Hello! Feels good to updating again! Thanks for all the reviews guys, it makes me thrilled people are still reading this despite my being horrible and not updating for...6 months...but anyway... THANK YOU ALL FOR THE LOVE!

Read, relax, review!

~o0o~

29.

People were everywhere.

Vendors dotted the streets, setting up their wagons and booths, unpacking boxes and crates and organizing their wares. Hired hands unloaded flags both big and small from their cases and climbed ladders to hang sumptuous banners- purple and red and gold- along the streets. Shopkeepers were busy cleaning glass windows, sweeping their doorsteps, and rearranging their display cases to catch the eye of a passerby. Others carried flowers woven into wreaths and garlands in every direction. Despite the angry grey skies full of fat clouds that threatened to burst with rain, Corona was preparing to celebrate.

Merida stumbled around the bustling city, having lost sight of Rapunzel in the busyness and excitement hours ago. She wanted to be of help, but wasn't sure what she could do. She was partly in awe by the festivities, but she was mostly anxious over... well, everything else. Not really paying attention to where she was going, she very nearly got run over by a man running with a cart, and quickly jumped back to avoid being trampled. In doing so however, she collided with a townswoman carrying loaves of bread in a basket, and before she could apologize she had to flee the heard of startled ducks that had crossed into her path. She ended up ramming face first into a very tall gentleman and falling backwards into another shorter one who had been immersed in a book. Frustrated, Merida hiked up her skirt and scampered out of the main road, taking cover against a shop wall. She tossed her hair out of her face and peered out at the busy streets, looking for the long golden braid of her friend. Instead, all she could see were the townspeople, workers, overly excited children, and the pairs of guards in their red Corona uniforms that dutifully patrolled the streets. Rolling her eyes, Merida slumped against the wall and sank to the ground.

"Ah guess Ah'll jus wait here then," she muttered to herself. As she sat though and caught her breath, her mind wandered back to Hiccup.

Hiccup had gone to get Jack with hardly a word to her or Rapunzel. But why had he needed to go? What had happened to the white-haired Guardian that prevented him from flying to Corona with Emma? She didn't know what to think. And then there was the issue of her vision…

Was Jack really going to turn against them? Would he? Could he? Had he already? The thought made her sick to her stomach. The vision couldn't possibly be right. And yet…

She didn't know what to think. Usually her visions of the future were easy to understand, but more and more as of late she found herself struggling to divine their true meaning. She was even questioning her ability to decipher them at all. So many visions recently, so many unanswered questions.

Merida closed her eyes and went through her mental checklist.

Blue eyes. Jack's for sure, but was that it? Was it just a prediction of his role as a Guardian, or was there more?

Compass. Her formerly constant visions of the place she was now sure pointed to, not a second stone circle like she originally thought, but a warning of its shut down and a hint to the location of the Berk relic. And yet, there was more there too, she was sure. And she still didn't know why the Berk hammer had been able to heal it…

And then there was the doomsday vision. The broken symbols of the Guardians, Jack's staff and Rapunzel's flower that wilted upon contact with the wood.

What was that supposed to mean? Was Rapunzel in danger? Weren't they all?

But from what? From who?

Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe it wasn't a sign of Jack using his power against them…

She groaned as she buried her head in her hands. A group of minstrels passed by her, their instruments tucked under their arms as they talked enthusiastically with each other. Merida gazed at the other people that surrounded her in the city. In every direction she saw smiles, heard laughter, felt joy.

Rapunzel had been right. The festival was lifting the people's spirits. It gave them a reason to hope and believe, to not be afraid. A day filled solely with joy, and a day filled with anticipation for that thrill- it was as if nothing else mattered.

It made Merida feel a little braver.

Oh the irony. Wasn't it her job to bring courage to the people of Warren? And yet here she was, feeling encouraged by the Corona citizens, immersed in the preparations for a festival that hadn't even arrived yet.

