Chapter 7: Questions Finally Have Answers
The Guardians approached the tattered bed-frame that seemed very out of place in the middle of the dense forest. The pit below appeared bottomless and foreboding, sending chills down their spines. This was it. They had finally located the entrance to Pitch's lair.
Jack hovered uncertainly, peering over his shoulder at the others. North simply waved him forward with a nod. Blue eyes darted over the group, a flicker of warmth rising in his chest as he noted that each one of them stood unarmed, but battle ready.
Taking a deep breath, Jack called down into the inky darkness below the bed-frame. 'Pitch! Pitch, come out! We need to speak to you!'
Seconds passed without an answer. Jack peered down through the cracked wood, only to pull back sharply when a pair of shadowed night-mares sprang up from the darkness, landing on either side of the bed-frame with loud shrieks.
'Whoa there. Easy... We just need to speak to Pitch,' Jack darted back as one of the mares attempted to take a bite out of him.
'What a surprise. You should have called ahead... I would have baked a pie,' a familiar, somber tone echoed from the darkness, before the Nightmare King's tall form took shape in front of the bed-frame.
'Pitch,' Jack drew back instinctively, keeping his staff at the ready.
Distrustful golden eyes surveyed the group. A smirk touched upon the dark spirit's lips as he noted their defensive posture. 'Come now. You didn't travel all this way for tea, did you?'
'Where is the boy, Pitch?' Jack demanded, letting his feet touch the ground to steady himself.
The Nightmare King regarded the frost spirit silently, lips drawing into a single line. 'What boy could you possibly be referring to, Jack?'
'The one who calls you father,' Jack spat out, teeth gritting together.
'I am the boogeyman, Jack. A spirit, like yourself. How could I possibly have fathered a child?' Pitch stated, crossing his arms over his chest with another deep frown.
'We have his tooth. We've seen the memory it contains,' Tooth flitted away from the group, bringing herself to hover next to Jack as she held out the tiny, snow-colored treasure.
Golden eyes narrowed on the tooth in her hand, even as the fairy began to gush over how adorably tiny it was. How it sparkled like frost and reminded her so much of Jack's perfect teeth.
Pitch's shoulders lowered as he crossed his arms behind his back, leaning over the bed-frame to call down into the pit. 'Severus! Come up to the surface, this instant.'
Moments later, a small shape flew out of the darkness, passing through the wooden boards as a flicker of black snowflakes, before solidifying into a boy once more. The child landed quietly next to the nightmare bringer, his dark eyes passing over the Guardians, before coming to rest on the tall man at his side.
'Yes, Father?'
'Severus, why did you not inform me that you lost a tooth?' Pitch asked, casting his gaze down upon the dark-haired boy.
Ebony eyes blinked in confusion at the question. 'A tooth?'
'Ooooh, you're just so cute! I bet all your teeth are as adorable as this one,' Tooth squealed, fluttering over to the little boy to get a closer look. The boy was silent as she probed his gums and oooh'd over his teeth.
'Amazing. Look at that! You already have another tooth regrowing. It looks like it will be the same size as your baby teeth. How cute! Oh, I guess this means that immortal children don't grow adult teeth after their little ones fall out...' Tooth commented aloud, both to herself and the others.
Once the winged-woman backed away, Severus moved closer to his father. A single, pale hand clutched onto Pitch's black robes for comfort as the boy's dark eyes surveyed the group.
'So... who is his other parent?' Jack finally asked, eyeing the pair.
'I'm sure that it must be obvious, Frost,' the Nightmare King frowned, staring down at the white-haired young man.
'So... he is my kid,' the frost spirit whispered, clutching his staff to keep himself from staggering at the realization.
'Indeed,' Pitch commented.
'This is wonderful news then, yes! So, what is the lad's full name then? I have heard rumor that immortal children know their names from birth,' North's voice washed over the group, even as he knelt down to get a closer look at the child.
'Severus,' the nightmare bringer's tone was crisp and cool. The boy released his father's robes and took a step forward, still clearly wary of the new group of people.
'Severus BlackFrost.' The child seemed almost human in the clothes he was wearing. Like a schoolboy who had forgotten his shoes.
'Do you like to play, Sev?' Jack asked, lowering until he could look the younger boy in the eyes.
'I guess. I like reading more though,' the child answered honestly.
'Are you sure he's mine?' the frost spirit gave Pitch a cheeky grin which only caused the Nightmare King to roll his eyes in exasperation.
'Jack... Perhaps it's time to introduce us,' Bunny spoke up, no longer content with just watching them interact.
'Oh, right. I'm Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun. The giant kangaroo is Bunny, Guardian of Hope,' Jack began, giving the dark-haired boy a secret smile when Bunny loudly protested that he was not a kangaroo, he was a bunny. And not just any bunny, The Easter Bunny.
