AN: This chapter was not meant to go on as far as it did... (I think it's actually two in one) But either way hope you like it...
Back in Pitch's Lair, Merida and Jack had just managed to find Pitch's stash of Nightmare Dust.
Taking a few bags of it, they rushed back to Jack's room.
"Now y'all sure about this Jack?" Merida said standing behind him as he was sitting down staff in hand for comfort.
"Sure's a strong word," Jack answered trying not to be scared. "It's more of a hunch... Just don't get any in my eyes, or show you're afraid when you undo the bag. That's all I can say."
"You're a stubborn as a mule you know that boy?" Merida asked still not opening the bag sighing.
"At least I don't go running off into the woods and get stuck down holes while I'm trying to avoid my mother's wrath because I broke a very important vase..." Jack said smirking at her silence and stillness.
"How... How do you know that?" Merida asked backing up a bit.
"Get this done, and if I'm still able to I'll tell you," Jack said.
As fast but as carefully as she could, Merida undid the bag, holding back her fears that this wont work and poured it over the Winter Guardian's head spreading it around.
After she was done she said and Jack froze the Dust in place, then went over to the mirror and looked. There was still some white to be seen, but overall it was a success.
"And hopefully with it frozen, I wont get nightmares or turn back to being dark," Jack said beaming.
"Right, right I've done that now tell me how'd you know that I did that as a kid?" Merida said firmly.
To answer Jack made another frosted rose and asked the princess if it looked familiar.
~o~
"Merida Aleece Dunbroch come back here this moment!" Queen Elinore's voice rang through out the halls as said princess ran pass and out the door and towards the forest.
She had really done it now... She had never known her mother to be so angry...
Merida thought as she just kept running, snow beginning to come down, not looking back.
Suddenly she tripped and after a couple of tumbles, found herself at the bottom of a very deep hole.
Looking around, Merida found a tree root coming out of the dirt above her head and began jumping for it, managing to grab hold of it on her tenth attempt, but was too tired from running and the cold to lift herself out.
Letting go Merida dropped back down to the ground and culled up into a ball to try and keep warm, tears coming from her eyes...
If her mum was mad at her for a broken vase which she, Merida, was only trying to help clean, she would really be mad at her for something like this.
oooo
It was morning, and Merida could hear people calling her name.
Blinking the sand from her eyes Merida got up and felt something fall off her.
"Huh?" she said looking to see an old worn looking shoulder's cloak. Confused she looked around and saw she was also out of the hole.
Sitting back and looking around a bit more trying to find who rescued her, Merida felt her hand touch something cold and hard.
Looking, it was a sheet of ice with writing on it, a frosted rose lying next to that.
'You have no need to be afraid of you mum princess. Most of the time mums are their scariest when their scared that their children are in danger.
I pulled you out of the hole and gave you my clock to keep you warm, keep it if you want, I was going to get a new one anyway.
J.F.'
Is what the note read.
Merida had just read though it again when someone called out her name once more.
"MERIDA!"
"Mum?" the princess asked looking up "Mum!" she cried after deducing it was her mum's voice. Getting up, Merida put on the cloak, picked up the rose and the note and went running in the direction the voices were coming from.
"MUMMY!" "MERIDA!" they both cried as they found each other, Elinore scooping up her daughter and hugging her tightly never wanting to let go.
"I'm sorry about the vase mummy," Merida said quietly "I was only helping Maudie clean it."
"I know dear, but that wasn't what I was mad about," Elinore said quietly back getting the red head to listen "That was very heavy vase that could of broken you if it landed on you instead of the floor. Vases can be replaced, daughters can not."
"So you were like that because I was in danger? Like that guy said?" Merida asked smiling a bit.
"Merida, Princesses don't say..." Elinore said pausing getting the message into her mind "What guy?"
And all though the way back home Merida showed her mum the note and the rose, and recalled what happened last night, always holding her hand and a smile.
~o~
Back to the present, Merida lifted up her hand and punched Jack right on the arm.
"OW! Jeez what was that for?" Jack said rubbing his arm "I bruise easily you know, do you have any idea how bright bruises show when your skins paler than the moon?"
Then he was cut off by feeling Merida hug him in a tight embrace.
"Taken communication lessons from Astrid then?" Jack asked smirking leaning on his staff as she pulled away. "What were they for then?"
"For making me fall in to the hole in the first place, as in not telling me it's there," Merida said leaning to one side "And then getting me out again and giving me your cloak to keep warm," she said leaning the other way.
