Hey there people! I hope your enjoying the story, and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I love you guys! You guys are so awesome!

This chapter is where everything gets interesting...hehe!

Me: Hey Jack, can you do the thing?

Jack Frost: Why?

Me: um...I'll let you throw a snowball in my face and then we can prank Bunnymund.

Jack Frost: You're on. AntarcticIcicle does not own any part of Rise of the Guardians. Except Willow. Okay here we go...*makes snowball*

Me: *talks really fast* Okay gotta run enjoy the chapter! *runs away cuz Jack is chasing me*

As Willow arrived at her familiar 'home' in the forest, she spotted a flash of movement behind a tall, thick tree. She transformed into a small wisp and hid inside a leafy bush to inspect more closely. She peered out from her hiding place and saw two Nightmares, neighing and snorting softly to each other.

Willow rolled her eyes and floated out of the tangle of branches and leaves, making her presence known to the Nightmares.

Their attention snapped towards her, their golden eyes blazing. She metamorphosed back into her human form and mounted one of the Nightmares without hesitation.

The Guardians would probably kill me if they knew where I was going. Willow thought before whispering "Go!" into the Nightmare's ear. With a neigh, it galloped off south, to one of the darkest parts of the forest.

The dark horse ran on and on until it reached a cave that looked scary and shadowy enough to reach out with big black claws and take you away. Believe it or not, that's what it did.

A scrawny pair of clawed hands made from shadows extended from the mouth of the cave, plucking the glowing blue girl off the Nightmare's back and then grabbing the horses. They retracted back into the haunting gloom of the cavern and disappeared.

Willow felt the airy grasp of the shadow leave and she glanced around her dark surroundings. "What now?" she asked bitterly into the darkness.

"Please tell me you are not going to join them, dearest," a dark, British voice muttered.

"I told them that I would think about it. North gave me five days to decide," she said, glaring into the darkness.

"Think about it? Think about it?!" An enraged form appeared; he was tall, he had black hair and flickering golden eyes like the Nightmares he controlled. "Oh no, you will not think about it. You will—"

"I will think about it, no matter what you say!" Willow growled defensively. There was a pause.

"You are so much like your mother..." He slowly stepped in a circle around her, his hands massaging his temples. "And that means?"

"You are worth more than I ever thought." He smirked in the dark, his pale grey skin barely showing. "I could use you for many great purposes, you know. You are, after all, the—"

"Oh, shut up. I know you just want to get me on your side." Her blue glow flared, lighting up a bit of her surroundings, but it was still too dim of a light to be able to see.

"Now what would make you think that?" His voice sent shivers down her spine.

You're cruel, a coward, a liar, and an awful person, she thought. "I can tell when you're lying, and trying to convince me of something. It's not that hard."

"You little brat!" He spat.

Willow cringed at what he had called her and looked at the cold stone floor, which was cracked and had many unreadable etchings in the stone. They were most likely notes of what he was planning.

"I know my dad. He lies, is cruel to people, and doesn't care about anything," Willow whispered, a pang of sadness hitting her heart like an arrow in the middle of a bull's-eye. Her voice rose to a yell. "Not even his own daughter! All he want to do is use her!"

Her father stared in shock at his daughter's outburst, not sure what to make of it. Willow sent a sad glance to him before looking into the shadows. Finally, she snapped her fingers and vanished into thin air. He stared a couple moments at the place where she'd stood.

"Oh, what've you done, Pitch?" the man asked himself, shaking his head.

Willow's home:

Willow found herself back in her house—which was in a willow tree—on her soft, fur rug. Her small window was open, letting a chill enter the room. "What am I going to do..." she mumbled. "I don't really want to accept becoming a Guardian, then have to fight and be against my dad...but then I could join forces with him, and fight my friends..."

Well, they aren't close friends...but I still care about them, she thought.

The sunlight from the morning streamed through her window, making her yawn. A light breeze blew in through the window and circled around her. Willow...a voice whispered. Do not be worried...the time will come for your decision.

"But what do I do...?" she asked.

If you choose one path, it leads to destruction and the fate of people close to you; if you choose another, it will lead to your destiny, but also chaos and sorrow...Choose wisely my dear...

And the voice was gone.

Willow hugged her knees as she replayed the voice's words over and over in her head.

"Destruction and fate...but then my destiny and chaos and sorrow? How does that help?" she muttered. "I'll...I'll go see North tonight..." Then, she curled up on the rug and fell asleep.

Afternoon: North Pole

Jack Frost had finished his daily round of a snow day with Jamie and his friends. He was heading to the North Pole to ask North some questions.

"Ah, Jack!" North boomed, grinning widely. "What brings you here?"

Jack fiddled with his staff and sighed. "I'll get straight to the point. I want to know what happened to Willow," he said. "When she was chosen for the first time."

North's face turned serious. "That's not my story to tell, Jack," he said. "Come on! I'm dying to know," Jack protested.

"Jack, the only way you are going to hear it is if you can get Willow to tell you." North said. Jack sighed. "She made us promise never to tell, so I will not break that promise."

"Please?"

"No."

