Operation Phoenix

Chapter Forty-Three

Megera had not moved since Hiccup had awakened. She'd been staring out of the window, eyebrows tense with what looked to be a mix of anger and frustration—worry. Hic couldn't help but understand why exactly Meg was worried, Rapunzel had been separated from them when they'd arrived, and the three of them had been passed off to the infirmary. He understood, because in his silence there was a panic set inside him, an uneasiness as he wondered what could possibly be happening to his younger sister at the moment. He had no doubt Gothel would neglect to kill or fatally harm her daughter—she needed Rapunzel, of course, to become immortal—but the fact that he had no idea what was going on made him shiver.

Toothania sat in the corner, biting her fingernails in an obvious frantic state. She was still adorned in her lab coat, though Hic had been informed she was a dentist. Her hair, a black, layered bob, was slightly disheveled and one of her signature feathered earrings was missing. Hiccup knew they'd escaped in a car, but why they went to Lighthouse and not Peak District... he did not know. He cleared his throat after he attempted to speak and was only met with the croaky noises of an unused windpipe. "What happened?" He asked timidly, looking between the two women with curiosity.

Tooth looked up from where she was sitting and her eyes softened greatly. He noticed she was damp, and wondered why. "We were in a car wreck. We flipped and everything."

Hiccup sat up instantly, his stomach feeling as if it might fall out of his backside. Was their behavior solemn because Rapunzel had... had died during the destruction? If so, then why did he feel so... accomplished? It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he'd achieved something he'd been working at for a long time, but evidence of it still neglected to be presented. "Odin, is she alright?" He practically shouted, throwing the blankets off his legs. Meg was quick to stop him before he got too far.

"Hey, hey, calm down. She's fine. She..." the woman looked away, towards the floor. "She saved your life, actually."

Hiccup felt sick. He looked down to his beat up hands, his knuckles still bloodied. He was fully aware that one of his eyes was swollen shut and he was sure a few of his ribs were broken, but the only thing he could focus on was his sister. Was she okay? What was Gothel doing to her? He'd been informed that they were in the Lighthouse, the legendary building that Rapunzel had been held in for so long all those years ago. There were multiple levels, the first one being the infirmary. The one above was a small, personal library, and then the top was Gothel's home. Hiccup could've scoffed at the realization. Zel had been held in the top of that building for eighteen years, with hundreds of people passing in and out of the infirmary, yet nobody knew or noticed. Hide her in plain sight, he figured.

With a sudden wave of determination, he stood up and ignored Megera's protests for him to rest. In a few strides he'd made it to the door and attempted to open it, only to find the wood would not give. He jiggled the knob, frustrated at the lack of action he was receiving in response to his efforts. If Rapunzel was alive he had to get to her. After all they've been through, after they'd finally escaped New World, they were basically back in relatively the same clutches. Nine months, they rarely had contact, and when they had finally found the slightest bit of liberation they'd been slammed back into nearly the same circumstance.

"You can't," Tooth answered his inner question quickly, stepping forward to press a comforting hand to his shoulder. "It's locked."

"You mean to tell me," Hiccup growled, anger growing inside him. "She took Rapunzel, and locked us inside this room? Where is Gothel now?"

Meg shrugged and pointed to the ceiling. "The upper levels, I believe."

Hic nodded and brushed passed her towards the door on the other side of the room, no doubt the one that lead to the other floors in the Lighthouse. His mind was swimming now, with horrifying images and outcomes, as he raced to get to his younger sister. He didn't even know it was possible, but during their stay at New World he'd somehow gotten closer to her—even if they had been separated for a majority of the time. The horrors that they'd seen, that they'd experienced, they were the only ones who'd understood each other. Hic needed to know she was safe, for all he knew, Jack was dead and she was the only one he had left. The thought of his wife crossed his mind, but he pushed it away, not wanting to feel the pain of her loss at the moment.