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Hiccup thought he was talking to him.

He’s there with them, wind curiously and gently circling around a hill that rose over the rest of a dense forest. The sun’s rays were just beginning to spill over the horizon. Beams of light painted the trees and ground with warm pink and orange colors. In the distance a little further away, a small village glowed in the early morning mist. Anyone could see it from the hilltop. Not many lights were on in the village, hinting that only a few people were awake.

Two people were sitting on this hill. 

One of them was a young girl, maybe around nine. The other was a boy, maybe around seventeen. Hiccup wasn’t the best guesser when it came to age, he started only counting his own by decades now after he passed his third century. 

He twirled around and felt his wind quietly pickup as he watched the two humans.

Hiccup thought these two looked very similar to each other. He thought they might be siblings.

They’re building something. A small castle, Hiccup guessed. He’s seen his fair share of castles while traveling around the world, although to say they were built from pieces of discolored wood and rusty nails would definitely not be true. 

This little castle was built mostly by the brother, with some difficulty. He kept accidentally hitting his hands with a hammer, which only made playful laughter bubble from the girl and boy. Hiccup’s breeze shook a little, betraying his own non-physical chuckle. It looked like this castle could fall apart if Hiccup were to blow air at just the right weak spots.

He, of course, didn’t do that. That would be rude, and instead drifted a light gust of wind through the spot the siblings sat. His wind rustled against the hair of the sister and brother, gentle but present. 

He saw the boy's lips quirk up, raising his fingers to Hiccup’s wind. If Hiccup could smile, he’d be mirroring the boy’s expression. He liked to imagine his cold breeze was helping to soothe the aches from this boy's hands. He liked it when people appreciated his presence.

The girl copied her brother’s gesture, raising her own hands. “Why do you do that?” She asked.

The boy smiled a bit more as he closed his eyes.

“I like the wind. We’re good friends, the wind and I.”

Hiccup’s wind slowed down slightly around the two, hesitantly but curiously twirling closer around the boy. ..maybe in surprise too. There was a strange bubbling feeling in him, filling the air all around them.

He’s talking to me?

But that couldn’t be the case. No one knows the wind, or at least knows it’s more alive than humans would know. He’s been spoken to but never directly. 

Yet it seemed this boy knew, somehow.

The girl snorted. “What are you talking about? That wasn’t what you said last week, when the wind almost pulled the roof off our house.”

Hiccup doesn’t mean to, but his breeze shook a little, mimicking laughter. He rustled a small gust through the boy’s brown hair, as if to say ‘ she has a point.’

The boy still had a smile on his face, briefly patting his hair back down. “It can’t always be this gentle.” He replied. “It has emotions just like we do.”

Hiccup paused, or at least the equivalent of stopping momentarily. There’s a stillness for a beat, stopping like that of holding your breath. Maybe Hiccup really would be smiling. 

That familiar feeling from before in him bubbled happily. Yes, he thinks. I do have emotions, just like you two do.

This boy was talking to him.

“Do you really think so?” The little girl asked.

The boy kept his smile. There’s a certain tilt to it, almost as if he was holding a secret that’s just between him and the wind. Like he truly did believe in what he told his sister. That the wind could feel and think just like these two could.

“Yeah.” Is all he said.

And Hiccup twirled around the girl and boy even more, wind soft and gentle.

I believe him, his breeze whispered. Even if they couldn’t see Hiccup, not physically, he felt like this boy did.

The brother opened his eyes, stretching his arms out. “Besides, it’s kinda nice when it’s not gentle as well. Maybe one day it’ll whisk me away and teach me how to fly. Like a leaf.”

You’d certainly be the first human to try, even if I could make that happen, Hiccup thought amusingly.

His sister frowned skeptically, but she copied his pose anyway. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

The brother shrugged. “What’s life without a little danger?”

Hiccup’s breeze rustled the nearby trees, pulling some leaves down to the forest floor and around the hilltop. He thought on the words for a moment, before rising a little above their heads. 

He thinks he agrees with this boy.

“That does sound like something you would say.” The girl rolled her eyes at her brother, who just smirked back at her.

They continued talking, and Hiccup felt the tug of the winds curling inside where his body would be. There are other places that need his wind and breeze right now, but a part of him wanted to stay behind to continue listening to these two humans. It’s been a long time since he truly felt like he was being talked to. Really talked to.

I’ll come back to visit you, his wind whispered, a soft gust curling around the hair of the sister and brother. The boy looked up into the sky, and for a moment.. Hiccup almost thought he was looking at him.

But the boy just smiled, his grin turning a little brighter as he answered his sister.

“I think it’s fun to experience a little danger. It makes life more interesting.”

He drifted one more warm breeze in their direction, on top of the small hilltop with the boy and girl building a little castle. The boy’s smile never leaves his face.

Hiccup watched them for one last minute, before letting his wind take him away through the sky. 

It’s snowing, that was the first thing Hiccup noticed when he glided through the layer of clouds in the sky. 

It’s cold, and Hiccup would shiver if he could, but he continued to where he’ll be. It’s not long before his breeze swept through the clouds as a snowy forest landscape appeared below him, and he slowly spiraled down to that familiar frozen pond. 

From the bird eye’s perspective he had, the pond appeared to be covered by a thin blanket of snow. Hiccup couldn’t see the ice. He descended, carefully, gently, next to someone..

...Someone he cared so deeply for, and missed so much all the same.

He felt a strange sensation inside, mentally snorting at the thought. Missing someone who’s right beside me, ironic isn’t it..

But that’s what it was, right? 

That’s been one of the things he felt, along with the hundreds of other emotions that threatened to spill out of him. The ones that dare threatened to burst out if he didn’t maintain his control. Just by seeing the boy next to him again, finding him over seven hundred years later..

..Only to lose sight of him, and find him like this years later.

Jack Frost was sitting against the base of one particular giant oak tree growing near his pond. His face wasn’t showing any strong emotion, eyes impassive as he brushed a hand gently over the grooves of the tree’s roots. His other hand tapped absently, slowly on his staff.

That oak tree was one Hiccup vaguely remembered seeing during that horrible memory all those centuries ago, a blurry object in the scenery to what filled in the last piece to who exactly Jack was, so long ago.

The memory of Jackson’s death.

Even with so many memories of Hiccup’s mortal life being both clear and hazy, the ones he finally remembered about Jack were nearly vivid. Even thinking about it now, the shock of those memories sharply flooding back into his mind would’ve made him short of breath. 

In a way, it almost scared Hiccup how he remembered everything again.

And it made something in his being twist, a strange sense of sadness knowing Hiccup remembered so much more about Jack’s life, than Jack himself did sitting here right now.

And I won’t be able to tell him any of that, not until.. another three centuries.. Hiccup lamented sadly, painfully..

There was a small shuffle from beside him, and Hiccup used the sound as a distraction to shake himself out of his own melancholy thoughts. He focused on what Jack was doing, and for a heart-stopping moment he thought Jack could see him. Hiccup would’ve held his breath if he could, but he, unfortunately, didn’t need to worry.

Jack’s eyes flickered up to the sky, snow falling from gray clouds as they drifted slowly onto his hair and face. It's like he was matching the small winter wonderland around them. A few of the snowflakes drifted onto his face. His brown cloak subtly fluttered in the chilly breeze. 

Jack smiled softly.

“Oh. Hey, wind. I didn’t think you would be here. I’m just helping around a bit. Fall’s almost over, so I thought I would help move things along.” He told the wind—he told Hiccup.

Hiccup drifted up a little, floating closer near the spot Jack was sitting. He can’t answer, but he pretends he could as he wafted a cold gust of wind through Jack’s snowy hair.

I didn’t know, Hiccup thinks. But I suppose you’re excited to bring winter here, huh?

Jack let out a soft chuckle from Hiccup’s breeze ruffling his hair. A warm, painful sensation swirled inside Hiccup at the sound.

Jack shook off the snow that piled on his hair and cloak, still smiling. “Yeah, yeah. But.. I guess I’m just looking forward to the next few months. Winter is the best season, you know.”

Hiccup would have laughed, his breeze fluttering comfortingly. I know you think so. He drifted around the snowy clearing and around the pond. Jack watched his wind twirl about the clearing, a small smile appearing on his face. Hiccup settled back near Jack.

You make it easy to love winter.

You make it easy to love almost everything cold. All of the snow, all of the ice, all of the weather and fun that winter brings with it. 

You make it easy to.. love…

Hiccup visibly felt his form shake, like that of an unsteady breath. That ironic bitterness bubbled inside himself again. He couldn’t say it, and it made something hurt inside of him.. It always did whenever he couldn’t..

To his slight surprise, Jack picked up on the slight pause in the wind. He looked up into the air a little, an open and curious expression on his face.

“I take it you’re not as energetic to do too much right now?” Jack asked quietly.

Hiccup lowered, thinking silently for a moment. To test that, he stretched his senses around the pond, and attempted to pull down the last remaining leaves from the trees around them. His wind picked up around the pond, a low whistle filled the clearing… but the energy to do that today wasn’t with Hiccup it seemed. He felt only a couple of the leaves fall and swept across the pond.

When he focused back on Jack, Hiccup noticed that he’d been watching the leaves dance across the pond.

Hiccup floated near him, before creating a breeze to blow the leaves right into Jack’s face.

Jack laughed more brightly, waving off the leaves with his staff. “Alright, I get it. Not in the mood to join me in causing blizzards or snowstorms then.”

Hiccup lowered down just barely to blow a small sharp breeze right at Jack’s forehead. I think you should wait until we’re actually deeper into winter for the blizzards and snowstorms. 

Jack pulled back from his breeze to place a hand over the spot Hiccup had flicked him, glaring at the air above him.

“Very funny, wind. If I didn’t know any better I would think you actually like needling me every time we’re together.” He pouted.

Hiccup twirled around Jack. His wind picked up bits of the snow blanketed on the ground around Jack, drifting up into the air slightly. He felt himself bubble a bit with happiness.

No, that’s totally false. I definitely don’t get any enjoyment out of this, Hiccup mockingly thought.

Jack followed Hiccup’s breeze swirling around him, and his small glare was quickly replaced with a sad smile.

“..It’s nice to talk with someone, at least.” He murmured.

And it hurt, it would continue to hurt Hiccup to hear Jack have to say things like that..

Hiccup let his wind slowly drift the snow back on the ground. He drifted a little above Jack as he watched him press his cheek against his staff, leaning on it slightly.

