Hey guys! And another chapter for this story. :D I am having fun with how Jack, Merida and Hiccup all play in all of this. I just can't wait to get to the parts of how they will play in How to train your Dragon, Brave and Rise of the Guardians. (: So anyway, I hope you guys will enjoy the conversation Jack, Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel will have at the campfire scene. Like I said, reviews would be great!

Enjoy!

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Later that evening, Gothel was hiding behind a few rocks and she watched the door entrance of a hollow tree that had a duckling symbol on it. She had her dagger ready and she waited patiently. Then she could grab Rapunzel and destroy the others. But waiting was not her strong suite. While waiting, Gothel checked her skin and hair.

She could feel the power of the flower fading away. Her skin is getting pale as more wrinkles show up. She quickly checked her hair to see more strains becoming grey.

Finally, she thought she heard the sound of someone grunting from behind the door. With her cloak hood above her head, she started to make her way toward the tree and she gripped her dagger. When the door flew open, she saw it wasn't the winter spirit and her daughter. It was the Stabbington Brothers and they were soaked; not to mention downright pissed.

"Whoever that boy was, I'm going to kill him." The oldest brother muttered to his twin while Gothel quickly hid behind the large boulder, "I have a feeling he is responsible for taking our crown, I'm sure those other brats are with him. We will cut them off at the kingdom and get it back. Come on."

The brothers started to march forward and as they passed by the boulder, a woman's voice cried out, "Or!" they paused and glanced up to see Gothel perched at the top of the large rock, "Perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment." On her last words, she held up the satchel.

The two thugs quickly drew their swords, "Oh-ho, please, there's no need for that." She threw the bag down to the brothers and they saw the crown was still in it, "Well, if that's all that you desire then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth one thousand crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief and that wasn't even the best part, hoho, oh well, c'est la vie. Enjoy your crown."

She began to walk away but her words had piqued the interest in the Stabbington Brothers. They glanced at each other before the oldest spoke, "What's the best part?"

Gothel turned back around to reply, "You know that strange white haired boy? His name is Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost? That's impossible. He's nothing but a myth." The elder brother growled while his brother nodded.

"If so, how do you explain the frost on that bag?" At her question, the thieves glanced down and finally took notice of the strange frost that didn't seem to melt in the warm atmosphere. Gothel decided to continue, "If you follow me, you can have anything you want and your revenge on Jack Frost."

The Stabbington Brothers smirked evilly at each other.

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Nearby, the group of four set up camp near an old tree. They've got a roaring fire started, and easily set places for them to sleep later. But that wasn't what they were doing. Hiccup was busy wrapping a piece of Rapunzel's hair around Merida's cut on her arm, while Rapunzel gently wraps her hair around Jack's cut on his hand.

"And the reason you're wrapping your hair around us is why?" Merida asked.

Rapunzel looked her in the eyes, with honesty in her face. "Just trust me," she said.

Pascal waited off to the side, with Baby tooth sitting on the grass, getting the last of the water off of her feathers and wings. Jack on the other hand, just sat there. He was waiting in anticipation to see where this is going. This girl wowed everyone with the glowing hair trick, what else can she do.

Once Hiccup was done wrapping the hair around Merida, he took a step back. Whatever was about to happen, he kinda doesn't want a part of.

"So you're being strangely cryptic about this," Jack joked and then winced when he felt pain shot through his arm from his injury, "Ow."

Rapunzel too flinched, "Sorry," She then sighed before giving Jack and the others a serious look, "Just promise me one thing: don't freak out."

She was about to reveal the biggest secret of her life. The one rule her mother kept telling her, and the promise she made to her mother, she's going to break. But she thought they should know the truth. She used her hair to save them in the cave, might as well share the whole story. After all, these are her friends, they can be trusted.

Jack quirked an eyebrow before replying, "Uh sure."

Rapunzel took a deep breath before she starts singing her song.

"Flower gleam and glow,

Let your power shine,"

Soon the top of her hair began to shine, strains of her hair bece a shiny gold. Even though everyone saw it in the cave, they were still shocked that her hair can do that.

Toothless had a sideways grin on his face, eyes big with wonder.

"Make the clock reverse,

Bring back what once was mine,"

The glow began to travel down her hair and towards Merida and Jack. Hiccup can only watch the glow, lighting the area brighter than the fire. Jack then caught sight of Pascal. The chameleon had a knowing smile on his face and he held up his paws. One pointed to the other and he was telling the winter youth to look at his hand. Jack obeyed and gasped as the glow formed around his hand.

"Heal what has been hurt,

Change the fate's design,"

The glow made its way to the hair wrapped around Merida's arm, and Jack's hand. Merida anticipated the pain she would feel, but none came. The hair felt warm and calm.

