No real note for this chapter, just read, relax, review!

~o0o~

3.

Soon the rulers said their goodbyes and left Council to return to their respective kingdoms. Bunnymund was the first to leave, storming out of the hall without a word the moment the High Council was disbanded.

Once everyone had left, North offered to find Jack to tell him the news, but Rapunzel shook her head.

"We should all go," she insisted. "He's one of us now, after all. Its only right we should go to him."

North nodded in approval. "I will make ready my sleigh."

The older man left the room, leaving the three young Guardians alone. Rapunzel turned and walked back up the dais, where Merida had just risen from her throne. She bit her lip anxiously as Rapunzel approached.

"What is it Merida?" Rapunzel asked, concerned for her friend.

Merida shrugged. "A vision's botherin me," she admitted.

"A vision?" Rapunzel repeated, looking over to Hiccup. "Is that where the two of you were? Compass?"

In the vast expanse of land that made up the kingdom of Berk, all the major cities and villages lay closer to the southern border, leaving much of the Northern lands empty, full of forests and hills. But in Berk's center lay a misty clearing in which sat a very large circle of giant stones. This clearing the people called Compass. It held strong magic, and many people kept their distance. To Merida however, it was almost a second home. It was there that the blue wisps appeared most frequently to her, aiding her with their magic and power. Whenever Merida looked into the future at Compass, her visions were always clearest and most relevant. At Compass, Merida's power didn't tire her as much as it did when she used it elsewhere. Even Merida's throne was made from one of Compass's stones, so that she could use her power when she sat at Council, if needed. So great was Compass's influence, Merida rarely used her power anywhere else... except today.

"Nooo..." Hiccup answered Rapunzel slowly. "We were-"

"West Point Forest." Merida answered. Rapunzel's eyes widened.

"But that's where-"

"We know," Hiccup stopped her. "We're fine though."

Rapunzel wasn't convinced. "Merida, why did you use your power outside of Compass? You know it's dangerous! And to try in West Point of all places-"

"Ah didn't tell yew this for a lecture," Merida said, her eyes narrowed. "What Ah wanted to tell the two of yew is that Ah had a vision of... well Ah think it was Jack."

"What?" Rapunzel asked, as Merida walked closer.

"Ah mean, Ah didn't actually see his face... just his eyes."

Hiccup shook his head. "Then it could have been anyone."

"Ah don't think so, Hiccup," Merida said. "Ah just feel like it is."

Hiccup thought for a moment. It wasn't his place to question Merida's impulses. She'd been right about this kind of thing in the past. "What else did you see in the vision?"

Merida shrugged. "Like Ah said, Ah wasn't at Compass so... it all blends together. There was more to it, Ah'm sure of it, Ah just can't remember..."

"Don't you two see?" Rapunzel asked, excited. "This is a sign! Jack is the Guardian we need-"

Suddenly Rapunzel doubled over with a gasp. She looked up, panic in her eyes. "Hiccup-"

"Toothless, come!" Hiccup called, already taking Rapunzel by the shoulders, gathering her long hair into his arms and guiding her to the black dragon.

"Merida, go with North to Burgess to find Jack! We'll see you there after!" Hiccup calmly but swiftly instructed, taking control.

Merida nodded in understanding and raced down the hall, pulling her cloak tighter around her body.

"Where?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel once they both were securely strapped into Toothless's saddle.

This sort of thing happened all the time. Rapunzel could sense people in danger and felt their pain. She could tell where they were, and also what was wrong with them. Sometimes the pain was so great that Rapunzel couldn't even focus on her own surroundings. Hiccup helped her whenever he was near, dropping whatever he was doing immediately to get her to wherever she needed to be so that she could use her power to help the person in danger.

"Burgess," Rapunzel told him, holding him tightly around his waist and leaning her forehead between his shoulder blades. "Main city... by the river... no... the lake," she muttered, eyes shut from the pain.

"Got it," Hiccup said and Toothless roared, taking off into the sky.

...

Burgess was the Northern Kingdom of Warren, and most of it consisted of a large and snowy mountain range, the Pole Mountains, from which poured the Corona River, a river that twisted though Warren from Burgess down around Council, through Corinthia (the city that was home to the Guardians), and down to form the eastern border of the Corona Kingdom. Down below the mountains however, lay the major settlements of Burgess- one major city with a few small out-skirting towns. Just outside the main city was a large lake, perhaps once part of the river long ago, that was frozen most of the year (all but during the Summer), where the children of Burgess ice skated and played their wintery games. Burgess, because it was so far North and home to such a huge mountain range, was almost always winter, despite the time of year.

