~*~ Hi guys! Thank you very much for reviewing and liking the story. This is chapter 2! Hopefully, I'll update the next one if I can finish it this week or the next. Hope ya'll like it! Thank you, mh10anthony, for a really amazing tip and I'll try to get this right this time.
~*~ I do NOT own "Rise of the Guardians" "Tangled" "Brave" and "How to Train Your Dragon"
~*~ Chapter 2 ~*~
~*~ Normal POV
"We have to talk" Rapunzel eyed their surroundings. The normal looking Burgess seemed too open to hear any secret they were about to share. The humans looked their way suspiciously. "I know a place" she said, scrambling to her feet. In the midst of his worry, Jack managed a grin.
"Let's go, guys. Wherever Punz wants us to talk" he grabbed his staff. Hiccup looked a little scared. "Go? Out there?" he gestured to a forest where Rapunzel was already heading to. He bit his lip. "Aw, come on ya wee lad" Merida mounted Angus again. "You have a dragon with ya" she said, catching up with Rapunzel on Max. Jack shifted his staff on one shoulder and caught the winds. Hiccup reluctantly boarded Toothless and flew up to Ranpunzel.
They had gone quite a distance when Rapunzel looked back. "This should be far enough" she murmured. Jack landed in a freefall beside her. Hiccup too. He looked around. Toothless snuggled to Hiccup to keep him warm.
"Alright, ya wee lads and lassie!" Merida dumped a pile of wood on the the middle. "I wanna keep meself warm! Dragon, do the honors" Merida looked at Toothless. He obeyed, spitting out a ball of blue fire at the wood, causing it to blaze up. Immediately, Jack cowered a little back from the fire. Merida looked at him and laughed. "What are ya? Scared of fire? It's not like yar gonna melt" she raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think I will" Jack wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Merida snorted.
"Guys, guys! Come on!" Hiccup waved his hands. Toothless rolled his eyes. He knew how much his master hated fights. "Can we all just get along?" he looked at Jack then Merida. "Whatever" she scoffed. "Thank you" Hiccup bowed low and flopped on the snow beside the fire.
There was an awkward silence. Pretty much of it was killing Rapunzel. "So... what's been going on?" she asked. Jack looked at her with creased brows. He sighed and hung his head. "Pitch matters" he said softly. "W-wait, the Boogeyman?" Hiccup asked, his voice a little trembling. Merida, who had been sitting beside him, didn't know exactly if it was because of the cold or because he was scared.
Jack nodded, his white hair flapping in the cold wind. Merida shivered. "I suppose this ain't gonna be easy as a expectid" she said, her Scottish accent making Hiccup smile a little. "I think so too" Rapunzel cupped her elbows in her hands. "But right now, we need to know as much as we could from each other. It could help us" she said, looking uncertainly at Jack. "I agree" Hiccup said. "Ma gut tells me it's a good idea" Merida bobbed her head.
Rapunzel cleared her throat. "I am a princess. I was born after my mother ate a golden flower from a drop of sunlight" she paused to look at the others. "From 'e sun? Tha must be magical" Merida complimented. "It is. But that's not just the thing" Rapunzel said. Jack looked at her slightly, his blue eyes losing it's sparkle.
"IhavemagicalhairthatglowswhenIsing" Rapunzel spoke too quickly that the others couldn't quite understand. "What?" Hiccup asked. Rapunzel sucked her breath. "I don't actually reveal it to anyone but here goes: I have magical hair that glows when I sing" she shrugged. "Is that why you're not supposed to cut it?" Jack asked. He was toying with a strand of Rapunzel's hair. She didn't seem to mind.
Instead, she answered his question. "Yes" she tucked a handful of the golden hair behind her ear to show her point. A couple of brown strands separated from the others. "Once it's cut, it loses its power" she said. "My parents said I should keep it secret. Most of the people would argue over my hair because it was magic and some tried to cut it" Rapunzel sighed. "That's why I didn't go out that often" she exhaled. "So that's me, somebody please go on" she smiled sheepishly.
