Kari fought off another Fearling as the shouts around her grew. "Get Jaqueline out of here!" she yelled to her husband.

"I am not leaving you!" Loki called as he destroyed a Fearling. Just hours earlier, they had been celebrating Princess Jaqueline's- his and Kari's daughter's- fourth birthday. The festivities had been wonderful, until they showed up. The Fearlings had come from out of nowhere- no one was even sure how they had gotten past Heimdall.

"Mommy, what's happening?" Jaqueline looked up at her mother with her wide blue eyes.

"Just-just follow Daddy, sweetheart. Mommy will be with you soon," Kari told her daughter. She ignored the fact that she might not make it- it was a possibility for everyone. The war had been going on for a few months, but no one had been expecting an attack in Asgard. Loki, having overheard the conversation, knew that he had no choice but to leave his wife to take their daughter to safety. The man picked up Jaqueline, and ran out of the palace; he must get her away from here. Loki ran over the solid-crystal bridge to the Observatory.

"Heimdall, I need you to open the Bifrost to Midgard immediately! As you know, the Fearlings have penetrated our defenses. This could be our only chance to save Jaqueline," the God of Mischief informed urgently. Heimdall nodded, he had been aware of the situation.

"Follow me. We must make haste before the creatures realize you both are outside of the palace. They will do anything they can to take you." Heimdall ushered Loki into the Observatory to stand by the portal opening.

"Daddy, what's Heimdall talking about?" The young girl's question was left unanswered. The Gate Keeper pushed the sword down into the altar, causing the outer part of the Observatory to spin quickly as it lowered the portal opening. The Bifrost finally opened, a swirling vortex of every color in the rainbow. Loki took a deep breath and stepped in as the portal began to pull him forward.

The god held his daughter tight in his arms as she looked around in awe. Until then, she had never been in the Bifrost. She felt weightless. While Jaqueline continued to be highly amazed by the colors that the bridge contained, her father paid attention to the fast approaching Earth.

- What a lovely little line break you are! -

As soon as they landed, the God of Mischief set his daughter down, finally giving her a ghost of an explanation. "You see, Jaqueline, everyone in Asgard is playing a game of tag mixed with hide and seek." He began. The man couldn't- no, wouldn't tell his daughter about the war. "This game of tag hide and seek is being played against a group of dark figures called Fearlings. The Fearlings are mean, and enjoy scaring little girls, so you must stay away from them, okay?" Loki knew that the girl hated to be scared, but she enjoyed games. She would undoubtedly abide by what he had told her, right?

The young princess seemed to think for a moment before replying. "Okay." In her innocent little mind, all of what her father had told her was perfectly legitimate. After all, lying was bad, and what reason would he have to lie to her? "Where should we hide?"

"I have friends here in Midgard that will hide us. They are referred to as the Guardians of Childhood."

- AGONY! I LOVE LINE BREAKS SO! -

"Kari!" Jaqueline's mother heard the distant calls from across the room. The Fearlings had been subtly separating her from the rest of the group, and now they were more than fifty feet apart. Kari killed yet another Fearling.

"Mommy!" the Goddess of Wind heard from behind her. Jaqueline? But your father was supposed to take you to safety! The woman thought. Kari turned around to look for her daughter, but didn't see her. "Mommy! Help! I... I'm scared!" Jaqueline's yelling was more frantic this time.

"Jaqueline, I'm coming! Don't worry!" By this time, Kari had started pushing Fearlings aside while she searched for Jaqueline. She heard her daughter's scream again, but this time it was cut short... "Jaqueline!" she called, hoping for a reply. There was none. No... Her daughter was... gone. Kari couldn't help it. The woman collapsed onto the ground, crying tears of anguish and fear. Jaqueline was dead.

The dark creatures advanced upon her, possessing her, taking every fiber of her being. Kari did nothing to stop them. What was the use? Every inch of her body screamed in pain as the Fearlings took hold. When they stopped, the woman that had once been the Goddess of the Wind laughed darkly.

- Line breaks have feelings too! -

"North, my family and I are in need of your help," Loki told the old man. He had just arrived at the North Pole with Jaqueline. The three were currently in North's office, Jaqueline speaking with the elves as the men talked.

"You wear funny clothes!" the four-year-old told the elves. One stomped its foot in irritation. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to seeing elves dressed as you are. Are you of the realm of Alfheim?" Jaqueline asked. The men were temorarily distracted as they watched the child converse. "No, silly, Alfheim is one of the nine realms, not a type of ham." She giggled. The men smiled amusedly, remembering their own childhoods.