"Save what has been lost,

Bring back what once was mine,"

Something was happening to their injuries, they could feel it. But it wasn't just their injuries, the magic in the hair felt rejuvenating. It was like they've dipped in water, and came out feeling wonderful and new.

Pascal nodded his head in satisfaction when he saw the awe-struck looks on the trio's face.

"What once was mine."

As Rapunzel stopped singing, the glow in her hair died. It changed back to its natural blonde. She slowly opened her eyes. She was waiting to see how the others would react.

Merida immediately loosens the hair around her arm, to see bare skin. She was amazed, and so was Toothless. A moment ago, there was a big scar, now it's gone.

Continuing to look at it, Hiccup's eyes continued to widen as he looked like he was on the verge of panic. Just as he looked like he was about to panic, Merida reached out and clapped her hand on his mouth, stopping him from screaming.

"We're not going to panic, remember?" she said to him as she removed her hand.

"Right, no panicking," he said, Hiccup swallowed down a scream. "I'm not panicking. Who's panicking? I'm not panicking. Are you panicking?"

Turning from the two of them, Rapunzel looked at Jack who was still examining his hand.

"What do you think, Jack?" Rapunzel asked, clearly worried what he thought.

Jack was downright amazed that he could not speak. His mouth hung in the wind as his eyes shifted to Rapunzel.

"Please don't freak out!" She immediately said while holding out her hands.

After a pause, Jack began to laugh that caused Rapunzel to look at him funny and she lowered her hands, "I'm not freaking out, Punz! I'm amazed! When I first saw your hair glow, I was wondering if maybe you were some kind of a spirit!" he admitted with a warm chuckle that Rapunzel even joined in.

"No. I just have magic hair that's all." She said while tugging at a strand of her hair. "It heals old age.... And sickness... and injuries."

"Really? Then how long has it been doing that?" Jack asked as he was now really interested in learning more about the girl that was beside him. He took his staff and leaned against it.

Rapunzel laughed nervously and shrugged, "Forever, I guess?"

"That's so..." Hiccup started.

"Amazing! Rapunzel, this amazing! You've... you've gotta tell people about this!" Merida exclaimed.

"No! It has to be kept secret." Rapunzel spoke worriedly.

"Why? You could make the old young again... treat people's wounds... cure cancer, even!" Merida cried.

"Well, think about what would happen if everyone found out there was a way to stay young and healthy forever. Imagine what would happen to Rapunzel." Jack spoke up.

Merida calmed down, letting his words sink in. "Oh..."

"Is that why your hair is so long?" Hiccup spoke up. Rapunzel nodded.

"Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But," she paused while she placed her hand behind her head and pulled back her long hair to show them a small strand of short brown hair, "Once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power," Jack frowned as well as he watched Rapunzel remove her hand and she stared at the fire in front of her, "A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why mother never let me..." she trailed off while looking at Jack. She then sighed and turned away from him again, "That's why I never left the..."

"...You never left that tower," Jack finished while Rapunzel finally glanced over at him. She slowly nodded and the winter youth now understood why the girl never went to see the lanterns, "But...seeing how you don't like being stuck there, and believe me, I wouldn't sit still if I was stuck in there myself, but you're still going to go back?"

He was rather serious. He had only known Rapunzel for a short time but after getting to know her a bit more, he could see he had some relative things in common with her. He had been alone for about thirty years with no one being able to see him. And here was a girl who had been away from people for all her life. Rapunzel frowned at his question,

"No!" she answered but added quietly, "Yes," At this point she was really unsure. A part of her didn't want to go back to that stuffy tower and another part of her was telling her she had to for the sake of her mother, "Ugh! It's complicated." She moaned and put her face into her hands.

"Wait, you've been living inside a tower for your whole life?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

Rapunzel nodded. "She raised me in a tower where no one could easily find me." She explained.

Hiccup found something iffy about Rapunzel's mother, but said nothing more on that matter.

Rapunzel then felt a cold hand go on her shoulder and she peeked through her fingers to see Jack giving her a comforting smile, "Hey, it's fine. I'm sure you will figure something out." He tried to be encouraging because he hated seeing her so down. Not to mention he liked it better when she smiled.

Merida however refuses to let that slide. Her mother has locked her away all her life, she still needs to know what living a life really means. "Still," she said, "your mother should've let you go outside more often. She can't keep you inside like you're her prized possession. What kind of mother does that anyway?"

Rapunzel turned to Merida at the mention of her mother. Sure she was overprotected, but she does it to keep Rapunzel safe.

"My mom does everything to keep me safe!" Rapunzel replied.

"Safe from what?" Merida argued. She stood up and came closer to Rapunzel. "You've met some ruffians and thugs, and they turned out to be nice guys. Sure, there are some unlikable people in the world, but how do you know how to deal with them if you don't face them first?"

The boys looked at each other, hoping a cat fight wouldn't break out

Merida continued. "If she's never let you are never leave, then she's keeping you a prisoner, making you to whatever she wants."

