Cold & Dark ⇢ The Big Five Fanfiction

III

Hiccup was laying outside on the grass, with his hands behind his head, staring at the darkening sky. The day had been a long one - who knew it took so much work to settle in dragons?
Toothless sat beside him. Toothless is a night-fury, probably the last of his kind. A little while ago Hiccup had been desperate to be a Viking, like his father, and stole one of those catapults. He'd aimed, and he'd fired, and he'd hit. Then he had found Toothless, laying there, injured, and couldn't bring himself to kill him.
Surprisingly, they made friends. Toothless even saved his life at one point - even if he didn't save all of him.
"Shouldn't you two be getting to bed?" A voice came from behind him, causing his heart to beat a little faster as he looks back.
Astrid.
"Shouldn't you?" Hiccup answers, looking back up at the sky.
She laughs a little and lays down beside him, laying her hands on her chest.
They lay there in a peaceful silence for a little while, with the exception of rustling leaves and roars in the background.
Suddenly Hiccup spots something and frowns a little, sitting up.
In the sky, it was something golden - and it wasn't a star. It felt like it was... calling him.
"What's wrong?" Astrid furrows her eyebrows at him.
"Wait here," He replies softly, as if deep in thought, climbing onto Toothless' back.
"Wait a minute! What are you-" Astrid is cut off as Toothless takes to the sky easily.
The two soar upwards, Hiccup squinting at the distance and following the golden spark.
Just as they were about to reach it, it disappears.
Toothless pauses in midair, his ears twitching uncertainly. His eyes seem to be fixated on something, and he swooshes his tail the way he does when he feels threatened.
Hiccup frowns a little and looks where Toothless was, but saw nothing but the darkness of the sky.
A large arrow of... sand? It appears in front of them. Hiccup just stares with his mouth open, uncertain.
He screams as it comes into contact with his chest, not seeing as Toothless, too, is struck. The two start falling.
Hiccup's eyes close, and his chest falls still, as he hits the cold as ice water with his best friend.

"Bow off the table, Merida," Queen Elinor sighs, but she isn't mad, instead seems... fond.
Merida's relationship with her mother has been a rollercoaster ever since she was a kid, but at the moment it was like the rollercoaster was going up. They were getting to where they needed to be; gradually, but still going up.
Merida's green eyes glanced about the table. For dinner, the cook had prepared roast chicken. It was delicious, but everything is with her - she could probably make even pea soup taste amazing.
Her father, King Fergus, was sat at the end, with the dogs at his feet. Her three mischievous younger brothers, Harris Herbert and Hamish, were along one side. She was on the other, with her mother.
Merida rolls her eyes a little but obediently removes her bow, slinging it over the back of. the chair.
Merida finishes first and gets to her feet, picking up the bow once again.
"Where are you going?" Elinor looks over at her, pressing her lips into a thin line, speaking over the excited chatter of the boys.
"Angus needs brushing down and feeding," She shrugs a little.
Elinor takes a deep breath and smiles to her, "Alright. Have fun."
"Thanks, mom," Merida's voice was laced with a heavy Scottish accent. It matched her stereotypically bright red, curly hair.
Merida heads outside, smiling a little thoughtfully as she looks around.
She hums a little to herself as she runs the comb through her horse's mane. At the moment, she was quite happy with life. She still wanted adventure, but understood that she had responsibilities.
Suddenly a single thought hits her, repeating itself in her mind as if it will not go unnoticed. She glances over her shoulder, before saddling up Angus and climbing on his back.
Just because she understands that she has responsibilities, doesn't mean she actually goes through with them.
She races Angus towards the forest in the distance, a grin on her face at the wind rushing past her ears.
Exhilaration had filled her - she forgot the time, didn't notice as the skies darkened.
Hours later she returned through the gates, only to see her mother pacing the courtyard, her face full of concern. She whipped her head round at hearing Angus, and narrowed her eyes.
"Merida! Where were you!" She snaps, taking the reigns in her hands to stop the horse.
"I was just..."
"You've been gone for four hours! I was so worried!" Elinor pulls her into a hug before holding her tightly, looking her straight in the eye. "You shouldn't have left so late. You know how dangerous it is. You could have gotten lost."
"I know the forest as well as I know the back of my hand," Merida pulls away and flicks her hair over her shoulder.
"Merida!" Elinor sighs exasperatedly and then shakes her head at her. "I've tried so hard to be good to you. But you don't listen. You are a princess. It's time you start acting like one." Her tone was snappy. She'd finally had enough.
"Maybe I don't want to be a princess!" Merida answers back, meeting her mother's gaze strongly. "Maybe I wish I didn't have a queen for a mother."
Elinor stares back, her stern gaze hiding the hurt she felt. "You are grounded for three months. Or until you learn your place." She hisses, and turns on her heel, walking back to the castle.
That's the thing about rollercoasters. They always have to come down.
Tears were in both the mother and daughters eyes.
Which made what had to come that much worse.
A boomerang sliced through the air, impaling Merida's chest. A single tear slipped down her cheek, before she collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