Loki, not wanting to waste time, turned his attention back to the situation at hand and addressed North. "As I was saying, my family and I need your help. The Fearlings have invaded Asgard, and we must protect Jaqueline," the man dropped his voice to a whisper. Some conversations were not meant for little ears.

"We will do everything we can in order to protect her; you should return to Asgard to aid your wife and family in battle," North told the god. Loki thought for a moment and then nodded. He walked over to where Jaqueline had begun playing with a little toy train made of ice. He smiled sadly when she looked up at him with her innocent eyes.

"Jaqueline, I am going to go back to Asgard so I can help beat the Fearlings in our game, okay?" He said. The little girl studied her father's face.

"Okay, but come back soon, because I want to play games with you and Mommy," the princess said reluctantly.

"I will," her father said,

"Pinky promise," Jaqueline insisted.

"My pinky promises." Loki laughed as he and his daughter locked pinkies for a second. He got up and walked toward a window.

With one final glance behind him, Loki called for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. After the Asgardian left, North turned to the small girl who was staring sadly at the spot where her father had been standing. "Would you like to meet the other Guardians?"

- Hey, what has two hyphens and separates parts of a story? THIS LINE BREAK! -

E. Aster Bunnymund was absolutely pissed off. He had been planting new flowers to use for the dye river, when the Northern Lights shone in the artificial sky of the Warren. "This had better be good, North," he grumbled to himself as he opened a tunnel to the Pole.

The Pooka raced through the tunnel until he reached his destination. The hole opened above him and he jumped out after tentatively checking the surrounding area with his sensitive hearing. He hopped as fast as he could toward the Pole, determined to get there before he lost all feeling in his feet.

When he entered the Globe Room, he discovered that he was the last to arrive. "North, why did ya call us here?" Bunny asked, irritated. He had been busy with important things!

"Are you the Midgard creature called kangaroo?" a little girl with long white hair and blue eyes stepped away from the controls for the Globe of Belief. She looked at the adults, waiting for an answer to her question.

"Let me see your teeth!" Tooth squealed and flew over to the child. "They're just like freshly fallen snow!" she gasped. The four-year-old blinked. Well, then...

"North, why is there an ankle biter at the Pole?" the Pooka asked while Jaqueline looked at him confusedly. Why did he call her an ankle biter? She didn't bite ankles! His statement didn't make sense to her.

"Friends, this is Princess Jaqueline Frosti Lokidottir of Asgard. Her home realm has been invaded by Fearlings, and her parents requested that we care for her while they fight in war." He explained quietly as Sandy made the girl laugh with dreamsand figures of Earth's animals. Tooth nodded before flying over to Jaqueline so she could talk to her. Bunny was initially going to keep his distance because what was happening to her home reminded him of his past... However, Jaqueline's laughter was contagious, and Bunny soon found himself giving her a ride through the Workshop. A yawn escaped her mouth as they passed North's office.

"Gettin' tuckered out, Jackie?" Bunny asked, slowing down.

"No, Mr. Kangaroo, keep going...," Jaqueline lied as she yawned again. Bunny stopped and shifted so he could get the small girl off of his back and into his arms, where Jaqueline fell asleep in a matter of seconds. He smiled at her. He was beginning to like Jaqueline.

The Pooka walked to the living room that North had designed for them to relax, where his fellow Guardians waited. Upon seeing the sleeping child, Tooth cooed softly. "Can I hold her?" the fairy asked. Bunnymund nodded, untwisting the girl's tiny fists from his fur, and gently handed her to Tooth. The woman looked down lovingly at the four-year-old in her arms. She had always wanted to be a mother... Yes, her mini-fairies were like her daughters, but holding Jaqueline felt... different. The princess snuggled closer to Tooth.

'Let's get her to bed,' Sandy signed with his dreamsand. North nodded and gestured for everyone to follow him. They were led down a few corridors until the Guardian of Wonder stopped at a door decorated with snowflakes. Not too long after Loki had left, North had ordered the yetis to prepare a room for Jaqueline. The room was absolutely perfect for her, after all, he was Santa for a reason. He opened the door, and the group entered.

The walls were light blue, the carpet white. A night light was plugged into the wall. There was a bed with a snowflake-patterned comforter and a few stuffed animals sitting upon it, and a toy chest, a book shelf, and a doll house. The closet also was filled with clothes for everyday-wear , and formalwear. Tooth tucked the child into bed, and Sandy gave her a dream about her family. The four smiled sadly at the image before leaving the room.

"Good night, Jackie," Bunny smiled as he gently closed the door.