How to Train the Brave Tangled Guardians

Chapter 22

Jack gasped. Hiccup looked like he might faint. Rapunzel raised her frying pan.

"Give in, will ye?" Merida had her bow aimed at Jack.

"Merida! Don't do it! We know you care about us!" Rapunzel yelled.

"No ye don't!" Merida yelled back. She shot the arrow at Jack. He threw ice at it and intercepted it. The ice and the arrow fell to the ground.

Merida anchored another arrow in her bow and came closer. Without thinking, Rapunzel charged at her. Toothless did the same. Toothless knocked the bow out of her hands and Rapunzel thwacked Merida on the head. Hard. Merida fell.

"Merida!" Hiccup yelled and ran to her.

"Don't! We don't know what side she'll be on when she wakes up!" Then Jack came up with an idea. "Here!" he covered part of a tree with frost. He took Merida and stuck her to the tree. "There!"

Hiccup looked at Jack. It looked dumb, but it worked. "Go ahead, say something sarcastic, but you've got to admit this is cool!" Jack said.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll admit it."

...

Merida woke up. Everyone was staring at her. She started to walk towards them, but her back was stuck to a tree. "Let go of mey!"

"Are you on our side?" Rapunzel asked.

Merida glared at everyone around her. Hiccup came closer to her, despite Jack's protests. Merida looked at him and kicked him in the gut.

"I'll take that as a no," Jack said, watching Hiccup kneel over, clutching his gut. Hiccup backed away from Merida.

"You think?" Hiccup screamed at Jack.

"That's what you get for not listening to me," Jack said, smirking.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and tried to stand up straight, despite the wrenching pain in his stomach.

Hiccup looked at Rapunzel, "Do it."

Rapunzel nodded and neared Merida. Merida struggled to get unstuck, but lost. Jack helped Rapunzel tie her hair around the tree and Merida.

"Flower gleam and glow.............Bring back what once was mine... what once was mine..." Rapunzel's hair dimmed. Merida looked straight into Rapunzel's eyes. Merida's eyes changed from blue to green.

"What?" Rapunzel and Jack said at the same time.

Hiccup looked like he might cry, but a tear didn't fall from his eyes.

Suddenly Merida yelped in pain and fell over. Rapunzel loosened her hair and the warmth from Merida had warmed the ice holding her to the tree. She landed in a lump on the ground.

Hiccup rushed to her. "She's so... cold!"

Rapunzel and Hiccup looked at Jack. "Hey! Don't look at me! I didn't do it!"

Merida jerked up and screamed, "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Then her body fell limp again in Hiccup's arms. Merida jerked awake and clutched at her head. "Ah... me head..." She mumbled.

Jack and Rapunzel looked at each other, then back to Merida.

"Merida?" Hiccup shook her gently.

"What Hiccup? Can't ye see I've got a major migraine coming on?"

"She's back," Said Jack.

Rapunzel smiled warmly.

Without thinking, Hiccup involuntarily hugged Merida tight. She was taken aback. "Uhh, Hiccup? You alright?"

"You kidding? Do you seriously not remember what just happened?" Hiccup let go of her.

"Hmm... Now that you mention it, why are we in the forest? Aye thought we were at me mum and dad's," Merida pondered.

"You were manipulated into a killing machine." Jack said simply.

"What?" Merida yelled.

"Wait to let her down easy," Hiccup mumbled.

"What? She wanted to know, I told her." Jack said.

"Again, what?!"

"We need to find that witch!" Rapunzel said.

"We'll tell you on the way," Hiccup said.

"Okay..." Merida said, hesitantly.