Meeting at the Crossroads

Chapter 20

Jack listened closely as Rapunzel reread the prophecy. He suddenly flashed back to when they first met and sat in the pub with Tsar Lunar. How different things were between them now! Hiccup had seemed sort of helpless at the time, but now was powerful. His dragon and wit made up for his size. Merida had appeared tough, impenetrable, like a stone wall. But he had seen her caring nature when she nursed his leg. And Rapunzel. Where to begin with her! She had been so shy and meek when they first met. Like a little leaf that could blow away at any moment. After he heard her story, he saw how amazing she was. A miracle for the sick and injured. A quite beautiful miracle. He could still feel her soft hair as she sang her healing song.

He had a few friends in Burgess, but these three meant so much to him. He wondered what his new friends had thought of him when they first saw each other. Probably a trouble-maker with shabby clothes.

As it did before, Rapunzel's sweet voice washed over him like music.

"Four lone travelers on separate paths,

Shall collide at the starry crossroads.

The guiding moon,

The healing sun,

The dark lightning,

And the fiery arrow.

They shall form a bond

To chase away the shadows of fear.

After the cold chains are broken,

The dark will be replaced by the light.

And when the ice is broken, the victim shall fall,

And may rise again forever."

"Well the first lines are obvious," Jack said. "We are the four travelers and we went to the pub called-"

"The Twirling Star!" Rapunzel blurted excitedly. She blushed when she realized she had cut Jack off. He winked at her.

"I've got it!" Hiccup exclaimed. He turned to Jack. "You are the guiding moon!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. That made almost as much sense as magic hair. "What?"

Hiccup looked as if he may wet himself. "Look, the prophecy says that someone guides, leads. You led us to your village, to this forest. It fits!"

Jack shook his head. "But I'm not the moon. I-" He froze and slowly turned to look at everyone. "I've been dreaming about the moon. Three times now. It keeps trying to tell me something, but it doesn't seem like the moon is actually me."

"Ah, well, it's close. Move alang," Merida said impatiently.

" I guess I'm the healing sun, so the next lines talk about dark lightning and a fiery arrow," Rapunzel said, looking at the parchment.

"Th' arrow is me. We awreddy said 'at," Merida stated. "But how could it be-? Oooh, Ah get it noo!" She clapped her hands. "Hiccup, ye told me 'at Toothless shoots plama blasts. Nae fire. Plasma is like lightnin'. He is a black dragon-"

"A Night Fury!" Hiccup cheered. "Merida, you're a genius!"

Was it Jack's imagination or did Merida actually blush? "Next," he called.

"It says, They shall form a bond to chase away the shadows of fear," Rapunzel read. "We formed a bond. We're friends. That fits. Those shadow things are pretty scary. Is our mission to get rid of them?"

Jack nodded solemnly. "It must be. Or they wouldn't keep following us."

They all stopped talking and looked around nervously. He realized that none of them had seen a shadow creature since early yesterday, when he fell off Toothless. Jack looked at the dragon, which was peacefully digging in the snow. He didn't look concerned.

"Maybe," Jack whispered. "We're so close to their home that they're all just waiting for us to walk right in to their trap!"

"Stop it!" Merida hissed. She and Rapunzel glared at him.

He put up his hands defensively. "I'm just tossing ideas around."

"Next?" Hiccup repeated, almost desperately.

"The next lines mention cold chains being broken and light replacing dark," Rapunzel paraphrased. "Is that symbolic or-?"

"Or are there actual chains?" Hiccup finished. "It's hard to say. Prophecies can be taken literally or represent something else."

Jack frowned. "So we don't know if there are chains waiting around to be broken somewhere. Great."

Merida sighed, bored, and threw a twig into the fire. "Is th' prophecy almost over yit? Whit ut th' last lines, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel reread the lines and frowned. "I don't get it."

"Read it anyway," Jack urged.

"And when the ice is broken, the victim shall fall, and may rise again forever."

"She's right. It's impossible."

"Jack!"

"Just joking."

"Well," Hiccup mused, " have you ever heard the term break the ice?"

The Jack and the others nodded.

"It means to become familiar with one another, to get things rolling. I think this line means that when we grow closer together, we win, or something."

Merida wasn't satisfied. "Whit abit th' rise forever bit? It soond like th' hin' we defeat returns."

With that cheerful thought, they lapsed into silence. Jack assumed Hiccup's brain was scrambling to find a good response. He, on the other hand, decided that it didn't matter. Jack was used to winging it. Why stop now?

After a few minutes, Jack spoke up. "You know what? It doesn't matter. We'll figure it out in the end. It's all going to work out. You'll see."