"You're welcome," Jack said grinning. "With that settled... Think we should go see what the bad-guys are up to?"
"Probably arguing," Merida said letting Jack take the lead. "Alvin wasn't too happy with Mother Nature twisting the hand off of one of his men when she came here to talk earlier... Or me when I shot an arrow through his wrist to get him to drop the sword he was going to use on Pitch."
"That's because the only one who's allowed to touch her is me," Jack said proudly, proud of Em for managing to do that "And even then I need to be careful..."
With that they followed the tunnels and the loud voices of the enemies back to the Globe Room.
(*)(*)(*)
"Me and my men are out of this you here me Pitch!" Alvin cried, his tribe behind him, and wrist in bandaged, arrow removed.
"Why? Just because you got hurt by doing dumb things?" Gothel asked replying for Pitch, who couldn't care less.
"Yeah, I thought it was an 'Occupational Hazard' for Vikings to get hurt," Mordu said arms crossed, and leaning against the wall smirking.
"Not when it's done by two lasses who shouldn't of been able to do things like that in blumming fist place!" Alvin cried out glaring at the former prince of Scotland.
"Well maybe you and your men shouldn't of riled them up so much Alvin," Jack's voice called out as he and Merida came in both smirking slightly (If they can get Alvin to leave that means one less villain to deal with).
"You've got some nerve talking like that to me boy..." Alvin said walking stepping forward a bit.
"No..." Jack said grinding his teeth, "You've got some nerve talking to me like that Alvin. To you and all Vikings I'm a god remember? The great Jokul Frosti, bringer of ice, snow, and winds so powerful it can knock even the fattest of you lot over in one blast."
That got the Outcast's to hush up but Jack went on.
"That dweeb who's now missing a hand, laid down that sentence when he didn't do as Mother Nature requested and removed it from her shoulder," Jack said glaring into the crowd trying to find the man in question. "And you laid down that sentence," he said using his staff to point to Alvin's wrist "When you decided to make a turn on us by killing the man leading us."
"Us lasses are a lot more powerful and capable of doing things than we appear to be Alvin," Merida said proudly stepping forward glaring at Alvin taking his speech as an insult. "I've been using ma bow since I was six... I hit the mark every time I shoot from it. If I wanted to I could of killed you, but I didn't. Be thankful for that and shove off if that's what you want to do." she said getting nods of agreement from Jack and the other villains.
Growling and shooting daggers at the lass, Alvin turned and with his men left the room and soon the Lair returning to Outcast Island.
"Thank goodness he's gone," Gothel said loudly "Ugh if I had to be around him or his men any longer I would of killed them."
"Yes once again you two have done good deeds for our side in this battle with the Guardians," Pitch said turning to Jack and Merida, both standing proud.
"Hey I was just telling it how it is," Jack said shrugging and like Mordu lent against the wall.
"So what now Sir?" Merida asked looking to Pitch, never going to get used to saying that.
"Now we need to find the Guardians, and those kids and crush every last ones little soul..." Pitch said grinning. "If only we can work out where they were..." he said turning back to the Globe just under a half having no lights at all or flickering ones.
"Well," Mordu said speaking up "If tha boy's storm is a world wide thing, then they'd take them somewhere where it can't be hit right?"
"Yes little prince," Gothel said a roll your eyes tone in her voice "But as you said it's a world wide thing. No place is safe."
"No place above ground is safe," Jack corrected her. "Below ground however, like a certain rabbit's Warren... That's a different story."
"Jack..." Merida hissed eyes wide grabbing the boy by the shoulder, as the villains began discussing about this "What do you think you're doing? You've just put all our friends and those kids in danger... again..."
"Wow turn down the flames Red... look..." he said looking to his hoodie seeing a small snowfairy with a ever so tiny camera. Understanding what was going on Merida remained quiet nodding trusting Jack.
"And I take it you know a way into the Warren, Jokul?" Pitch asked looking over to them a smile on his face.
"I know a few ways..." Jack said nodding looking at his nails inspecting them. "Can't guarantee you'll find anything though, or how easy it will be to get there... That rabbit really needs to clean out his tunnels more..."
Then in the morning we'll attack it," Pitch said standing tall "And since we're now a man down, Merida," he said turning to her "You shall take his place. But... If you turn on us, or refuse to fight, or anything like that..." he said making three little figure of her brothers showing them to her before crushing them. "Understand?"
"Yes, Sir..." Merida said looking to the ground gripping her bow tightly.