'The big guy with the beard is North, Guardian of Wonder. Or Santa Claus, for short. The golden man is Sandy, Guardian of Dreams. And you've sort-of met Tooth, Guardian of Memories. Well, The Tooth Fairy, obviously,' Jack concluded, standing to his full height once more.
Severus' ebony eyes took in the group. He really was a quiet child. Pale fingers reached into his jacket and pulled out a small book that he quickly flipped through, before narrowing his eyes at Tooth.
'You're the Tooth Fairy?' the boy asked, voice low.
'That's me,' Tooth flew a bit closer, hovering before the uncertain boy.
'You don't look like your pictures,' Severus commented, holding out the book.
The other guardians watched in amusement as their female companion glanced through the pages and hummed in agreement.
'Yes, I suppose I don't. My little fairies look more like me than the little human girls with wings that people are so fond of drawing,' Tooth answered, handing the book back to the boy.
'It's okay.' The boy's lips twitched into a half-smile as he concluded, 'You're prettier than the pictures anyway.'
Bunny couldn't stop himself from laughing aloud as Tooth swooped down to hug the boy for his adorable observation. Even Pitch cracked a smile, though it was so brief that no one but the pooka seemed to notice.
'Father?' Dark eyes blinked up at the taller man. Severus was clearly unaccustomed to being hugged.
'You would do well, in the future, to avoid telling women they are pretty. This is what happens when you say such things,' Pitch explained, an emotionless expression on his face once more.
'Jack, perhaps it is time that we get to point,' North interrupted, looking away from the immortal child.
Jack Frost sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. This was going to be harder than he thought. It was clear that Pitch wasn't the monster of a father that Jack assumed he'd be. He couldn't just tear Severus away from his home, but still... the frost spirit wanted to get to know the son he'd helped bring into this world (with or without his knowledge).
'Severus,' Jack knelt down once more, looking deep into the boy's ebony gaze. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch the younger spirit's cheeks to see if they were as cold as his own. A jumble of emotions welled up inside of him, but he shook them away. Forcing a smile onto his pale lips, Jack whispered, 'Are you happy... living here with Pitch?'
The immortal child contemplated the question, before giving his answer. 'I enjoy reading my books. The darkness is quiet, and father protects me. I have a tree that is special to me and a portal that allows me to travel back and forth. In conclusion... I believe I am happy.'
'I'm sorry that I haven't been around for you, Sev. I would like to get to know you more,' Jack glanced up at the tall figure next to the boy.
'Are you suggesting that I invite you, or your fellow Guardians, into my lair?' Pitch questioned, yet not as coldly as he would have in the past.
'I wouldn't expect you to. What if Severus spent the holidays with us? You know... Christmas at the North Pole, Easter at the Warren...' Jack threw a glance over his shoulder to see if his friends would agree.
'I am in agreement. Little Severus would be most welcome anytime,' North announced loudly.
Bunny seemed a bit more hesitant at the idea, but one look from Jack had him nodding. 'I suppose it couldn't hurt to have the little ankle-biter over for a few days. He's bound to be a lot less trouble than Jack.'
The frost spirit rolled his eyes, but smiled as he stood to attention, waiting for the Nightmare King to make a decision.
'I will deliver Severus to the workshop for Christmas, and you are welcome to pick him up here at Easter. If the boy wishes to continue with more frequent visits, I am sure that we will be able to come up with an arrangement. But, for now, evening is fast approaching and I need to take my leave. Say goodbye to the Guardians, Severus,' Pitch nodded briskly before slipping down the entrance-way in a wisp of black smoke. The night-mares neighed loudly and followed, leaving the group alone with the immortal child.
'Goodbye,' Severus turned away from the Guardians, his body dissolving into dark snowflakes as he followed his father back down into the depths of the Earth.
'Not a very emotional tyke, is he?' Bunny commented, whiskers twitching.
'I am sure that he will be very happy to spend Christmas with us. We will have plenty of fun,' North reached into his pocket for a globe, twirling it until it landed on the workshop.
'I think I'll head back to the Warren on my own,' Bunny decided, tapping his foot to open a passageway. Green eyes landed on Jack, who was still staring at the broken bed-frame with an uncertain expression.
'Care to join me, Frostbite?' the pooka found himself asking.
Jack turned at the sound of his voice, lips quirking up into a smile. 'Sure. For a little bit. Then I've got to get back to bringing winter to the world.'
With a wave, the Guardians split up and went their separate ways, leaving the forest silent and empty once more.
...tbc...
Note: I thought I'd never finish that chapter. This fic has gotten far longer than I ever thought it would, but I'm having a lot of fun writing it.