Merida stood up and brushed the street dust from her skirts, wishing for her leather pants. She craned her neck out from under the shop awning she had found shelter under, looking through the grey misty sky for the telltale black smudge that would signal Hiccup's (and hopefully Jack's) return. When her eyes saw nothing of interest, she turned her attention back to the streets, but grudgingly decided that it wouldn't do her any good in locating Rapunzel. She gazed at the building behind her, thinking quickly. There was a high window, perhaps she would more easily find the other Guardian if she had a better view of the city…

Merida eagerly pushed open the shop door, hearing the cheerful bell ring to announce her arrival. Now, she only had to convince the shopkeeper to let her go upstairs…

…

The rain had begun falling in DunBroch. Not a heavy downpour, but the kind of gentle pitter-patter drizzle that heralds the oncoming storm.

The happenings in DunBroch could not be more different from those of Corona. While the people in the golden kingdom prepared for dancing and celebrations, the people of the highlands prepared for war.

No one bustled in the towns, no one walked to and fro with smiles and laughter. Instead, the clanking and grinding sounds of steal against steal could be heard from the town forges, as weapons were built and sharpened and shined. Soldiers trained and prepared, following the orders of their commanding officers.

And in the shadows, dark horses- Fearlings, the people had begun calling them- moved like smoke, weaving in and out around the edge of the forests and trees that surrounded the towns on a ghastly patrol, noticed by no one.

But the fear created by their presence was felt by all.

…

Rapunzel sat on her bed, in her room deep inside her family's castle, completely still beneath the silky purple canopy. In her hands she held the jeweled tiara, cradling it delicately as if it might break under pressure. She gazed somberly into the crystal leaves that sent glittering rainbows of refracted light across the walls of the bedroom.

She'd only come up here to check on it- make sure the crown was still where she had hidden it. She'd managed to temporarily escape her fretting mother, but soon she'd have to return to the organized-chaos that was the festival preparations so no one noticed her absence. And Merida, she had to find Merida again…

But Rapunzel remained frozen where she sat, her body not obeying her brain's urges to leave. She contemplated the crown in her hands… seeing it and yet not seeing it as her thoughts wandered elsewhere.

What was the purpose of the relic, of any of the relics? How did they… work? Was Hiccup right about Jack's staff?

Jack. What was happening to him at this very moment? Was he alright? Was Emma? Where had Hiccup gone? When would he return? Should she and Merida even be here in Corona? Rapunzel felt like there was something more they should being doing to fight Pitch… but no. Until Jack and Hiccup returned with more news, her and Merida's priority was the Festival of Lights.

The festival. It seemed everyone around her was feeling the delight and excitement that the long-anticipated celebration brought… everyone but her. How unusual- she always had the greatest joy.

Rapunzel only felt… tiredness. She wasn't sad, exactly. She wasn't afraid either- she didn't doubt her and her friends' capability to end Pitch's terror. She was simply growing… exhausted. Exhausted of the questions, of the lies, of the half-truths… of the separation, the disconnect, the expectation… the power.

"Rapunzel, dear?" the distant voice of her mother made the blonde girl jump. She hastily leapt from the bed and returned the crown to its hiding place- under a loose floorboard beneath her bed that she was certain no one, save perhaps her brother Eugene, knew about. "Where are you?" her mother called again in frustration from somewhere down the hall.

"Here Mother!" Rapunzel responded, quickly crossing to the opposite side of her room to her wardrobe, opening its doors and pretending to dig through its contents.

"There you are!" the queen spoke in greeting as she crossed the threshold to her daughter's room. "I've been looking everywhere- what is it you're doing?" she asked curiously, coming to stand behind Rapunzel, who busily rummaged through her wardrobe with no particular aim in mind.

The blonde girl turned, putting on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Just… looking for something. It doesn't matter," she shrugged her mother's question off.

The queen studied her daughter for a moment, her mother's instinct kicking in. Then, brushing her concern aside, the dark-haired queen returned to her bright, brisk manner. "The Captain has just arrived. He's waiting for you in the throne room."

The Captain of the Guard was a sensible, responsible man, filled with a deep sense of duty to his kingdom. He'd be here to receive orders from the Guardians and discuss the security measures they wished to take.

Rapunzel lifted her chin slightly, mentally reminding herself of her role, of how many people were depending on her. She nodded in thanks, still smiling. "I'll go find Merida and we'll get right to it."

Rapunzel walked past her mother, heading for the door.

"Is Hiccup not still with you?" the queen asked in confusion, following her daughter out and down the hall.

"He… he'll be back soon," Rapunzel assured the older woman. Though perhaps she was only reassuring herself.