“I still don’t really know what I’m supposed to be doing, honestly.” Jack said quietly. “Other than you, I haven’t met any other spirits or beings like me.”

A small but sharp pang of guilt filled Hiccup. Hiccup knew this too well now.. Back when he was human, there were still pieces to Jack’s life as a spirit that Hiccup didn’t understand even after everything that happened.

And it truly was with an ironic bitterness how Hiccup can look back now, and understood.  

Even with the Archipelago, filled with so many magical beings as there were… meeting other spirits, or at least ones similar to Hiccup were scarce. He remembered how, even though he eventually got all his memories of his mortal life back.. He’d still been scared when he woke up as a spirit. Even with Toothless by Hiccup’s side, it took him centuries to remember all the details of his mortal life that hadn’t been about Jack.

..It really made Hiccup wonder why spirits couldn’t at least get more straightforward answers. 

Jack paused, before a small grimace set on his face.

“Well, I guess he also counts.” Jack looked up at the sky as he said that, and Hiccup could unfortunately very well guess who he was referring to.

They couldn’t see him right now, but Hiccup knew the Moon was up there, watching over everyone.

Hiccup heard Jack scoff. He watched him twirl his staff around, seeing the ice dance along the whorls in the wood wherever Jack would place his fingers on his staff.

“Wonder if he has a record for how long he hasn’t talked, seems like an absolutely fun game.” Jack’s voice dripped with barely concealed frustration.

Hiccup curled loosely around Jack, his wind subtly fluttering the edges of his cloak.

Yeah, the Moon’s made me want to yell for hours on end at him too.

Hiccup didn’t like those moments where the frustration and anger would get to him too. He’s been around for more than half a millennium, and while he wasn’t nearly as isolated as Jack had been.. It didn’t mean Hiccup didn’t have difficult days. Not just days, sometimes months.. even years.

Being a spirit was.. truly amazing in many ways. He could do things he never thought possible, experience magic and see beings that he never thought were real. And it was absolutely incredible that there was so, so much more beyond the Archipelago than what he could only imagine in his mortal life.

But… even with all those things he could experience as a spirit.

Hiccup thought, really thought.. 

If he hadn’t had Toothless by his side through all those centuries, Hiccup imagined his immortal life would’ve been darker.. and lonelier.

So Hiccup wanted to be there at Jack’s side, whenever he could. Because even if he couldn’t truly reveal himself, not until the time finally came..

Hiccup would do everything he could to make sure Jack didn’t feel completely alone.

He’s brought back to the present when he heard a soft sound come from Jack.

Jack is looking off in the distance, looking over the tall pine trees at something over the horizon. It’s only when Hiccup focused his attention on where he was looking, that he was able to guess what Jack was thinking about. A barely visible warm glow shimmered over the trees far away.

Hiccup circled around Jack with a cold breeze, picking up some snow before blowing it gently in the direction where he was looking.

Is that the village you’re from? Hiccup asked.

Jack brushed his white bangs aside, his attention still on the horizon.

“That was the first place I visited when I first.. Woke up. I.. I don’t know the name, but it’s a nice place. Even if no one there.. you know...”

He was smiling, but there was a twinge of sorrow. 

Hiccup brushed a gentle breeze against Jack’s cheek.

It was the only thing he could think to do to comfort him.

He watched Jack close his eyes briefly, watching him take a slow breath before opening his eyes again.

Jack stood up, holding his staff over his shoulder as he looked up into the air. “Actually, I don’t think we ever visited the other villages further away together.”

Hiccup drifted above Jack, curiously swirling his wind around his pond. That was right, he had seen some smaller villages up north and south from Jack’s village. He hasn’t had time to visit them himself, it wasn’t like he had much reason to when Jack was almost always here at his pond.

“They’re far away from here, but I think we can probably visit them in no time before the day ends.” Jack’s familiar smile returned.

“You interested in doing some sightseeing with me, wind?” He asked Hiccup.

And the answer was too obvious.

Hiccup swooped down and quickly swirled around Jack, his wind picking Jack up with renewed excitement and throwing him up in the air. Jack let out surprised laughs, adjusting himself in the wind before shooting upwards with the help of Hiccup’s strong breezes.

They flew upwards and breached through the cloudy layer in the sky. Jack laughed as Hiccup’s wind curled around him, the biting cold air spiraling all around them.

“Well you certainly seem energetic now!” Jack chuckled loudly as he flew on ahead. “Come on, let’s head to the north village first. I bet those guys could do with some snow!” He smiled widely.

Jack spun around in the air, before doing a loop in one of Hiccup’s wind currents and flying straight ahead.

Let’s just hope you don’t ‘accidentally’ snow them in, he thought amusingly.

Hiccup could do nothing but follow Jack, feeling his very essence swirl with joy as he flew forward.

Time had passed the next time Hiccup was able to come visit Jack. 

He wasn’t quite sure how much—his mind was more hazy when he spent most of it in his wind form nowadays—but it was definitely the winter again.

He drifted through the cloud layer, flying through the cold drafts as the sun shone over the expansive clouds. Rays of gold painted the sky with a beautiful sunset. Vaguely, he wondered if Toothless would’ve loved to see the view here. The sun didn’t usually set for a few hours more here, not compared to where old Berk was— with its months of complete darkness during winter.

It was only when Hiccup was deeper in his thoughts when he felt a presence somewhere around him. And it was only after said presence came shooting right out of the cloud layer below him that Hiccup got shocked with surprise.

“Nice to see you out and about!”

Jack appeared right up from above the clouds, crossing his legs over each other as he flew backwards in a sitting position. He had a wide smirk on his face.

Hiccup recovered from his surprise, before moving over to Jack and swirling around him.

And nice to see you too, how in the gods’ name did you know I was even here? He wondered.

His wind ruffled Jack’s hair even more, and his confusion somehow must’ve been apparent to the winter spirit, because Jack simply laughed.

“I’ve sometimes spent days flying without touching the ground once. I know when a certain wind draft or current feels a little different from the others.” Jack replied.

He then looked at wherever he assumed Hiccup’s main wind current was, giving a half smile.

“And I know my wind, too.” 

If Hiccup wasn’t already in his wind form, he’s almost certain he would’ve dematerialized in his human form.

He felt his form almost seem to flutter, joy bubbling at Jack just knowing where Hiccup was even if he wasn’t in his physical form.

More out of excitement than anything, Hiccup swooped down below Jack. Using his winds, he swirled the clouds below and lifted them up right into Jack’s path.

He was so busy watching Hiccup that Jack didn’t notice and turned right around to get a body full of fluffy clouds. Since they were clouds they didn’t have quite the same effect as snow, but it caused the reaction Hiccup wanted.

Jack laughed brightly as trails of cloud slowly fell behind him as he flew on. He turned around to look at where Hiccup was. It still amazed Hiccup at how Jack could almost always pinpoint where he was.

“Neat trick, but I can show you something more impressive.”

Hiccup immediately kept his attention on Jack as he started to prepare to do something. Jack uncurled from his sitting position and kicked off a couple more feet into the sky above.

He lifted his staff, and the crook at the top almost seemed to glow a bright blue. Light glimmered from the top as Jack swirled it around, and Hiccup could already feel the magic happening around them.

More clouds slowly began to form above them, layers of white and gray fluffy blankets covering more of the sky. The temperature dropped even more as Hiccup saw even Jack’s own breath become more visible in the air.

Hiccup watched Jack close his eyes as he swirled his staff in one wide circle in the air, before pushing his hands outward in opposite directions.

There’s a brief moment of nothing but the sound of wind filling the air around them.

Small snowflakes started falling from the clouds above. They slowly sprinkled down as more and more were welcomed in the sky.

Jack lowered his arms and looked around with a small but proud grin.

Hiccup would never get tired of seeing the way Jack used his powers. 

Years and years, Hiccup has been exposed to all kinds of magic and mythology beings. Some elemental, some purely creature based, some supernatural entities entirely.

Jack though, he never stopped being magical to Hiccup.

A much bigger snowflake floated down from where Hiccup floated near, and he watched as it drifted around playfully in the air.

Vaguely but vividly, a memory stirred at the back of Hiccup’s mind. A memory of Jack showing Hiccup and Toothless the first, true moment he’d asked to see him use his powers.

A snowflake shooting up into the sky. And then more beautiful snowflakes floating back down from the clouds above.

The memory slipped away as Hiccup was brought back to the present, seeing that Jack was flying around and looking down at the cloud layer below them.

Snowflakes and snow drifted through the air as the sun in the far distance slowly began to set more into the clouds.

Hiccup flew forward to where Jack was. He laughed and patted down his hair from Hiccup’s abrupt breeze.

“I hope you liked that show, it’s been awhile since I’ve gone a little more out like that.” Jack told him.

Hiccup would’ve rolled his eyes, so instead he just funneled snowflakes in the air with his breeze, and blew them into Jack’s face.

I think we both know you like showing off more than you let on.

Jack snorted and shook his head, clearing his hair of the snowflakes.

“Alright, I get it. But I can’t help it that winter just comes along with wherever I go.” He said with a smirk.

Well obviously, you’re literally the winter spirit. Hiccup would’ve chuckled.

Jack flew lower down to the cloud layer and put his free hand through the clouds below. He hummed softly.

“I think I’m near home now! Come on, wind. Let’s pay them a visit.” Jack then swooped down through the clouds and disappeared from the sky.

Home? Oh, Jack’s village. 

The name… The name was escaping Hiccup, but he had to remember.. What was the name..

A memory flickered. Hushed whispers while resting, traveling from island to island. Conversations of the past.. and of homes.

A spark, and then a name.

Hawthorne!

Hiccup’s wind swept through the cloudy layers below and followed Jack as the familiar forest came into view.

They flew through the snowy forest for a bit before finally spotting Jack’s village, Hawthorne.

Hiccup focused all around the village. It seemed to look the same, based on the last time Hiccup visited at least. The village seemed to have expanded a little, but he couldn’t be sure.

Jack flew from tree to tree around the borders of Hawthorne—more carefully than they’d been flying through the sky—before finally landing gently on one of the roofs of one of the small buildings.

Hiccup drifted down and curled around Jack gently, curiously looking around the village. Small pockets of snow blanketed the center of the village and covered the roofs of the buildings. Many people were out, chatting with each other or sitting close by the firepit in the square.

A couple of the children were sitting outside their homes. From what Hiccup could tell though, they seemed a bit bored, mostly watching their parents or the adults talking with each other.

