes and pulled a wire cage from the branches, picking out leaves as he walked toward the edge of a pond. He opened the wire cage and twisted a part of it before he grabbed a rope and knotted it before throwing the cage into the pond.
"Hiccup!" A voice called from the air, followed by several roars. A blonde girl in a skeletal skirt and blue-grey tank top hopped off a blue monstrousity, at least in Jack's eyes. The dragon was covered in turqoise scales, its black talons the length of Jack's forearm. The dragon's stomach was cream and buldging; this new dragon stood on two jurassic legs the width of tree trunks. The wings and tail were a different story entirely. The tail's cream spikes smoothed down as it landed, although they did spike whenever its wings pushed against the air. The underside of the wings were cream, the outerside covered in turquoise scales and golden splotches which matched its gold serpentine eyes.
"Hey, Astrid," The boy said, turning his full attention to the girl, a pink blush seeping into his freckled cheeks. Jack noticed and laughed. The kid had a crush!
"This is just too great," Jack said, stepping forward to watch the exchange. The hourglass had fizzled out when the girl had arrived, so Jack placed it back into the satchel and unhooked his staff, sitting on the balls of his feet, a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.
"So, how was the ride? You used to it at all?" The blonde girl inquired as she walked over to the boy, slipping her legs and pelt boots beneath her. She smiled encouragingly at the boy.
The boy shrugged, his attitude changing drastically. "Eh, well, you don't expect to just up and lose your leg," He muttered before puffing air through his nose. "I'm sorry."
"No, Hiccup," The girl began, looking down to her hands in her lap, "I know losing your leg has been really hard for you. It's understandable."
Jack would've laughed at the unintetionable pun if the atmosphere hadn't been as tense as it was. This was obviously a sore subject for the kid and Jack couldn't possibly blame him; Jack's death was still a subject Jack himself had to tread lightly on.
"It's just ... ," The boy continued. "There's a metal fixture where half of my leg should be. I don't know if I'll ever be used to it."
The girl patted the boy on the shoulder, trying to peek at his face which was covered by a curtain of auburn hair. "Hiccup ... You know I'm here for you. We're all here."
"Yeah, so am I," Jack yelled from his hiding spot behind a scraggly bush. No one seemed to notice him and he just shrugged, peering intently at the scene before him.
"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup said, brushing his bangs away from his bright green eyes. "Does Stormfly want any fish?" He asked, glancing at Astrid's dragon as it restlessly fluttered its wings.
Astrid turned her attention to Stormfly. "No, I think we might head back home," She said, nodding to her and turning back to smile at Hiccup. "But, thank you for the offer. Now, don't stay long. We've got training bright and early tomorrow."
Hiccup groaned, feeling a tug on the rope. "Don't remind me," He said as he began to pull the rope towards him. Astrid laughed and turned away before mounting Stormfly. "See you tomorrow!" She called as the dragon kicked off.
"Bye," Hiccup said softly, pulling the cage to shore. A large fish was caught in the trap, its slippery body wriggling in a panic. His dragon, Toothless, perked up at the prospect of food and hurried over to his master, peering down at the fish with salivating chops. "Hey, Toothless, stop! Give me a second!" Hiccup had to fend off his hungry dragon while struggling to unhinge the wire cage of the fish.
Hiccup pulled the fish out and tossed it over his shoulder, which, as Fate would have it, landed directly in Jack's lap. Jack grimanced at the slimy flopping fish in his hands and slowly glanced up, feeling hot breath on his face. Jack almost gagged at the smell of fish and raw meat and gulped at the dragon facing him. Its irises were dialated and its nostrils flared.
Jack laughed nervously and picked up the fish by its tail, holding it to the side. The dragon's eyes reluctantly tore away from Jack's face and followed the fish. Jack raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly, before he raised the fish up then down. The dragon followed his movements hungrily.
Jack couldn't but laugh. "Time for a little fun," He said smuggly before jumping to his feet, holding the fish an arm's length away. The dragon followed as Jack expected.
Jack smiled and threw the fish into the air, jumping and grabbing it before the dragon could leap for the fish. Jack ran around the little enclosure, the dragon on his heels.
Hiccup sighed, three more wire cages in his arms. "Toothless, be quiet! You'll scare away the fish!" Hiccup was about to throw the traps into the pond when he heard Toothless's impatient roar. "Toothless-"
Hiccup's jaw dropped, along with the three cages. Toothless was chasing a floating fish? Hiccup stared at the scene in utter shock.
Jack laughed, followed closely by the aggravated dragon. He heard a shout from the boy. "Toothless! Toothless!" The dragon tore its annoyed eyes away from Jack and the fish and turned its gaze to the panicked boy who was staring at Jack.
At least, Jack thought he was staring at him. Really, Hiccup was staring at the floating fish Jack dangled between his fingers but it was still enough to spark hope in Jack's heart. He hopped down from his perch on a rock and took a step toward Hiccup. "You can see me?" He asked, emotion twisting his voice.