"Ma turn" Merida ran her fingertips on her beloved bow. "I am a princess too, like ya" she told Rapunzel. "But I was a tiny bit failure" she said. "How come?" Rapunzel asked. "Well, I couldn't do what me mother was wantin' me ta do" she said to others. "Like what?" Hiccup asked. "Well, fer one thin' she wanted me to get married to someone from another kin'dom" Merida said. "So I got inta trouble since I didn't want ta obey" she sighed. "What happened?" Rapunzel asked. Jack was utterly silent. Unusual...
"I change me mother into a bear and me three wee brothers" Merida confessed. "I guess I was just so mad at me mum for makin' me go against me will. She was changin' me fate" Merida said. "Cool" Hiccup said and Toothless rolled his eyes again. "I know right. But in the end, everythin' got back ta normal" Merida finished.
Jack fumbled with his staff. Hiccup didn't want to go too far so: "I am the son of the chief in our village" Hiccup said. "I was puny, scrawny and my dad was really disappointed in me" he said. "That's too bad" Rapunzel gasped. "I know. I worked at our forge and then there was this night where I came across Toothless" Hiccup patted his dragons head. "We soon became friends and we, kinda stopped my father from destroying all the dragon's nests in another island. They had misunderstood so I had to do something" Hiccup smiled slightly. "Tha was so brave of ya" Merida said. "Thanks" Hiccup croaked.
"What happened to you, Jack?" Rapunzel asked, concerned. "You seem to have a lot on your mind" she raised an inquiring eyebrow. Jack sighed. He can't hide his past forever. And what happened before Pitch's return. They would just find out and it would still leak.
"I was a big...troublemaker" Jack laughed at the last word slightly. "Yeah, we know mate" Hiccup said. 'Mate' was the often word Bunny used. Jack looked down on the ice again, remembering Bunny's words before he became a Guardian: Jack Frost? He doesn't care about children! All he does is freeze waterparks and mess with my egghunts! Why he's an irresponsible, selfish... Jack Frost is many things but he is NOT a Guardian!
"Jack? JACK!" Rapunzel waved a hand across his pale face. Jack snapped out of trance. "You okay there?" Merida asked. Jack massaged his forehead. "Yeah, just had a lot on my mind" he said. "All you have to know about me is I'm a Guardian, I am a spirit of Winter and I am a big mistake" he banged his staff on a small tree, causing lacey patterns to form on the slim trunk. "Cool" Hiccup breathed but Jack ignored him.
Rapunzel fiddled with a strand of hair. "You know what, it's late. We should get some sleep and we'll look for Pitch's lair tomorrow" she said. She settled under a tree beside Angus and Max and closed her eyes. "Good idea" Merida sat beside Angus and threw her cape over the four of them to keep them warm. Hiccup took shelter under Toothless' wing who sheltered beside the fire. Jack looked up one last time and slipped his head under his hoodie and closed his eyes.
*In Pitch's lair
"Dad, is everything alright?" a girl with long, snow white hair emerged from the open door. Pitch Black looked around. "Lillith, my dear" he looked at her with those cold yellow eyes. Lillith shuddered.
Pitch eyed his daughter. He had adopted her, taught her his ways. In addition, he had placed all the powers he had harnessed from his previous battle with the Guardians to her. She had been his new masterpiece, yet.
Tonight, she was wearing her usual short black denim shorts that reached her mid-thigh, her black sleeveless tank top, her usual sleeveless vest rimmed with white fur and her knee-high assault boots decorated with chains and rimmed with the same fur from her vest. Her jet-black eyes were glinting in the moonlight. Her wrists were wrapped in wide black-spiked bands she used as emergency weapons. Her neck were wrapped in a thin choker. In her hand was half a dozen knives he had given her.
Pitch's daughter raised an eyebrow at her father. She's fully grown now, I have to let her know. It's not like she'll be going anywhere, Pitch thought. "My darling" he cooed. Lillith rolled her eyes, kicking the door shut. "Dad, I'm not a kid anymore" Lillith muttered. "I know, I know" Pitch muttered, gesturing for Lillith to come towards him. She walked hesitantly.
"Are the Guardians locked up?" she asked. Pitch laughed wickedly. "Definitely my dear" he said, taking her hand. Pitch led her to an indoor den where the Guardians were in cages. Sandy was devastated. Bunny's ears drooped with sadness. North's face was filled with worry. Tooth fluttered about in panic. Her mood changed when Pitch entered the room.