"And Jack Frost?"

Rapunzel stopped mid-step. She swallowed and turned to view the concerned face of her mother. The older woman, though she had no idea what was wrong, sensed her daughter's distress and held her arms open, offering the unquestioning and unconditional love and support that only a mother could. Rapunzel gratefully folded herself into the hug, inhaling deeply, the familiarity of the embrace calming and soothing.

"Oh Sweetheart… everything's going to be alright, you'll see," the queen promised the golden-haired girl.

Rapunzel exhaled, pulling away. "Yes, it will be," she affirmed determinedly.

…

Merida slumped down the stairs dejectedly, having still not been able to see Rapunzel anywhere in the city. Where had she gone? It was getting to be slightly worrying. And the redhead didn't want any more to worry about.

The shopkeeper tipped his hat to her as she emerged from the hall into the main shop floor.

"Couldn't see 'er then?" he asked kindly, polishing a counter with a rag. "Tha's bad luck, that is. Don't know where she'd run off to, but then again, there's no tellin where she'd be, not on this day, tha is. She flies faster than a bird around this city, she does, when it's Festival time. Biggest smile in all Corona."

Merida sighed with a fond smile. "Doan Ah know it, it's all she ever talks about back home."

The shopkeeper grinned. He nodded to the shop. "She comes in here, time to time. You're welcome to stick around, Miss, avoid the craziness of outside for awhile, if yeh like. Let me know if anything in particular catches your fancy," he said kindly before disappearing behind a curtain to the back storerooms.

Merida gazed around, finally taking in the nature of the shop itself: a bookstore. No one was in at the moment; everyone was too busy with their own preparations to be shopping- that would all be done tomorrow. Merida kind of liked the peacefulness after spending so long swimming through bustling streets. And the air was cool in here, a relief from the city heat. She had nothing else better to do at the moment, why not look around?

Row upon row of beautifully bounded books, but Merida was very quickly bored. Hiccup would love it, she thought to herself with a smile. She suddenly had a sad ache in her chest, wishing he were with her right now. She wished she knew if he was okay. Perhaps she could find something for him- did people give each other gifts at the Festival? She'd hadn't any idea. What would Hiccup like? A book on dragon lore would be rare here- dragons didn't often venture to the southern kingdom. Mechanics, then? No, Hiccup grew up a blacksmith's assistant, he knew everything there was to know, and made up the rest with that clever mind of his.

Merida sighed. If not out of necessity then, what would the Viking want to read for fun? She had never been fond of reading herself. Or of stories in general. Except the fairytales her mother would read her sometimes before bed.

Curious, Merida began searching the aisles for the book her mother had read from, wondering if the legends were as popular in Corona as they were in DunBroch.

Huh, Ah really doan know anything about Corona, do Ah? she thought to herself, walking down a row of books, trailing her fingers across their spines.

A display in the middle of one of the rows caught her eye. On a polished wooden table draped with purple velvet rested a rather large book on a stand- one of many- their covers the deepest of blues, obviously a set. Who'd ever want ta read somethin that long? Merida thought incredulously, eyeing the monstrous length of just one of the books. She pushed her hair away from her face before sliding one of the volumes off the display, and then almost dropping it from the unexpected weight. She dropped to the floor and opened it in her lap, flipping through the gold-edged pages.

The book was, in a word, beautiful. Each page had been handwritten in careful and elegant calligraphy, and many of the pages held illustrations that were so exquisite they took Merida's breath away. They were portraits, so painstakingly precise and skillfully detailed that they almost seemed alive.

After flipping through a few, Merida began to notice a pattern, and her breath caught in her throat as she realized the subject of this volume. She hastily turned toward the end of the book, locating the last portrait. Her eyes fell upon a mirror image of herself.

Ferociously wild locks of red and a determined cerulean gaze stared up at her. Her painted image even held her bow, though embedded in its wood was a glimmering blue stone that certainly wasn't there in real life. Artists and their decorations, she thought to herself with an amused smirk. Both slightly frightened and greatly in awe, Merida turned back the pages of the book, finding the portrait of a young man with dark hair wearing a teal cloak, and a few pages before that, the portrait of an older woman with a stern expression that reminded her of her mother.

The volume was a history of the DunBroch Guardians.

