In Another Lifetime

Chapter 19 - Keyboards and a Kiss

"So," Merida said quietly, "what do we have to do to defeat Mordu?"

"It's not as simple as all that," the old witch sighed. "Mordu is difficult. He has many souls to contend with, each residing in different bodies. But if we can destroy what's giving them that power, Mordu will die with them."

"What is that source of power?" Hiccup asked.

"We don't know." The witch began pacing again, round and round. "But whatever it is, it's extremely strong. And we know one other thing too."

"What?" Rapunzel leant forward to hear.

"That you four are the only people with the capability to defeat him. As long as you're together, he is weak."

"But," Merida was extremely puzzled, "when we were dead, what happened then? Why isn't the world controlled by him or something?"

"You were still united," the witch replied, "united in death. By the cruel treatment of Mordu. By the curse. This is why he hasn't come back to take over yet."

""Because we were still there," Jack murmured. The witch nodded.

"Well," Hiccup said, "what do we do about it all? What do you expect us to do?"

"You four hold a bonded quality," the witch replied. "Even I don't know what it might be. But when Mordu comes, you will. You will know how to use it, when to use it, and what it does. But for the meantime, I need you all to stay as close as you can together. I put you in the same group, the same dormitories, to keep the forces as strong as they could possibly be."

"I wondered whether it was just coincidence," Merida smiled slightly.

"Not that Hiccup was complaining, eh?" Jack smirked and Hiccup blushed slightly.

"Shut it you," Merida punched him on the arm.

"You hit the bruise from last time!" Jack howled.

"Good aim!" Hiccup grinned as Merida turned away, triumphant.

The witch smiled before hurrying her next words:

"You've missed Music! Let me see, let's transport you back an hour, that should do it..."

She made them all hold hands in a circle, and she cast an enchantment upon the ties between their fingers. They began to glow, and they floated a foot above the ground before disappearing into thin air. They landed in exactly the same place, but the clock was back one hour.

"Woah -" Jack said, looking at his fingers in disbelief.

"I don't know about you," Hiccup mumbled, "but that's made me feel pretty sick."

"Nah, I'm fine!" Merida smiled and patted him on the back, which only increased his desire to throw up.

"Music's this way," Jack led the way to some of the activity rooms and they settled themselves down around a table.

They spent the next half hour creating their own piece of music based on an emotion or feeling. Jack picked melancholy, Hiccup chose inspiration, Rapunzel settled on creativity and Merida chose freedom. They all produced adequate pieces with the instruments on offer, bearing in mind most of them hadn't played a musical instrument before. Jack was thrilled to see an electric guitar there, and Hiccup made do with an old trumpet. Merida tried the piano and Rapunzel decided to use a violin; she'd had lessons when she was little.

Then it came to performing written pieces. They were given sheets of pop music to practice on the keyboards and perform at the end of the session, some songs being much better than others as it turned out.