"That's not true!" Rapunzel said. "She's just like every mother; she loves and cares about me!"

"She doesn't really care," Merida said. "All she wants is for you to be this obedient, docile, precious, little-"

Hiccup couldn't take it anymore. Since he met hear, Merida has always avoided any conversation about her mom. It's time to find out why. "Merida!" He called, breaking the focus of the two girls. "Do you have a falling out with your mom?"

"What makes you say that?" She said a little angry.

"Because every time we mention the word mom, you get tensed, and a bit aggressive," He said in a calm tone. "So what's going on?"

"Yeah, what?" Rapunzel said with the same curiosity.

Merida huffed, not really wanted to talk about this.

"Does it have to do with the whole, 'marriage' thing back in the cave?" Jack asked.

She looked around the campfire, seeing everyone looking at her, wanting to hear her story. She really didn't want to tell, but since Rapunzel shared her secret, it might be ok with these people. They might even understand, and empathize with her.

"Ok," she said as she takes her seat near the fire. "As you lot already know, I'm a princess of a Scottish country called DunBroch."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "Still trying to process that. Though, you've never seemed like the average princess type."

"I know." Merida said still focusing on them. "Being a princess restricts you to all the rules, responsibilities, and acceptations. All preparing me for the day I'll become queen. But that also puts my mother in charge of every aspect of my life. She always tells me how sit, how to eat, when's it appropriate to speak. She nip-picks at everything."

"Palace life sounds hard," Rapunzel said.

"That's not even the worse of it." Merida continued. "Just recently, my mum decreed that the lords from the neighbouring lands will compete for my hand."

"What?" Hiccup said shocked. "Did that happen on the day we met?"

"Aye."

Rapunzel just looked confused. "Why would they compete for your hand? Was your mom going to chop it off?"

Jack could understand why she's so confused. "No, Punz." he said. "What she means is that these guys are competing to be Merida's husband."

"Husband?" Rapunzel said surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," Merida said, adding dread and anger to her voice. "But my mom didn't ask me if that's what I wanted before she sent out the invites. She didn't even ask me my opinion."

"So, she didn't just lead you into it," Hiccup said, trying to understand. "She just sprang it on you."

"Yes," Merida said even angrier. "But I didn't want my life to be over, I wanted my freedom. I wanted to have my own say in my life, but she didn't listen, didn't even care."

Rapunzel took every word Merida said in. it does sound like Merida's mom and her mom are similar in a way. But it couldn't be that bad?

"When the lords came with their sons," Merida continued. "I managed to find a way to change my fate, and still stay within my mother's rules."

"How?" Jack asked.

"Tradition states that only the first born of each clan can compete for my hand," Merida said. "And I'm the first born of my family, so I was allegeable to compete."

"Did you?" Rapunzel asked.

"Aye," she answered, "and won. However, mum was in a rage, and threw my bow into the fire. That's when I ran away, met Hiccup and Toothless and...well, you know the rest."

Everyone around the fire fell silent. They had to admit that Merida had it rough with an unwilling marriage. And it seems like she and her mother had a huge feud that hasn't been resolved yet.

Rapunzel was the first to through a sympathy branch to Merida. She walks over to her log, and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry to hear about the marriage," she said. "It must've been hard for you to leave your whole family like that."

"Yeah," Merida said looking down. "I do miss my father and me wee brothers. But not my mum. I'm glad to be away from her."

"But I bet she misses you deeply," Rapunzel said to insure her belief. "I bet, that deep down, you miss her too."

"I don't!" Merida said, breaking away from Rapunzel. "I don't miss her at all! If I go back, she'll just want to force me to follow that ridiculous tradition and marry someone I don't want. She never listens or cares about me."

"Don't say that," Rapunzel said with force. "Every mother cares about their children." She knows she's right, but she just can't keep using her mother as example. So she looked for support, but she doesn't know if spirits like Jack had parents. Maybe Hiccup could help her out with this. "Hiccup knows what I'm talking about," she said turning her head to him. "I bet your mom loves you to bits, right?"

Hiccup sighed away from Rapunzel. It has been the first time anyone has mentioned his mom without a cruel or sad remark at the end. "I wouldn't know," he said, "I lost my mother when I was a baby."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Rapunzel said, feeling ashamed for bring it up. Even Merida felt bad that Hiccup's mother wasn't in his life. They totally forgotten that he said he lost his mom.

But Hiccup was still on the subject of bad parenting. Sure it sounds like the girls mothers get on their nerves, but they dot sound as bad as his dad. "Now fathers," he said, "fathers are another thing."

"What are you talking about?" Merida asked.

"Well, let's put it this way," Hiccup said standing up. "Rapunzel, does your mom tells you that she loves you?"

"All the time," she answered.

He then turns to Merida. "And does your mom say that she is proud of your accomplishments?"