…

"I still don't understand why we need to do all this work. I mean, it's a party, with, like, music… and food. So, we party! Am I right? Chicken thinks I'm right, don't you, Chicken."

Tuffnut pushed himself up so he was leaning on his elbows. A fat chicken clucked contently from his lap. Beside him, his twin sat with her back pressed up against a fallen log. They were both sulking.

"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed vigorously. "I'm pretty sure party and work are not synonymous in the dictionary."

Tuffnut's eyebrows shot up, surprised. "You know what a dictionary is?" he asked his sister. "You're smarter than I thought."

Ruffnut turned her head to face him. "Do you know what a dictionary is?" she asked incredulously.

"No," Tuff shot back defensively.

"Ok, both of you," the biggest teen of their little group broke in before Ruff could answer. "First of all," Fishlegs corrected them in his nasally voice, "neither of you are actually helping with the work, so I don't see why you're complaining." He was busy packing items into his dragon's travel bags. "Second, we're doing this per Hiccup's orders, so I suggest you do get up and help," he said gesturing to the pile of supplies still needing to be sorted. "And third, it's a festival, not a party," he reminded them in exasperation. "The Festival of Light. It's culture."

"Aaannndddd the difference is?" a fourth voice drawled from the next dragon over. Snotlout crossed his arms, taking a break from his own packing.

"Oh! I know! There is none!" Tuffnut jumped up excitedly. The chicken squawked in surprise as it fell to the ground, flapping its wings and ruffling its feathers. Ruffnut hit him upside the head with a laugh.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "The Festival of Light is an important event in Corona. It's part of the kingdom's cultural history, celebrating art, music, literature, and, well, you get the idea," he explained, patting his dragon, Meatlug, affectionately. Things had never quite been the same with him and his friends the last few years. Ever since Hiccup had become a Guardian and Astrid had… passed on… their group seemed… well, out of sync.

"We have to leave first thing tomorrow morning, guys," Fishlegs reminded the group for the fourth time that afternoon. "We have to make sure we have everything."

Fishlegs sorted through the various weapons and tools Hiccup had requested, checking them off the list he'd made before distributing them to the other dragon riders. There was so much more to pack still- food for themselves and the dragons, battle armor, extra shields, emergency medical kits, his entire book collection and dragon cards-

"Did Hiccup seriously ask for all of that?" Snotlout asked, sitting on his dragon and reading over Fishlegs' shoulder. "Rowboat oars? Why do we need frying pans? And candles? Seriously? I thought this was a festival of light. Why would they call it that if they can't even provide their own light sources?"

Fishlegs briefly considered the box of candles a few feet from where he stood.

"It never hurts to be prepared," he defended.

"Hookfang won't be able to get off the ground with all this stuff!"

Fishlegs hugged the list to his chest, keeping it away from his friend's view. "Wellll… ok fine! I may have expanded upon Hiccup's list with some key, essential items of interest."

Snotlout was unimpressed. "Meditation scrolls are not, essential items of whatever. And I don't even know what that means!"

Fishlegs frowned. Perhaps the dark haired boy did have a point. "Well… I suppose I could reevaluate-"

"Is my pet yak on the list?" Tuffnut interrupted, jumping up in a panic and looking genuinely concerned.

Fishlegs shook his head in concerned bewilderment. "…No? Why would he need to come with us to Corona?"

Tuffnut let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Thor! He always gets very uncomfortable at parties, and we wouldn't want my pet yak to be uncomfortable, would we?" he asked the group with narrowed eyes, daring one of them to object.

"Has he gotten weirder?" Snotlout asked, arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at the blonde boy.

"Let's just finish packing, everyone," Fishlegs urged the group cheerfully, ignoring Tuffnut's concerns about his yak. "Hiccup will be here in a few hours, and we want to be ready when he arrives. Warren is counting on us!" He turned to the twins, proud of himself for just thinking of the perfect job for them.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, go round us up some Terrible Terrors. As many as you can," he ordered.

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!" The twins high fived each other.

So, I know most of you guys were really hoping to learn more about Nightlight this chapter, but we haven't checked in with the girls in a while and they needed some love. Also had to check up on how the rest of Warren was doing, and we got to see some new faces, so... hopefully it was still good. Next chapter, I promise!

Thanks again guys :) See you all soon!