A/N: In my defense, I tried to stop this monster, but it just didn't want to stop. Also I've been recently been obsessing over "Song of Exile" by The Blessed Blend so deal with it.
This chapter includes many more spirits and we'll have a rundown of them at the end. As for the war, that will be explained clearer later, I promise. Jack just didn't want to hear the story and couldn't understand it so it's not happening here.
The Seelie War had ravaged the Unseelie's stronghold. Until Jack had started to bring some of his brightness to the empty husk of the Forbidden Palace, the only things that lived there were Pitch and the Nightmares, and Pitch hadn't spent much time there. He had spent most of his time traversing the globe, spreading fear to children and adults to the degree he could, and tending to his court. That was what he did now, making certain that none were outright starving before he attacked the Seelie.
It was an exercise in pain to make these rounds to his court, to see the Topielce fighting tooth and nail over a drowned squirrel to eat, watching sadly as Dhegdheer tried to close her hand around the arm of her prey only to have it walk away, not even noticing her attempts. It hurt to see the dark elves, once a proudly trooping race forced into solitude, fleeing each other when they were in a group of more than three, terrified that the Seelie would know and hurt them and their children again for disobeying the surrender. And yet, when his ancient court saw him, they would greet him with broken smiles, maybe bow as they would have if they had stood before him in the Forbidden Palace, and accept the alms he brought them.
Most times, the alms he had brought was nothing but a bit of food, a piece of meat, maybe a piece of fruit if he could. He had been so careful of Jack and what the treatment prescribed, and it was difficult to make certain of food for the innumerable numbers of Unseelie that traversed the world, solitary and suffering. But this time, this time he had alms that seemed impossible just fifty years ago.
"My king!" greeted one of the Ponaturi, a spirit who remained deep within her cave, far from the sun that would kill her if it touched her. She scrambled to her feet and bowed deeply, Pitch's heart breaking for the way her knees trembled from hunger. "It is an honor."
"I have brought you something," he said, reaching into the folds of his cloak.
"Food?" The hope in her voice was torturous.
"Better." At her confused look, he pulled out a golden tube, and held it out to her. On the end was an image of a small girl grinning. "A bargaining chip."
"These are memories!" gasped the Ponaturi. "Human memories! Is the girl alive?"
"I don't know. But the Seelie will do anything to get these back. Show them you have it, and you can partake in the fruit of their gardens."
"You mean…the…"
"If the Unseelie can do anything, we can trick people. They'll do anything to get that back, just trick them into giving you some food. That bargaining chip will keep you safe and fed far better than my leadership could."
"My king, you are a kind ruler, no one could ever care for his court as you do." She bowed again, the ceremonial motions of the hands not quite right after so long in isolation.
"See that you get a good meal in you. I have more to deliver." And he left her, the Maori spirit anxiously waiting for sundown to go feed herself the food that she had been denied for so long. This was how it went, taking memory box after memory box to his ancient court, watching as they bowed over and over again in thanks, kissing his hands and swearing that no king could ever measure him.
To think, all it took to earn the love of the Unseelie court was to assure them food.
Soon, the only remaining memory box was that of Jack, his Jacky Boy, his beloved Snowflake, his Fearling Prince. It was the one he had made certain that he always knew the location of. It was the one that started to call out with a little girl's voice, laughing and calling for Jack. It had called out over and over again, seemingly summoning Jack with its call. And then he had frightened the boy away to be snatched up the Guardians.
He would rescue the boy, of that he was certain. And he would find out why the boy's memory box had called out to him. If he had to interrogate those little Tooth Fairies about it, he would. They couldn't fly anymore and he was growing stronger. He had the advantage, even if they were Seelie and ranking in court.
Still, he would have liked to have Jack safe before he waged war. It was an impossible wish, and Pitch was perfectly aware of that. But he resolved to take the boy back from the Seelie into his arms, to protect the spirit that he had named his own.
At the North Pole, Jack had climbed under the bed, curled into himself and wishing he had his quilt made of shadows and frost. It was left on his bed in the Emperor's Palace, and he wished he had it. But he wasn't able to retrieve it and wrap himself in its familiar weight, instead he had to simply wrap his arms about himself and hope that those people the moon had forced vision upon vision of on him didn't show up.
This time, he wasn't playing a game, hiding under the bed. This time, he was actually very frightened and didn't want anyone to find him. He lay there, his eyes closed and drifting in and out of wakefulness, until the door opened and his eyes flew open from his doze, fear poising his limbs to run away. He could see a pair of big black boots entering, they were the ones the one called North wore (but he was always going to be the man of red and white to Jack). Now he grew even stiller. The man had swords, and Jack knew perfectly well what swords could do.
But following was one of the creatures of song, the tiny living thing that emanated music wherever it went. This time was no different, scampering along with a beautiful song even as the man of red and white exclaimed, "Ippolitov-Ivanov!" and ran out, dropping a tray covered with food and a now shattered glass of milk. The creature of song remained though, running to the food with an excited look on its face. But, as it broke off a bit of bread, it saw Jack lying there, staring curiously at it.
The two were silent for a long time before it grabbed the tray and tried to drag it over, managing to after a few minutes. It then picked up one of the cookies and scampered over to the boy. Jack was actually rather touched that the tiny creature of song was trying to feed him, but that melted to disgust as the elf started to lick the cookie, covering it with its saliva before holding it out.
"No, no, I don't want it," he said. The small creature frowned and turned, rushing back to the tray to bring over the bread, doing the same thing, licking it all over before presenting it to the boy. "No. You licked it, why would I want it?" The tiny thing stomped it's foot and sat down, looking very upset, and if Jack wasn't mistaken, those were tears in the little creature's eyes. "No, no, don't cry." Merely parroting the things that Pitch had calmed him with was all Jack could do for the creature of song, but it seemed to be working. "Come here, I'm sorry. I promise you'll feel better soon." And the creature, looking up at him, scrambled over to where Jack was curled, settling happily against his chest, comparing the bell atop its head to the buttons on Jack's tailcoat. But Jack didn't really see this, just wrapping his arms loosely around the creature and beginning to hum.
