In Another Lifetime

Chapter 26 - Fate Be Changed

They ran to the art room where they first met the witch, only to find it eerily empty other than her sketchbook which was lying, closed, on the witch's desk.

"This is not good," Hiccup approached the desk cautiously and opened the sketchbook. A clouded vision of the witch appeared before them and they all jumped back.

"If it's the four young lads and lasses listening," the vision said, "I need you to know that I'm no longer here. Mordu has finally beaten me. The only hope left is you. Listen carefully, and remember. Fate be changed. Look inside. Mend the bond torn by pride. Flowers - gleam and glow. Let your powers shine. Make the clock reverse. Let love spread like a vine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Let not your love decline."

The vision vanished and Merida screamed in frustration and grief.

"She's gone! She's GONE! Why? Why now? Why her?"

"Merida -" Hiccup tried to speak but she cut him off.

"What does it mean? What's the point of this riddle? We'll never defeat him!"

"Merida, calm down," Hiccup steadied her by placing a hand on her shoulder gently, but she shook him off harshly. Hiccup drew back with a look of hurt on his face. "What was that for?"

"STOP!" Jack stood in-between the pair of them, not letting them reach the other in case there was a bloodbath. "Mord'u's doing that thing again! Concentrate - don't let it get to you. Remember?"

Merida and Hiccup closed their eyes and drove out the fears Mord'u had placed there. Their eyes shone again, with love instead of hate.

"I'm sorry Hiccup," Merida mumbled. "I didn't mean -"

She was cut of by Hiccup enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Never let me go Merida. You promise me?" Hiccup mumbled into her shoulder.

"I promise," she whispered into his faded green hoodie.

"I've got it!" Rapunzel cried suddenly. The others all stared at her, confused. "Love! It's what we have to prove! It's the only thing more powerful than Mord'u's hate. We have to test the bond and prove that we have a stronger bond than his hate. It's the only way we'll win."

"How do we do that?" Jack asked, confused. Rapunzel looked up at him with fear flooding into her deep green eyes.

"Change the fate's design. Make the clock reverse. We all died before any of us could tell each other how we felt - didn't we?"

Hiccup's face was dead to the world as he looked at Rapunzel. He'd figured exactly what they had to do.

"We have to go back in time. We have to change our fate. But changing the past means -"

"We can't come back." Merida finished his sentence for him as she let the reality of what they had to do sink in. She looked at Hiccup who was breaking down inside and she held him close, almost protectively. She took his hand in hers and held it to her chest. "It's going to be alright. I promise."

Jack was wiping Rapunzel's small tears away gently.

"Hey. Blondie. You here?" Rapunzel looked up at him, eyes shining with fear and tears all at once. "Did I ever tell you how much you meant to me?"

Rapunzel didn't answer. She was too busy panicking. She didn't want to lose any of them. They meant too much to her. After all they'd been through, they couldn't lose each other now, surely? It was too much on all of them.

"If you won't answer," Jack whispered, "I'll tell you anyway. You stunned me from the moment I saw you. You're beautiful, Rapunzel, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You hear me?"

Rapunzel's heart swelled and she gave him a small nod.

"I love you Rapunzel Corona. I live for you. You're the only reason I didn't kill myself before. That I didn't self-harm. Because I sensed that somewhere, somewhere, there had to be hope. That was you. I love you more than I can even place into words.  I need you to know this Rapunzel, because when we go, I need you to remember that I loved you, and I will always will love you. "

Rapunzel was speechless. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his slowly, letting her tears intermingle with the kiss. It wasn't a kiss of happiness, it was a kiss of goodbye. A kiss to let them know about what could have been. This is what we could have had, she thought as his lips moved with hers gently, this is what would have been the rest of our lives.

"I - I'm sorry Jack," Rapunzel broke down in his arms. He pulled her near. "It's the only way we can kill Mord'u. I love you."

"We have to go," Merida croaked, wiping away a tear forcefully.

"How?" Hiccup asked. He still hadn't let go of Merida's hand.

"The book," Merida replied, "it must be some kind of portal." She picked up the faded leather sketchbook and looked at the other three. "Hold on to me."

Rapunzel gripped Merida's sleeve and Jack in turn held Rapunzel to his chest. Hiccup placed an arm around her, squeezing her tight. Merida took a deep breath and opened the book, right down the middle. The pages glowed and burned as they were sucked into it. They vanished from the modern world and the book fell onto the desk as if nothing had happened.

A/N I'm a terrible, terrible human being... please don't kill me...  I haven't updated since, what, November?! I don't deserve you guys, so if there's anyone left reading this, I'm so sorry! I aim to complete this story by Christmas if it all goes to plan.  Once again - I hope you don't all hate me and I'm so so sorry!

P.S. New story! 'I Don't Love You Too, two chapters already published, check it out if you'd like!