With that the meeting was adjourned , Jack and Merida went back to his room, the fairy coming out just as they got there worried eyes showing.
"Thank you Alice," Jack said smiling "Please, go show that to the others... Hopefully they'll have enough time to get the kids to Em's Cove."
Bowing and squeaking to her Season, Alice whizzed off.
Jack turned to Merida who was on the bed knees up and looking scared. But Jack knew it was her safety she was scared for.
"Hey every things going to be fine..." Jack said coming down next to her.
"How do you know?" Merida whispered not sounding like herself. "I don't want to fight... But if I don't fight, then my brothers will get hurt."
"Hey..." Jack said lifting her chin so she could see his face. "A Guardian's job is to protect the children of the world. Even the wee devils of it..." he said making her smile a bit "That's why I had Alice record all of that, so the Guardians can have a warning about the attack and get the kids some place safe."
"But what other place can they go?" Merida asked coming out of her mood dropping her knees and lying her bow across her lap.
"Bunny's not the only one in our group of friends who has a home underground Mer..." Jack said cunningly twirling his staff. "A certain Queen of Nature does as well... Don't tell me you've never heard of Mother Nature's Cove..."
"No, but I've never heard of the Kangaroo's Warren either," Merida said smiling believing in Jack that her brothers will be safe.
"Ok so now that you're happy again..." Jack said snapping Merida back "What's going to happen with the Things? Who are we going to give them to?"
"You mean all of them to keep ours safe, or just Punzie's and Hiccup's?" Merida asked.
"That's why I'm asking..." Jack said leaning against the wall "Send all of them and come by later... Or make it a half shipment and come with the second lot?"
It will be a bit difficult to go into battle with a tapestry..." Merida said voicing the problem "So I'd go with the half shipment one."
"Right..." Jack said nodding leaving the room for a bit then coming back with the dagger and the shard. Still don't know why or how these are meant to stop Pitch," Jack said playing with the shard "Wish Em was here she'd know..."
Suddenly the shard began to glow a bright golden yellow and showed Emily-Jane comforting the snowfairy's from earlier.
.
'Aww come on Grace...' she said 'Astrid didn't mean it and you know it... It's just her and the Viking Way, always judging things before understanding them.'
'Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak'
.
"Grace!" Jack cried shocked that his lead snowfairy knew so many bad words.
"Um... Jack," Merida brought him back. As he looked up the mirror's magic died and the picture left.
"Huh?" Jack asked blinking.
"Well one..." Merida said timidly "How did you do that?" she said nodding to the mirror "And two... What did she say?"
"I just said 'I wish' and Em's name and voila..." Jack said explaining the first part "And those words Grace said, should never be heard by mortal ears... No offense."
"That bad?" Merida asked shocked getting a nod. "Wonder what Astrid did..."
"Don't know, but that answers one quarter of my original question," Jack said now picking up the dagger in place of the shard. "Now what powers does this thing hold?"
Feeling the touch of one of the Four and a request to be used, the dagger glowed a dragon-blood green and lengthened itself to a sword with a hand-guard and because Jack was holding it, snowflakes up the and down the blade.
"Whoa..." Jack and Merida said eyes wide as Jack slowly waved it around never taking his eyes off it.
"But I thought these things were meant to be ordinary trinkets," Merida said asking for a try the sword glowing green again now having a pattern of a blazing fire on it. "Wonder how Hiccup's going to react to this... or hold it up for that matter."
"My guess is it will change to fix him," Jack said smirking "And my other guess for your other question is it's got something to do with Manny. Which is getting me to think differently about the shipments."
"What do you mean?" Merida asked looking up.
"Once Pitch finds out just how special these do-dad's are," Jack said looking around the room carefully just in case they'll put them under tighter security, meaning it will be harder to get them out, meaning we might not be able to get them to the others in time for whatever has to happen happen," he explained.
"But if they'll all gone, then they'll attack faster wont they?" Merida asked, the dagger going back to normal.
"Big shot villeins like these, Merida," Jack said carefully thinking "Normally don't do anything with their 'treasure' unless there's something special about it. Hence why it's so easy to get to at the moment. But as the Spring Equinox is coming closer, what ever it is Manny's done to them, the power's getting stronger, meaning sooner or later Pitch or the others will find out and move them."
Understanding what Jack was saying Merida sighed hoping this will work.
"Alright..." she said "I'll take these... you take yours and mine. We give them to the first person we see deal?" Merida said smiling.
"Deal," Jack said leaving the room to get their Things.