Torn [Hiccup x Reader x Jack]

Chapter 8

Glancing back at the Great Hall filled with people, and Hiccup on the stage, still talking, you bit your lip in worry. Should you stay? It would be rude to walk out on someone's speech, especially if that someone had helped you out the way Hiccup had. But your burning curiosity about Jack and your past won out over being polite, and you raced out the door of the Hall, scanning the night frantically for any sign of white hair. Your only clue as to where he was was the trail of white frost on the cobblestone street, leading into the woods. You set off after the trail, not knowing why you were so sure that it would lead to him. A wave of nausea and dizziness hit you again as you hit the treeline; you gasped and braced yourself against the nearest tree.

"Jack Frost?" you asked, confused. You had always pictured Jack Frost as some wrinkly old man, not the handsome boy in front of you. And he was handsome. Your cheeks, already flushed from the cold, brightened until they were about the same color as a cherry in spring. The white-haired boy smirked at your expression. "I'm a little younger than you expected, right?"

You flushed even more and crossed your arms, looking away. A gust of wind made you turn back to the boy, ready to ask a few more questions. But Jack was gone, leaving a sprinkle of fresh snowflakes in his place. One of them landed right on the tip of your nose, sending a shiver down your spine. You looked up at the sky, smiling.

You were desperate not to forget the fleeting memories that had rushed through your head. You needed to catch Jack, to talk to him. This boy was the only sliver of your past that you had, and already the second burst of memories were starting to fade from your mind. You ran faster, tripping over roots and fallen trees, stumbling blindly through the woods. The night was cold, and you had started shivering before you noticed that the trail of frost had thinned. This only made you run faster, and finally, after rushing through the woods until you had a stitch in your side, you came upon a cove with a beautiful lake in the middle.

You took a moment to gaze at the beauty of the cove at nightfall. A worn path wound straight to the bottom, and high, rocky walls were covered with silvery moss that glowed with the setting sun. As soon as you stepped on the path, you shivered more fiercely. The air within the shale walls was at least ten degrees cooler than outside. But your numb fingers and toes were forgotten as you spotted the boy by the lake.

You could see the figure kneeling, shuddering with sobs. His white hair seemed to glow in the growing dusk. Tears slipped down his cheeks and landed in the water, where they created frost on the surface. You might not remember him much, but you couldn't leave him alone to cry. Scrambling down the path took some time, but Jack barely looked up in the minutes it took for you to reach him.

Hesitantly you stepped forward, and said, "J-Jack, right? I had a flashback. It's fading, but somehow I knew you." He turned, startled. His eyes were big, sad pools of crystal, filled with magic and salty tears. "Yes, you- you knew me once, long ago. But not anymore... The past is in the past..."

More tears found their way onto his pale cheeks, and you quietly said, "But... It doesn't have to be..." He just shook his head, the despair in his eyes crushing the hope in yours. His hands scrabbled at the ground, searching for his staff. Your breath caught in your throat; you took two steps forward, but not in time. With a whoosh and a swirl of snow, he was gone. You screamed, "WAIT! I NEED TO KNOW MY PAST!" You added in a whisper, "I don't want to lose you again..."

All that remained of Jack Frost in the cove was a chill in the air, and the frost in the lake that was melting away like your hope for finding your past.

<3 Moony