"Are we there yet?" Snotlout called out from Hookfang yet again getting an annoyed look from everyone else and a cry of 'NO!' the last few times.
But this time they were not paying attention to him as they were staring up at what's said to be Jack's palace.
"By Manny..." North said in a hushed voice his eyes doubling to their normal size by the place.
"WOW!" the kids cried together excitement causing them to get itchy feet and wanting to get off the sleigh to go explore it.
"Seems that's a yes then Snotlout," Hiccup said a small smirk on his face snuffling a laugh when he saw Snotlout's face.
"Yeah... It only took 36 times of him asking for us to get here," Astrid said touching Stormfly down, getting of, and helping get the kids off the sleigh.
"Yeah and that's ten minutes of life we'll never get back," Merida said annoyed getting nods from everyone.
"Yes well," Emily Jane said before an argument broke out "This is Jack's palace. Each Season has a home here that's set just for them, in their own season." she explained as if she were a tour guide. "Each one's the same and yet completely different from each other."
"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked cocking her head, thanking Henry as she got off the sleigh.
"Well, Amber, the Season of Autumn, has a tree house palace in the woods over in the Autumn Forest," she began "Faleen, the Season of Summer has a traditional like one that's decorated with all things summer, in Summer Hill. And Buddy's one looks as if it just grew up out of the earth with all the plants that are covering it. It's almost as if the walls aren't there at all, Over in Spring Vally."
"Hey you said to us that we're free to do anything we wanted with them," Buddy said defending himself "And I wanted mine to look like it had life. That's what Spring's for isn't it?"
Once the last person was off the sleigh, and the teens were off their dragons, Henry bowed and rode off leaving them there.
Smiling, Emily told everyone to stay exactly where they were, and do not show any weapons.
When she thought they got the message, she began to move forward.
Suddenly two polar bears came running out, ready to defend their master's home. But when they saw it was just Emily Jane they calmed down and let her pet them, always loving the way she strokes their fur.
"You come here often then Em?" Buddy asked smirking as everyone else just stared.
"What makes you think that?" Emily asked turning to face everyone.
"The fact that they calmed down the second they saw you, for one thing," Buddy said nodding to the bears. "The other, is knowing that they would do that."
"I... may come here more often that I visit yours or the others," Emily said avoiding their eyes by turning back to the bears.
After everyone was introduced/inspected by the bears, they were allowed in and Emily led them into the throne room.
"Miss Emily!" a young girls voice called out to the right getting everyone's attention. "What are you doing here? If it's alright to ask..." she asked a tray of biscuits and hot chocolate in her hands.
"We've come with news we'd like to tell Jack, Snow," Emily Jane said explaining why they were there. "Would you please tell him we're here."
"Yes Miss," Snow said curtsying slightly. Then she saw the children and everyone else. "The Games Room is having an update at the moment, but most of them should be working." she whispered to Emily as she turned and left to go find Jack.
"GAMES ROOM?!" the Burgess kids asked together loving this place more and more, zooming off into the direction Emily pointed, followed by the teenagers to keep them safe.
"Glad to see some people enjoy my ideas of a perfect house," Jack's voice called out as he came into the room from the opposite way, Snow beside him, his staff under his arm, and his hot chocolate in one hand and biscuits in the other. "So what do you think?" he asked the grown ups gesturing to the whole palace.
"It's amazing Jack..." Tooth said getting her voice first looking and buzzing around the place.
"I never knew ice could become something like this," Stoick said nodding to Tooth's words "How long did it take to make it?"
"Approximately..." Jack said playing with his fingers scrunching up his face "Two to three minutes," he said smirking and trying to hide his laugh to their faces.
"Ok that's gotta be a lie there mate," Bunny said coming back first.
"(Gasp) You should be ashamed of yourself Bunny," Jack said over-dramatically "I'll have you know I have never lied to when it comes to this place or anything I do with my winter magic. Just for that, I'm not going to show you the Art Room where I come up with ideas and patterns for the next years snowflakes. Everyone else who wants to see it... Please follow me..." he said turning slightly.
"Maybe later Jack," Richard said being one of the only ones not laughing their head off at the look on Bunny's face, or how Jack handled that. "Right now we have some news to pass to you about Gothel and the other side's team."
"And that is..." Jack asked turning back around dragging the words looking to everyone.
"That she's no longer part of it. Or around." Stoick said adding the second part after a second's pause.
"Huh?" Jack asked curious.
Everyone was about to explain when there was a loud 'BANG' from the Games Room and loud cries and dragon calls came out the door.
Going at full speed Jack zoomed off towards the room, the grown ups following him.
o0o
In the Games Room, it was divided into teens and children all fighting over what they wanted to play and who should be the next one to play.
They hardly noticed when Jack and the grown ups came up to the door.
"Humph," Emily Jane said a smirk on her face. "You were saying Jack..." she said smugly.
All Jack did was put his fingers to his mouth and gave a good hard blow making a very loud whistle cutting the arguments and the two groups to turn and look at them.
"THEY STARTED IT!" everyone (minus Rapunzel, Hiccup, the Triplets and Sophie) on both sides said together pointing to the opposing team.