"Land of freedom, land of heroes, land that gave us hope and mem'ries," he sang, remembering how Pitch had once sung this to him when he had been distressed over the moon as so many times he had been. This song had calmed him, sent him to sleep, but he had asked about it and Pitch had grown very sad and simply told him to get some sleep. "Hear our singing, hear our longing, we will go home across the mountains. We will go home, we will go home. We will go home across the mountains. We will go home, we will go home, we will go home across the mountains…"
The creature stilled against him, and Jack took that to mean that it wasn't upset any more, but when he stopped singing the creature hit a tiny, tiny fist against him, making him smile and continue, his voice becoming choked with memories of Pitch's singing of this. "Land of sun and land of moonlight, land that gave us joy and sorrow. Land that gave us love and laughter, we will go home across the mountains." He continued singing, not noticing as more and more creatures of song approached, joining him under the bed, beginning to nod their heads in a way to aid the melancholy tune. He only stopped singing when the bed that had sheltered him moved, lifted by one of the giant furry creatures, the three terrifying people he had met the night before staring down at him. Surrounding him were the creatures of song, tucked against his chest or sitting on his side, at least one on his head.
He grew very, very still, staring up in fear while the creatures on him all started excitedly gesturing and climbing off of him. But the one that was curled against his chest walked straight up to the great improbable creature, stomped its foot and pointed at the food and then at Jack. The rabbit like thing called Bunnymund looked confused and said, "He didn't eat?" more gesturing continued, the other two and all the other creatures of song focused on that one.
"He refused once you licked it?" muttered the man of red and white, before turning to look at Jack, who wanted nothing more but to hide again but was held in place by that piercing blue stare. "Why would you refuse?" Jack remained silent, his left foot beginning to shake uncontrollably from the terror that coursed through him.
Jack felt like he had been dropped into a pit of scorpions. Hold still and they won't sting, move and they will. And now he couldn't stop moving his foot and scorpions stung movement.
"What were you singing?" asked the woman of colors—Tooth. She was on the ground, though he knew she could fly, and he was unreasonably grateful for that. Still he was silent. The creature of song ran back to him and started to tug on his hair, making him look at it. It reached out to touch his nose, giving him a very earnest look and then pointing to the three that stood there. When Jack continued to look scared, it pressed a kiss between his eyebrows. The icy spirit gave what was likely one of the weakest smiles he had ever given, and it died quickly. Still, he cradled the creature close as he sat up, letting the musical being sit on his shoulder as he stared up at the three before him.
"Pitch didn't tell me what it was called," he said softly. "I asked him. He got sad and didn't want to tell me. There were a lot of lullabies he didn't tell me the names of or where they came from."
Bunnymund outright snorted and said, "Lullabies? Pitch Black singing lullabies?"
"Not all the time. Just when I got upset, when the shadows the moon started to look like things, Pitch would make them go away. He'd sing me to sleep only when I got really upset." He was still very scared, but the creature of song holding onto his ear helped in more ways than he could really say, and when he wrapped his hand around the staff, he felt safer, but not nearly as safe as he had felt in bed in his room or anywhere in the Emperor's palace.
And his foot still hadn't stopped shaking, but a few other creatures of music were sitting on it now, and watching them laugh at such a high pitch it was almost impossible to hear, it helped calm Jack slightly.
"Bunny, you're scaring the boy," said the woman of—Tooth. She then knelt and smiled at him, saying, "I promise we're not going to hurt you, you don't need to look so scared." And after a moment she let out a gasp with a violent shiver, a few feathers falling off of her body, slowly falling to the floor. Looking at them she let out a quiet moan, at least until Bunnymund touched her shoulder.
"We'll turn this around, Tooth. Easter will make them believe again," assured Bunnymund. But Jack frowned up at them, his hand reaching up to touch the little creature on his shoulder.
"Believe?" he murmured. "People believe in you?"
"Used to anyway," said Bunnymund, a snarl making his snout ripple. "Until Pitch started taking that away." Jack was silent. He wanted to be left alone. "And now you're here. How did you get here?"
"The wind took me. I got scared and Pitch was shouting, he never shouts at me, and the wind took me away. Then I was brought inside."
"And what was he shouting about?" Jack pressed his lips together and shook his head. He fell silent once more. But at least his foot had stopped shaking and now the little creatures of song were sitting atop his legs again. The one on his shoulder gave his ear a squeeze, and he let out a breath.
"I was scared and confused, there were these things in cages and mountains of these gold things and I accused him of not taking care of me. He was right to be angry, he's only ever done the best he could do for me. He said he was making a world for me." He bit his lip, hands reaching to cradle the creature on his shoulder, holding it close and feeling its little arms try to wrap around his neck. "I want him back. I don't want to be here."
"Making a world," repeated North, the other two looking at each other. "Jack Frost, you stay here, in this room. Yetis and elves take care of you."
"You're…you're leaving?" the hope in his voice would have thrown them for a loop, had they not known that he had lived with Pitch for who knew how long.
"Phil, keep Jack Frost here. Easter is tomorrow and will try to save it." The giant creature nodded, and the other three left. The creature looked down at Jack, who was letting the smaller creatures climb all over him, his hands still cradling the first.
It then sat down, tilting its head. Jack copied it, looking at it and trying to figure out what it was. Then it turned its head the other way and Jack coped it once more. It continued to do this, and soon Jack realized, the creature was playing a game! Smiling he lifted a hand, waving. The creature did the same, and when it leaned one way, Jack did the same. The small creatures on him were watching, giggling almost too high to hear as they tumbled off of him as he leaned from side to side, but giggling all the same and Jack couldn't help but smiling.
After a long while of this simple game, a few more little creatures came in, helping carry a tray of food. They set it down in front of Jack and went to the others as Jack reached for what was brought for him. Milk, some cookies, a thick stew, and a loaf of bread all for himself. He couldn't eat all of this, no matter if he had to eat. So, he drank the milk and ate as much of the stew as he could, and two cookies before he looked at the little creatures playing little games amongst themselves, but that little creature that had first come to see him, the little one who had tried to keep him okay even as he sat terrified between those three horrifying people, it was nestled against his ankle, watching the others.
Jack, unable to eat more but with so much more in front of him, ripped off a bit of bread and dipped it in the stew, reaching to brush the small creature with his pinky finger, making it turn to him with a very serious little expression on its face. He smiled and held out the bit of bread to the small creature, who looked at it very curiously before looking up at him with a bright smile, embracing his wrist before taking the bread and running to show its fellows.
As he watched it go, he noticed that there was a little pattern of frost on it's strange red clothes, and he smiled. The other creatures of song all turned to him, running to him and smiling up at him, pushing to get closer to him, but they let the frosted one through, watching as it climbed onto Jack's knee and looked up at him, holding up the bread and then gesturing to the others around.
"I was going to share, you don't need to look so angry," said Jack, pulling another bit of bread off. The large creature (Phil?) let out a huff that sounded like a laugh as the smaller creatures clapped their hands and jumped up and down, trying to form a line but making just more or less a long clump. Soon each little one got its own piece of bread, happily devouring the food. Jack then looked at the large creature and offered the rest of the bread silently, but it just huffed and shook its head.
