In Another Lifetime

Chapter 18 - No one to hold

The witch grinned at the two newly found couples but then remembered that there was more important stuff to be thinking about.

"There is some small issues that we need to sort out here, concerning a certain demon bear king?"

She laughed and sat back in her chair as they all turned round to look at her.

"Sorry," Hiccup walked to the front of the art room; as he looked at the witch realisation dawned upon him. "Wait a second!" Hiccup's eyes were wide and he was grinning from ear to ear, "you're Gothi!"

"Gothi?" The old witch laughed sadly. "She was your village healer, wasn't she? Kept Terrible Terrors on the rooftop?" Hiccup nodded slowly. "I'm sorry dearie, she died a long time ago. She wasn't a witch you see. She couldn't stay alive like I could. She was one of my greatest friends..."

Hiccup bowed his head and sighed. Merida slipped her hand in his and whispered -

"Hey, it's going to be alright. We're all here now. We're together. We have each other."

Hiccup nodded and Merida wiped a small tear off of his cheek. The witch sighed and started her tale.

"Ever since Mordu heard about the Big Four, he knew they were trouble. If you remember, Mordu was a shape shifting man who could turn into a bear. He was commonly identified as the man with the strength of ten men. You could always tell where he'd been. On all of his dead victims he scratched the Roman numeral for ten onto their right cheek, showing his strength of ten men and the like."

"I remember seeing some of those," Rapunzel shuddered at the memory. "It was disgusting."

"Aye," the witch continued, "but you four were special. You were the only people he couldn't kill straight away. You defied him not once, but three times. He sensed something was wrong. You four were somehow indestructible. So he cursed you, but I knew it wouldn't work. Even a thousand years couldn't keep you apart. I'll tell you something though," she leaned forwards and looked them all directly in their eyes, "if you hadn't vowed to find each other before you died, you wouldn't be here now."

"You mean," Merida asked slowly, her mouth open in shock, "that we counteracted his curse? We saved ourselves?"

The witch nodded.

"Your love for one another and your loyalty balanced out Mordu's hate, and overrode it."

"Wait a second," Jack stepped forward, looking suspiciously at the witch, "why should we believe a word you say?"

"Because, my wee lad," the witch glared at him, "I saw it happen."

She conjured a cloud of smoke and a vision appeared before them. They saw the enchanter, cursing them and disappearing. Hiccup kissing Merida and confessing his built up emotions over time before he fell down, dead. Merida desperately trying to awaken him, kissing him, before falling into his arms. Rapunzel kissing Jack as passionately as she could before she, too, died. Jack looking at his best friends, holding Rapunzel's body close before falling down too, his eyes closed to the world.

The vision disappeared, and Jack stood there, stunned.

"So now, my dear boy," the witch said quietly, "now you know."

"I, I never realised -" Jack stuttered before the witch cut him off again.

"I was there!" she cried. "I watched you die! And there was nothing I could do!"

Merida looked up at Hiccup with worried eyes. He placed his arm around her and Merida tentatively put her head on his shoulder. He leant into her, sighing softly.

"Jack," Rapunzel whispered, holding onto his shoulder.

"Do you know how hard that was?" The witch was pacing frantically now.

"Well at least you weren't the one actually dying!" Jack shouted.

"Jack," Rapunzel tried to pull him away, "stop -"

"You've been OK this whole time - we had no idea who we were and we didn't even know we'd lost each other! I watched them die before my eyes! I've been so depressed my whole life! I considered cutting, even suicide I was so lonely! I had no friends to help me through, and now I know why! THEY HAD ALL DIED!"

"JACK!" Rapunzel cried, sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking weakly. "Stop this! Please!" She pulled him to face her. "You might have had no one before, but you have us! You have me!"

Jack bowed his head, looked at his and Rapunzel's entwined fingers, then brought her hand up to meet his lips. He closed his eyes and kissed it softly.

"I'm sorry."