Fate (Merricup)

Twelve- found you

Jack slipped through the hallways, trying to remember what he could about the castle's layout. It was pure luck that he hadn't run into any of the guards yet- unless this was another part of Pitch's plan. He shook his head, banishing those thoughts. He didn't have time to think of that sort of thing. He needed to get the girls out of here.

The sound of footsteps made him stop. He looked around, searching for a place to hide. If he blasted them with magic that he couldn't control, there was no telling how much damage and attention that would cause. He leapt up, hiding in a hole in the ceiling. He wrinkled his nose at the smell. "How long has it been since this place has been cleaned...?" He muttered.

Two guards walked down the hallway. They weren't part of Pitch's personal guard, the ones with the raven cloaks.

And one of them was holding his staff.

Waiting until they were directly below him, he jumped down, knocking one out in the landing. "Thank you." He smirked, picking up his staff.

"Halt!" The other shouted, brandishing his rapier. Jack glanced at him. "Jack Frost!" He shouted, charging at him. Jack parried his blow, and knocked him back into the wall with a gust of wind.

"Now then." He shot out a jet of ice, freezing his feet. "I'll say after about five minutes, your feet will start feeling the effects of frostbite. So, tell me where the girl is, and I won't freeze the rest of you." He said.

"The girl? What girl are you talking about?" He asked.

"Wrong answer." Jack said, freezing him up to his knees. "The girl with the golden hair, Rapunzel. Where is she?" He asked.

"I don't-" he yelped as the ice grew past his waist.

"Two more minutes and your toes will start falling off. Last chance, mister." He said threateningly. "Where. Is. She?" He asked.

"The witch will kill me!"

"Don't worry, if you don't tell me, I'll kill you anyway, so unless you'd rather die now, you will tell me where she is!" The ice was up to his neck by now. "Thirty more seconds... Twenty... Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five-"

"Alright!" He yelled. "She's- she's in the- the tower, fourth floor, third door to the left."

Jack nodded, and the ice melted away instantly, leaving the man to slump down to the ground. "You probably won't be able to walk for a while." He said. "So, which direction to the tower?"

"South- Southeast." The man stammered.

"Good. One last thing." Jack said, squatting down. "If you tell anyone, anyone at all, that you saw me? I'll hunt you down, and your toes won't be the only things you lose. Understand?" He asked. The man nodded quickly. "Good." Jack continued down the hallway.

~~~

Meanwhile, Merida had snuck into the servant's quarters, where she nicked a bonnet and slipped on a servant's clothes. With her fiery curls hidden under the bonnet, she was practically unrecognisable in servant's clothes. She slipped into the kitchen unnoticed- until one of the chefs had called her out. "Hey, you!" He shouted. Merida froze, had she been caught? "Take this!" He plopped a tray of mugs into her hands. "The guards are in their usual spot." He said. "Well don't just stand there gawking at me, girl, get a move on!" He ordered, giving her a push towards the door.

She nodded, walking through the doors quickly. The other servants who saw her didn't ask any questions, or even look twice at her, with the tray of mugs in her hands. She walked quickly, turning into a quiet hallway. "Where could the dungeons be..." She murmured to herself.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" A voice shouted from the other end of the hallway. She gulped, turning around. "Ah, drinks!" The guard grinned. "About bloody time! Come on, girl, move it!" He said, gesturing for her to go over. Reluctantly, she walked over to him.

"Mm, nice." He said, drinking from the mug. "Eh?" He narrowed his eyes at her, scrutinising her face. "You don't look familiar. Who are you?"

"I- er, um... I'm Hanna, a new girl." Merida said quickly.

"New girl?" He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that there were any new girls..."

"I, um..." She racked her brains, trying to think up an excuse. "I just came this morning." She said, eyeing his sword.

"Hmm...." He didn't look convinced. "Take off the bonnet."

She bit her lip. "I'm having a really bad hair day today..."

"Take it off." He ordered.

She took a deep breath. "Alright." She said. "Hold this for me?" She held out the tray. He let his guard down, and she seized her chance. Holding the tray high, she swung it into his face, and pulled the sword out of its scabbard. He was about to shout when she pointed the sword at his face. "Be quiet." She ordered.

"Who the hell are you?" He growled.

"Someone who isn't interested in answering that question." She replied. "So, mind telling me where Jack Frost is?"

"I could just arrest you and take you there."

"And I could just cut up your face right here right now." She retorted. "Now, where is Jack Frost?"

"Right behind you, princess." She whirled around, looking at him. "Frost!" She exclaimed.

The guard, without a sword to his face, lunged at Merida. "Whoops." Jack shot out a jet of ice at his face, and a second one at his feet. "Don't turn your back on your enemy, didn't you learn that?" Jack said, looking at Merida.

"You surprised me." She muttered. "That's all."

-----------

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait >

I'm on vacation in Taiwan right now! The weather is a bit chilly, but it's a nice change from what I'm used to. The food is good too xD

I'm only able to update now because I finally found a spot with wifi, and I'm not asleep yet. Hopefully will be able to update soon! ;)