Before long, the creatures of song were done, but came back for more, so Jack simply passed them the rest of the bread and the large bowl, watching as they helped each other get more of the food. The small frosted one climbing to sit on Jack's knee, apparently conversing with another. Then it suddenly jumped up, grabbed his finger and started pulling. "Hold on, Little Guy," said Jack with a smile. "I'm still not very strong, I can't go anywhere."
Little Guy stared up at him before turning and rushing to Phil, pointing at Jack and speaking in a voice so high Jack could barely hear the noise, let alone understand the language. But Phil could evidently hear and understand, so he lumbered to his feet, going to Jack and holding out a hand, his deep voice rumbling something. Jack looked up at him and then down at all the creatures of song around him and finally to Little Guy, who was grinning up at him, nodding vigorously before holding up its arms to him, like a child wanting to be picked up.
Jack picked up Little Guy, settling him on his shoulder before putting his hand in Phil's. The large creature helping him, and surprised him by swinging him to sit on his shoulders. Jack squeaked with surprise as he was swung up but he laughed once settled, keeping his staff in one hand, watching with a smile as the little creatures followed behind Phil as he strode out of the room.
From his perch on Phil's shoulders, with large hands holding his legs steady, Jack felt horribly exposed but oddly safe. Little Guy was speaking to Phil, who carried Jack past busy rooms and into quiet hallways, to where the creatures were sleeping or where smaller versions were playing. Jack was set down among the little ones, who looked at him curiously but invited him into their games.
Though their invitation was lighthearted, Jack still felt tears well in his eyes. He was being asked to play by children. Not human children, but children all the same. He had tried so hard to play with them the first hundred years of his life and now they were asking him? With a watery smile he went to where the soft fuzzy creatures and tiny little ones that didn't ring with music as they walked were playing and sat among them. Little Guy was being embraced by four smaller ones that all had his same ruddy red nose and Jack smiled because those were Little Guy's children and he was being trusted to play with them.
The voices of the children were even higher than that of Little Guy and he could only barely realize they were speaking at all, and he felt horrible that he couldn't hear or understand them, but he simply smiled and tapped the ground with his staff, willing the ice to create small figures of the people he had heard about in the stories Pitch had told him. The tiny creatures took them and ran off to play with them, while the large fuzzy children came closer, one taking his arm and insisting he come. Jack was still weak, but he could move enough to play just a little bit of their simple games. And when he couldn't move, the wind would lift him up and move him.
They played together for a long time, until Phil, who was watching them, stood up and murmured in a deep voice. The children looked at him, but sighed and obeyed, going to what Jack supposed to be bed. One of Little Guy's children, a little girl, ran over and gave her father a kiss on his cheek before rushing away. Jack smiled, and let Phil pick him up again, carrying him back through the halls to the room Jack had been in, back to the bed he had hidden under.
Phil tucked him in, Little Guy sitting on his pillow with one hand resting on his forehead as if to keep guard over him as he slept and there was no words to express how grateful Jack was that he was being protected from all the terrifying things around him. He fell asleep quicker than he expected, Little Guy's hand smoothing over his eyebrows.
Jack was woken from his sleep by the sounds of shouting, and for a moment remembered that horrible moment when Pitch had sent him away because the nightmares were going to attack him, but he was surrounded by the small creatures of song, Little Guy standing beside his head as if to protect him. Phil standing beside his bed in the same way.
And when the door opened to a furious Bunnymund, Jack was grateful for his many protectors around him.
"You!" snapped Bunnymund. "Your caretaker just destroyed hope!"
"He doesn't destroy hope. He balances it. He's the balance in the world, why would he tip the balance?" But then he remembered something Pitch said when he had been angry. Ignoring Bunnymund as he continued to shout, Jack thought very hard. They believe the Guardians and their Seelie and they will never believe in you or me or anyone else unless we do something about it. Jack, I'm making a world for you. "Making a world for me. That's what he meant. He's tipped the balance so that I can be believed in." Realizing that, he let out a giddy laugh, one that he hadn't laughed in a very, very long time. "I need to go find him!"
"Oh no!" snapped Bunny, his big paws pushing Jack back down, some of the little creatures disturbed from they stood or sat. "You're not going anywhere!" At that, Jack turned to him, eyes wide. He had never had anyone tell him that he had to stay. Pitch had told him what the rest cure was and what that entailed and Jack enforced it upon himself with reminders. He wasn't used to this.
"Bunny, let the boy go!" said Toothiana, entering with a fierce look on her face. "Jack hasn't done anything!"
"He's going to find Pitch!"
"He's still an innocent in this. We do not hurt innocents." She was helping along North, who was using his sword as a cane, and Jack couldn't help but think that he was grateful that it meant that he couldn't be hurt because without it the old man would fall over.
"You hurt people?" breathed Jack, frightened by the idea that he was unwillingly in the custody of those who hurt those around them.
"Only bad people," assured North.
"But what makes a person bad? Is it who you think is bad? Is there someone who tells you who's bad? Is it someone who disobeys you or their parents or what?" Apparently no one had ever asked them that, and they looked a bit confused. "Pitch always tells me that you need to know all sides of the story, because if you only know one side you'll chase the monster through the woods, but if you know the other side you'll invite it in for tea." They looked at each other, still looking confused, so Jack tried to explain it for them in clearer terms. "It's sort of like the Greeks and the Trojans, isn't it? I only heard the stories of Cassandra and Paris and Astynax and Aeneas and I thought I hated the Greeks, but then Pitch told me the story of Odysseus and I learned that I was wrong. Does that make sense?"
"Yes…" said North slowly.
"Pitch has perverted his way of thinking, you can't deny that!" said Bunnymund, Toothiana hushing him.
Jack was confused at this, but Phil reached down and touched his shoulder, soothing him and making him forget whatever had been said. And when Little Guy started to show Jack how if he shook his head it made the little bell atop his head ring (now that Jack looked closely he wondered how he had ever thought it was anything but a bell), Jack ignored the frightening people in front him in favor of watching Little Guy and all the others ring their bells to amuse him.
Still, he knew those he had seen so many horrible visions of were still there, and he was still frightened, but he was focused on Little Guy and the others. Maybe Little Guy could come with him when he finally fled this place.
"Jack, stay here," said North in a very strict voice, making the boy look up as they left, leaving him with his new friends. And now that they were gone, Jack could go and find Pitch!