Merida searched her thoughts for the few times her mom was proud of her. "Yes," she answered in a grumble. "sometimes."

"Well, my dad never does any of that," Hiccup said. "He only sees me as nothing but a disappointment. He wishes for me to be big and tough like him. For me to be...normal. No more of...this." He waves his arms to show off his body.

"Did you just gesture to all of you?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Hiccup said a little sarcastic. "He never listens to me, and we barely make eye contact. And when we do, he always has this...disappointed scowl like some skimmed off the meat if his sandwich." Hiccup then changed his voice to make it lower and have a Scottish burr. "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring." He then gestures t around, to get the point across. "I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is talking fish bone!"

Jack couldn't help but snicker at Hiccup's impression, but the point was clear. Hiccup was an unwanted child, and everyone felt bad.

"I can't believe a father can treat someone like that," Merida said with disbelief. She can't imagine if her father talked to her like that.

"That's basically how the whole tribe treats me," he said folding his arms across his chest.

"Your whole tribe?" Rapunzel repeated.

"Yeah," he answered. "I'm the village screw up, the one everyone blames for setting the place on fire. They treat me with distain and ridicule-"

"Except Toothless," Rapunzel said out loud.

"Yeah," Hiccup said as he rubbed the dragon's head. "Execept Toothless."

""In my village, we get dragon attacks daily. It's a 300 year old war between us."

"300 years?" Rapunzel said in surprise.

Yep," he nods. "It was us vs dragons. At the time, I wanted to prove to my tribe, especially my dad, that I can be like them, be a Viking.

Merida looked at him. "How did ye manage to befriend Toothlees!? If vikings kill dragons..?" her face became more serious at this point, and Hiccup was surprised by it. "Why didn't you?"

Everyone stood in silence for a moment as they awaited Hiccup's answer. Rapunzel and Jack hadn't noticed how much of an internal struggle it must've been for a Viking to spare and even befriend a dragon, when all of his people had always killed and hated them.

"Well, I... I just couldn't do it. When I saw him, tied to the ground and defenseless, I... I looked into his eyes. I wouldn't kill him, because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him... and I saw myself." Hiccup sighed deeply, as if he had lifted a weight from his heart when saying that. Merida smiled and put her hand over his shoulder.

"You did the right thing." she said, and Hiccup shyly smiled back at her. Rapunzel smiled widely.

"Of course you did! Toothless is amazing!"

"You're a smart fella" Jack nodded, patting Hiccup's back.

Rapunzel then looked at Jack. "What about you?" She asked coyly as she gave him a playful smirk. "What's story your Jack Frost, or should I say Jackson Overland Frost?"

Jack chuckled at this before replying, "Yeah, it's the only thing I have really," he then frowned before glancing at the others, "I think my story isn't going to be at all that interesting,"

However, everyone leaned in closer, wanting to hear more. They were indicating for him to tell her.

This brought a smile to the young spirit's face and he gave in, "All right, the first thing I remember is..." he trailed off and recalled waking up in the cold lake, "Is that it was cold and dark. And I remember being really scared. That is till the Moon shined brightly down on me and pulled me from the frozen lake."

Rapunzel's green eyes widen at this, "You came from a lake?"

"Yeah. Not sure why though."

"And you said the Moon pulled you from the lake?" Merida asked.

"More like he called to me," Jack glanced up at the bright moon shining down on the four and the others followed his gaze, "I just remember hearing his voice and he seemed to chase the darkness away. When it did, I wasn't scared anymore. This was thirty years ago."

"Thirty years ago? You don't look much older than us." Hiccup pointed out as he was in awe from Jack's words.

"That's the thing. I'm not a mortal. Remember? I'm Jack Frost, the winter spirit," Jack answered patiently and continued to stare up at the Moon, "The problem is, no one has been able to see me during those thirty years..." he then glanced down while trailing off and whispered, "Well except one and she was just a baby."

"You said the Moon called you. Didn't he ever tell you why no one could see you?" Rapunzel's voice brought him back to glance over at her.

"No. That's the thing. He only ever told me my name and that was it. He hasn't spoken to me since." Jack shifted his attention to his staff that right now didn't have the frost on it. He began to pick at the grooves as he recalled the memories of how he tried to get noticed by anyone. He always came up disappointed and a few times, he would lash out.

He had recalled painful memories of how some of his blizzards would get out of control. The village that was near the lake he submerged from once said that during his tearful blizzard it was the wrath of Jackson Overland. Thinking it was probably about him, he took the full name Jackson Overland Frost. However, even people thinking about the name Jack Frost did not help his case. No one ever gave him a second thought. He had moments where he thought someone would see him and his hopes would raise; only for that hope to come crashing down when someone would go through him like he wasn't even there. Despite his fun times and all his attempts to smile and have a great time, in the back of his mind, no one would still see him.

