Guardians Rising

17: Reunion

Jack struggled against the unrelenting bonds that held him. He had tried to pick up his staff, but he had dropped it a few moments ago, and it was now just out of reach. Suddenly, a huge nightmare stood before him, seeming to grin with wicked pleasure. Jack tried to see a way out, to get back to his friends, but it was too late now, and the next thing he knew was darkness.

———

Soft clouds were drifting over the sun as it reached it's zenith, high in the azure sky. Hiccup paced to and fro in the little glen, his face drawn and his eyes unfocused. "Okay," he said, and the others looked at him. "Now, we should go look for him." It had been nearly an hour since Jack had gone after the nightmare, and all three of them were starting to worry.

"Finally!" exclaimed Merida, jumping to her feet and chucking away the piece of wood she'd been whittling. Rapunzel got to her feet as well and brushed back her hair. Hiccup glanced at it with renewed respect for the young lady. It was pulled back in several intricate braids, which came together at the back and cascaded down the length of her hair.

"Let's go!" she said, smiling. Hiccup turned to Toothless, contemplating whether or not he should take him. Toothless yawned, and Hiccup shook his head. Then Toothless glared at him. Merida looked at them oddly; it seemed almost as if they were having a conversation.

"Alright," said Hiccup. The three of them secured their weapons and headed out.

——-

The villagers of Berk watched the scene before them with interest. "Your Majesty!" called Gobber loudly, and bowed as well as his wooden leg would allow. The king looked at him a second longer, then at Astrid, who was standing just behind Gobber.

"Well!" he bellowed, and laughed merrily. "If it isn't old Gobber, I'll be blown! What 're y'u doin' out there, lad?! Come on in!" Then, turning back to someone, he called, "Sim! Open the gates for our guests!" A few moments later, the huge wooden gates grated open, moaning on their great hinges. The vikings, without the least care for procedure or protocol, strode into the castle, where King Fergus stood to greet them, along with his wife and several others.

"Gobber!" said the king ecstatically, and the two men shook hands vigorously.

"How're you doing here, Fergus?" asked Gobber, then grinned and added, "Or is it 'Your Majesty' now?" Fergus laughed heartily at that. Astrid would have continued to watch the two men as they laughed and recalled old adventures, but she was tired, and she knew the other vikings probably were too. She would have interrupted, but the small lady in a forest green dress beat her to it.

"Fergus," she said, and looked at him pointedly. The king glanced up and saw the look on his wife's face.

"Oh, right dear." He raised his voice several notches. "Make yourselves at home! We'll get y' fed in a bit!" The exhausted vikings proceeded to follow his instructions at once. Astrid viewed them with satisfaction. At least they were all safe.

Her only qualm was that Hiccup was still missing.

——-

Merida growled in frustration. "Where could 'e have gone?" Hiccup shared her annoyance. They had followed Jack's trail (really the nightmare's trail) for a bit, and it led them to a collection of oak trees. There, it seemed as if there might have been a bit of a fight, but how it had ended was anyone's guess. Hiccup had decided Jack must have been attacked by nightmares.

"But," said Rapunzel, "would he be so careless?"

"From what I've seen," replied Hiccup, "yeah." They were all at a loss as to what they should do for a moment. Merida looked at her friends downcast faces and suddenly made up her mind.

"I think we all need some rest." The other two looked at her. "Real rest. We've been sleeping on the ground for the past few nights, and I for one would like a decent sleep and a meal. So, I say we head back t' m' castle." Hiccup and Rapunzel lit up at the prospect of a good bed and some real food. Then Rapunzel sighed.

"Well, let's start walking then." And they did.

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Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think! You guys are awesome!