"I won't stay," he said to those assembled. "I really like you. I like all of you a lot. But I won't stay. They scare me." Phil nodded solemnly whilst the little creatures rushed to him, all grasping onto his tailcoat, wanting him to stay. "I won't. Imagine that you were taken away from home and you had to stay there even if you didn't want to. You'd want to go home too, right?" they nodded, little bits of music ringing out. "So I'm going home."
As he grabbed his staff, he felt something and looked to see Little Guy climbing into one of his pockets, settling there and staring up at him as if daring him to make him leave. "No, Little Guy, you have kids! You can't leave them." Little Guy shook his head, pointing to himself and then to Jack. Then he pointed to a female who had been sitting near him. She waved and gestured between the two of them and then made a rocking motion. "Is she their mother?" They both nodded vigorously. "And you'll take care of them?" she nodded. "I suppose you really want to come, then, huh Little Guy?" Little Guy nodded, and Jack smiled. "Okay." The woman rushed up to Little Guy, and they pressed their noses together fondly, but she let him go.
Jack stood and all the little creatures waved goodbye, their voices almost too high to hear and in a language that Jack didn't understand, at least not yet. Jack, grasping his staff, made his slow way to the window, helped by Phil, who opened the heavy thing. He growled a farewell, a hand stroking his hair twice before he gestured to the window. The wind was swirling and as Jack climbed onto the windowsill, he could swear it held a question in its gusts.
"Take me home," he said, and immediately was snatched up, speeding away from the buildings in the vast icy land.
All across the world, as children stopped having good dreams and children started to stop hoping, there were thousands who felt a rush of power that they had long forgotten. Parents who sat with their children in crevices in rock walls, teaching them stories of the old days and the religion that they adhered to, they suddenly looked up, breathless laughs escaping them. Young spirits and creatures looked up and wondered to themselves; "What is happening?"
The Tompte were cowering in their cupboards in Sweden, letting out quiet whines as they could no longer help children as they always had, and across the world, the giant Losi was joyous that he could play his tricks without his father and uncles punishing him for his association of the dark court. And as he prepared his canoe to sail back to the court that had welcomed more than the Light Court, he laughed, "Fale-taeao e le afiafi!" Who sits at home in the morning will not eat in the evening!
From the skies dove the harpies and the Adze (still as little floating lights for the moment), and together came the Svartálfar and the Dökkálfar in their elegant processions, a little out of practice for having to leave the world entirely under the eye of the All Father, but Odin had smiled and let them return to the court they thought was most like home.
Word spread like wildfire all around the world, all the same phrase; "The Unseelie can return to court!" And the numbers that raced to the Forbidden Palace matched that of those who were forced into an exodus from it. They found the Forbidden Palace in a sham state of how they left it, but they remembered the Fearlings, the dimwitted but vicious shadow creatures that had always slithered through the shadows, whispering and hissing to each other. The Fearlings were still there, and that at least was familiar.
Gan Ceann was giving rides on the back of his cart, and many climbed in to be taken home, excitedly chattering about what life would be like once the Unseelie could hold their heads with pride again. It had been far too long.
Soon, the Forbidden Palace was filled with Unseelie, the dark Elves were spinning in waltzes through the ballrooms laughing with delight, the courtyards were overflowing with couples courting that had been denied seeing each other due to that damned surrender that prevented trooping outside families, and the gardens were already being tended to by Púcas (not Pookas those were all dead).
Soon their palace would be flourishing again, with their powers restored to full ability the Forbidden Palace would be just as darkly splendid as it had been millennia before that thrice damned war took the name of the Unseelie Stronghold far too seriously. The red gold was shining once more, the obsidian and onyx decorations set into it standing out where it had once been just a black mass.
Medusa and her sisters were repairing the statues that had long been crumbled or broken, holding arms back onto the torsos they had been smashed off of and Medusa's gaze repairing them. It was trickier where they had weathered with time, but they slowly repaired them.
"The soil is gritty, but it's done nothing but rest," a Púca was saying, grinning down at the soil that was left in the gardens. "We'll have trees growing here in no time. Someone talk to the Boo Hags, they might have some seeds for voodoo lilies, we could plant them now."
"I don't know if they have voodoo lily seeds, but I heard that Hun-Came and Vucub-Came are going to come here, and I know that Mictlantecuhtli can get us saplings of the Devil's Hand Tree," said another excitedly. "You know Mictecacihuatl has always been fond of us and our king."
"The Lady of the Dead is a good woman," agreed a third.
And even still, they gathered together in the Great Hall, standing on processionals and on ledges, each watching as they relit the Dark Fire, the beacon that led all Unseelie back home. It burned with black flame, a curious light emitting from it, but a light that they had dreamed of seeing once more. It was lit by a bit of flame that had been kept by the stronger spirits, hidden in charms and tucked inside stones and now burned, filling out the hollow globe that showed their domain and that of their natural enemy.
And then, from atop one of the highest processionals, a spirit began to sing. It was a very simple song, but it was filled with so much agony that all those who heard it sympathized. "My child, my child! O my child! Would that I had died for thee! My child! O my child!" And those around joined until the Forbidden Palace was filled with the echoing painful cries of a million spirits all crying out to their long dead children.
For all they had done to restore their palace, the hidden depths where the nurseries had once lain, the places where their beloved children, the human children they loved as much as they loved the children switched to be saved by baptism, and the rarer children of the dark elves that had come to court from Svartálfaheimr, the children that their King had deigned to visit at every chance, a strange fond sadness in his eyes as he watched them…the nurseries had been attacked just as the rest of their palace had when the Seelie ended the war and now they still laid untouched for no one wanted to approach the site of so much heartbreak.
Parents had rushed to save their children and found corpses in their stead, the Al, their protectors, holding the bodies of the newborn and weeping bitterly over them while one of the Seelie stood over them. Stories told of a father who rushed at the warrior shrieking, "You call yourself a guardian of children, and you just slaughtered them! There were human children here, the ones you swear to protect! My daughter was a human and you killed her!" the father was killed for his trouble.
The Al were now taking children back under their protection, assuring parents that they would not fail and they knew they wouldn't, so long as the Seelie didn't ravage their palace once more.
It surprised none when it was learned that Lamia had started the lament. She had lost all her children because of Hera and her grief had never tempered. Her curse to eat children had done naught but torment her over the years, and she was often heard crying out from hunger and her efforts to escape her curse.