Jack had tried to talking to the Moon over and over on why no one would ever see him. Silence would always be the answer he would get and it frustrated the boy more. This was why that nearly eighteen years ago, he was overjoyed that the baby princess could see him and he could hold her. When she was taken, he felt the deep depression return to him and he went on his way to his lonely life. Now here he was sitting next to a girl that can see him and interact with him. He never felt better in all his immortal life.

Everyone looked at him, with sadness and compaction. He's been through life alone. Now that he has friends, he couldn't bear to lose them.

"I guess you and I have something in common, Jack." Rapunzel finally spoke after a long silence.

"Huh?" Jack glanced over while the golden-haired girl tugged at her long hair,

"I have been alone most of the time in the tower. Sure I have my mother and Pascal, but mother is usually away and Pascal, well, he can't talk. But he's great company." Rapunzel replied and glanced down to see the chameleon in questioned had crawled over and was sitting at Jack's feet.

It was clear that in the reptile's brown eyes that he had grown to like Jack. After seeing how deeply depressed the boy was from both his words and outlook, Pascal had come over to see if he can provide some comfort to him. Sure he was skeptical of the winter youth at first, but now he saw that the boy had a lot of things in common with Rapunzel. And the fact Jack wasn't just some winter imp who liked to spread mischief. Jack was much more than that, and Pascal can see now that he was just a lonely boy who only wanted to get noticed.

Jack glanced down at Pascal and gave him a grateful smile before he leaned down and picked him up. Pascal crawled onto Jack's shoulder and gave him a comforting pat. Rapunzel watched and smiled at this. She too can see that Jack was just a boy who knew as much as her on how depressing being lonely can be.

"I saw those paintings in your tower. I'm guessing that's what you usually did in your spare time?" Jack questioned as he glanced back at Rapunzel.

"You can paint?" Hiccup asked in interest.

"Yeah. It did keep me busy and sometimes it helped me forget just how lonely the tower is." Rapunzel replied.

Merida looked at Jack. "Just, what do you do even though you can't be seen?"

"I spread my winter around the world. I liked to see the kids' faces light up whenever I bring them snow. Plus it's not all so bad being a spirit. I have no rules or responsibilities. It's as good as it sounds." Jack had his usual playful smirk on his face that Rapunzel laughed upon,

"It sounds great. I wish I can go with you." She felt a yearning on wanting to live outside just like Jack. She remembered when Jack offered to take her out sometimes and she was starting to think about it.

"That offer of taking you around the world is still open, Punz," Jack's deep voice brought her back to look at him, "I have no problem in taking you outside. It's the least I can do for the first person to ever see me."

Rapunzel smiled, "I will have to think about it, Jack. Just to let you know...no matter what happens, I will still continue to believe in you." She added while clasping her hands on her lap.

"Really?" Jack said touched.

"Yeah," she nodded. "And you know how I am with promises."

Jack then felt the hands of Hiccup and Merida grabbing his arms.

"Same with me," Hiccup said. "I believe in you."

Merida smiles as she nods.

Toothless gave him a huge 'toothless' smile.

Jack took the moment and looked at these people. They looked like they were being sincere and caring. Despite just meeting them, he could officially call them his friends.

"Thanks, you guys," he said with gratitude. "That means a lot."

"Ooh, group hug!" Rapunzel said quickly wrapping her arms around everyone. Though it was a little uncomfortable for some, everyone eventually embraced the group hug. At that moment, everything seemed right and calm. Even the cold wind and snow disappeared, to make the scene even more perfect.

When everyone broke apart, Merida grabbed Hiccup's hand. "Come on," she said as she lead him to her bow.

"Where are we going?" He asked her in confusion.

"You did well against those guys, but you really need to improve," she said as she handed him her bow. "I'm going to teach you how to fight."

Hiccup gulped a big nervous one, as she takes him away from the campsite, and into the forest with Toothless following behind.

Seeing this, Jack chuckled and Rapunzel joined in. The two then smiled at each other while getting lost in each other's eyes. Jack suddenly snapped out of the trance first and he coughed awkwardly into his hand. He shifted his eyes to the fire and saw it was a little low. Realizing this, he stood up as Rapunzel watched him,

"Well, I'm going to go get some firewood. I'll be right back." He said as he placed Pascal down on the root. With his staff in his right hand, he began to move off.

"Okay." Rapunzel smiled as she watched him go. She meant it. She had to admit that during the short time she had been with him, she was really starting to like him. He was after all the first person she talked to and he also understood what it was like to be lonely. She wondered on wanting to travel with him. That is if her mother would let her.

"Well! I thought they'd never leave!" As if on cue...

Rapunzel gasped as she turned to the sound of her mother's voice. Sure enough, there was Gothel, "Mother?" Pascal quickly turned the same color as the root while Rapunzel quickly stood up.

"Hello dear." Gothel replied as she walked over.