Jack huffed, putting his staff over his shoulder. He crouched down and leaned over the roof a bit.

“Seems like the kids could use a little fun. Think you can help me a little with that?” He looked up and asked with a playful smile.

Hiccup’s wind picked up and twirled around him. You don’t even need to ask that one, Jack Frost.

Jack immediately grinned wider, and nodded at the air. Slowly, he leaned over the roof and pulled down his staff.

Then, with just a single tap with the crook, gorgeous frost patterns sprouted from where he’d touched the building’s wall below.

Hiccup watched Jack then hop from building to building, decorating more of the village with fern frost across the walls.

One of the kids seemed to have noticed. A young girl with brown hair had stopped walking and was pointing to the frost decorating the buildings.

“Hey, look at the pretty ice!” She exclaimed to her friends.

The other kids around took notice and similarly started looking around the village with awe.

Then, Jack stopped on one of the rooftops and raised his staff. He nodded at the air, and Hiccup took that as help. He swirled around Jack with his winds and watched as his staff flowed with that same bright blue light.

Then with a single swish of his staff, snow slowly started drifting from the clouds above. Tiny snowflakes glimmered in the low light of the sunset and drifted down on the village below.

Hiccup swirled around Hawthorne, helping to pull the snow and drifting it around the village. With the help of his breeze, the snowflakes drifted down lightly instead of with harsh force.

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing again!” One of the kids said excitedly.

Some adults had even stopped their business to look up at the snow around them.

Jack flew up and floated in the air, smiling down at Hawthorne as Hiccup could feel the temperature drop more. Not too sharply into the biting cold, but enough to be comfortable to play in the snow.

In only what seemed like minutes, snow started blanketing the village slowly as children began laughing and playing in the growing snow piles.

Hiccup watched as Jack flew around and discreetly made snowballs along the snow piles. He watched with growing amusement as kids grabbed them and started snowball fights now.

He made sure to use his wind to keep the snowfall from growing too heavy, but just enough to where there was plenty for Hawthorne to start making snowmen.

Two older kids had already managed to make a little snowman and showed it to their parents with pride near the border of the village. Another kid was drawing little pictures in the ground, smiling happily as his dog played in the snow too. One blonde kid threw piles of snowballs at the others, vaguely reminding him of Astrid.

Hiccup looked on with warmth as the village buzzed with a new kind of excitement, one Jack had helped make too.

Jack flew down and stood on the outside of Hawthorne. Hiccup drifted down and watched him. 

A soft, but distant smile was on his face.

A sense of longing rippled through Hiccup..

That little girl—the same one who’d noticed the frost in the village—walked through the village, looking up into the air.

It was only when she got closer to where Jack stood, completely unaware he was there that Hiccup was able to get a closer look at her face. It was only when she’d brushed her hair out of her face and Hiccup saw those brown eyes that he realized..

I recognize this girl.

The little girl looked around the snowy path, before looking like she was about to walk right through Jack.

Jack immediately took a few steps back. He’d snapped out of his watch over Hawthorne and back away from the little girl in front of him.

And then, before Hiccup could do anything.. Jack turned and took off into the air, disappearing through the snowy forest and clouds.

Oh Jack..

Hiccup wished he could comfort him, someway that was better than just being in his wind form..

The feeling of still being invisible to people, of still not being seen.. of them walking through you, and even worse.. by someone who..

You had loved…

Hiccup drifted through the air as snow continued to fall, slightly heavier now.

He looked back down at the girl, standing there at the edge of the village.

Her eyes looked.. almost lost.

A strong pang of sadness flowed through Hiccup, and he could feel it ripple across all his winds in the air.

He took a moment to watch Jack’s village one final time. He listened to the sounds of children laughing, the adults talking quietly with each other, the sound of snow drifting along the breeze, before focusing on the forest ahead and following Jack out of Hawthorne.

..Leaving Emily, to watch from her spot as snow landed on her nose from the sky.

When Hiccup came to visit Jack, it wasn’t snowing.

In fact, it wasn’t snowing or hailing.

Rain poured from the sky as Hiccup pushed through the air trying to find where the pond was. 

The harsh rain pour felt like they were ripping him apart, tearing into his form as he tried keeping his wind form together to fly through the weather. Rouge winds batted against Hiccup, nearly making him want to just give up and go back to the Archipelago.

But he had to see Jack, he’d been away for a lot longer than the last visit. The Archipelago had kept him busy, and Toothless had needed help with some troublesome dragon business that Hiccup had sorted out.

He could feel his form shaking more, rattling from within his own being. He was unstable, and he needed to find some spot to rest or else he’d dematerialize and take days to reform again.

Come on, come on.. Where is he? Where’s Jack?..

Hiccup spiraled out the way of a particularly violent gust of wind, and continued stretching his senses around to find Jack.. trying harder to focus through the noise of the rain and wind. 

And then finally, when Hiccup felt like he’d almost been drained of his energy.. he could feel Jack’s presence, and the familiar shape of the giant oak tree stood far off west.

Hiccup sharpened his senses and flew through the rain and rogue winds, traveling and slipping through tall pine trees before flying spotting Jack..

And Jack was.. sitting there, hidden under the giant outgrown roots of the giant oak tree. He looked like he’d situated himself between the grooves of the biggest roots to protect himself from the rain.

..Though, if Hiccup had to be honest, it didn’t look like Jack was trying his best to cover himself from the elements.

Hiccup felt his form shake unsteadily, and quickly spiraled down the pond clearing to where Jack sat.

When he let himself drift slightly, a space just below the tree root above Jack, it surprised Hiccup to see that Jack hadn’t made any attempt to dry himself from the rain.

The cloak around his shoulders was wet, but Hiccup could see small crystals of ice beginning to form at the edge of his cloak. His staff was placed between some smaller roots, the ice on it however wasn’t there as it typically was whenever Jack held it.

And Jack himself.. He wasn’t looking at Hiccup. In fact he wasn’t particularly looking at anything. His head seemed intentionally casted down, his white hair covering his eyes. Based on where he was looking though, Hiccup thought he was staring ahead at the edge of the pond. Jack sat with his legs crossed with his arms held close to his body.

Hiccup couldn’t read his face right now, and it made him worry. Jack hadn’t even made any sign of noticing his presence.

To make sure Jack did know he was here, Hiccup summoned a gentle breeze and drifted it through Jack’s bangs. 

Hiccup almost dissipated when he saw crystallized tears near the corners of Jack’s eyes.

He immediately dropped his wind, feeling the air grow more static as Hiccup accidentally made all the winds around the clearing stop. 

The sound of the rain pouring around them seemed to grow louder once Hiccup realized what he did. Guilt filled him as he looked at Jack.. who was definitely aware of his presence now.

Jack was looking at the direction where Hiccup’s breeze came from, which happened to be where Hiccup was mostly drifting. He’d barely turned his head though..

..I visited you at a bad time.

And yet, Jack still managed to crack a smile.. but a small, saddened one.

“Heh.. I guess it’s kind of pathetic seeing me like this, huh?”

Jack’s voice was soft, but caught on a few times on his words. “I’m.. not really in the mood to do anything right now, sorry.”

Hiccup could see slight layers of dried ice on his pale cheeks now.

You’ve been crying for a while.. Hiccup thought painfully.

He slowly floated closer to Jack, almost touching him.. if he could..

Hiccup wished he could hold his hand.

He curled a gentle breeze around Jack, his wind a soft hum of concern. He wondered if Jack could even hear it through the rain.

Jack understood though—he almost always did—and his smile grew, but just barely.

He didn’t say anything. Hiccup waited, patiently resting there by Jack’s side. The sound of the rain pattered on in the background, the noise soon becoming nothing but white noise as Hiccup stayed there by Jack’s side.

And then, after a long stretch of silence..

“..It’s been seventeen years since I first woke up here.”

Hiccup looked at Jack. He was still letting his hair fall over his eyes, looking on ahead at the pond in front of them.

He lowered a small gust of wind on Jack’s free hand, to let him know the wind—that Hiccup—was listening.

Jack paused, before continuing in a hushed voice..

“Maybe I’m a bit messed up or something.. but I think it’s kind of funny how I’ve managed to exist for this long, and yet I still don’t know what I'm supposed to be doing.”

Jack straightened up, finally moving his bangs from his eyes. Hiccup wished he could wipe the crystallized tears from his eyes.

“Haha, oh man.. ” Jack gave an ironic smile. “It’s like all I’m good for is to just make it winter and that’s it. Not even worth the time for anyone to bother thinking I even exist.”

Jack’s smile faded and turned to a scowl. 

“No one ever sees me. Not a single person, no one. A-and it’s not just people, any spirits like me.. I haven’t met even one face to face! They’re ‘too busy’ doing whatever mysterious thing they’re doing. Can’t be bothered to help their fellow spirit understand why I’m even here.”

The bite of his words rattled inside Hiccup as he felt himself bubble both with frustration and guilt. 

Hiccup himself has dealt with spirits he never got a chance to even meet in person, if he even made that far. The Archipelago was filled with supernatural entities and creatures, but none that were sentient spirits enough like Jack or Hiccup. 

But.. Did that make Hiccup any better? He knew unfortunately why he couldn’t speak to Jack, why he couldn’t show himself to him. 

He couldn’t risk unraveling something that dangerous, time tampering was never something you should mess with.. Least something like what happened to Jack all those centuries ago would’ve happened again but on a much more catastrophic level.. 

But..

That never stopped Hiccup’s guilt. The guilt that ate at the back of his mind on horrible days like these, the days where his presence wasn’t enough to stop Jack from tearing up like this..

It made Hiccup wonder if he was even any better than those spirits that didn’t even approach Jack.. not speaking to him at all..

It made him wonder if he even deserved to be visiting Jack like this..

There’s a small sound from beside Hiccup, and he’s enough to temporarily pull him from his spiraling to see Jack was tearing up.

Hiccup drifted closer to him, and his sadness must’ve been too apparent because Jack actually moved away a little.

“I just..” Jack paused, wiping his eyes between breaths.

“I just wish I knew why I'm here.. If.. If I’m actually a bad guy, or something. I wish someone could just tell me, then I’d at least know why people don’t see me..”

There’s a brief pause. And then Jack gave a soft laugh.

“Maybe I’m just supposed to be alone. Maybe no one can see because I played one too many pranks, huh, wind?..” Jack raised his head and gave the spot where Hiccup was a pained, bitter smile.

Hiccup swirled closer to Jack, he couldn’t comfort him in the way he wanted to.. but he had to, because none of what Jack said or believed was true.

You’re so much more than just ‘the spirit who brings winter.’ Hiccup thought.

You enjoy bringing smiles to kids. You enjoy letting them experience winter even in places where snow shouldn’t be possible.

Hiccup curled his winds around him even more, and Jack was watching him. 

You aren’t a bad person.. I promise my word you aren’t. I’m so sorry that I can’t make it easier.. 

But I promise, you deserve to be here. Hiccup’s wind whispered, trying with all of his being to will Jack to hear that, somehow.

Jack deserved to be seen, and people would see him.. They would in time.

He just.. He just needed to be strong.

But until then.. 

Only spirits who cared to give Jack time would be able to see him.

Unfortunately, Jack didn’t seem like his spirits had been lifted. 

Because Hiccup was still only just the wind, and no matter what.. even if Jack could sense what Hiccup felt most of the time..

He couldn’t talk, and that would always be a barrier Hiccup couldn’t breach that far.

Jack reached for his staff, swiping at the iced tears near his eyes. He moved from out under the tree roots and stepped back from the rain.

“Thanks for letting me ramble like that, I guess..” Jack whispered. “I think I’m going to fly somewhere else for a bit though, someplace that isn’t rainy.”

Jack looked down at the spot where he’d been sitting, before giving a sad smile. “..Maybe a change in scenery will help my mood, then I’ll have the energy to make it snowy again.”

And this time, Hiccup didn’t follow. This time, he could only watch Jack rise into the air as rain started pouring onto him.

Before he left, Jack turned around and looked down at the pond clearing. He looked at the root grove, where Hiccup was.

Jack smiled softly, solemnly. “Thanks, wind. I’ll.. I’ll catch up with you later.” 

And then he disappeared, flying through the rain and disappearing through the dark sky above.

Feelings of guilt and sadness clawed at Hiccup again, violently stronger than before.

Hiccup had so many of the answers to what Jack wanted, so many things that he could tell him to help ease and even stop Jack’s pain from being alone for so long..

But he couldn’t ever tell Jack, always, always not yet. Not yet, and it was going to Hiccup to tear him apart from the inside out.

It stormed inside him, more violently and louder more and more.

He had to get out of here, he couldn’t take it. He couldn’t risk chasing after Jack while he was this unstable.

Quickly and violently, Hiccup shot up through the air and into the sky. He couldn’t even feel the sharp pain as the rain felt it was slicing through his form. He could feel his essence almost burning from the inside out, but he couldn’t stay there as the feelings blazed inside him.

Time immediately began to blur as he flew. He flew to the only place he knew on instinct, the one place he could never forget how to travel to.

Distantly he could see through his vision, almost as if he was far away, vibrant colors as he traveled along the path that only spirits knew.

The horizon below him blurred and distorted. The biting cold swirled all around as his winds helped guide him home to the Archipelago. And then, finally.. he returned, to the far edge of the island of old Berk.

Out of the corner of his vision, Hiccup saw the spot where old Berk would’ve been before immediately feeling himself lose focus. 

The guilt and sadness from not being able to help Jack more than he could, made his feelings of missing Berk more violent. Every time he saw this spot, every time he saw this island.. No matter how hazy his memories were.. No matter how much it changed over the years..

He still missed it, so much.

All of Hiccup’s emotions today spiraled inside him, nearly overwhelming him..

And then he felt heavier.

I need to land, I can't stay in this form.

Hiccup flew through the island, trying his best to keep himself from losing control of his winds. He could feel himself growing heavier and heavier..

And then he spotted it. Just vaguely in the distance, a small open clearing where the trees were parted. Just below it was a cliff that showed a clear view of the ocean.

That same spot.. centuries ago..

Hiccup drifted forward to the cliff clearing, nearly colliding with a tree and then before he knew it..

He landed on the ground roughly. His wind form disappeared as his physical body took the place of where his core was. Hiccup couldn’t catch himself as he fell on his side and hit the ground harshly.

Hiccup groaned in pain as he tried picking himself off the ground. It’s been a while since he’s had a landing that rough.

What he didn’t expect though was the sensation of warm scales under his side and pushing him up.

Hiccup turned to see no other than Toothless churning softly at him. His pale green eyes looked over him with a worried and curious look.

He just smiled at his best friend, using the dragon’s support to push himself up. “Thanks, Toothless.. Just flew a bit more clumsily, that’s all.”

Hiccup sat upward and looked ahead from the cliff clearing. The sound of the ocean waves rippled across the cliffs as Hiccup tried calming his emotions down. The stars in the night sky sparkled above.

Toothless nudged against Hiccup’s side. He turned to see the dragon giving him a flat look.

“Don’t you have dragons you should be lecturing right now?” Hiccup asked half-dryly.

Toothless made a motion with his shoulders that looked almost like a shrug. He made a low huff, below walking forward and dropping his head down on Hiccup’s lap. He stared up at Hiccup with expectant eyes.

Hiccup let out a soft sigh. “Fine. It’s just.. It’s just about Jack.”

Toothless’ ear flips immediately perked up upon hearing Jack’s name, but they dropped the moment he seemed to see the expression on Hiccup’s face. And because Hiccup knew better.. Toothless could probably sense the spiraling mess of emotions within Hiccup too.

Hiccup bowed his head slightly, letting his bangs fall over his eyes. “I just.. I wish I could just tell him. Tell him everything, I don’t know..”

Toothless churred sadly, leaning his head further into Hiccup’s hand. Toothless no doubt missed being able to see Jack too.

“I hate that I can’t though, because.. because dealing with time nonsense like this is never good! But Jack having to deal with this for three centuries? I can’t help but worry that.. What if it somehow goes wrong..?”

Hiccup felt his eyes water, before immediately fighting back the sensation. He couldn’t crack, not now, not especially after being there to see what Jack has to deal with for so long.

He took an unsteady breath. “What if I do end up messing up anyway? I want to be there but sometimes it’s not enough.. And I feel so.. so..”

Memories flashed through Hiccup’s mind. Distant, hazy, but clear memories.

‘Nothing but a useless Viking.’

Warm scales pressed into Hiccup’s hand again and then against his chest.

He looked down to see Toothless looking at those wide, but still intelligent pupils.

Toothless gave a soft thrill, before looking up towards the stars above the cliff clearing.

Hiccup looked up at the stars, glistening in the night sky above.

He watched them with Toothless, taking steady breaths as he felt his emotions slowly, but steadily started leveling out. Toothless stayed as a solid presence by Hiccup’s side.

Hiccup took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He’d spent so much time in his wind form that he sometimes forgot how.. nice.. it was to actually  breathe.. And it helped ground him.

Toothless let out a curious rumble, and Hiccup let out a slow breath and opened his eyes. He leaned down and pressed the side of his face to Toothless’ head.

“Thanks for calming me down, bud.”

The hard truth was.. Hiccup couldn’t always find a way to comfort Jack.

And Hiccup couldn’t just make those negative feelings of his own failings go away.. but, that didn’t mean he wasn’t gonna stop being there. The best Hiccup could do and continue to do was just be there for Jack whenever he could. It’ll still be difficult, but Jack wouldn’t be going through this completely alone.

Hiccup has to wait, and he will try his best to continue to wait.. for as long as he has to until the time comes.

Toothless’ breathing slowed as the Night Fury’s eyes slowly drooped and the weight of his head became heavier on Hiccup’s lap.

Hiccup just shook his head and smiled, before giving the stars in the sky one last look.

If he squinted enough, he could see one constellation make the shape of Jack’s staff.

“I’ll see you soon..” Hiccup whispered.

Hiccup found him sitting on top of a hill that looked very familiar.

The hill overlooked the forest all around them, and was just able to see the distant view of Hawthorne over the horizon.

The sky was a clear pale blue, and a slight chill could be felt in the air.

Jack was swirling a pile of snow from where he was sitting, which was definitely out of place during the springtime.

Hesitantly, Hiccup floated down through the wind and drifted near Jack. The winter spirit seemed to have already noticed his presence, because Hiccup saw the barely minute way Jack had tilted his head up to the air.

But, just to be sure, Hiccup guided a gust of wind through the tall blades of grass where Jack sat. His wind accidently picked up a part of the snow pile Jack had been making, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

Jack finally looked up, and it was a comfortable smile as he watched Hiccup play around with the grass and snow through the air. Hiccup’s wind twirled the snow around, before blowing it across Jack’s lap and onto the hilltop.

“It’s great to see you again, wind. Thought you would be too busy since it’s spring, more windy weather and rain.” Jack noted.

Hiccup’s wind circled around Jack and he blew a sharp breeze at his hair.

You know that I try my best to make time for you.

Jack chuckled, patting his white hair back down. “Haha, okay then. I’m kind of on break—as you know already—so I’m just relaxing for a while.”

Then in a softer voice that Hiccup almost didn’t catch..

“I think I needed it, anyway..”

Hiccup drifted near Jack, pausing in a spot on the grassy hilltop. A sense of familiarity filled him as he took in his time to be with Jack again.

Jack didn’t say anything, and Hiccup lets the comfortable silence fill the space around them. The distant chirping of birds can be heard from the forest as Hiccup floated slowly around Jack. A different breeze blew across the hilltop, warm and gentle as the two spirits just soaked in peace.

After a while, Jack then looked up into the air where Hiccup flew gently. He watched him tap his staff, frost dancing along the whorls of the wood.. then he spoke.

“You know how I talked about how I haven’t met any other human-like spirits like me, back a while ago?” Jack asked softly.

Hiccup circled around Jack. Of course, I’d never just forget. Did you find something out about that?

“Well.. It turns out there’s a reason. And it’s.. actually kind of a sad one.” Jack continued quietly, idly swirling his staff in the grass.

“It’s because.. spirits.. They’re disappearing from the world.”

Hiccup slowed his wind, the stillness he left in the air made everything feel more quiet. He drifted down to where Jack sat.

What..? Spirits are disappearing? But.. why? 

Jack looked into the air, an impassive but solemn expression in his blue eyes.

“It’s part of the reason why I’ve barely met any spirits—one’s like me,” Jack gestured to himself. “And why I’ve only met non-physical ones, spirits or sprites like you, wind.”

If Hiccup could frown, he would. He had no idea this was happening. He hadn’t experienced any less supernatural entities or sprites disappearing from the Archipelago. In fact, anytime Toothless and him managed to scout around the islands in the free time they had, everything still seemed to thrive with life, magical or otherwise.

But then… He wasn’t in the Archipelago, was he? He was in the main lands, the continents. He’d run into spirits and sprites of all kinds when he traveled around the Earth, but..

As Hiccup shuffled through his memories, he slowly began to realize.. He did run into less and less spirits as the centuries passed. They’d faded from his memory, and he could no longer remember the faces of those he met long ago.

It made a feeling of concern ripple through him, to know this had been happening for centuries.. And he’d somehow been unaware. But how long had this started happening? And.. why? Why were spirits beginning to disappear..?

Hiccup focused back on Jack to see he was brushing his free hand over the tall grass below him. A stray breeze rippled across the sky, sending waves along the grass on the hilltop.

“..A couple weeks ago I met a spirit, but they didn’t have a human form like me. They actually were more like.. the entire plains, they said they were the land, the fields, the hills..” Jack smiled slightly.

“A nature spirit, kind of like you, wind.” He told Hiccup.

His wind circled curiously around Jack. Really? That’s.. actually really cool.

Hiccup himself hasn’t met any spirit that’s been able to shift between a human-like form and a non-physical one. He’d be lying if he said he wasn't a bit curious about this nature spirit Jack had met, even if they hadn’t had a human-like form.

“They told me about how there’s all kinds of spirits, how there’s more than just ones that look like me. Like human.” Jack threw his staff over his shoulder, before giving a slight snort.

“I already knew things like that, since I know you . ” He pointed up at Hiccup’s winds. “But I guess I’ve gotten so focused on actually meeting.. spirits like me that I just.. forgot that there’s also many spirits that aren’t just shaped like humans, ones that are non-physical.”

Hiccup drifted down and paused to think. He couldn’t roll his eyes, so instead he just blew an intentionally sharp wind right through Jack’s hair.

Jack let out a startled yelp before just holding himself in place once Hiccup stopped his wind. Hiccup would’ve laughed at the look Jack gave him.

“I literally said I didn’t forget about you, no need to be sassy about it.” Jack replied, before just shaking his head with amusement.

There’s a moment of brief silence. Jack’s head then titled down, and his expression became more closed off. 

“It was how I found out about spirits disappearing.. They told me spirits, old ones like them were fading away.”

“But then they.. stopped speaking to me after telling me I had to travel and learn more. I think they’re gone now, too.” Jack said quietly.

He heard Jack breath in shakily. “It was nice talking to someone.. Someone who could at least understand a little.”

Hiccup flew near Jack and curled his wind gently around him. A pang of sadness seeped through Hiccup as he thought on Jack's words.

Spirits are disappearing.. Old spirits..

Hiccup really, really hoped he didn’t count as one of them.. 

But even then, Jack hadn’t been able to figure that out.. Why were spirits disappearing?

Jack was quiet for a moment, and that’s when Hiccup heard him speak more softly..

“It's because the world is changing.” He whispered.

The world.. is changing? But.. Hiccup thought.

It’s been changing for a long time, it’s always been changing. Why did it matter that it was starting to have a bigger effect in only recent centuries?..

Jack looked up at where Hiccup was circling around the hill. His wind rippled across the grass as Jack spoke on.

“Less and less people are believing in spirits. And the ones that do believe in magical beings, the humans who pass on their fairytale: and fables.. They.. they aren’t able to carry on their traditions, not anymore with more people trying to find homes here and pushing them out.” Jack rambled on.

Hiccup watched him start fidgeting with his staff, a worried look now present in his eyes.

“But it’s.. it’s still so confusing. If spirits like us are disappearing then.. Why am I here? I still don’t know why I even exist.” Jack whispered.

“If everyone else is starting to disappear, how come I haven’t disappeared either? What makes me so.. different from all the other spirits..?”

Jack lowered his head and his eyes were no longer visible.

Hiccup didn’t know how he could answer. Even if he could’ve, he couldn’t give Jack the one Hiccup really wanted to say. He wasn’t even physically able to..

Because Jack would be more than what he thought he was here. He was a Guardian. There was an amazing reason why he existed and needed to exist, not just for himself but for everyone else who loved him. For the Guardians, for his family, for other kids, for Jamie and Sophie.

And.. for Hiccup.

Slowly, he curled around Jack with his gentle blanketing winds.

You’re so much more than you think you are, just you wait..

The sound of nothing of the breeze drifted across the hilltop as Jack said nothing more.

Hiccup didn’t notice, but somewhere during the quiet lapse of peace.. 

Jack’s face gradually lost the sadness in his frown, and it was replaced with a small smile.

Hiccup was not okay, not on this particular day that he visited Jack.

Instead of doing anything about it—or even staying away, like he should’ve—he stubbornly decided to see Jack anyway. He was using the visit as a distraction from all the nonsense he had to deal with in the last couple of months.

As Hiccup flew through the night, watching the stars sparkle in the sky above, he felt himself boil a little with the feelings that had been sitting with him from before. Frustration and hot anger flickered inside him.

Being the only spirit around the northernmost islands around the Archipelago did not mean that Hiccup didn’t deal with magical mishaps. 

Said magical mishaps often included scuffles with other supernatural beings, disputes and fights he had to use his diplomacy, on top of watching over everything to make sure no malicious forces had made their home there.. and of course the occasional dragon problem.

Toothless almost always helped when it came to any sort of dragon issue that came up, but he couldn’t always solve the problem. It sometimes made Hiccup want to laugh a little at how out of control the dragons could get, and it was only when Hiccup and Toothless were together that even the most troublesome dragons would listen when they came out of hiding.

Hiccup wasn’t perfect though, because he never was. Sometimes he couldn’t handle things in a neat bow. Sometimes there were just too playful sprites or magical entities that decided they didn’t want to listen to the wind spirit that was helping them protect their home.

It made Hiccup want to violently rip apart the land and ground. To see the ocean split open and crash down its waves violently when he pushed his giant winds against the waters. To see everything in the sky become battered and disorientated when the wind currents stopped helping others and causing chaos.

Hiccup controlled himself as best as he could to not let those urges get to him though. He had to keep his head, this was his duty as a protector. He knew that. He knew that.

But that didn’t stop him from having off days. 

The past few weeks he’d lost his control temperament more, slashed out perhaps more harshly than he should’ve. He needed to travel to get things off his mind.

However it seemed even old habits, even mortal ones, died hard.

You’re running away again, you always do.  

The voice nudged uncomfortably at the back of his mind.

Can’t handle a couple days of bad luck and you run to him? No wonder any other spirits barely talk to you, too.

Hiccup violently tumbled across the sky. He could feel his winds clumsily and awkwardly hitting pine trees as he tried pushing those thoughts away.

He’d been so disorientated that Hiccup hadn’t even noticed he finally made it to Jack’s pond. Not until Jack himself intentionally frosted over the pond was Hiccup’s attention finally pulled away from his own mind.

Jack was looking up into the air, a quietly thoughtful expression flashed across his face.

“Hm.. The air feels a little different today. Are you a little different today, wind?” He asked.

Hiccup was relieved to see Jack, but even seeing him wasn’t able to shake the negative feelings he’d been feeling from earlier.

In fact, seeing Jack made his emotions boil even more.. And a strong sense of sadness bubbled inside himself.

Hiccup drifted down, but his movements were not smooth for the wind. He could feel jerking motions in the way his breeze swirled in disorientating ways around the pond, and in the way there was no sense of flow to the winds around him.

And he unfortunately became more aware of that when he somehow directed a strong sharp gust of wind at Jack.

Hiccup watched with burning shame when Jack got tripped over by his wind. Jack let out a yelp as he fell to the ground and hit his back slightly against the ice below.

I’m so pathetic, why can’t I do anything right..

“Ah, I’m okay, I'm okay. It’s alright.” Jack quietly mumbled as he got up. He kicked up his staff and laughed, but Hiccup had barely heard it.

“A little stray wind currents here and there is nothing for a winter spirit.” Jack replied a bit smugly.

Hiccup didn’t react, and he saw Jack’s smirk fade away. Jack looked into the air, before landing completely on where was drifting above him.

There’s a small pause, and then..

“You’re upset.”

A beat of silence.

Jack lifted his hand up to the sky.

“..Are you okay, wind?” He asked softly.

And Hiccup..

Hiccup who was trying his best not to break down, trying not to let his frustrations out.. from everything he hasn’t been able to do right over over the past several weeks.. making mistake after mistake.. Boiling his emotions and keeping himself from spilling apart from the seams inside.

He doesn’t cry, he can’t.

But a form of him does, because Hiccup lets himself slow down.

He let his winds still, and he let himself drift with no magic as the air around them completely emptied of winds and breezes.

He doesn’t control it, but a stray wind blew across the pond that rattled the bare trees bordering around them.

Vaguely, Hiccup thought it almost sounded like crying. His wind, a low and pained whistle that weakly shook the branches around them.

Never thought I could cry in this form.. I guess you learn something new everyday. Hiccup bitterly thought with amusement.

Hiccup doesn’t move, and he doesn’t do anything.

He’s not sure he’s even able to register if Jack is still there, not until something danced across Hiccup’s vision.

Barely, Hiccup was able to focus on what was in front of him. Small particles of ice crystals danced in a swirling pattern across the surface of the pond.

Hiccup watched the ice crystals slowly start coming together, curiously beginning to form some kind of image on the ice. Snow particles began flowing over the tiny ice crystals too.

And it’s not until a few moments later, that Hiccup realized that Jack had been the one to make this. Because when Hiccup is able to summon the energy to float a little to peer down at the snow image..

It was a drawing of a dolphin.

And then, something magical happened.

Hiccup watched, amazed as Jack flew over to the little image on the pond and placed his hand over the dolphin drawing. Jack lowered his head and closed his eyes, moving his hand around the dolphin slowly, focusing on it, before..

The dolphin drawing came to life. Its form solidified as it took the properties from the snow and ice crystals Jack had created and came out from the drawing.

Hiccup watched with awe as the snow dolphin swam around in circles in the air. Jack himself was laughing as he watched.

The snow dolphin twirled in the air, before swimming over and circling around Hiccup, like it knew he was there.

Hesitantly, Hiccup directed a small breeze at the dolphin. The snow animal seemed to laugh, dancing around in Hiccup’s breeze as it played in the air.

That’s amazing.. He thought.

The dolphin circled around the pond one more time before swimming back down to where Jack stood. The snow animal clapped its fins, and Jack gave a soft smile back to his creation.

With a soft tap to its nose, Jack touched his finger to the dolphin. Then in the next second, the dolphin burst into a pile of snowflakes around the pond.

Hiccup watched Jack laugh as the snowflakes drifted down around the clearing. 

Fondness bubbled inside of Hiccup, being able to see what Jack could do. Hiccup floated over to where Jack stood, and was able to summon a small twirl of winds around him. He playfully took some of the snowflakes from Jack’s snow dolphin and blew them into Jack’s hair and cloak.

Jack looked up into the air and gave a smile that made Hiccup wish he was in his human form.

“I know that wasn’t much compared to what I usually do, but I hope that helped cheer you up.” He murmured quietly.

Jack’s eyes followed the night sky above, his smile still in place.

“You know the Sandman, right? The one who sends all that dreamsand out every midnight?” 

Hiccup blew a gentle breeze through Jack’s cloak, it fluttered in the wind.

Yes, I do about him. I see the dream sometimes whenever I’m able to go traveling at night.

Jack slowly sat down and placed his staff over his lap.

“..I like watching the dreams he sends. And when I have, sometimes I’ve been able to touch the sand and see all the animals he’s able to make come to life with them.”

Jack raised his free hand and looked down at it, smiling softly as he twirled it to create a spiral of snowflakes.

“That was something I learned while watching Sandman’s dreamsand.” Jack chuckled. “It’s definitely not as impressive compared to what he can do, but I thought I could show you something new I picked up.”

Jack lowered his hand, and looked around. Hiccup swirled to where Jack could see him, and Jack followed his wind to where Hiccup was.

Jack gave a small smile. “I don’t know how you’re truly feeling, wind.. but I hope I brightened your day a little.”

There were still a lot of things on Hiccup’s mind. Hiccup would still need to sort out his responsibilities and duties back in the Archipelago. It was unlikely most of his negative feelings from the past weeks would disappear once he returned. It’s going to continue being tough being the only spirit in the northernmost islands far away..

But being here, spending time with Jack.. 

Letting him do something as simple as showing Hiccup a new magic ability he learned was more than enough for Hiccup to feel at ease, even if just for a little while.

Hiccup’s wind curled around Jack gently, humming a soft gentle howl.

Thank you for being here with me, his wind whispered.

Jack looked up into the air with warm eyes.

“I’ll always be here if you need me too, wind.”

The Moon was out, and it was a full moon.

Hiccup knew this because other than the completely clear dark sky above, the moonlight was much brighter than other nights.

For him, Hiccup never personally liked talking much with the Moon. Even though he'd been picked to be a protector of the Archipelago by him, that was still all the Moon was. It was the moon, a giant floating rock in the sky—something that Hiccup learned much later.

He wasn’t sure if it even made him feel any better, because it didn’t really matter anyway.

The Moon didn’t talk. 

Or.. well, he at least rarely talked. Hiccup wasn’t really sure if the Man in the Moon could talk. Though the memory was very hazy and faded in the deepest parts of his mind.. Hiccup felt like when he first woke up, he’d already known what his role was. It was just.. something he already knew, and when he looked up at the starry night above when he awoke..

The Moon had simply been there, staring down at him. As if the light had helped him guide Hiccup’s thought to his purpose.

Maybe the Moon had beamed information into Hiccup’s head when he became a spirit. He wasn’t sure. Hiccup tried really hard not to get hung up on what the Moon thought. He didn’t know how the Moon worked, and he probably never would.

Hiccup mostly kept any frustrations he had about the Moon to himself. If he wanted to yell at something, Toothless would sometimes let him blow off steam by letting him rant to him. 

Toothless wasn’t always available though.

So sometimes he visited Jack. Even though Hiccup himself couldn’t talk about his own issues.. Jack almost always had something to say about the Moon, whether that would be an off-handed snarky comment or a ten minute rant.. It was cathartic for Hiccup.

He liked to think it was helpful for Jack too.. Gods knew he deserved to let his own frustrations and anger out, especially when it came to the Moon for Jack. 

Hiccup sometimes felt more contentious feelings at the Moon whenever he had to see Jack continue being alone for so long, compared to Hiccup's own time as a spirit.

But he wasn’t truly alone, of course he wasn’t really.. Because he had Toothless.

And while Hiccup tried staying with Jack whenever he could, he wasn’t always there to be with him.

And still, being an invisible force of nature could only help so much.

Hiccup would only be reminded of this, of his own shortcomings of who Jack meant to him.

When he made it to the pine forest and looked around, a sense of solemnity washed over Hiccup.

Over the years, Hiccup had watched as the forest gradually grew smaller and smaller. More people from around the land moved into Jack’s village, and the forest was cut back further.

The only parts of the forest that remained untouched were the pine trees that surrounded Jack’s pond, and the path that led into the village.

It wasn’t much of a village anymore though, was it..? Hawthorne had completely changed over the past few centuries. 

As years passed, Jack’s village steadily grew into a blossoming town. Wooden huts and buildings were replaced by metallic and modern houses. Fire pits were no longer needed as electricity was discovered. Candle lights were replaced by lanterns, before being replaced by house lights and street lights.

Change gradually happened. The name Hawthorne was retired too. Named in honor of the man who managed to rebuild the first log cabin in the town after a harsh winter centuries ago, the town was now called Burgess.

And.. Hiccup would miss Hawthorne. The small, but cozy village had reminded him so much of old Berk.. Seeing the change made a melancholy feeling ripple through him, but Burgess was something he’d embrace.

Because change or not, it was still where Jack came from. It was his home.

Hiccup was brought out of his thoughts abruptly when a loud noise echoed through his winds. He didn’t have to make it that far to be able to sense Jack was near.

Or.. he didn’t need to see him, because Hiccup could hear Jack very clearly.

And the reason was because Jack was standing on top of the giant oak tree, looking straight up at the Man in the Moon. 

And he was shouting at it.

Hiccup swooped down through the biting night air and he made it to Jack’s pond. He immediately noticed the drop in temperature. If he could shiver, he would've.

Jack didn’t notice Hiccup’s presence at all.

“I bet you find this hilarious, don’t you!?” Jack’s shout echoed across the night.

A thin and gruff laugh came out of Jack. He pushed his hair back as he glared at the Moon.

“There’s more people than ever living here, in Burgess. The world’s changed so much.. And yet I’m still invisible to everyone!”

Hiccup felt himself almost break at how pained and almost desperate Jack sounded. He didn’t know he could help, he didn’t know if he even could right now.

He didn’t know what to do as Jack screamed at the Moon.

“Do you even care? Did you put me here just to see how long it would take before I went crazy or something?!” Jack asked with an angry grin. He paced back and forth along the branches of the oak tree, twisting his staff in his hand while his other gestured wildly in the air.

“Guess what though, I’ve been counting how long I’ve been here since I woke up. I bet you haven’t even been counting, have you?!”

Hiccup saw sharp crystals of ice beginning to spike around where Jack was standing. Dangerous frost crawled along the giant oak tree. 

Vaguely, in the background, Hiccup could hear the sound of rogue winds hissing louder in anger. ..Winds controlled by Jack.

“Two hundred and fifty years. Quite a long time huh? Yeah, super crazy how long it’s been since you put me here.” Jack glared up at the sky. “You’ve let me exist for this long, and not once have you tried to help me after you told me my name!”

Hiccup’s senses were starting to stiffen in alarm. He’d only just noticed that there were storm clouds beginning to roll over the horizon. If that was because Jack was running out of patience or intentionally creating the storm, Hiccup didn’t know.

Jack didn’t say anything, nothing other than staring at the Moon.

And because that was all he was, the Moon didn’t say anything. 

Jack let out a hollow laugh.

“Is this just how it’s going to be forever?” He asked dryly. “I exist as nothing but a useless, invisible winter spirit that’s all good for making it snow?” 

“Is that all I am, to you!?” Jack screamed.

The winds around the pond grew louder and louder, before finally, Hiccup saw that it was snowing now. He focused his attention upward to see dark storm clouds were quickly cloaking the sky, but the Moon still shone through brightly in a spot in the night sky.

The sharp cold around them dropped even more. Hiccup almost thought his wind form would start losing control, he felt like he was getting pierced to pieces from the freezing temperature surrounding him.

Jack had completely iced over the top of the oak tree he stood on. Sharp icicles spiked around his feet in a small circle, and the snow was beginning to rapidly grow heavier and heavier.

Violent pangs of sadness and guilt swirled inside Hiccup as he watched him..

Jack stared up at the Moon.

The Moon didn’t answer.

He never does..

..And Jack didn’t say anything for a long, long time. 

And as the snow piled around them, quickly turning the forest around them to a snowy landscape.. Jack simply turned his back, looking away from the Moon.

“Jack Frost is a spirit who can’t be seen by anyone, no matter what he does, no matter how much trouble he causes, no matter how much he tries reaching out..” He whispered.

Jack bowed his head. 

Crystalized tears fell from his eyes.

“…No matter how much I want to belong.” Jack choked hoarsely.

And it’s with that final word, that Jack flew away. Hiccup watched him jump into the air and carry himself away through his own winds, disappearing through the stormy clouds above in the night sky.

Hiccup drifted uselessly, horrible hollowness and pangs of hopelessness clawed at his mind. 

Jack hadn’t noticed he was here at all.

And why would he..?

He thought he was truly alone, with no other humans to see him.. Forever.

Hiccup looked up at the cloud opening where the Moon was still visible in the sky. Snow continued to drift through the night air.

The Moon stared back at him.

Hiccup’s winds circled sharply around the pond.

..I’m not sure if you’re still listening.

But if you can, I hope you know.. that you need to help guide us, more than this path of a completely silent one..

The Moon didn’t answer.

Hiccup kept his disappointment to himself, before turning around and focusing on where Jack had flown off.

With one last look to the Moon, Hiccup flew upwards and let his winds take him through the snowy night.

One day on one of his visits to Jack, Hiccup noticed right away that he wasn't alone.

The sky was clear, small patches of snow were still visible all around the clearing. It was still winter but if Hiccup remembered correctly, it would be spring soon. Jack didn’t seem too worried about keeping winter longer in Burgess though.

In fact, Jack was sitting on top of one of the trees near his pond. Hiccup focused on where Jack was looking and saw that he was watching two children. They were sitting by the pond’s edge on the forest path ahead that led into the town.