The new children, the ones who had always been protected by their parents and called "miracle" and "special little soldier" and "my darling princess", they were unfamiliar with the palace, going together in groups, mainly within their own species, alternating between competing to find who really was the best child and just exploring. Only the eldest understood what their parents had been mourning, the others just sitting by their parents confused but well aware of the atmosphere that demanded silence and reverence.
It was one of these groups of children, a group of Supay demon children, who were exploring one of the
tunnels and playing hide and seek among the stalagmites, when they heard the wind and felt its cold air. As the Supay lived in the Andes, they knew the cold well and looked to see who was coming.
They weren't expecting a boy in a dark blue waistcoat, a tiny red creature with a ringing noise coming off of it tucked into his pocket as they were set down by the wind. The boy was holding a staff and holding himself upright with it, and looked at them curiously. They looked right back at him, equally curious.
"Who are you?" asked one child after a while. The boy turned to her and said,
"My name is Jack Frost. I'm looking for Pitch."
"Everyone keeps talking about him but I've never seen him," said another. "Mother told me that he comes to visit while I'm playing, he brought each of us a golden thingy. They're very pretty."
"Is he here though? I need to find him."
"What's that?" asked one of the children, pointing to the little creature.
"This is Little Guy. He's my friend. Can I go look for Pitch now?" One of the boys, his horns starting to grow (and his parents had gone on and on about them, and he was very proud of them), held out his hand and said,
"I'll take you." And the two went along together, the others following behind. They reached the large main hall, now filled with Unseelie, some of the younger ones peering curiously at the bright and colorful creatures who huddled in their cages.
"Mama! Mama!" called one of the Supay, making a woman with large twisting horns but small fangs turn. "Mama, we found a boy!"
"A boy?" she echoed. The boy in question, still leaning heavily on the staff but looking pleased that the child was holding his hand still, looked at her, waving with his free hand. "What is your name child? Where are your parents?"
"I don't have parents," he said. "Well, not really. Pitch has sort of been like my father for a long time. I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Frost." The woman stared at him moment before bowing.
"It is an honor to meet you, Fearling Prince. I was a general in our army, back before the war that drove us all away. Has Pitch told you of that?"
"No. Everyone keeps calling me a Prince and I don't understand what everyone's going on about."
"My daddy says I'm a prince," said one of the Supay, but the woman, the general, shushed him.
"You are a prince your father's eyes, but Jack is the Prince in our court." And she turned back to Jack, holding out her hand for him to take. "I'll explain everything."
"Is Pitch here? I want to see him."
"No, no he's not. But everyone would love to see you." Jack, on the other hand, looked around at the large room, filled with all sorts of people, some with the same horns and fangs, some with wings, some that materialized from lightning bug forms, some that seemed to be made of mist. There were so many people, everyone was making so much noise, even the bright creatures that screamed as a child began to spin their cage.
"That boy should stop," he said, pointing at the boy who was spinning the cage. "That's cruel."
"Those are minions of one of the Guardians, the ones that led the war against us."
"But they didn't hurt you. Make him stop."
"But they're not nice!" said one of the children that had led Jack back.
"What he's doing isn't nice!" Jack didn't know why he was so upset about this, but he was, and Little Guy seemed to be proud of him and how he was standing up for the things that scared him.
"My Prince, please, you must understand the history of what they and their leader have done—"
"That boy's just being a bully! Bullies should never be excused!" And now around them, it grew colder and colder, until others took notice, looking at the boy with the white hair who was pointing angrily at the boy. "He's a bully!"
He was being very loud, he knew it, but he was upset and he wanted it to stop and he wanted all the screaming to stop too, he wanted all the people to go away, this was where Pitch had taken care of him and it was just ever the two of them. Life made sense then, it was filled with gentle concern and games and stories and lullabies and now everything was too loud and too much with too many people.
The wind lifted him up as his anger and upset grew, and even as he thought it, he was delivered up to where the boy was. Upon seeing him, the boy smiled as if about to ask him to join him in a game, but Jack snapped, "You're being a bully! Stop right now! Bullies are the worst sort of people, you should know that." This seemed to surprise the boy.
"But, my parents told me—"
"Have they ever done anything to you?"
"Not me personally, but—"
"Then you shouldn't act like that! If everyone here is this mean, I'd rather be back with Little Guy's family and Phil."
"Jack!" called a voice, and he turned to see a woman he remembered from when she had come to visit Pitch long ago.
"Stheno!" It was familiarity that he felt when he landed before her and embraced her. Stheno had taken care of him once or twice, her and her two sisters. Pitch had introduced them when he had to leave, back before they began the rest cure. Stheno was his favorite though, Euryale was so strict about everything and Medusa always wore that strange veil and wouldn't play with him. "Stheno, I don't like all these people."
"I know it must be difficult to adjust but—"
"No, it's not that it's just that everyone shouldn't be here. This isn't their home, this is Pitch and my home. No one else's."
Stheno sighed and said, "Jack, this was the home of all these people long ago, before the moon created you. We used to live here, before the war, this was our home. We've spent so long away from this place, our home…myself included. We lived in caves and crevices and forgotten underground cities but so afraid to see each other. Now we have a home."
Jack still didn't like it, he was still upset about the boy who was a bully, he was still unsure about all the people, and now that they were gathering to stare at him and whisper to each other he was growing frightened and a few seemed to recognize that, looking at each other. They were red and grey and green and had fangs and horns and sharp teeth and in that moment, even the veil Medusa wore to protect those around her from her deadly gaze looked threatening. Jack would never be able to explain why, but he was frightened. Perhaps it was because Pitch wasn't there to hold him and say, "I'm here, Snowflake, you don't need to be afraid." Perhaps it was because he had been denied seeing Pitch when he was scared so many times already.
He didn't know.
But the wind snatched him up and carried him away, surprising him into crying out as he was spun out of the place he called home, many of those who had been staring crying out with him and rushing to catch him. Yet Jack didn't struggle as he was carried, for he felt oddly safe. Little Guy was speaking to him in a soothing voice that was too high to hear and his staff was tucked in his arms, security and safety.
And when he was settled into corporeal arms, he didn't even move he felt so content. "My thanks," a woman's voice said.
"My pleasure," a man's said, his voice like a gentle breeze. At this, Jack did open his eyes, seeing a man and a woman there, he in the arms of the woman. She was gentle and careworn, even if she carried a bow and arrows on her back. The man was smiling at him, a fond smile like that of an uncle or grandfather. They both made him feel so very safe. Little Guy had climbed from his pocket and was speaking to them animatedly.
"Yes, I understand. The poor boy has been so frightened lately. Now Jack, my name is Juokshakka. I am the protector of children. The Sámi people used to worship me long ago, as well as my friend here. His name is Biegkegaellies. He is the god of winter winds."