Rapunzel was rather nervous. Her mother didn't appear angry, but she could be keeping it bottled up rather well, "But I, I, I, I don't, uh... How did you find me?" she finally managed to question just as Gothel pulled her into a hug,

"Oh, it was easy really," Her mother chuckled while running her slim fingers through the golden locks of her daughter, "I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.

Now feeling even guiltier, Rapunzel sighed and tried to explain, "Mother..."

Gothel however backed up and said sternly, "We're going home, Rapunzel. Now."

Rapunzel however shook her head, "You, you don't understand. I've been on this incredible journey and I've seen and learned so much. I even met some people."

"Yes, the winter spirit, I'm so proud," Gothel waved her hand before grasping Rapunzel's wrist and started to tug her off, "Come on, Rapunzel."

"No, listen mother," Rapunzel said, finally yanking her hand away. "It's not just him; I've made so many friends."

"Yes, with his thugs and ruffians," Gothel said not pleased.

"They aren't anything like that," Rapunzel argued. "They had dreams like I do. And we've been through so much, and we've been learning so much about each other."

"Yes, I've heard," Gothel said not happy at all. "And I'm disappointed at you for listening to that red hair girl. She is saying a lot of bad things about me. Making me sound horrible-"

"I've challenged her on that," Rapunzel said with as much love as she can. "She's having a rough time with her mom, so there some anger there. But I told her that you're not like that. That you do what you do, to protect me-"

"I'm glad we agreed," Gothel said grabbing Rapunzel's hand again. "So let's go home."

But the golden haired girl stood firm and tried to explain, "Mother, wait," Gothel paused before Rapunzel went on while looking down, ""My friends are helping me," Rapunzel said with a determination tone. "Helping me grow and realizing my dream. And Jack-" she paused, before glancing over her shoulder at the location Jack had walked off in. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when she thought of the handsome winter youth. "I think...I think he likes me."

Gothel turned and scoffed, "Likes you? Please, Rapunzel, that's demented." She then try to unravel the trust she has towards her new friends, especially towards Jack.

"But mother, I..."

Gothel however won't hear any of it, "This is why you never should have left." She then began to sing while Rapunzel sighed.

Dear, this whole romance that you've invented

Just proves you're too naive to be here

Why would he like you? Come on now, really

Gothel then grasped strands of Rapunzel's long golden hair to prove her point.

Look at you! You think that he's impressed?

Rapunzel frowned at her mother's hurt words. She wondered if her mother was right that Jack might not like her for her looks. She never thought she was beautiful anyway. But that didn't mean she couldn't try. Gothel suddenly moved away toward the forest.

Don't be a dummy, come with mummy

Mother...

"No!" Rapunzel finally said strongly.

Gothel stared in surprise by this, "No?" then an evil smirk played across her beautiful face, "Oh. I see how it is." She said while Rapunzel stared at her.

Rapunzel knows best

Rapunzel's so mature now

Such a clever grown-up miss

Rapunzel knows best

Fine, if you're so sure now

Go ahead and give him this!

Suddenly, Gothel held up the satchel and Rapunzel gasped in surprise, "What? How did you...?" But Gothel ignored her while she held up the crown.

This is why he's here!

Don't let him deceive you!

She put the crown back in the satchel and gave it to Rapunzel.

Give it to him, watch, you'll see!

"I will!"

Trust me, my dear

That's how fast he'll leave you

I won't say I told you so!

She then circled her daughter while she continued to sing and Rapunzel held the bag to her chest.

No, Rapunzel knows best!

So if he's such a dreamboat

Go and put him to the test

As Gothel moved off, Rapunzel held out her hand to her, "Mother, wait-"

Gothel turns around, just to yell one last remark.

If he's lying, don't come crying

'Mother knows best'!

With that, Gothel turned with the flap of her black cloak and she was gone. Rapunzel stared after her and thought over her words. Was Jack really after the crown? He did mention to her that he was going to get this crown back to the royal family. And then what? Leave her? She couldn't be sure. Suddenly, she heard that familiar deep voice call out,

"Hey Punz!" she gasped as she glanced down at the satchel. She couldn't let him see this.

Jack soon emerged holding a stack of wood in one of his arms while still holding his staff. He had been thinking about Rapunzel's magic golden hair. He had wondered if maybe it had to do with why she was able to see him. After all, she didn't seem to know him at all that much till he pointed his name out. Once he was near the camp fire, he decided to ask,

"I wanted to ask you something about your hair, if you don't mind. It's just been bugging me and..." he stopped when he took notice that Rapunzel had her back turned to him and she was standing rather stiffly, "Uh hey, you okay?"

Rapunzel turned and laughed, "Oh! Sorry, yes. Just, em, lost in thought, I guess." She had hidden the satchel and she tried to play innocently. She didn't feel right lying to Jack but she figured she had no choice.