Rapunzel nibbles delicately at her food, glancing along the table uncertainly. Usually dinner with her family consisted of family banter, and the chat of the day. Now with Elsa and Anna and their parents, they sat with a deafening silence, so quiet that every single time someone put down their cutlery the sound echoed around the room. 
She notices Elsa gradually seeming more and more uncomfortable, keeping her head ducked a little.
Anna meets her eyes and smiles a little playfully.
Rapunzel smiles back slightly but her attention is averted when Elsa puts down her knife and fork and looks at her father, her hands shaking beneath the table. "May I be excused?"
"Of course," He nods, and smiles to Rapunzel's mother apologetically. "She has a bit of work to finish. She's quite a workaholic."
She bites her lip a little. Her mum might believe him, but she didn't. "Um... may I also be excused?" She looks up, delicately laying her knife and fork on the table.
"Yes dear," Her mother answers with a smile.
Rapunzel nods a little gratefully, getting to her feet and walking out in the direction she'd seen Elsa go.
She walks down the corridor and peeks into the only slightly open door down there. Inside seemed to be a smaller living room, with a fire place and a few seating areas. Elsa was laying down, her breaths quick, panicky. Her gloves were discarded to the side, and... ice surrounded her uncovered hands on the ground.
"Elsa?" Rapunzel asks gently, creeping inside and closing the door behind her.
Elsa sits up quickly and wipes her eyes, looking away. "I.. you..."
"Are you okay?" Rapunzel ignores her surprise at the ice, going over to her and wrapping her arm around her shoulders gently in an attempt at comfort.
"No! Don't touch me," Elsa says softly, shuffling away, before lifting her gaze to look at her. "I.. I have ice powers. But I can't control them. I don't want to hurt you too."
Rapunzel smiles a little gently, "Don't worry, Elsa. I know you won't hurt me." She pauses to gently tuck a white strand of loose hair back behind Elsa's ear, before continuing. "Besides, even if you did I would be okay," She reaches back and undoes her plait, dropping her golden hair, revealing its length. Then she closes her eyes and started to sing.
"Flower, gleam and glow.
Let your power shine.
Make the clock reverse.
Bring back what once was mine.
Heal what has been hurt.
Change the things design.
Save what has been lost.
Bring back what once was mine,
What once was mine."
Her voice was gentle, her singing filled with beauty.
She sighs softly as she stops singing, and opens her eyes, looking at Elsa with a small smile.
Elsa eyes were wide with surprise, but also amazement. "Woah..."
"It doesn't just glow. It heals too," She smiles a little and leans forward, taking her hands.
Elsa doesn't flinch away this time.
Rapunzel was about to speak, but then furrows her eyebrows in surprise looking over the other girl's shoulder.
"Santa Claus? The tooth fairy?"
Behind Elsa was a large man dressed in red, with a fluffy white beard, and a beautiful women covered in feathers, with amazing wings.
"Huh?" Elsa frowns and looks over her shoulder, seeing nothing.
North's expression falls a little, "She can see us? She's eighteen!"
Rapunzel's mouth fell open slightly.
Tooth hesitates and looks at him, murmuring under her breath, "how am I supposed to..."
"Shh, Tooth!" North answers back, still staring at Rapunzel.
"Rapunzel?" Elsa's voice came from beside her, her expression full of confusion.
North sighs a little, "let's just get this done with." He steps forward, seeming to hesitate, but then pushes one of his swords into Elsa's chest.
Elsa's eyes widen and she looks at Rapunzel before she fell to the side, unmoving.
"Did Santa Claus just kill my friend?" Rapunzel backs away from the two, staring in slight fear.
Tooth looks at her and sighs a little, "I'm sorry, sweetie." She murmurs and flutters closer, before stealing the life from her eyes with one of North's swords by stabbing her, as gently as she could possibly manage.
Rapunzel's vision fades into darkness, and she falls to the ground, distantly hearing the man she had just watch murder Elsa murmuring, "What have we done?"