"I don't care who started or what it was about," Jack said sounding very grown up. "If I find any of my games broken then the person or people or even dragons responsible will pay me for me to get a new one." he said referring to the 'Bang' they heard.
"Seriously?!" everyone asked together not believing him.
"What...?" he asked as he went around inspecting all the games around the two groups to see if they were alright.
"The fact that you care more about ya dumb games the our safety that's what, Jack," Merida said speaking for everyone.
"And for good reason," Jack said moving to the fifth game "Most of these games, they don't make them anymore, and they no longer exist. Or if they do they're really hard to find. Do any of you have any idea how hard it was to get ALL of these games here in the first place?" he asked showing off his Games Room to everybody as he continued.
"Don't mind him," Emily Jane said grinning at everyone's looks of disbelief. "He's just protective of things that belong to him, like these. But getting back to why we came here in the first place JACK!" she called getting a grunt from the boy to show he was listening.
"We were looking through Rapunzel's Mirror and saw Pitch and the others arguing," she began "One thing led to another, and at last Gothel left and is now a pile of dust and a clock beside the bed that the covers entrance to Pitch's lair."
"So..." Jack asked checking off that 'Space-Invaders' was alright.
"So we came here to tell you, so we can come up with ideas on how to get rid of the bear," Stoick answered for Emily Jane.
"Nope got nothing..." Jack said after a bit checking off his five Pinball Machines were still intact.
"Are you even listening to anything we're saying?" Hiccup asked checking.
"Of course I am," Jack said standing tall and facing them "Gothel's dead, Mordu and Pitch are left, you came here to say that, and so we can think up some ideas on how to get rid of the bear," Jack said almost exactly reciting what has already been said. "And as I said - I got nothing."
With that he began to check his 'Super Mario Kart' game which was the one they were all fighting over.
"Well... I have one," Merida said getting the attention off Jack for the moment "It wont be anything big and fancy just yet," she began "Because first we'll need to visit someone for some advice or some help..." she said rubbing her arm and turning her eyes to her mother biting her lip.
"No. You are not going back there young lady. You hear me?!" Elinor called out sternly getting looks of confusion.
"How else are we s'pose to know how to beat him Mum?!" Merida fired back "Before you flattened him with that stone he had been alive and walking about the forests of Dunbroch for nearly half a century according to those legends you keep telling me and tha boys. And Dad, he kept going on about how absolutely nothing he tried did anything. Plus the new bit of information I learnt about him about him having the strength of ten men..." she rambled on trying to get her mother to understand it was the best way.
No on knew what to say, or how to break the silence that was being let off because of the conversation that had just expired.
"She's right you know Your Highness," Jack's voice came out as he took to one of the seats, a remote in each hand as he selected the players for the game "Besides Molly's not so bad once you get to know her. You just need to be specific with what you want from her. Just like in any form of a wish."
"You know the Crafty Carver enough to know her first name?" Merida asked eyes growing forgetting everyone else was there.
"Yeah, her hut's one of the first places I visit when I do Scotland," he said selecting the vehicles "She was so mad when she came home after the Wikerman Festival and her house was blown to bits... Said 'If I ever find the one who did this I'd give them a curse so strong nothing anyone will do will save them...' " he said mocking her as he selected the track he would play.
"So just don't say you were the one who did it and you should be fine." he said shrugging "Although you might be fine anyway because of your purchase last time you went there Red... Now who want to see if they can beat me at 'Mario Kart'?" he asked waving the second remote in the air giving it to the first kid that came up (slightly non-surprisingly it being Jamie) and hit Start.
o0o
The rest of the afternoon was everyone playing in Jack's Game Room on 'Mario Kart' the kids setting up a rule and of Winner-Stays-On and a rotor of one track per couple to keep the line moving.
As the clocks began to chime the late hour of 9:30pm, everyone thought it was time for bed.
"Alex! Zack! Dexter!" Jack called loudly.
In an instant, three more Winter Elementals came into the room, two boys and a girl and came up to Jack, wide smiles on their faces.
Alex had her white hair in braided pigtails, and wore a blue top going into a mini-skirt, complete with fingerless gloves and halfway up the legs boots.
Zack's hair was blonde but still all over the place, and he wore a white too-thin-for-a-place-like-this shirt, black skinny jeans, and no shoes.
And Dexter, had red hair, midnight blue top, and brown trousers, his feet being covered with white trainers.
"Ok, Alex take the girls please," Jack began "Zack the boys. And Dexter take the adults to separate rooms please. And with that I bid you all good night." he said as he began to leave trusting his 'people' in caring for his friends.
"Hold it just one minute here Frostbite," Bunny said grabbing the boy by the shoulder and spinning him around, angering the Elementals who only backed off with a wave of 'Let-it-go' from Jack. "Just what exactly are you planning here?"
"Well... I'm 'planning' as you say that where you all came from outside Em's house is far far too far away to travel to at this time of night with all those tired widdle faces..." Jack said nodding to the Triples and Sophie who were fighting off Sandy's sand trying to stay awake.
"So I'm offering you a chance to have a sleep over here at my palace - which I don't do with many people, so be happy about it." he said pushing Bunny's paw off his shoulder and leaving again.