"You've been very dear to me for a long time, Jack," said the man, smiling at the boy.
"Jack, I know you're frightened. A lot has happened around you and you really have no part in half of it. You weren't alive for this, you aren't well-versed enough for that, so on and so forth."
"You protect children?" asked Jack, looking up at her.
"Yes. Myself and my good friend, Maadteraahka. She protects children too, especially girls. Now Jack, we are Sámi Gods. The Sámi people remember us, but we are not worshipped any longer. But Gods, we are separate from Seelie and Unseelie courts. They don't disturb us, we don't disturb them. But you are in such a delicate position, I had to take care of you. My mother agreed."
"Your mother?"
"The Mother," said Biegkegaellies. "Mother Earth. To us, she is known as Akka. She's asked us to protect and educate you."
"Educate me?"
"There is a war coming," said Joukshakka. "Between your father and the Guardians. And we know that he did not sire you, but your father is of choice, and a family of choice is just as important as a family of blood."
"And we brought you home to teach you," added the God. "Do you remember this place?" Jack looked about him and yes, he remembered this place so well.
"My lake!" he said, a smile growing on his face. "I was born here!"
"Yes, yes you were. Your birth called me to you. Do you remember how the wind picked you up?"
"Yes. And then it dropped me."
"I meant to catch you, but the tree beat me to it." Joukshakka laughed aloud at that, and Jack had only ever felt safer in Pitch's arms.
Jack ended up sitting with the two deities on the shore of the slowly thawing lake, right by a marker that named it "Teedyuscung Lake (formerly Jack's Pond)." He had pointed that out and Joukshakka had gotten a very sad look on her face. Biegkegaellies was with him as well, his very presence making the leaves flutter in a cold wind.
"Jack, do you remember the name of this town?" Joukshakka asked.
"Yes, it's called Burgess," Jack said.
"Yes, Burgess. It was named that for its founders, Thaddeus and Hester Burgess. Did you know, they had two children? Anna and Jackson. Jackson was Hester's maiden name, and there was a tradition to name the first son with the mother's maiden name." Jack simply nodded, a bit confused.
"That's interesting?" he offered.
"Yes. Jackson Burgess was a boy who loved to play games and tricks. He poured snow down a preacher's back once, but since he had dropped it from the roof of a building, no one blamed him. He was smart like that. He loved games too, always played hopscotch with his sister. His mother always lectured him though, because hopscotch was a game for highwaymen."
"Jack, do you remember any of this?" asked Biegkegaellies.
"I don't remember that boy, no."
"What about his sister, Anna? She grew up to marry a man named Lesley Marbury, they had ten children."
"Was she the one who always looked sad?"
"You would have only seen her during the winter, so yes."
"I do remember her. I always wanted to make her happy."
"Well, when she was eight, she and her brother went ice skating, on that very lake," said Joukshakka, pointing to it. "But the ice was too thin. Jackson fell through and drowned right in front of her. That's why this lake used to be called Jack's Pond."
"I don't remember that."
"You don't remember anything like that?"
"No." The two deities looked at each other and sighed, the wind blowing harder for Biegkegaellies'.
"Jack, before you were born from this lake, before the moon told you your name and then abandoned you…you were Jackson Burgess. You were a human boy, you had a mother and a father and a sister," said Joukshakka gently, carding her hand through his hair, soothing him. "You drowned saving your sister from that same fate and the moon sought to reward you by giving you new life. He hoped that you would join the ranks of the Guardians, and be his seconds on earth and in the Seelie Court." Jack simply stared at her, seemingly uncomprehending.
"It's impossible for you to grasp this without your memories, and we don't know where those are," said Biegkegaellies. "Each Unseelie was given a box of memories as a bargaining chip for food from the Seelie. Pitch made sure of that."
"So…I was human once?" asked Jack, his voice small.
"Yes. And your sister's ten children all had children. Most people in Burgess can trace their ancestry back to her. Would you like to meet them? They're very good children."
"I had a sister?"
"A very good girl, too." He frowned, still confused. "I see that you will not understand all the particulars. You will learn from experience, then. Come, we'll take you to play with the children. They don't play much now, everyone's been plagued with nightmares since Sanderson's death, but if anyone could make them, it would be you."
Little Guy went with him, holding onto his ear and sitting on his shoulder as Jack walked between the two Gods, through the town which was now so foreign to him. There were still pine trees, there were still bushes that had red branches, but now everything was so radically and vastly different that Jack wasn't entirely certain how to handle it. But then he saw the children. There was one boy who was trying to engage them in a game of some sort, and Jack smiled.
"That is James Bennett," said Joukshakka. "He has the biggest imagination of all the children of Burgess. His room is filled with books on many creatures, elves, yetis, all sorts. He wants to believe, he's refusing to stop believing, it's quite admirable."
"And the others?" asked Jack, looking to each child, each beautiful.
"That is Pippa Newark, I could sing her praises for a thousand years. The twins Claude and Caleb Johnson, those two have such beautiful hearts of gold, they love with all they have. That is Montgomery Hawthorne, they call him Monty and that boy's hope is a beautiful thing to be seen. And that little girl is Sophie Bennett, Jamie's little sister. Such a darling soul, she loves rabbits and the fairies she hears about from the books her mother reads her."
"Who's that?" asked Jack, pointing to a girl who sat watching them, holding a stuffed unicorn. She looked so sad but he couldn't understand why, she was so beautiful.
"That is Katherine Weber. Her parents call her Cupcake. She has a mind that conjures up beautiful images of fantastical creatures, they're so real to her. But her heart and soul are delicate, and the nightmares are breaking her belief. The other children are scared of her. She's considered frightening by them, but the girls in her ballet class know her to be nothing but a sweetie."
"She shouldn't be sad. The others shouldn't be scared of her." And Jack focused, remembering a trick he had discovered back when he tried to make that sad girl-his sister?-happy, a trick to make children play and bring others to those games.
The six snowflakes were spinning about his fingers and he willed them to go to the children. The two Gods watched them float and land on the noses of the six children, making their eyes light up with happiness. "Cupcake!" called the girl, Pippa. "Come play with us!"
"Yeah, come on, Cupcake!" added James, waving her over. The larger girl grinned and ran over, her unicorn tucked under her arm.
"Go on, play," urged Biegkegaellies, and Jack did exactly so, not watching as Joukshakka notched an arrow into her bow, not watching as she kept an eye out for anything that would come for the children.
When they were finished playing, it was evening and they were each going home, promising to play again the next day. It was obvious that this was the happiest they had been in a long time, if Joukshakka's words about nightmares were true. Still, Jack had made them happy and they had played with him, and it made tears spring to his eyes.
"Are you alright?" asked Biegkegaellies, seeing the tears.
"I'm happy," said Jack. "I've not thrown a snowball in two hundred years. They can't see me, but they still played with me."
"No child has ever seen you, no adult either," said Joukshakka. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Well, we ought remedy that." And she disappeared, leaving Jack and the God of winter winds behind.
"She'll take care of it," assured Biegkegaellies. "You will always be a child and she'll always take care of you for that reason. The moon gave you new life, you were transformed from a human to a faerie, and that means that you need belief of humans to reach your full power."
"Does that mean that everyone believes in Stheno and her sisters now?" asked Jack.
"No. The Seelie and Unseelie don't get their power from individual belief, per say, but from a collective belief in what they stand for, increasingly in children now that adults are relying on science. But science is only half the answer. The Seelie get power by a belief in the seconds of their King, by the consistency of wonder, hope, dreams, while the Unseelie's power comes from fear and caution. It is very complicated, your position especially."
"My position?"
"That is an answer for another time. Come, you and your friend should come with me. We'll fly." As the wind picked them up with a twist of the man's wrist, Jack asked where exactly they were going. His only answer was, "Tomorrow."
All around them there was a shift and Jack could feel the immense magic and power and time rearranging and all of it happened in the space of a second and suddenly the sun was high and they were exactly where they had been. "Father Time must honor a request of a God," said Joukshakka, answering Jack's unasked question. "Now, do you see those children? If you go play with them, they will be able to see you." He turned and saw the same children he had played with for so long minutes-hours ago.
And off he flew, hoping against hope that they would see him.
He had much to thank Joukshakka, for partway through what they said would probably be the last snowball fight they could have as spring was well on its way, James stopped and stared up at him, followed swiftly by Cupcake. Then Monty, then Pippa, then Claude and Caleb. Soon, they were all staring at him, and Little Guy was waving, speaking rapidly at them.
"I don't think they can understand you, Little Guy," said Jack. Little Guy frowned for a moment, but shrugged and waved again. Cupcake waved slightly back.
"Who are you?" Pippa finally asked.
"My name's Jack Frost. This is Little Guy. He came with me when I ran away."
"Where did you run away from?" asked Cupcake.
"I don't really know. Two places really. First it was a place in the middle of the snow, there was an old man there, and a woman with wings, and a big rabbit. North, Toothiana, and Bunnymund, those were their names. Little Guy came with me there, and then I tried to go home, but then Stheno was there and she said that all the people who were there had more of a home than I did there and then Little Guy came with me here."
"Stheno?" echoed Claude.
"Wait, like Medusa's sister?" asked James. "She was in one of my books! I remember her because she had a weird name! Do you know Medusa?"
"Yeah, she always wears a veil and never wants to play with me. Says that playing will make the veil fall off and she'll accidentally turn me to stone." And through it all, a grin was growing on Jack's face, unbelievable joy growing in him. There were six beautiful, beautiful children who were all looking at him, some of them were descended from the girl Joukshakka claimed to be his sister, it was enough to forget all the fear that he had felt in the past few days.
And that was how he spent the rest of the day, explaining to the children that a Sámi Goddess had made them believe in him and that was why he could be seen by them, and his earnestness made them see her as well, her bow and arrow on her back, her face smiling and careworn. Biegkegaellies told Jack that he didn't want to be seen, he needed to keep "a mystery" about him that made Joukshakka laugh. And Jack then began to tell stories to the children, Little Guy sitting in James' ("I like to be called Jamie") lap.
"And then Mercury arrived! He was sent by Jupiter himself, and told Aeneas" here he put on as close a voice as he could to match Pitch's voice for Mercury, a voice that was tricky and wise all at once "'You must go to Italy, your destiny calls you there! Leave Dido and Carthage behind, leave at once!' And Aeneas did so, because when a God tells you to do something, you do it."
"Keep that in mind," advised Joukshakka. "If I ever tell you to do something, you best do it."
"Yes, ma'am," said Monty ("I don't like the name Montgomery, not really").
"Shh!" admonished Pippa. She wanted to hear this story.
"So," said Jack, continuing, "Aeneas did so. He had to go to Italy and when she heard about it, Dido cursed him and all his descendents, forever setting Carthage and Rome to war against each other. But to complete the curse, she needed to make an altar for Pluto, the God of the Dead. And when they needed a sacrifice, she grabbed her dagger and stabbed herself!" The children gasped. "And as she died, she said, 'My memory will live for ages. My people perform heroic destiny. One day on African soil, born to my ash a vengeful glorious. I can already hear the thunder name the winner. Hannibal! Hannibal! pride of my soul is full! More bitter memories! So Aeneas should go to hell!'"
Once he was done with the story of Aeneas and Dido, he told of The Scarlet Pimpernel, of d'Artagnan, of any other story he could think of. This lasted for a long time, and Jack had never felt stronger, never felt better, now that he had six lovely children looking at him and begging him for more stories, for more illustrations of ice to tell those same stories.
Whatever magic the protectress of Children had performed was amazing and Jack was certain he would never be able to thank her enough. But finally, they had to go home, and they made Jack promise to come back again at some point, but there was no promise needed for Jack to ever come and see them again. Tears of joy in his eyes, he embraced Joukshakka, tears soaking into her bright dress.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."
"He's at the Pole," said Biegkegaellies. "He won't be happy. I think it's time we send Jack on."
"Jack," said Joukshakka, kneeling down, her impressive height putting her right at eye level with him. "Jack, I need you to listen. We're going to send you back to the North Pole, where Little Guy lives. Now I know you were scared there, but Pitch is there. He wants to make every Seelie feel exactly what the Unseelie went through. That means that those who you saw will be trapped in disbelief, as well as Sanderson, one you haven't met but with one of the biggest hearts and cleverest minds ever. You've met the Frozen Beards, haven't you?"
"Yes. I liked them, they were nice."
"They would suffer the same hell you have, no one able to see you, unable to reach out to anyone. But they would also be terrified to seek help, and that isolation would make it worse. One Court cannot have that much power over another, the fact that the Seelie have this long is an oversight those of us not in either court have tried our best to mend."
"So I need to tell Pitch not to do that?"
"I've kept an eye on you, Jack. You are the only spirit who will forever be a child, you are forever one of mine. Every other spirit will grow, every other eternal spirit is an adult. You created a dream for yourself, a Place of your Own."
