Here's the next chapter for you all, and I sincerely apologize for the delay.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians; it all belongs to DreamWorks.

Warnings: Language, Dark themes, Violence, Sadism, Slight gore (mostly blood spillage), implications of Stockholm Syndrome (duh), and may or may not contain Adult themes

The North Pole...

Jack laughed as he zipped around the workshop with Phil on his tail. The yeti had caught the winter sprite freezing the decorations, and took to chasing him off the vicinity. He zipped by North, who had just stepped out of his personal workshop, and the older guardian looked on in sight bewilderment as Phil also game grumbling passed.

North wasn't the least bit bothered by this, rather, he was amused. This little game of cat and mouse seemed to become a daily occurrence since Jack began his frequent visits to the Guardians had all grown fond of the winter sprite, and though Bunnymund still refused to admit it, North could see how fond he truly was off Jack. The white-haired boy seemed to have that affect on people.

With a shake of his head, North strode around to take note of the progress around the workshop.

In the shadows high above them, Serafina looked on in interest, shuffling her card deck in her hands. She had heard a lot about the winter spirit turned Guardian of Fun, but had never really seen him in person. She had heard from other female spirits that he was quite cute and endearing, but she had paid the comments no mind at the time. But now, she could see what they had meant. He had a child like quality to him; he was carefree and smiled a lot. And he had spirit, one that she was determined to break into a million pieces, and crush them under the soles of her sneakers until it became non existent.

The Nightmare next to her grunted impatiently, and Serafina absentmindedly reached to stroke its sandy mane.

"Patience." she murmured, "It won't be long now."

Moments later, Jack flew back into the workshop with a bright smile, and greeted North. Serafina took this as her cue to act, and signaled the Nightmares with a wave of her free hand. "Do as you please, but remember, Frost is mine."

The black horses leaped into action at once and swarmed the workshop, leaving trails of black sand and destruction in their wake. The two Guardians and the yetis were caught by surprise, but defended themselves as best they could. The yeties swung theit fists left and right, obliterating every Nightmare within reach. North swung his double swords, ignoring the black sand gathering at their feet. Jack shot ice from his staff, freezing the Nightmares until they shattered into black, icy pieces.

"Their putting up more of a fight than I expected." she mused as she watched.

Pitch's Nightmares kept coming, but slowly decreasing in numbers as their opponents attacked with fervor. It wasn't enough of a distraction for Serafina to snatch Jack, unseen by North and the yetis, and took matters into her own hands. Literally.

She chuckled, "Let's see how they handle my tricks." Serafina spread her cards between her hands, and they glowed a dull purple for a moment, before she blew them. As they floated to the ground, the cards grew in size until they were as big as a person, if not bigger. Limbs sprouted from their bottoms and sides, along with a small head shielded by a helmet, and spears appearing in their newly-formed hands. They looked something out of Alice in Wonderland, but these were far deadlier, Serafina noted with pride.

Even as they were sliced in half by swords, they simply mended themselves. And as they were frozen, they simply broke free. One by one, the yetis and North were cornered, leaving Jack more vulnerable.

And Serafina swooped in.

Jack didn't know what was happening. Everything was absolutely chaotic, and he was certain it was all Pitch's doing. He couldn't understand how Pitch had gained power so quickly, with the amount of believers the Guardians had and the notable absence of fear. Granted, it's already been ten years, but those ten years seemed like a blink of an eye when you're immortal.

What really put him off were the cards. They were huge, probably bigger than Bunny, with hands, feet, and attacking them with spears. In his three hundred and ten years of living as a spirit, he had seen many unusual things, but this... this was a bit unnatural.

He moved swiftly, shooting ice left and right, and yelped when his hands were suddenly caught. His staff slipped through his fingers as a continuous string of handkerchiefs snaked tightly around his arms, legs and torso, and around his eyes, the wood clattering to the floor. His limbs were pinned together and he was blinded. His stomach churned as an unpleasant feeling washed over him, like being sucked through a wormhole. His body felt like it was being pulled apart one second, and being squished the next. The sensation left him feeling dizzy and nauseous.

Then, he dropped ungracefully on the floor.

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Pitch's sinister laugh echoed through the walls. The handkerchiefs were removed from his eyes, but the rest of his bindings remained.

"Frost," Pitch sneered.

"Pitch?" Jack gasped, "H-How did you...?

"Like I told you, Jack, you can't kill fear." the Nightmare King gave a wide, sadistic grin, twirling Jack's staff in his hands, "Nor can you kill winter. But no, I plan to do something far worse than that."

With that, Pitch swung, hitting Jack in the face with his own staff and knocking him back. Jack tried to lift his hands to protect himself from the blows, but the bindings would allow him any more movement. Soon, his face and hands were covered in bruises, and he was pretty sure his front and his back were as well.

"There is no use trying to fight me, Jack." said Pitch,"I plan to beat you until your staff breaks, or your spirits shatter. Whichever comes first," And another blow came.

Jack coughed, "T-The Guardians w-will find me..."

Pitch cackled, "I honestly doubt that. I, for one, am confident that I've kept you well hidden from everyone else. You may never see the light of day again, if it comes to it."

She watched.

She watched as Pitch swung the staff again and again, beating the winter spirit until the young boy was black and blue. She had known her uncle was violent, but she didn't know how much. Sadism simply ran in the family, she supposed. the boy was eventually reduced to begging, and Serafina felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

"P-Please... Please s-stop Pitch..." Jack whispered hoarsely.

"Terribly sorry, Jack. Does it hurt too much?" Pitch mocked, raising the staff again, and Jack cringed as he awaited the blow. When it didn't come, he looked up to see Pitch grin widely in a way that clearly meant trouble. "I suppose... I could give you a break."

Serafina could see the relief in Jack's eyes, but it vanished at Pitch's next words, "On one condition. When I leave, you go to sleep."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen once Jack fell asleep. Pitch would certainly ensure that the winter spirit would suffer, even in his dreams.

And Serafina would only watch, until it was her turn to strike.

Please tell me what you think, and review!

~Cassandra