The sound of jingling bells and feet pattering on the front of his hoodie stirred him from his dreams of illusive phantoms of tantalizing evanescence. Blinking slowly, the first thing he saw was a silver, beaten up trumpet shoved in his face. A blast of strangled noise blew the snowy hair back from his face, and he squinted as he reached for the elf, lifting him off of his chest.
"No music," he growled at the elf, and was promptly hit in the nose by said trumpet as the elf threw it at his face in a rage. He sank his teeth into his lower lip, biting off a string of expletives as he reached for his staff to freeze the annoying thing. His hand found nothing, and he forgot the elf's offense for the moment while he sat up to search frantically for it. The elf took the opportunity to chew a U-shaped wound into the meaty part between his thumb and index finger, and this time he did let the string of expletives loose.
"Ffffff—"
"Jack!" North bellowed in his overly-loud and jolly voice as he entered the room. "I see you're awake. Come, come, we've no time to lose." He took one look at the elf hanging from his hand and waved his hand in dismissal, bustling over to the mammoth-sized wardrobe adjacent to the alcove he had been sleeping in.
"North," Jack said, his voice strained. He shook the elf off his hand onto the floor as North pulled out a coat and wrapped it about himself. The burly giant hummed a tune under his breath as he further dressed himself in a haphazard manner, pulling on gloves, hats, et cetera. Jack watched in incredulity, his stress levels only increasing the longer he didn't have the smooth, chilled wood of the staff in his calloused hand.
"...Uh, North—"
"He's making a list," he suddenly sang, "and checking it twice! He's going to find out who's naughty or nice! Santa Claus is—"
"North!" he man's bushy grey eyebrows drew together in a frown, obscuring eyes of bright blue as he turned around to finally face Jack. "What? What?!" He placed his meaty fists on his hips. "There's no need to shout so loud, m'boy! I'm standing five feet away from you." Jack just stared at him, his eyes both exasperated and agitated from behind the injured hand he was using to face-palm.
"Where is my—"
North suddenly spoke in incomprehensible Russian, the end of his exclamation transitioning back to English. "...happened to your hand?!" Jack pulled the offending hand back to his side, sighing.
"This fella," he said, pointing at the elf on the floor who was currently trying to whack his foot with his abused trumpet without much success, "but that's not important. I need to know where—"
"What did you do to your face?!" Jack blinked, grasping his cut nose and getting more blood on it in the process.
"I... It's fine, seriously. I just need to know where my—" North grasped the elf near his foot, raising him to eye-level and chastising him in half Russian, half English. "You are... very bad... hippopotamus! Don't... him... or... bacon! I'm serious, you squirming—"
"North!" Jack's voice rang out across the room, vibrating the slender ice sculptures on North's work table. "Where is my staff?!"
Silence.
"Oh," he said after a moment, depositing the elf back on the floor. "Why didn't you just ask in the first place? We're very pressed for time, you know; no time for your foolish dilly-dallying. Tooth said something bad is going on at her palace, and we were waiting for you to wake up before we left to go see what was going on." North waddled over to a tool box shoved into the corner of the room and scrutinized its contents before hurling most of it over his shoulder. Jack dodged a chisel that imbedded itself into the wall behind him, crouching low and raising wary arms to protect his face. More ice-carving tools were hurled in his direction, and he narrowly avoided getting speared in the head. "Ah hah!" North pulled out his staff and raised it above his head momentarily like a prize before he tossed it to Jack.
He caught it with dexterous hands, holding it close as he let out a frosty sigh of relief. Behind eyes heavily lidded with the comfort his reunion with his other half of his powers caused, his furious irritation dissipated into snowy tranquility. He inhaled and exhaled plumes of icy fog, letting the cold calm him, only to suddenly be snatched by a beefy hand and indignantly hefted onto North's meaty shoulder.
"Come along, boy, you take much too long. I'll fill you in on what you missed on your way there. Horatio!" he called to a yeti standing guard outside his door. "Is my sleigh ready?" The yeti grunted in what he assumed was confirmation, and Santa sauntered forth into the toy-making chaos that was his workshop. "Anyhow, where were we before you and Bunnymund decided to verbally slap-fight? Ah, yes: the Man in the Moon has chosen you to be a guardian. There's no avoiding it, Jack."
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on," he said before he could get any farther. He lifted off of his shoulder, coming to a landing in front of North. Resting the butt of his staff on the floor, he leaned his weight against it and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that I'm cut out to be a guardian, not even considering whether or not I want to be one? You guys are all serious business. Me? I'm fun times and snow-days. Besides, it's not like I can 'help the children' or whatever when not a single one of them believes in me."
Before today, that was.
North fixed him with a look before striding briskly past him. "Look inside your heart, Jack. You've spent your entire life as an immortal doing what? Looking for who you are, where you belong? What your purpose is? This is your chance," he said seriously. Jack followed in silence; his words were uncannily deep. "This is your chance to be something. Your chance to show that there's more to you than superficial amusement. Your chance to surprise the world that you are a young man, yes, but one with barely tapped potential, one that is worthy of the name Jack Frost and worthy of the adoration of the children he protects willingly or not. Prove to me, to us who you are. This is your decision. Choose, but choose quickly. We leave now."