Jack frowned before he shrugged, "All right, if you say so. Anyway, about your hair..." He began and Rapunzel merely glanced back where she had hidden the bag.

Meanwhile, watching from afar and hidden was Gothel and the Stabbington Brothers. The thieves moved forward because they recognize that white haired boy. He was the one responsible for them not getting away and they wanted to get revenge on him. Before they could move any further, Gothel held out her arm to stop them.

"Patience, boys," she said firmly and they obeyed, "All good things come to those who wait." She smiled evilly while her silver eyes glittered.

----------------------------

Meanwhile, Hiccup's face was in the dirt again after Merida throws him down. Toothless sat near a tree while watching.

"Are you even trying?" Merida said, holding her hands on her hips.

Hiccup slowly got up and dusted the dirt off his tunic. "It's not like I'm losing on purpose," he said. "I'm just destined to loose against big, strong people."

"There's more to battle then strength," Merida said dusting the rest of the dirt off of him. "You need to think of your opponent. What are their weaknesses, and their strength? Then, expose them." As she says that, she flicked Hiccup in the arm.

"Ow!" He said rubbing his arm.

"That's your first lesson." Merida smileed, as he held her hands for practice. "Try throwing a punch at my hands."

"Are you serious?" He said in a dreaded tone. "I'm just going to mess it up again."

"You won't know if you don't try," Merida said. In truth, her brothers can fight better than Hiccup. But they're not here, and Hiccup is one of her companions. So one way or another, she was going to teach him how to fight.

"Come on! Again!" She said with force.

Hiccup groaned as he readied his fist in a fighting stance. But as he tried to throw a punch, Merida grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Ow!" He screamed in pain.

Merida leaned in, and gently whispers in his ear. "Here's one more lesson, expect the unexpected."

Hiccup fought the urge to shudder, as the earthy smell of Merida's hair was wafting beneath his nose upon the nightly breeze.

She then pushed him away, as he rubbed his arm in pain.

"Why does every lesson have to include violence?" He said while rotating his shoulder.

Merida seen that she has to change tactics to get through to him. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'I can help him get used to weapons.'

She went over to a nearby tree and got her bow and arrows. "Come on," she said with a half-smile. "Let's try something else."

She led him to a tree, and handed him the bow. "Ok," she said while pointed to different parts of the bow. "you put your hand on the grip here," she placed his right hand on the grip. "The two long pieces are called the limbs. Around the grip is the..."

"Slight window," Hiccup said looking at her. "It's where the arrow goes, As well as the nocking point on the string."

Merida became amazed by how much Hiccup knew. "Wow."

"I've made bows before," he confessed. "I've worked on a lot of weapons. I work as an apprentice for the black smith in my village."

"Really?" She asked interested.

"Yeah," he answered.

That information raced through Merida's head. Being a blacksmith meant he wass good with tools, and clever with his hands.

"Good to know," she said with a smile as she positioned Hiccup to fire an arrow.

"I don't think I can do this," he said a little nervous. "Last time I shot an arrow, I broke an animal pen."

"Listen," she said assuring him. "It's easy. I'll teach you my mantra." She placed her hands to where his hands were, and genetically guide him to aim at a tree. "Draw all the way back to your cheek, keep both eyes open, relax, focus, and-"

He fired the arrow, but it missed the tree entirely.

"Knew it," Hiccup said in defeat.

"Believe me," Merida said pulling another arrow from her quiver. "You're handling it better than my so called suitors." As she helped him ready another arrow, she noticed his right hand shaking, while his left was still and sturdy.

A thoughtful look crossed her's face. "Hiccup, which hand do you use to blacksmith?" Merida questioned.

"Uh, this one, though Gobber says it's wrong. Why do you ask?" Hiccup asked, holding up his free left hand.

"And which hand do you write with?" Merida questioned again.

"This one," Hiccup replied, holding up his left hand again, "Though they told me I was wrong."

"Then why are you usin' the biw with your right hand?" Merida asked in confusion.

"Because my dad told me that was the right way," Hiccup stated with a shrug.

"It might be right for most people, but it ain't for you," Merida explained, "You're left handed, Hiccup."

"Really?" Hiccup questioned, seemingly having never considered that before.

"Aye, really," Merida stated with a chuckle. "It's nothing to be ashamed about," she said. "One of my brothers is left handed. But being royalty, it's not within the tradition."

"I hear you," Hiccup said. "My father is very strict with appearances."

"Well, appearances don't win battles," Merida saidm while handing him the arrow.

Hiccup sighed as he looked down at Merida's bow in his hand, running his thumb over the wood. Merida stood at his side, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"Come on, Hiccup," she encouraged, smiling at him, "You can do this."

"I really can't," Hiccup replied, shaking his head and laughing nervously.

"Well, let me be the judge of that," she stated as she took a step away from him, "Now, give it a shot."