"Yes, it's the one thing that I could say was a real dream."
"And listen to me, Jack. That idea of a Place, that idea is the idea of balance in the world, of harmony between two ancient enemies and we need that. Go and speak to Pitch, tell him of that dream, he'll listen to you, you are beloved to him, you are a family of choice. Remind him, remind the Guardians, restore belief, restore hope and wonder and dreams. Akka has told us to make certain this happens."
"Why is she so interested anyway?"
"She works in mysterious ways that we will never understand. She is as old as the earth and older than any living thing on this earth," said Biegkegaellies. "If anyone knows what must be done, it is a woman as old as she. Now go, Jack. Good spirits are hiding because they can't protect children and the children themselves are scared to fall asleep for nightmares, the ones you met and told stories to are the last ones to believe at this point." Joukshakka gently kissed Jack's brow, and Little Guy settled into Jack's pocket. Biegkegaellies smiled and raised a hand, a cold wind raising Jack up from the ground and sending him away.
Jack knew, somehow, that he'd not see them for a very long time, but he did not want to face them without doing what they told him to do. He wanted to make them proud. Besides, he would finally get to see Pitch again.
A/N: And now let's make this even longer with some explanations, shall we?
Dhegdheer: "One with long ears" she is a monster from Somali mythology, a cannibalistic witch that lives in the wilderness and eats children
Ponaturi: Maori spirits that were destroyed in the sunlight, most if not all of them were said to be killed by Tāwhaki, a grandson of a (yet again) cannibalistic goddess named Whaitiri and her mortal husband Kaitangana (Man-Eater)
Ippolitov-Ivanov: a Russian composer, not very well known, most of his work isn't often performed, but he did conduct the final performance of Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" and taught Sergei Vasilenko
Jack's Lullaby: "Song of Exile" by The Blessed Blend. If you have ever seen the film "King Arthur" it's the same song
Tompte: Swedish spirits that live in the house and assist children in their chores/bake them bread in the night. They are helpful and benevolent spirits whose only goal is to take care of children.
Losi: A giant in Samoan mythology, he's a trickster and his father is Tagaloa, the god of the sea
Adze: in Ewe folklore, the Adze are vampiric creatures. They travel as little lights like fireflies,but if caught turns into a human and possess a human. Sometimes they would creep in as people slept and drank their blood, killing them. There is no way to defend yourself against the Adze.
Svartálfar and Dökkálfar: In Norse mythology, they are the Dark Elves, given different names but mostly the same species the Svartálfar live in the realm of Svartálfaheimr
Púcas: Mythological creatures in Guernsey, Wales, Ireland, they are tricksters and shapeshifters. If you climb onto their backs they will take on a "wild ride" but won't do any physical harm
Medusa and her sisters: Medusa is the best known of the three Gorgons, but the other two are Stheno and Euryale. Each were priestesses in a temple of Athena, but Poseidon came and raped the three. Athena turned the three girls into monsters for defiling her temple. This is a story that is faced with a lot of criticism for very good reasons
Boo Hags: Gullah folklore holds that Boo Hags are almost like vampires, but they get their power from someone's breath. Story goes that at night, they'll steal a victim's skin and wear it like clothing and ride them like a horse through the world. When the victim wakes they're very tired or sometimes out of breath. Boo Hags usually leave the victims alive for energy later.
Voodoo Lily: a bulb plant that smells of rotting flesh, but is not to be mistaken for a Corpse Flower. The Voodoo Lily grows in the shade and will not if exposed to too much sunlight
Devil's Hand Tree: native to the south of Mexico, the Devil's Hand Tree was used by the Aztecs to treat stomach aches. The name comes from the fact that it looks like a white and red hand
Hun-Came and Vucub-Came: Now these two are rather confusing. Mayan death spirits, they both have the name death, differentiated by "One" and "Seven" as their prefixes. There is no real distinction between the two other than that they are named differently
Mictlantecuhtli: Aztec death god, one of the most principle of the death Gods and Goddesses. Worship of him sometimes included cannibalism. He is often depicted as a skeleton
Mictecacihuatl: She is Mictlantecuhtli's wife, often called "Lady of the Dead." It is said that she was sacrificed as an infant and grew up to marry the death god. her job is to watch over the bones of the dead
The Unseelie's Song: Based off of Eric Whitacre's "When David Heard" which was commissioned for the son of the commissioner, who died in a car crash. The original text is "When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went to his chamber above the gate and wept 'My son! Oh my son! Would that I had died for thee! My son! Oh my son!'"
The Al: In Armenian mythology, the Al were creatures who would come steal children away. They were most vulnerable for forty days after they were born
Lamia: Lamia was a Greek Queen of Libya who was impregnated by Zeus. Hera curses her to become a child eating demon, killing all of her children but Scylla (yes, the monster in the Odyssey).
Supay Demons: the Supay are demons in Inca mythology. There is very little information on them, but they are associated with miner's rituals. They were often invoked, according to Christian missionaries in the Inca people, and begged not to hurt anyone. There is a Supay Dance during a festival entitled "Mamacha Candicha" (The Flame Virgin) which can last for two weeks
Juokshakka: "The Woman with the Arrow." In Sámi mythology, she is the daughter of Akka, and is the protectress of children. She is supposed to carry a bow and arrow
Akka: Mother Earth in Sámi mythology
Maadteraahka: A Sámi goddess who protects children, boys up until they are called men, but protect women their whole lives
Biegkegaellies: I mentioned him before, the Sámi God of Winter Winds. He has a brother, the God of Summer Winds, Bieggolmai, who carries two shovels to shovel the winds out of his cave home.
Teedyuscung: He was the chief of the Lunape people in New England during the early 18th century. In 1763 he was murdered by arsonists and his son Bull became chief.
Hopscotch as a highwayman's game: It really was! It only became a schoolboy's game in the beginning of the 18th century in England. At that point it was called "Scotch-Hoppers"
Dido's dying pledge: No, that wasn't taken from the Aeneid as I should have. It's translated from Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens, a five hour opera that is rarely performed. Dido sings that as she dies on the altar for Pluto.
A note on the elves and why they kept licking food: It's a personal belief of mine that the reason North was never upset about the fact that the elves were eating his food/that he ate food they had licked is that the saliva of the elves holds some sort of natural magic that keeps him, as a human granted immortality, in possession of a certain amount of magic as it comes from a magic creature. The fact that Jack turns this down is so strange because most of the Seelie have come to depend on it to enhance their own powers
And this, my friends, is proof I do far too much research for this story.