He pushed open large, twin doors leading to a stone staircase that spiraled down into oblivion and descended its steps. They in turn led to great tunnels of ice, and from one of the bigger tunnels emerged savage reindeer hitched to an insanely industrialized sleigh. Sandman, Bunnymund, Tooth—who was looking particularly nervous and edgy, and several yetis were waiting for them. North strode over to them amiably, clapping a hand on Bunnymund's shoulder. "Coming, Jack?" he said good-naturedly. Jack paused, tearing his gaze from the sleigh and glancing at each of them. He sighed, rolling his eyes and sauntering past them.
"Fine. One ride, that's it."
He stepped into the sleigh.
The next few minutes were a much-needed breath of relief. He felt the arctic wind whip against his face, pulling against his clothes and hair and watering his eyes. North's booming laughter accompanied the trail of golden sand left in their wake, and even Tooth's troubled expression was lightened with a joyous smile. All of them had experienced flight before, and had learned to love it as a part of themselves. All spirits lifted, all woes were put aside for the moment.
Except for Bunnymund.
He felt the slightest hint of pity for his green face and his despondent form huddled in the deepest corner of the sleigh, regarding his quivering body with an amused grin. "Cheer up, Roo," he said as the swirls of the portal vanished behind them. "Fantastic view. Why don't you come up and take a look?" And for all his humor, he wasn't joking. The stained glass glittering like rainbows, the elegant spires and arching towers, the exquisitely artful platforms and the sun-gold paving only added to the sheer natural beauty of the secluded cove they found themselves in.
"Suit yourself," he said in response to the rabbit's weak growl. He leaned indolently against the railing of the sleigh, following his own advice and taking in the view with impressed eyes. It had been a long time since he had taken a vacation, so to speak, from his days of fun and no rules or responsibility, and North was right. It was time he did something worthwhile. Besides, beautiful scenery was certainly an added perk. He gazed around as the sleigh glided through the air, seeing nothing but ocean surrounding the island for miles on end, and as he looked back at Tooth's palace, his gaze sharpened. He leaned forward, his eyes intent, and saw them at the same time everyone else did.
Horses, horses of black cutting a swathe of dark night through the air like a scythe, like a plague. Ribbons of liquid onyx tracked the progress of these horses as they hunted down the tiny fairies that swarmed towards them in search of salvation from being eaten alive, and Tooth lunged out of the sleigh towards them. North lashed the reindeer with the reins, and they shot after her. Still, they were too slow. Anything but the speed of light would have been too slow as fairies were being captured at a rate of a hundred per second.
He knew someone faster, though.
Jack launched off the sleigh, surpassing Tooth's frantic fluttering as he flew forward. Already, in the span of a few seconds, the air was empty of the hummingbird-like fairies. His eyes strained to find any, and his gaze caught on the one horse that was still active as the rest homed in on a platform. The last horse reached out with fanged teeth to snatch the fairy out of the air. His staff sent the horse reeling towards the others conglomerating on the terrace, and he grasped the fairy with his free hand away from it. The horse fled, and he exhaled in relief, gazing at the fairy curled in the palm of his hand. She shivered, looking up at him with fearful eyes, and he soothed her with his gaze where he lacked the time to sooth her with words. Landing on a nearby platform, he raised his hood and slipped the fairy into the crook of his neck, where she took refuge cloaked by the hood at his nape.
"You monster!"
Jack looked up at the scream, half-expecting it at this point to be addressed at him. It wasn't actually, but instead aimed at the amalgamation of all things that crawled throughout the night. Where once galloped horses with bellies full of terrified sprites stood a man cloaked in darkness, looming tall over the enraged form of Tooth. His eyes were full of golden menace, his lips of amused fangs. She swung her fist blindly at him, her magenta eyes furious, but the moment before she made contact he vanished. Laughter rung out from the rooftop above her, and all eyes turned towards him.
"This is the best your precious Man in the Moon has to offer? A rodent, a codger, a football, and a helpless little fairy? Color me disappointed," he said, fading away as North landed his sleigh and slashed at him with his scimitars. He patted Bunnymund on the head, who was still reeling in North's sleigh, and disappeared once more at the drunken swing of a boomerang. Black sand puffed Sandman in the face, who scrunched up his nose and sneeze. And then there the man was, right before him.
With his back to him.
Jack stared at him, waiting for him to address him. Instead, he began to go on a melodramatic speech about how much injustice he suffered and how he was so evil and blah blah blah. For the billionth time in his life, Jack was ignored.
"Pitch, I assume," he said aloud. The man paused his speech and turned around, raising his eyebrows at him.
"What a pleasant surprise! You're the new—"
Jack punched him in the face.
He hurtled off the edge of the platform, limbs flailing. A loud splash echoed from below, cutting off his shouting, and Jack shook out his hand as ice receded from his knuckles.