"PITCH!" she reached from behind the bars, only to be blocked by a few nightmares. She gasped. "You ankle-biter! Where's Jack? What've you done to him?" Bunny yelled. "Nothing, Aster. Nothing at all" Pitch laughed with a mocking grin. Lillith remained emotionless at the moment. "Don't you worry. I don't have Jack, just yet" Pitch cast an evil grin.
"Lillith, I think we have company" Pitch said. The doors swung open. A tall slender woman in a long red dress stepped in. Her curly hair swiftly bounced when she stepped down the small steps.
"Mother Gothel!" Lillith ran to the woman and hugged her. "It's nice to meet you too, darling" Gothel said. Lillith gasped when she saw the hideous thing behind Gothel. It was a huge black bear. One eye was dead. Lillith screamed at the sight of the terrifying bear. Gothel shushed the roaring bear.
"Calm down, Mor'du. It's just Lillith" she said. A big dragon roared behind Mor'du. "Shut up!" Gothel yelled. Lillith cowered behind Pitch. Bunny snickered softly but Pitch didn't care.
"Welcome, Gothel" Pitch laughed. "Don't flatter me Black" Gothel wagged her fingers. I came because of our deal" she said. "Deal?" North asked. Pitch laughed.
"Bring the hostages in" Pitch said. "Hostages?!" Tooth cried. "Dad, you never said anything about hostages" Lillith tugged Pitch's sleeve. Pitch looked at his daughter. "Change of plans" Pitch walked across the room. "What change?" Lillith said. "Chain them" Pitch snapped his fingers.
The bear roared again. He grabbed three sacks. The sacks were wriggling. Lillith's eyes widened. The dragon ripped out the fabric and there were people inside. They were roughly gagged and tied up. The guardians gasped, even Lillith.
Pitch smiled in content. "Dad, what's going on?" Lillith started to back away from her father. Pitch snapped his fingers. Coils of black sand wrapped themselves firmly on the sacked fellows. Three of which struck Lillith and the Guardians most.
There were three little boys! They were about the age of 5 or so. They had thick, curly carrot-colored hair and stumbled and began to cry softly as the sand bound their little hands and feet.
Lillith rushed to them, cupping the three in her arms and turned to her father angrily. "Dad! These are kids!" she yelled, yanking the black sand from the boys. The three children snuggled to Lillith for comfort, trusting her completely. "It will make them the best bait for Jack and so as the others" Pitch said in content.
Lillith put the boys down and turned to Pitch. "You devil!" the Guardians spoke for her. Pitch's mood changed. "What are you thinking, Lillith?" he asked while throwing the other hostages in cages. One was a grown man. The other was a teenage girl with blond hair. She looked tough but Lillith knew even Gothel herself was tougher.
"Dad, I didn't sign up for this" Lillith clenched her fists. "Children? Hostages? Baits?" she rummaged her hair. Pitch grew impatient. "Are you telling me you're leaving?" Pitch asked. Lillith didn't answer. She stormed out. Pitch turned to Gothel. "Take care of these until I return" Pitch said.
Pitch walked over to Mor'du. "Come with me" he whispered. The bear snorted and followed.
Lillith fumbled with her long black cape. She threw it over her shoulders just then, Pitch came in. "Dad!" she screamed. Pitch was mad now. "I don't have time for you. I don't have time for the weak" he nodded to Mor'du. Lillith backed against the wall as the giant bear moved towards her.
The big animal swung its clawed fist at her. Lillith ducked and rolled away, only to be stepped on her stomach by a few nightmares. She groaned in pain but stood up. Lillith cleared her head and stood to her feet. Mor'du rushed at her again. Lillith grabbed a knife and lodged it deep into the animal's arm. Mor'du pulled it out effortlessly and painlessly. Lillith gasped as the dagger came back at her. She kicked it away and whipped up a new weapon; a thick whip, jutted with spikes. She swung it at a few nightmares but Mor'du managed to claw her back and his paw slammed hard on her head.