But something terrible had just occurred. While playing on the river with his younger sister and friends, a boy had unluckily fallen through the ice where it was thinnest. The other children had sent for help, and Rapunzel had felt their despairing pain and panic.

By the time Toothless landed at the lake, the boy had been pulled from the water and lay unmoving on the shore. A crowd had gathered around him and the other children, but upon the arrival of two Guardians they quickly silenced themselves and parted to let them through. Rapunzel broke away from Hiccup, worry sketched into her face, and raced to where the boy lay, stumbling over her hair as she went. She fell by the boy's side, first feeling for a pulse and examining his body for immediate injuries.

"What happened?" Rapunzel asked no one in particular as she examined the boy.

He was young, about her age, with messy wet brown hair that was plastered to his forehead. His eyes were shut, and his body and clothing soaked, but otherwise appeared perfectly fine.

Except he wasn't breathing.

"We were ju-just playing!" a younger girl that greatly resembled the boy answered her in the silence. "The ice started to cr-crack and he-he said we were g-going to p-play hopscotch- he f-fell through and-and-"

"Shh, it's alright," Rapunzel said, turning to the younger girl and put her hand on her tear-streaked cheek. One of the older women gathered came closer- probably the girl's mother- and wrapped her arms around the girl comfortingly. "Oh Emma..."

But Rapunzel wasn't listening. Her focus had returned to the boy.

"His lungs are full of water..." she muttered. "Hiccup," she called without looking up, "Help me!"

The brunette boy once more gathered up Rapunzel's train of hair and approached the two.

Rapunzel carefully untied the unconscious boy's brown cloak from around his neck and wrapped her locks around his body with calm precision. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to sing.

"Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine..."

As she sang, the roots of her hair began to glow with a golden light that grew and spread throughout her long locks. Soon the boy was encased in golden light- healing light that swirled and danced around him.

"Heal what has been hurt,

Change the fate's design.

Save what has been lost,

Bring back what once was mine..."

When her song ended, Hiccup closed his eyes and placed his hand on the boy's forehead while Rapunzel again felt for a pulse. She sighed in relief.

"He's going to be ok," she announced to the silent bystanders, who promptly all sighed in relief and clapped for the two Guardians. Hiccup rose and went to the woman who held the young girl in her arms. Both had tear-streaked faces, but both smiled happily.

"You're his mother, I presume?" Hiccup asked her, and the woman nodded. "He'll be asleep for a couple hours and will probably be somewhat confused when he wakes up, but his head didn't suffer any damage from the short time he was without oxygen. He should be fine."

The boy's mother started to respond, but the little girl, Emma, had wrestled herself away from he mother's arms and ran towards her older brother.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her brother's neck.

Rapunzel and Hiccup's heads whipped around to face each other.

What? Rapunzel's expression seemed to say.

Hiccup shrugged nervously. "Coincidence?" he spoke into her head.

Rapunzel shook her head no, returning her gaze to the brown-haired boy lying in front of her with a newfound interest.

"Jack? Jack! What happened!" came North's booming voice as the big man pushed his way through the crowd, Merida close behind him, looking very confused.

"Hiccup, Rapunzel?" North said, surprised to see them already there. "Merida told me-"

"Wait, this was her case?" Merida said in shock. "Is that... him?"

Rapunzel stood, brushing off her soaking wet purple dress, shivering slightly from the cold. "He's ok now, North... he... he almost drowned," she added, looking at Hiccup.

"He almost died?" Merida exclaimed. "But he was just chos-" she cut herself short at Hiccup's warning look and shaking head.

"Thank the Man in the Moon," North muttered before pushing past them all and exchanged a quick and quiet conversation with Jack's mother.

Then North turned to Hiccup. "How many people can Toothless carry?"

Hiccup sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He really shouldn't carry more than two."

North nodded. "Take Merida and head to Corinthia. Rapunzel and I will take Jack with us and meet you there."

At his words, the gathered people of Burgess began to talk quietly and excitedly amongst themselves. Very few people were allowed behind Corinthia's gates. The people of the four kingdoms weren't surprised by the many Council Meetings that had occurred the past few days, not with all the terrible things that were happening. Taking Jack to Corinthia could surely mean only one thing...

"Will do- Merida, ready?" Hiccup said.

The redheaded girl nodded and followed Hiccup to Toothless. Unlike earlier, she allowed Hiccup to help her up on his back, and soon the two were high in the air flying south to the Guardian city.

Both Guardians were silent as they flew. Finally, Hiccup spoke up.

"So is Jack the one from your vision, then?" He could feel Merida shrug against him.

"Ah dunno... couldn't see his eyes."

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough."