Chapter Summary:
Dancing through memory gems,
I saw my mother's flower-stems
I saw my lover through drunken mist
Yet it was not them I kissed
For me it's my tears 'twill condemn
- "Flower Stems"
Who, being loved, is poor?
- Oscar Wilde
Jack smiled, feeling the wind against his cheeks. It gave him little kisses, blowing back some of his snow at him and delivering the cold flakes to his face. He felt warm and delighted, having left Pitch's lair not so long ago. The air currents were a welcome touch, and they reminded him of how Pitch touched him. Like he was a precious gem.
As he travelled to the Workshop, happy that North had invited him for a celebration, Jack wondered if he would be able to take something back for Pitch. Some biscuits, eggnog, even something that they could play with - Jack found that he still had a fondness for tops and little trinkets that could be used in games. Even if Pitch chided him playfully for his youthful habits, Jack enjoyed the little toys, reminiscent of his past.
The Workshop was lively with music and the yetis were hurrying to and fro to hang up last minute decorations. Garlands and lights held the room bright with a wonderful glow of joy and accomplishment. He could hear North going on to whoever was present - Sandy, Jack discovered a bit later - about how they had reached their quota, though many of the toys that had been made earlier that year had to be disposed of because of what had occurred earlier in the year.
As per tradition and to honour the children in their death, the Guardian of Wonder would burn the toys of the children and use them in the base elements that helped to create the new toys. As they would wither from the physical world and live the memory, their toys would mirror that action by living in the new. Jack smiled at the thought.
"Jack!" The frost spirit turned to the voice and was almost toppled over by a body covered in vibrant feathers. Toothiana held onto him tightly, as though he were to disappear.
"Tooth! Hi!" He returned her embrace and when the two pulled back, he noticed how bright her smile was.
"It feels like I haven't seen you in so long because of all the work I do, Jack," she said, pulling away from him. "You should come to my place. I can always make time." He chuckled at that.
"No, it's fine. I wouldn't want to bother you when you're busy." Tooth frowned at him.
"Your coming over is never a bother, Jack. It could never be."
Jack paused at that, but the Sister of Flight gave him a smile and turned as her name was called by North. "Hello, Toothy!"
"North!" The female Guardian turned and embraced her friend, a shorter hug compared to the one she gave Jack.
Sandy came over to Jack and smiled at the young Guardian, having symbols float above his head in the dream sand in a simpler version of his usual charades.
How have you been?
"I've been good. The snow keeps me busy and more kids are able to see me." Not long ago, Jack would have thought this to be impossible, to be seen. Jamie and his friends, under the fear of danger, were having fun and were just as cautious as they were before Pitch's defeat. They held prudence to the unknown and were wary, but it did not stop them from growing and being curious. He wouldn't have had it any other way.
You've been seeing Pitch?
"Yeah, I still check up on him. Why?"
Sandy just gave a smile and a thumbs-up. Of the four Guardians, Sandy seemed to trust his judgement the most.
Bunnymund came soon after, keeping a distance from Jack. The Pooka had not approached him since he had attacked Jack, something that Jack kind of wished that would be forgotten soon. He knew that he had pressed a knife into an old wound, but he could not let Bunny keep speaking those horrible things about Pitch.
It was the one thing he could do for the Bogeyman...
"Jack, come! Drink eggnog and celebrate closer to us!" North walked over with a full flask, handing it to Jack who already had one in hand. Jack took the new flask anyway, holding it while finishing the old. An elf came up, a grin almost splitting its face. The Year's End celebration was the one time of year that it could get away with eating all of the cookies it wanted and not be scolded. Jack wondered if the Yetis really did all the work, since the elves were the ones bringing out the cookie plates.
The elf held out its hands and Jack bent down to give it his empty flask. The elf nodded, taking the metal container and hurrying to the kitchens.
"Coming, North," he responded to the older Guardian, walking beside him to stand close to a slightly raised section of floor. Jack quickly downed his eggnog, enjoying the warmth it left inside of him. Toothiana and Sandy were dancing, separate but still in sync with the folk music filling the air. Its instruments and voices, from a radio of all things, told of the East, dragons, spirits, and the Stars.
It was an exotic thing to witness, seeing Tooth's feathers shift and appear to change colour in the light. Jack was often fascinated by her colours, having grown up in a place where the brown of furs and skins were common. His mother had known the art of dyeing fabrics, so she had always dressed his sister in such finery...
Remembering such a thing, Jack grabbed another flask of eggnog and soon joined in the dancing, his mind giddy and his hands around Tooth in a show of platonic affection.
"Jack! Look at the new sash Mother has coloured for me!" Jack looked to see the little girl, his precious sister, with a nice red sash about her waist.
"You are like a little princess, you are so beautiful!" He caught her in his arms, aching from being in the fields, tending his flock that Father had left behind for him to manage. The child giggled in approval, knowing that her brother would always say such things. That sound, that reminded him of church bells, eased the aching in his arms away.
"Mother says that when she finds woad, she'll make us both something."
"What does woad do?" Jack smiled. He knew what it did, but he loved to test the child all the same.
"It makes the colour blue! Your favourite colour, Jack!"
He saw his mother plant the woad, water the sapling well, and she had enough of it in two years... the year he would fall into the pond.
