Assorted Mericcup/Jackunzel

The Princesses' Choice- Part 1

Setting: Corona Castle, Jack, Hic, Mer, and Punz are fifteen. Gothel never kidnapped Rapunzel.

Jack's Pov

"You two! Stop fooling around and deliver these platters to the princesses in the banquet hall. Hop to it!" Cook yelled at us. Hiccup and I were messing around with each other in the kitchen, which was buzzing with excitement.

Dunbroch had just made a powerful alliance with Corona and there was a feast  being held in the banquet hall in honor of the princesses, who were best friends and had inspired the treaty between the islands.

Hiccup and I were best friends as well, but we were foundlings without a penny to our names. Hiccup was the apprentice to the castle blacksmith, Gobber. I worked wherever I could, but I looked after the children of the court sometimes, which was my favorite job. We rolled our eyes at each other and grabbed the platters, walking, no, running out of kitchens.

"So, Jack, have you ever seen the princesses?" Hiccup asked me, having slowed down considerably. "You have been around here more than I have." "Never seen them, but I've heard stories about them. They're supposed to be kind, gentle and nothing like princesses.  Rapunzel prefers to mingle with the people of the town and Merida just likes to left alone at the archery range. The princess of Dunbroch is supposed to be immensely fierce and cunning, while our princess is a bit naive about the world, very sweet and a painter. They're also very independent." I told him, barely taking a breath in between. "But you've never seen them." Hiccup pressed.

I would've thrown my hands in the air if not for the platter of cakes that I was holding. "No, Peg Leg. I have never, ever seen them. Serving boys don't see princesses and neither do blacksmith's apprentices. We both know this by now. But, I bet that they're very beautiful." We were just about to enter when I remembered a bit of information. "Our princess has amazingly long blond hair and the Dunbroch princess has wild red curls that reach her waist. I heard two servant girls griping about how hard their hair is to brush. That's it." "Since when did you hang around servant girls?" "I'm not the one hanging around." He made a face at me then opened the door to the banquet hall.

The royals were sitting at the enormous table that was up against the back wall. It was laden with food that Hiccup and I only dreamed about. I bumped Hiccup forward and we both walked up to the table, setting the trays in front of the king and queen.  But when I looked up, my eyes met with a pair of pure, beautiful green ones. They belonged to the princess of Corona, Rapunzel.

She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in all of my life. Her hair wasn't just blond, it was melted gold streaming around her lovely heart shaped face. There were a few freckles that were barely scattered over her rosy cheeks and her eyes were the most beautiful part of her face. I just couldn't stop staring at her.

As I stepped away from the table, a guard came up to me. "Bow your head in front of the royal family." He ordered, but I didn't listen him. I couldn't bear looking away from those amazing eyes. "I said BOW!" He slammed the pummel of his sword into my head and a roaring pain split through my skull. I crumpled onto the floor and held my head. "Jack!" Hiccup yelled. "No!" I heard a voice scream. But before I could see who had screamed, the world went completely black.

Rapunzel's Pov

"No!" I screamed. The boy lay motionless on the floor. I jumped out of my seat and ran to him. He was unconscious, I knew it. I stood up and strode over to the guard who had hit him and slapped him. Hard. "Punz!" Merida came up behind me and laid her hand on my shoulder.

I started to calm down, but I was still angry at the guard. I stared at him defiantly. "I don't ever want to see you strike another person in front of me again." "But he refused to-" "I wouldn't care if he spat at me. He broke no laws, and you had no right to hurt him. If you ever, ever, hurt someone in front of me again, I will make sure that you will be severely punished." I said in a dangerously soft voice.

I had never lost my temper at anyone before. But when I saw the boy get hurt, something just cracked inside of me. I turned back to the boy. His friend was kneeling next to him and shaking his shoulders. I crouched down and picked up his head, Merida right behind me. When I touched the place that the sword had hit him, he gritted his teeth. He could still feel the pain, which wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't good either.

When I laid his head on my lap and took my hand away, there was blood on my fingers. It had stained a small part of his snow white hair a rusty red color and I probably had a matching stain on my dress. I brushed his hair out of his closed eyes. They were blue, electric blue. I knew them so well already. The boy's friend took him from me and carried him out of the banquet hall, staggering some of the way.

I looked down at my dress. Bloody. I curtsied. "Excuse me, please." I said to my parents and Merida's. I walked calmly out of the room, then bolted to the infirmary. He was just coming to when I burst through the door. I walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Princess Rapunzel!" He said, very shocked. "Please, it's just Rapunzel." I insisted lightly. He seemed to calm down a bit. I checked the bandage around his head.

"Do princesses usually double as nurses?" He said.

"Only when some guy gets knocked out because he was staring at her."

"You're more feisty than most girls."

"You're more flirtatious than a boy should be."

"I don't meet girls like you very often."

"You mean princesses that have medical training, sarcasm, and are single?! Gee, isn't that a surprise."

"I mean girls who aren't trying to kiss me. You aren't."

"Well, I usually don't go for guys like you."

"You mean poor foundlings that have to work for a living?" He murmured, looking away. "Gee, isn't that a surprise." I turned his head back towards me. "No, I mean guys who stare at me openly, are charming and sweet, and don't care that I'm a princess. Someone like you."

I had a feeling about this guy, a good feeling that started when he looked into my eyes for the first time. I knew that he was full of tricks and mischief, but he was also selfless and kind and smart, not to mention self conscious. I knew that all because of the way he talked. He was also quite handsome, which was a plus. I let my hand slip off his cheek and his lips brushed against it. My breath caught in my throat.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It was an impulse." He said, pushing my hand away. I should've said goodbye right then and there, that would've been the normal thing to do. But who ever said that I was normal? I brushed his hair out of his eyes and stared into them for a minute, then went in for a kiss on the cheek. He intercepted it midway and kissed me full on the lips.

That's when I knew it. He was the one for me. I just knew it. I broke the light kiss and asked him, "What's your name?"

"Jack."

"Well Jack, I think that we have a problem."

"And what would that be?"

"I think that we are in an impossible situation."

"How's that?"

"We're in love." He smirked, his eyes full of mischief.

"Oh darn. Now I'll have to tell my fangirls that I'm not available anymore."