Operation Phoenix

Chapter Forty-One

"Hiccup!" She sobbed, yanking his excruciatingly heavy body from the rushing water. Her heels dug into the mud below her and she slipped on the bank, her foot leaving a dark crevice in the slippery dirt underneath. The blonde cried out, more in fear than pain. The river was licking at her knees, and her weak arms trembled as she tried to drag her brother to shore.

The car their small group had stolen lay upside-down in the rushing stream, its side dented and smashed like a flimsy, tin can. The sun reflected off the misshapen parts, blinking in her eyes like it was taunting her. She wished her elder brother would awaken, so he could at least assist her in her struggle to bring his body out of the cold. She could only imagine what sickness, what horrible thing he would have to endure further if his form were left in the rushing water. Her eyes shut and she pushed the image away, hearing her friend Hiro return. He'd made a short trek over to the other, accompanying car—the one that had hit them—in an attempt to gather assistance and Rapunzel could hear his feet as they mixed with the pounding of unfamiliar boots. She couldn't count how many there were, she assumed two, but she was so focused on saving her sibling she hadn't time to react.

"My friends!" Zel broke out, her arms still wrapped protectively around Hiccup "They're in the car! Please help them!"

The two men looked at each other, and Zel suddenly recognized them to be Mackintosh Jr. and Macguffin Jr.—the Runners of Lighthouse. Her heart leapt in her chest when she spotted them, a hope blossoming in her ribs when she remembered how strong both of them were. Surely, they could retrieve Meg and Toothania from the ruined car that was being increasingly submerged in water. To her dismay, neither of the two moved and only stared at her with narrowed eyes, trying to recognize her face. She had met them before, during the festival. "Rapunzel!" She snapped, "I'm a Runner of Peak District and I've been held hostage for nearly ten months. Either help me, or answer to Elsa! If I am correct, it is your duty isn't it?"

Her words had come out in a rush, and upon realization they immediately began to speed around her—bustling like squirrels. Macguffin strode to the car quickly, nearly ripping a door off its hinges before bringing a sputtering Meg to the surface. He tossed her over his shoulder and made his way around to the other side, checking the wrong door before he came upon Toothania and repeated the action. Rapunzel was relieved to see them still alive, but her concern was on her brother who Macintosh had assisted in dragging to the dry ground. Zel immediately fell next to Hiccup, placing an ear to his chest before checking for a pulse on his wrist. He was still alive, still breathing. What worried her was the air around them, heavy with winter and cold like ice. Hiccup and her friends would surely freeze in this weather. Her mind swam with options, rolling over ideas as she attempted to think of the best one.

"Take us back to my home." She ordered them, gripping Hiccup's hands tightly in her own.

"Cannae do thaht lass, leadehrs ordehrs. Need teh be hom by mohrnin." Macintosh tossed his hair to the side, his eyes boring down into hers as she stared back at him. She couldn't help the feeling rising in her gut that something was very wrong. The way the two exchanged glances, the way they stared as if she were a faraway artifact. Inwardly, her brain swam with possibilities—she was fairly aware that this situation did not seem like a good one, especially given her appearance, but she remembered both Runners being laughable and relatively kind. Now they were acting as if she was a criminal.

Then it clicked.

In Lighthouse, Rapunzel was a criminal. She'd helped Sinbad escape not that long ago, and had no doubt been due for punishment since before she'd been caught by New World. To them, Zellie was a bandit who looked worse for wear at the moment. In the most likely situation, they would take her and put her in the dungeon—or the jail, whatever it is they had there—but Zel knew, she knew deep down that her mother was fully aware of her resurfacing presence in the world. The blonde had no evidence of this, she hadn't heard anyone speak of her mother (in fact, Pitch had been pretty clear that the raven haired woman had not known she was with him), but Rapunzel could feel it within her bones. She was aware going to Light House would be handing herself off to her mother, she'd be back in the prison she'd left almost three years ago—right back into the place she'd feared. An ache settled itself in the pit of her stomach, and she panted.