"Asshole," he muttered. He lifted off of the platform only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of Pitch's soaked form.
"That wasn't very nice," he chided. His voice was still well-groomed; the only sign of his irritation was his slitted eyes. "Still, it is a pleasure to meet you. I so look forward to—"
Ice crackled as he swung his staff low. For a moment, he made contact with the black of his robe before Pitch vanished once more.
"How rude," he said from his position on the roof above Jack. This time both voice and expression showed his annoyance. "Fighting with blunt force? Where is the intrigue? The deceit? The espionage, the feints, the cleverness, the manipulation? I crave a worthy audience for my reign, not blundering peasants who can't appreciate the fine arts."
"Too bad for you, then," Jack called upwards, crouching slightly and gripping his staff in both hands. Pitch sighed loud enough that he could hear it from where he was.
"Fine, then. Have it your way, little Jack Frost. Let us dispose of fine words and charades." He slowly faced, gesturing with his hands. "Even if your little ragtag band of misfits somehow manages to uncurl from fetal position, I—" He abruptly cut off to dodge a boomerang, which curled back to Bunnymund, who strode forward past Jack to gaze upwards at Pitch.
"Glad to see you, ah, 'uncurled from fetal position'," Jack said to Bunnymund's back.
"I couldn't trust your thick-headed, stuck-up incompetence to handle the Boogeyman on your own," he replied, equally as tauntingly humorous.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you and all the damsels—children, I mean, in distress while looking amazingly good at the same time." Above, Pitch howled his outrage as North landed his sleigh once more and approached with scimitars drawn.
"You keep on talking and looking handsome, I'll do the protecting," the Easter Bunny called as he began to scale the tower in leaping bounds. Jack rolled his eyes, eying his slow progress where he himself could have just flown up.
"Silence! You will all stay silent!" Pitch snarled as he was cornered by them. "You will all appreciate—"
A ball of softly glowing sand smacked him right in the fist-inflicted bruise rapidly darkening on his sickly grey face, and Pitch stopped talking. His eyes, narrowed in anger, closed completely, and he toppled off of the roof. Jack neatly stepped out of the way as he hit the spot where he had just been standing with a loud thud before rolling off once more into the ocean below. He didn't come back out.
"Nice one, Sandy," Jack said as he floated up next to the group.
"Not too shabby, yourself. Must be hard coming up with all those flippant remarks while looking good at the same time." Bunnymund cocked an eyebrow at him.
"What can I say? I'm a born multitasker."
"Know what else you are? A born—"
Sandman abruptly strode in between them, fixing each of them with a reprimanding glare. Sand in the form of a pointing finger coalesced above his head, and they looked in the direction he wanted to bring their attention to.
"What will we do?" Tooth was saying to North, frantic. Feathers detached from her, and she stood woozily on the ground, her wings suddenly unable to support her weight. North was kneeling before her, steadying her with a hand. She looked over at them as her magenta eyes filled with tears, answering the question in Jack's eyes. "Their faith," she said softly. "Even as we speak, children are waking up still in possession of their lost teeth. So as the light of hope and childhood fades from their eyes, so too do I fade." Her voice quavered, and she let North envelop her in a giant hug. "They took my fairies, my coins, my teeth. Already, few believe in me now."
Join the club.
"Teeth?" Jack said, if only to distract her from her woes.
"Teeth," she confirmed, her voice muffled in North's shoulder. Bunnymund came over to pat her back, and Sandman shared a look with Jack. "Teeth are the keepers of memories. Every tooth, every—"
"Memories?" His gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Memories. Whenever a child needs to look upon something with nostalgia, we simply remind them of it."
"I don't have memories," he said slowly. "Didn't, before I... came into being." They all looked at him, Tooth raising her head. "Could you..." He trailed off.
"I could have, before Pitch stole all the teeth." And here a trace of her anger came back, lacing itself into her voice, giving her strength were belief in her did not. "Now, there's nothing. Now, every child who loses a tooth will never have that gift of memories again."
"Wait." North's voice attracted their attention as he paused, fingers at his forehead. His expression lit up, and Sandy conjured a light bulb above his head for added effect. "We will collect the teeth!"
"Is it possible?" Tooth asked, perking up. "The five of us? Do what thousands of fairies did twenty-four seven?"
"Ahhhh, but you forget who we are!" North grinned. "We are Guardians, and each of us has more power than thousands of fairies combined. Do you know how many presents I deliver in one night?
"And how many eggs I deliver in a day? It may be impossible, but it's a cause. It's hope," Bunnymund said.
"And we could get your teeth back, Jack!" Tooth pulled out of North's hug, her excitement giving her life once more. "We could go across the world right now. We could gather the teeth!" She laughed joyously, and grasped Sandman—the only person shorter than her—in a spinning hug that scattered sneeze-inducing sand everywhere.
"Off we go, then!" North strode briskly over to his sleigh, soothing the reindeer. Jack lifted into the sleigh, so distracted that he didn't even notice the fairy buried against his neck climb out of his hood and flutter over to enthusiastically greet Tooth.
His memories. He could get his memories back.