Time skip: Nighttime: Willow's tree

Looks like I'm off to North's...Willow thought. She left her tree and stepped into the chilly atmosphere. She looked left and right to see if anyone—travelers or lost humans, or even Nightmares—were watching. Without seeing anything, she leapt into the midnight sky as a blue streak, and headed towards the North Pole.

The yetis that guarded the entrance door spotted her, and one of them dashed inside, mumbling in his garbled language about something. He stood in front of two double doors, wondering if he should just knock or barge in. The second sounded better to him.

"Harbileghaly!" he exclaimed, bursting through the doors.

"Fred!" North grumbled. "How many times do I have to tell you to knock?"

"Warfhluaghertasdefu!"

"What? Willow? She's Back?" North got up from where he was sitting and pushed the yeti aside, walking towards the doors the guards had spotted her by.

Approaching the doors, he heard the voice of an angry yeti and a wisp.

"Come on! I have to see North!" she protested.

"Butyearglophyulapher!"

"Joe, you can let her come in," North said.

"Thank you!" Willow sighed, exasperated. The yeti grumbled and let her come through, and Fred resumed his post at the entrance.

"Now, Willow, what brings you here?" North asked.

"Well, you know my mom, right?"

"Yes, the amazing Mother Nature. What about her?"

"She came to me this morning, before I slept. She gave me a warning, about which path to choose." Willow said.

"Which path? Has Pitch been talking to you?"

Willow hesitated, playing with a strand of her coal black hair. Should I tell him...? she thought. He could help me...so...yes. I will. "I visited him last night. He wants me to join him because technically, I'm the Nightmare Princess. But the hard thing for me is...I can't fight against you guys. You're my friends," she explained, looking at her feet. "But I don't want to fight against my dad either...I know he's evil and all, but still, he means something to me."

North stroked his beard in thought. "I see what you are saying, Willow. What did your mother warn you about?"

"She said that if I choose one path, it'll lead to destruction and the fate of people close to me. But she said if I choose another path, it'll lead to my destiny but also chaos and sorrow. I don't see how what she said can help me."

"Willow, if I was in your shoes I would be as confused and worried as you are," He put a hand on her shoulder; She looked up at him. "The best thing you can do is hope that everything goes well whatever you do. Choose what you think is best."

Willow nodded. "Thanks, North." She gave a small smile. "I think...I think I should get going now...thanks again."

"Anytime, Willow." North waved goodbye as she opened the double entrance doors and leapt into the sky.

Time Skip: 5 minutes

Willow decided not to become a blue streak, as she couldn't think in that form. Her mind wandered off to her home back in the forest. She was about to hurry home, but a voice stopped her.

"Hey Wispy! Whatcha doin out so late?"

It was Jack Frost. Willow really didn't want to talk to him right now, and why did he call her the name she hated? She sighed and turned around.

"Hey Jack." She spotted him flying up to her level. "I'm out this late because it's my job."

"Oh. Right, 'cause you're—"

"Will-o-the-Wisp," she finished. "The one who leads people to their fate at the darkest of hours."

"Yeah..." He stuffed one of his hands in his navy blue hoodie pocket. "I know that we don't know each other very well, let alone very long, but I was wondering..."

"Yeah?" Willow was curious as to what the winter spirit would say.

"Why are people scared of you; like, what you do?" he asked. That question was one of the ones that the Guardians asked when she was first chosen. She remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"Well...since I lead people to their destiny, sometimes I put people in danger. One time a man was walking home, and I led him into the way of a bear. He ran for a long time, and cried out for me to help him. He was a good person, so I showed him the way home. Even if things end up all right, people are still afraid of me," she said.

"Isn't it sad for you to see people afraid?"

"No, not really. It's actually kind of fun since I can choose to make them happy again by leading them home. It's also fun to have people tell stories that include me in them."

"Oh. I see," he said. They stared at each other for a minute before it got a bit awkward.

"I'd..uh, better...go..." Willow said quietly.

"Oh, yeah! Sure...see ya." He gave a small wave before she dove down above the treetops and soon disappeared from sight.

Jack sighed. "Well, at least she doesn't think I'm annoying." He smirked and said, "Wind, take me to the North Pole!"

A sudden gush of wind blew Jack the way to the Pole. "WOOOOHOOO!" he whooped, doing acrobatic flips and twists in the air.

A couple seconds later, he reached the North Pole.

"Hey Joe, hey Fred," he said to the yetis when they opened the door for him. "North?"

"Jack, my boy!" North asked.

"Hi. Question."

"Yes?"

"Did Willow just come here? She was going home from something. I just saw her and we talked."

"Yes, yes she did! She was asking for advice on which path to choose!" North grinned, examining a toy ice sculpture.

"Path? What path?" Jack asked.

"Which side she was going to choose. It's a hard decision for her, you know." his voice switched from jolly and happy to a more sincere tone. He placed the ice etching on his work table.

"Which side? You mean Pitch is wanting her?" Jack asked, then scowled. "Pitch, Pitch, Pitch, why—"

"Jack," North interrupted. "Pitch is her father."