"Mother, you could sell the dyed fabric and threads, and we could have exchanged goods, maybe even sugar for canned fruits when the spring comes!" Jack saw his mother stand and leave her place from the foul-smelling mordant, the liquid that would help the thread colours stay fast. She came over to him and pressed herself to him, her arms encircling him and holding him close.
"Jackson, can't a mother dote on her children? A mother wants to give her very best for her children, so that they are happy and know the value of what is being given to them." She pulled back and placed a kiss on his brow. "You know the value of it, materially, but know that I know your favourite hue and I want you to have a bit of it. We need not be rich in species or goods to be joyous. Perhaps I can make a design on your cape. Flowers at the edges..."
He could see the rolling clouds of thought that his mother held over her head.
"... Maybe myrtles... for Father." His mother drew her eyes back up to his.
"Blue myrtles?" He nodded and he felt his heart swell as the smile began to grow on her face. "Yes, myrtles! Would you like them to have a bit of violet in them?"
He nodded. The myrtles were always a lovely violet that his mother adored. When his ancestors came across the ocean, they had to travel to the southern edge of Europe, where they had bought a myrtle sapling. It survived the trip, a symbol of the strength his family had held throughout the journey. To think his parents had been only babes coming across...
His mother put a pole into the mordant. He covered his mouth, not wanting the stench to fill up his lungs but knowing that he should be grateful for it. His mother was teaching him these methods, and if his wife-to-be did not know, he could show her. His sister still covered her nose and mouth, but she was growing more tolerant. His mother pulled out threads of green from, threads that would forever hold their brilliance.
"Yes," she uttered. "Myrtles with blue and green... Green from sunflowers. The very best for my children."
"Jack?" The frost spirit paid no mind... He felt as though he was fainting. The feeling was interesting, to say the least. Things were getting dark, and all he focused on was the blue and green coming towards him.
"... Tooth?" His voice was slurring and it was filled with a sense of hiraeth...
Where was his mother now?
Sandy was coming forward, an expression of worry on his face. North was coming forward to lift him up, but Tooth was protesting. Bunnymund quieted the radio, letting Jack come to rest more easily.
Tooth was lowering Jack to the floor carefully, and for a moment, Jack saw an unfeathered woman in her place. Her eyes were still a brilliant purple, but her arms had bangles and bracelets. She was beautiful.
"Too much eggnog at once!" North said loudly, hurting Jack's ears. "He just needs rest."
"I'll get him to a room, North." Tooth cradled Jack against her, her arms strong beneath him.
Jack couldn't get over how beautiful she looked.
Jack felt warmth against him and he thought of Pitch. He kept his eyes closed, not really wanting to wake up.
"Jack," Pitch whispered to him, a finger tracing down the side of his face. His voice seemed distorted, probably from the eggnog. "You've been asleep for a while."
"Sorry... Tired, I guess..." Jack welcomed the slow movements and was contentedly surprised with Pitch's head coming to rest on his chest. Pitch never did that often, but when he did, it was when Jack was nostalgic or had had a nightmare.
"What happened?"
"I saw my sister," he mumbled, feeling Pitch's fingers tangle themselves in his hair, combing themselves through the white, spiked strands. "She wore a nice red sash and she was so happy to show me and..." He brought a hand up to his face, just to cover his eyes. He wasn't crying. He was just getting overly warm and his frost was acting up. Pitch's gentle fingers weren't wiping the corners of his eyes.
"You're crying," Pitch noted aloud. A kiss was pressed against his cheek and Jack shivered at the show of affection.
"Y-Yeah, I just miss her, and Mother." A kiss was pressed at the corner of his mouth and Jack turned to capture those familiar lips in his. He wanted to drown in Pitch, just focus on the here and now. He'd deal with his memories on his own, somewhere nice and cold where he wasn't being suffocated by shadows.
Pitch pressed harder against his lips and Jack felt something was off...
He opened his eyes as the kiss was broken. Purple eyes gazed into his.
"T-Tooth?" The woman blinked at the sound of her name, as though she didn't expect Jack to sound so shocked. She must have seen how upset he was now that he truly recognized her, because she looked away.
"Jack, I... I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse for what I just did. I'm sorry." She got off of the bed from where she was above Jack and rushed over to the door. Jack ignored that his tears were still coming down his face. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, Jack thought, as he sat up, holding his head with a groan of pain escaping his lips.
"Tooth! Ugh... It's okay. I don't know why I passed out."
He watched Tooth turn around, her larger feathers flowing out her like a dress with a bustle. She was beautiful, but not what he wanted.
"Do you already have feelings for someone, Jack?"
"Yes." The answer came out immediately and in a soft voice. He was nervous. What else was he supposed to say?
He would give her the truth.
"Okay." Tooth smiled at him. "They're very lucky to have you liking them." She left him, closing the door and making Jack feel so lonely.
Jack looked down at the floor, his head pounding and his eyes still watering. He had hurt her. Jack floated up to one of the windows and pushed it open. He called the wind and let it take him to Pitch's lair.
To home.
Devany: Hi, guys. I just wanted to thank those who are reading the series "Lark and Nightingale" and I would just like to ask for reviews. I really would appreciate any feedback and criticism (positive and negative). It would really help me grow as a writer and it could help with the 7th part of the series onward.
Thank you again!