"Alright," Hiccup sighed as he notched an arrow on the bowstring and pulled it back, looking down the shaft at the target. Almost immediately, his arm began to shake as he struggled to hold onto the bowstring as he tried to steady his aim. A second later, the string slipped and the arrow went flying through the air, soaring wide of the target and imbedding into a tree at the edge of the clearing. Hiccup swore to himself as his shoulders drooped and his face fell. Turning his head, he expected Merida to be looking at him in embarrassment, but instead she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, it's obvious you have trouble holding the bow straight and pulling the string back all the way," Merida mused, "But I wouldn't be surprised if you have very good aim."

"So, you think the problem is just I can't keep the bow steady?" Hiccup questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Aye," Merida replied before taking the bow in one hand and Hiccup's wrist in the other, "Here, let me show you."

Stepping next to Hiccup, Merida took the bow from him, before guiding him so he stood directly behind her.

"Take my hands," Merida instructed, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Um, excuse me?" Hiccup asked, blushing harder at how closely she stood to him.

"Take my hands," she repeated, grinning at him, "What? Too scared to hold a girl's hands?"

"Uhh, n-no! It's just..." Hiccup stammered, causing Merida's smile to grow as she giggled melodically. It was at that moment Hiccup noticed how close their faces were for the second time that day. If he just leaned forward he might be able to...but he couldn't do that.

Seeing how they close they were, Hiccup and Merida to jump apart with a start, their lips having only been inches away from each other, their faces flushed as they tried to recompose themselves. "Sorry about that." Hiccup said.

"I-It's fine." Merida said, playing with her hair before clearing her throat to regain Hiccup's attention.

"Anyway, as I was sayin'," she stated, turning her back to him once again, "Take my hands."

Hiccup did as he was asked, cupping Merida's hands in his as she held the bow, having notched an arrow in its string. It was then that Hiccup realized that this position left him with his front side pressed against her back. Specifically, because of their similar heights, it resulted in her rear pressing against...well a place he figured he probably shouldn't be thinking about at that moment.

"You okay?" Merida questioned, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Me? Yeah, oh yeah, totally fine," he blurted out quickly, happy to have his blood rushing to his face as it began to glow bright red.

"Right," she said with a chuckle, before turning her attention back to the target, "Now, you're goin' to guide my hands."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup questioned.

"I'm goin' to be the one to pull the string," Merida explained, "But I'm going to close my eyes while I do it, which means that you're going to have to guide the shot."

"You sure about this?" Hiccup asked, giving her an unsure look.

"I hae the upmost faith in you," Merida replied, smiling at him before turning her head back around and shutting her eyes, "Ready whenever you are."

Taking a calming breath, Hiccup looked down at the bow in Merida's hands. Gently, he pulled on her hands, causing her to lift the bow and pull the bowstring back, the wood creaking as the string became taut. Leaning his head over her shoulder, he looked down the shaft of the arrow at the target sitting across the clearing from them.

"You can do this," Merida whispered to him, "Remember, just breathe."

Following her advice, Hiccup took a deep calming breath, catching the earthy scent of her hair again as he did so as the sound of her echoing him reached his ears. As he finished breathing in, he felt a great calmness come over him and everything seemed to become instantly clear. Adjusting her aim slightly, Hiccup reached out and cupped the fingers Merida was using to hold the arrow, causing her to let go of it as they both breathed out at the same time. The arrow went whistling through the air, before hitting the target dead center.

Hiccup's eyes went wide as his jaw went slack, while Merida opened her eyes and let out an astonished gasp before spinning around and smiled at Hiccup.

"You did it!" she exclaimed with a laugh, "I knew you could!"

"Well, that makes one of us," Hiccup replied, before he went and got the arrow out of the tree, and hands it back to Merida. "Thank you," he said. "You helped me a lot more than anyone in my tribe."

"You're welcome," she said with pride. "Teaching someone to shoot an arrow is easy."

"Not that," he said. Merida's curiosity got her to listen to Hiccup more. "You are teaching me to believe in myself, when everyone pretty much tells me to stop being myself. I've never had someone that can put so much faith into me. So, thank you Mer."

Merida was touched by his words. She was glad to help, but was a little surprise that a Viking could be so humble. She then realized something.

"Mer?" Merida asked, a small smile on her face.

"It's a nickname," Hiccup said, his blush growing brighter as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "You know, so we don't have to be so formal with each other all the time."

"I like 'at," Merida replied, giving Hiccup a genuine smile that caused his face to glow redder as Merida walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder,

"Your welcome, Hic" was all she could say.

Before then she pulled him in and twisted his arm again. "Lesson one," she reminded him with a smile.

------------------------

Finally done! I hope you guys enjoyed the moments the four had. Next chapter is the the arrival in Corona. PM me or leave review on what you thought of the chapter.

See ya!!!