When Time Collides

Chapter Twenty Two

Jack

Jack woke up, not remembering having actually fallen asleep, when the sound of a struggle echoed through his cell coming from the outside.

Straining against the chains binding him in the position of dangling from the wall, Jack craned his neck in hopes of a better look see from between the cracks of space between each bar of the window of the door.

He recognised the colour and material of Father Time's cloak, and grimaced at the thought of having to bear through another chat with him.

What surprised him, was the very familiar cry of  " unhand me you fossilised undead spirit!" and a glimpse of fiery red curls.

" Merida!" Jack exclaimed with a gasp, and with a strength he didn't realise he still had he wrestled against the chains pinning him to the wall. " Merida what happened? Is everybody else alright?"

Father Time's face leered at Jack through the bars of the slot, and with a smirk he pulled Merida by the hair and pressed her face against the bars roughly.

" Perhaps instead of worrying about your friends, you should worry about what will happen to yourself and this fiesty friend of yours." Father Time glanced at the struggling, scowling Merida. " She's quite a handful."

Merida swore. " Oh I'll give you a handful, just say the word and I'll-"

" Oh quiet you!" Father Time snapped, slapping her across the side of the head. Jack winced as he heard the thud of Merida's body forcefully hitting the wall and then the noise of her crumpled form finding the ground. " I tire of your incessant prattling and intolerable threats."

Jack growled. " You won't get away with any of this!" He shouted, desperate to break free so that he could wipe the ugly smirk from Father Time's face.

" Oh, well that's where you're wrong, boy." Father Time chuckled venomously. " You see, I've already capture two fifths of your entire party, and the three remaining are the most pathetic of you all. That boy is the scrawniest Viking I've ever seen -a right hiccup as the current lingo would call him. Those golden locks practically bury the girl they belong to, -and the ice maker, well, she's the most pathetic of them all."

" How dare you talk that way about them! Hiccup was brave enough to take on a wild dragon, Rapunzel's hair can heal any injury and Elsa is the most incredible person I've ever met." Jack spluttered, barely able to find the words in his furious mind. " The only pathetic one around here is you!"

Father Time snorted. " Aww, a bit defensive when it comes to the ice maker, are you?" He rolled his eyes. " It's so unbelievably ironic that the one who could save you all from destruction trembles at the thought of conjuring a silly snowflake."

Jack paused. " Save us -what? What's that supposed to mean?"

Father Time smirked, his features melding from that of a middle-aged man to that of a young adult. His features grew stronger, his chin cleft and his smirk fuller until he reverted back to the older form.

" Figure it out yourself Jack Frost, I am no longer going to spoon feed you children the answers. Of course, when you do inevitably figure it out, it'll be too late to tell her. Much less save the world you've sworn to protect." Father Time snickered.