Lillith toppled to the ground, her head ponding, her lip bleeding and her body aching. Mor'du wasn't finished with her yet. He brought down his claw to her leg and his long nails sank in her flesh and blood spurted out of the wound. Lillith yelled in pain as she kicked Mor'du back with her other leg. He jumped, a few steps back and roared in anger.
Lillith wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and fastened the clip. Mor'du's right claw slashed through the fabric and cut her deep just a few inches beside her stomach. Lillith cried out in pain and evaporated into a cloud of black smoke and broke out through a window.
Mor'du looked at Pitch. "Shall I go after her?" he asked. Pitch shook his head. "Sedate the prisoners. I'll find her later" he nodded at Mor'du. "It's not like she'd have any chance of survival at her poor state. She's just like her insolent brother" Pitch turned on his heels and walked away.
Meanwhile, Lillith teleported herself into Jack's lake. She was dizzy. Her head was spinning rapidly. She had been bleeding heavily all the way. She's been beaten up, tired and cold.
The cold ran up her skin, like there was no cloak at all. Lillith slipped her head under the hood but the cold seemed to seep through the cloth and made her wounds sting. She slammed into a tree and into another. Her palms hurt, her side bleeding and her leg didn't make her journey easier. She had to find Jack. She just had too.
There's no guarantee that finding him will be easy. They'll put up a fight before I can even explain, Lillith thought grimly. But she had to. Before the Guardians and the other 'baits' get hurt.
In her cloak, something shivered inside. Lillith pulled it open. The three boys she had saved were inside, shivering in the cold. "Oh, you" Lillith picked them up. They were miraculously light which made one of her worries fade away slowly. She tucked back inside her cloak and pulled the hood up her head and nestled it in her white hair.
In the distance, she could make out a faint fire's light. "Could be Jack. Or not" Lillith moved towards the fire.
Snap! Snap! Snap! the twigs snapped under her feet. Lillith couldn't be silent anymore. She was beginning to lose consciousness.
Jack heard the snapping too. His eyes popped open. Standing up and grabing his staff, Jack flew up on a tree branch to see what was going on.
Another snap and Toothless, Angus and Max perked up. Hiccup groaned. "Toothless, it's not morning yet" Hiccup yawned. "What'cha doin' Angus?" Merida grabbed her cloak sleepily. Pascal tickled Rapunzel's chin. "Pascal, stop it!" Rapunzel swatted the chameleon sleepily.
"Guys, wake up!" Jack fired a snowball at Hiccup. It his his shoulder. "Alright, alright! I'm awake!" Hiccup scrambled to his feet. Jack fired another snowball at Rapunzel. It his Pascal instead and he gave out a loud squeak beside Rpunzel's ear. She yelped and grabbed her frying pan. Jack fired a last snowball. It his Merida square in the chest. "Ow ya bloody boy!" she drew an arrow from its sheath and loaded her bow and pointed it at Jack.
There was a rustle in the small clump of bushes. Toothless gave out a growl. Max and Angus were frantic. Pascal blended in Rapunzel's shoulder. Jack jumped down from the tree and positioned his staff. "Shoot whatever jumps out" he breathed at Merida. She nodded. Toothless ruffled his scales. Rapunzel drew a deep breath. In her other hand, she was reaching for her hair.
The rustles continued until a hooded figure stumbled out. Her jet black eyes pierced Jack's blue ones. "Lillith!" Jack pointed his staff at her. The girl's breathing was ragged and rapid. Jack hesitated. Merida fired, just like Jack said. Lillith dodged weakly and staggered. Rapunzel lowered her hand. Toothless looked at Hiccup for a signal. He didn't give any.
Lillith staggered slightly, before falling flat on the snow. Jack raced to her and Rapunzel too. Hiccup approached her slowly. Merida dropped her bow and felt for Lillith's pulse.
"She's alive" she said. Hearing Merida's voice, the three boys scrambled out from under Lillith and attacked Merida with a hug. "Harris! Hubert! Hamish!" Merida cried, prying herself from her brothers' hug. "What're ya'll doin' 'ere?" she cried. A triplet pointed to Lillith. "She did this?" Merida asked. They nodded in unison. "She saved ya?" Merida asked in disbelief. Jack examined Lillith and propped her against him so her back was resting against his chest. He slid off her hood. Hiccup stared for a moment and shrieked. "Why is her face like that?" he cried. Rapunzel inched forward, her frying pan on the snow.