Hiccup drifted down in his wind to see who these two kids were.

And his surprise nearly overtook his joy at seeing who one of these two children were.

“Is that real?” One of them, the girl, asked. 

He didn’t recognize the girl, but she certainly had a striking appearance. She had long blonde hair that fell over one of her big eyes—it vaguely reminded Hiccup of Astrid when they were teens. The little girl was in colorful pajamas sitting next, to what Hiccup could assume, was her older brother.

He didn’t look too much older than her, perhaps five to six years older compared to his sister. The boy had brown hair instead of blonde, and bright brown eyes instead of green.

Hiccup had known the moment he saw this boy, who he exactly was.

Jamie laughed as he hugged his little sister closer. “Of course it is, see the title here, Sophie?” He turned the book he was sharing with her and showed the front cover.

Hiccup’s English reading was still rusty, but if he read it right.. The book was titled, ‘Mysteries of Burgess, Origins of Folklore, Creatures, and Legends.’

From a little distance away, Hiccup heard Jack give an amused hum. 

“Huh, what an interesting book cover. Let me guess, it's about magical monsters or something?” Jack asked with a smile..

Hiccup swirled around the two siblings and looked down at the pages in the book.

Wow, those are definitely pictures of unique-looking monsters, Hiccup wanted to grimace.

Jamie flipped through the book, showing more and more pictures of interesting illustrations of creatures and magical beings. Hiccup was surprised to see he recognized some of the figures in the book, but most of the art was almost completely inaccurate or false. Hiccup was beginning to doubt this book was actually based on any real historic records of Hawthorne or Burgess, and more just some author’s creative imagination come to life.

“Oh, here’s something that’s even cooler!” Jamie pointed to a picture of a yeti on the page. “It says here that yetis have been sighted in Burgess, since they wander south from Canada down into the States.”

Hiccup watched Jack give a low wince, an embarrassed frown on his face. 

“Oh right.. That’s my bad actually. Those aren’t yetis, I just like making scary-looking snowmen around Burgess to keep grumps like Bunny away.” Jack chuckled smugly.

Hiccup wondered if he’d ever get to see what Bunny actually looked like, let alone meet him face to face. Based on Jack’s past few rambles where he occasionally ran into the Guardian, he definitely seemed like the type Jack would enjoy messing with.

Hiccup would have shook his head with disapproving fondness if he could.

Sophie giggled loudly. “Bigfoot! Snow bigfoot!” She yelled.

Jamie rolled his eyes and ruffled Sophie’s hair. “No Sophie, they’re completely different. Yetis live in cold climates, and they’re covered in white hair only.” He gestured to the snowy pond clearing around them, as if trying to prove his point.

“There’s only one Bigfoot, and he doesn’t live in places like Burgess. He lives in mountains and forests. Burgess’ forest is too small for something like him..” Jamie gave a smug face, or at least he attempted to.

“Mark my words, we’ll get high quality photos of the best cryptic and magical creatures. It’ll make the best news ever than all that boring stuff adults watch. Right, Sophie?” Jamie asked her.

Sophie laughed again and nodded. Jamie didn’t say anything, before a mischievous smile crossed his face and he suddenly reached to start tickling Sophie.

Hiccup watched with fondness as shrieks of laughter came from Sophie as Jamie continued to playfully tickle her. 

When he focused his attention back to Jack, he hadn’t moved at all from his spot on his branch.

Jack was smiling widely at the two, not having to continue any sort of conversation to appreciate the company of the two kids having fun playing with each other by his pond.

Hiccup swirled around Jack’s branch and drifted near a spot where he was sitting.

Jack tilted his head, but did not turn to look in Hiccup’s direction.

“They’re pretty cool siblings, aren’t they?” Jack murmured quietly.

Hiccup could only agree. He would have smiled too.

“Kids are pretty amazing.” Jack grinned softly.

Heh.. They really are, aren’t they..?

Hiccup watched both Jamie and Jack as he took in everything about them.

Familiar brown hair.. familiar brown eyes.

Two brothers who care for their little sisters..

Memories flickered through Hiccup’s mind. 

Two strangers, found in a mysterious blizzard. Two boys playing the role of brothers. Two boys, a dragon rider Viking, and his dragon going on an adventure together to help the two boys find their way home.. 

Two brothers who were bonded together, as family.

Hiccup drifted a warm wind down below to where Jamie and Sophie were play-fighting.

Jamie stopped, loosening his hug with Sophie to look up into the clear blue sky. Hiccup’s breeze blew softly through his hair.

He smiled brightly.

“I hope Burgess will be more exciting during the spring.” 

..Hiccup felt like he was going to tear himself apart from the tension.

He didn’t know what he should do. He didn’t know if he should do something.

Jack stood completely still as he glared dangerously at Pitch Black.

Pitch himself was staring at Jack, eyes completely focused for any sudden moves as he held up Baby Tooth tightly in his fist. The giant, dangerous ice and nightmare sand fixture loomed menacingly behind them as no one made any move.

The eerie Antarctica winds howled around them, the tension that clung to the air was almost suffocating.

Then, when it felt like no one was going to do anything for a long time.. Jack lowered his staff, and stepped forward.

Hiccup wanted to stop Jack, he wanted to yell for him to stop, but he couldn’t.

He couldn’t risk Baby Tooth’s life like that.

Jack looked away as he handed Pitch his staff. The frost on the wood disappeared the moment Pitch stepped back with Jack’s staff firmly in his hand.

Hiccup didn’t know if he should’ve stopped him. 

But he wished he had now.

“Alright.. Now let her go.” Jack held out his hand, staring harshly at Pitch.

Pitch smiled. Then, in a mocking answer..

“No.”

Hiccup’s senses immediately spiked.

“You said you wanted to be alone. So be alone!” Pitch shouted at Jack.

Everything happened too fast.

Horror rippled through Hiccup as he saw Baby Tooth sharply stab Pitch’s fist with her beak. 

Pitch yelled in agony and sharply threw Baby Tooth at the glacier wall behind Jack.

“No!” Jack yelled. He turned back from where he saw Baby Tooth hit the wall, before his eyes widened seeing Pitch hold his staff down.

..And then he snapped Jack’s staff in half with a loud resounding break.

Jack’s echoing scream made Hiccup falter completely, losing control of his wind as his senses became utterly disorientated.

In the next instant, Pitch threw Jack back into the glacier wall with his nightmare sand.

Hiccup harshly shook himself trying to regain his senses. He dove down to try catching Jack with his wind current as fast as he could.

Jack fell straight through Hiccup’s winds.

He had lost his magic.

No..! Hiccup’s panic spiked.

Jack fell down into the icy fissure, hitting the cliffs as he harshly landed deep inside the crevice. Hiccup tried flying down but it was almost like he was too heavy to get his winds to move inside the crevice.

Frustration and worry boiled inside him.. Without another thought, Hiccup dropped his supporting wind currents and drifted down with only his own current.

With the glacier cliffs blocking easy ways for his winds to reach inside, Hiccup dropped down almost as quickly as Jack. He was so panicked over Jack that Hiccup didn’t pay any attention to Pitch looking down inside the fissure. His mind vaguely registered Pitch’s laughs, hearing more than seeing the two broken pieces of Jack’s staff drop inside the fissure with them.

Hiccup looked over at Jack, worry filling his mind as he tried thinking of some way he could help. But what could he do? His wind couldn't carry Jack out now that he'd lost his powers..

But then Jack opened his eyes. Hiccup would’ve cried with relief if he could.

He was okay.. But.. Oh no! Hiccup swirled around, was Baby Tooth okay?

Jack looked around, disorientated before his eyes landed on the little fairy in front of him.

“Baby Tooth!” Jack grunted as he crawled along the ice and gently picked her up. Hiccup drifted near them, concern ebbing from him as he hoped Baby Tooth was okay.

“You all right?” Jack whispered.

He tried placing one of his hands over her, before flinching back upon hearing the fairy let out a squeak. Baby Tooth shivered in Jack’s hand and sneezed.

Jack grimaced, sighing dishearteningly. “Sorry.. All I can do is keep you cold.”

He managed to sit up, and Hiccup looked to see Jack’s eyes twitch slightly.. like he was going to tear up.

Jack closed his eyes in shame. 

“Pitch was right..” He murmured, voice hushed and somber.

“I make a mess of everything..”

Hiccup couldn’t do anything to help..

I’m so sorry, Jack…

Baby Tooth looked sadly at Jack, before seeming to notice the pocket of Jack’s hoodie. She moved over Jack’s hand and moved inside of Jack’s pocket.

“Hey..” Jack commented sadly as Baby Tooth disappeared inside, Hiccup assumed for warmth from the cold. Still, the aloofness from Baby Tooth made Hiccup’s form want to bubble with frustration.

Jack sighed quietly, and leaned back against the wall of the glacier.

There was nothing but the distant howl of the Antarctica wind above as Jack laid there, with Hiccup drifting there motionless.. not being able to do anything.

Then.. 

“Jack..!” 

A bright golden light flashed inside the pocket where Baby Tooth was, startling both Hiccup and Jack as he yelped and fell back against the glacier wall.

Jack carefully reached into his pocket and took out his memory case.

That same voice, a young girl’s voice echoed inside the case within Jack’s hand.

Baby Tooth looked at Jack, silently watching him with an open expression. Jack watched her with a silent question in his eyes. Baby Tooth turned to look down at his memory case.. 

And she gave a small, encouraging smile as she placed a tiny hand on Jack’s memory case, nodding to him.

Jack stared, looking almost.. afraid of what would happen. 

Hiccup didn’t know what would happen either, but he knew that Jack deserved to know.

You deserve to see your memories again, Jack.

Gently, using the little strength he could.. Hiccup guided a soft breeze onto Jack’s free hand.

..Encouraging.

Jack hesitated. And then.. Slowly, finally, he placed his fingers over the diamond patterns on top of his memory case. The diamond shapes on the case started shining vivid colors and sparkles..

And then Jack’s eyes immediately closed shut and he slumped against the back of the wall. 

Hiccup instantly became worried again, but he was able to slowly relax again upon seeing that Baby Tooth got up and sat a few feet away from Jack. She watched him expectantly, as if waiting for Jack.

He didn’t know anything about what the Guardian, Tooth, actually dealt with when it came to these memory cases, so he decided to wait just like Baby Tooth.

Hiccup wasn’t sure how long he waited. The uncomfortable silence felt like it was going to stretch forever, but he was startled out of his mind again when Jack suddenly opened his eyes, gasping and taking deep breaths.

Baby Tooth watched Jack with an expectant look on her face.

And Jack...

He seemed filled with newfound energy than ever as he looked down at his memory case in shock, then gestured to Baby Tooth widely.

“Did you see.. Did you see that?” Jack asked her, voice pitching in awe.

Baby Tooth shook her head. Hiccup’s worry started fading away as he saw Jack begin laughing, disbelief and joy clear in his voice.

“It was—It was me!” Jack exclaimed as he scooped up Baby Tooth.

“I had a family! I had a sister!” Jack’s smile grew wider.

Hiccup felt himself bubble with more joy than he thought possible in years.

You remember Emily.

“I saved her!” Jack leaned back as his laughter died down, before a look of realization dawned on his face.

“That’s why you chose me..” Jack looked up at the sky.

Hiccup focused his attention upward, and there he was. 

The Moon floated in the sky, shining below on all of them.

Hiccup would never understand his methods, and he didn’t think the Moon would ever be good at guiding his spirits..

But he’d known one thing. From the moment Jack sacrificed his life for Emily.

“I’m.. I’m a Guardian.” Jack whispered with newfound resolve as a hesitant, but small smile appeared on his face.

Baby Tooth squeaked below in his hands. Jack looked around, cradling Baby Tooth as he put her on his shoulder and stood up. “We have to get out of here.”

Hiccup drifted over to the broken staff. Jack turned around and saw the pieces and quickly picked them up.

He took both pieces and tried putting the two ends together, staring at the break determinedly with focus. Baby Tooth chirped with uncertainty, and Hiccup drifted over them worryingly too.

Will this even work? He wondered. Hiccup wasn’t even sure if Jack had enough magic in him to fix his staff now.

The pieces of Jack’s staff slipped, snapping back in two again. Jack sighed in frustration before standing up and pushing the two ends together again.

Jack held the pieces firmly in place, hissing as the staff began to start shaking in his hands.

And the Hiccup saw it.

Bright, swirling magic frost and light began flowing from within the break in the staff.

Jack looked up with surprise as Baby Tooth chirped in excitement. 

Hiccup felt awe and joy spiraling inside himself as he could feel the sensation of his winds beginning to pick up above fissure again. His senses sharpened, and he could feel the currents howling above him now.

The staff crackled as Jack’s magic completely mended the pieces together, and Jack’s face turned into a wide, thankful smile.

Hiccup spun ecstatically around them.

Jack twirled his staff in his hand and looked up into the air with a grin.

He didn’t need to be told what to do next.

Hiccup immediately picked up Jack, shooting him up out of the fissure and high into the air. Jack felt as light as the snow Hiccup carried once again.

Jack let out excited cheers as Baby Tooth and him flew through the clouds, flying far above into the sky.

Hiccup watched Jack spin around in the air as he laughed brightly. They had a job to finish, they were going to save those other fairies, and protect the last remaining children who still believed.

“Come on Baby Tooth, I own you one!”

Jack soared through the air, with new resolve in his heart as Hiccup’s winds helped take them through the sky.

It had been several months since the encounter with Pitch.

When Hiccup was able to visit Jack and Jamie again, they were both sitting on the forest path near the pond. It’s frozen over, since it was early December.

Jamie was covered from neck to toe in his winter clothes, laughing as Jack was too busy watching him trying to build something in the snow.

Hiccup made his presence known as he blew a strong gust of wind through the snowy clearing.

Jack laughed as he raised his hand, and Jamie looked around with an amused smile.

“Who are you waving to?” Jamie asked.

“Oh no one, really.” Jack said jokingly.

Hiccup immediately swooped down to Jack and blew a sharp breeze right into his face, flicking up the snow right into his hair.

Jack swatted away his wind with a bright laugh. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He said, before turning to Jamie. “I’m talking to the wind, it likes visiting me sometimes whenever it can.”

Jamie looked curiously at Jack. He stopped making whatever snow structure he’d been building to tilt his head at the air.

“The wind..? Isn’t there wind everywhere though?” Jamie asked aloud.

Jack stood up and walked over to Jamie. He reached down and ruffled the kid’s hair, causing Jamie to laugh as he tried shielding his head. “That’s very true, but not all winds are the same. Not every wind is just one singular being.” Jack grinned softly.

Jack looked up into the air, where Hiccup drifted slowly in the cold breeze currents. Jack smiled fondly.

“The one that helps me fly likes being there for me. That’s the wind I’m speaking to.” He told Jamie.

Warm pangs echoed through Hiccup as he took in Jack’s words.

..Thanks for thinking I’m special.

Jamie looked at Jack curiously, before just giggling slightly. “Okay then, that’s pretty cool I guess.”

“Just ‘pretty cool’ huh?” Jack chuckled and moved over to look at Jamie’s snow structure. “What in the world are you building, anyway? It looks like a lumpy house.” He teased.

Jamie made a pouty expression and crossed his arms. Hiccup could tell he wasn’t being serious.

“It’s supposed to be a giant castle. You know, like the awesome ones from fairytales and fantasy, and stuff.”

A castle..?

Jack looked over the lumpy snow castle.. And just briefly, Hiccup saw something familiar flash across his blue eyes.

Jamie was watching Jack. His expression slowly changed to a curious one. “What is it, Jack?”

Jack didn’t say anything for a brief moment. He stared at the castle, before chuckling quietly to himself.

“Just reminded me of something a long time ago. I think I built a castle once, with someone too.”

He gently lowered his staff on top of the castle and tapped it. A small burst of glittering frost sprouted from the top and turned the lumpy castle pillar from snow into nearly transparent ice.

Jamie made a small, awestruck gasp at it. “Wow..” He paused, then turned to Jack. “You made a castle before? Really? Was it made of snow too? ..I bet it was more impressive than this one.” Jamie laughed playfully.

Jack kept that same familiar smile on his face.

Hiccup swirled around him, stirring up the snow from the ground as his winds gently brushed against Jack’s face.

Jack chuckled quietly..

“Nah, not snow. And it wasn’t big or anything. I just thought it was kind of funny..” He said softly.

Two siblings on a hill, building a castle together.

One a little sister, and another a big brother.

Hiccup would have smiled.

Time can certainly be a strange thing, can’t it?

“Wind!”

Jack’s voice echoed across the Arctic.

Hiccup was already prepared, and he was immediately there as something distorted the sky several feet in the air above him. The sky seemed to split and twist, almost like it was being torn from the inside out.. 

And then they appeared.

He instantly flew upwards and circled around Jack and Jamie. He caught him instantly, but that his winds couldn’t stop the fall. Hiccup’s wind currents shook violently as he tried his best to keep his senses from spinning out of control as they dropped down through the air into the Arctic.

His wind could barely keep them up, Of all things to prepare for, Hiccup hadn’t been ready for just how heavy these would be to carry after they came back through time.

Hiccup moved his winds quickly towards North's workshop, to the window opening where he could see far in the biggest structure at the top of the glass and wooden dome.

His winds hissed loudly through the air as he carried them, flying as quickly as he could as his energy began dipping more and more.

Jack looked like he was able to recover some of his energy though, because just as Hiccup’s winds snapped and nearly missed the workshop window–Jack held onto Jamie tightly as he managed to fly through the window himself, floating safely inside North’s base.

Jack and Jamie slowly drifted inside, and Jack gently moved Jamie over to one of the couches inside the workshop.

Hiccup felt relief flood through his winds as he drifted outside the opening, his breeze currents feeling lighter now. 

They’re safely back, he thought quietly, thankfully.

Jack was looking over Jamie and nodded silently to himself. His attention was fully on his family right now, which meant that it was Hiccup’s time to go.

Hiccup needed time to process that they were back. He could feel his non-existent nerves in his winds beginning to shake violently if he continued to stay here much longer,, having to look at Jack before Hiccup could figure out what to say in his mind.

He drifted gently away from the window, casting one last look inside before leaving the workshop.

…

When Hiccup looked around Burgess later that day, he hadn’t been able to find Jack anywhere.

And as he flew around, the sky gradually turned from a quiet navy blue, to a starry black night..

He knew the only spot where Jack would be. 

Hiccup’s winds carried him through the town. The night sky shimmered above him as he flew between tall and towering pine trees in the darkness.

And he spotted Jack, a stark contrast to everything else around him at his pond.

Hiccup drifted down, watching Jack slowly walk on the surface of his pond. He was still in those clothes from before, the one he’d had from right before he left Berk. He watched ice seep below from Jack’s feet as he walked across the pond, but Hiccup could barely care.

Jack was here.

And he wasn’t going to leave again. And this time, now..

Hiccup..

He realized, even with all the time he’d spent today.. Over all the past months, the decades, centuries he’d been planning over what to say to Jack.. All the questions, all the answers, all the things he could’ve prepared for, the warm things he wanted to say, the fond things he wanted to say…

It was only when he was now given the chance that he realized..

Even this moment couldn’t prepare Hiccup for truly everything he wanted to say to Jack.

Everything he… cared for about Jack..

Hiccup drifted himself slowly across the pond, before finally curling his breeze around Jack again.. 

Jack paused, and didn’t move. He closed his eyes.. and a soft smile appeared on his lips.

“At least you’re still here..” He murmured quietly.

Hiccup brushed a gentle breeze around Jack’s face, curling softly around his cheek.

And Hiccup finally realized.. That what mattered was what he had to say now. All that planning, every speech he’d run a thousand times over in his mind..

Did he really have to think to say all that for Jack?

Even if it was clumsy, even if it was a mess.. Even if the words he finally said to Jack again were absolutely completely utter nonsense.. 

…

All that matters is that he’s here, now. And.. I’m happy he’s back. I’m so happy he’s here.

And Hiccup needed to show that to Jack.

No matter how absolutely nerve-racking this was.

So what did he want to say?..

He swirled gently back. His wind took him behind Jack and paused right at the edge of his pond.

Hiccup smiled as his wind form slowly disappeared. His vision blurred around him, before Hiccup opened his eyes, standing in his human form. All the winds around them disappeared as everything became impossibly silent.

He looked down at his reflection on the pond. His green eyes stared back at him, shining in the starlight.

He looked back up at Jack, and let out a slow breath.

That feeling of strong, fierce, fondness filled Hiccup’s heart.

His love for Jack.

“Looks like you made it home safely.”