Toothless growled at Jack as he closed the distance between them. Toothless took a step in front of Hiccup protectively and narrowed his eyes at the white-haired teen with the odd blue leather and torn pants.
An auburn light ignited once again in Jack's satchel, starling Toothless and causing him to roar in surprise. Hiccup glanced at his dragon fearfully. "Toothless ... What's happening?"
The dragon turned to his friend in confusion. How could Hiccup not be seeing this strange guy and that light?
Jack pulled the hourglass from his bag and it began to drag him once again. Jack wrinkled his nose in frustration and let go of the hourglass, which flew through the air and landed in front of Toothless's clawed feet. Toothless twitched and sniffed the hourglass before sneezing.
The hourglass reacted to the sneeze by flaring up with auburn light. It hopped into the air before hitting Hiccup square in the chest.
Jack actually laughed. He thought it was funny until realization dawned and he watched the kid with the short brown hair fall into the pond.
The dragon, Jack noticed, was having a giant panic attack. He was flying into the air, roaring, and trying to dip himself in the water. Jack looked around, grabbed his staff and placed his feet on the edge of the shore, looking for the kid.
He spotted him alright. The auburn light was glowing so bright, Jack had to squint to see the outline of the boy more clearly. Jack dipped his hooked staff into the water, ignoring the crinkling of the water particiles freezing up. He scooted the staff out, inch by inch, until the hook was around the boy's small frame. With a giant heave, Jack hurled the boy up through a thin layer of frosted ice and onto the sandy bank.
Jack sighed in relief when Hiccup coughed, followed by Jack's groan. "I'm gonna kill this kid before he even believes in me," Jack muttered in exasperation. Jack heard a distant growl and glanced up, locking eyes with a very pissed off dragon.
If this dragon doesn't kill me first! Jack thought in fleeting panic before jumping out of the way of a suddenly full mouth of knashing canines.
...
Meanwhile, in the peacefully sleeping kingdom of Corona, deep within the palace, tucked in the royal sleeping quarters, slept a girl of nineteen, who just so happened to be the once lost princess, beside her husband of twenty-seven. The girl's choppy brown hair flared across the goose-feather pillows and she snuggled into her husband's side between the mass of blankets.
Unknown to the sleeping couple, a single drop of golden sunshine slipped through the crack between the glass of the window, down the wooden frame before rolling to a stop on the stone floor before continuing on its way across the room to the bed. The girl in the bed sighed sleepily as the drop made its journey down the wall to the stone floor. It rolled across the floor and seemed to stop as the girl sighed sleepily and stuck her bare foot out of the protection of the covers.
The drop of sunshine seemed to swell as its golden self infused in the wooden bedframe. The sunshine sped through the cracks of the bed before it reached the canopy of silk and lazily slipped through its fine fibers to land on a strand of sleep-tousled brown hair.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a golden flash and the strands of hair glowed blonde and began to lengthen and lenthen until ... Seventy feet of trademark hair were strung around the room.
...
In a very different setting, sat yet another princess, although she wasn't once lost nor supporting seventy feet of magical hair. No, instead, she was supporting a sour expression and a mass of unruly fiery curls. This sour expression was faced to her mother, whom was trying to convince her daughter to tell her of a boy she fancied.
"Mum," The girl began in an annoyed Scottish drawl as she groaned and fell dramatically across her mother's bed in exasperation.
"Merida," Her mother, Elinor, shot back, her tone clipped and motherly. She crossed her arms, her long dark olive-green sleeves bunching up where they met her elbows.
"I don't fancy anyone, Mum," Merida DunBrouch sighed and rolled onto her stomach before slamming her face into the fur blanket lain across the bed.
"That's not what I've heard," Elinor sang as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. She began to pet Merida's unruly hair, twirling her finger around a stubburn curl. Just like my daughter, She thought, twisting the piece of orange hair around her pale forefinger until Merida squeaked.
Elinor raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Sorry, dear," She mumbled before standing up and dusting off the front of her dress, noticing a stray golden thread. "Weren't you going to take Angus for a ride today?" She asked, scowling at the thin bit of fabric.
Merida hopped off the bed in a split second. "Yeah, I promised him I would," Merida began, about to leave the room. She ran her nails over the doorframe and testily asked, "Would you like to come along, Mum?"
Elinor looked up, surprised by the request. She could tell by Merida's blue eyes that she was torn between asking out of courtesy and actually wanting her mother along for the ride. Elinor laughed and smiled, shaking her head and causing her pin straight brunette hair to brush dress. "Oh no, dear, I must find those troublesome brothers of yours," Elinor sighed before adding, "And your father."
Merida giggled and nodded, understanding her mother's predicament completely. Her eyes caught a flash of red near the roaring fire in the stone fireplace before they turned back to her mother. "Alright, then. They might be smuggling cakes and knowing 'Da, he's out helping them."
Elinor nodded in agreement and followed her daughter out the doorway, going in seperate directions, Elinor to the kitchens and Merida down the hall. Merida peeked out from her hiding place, making sure no servant nor her mother would find her liotering about, when she made a mad dash for her mother's room, closing the door as quietly as she could behind her.
Merida turned, spotting the crackling fire. She rushed it, her dark teal dress swishing at the sudden determined movement. Merida peered into the fire, watching it crackle and spark, until she could see the dark red outline of a bow between the tongues of flame.
Merida's first instinct was to reach into the flames, but she was stubburn, not stupid. She grabbed a fire poker and stabbed into the flames and coals until the metal caught around the red-hot flame of the bow.
Pulling the poker out, Merida stared in blue-eyed astonishment at the carefully carved bow which she'd dropped on the floor. The red scars of the fire were diminishing, but instead of being coated in ash, the bow was white as marble and was strung with a delicate yet strong material. Merida reached an uncertain hand out and with surprise, picked the bow off the ground and felt it in her hands. It was still a little hot to the touch but not enough to give her any severe burns, only a warm feeling throughout her hand which then sped through her body.
Merida stood, the bow in her hand, as she rushed through the castle to the stables where Angus awaited her late presence. He whinnied in outrage at her tardiness but soon forgot the reason as he stared at the creamy bow in his master's hand. She'd grabbed her cloak on the way down and threw it on hurriedly, excitement flaring in her chest as she mounted her steed. "Angus," She began, a smile tugging at her lips. "Let's go down the shooting route today."
...
Back in present time, in the darkest corners of his throne room he'd concocted out of the worst nightmares imaginable, Pitch Black brooded upon a throne of spiky shadows and inspected the center piece before him.
"A little to the left," He ordered, somewhat lacking any real authority in his tired voice. A few muscular Nightmares pushed the center peice to their left before Pitch said, "No, no, my left, you bumbling idiots."
The Nightmares obliged, although if they would have their own thoughts, they would've told Pitch to suck it up and deal with it being a little off center. But, of course, they couldn't say that and if they had, they would be but a believer short of being bright and golden and that was a despiciable thought, even to Pitch Black. He would simply dispose of the Nightmare as he did all his enemies: with a bit of backstabbing.
The Nightmare King's invisible eyebrows rose as he smiled a sharklike grin that even a mother shark would disown. "Now, that," Pitch laughed, "that is what I'm talking about. It looks absoluetely ravishing in this dark, don't you think, Gothel?"
Mother Gothel, who had been sulking behind his throne rolled her eyes in distaste as she crossed her eyes. "I still don't see the appeal," She muttered under her breath.
"You just don't fully appreciate artwork," Pitch said in a sarcastic tone. "You know, I could see this in a muesum," Pitch continued, holding his hands from his face to depict the sculpture in the frame of his grey fingers, "Maybe add some starlight to make it sparkle the way it does ... No, no, if I'm going all out, I might as well go for drama ... There will be Dreamsand near the bottom and the sand will be splattered with my Nightmaresand, causing a constant minature battle and above it, the body of that white-haired little brat for all of the world to see!"
Pitch's daydreams were slashed by Gothel's annoyed sigh. "Too much?" Pitch asked, lowering his hands and glancing in her direction.
"We don't even have half of this plan in action, Pitchiner," Gothel began in a clipped voice, her pursed lips a thin line as she glared at Pitch. He stiffened at the name before shrugging and sitting back down in his throne.
"All will be well in time," Pitch shrugged.
"Yes, or as you keep saying," Mother Gothel snarled in impatience. "Those Guardians will do something to foil our plans and you know it! We must act drastically. Soon."
Pitch sighed and rolled his shoulders, staring at the large frozen sculpture before him. It was laced with shadow, frozen in its wake, twisted around glittering ice and forming a large spiky center piece, perfect for Pitch's cold headquarters. Pitch placed his fingertips together before standing and sliding toward the scultpure where he admired his face in the sparkling black and blue ice. "Soon," Pitch said over his shoulder to Gothel, who watched him intently. Pitch placed a hand against the ice and dug his nails in and dragged them down, leaving slash marks and a painful throbbing in his ears. "Very, very soon, indeed."
This was so long omfg but I wanted you guys to know what was happening to the rest of The Big Four and what Pitchy was up to ...
Toothless and Pitch are gonna get Jack, he better watch his back
Rapunzel's hair's back because Manny just can do that stuff because he's magic and doesn't care about how everyone will react
And Merida has a new bow that she didn't really even question BECAUSE IT WAS SO TOTALLY COOL THAT SHE JUST WENT ALONG WITH IT I MEAN SHE TURNED HER MOTHER INTO A BEAR BECAUSE SHE MET A WITCH THERE HAVE BEEN WEIRDER THINGS
I'm glad you all like it so far~ six followers and four favourites already!
Reviews are also greatly appreciated!