"Looks like she's been beaten up pretty bad" she said. Jack picked her up gently, bridal-style. "Woah, woah, woah!" Hiccup threw up his arms. "Isn't she our enemy?" he asked. Jack pondered the thought but Merida voiced out his thoughts. "She did save me brothers" she said while trying to get on of them from climbing up her head and the other two from playing with her curls.
Jack propped Lillith under the tree. "I can help her" Rapunzel offered. "Alright. But when she wakes up, we get what we need" Jack said. Rapunzel nodded. Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
Something suddenly grabbed his dagger. "Hey!" he yelled at the three kids who went running off with it. "BOYS!" Merida thundered. The three kids stopped dead in their tracks. "Give Hiccup 'is dagger beck!" she stomped her foot. The boys made a hesitant walk towards Hiccup and handed him his knife. "Thank you" he glance at Merida. She shrugged. "They're just wee devils who get away with a murder, sort of. Me dad used to call 'em tha'" she said sheepishly when the boys started climbing her again. "They look pretty good to see you here" Hiccup said. Merida blushed slightly. "I guess" she stuttered, running her fingers on a triplet's back. "They just like it so they get ma dessert" she whispered and giggled. Hiccup chuckled slightly too.
Rapunzel ran a hand on Lillith's wounds. "These weren't normal wounds" she murmured. Jack went over to her. "What do you mean?" he asked. Rapunzel touched Lillith's leg that have been stabbed by Mor'du. "See this puncture wound?" she asked Jack. He nodded. "It's not a wound caused by any sword or giant needle that I know. It's most likely a nail or a claw" she said. Jack looked closer. The wound was bleeding heavily. "Can you do anything about it?" Jack asked. Rapunzel looked at him in disbelief. "You actually care about her?" she asked, her green eyes wide. Jack shrugged. "She's our best chance of finding the others" Jack said coldly. Rapunzel crossed her arms. "From the look on your face, you seem rather...concerned" Rapunzel said. Jack shrugged again and ran a hand on his white hair. "She was a friend, long ago. Before she ran away and sought help from Pitch"
Jack fought to keep his voice steady and cold but his inner tone drowned it out. His tone came out as concern and sudden pity.
"What could have done this to her?" Rapunzel mumbled. "She must've gotten into a fight. And a violent one at that" she looked at the wounds again.
Meanwhile, Merida and Hiccup had been talking about each other. "So what da ya do aside from ya know..." Merida looked at Toothless. The black dragon seemed to calm down a bit. "Well, I work at a forge back home" Hiccup said. "Ya must've been workin' hard. In a forge?" Merida asked. "Yep. I have a lot of free time on my hands" Hiccup said. "Ya must've been lucky. I almost go no free time on me hands" Merida rubbed her orange curls. "Me mum keeps trainin' me ta be a princess" she said, glumly. "Well, I do have a day-off, though" Merida quickly added. "But what ya do seems really fun" Merida slumped on the snow. "What, flying with Toothless?" Hiccup asked, eyeing her with a slight blush. Merida smiled. "Yeah. I always want'd ta fly. But me mum keeps ma schedule tight most of the time" Merida asked. Hiccup felt Toothless nugde his arm. Hiccup didn't have to think twice.
"Um...Merida" he was definitely at a loss for words. "Would you like to fly?" he asked, biting his lip, waiting for rejection. Instead, Merida's eyes popped open. "Really?" she asked. "Uh... yeah" Hiccup stammered, casting a look at the snow under his feet. "Is it safe?" Merida asked. "Yeah. Toothless is perfectly tame and a good boy" Hiccup patted his dragon's head to prove his point. "Alright" Merida stood and helped Hiccup to his feet. Hiccup mounted Toothless. Merida drew a deep breath and took Hiccup's outstretched hand. She mounted Toothless like he was a regular horse and so, she had no diffuculty of positioning herself. "Now hold on tight" Hiccup smirked. "Where?" Merida asked. Just the second, Toothless spread his wings and shot up in the air.