A/N: Sorry for the delay! I just started Driver's Ed on Monday and it's taking away a lot of time I spend on chores and practicing my instrument so I've been a bit preoccupied. But I'm back for now, and ready to update! And a quick note: if you have any ideas on what other Facets could be, let me know cuz I have limited ideas and I'd love to hear what you come up with.
Thank you Kiearrah Mai Rhone, livingwithbooks, sohrem666, Dark Red Rabbit, and nique17 for the faves/follows! Seriously, I love getting those emails, they make me extremely happy so a big thank you to everyone who has favorited and/or followed this story so far. You keep me writing!
Sleepery: Good! That is my intent. It's better than being bored, right?
Kiearrah Mai Rhone: Thanks! I definitely will!
Jasdevi's secret sissy: That's what keeps going through my mind when stuff happens that I didn't intend in this story.
Sohrem666: Thanks!
Okay, that's done. THANK YOU REVIEWERS! Onto the story. But first…
DISCLAIMER: As usual, I still have not had the opportunity to purchase any ROTG characters so I do not own them… yet.
Previously…
The figure grinned as his army advanced. "Very well, rabbit. Prepare to meet your end," he snarled. With a greatwhoosh, he and the others began to race forward, sending their powers ahead in a great tidal wave to engulf the North Pole.
Chapter 10: Shields of Fire and Ice
"North! It's almost here! Are you ready?" Tooth yelled, watching the wave of all things Winter rapidly approaching, only a few hundred feet from reaching them.
"No, but we have no choice. Phil! Activate the fire shield," North hollered at the yeti standing next to a rapidly built contraption that still had wires exposed and lacked all the proper safety equipment. Phil grabbed a large red lever and pulled down, activating the cannon like object that was directed out the window. A long stream of fire shot out from the end and began splitting into several thick strands that formed themselves into a large dome around the Pole. The wave of ice was halted in its tracks, unable to stand the heat.
"Ha! Is working perfectly," North declared triumphantly. Sandy, who was outside monitoring the shield, quickly flew back in, hazard signs and exclamation points dancing all around his head. The other Guardians turned to the window to see the fire quickly going out from the top down. Within a few seconds, it had all disappeared.
"Talk about counting your chickens early. What happened?" Bunny demanded, eyeing the wave that had once again began to move, but slowly as it struggled to regain its lost momentum.
North listened to Phil's frantic warbling before turning back to the Guardian of Hope. "It seems that we lacked the proper amount of fuel for sustaining such a shield," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
Bunny threw his hands up in exasperation. "Great, just great! Now we get to become bloody snowmen," he grumbled.
"If only Jack was here! He could help us," Tooth murmured sadly, wings drooping as her fluttering slowed.
"He could, but he's not here and we can't do anything about that now, Tooth. We need to prepare to fight. Heck, this conversation is taking too long as it is," Bunny told her, unusually soft and gentle.
She nodded and pulled herself together, balling her hands into fists as she turned to the window, ready to face down the enemy. The other three stood beside her, ready to make their stand. Hopefully it would not be their final one.
Frio hovered outside, watching his progress with satisfaction. The Guardians' pitiful shield had failed and they were now vulnerable. The attack had waited long enough. "Facets! Are you ready?" he yelled down to his companions, who preferred to operate from the ground. He had the best ability to fly, probably due to his uncanny resemblance to the blasted Winter Spirit.
They all shouted their affirmative, the cool gusts of air swirling harder than ever. Frio nodded, grinning, and then gave the command they had all been waiting for.
"Attack!"
As one, they all rushed forward, ready to destroy the North Pole and everyone in it. They were only a hundred feet away… now sixty… forty… twenty. Frio rushed ahead of them all, eager to strike the Pole and unleash his revenge. He formed icicles in his hand and he threw them at the window. Soon, he would hear the glorious shatter of glass and, hopefully, the thud of ice into a body. But he heard nothing. Refocusing his attention on the window, he saw his icicles sticking out of… a wall of ice.
Frio's eyes widened as he slowly realized what had happened. The only other spirit who could control ice… "Hey Frio! Back away before you become a spirit Popsicle," a familiar voice shouted at him. He looked up, snarling, as Jack Frost flew down and positioned himself between Frio and the Pole. Behind him, a wall of ice encircled the Pole in a shiny dome, similar to what the fire shield had done.
"You shouldn't be here! Why are you interfering in this?" Frio yelled, gesturing to the other Facets to try and break through the ice wall. He knew he could easily do it, but he had a certain spirit to remove first.
"You're hurting my friends, and I can't allow you to do that. Now call off your attack," Jack ordered, unusually serious.
"Or what?" Frio taunted, crossing his arms.
"Or I'll do it myself. But I'm sure the other Facets would be more likely to listen to you," he replied calmly, his icy blue eyes fixing on Frio's white ones. Frio glared back, not backing down.
"Now why would I call them off? This is what I've been waiting for and deep down, you have too. Join your true kind and we can take down these Guardians together," he offered.
"I've been thinking about your offer. It's true that the Guardians left me alone for 300 years, but then so did you. I know I've been around longer, but the Facets were created by Mother Nature with their purposes in mind. You could have sought me out, but you didn't. So why should I join you now?" Jack challenged, mimicking Frio's stance and crossing his arms too.
"You never asked us for help. We would have been willing had we known that you were… uncertain of your path," Frio answered, hiding the flash of panic in his eyes. He didn't want to fight Jack again, but he would if he had to.
"And if I had come to you, no doubt I would be standing down there or up here at your side, ready to attack the Guardians too. But that's not what happened, and we have to deal with it. Now stand down," he ordered.
"No," Frio snapped, deciding that a fight was inevitable. Jack shrugged and, before Frio knew what was happening, the entire ice dome suddenly expanded outwards. The ice disappeared as it hit Jack, reforming just in time to collide with Frio and the other Facets. They were all sent tumbling backwards, not expecting the wall to suddenly move. Frio tumbled to the ground and Jack landed beside him, plucking his staff from his grip before he could move.
"Give it back," Frio snarled, scrambling to his feet and grabbing at his staff. Jack stepped back, moving the dark staff out of reach.
"No," he replied, mimicking Frio once again. He quickly froze Frio's feet to the ground before slowly approaching. He kept glancing at the other Facets, ready for one of them to attack but none did. They all just watched, unsure of what to do next.
"Frio, stop this. We don't have to fight. I'm sure I can make the Guardians see how wrong it was to just ignore you. They've been trying to change their ways. This war can be avoided right now," Jack said softly.
Frio scoffed. "You may delay it for now, but a war is inevitable. There are many, many spirits who are bitter at the Guardians for looking down from their high and mighty pedestals. If not us, then it will be others who try to destroy the Guardians," he sneered.
Jack sighed. "That may be true, but revenge won't get anyone anywhere. It would only open the door to Pitch and that will be far worse than what you've already gone through. We shouldn't fight. Besides, the Guardians and I are fully ready to defend against any attack you might try. It's better not to waste your resources," he said, hoping to break through his doppelganger's stubborn shell.
Frio regarded him for a moment, before turning as another Facet approaching him. It was a young girl, her light blond hair trailing down to her waist. She wore a simple blue dress, and her skin was a creamy white. She smelled faintly of evergreen trees and pine needles.
"Frio, can't we stop? None of us truly wish to fight the Guardians besides you," she asked softly, laying a hand on his arm. He looked at her, startled. "Zima, you don't know what you're saying. These Guardians-," he started, but she shook her head.
"Frio, your anger has blinded you to what's real. We have followed you because we believed we shared your anger, but the Guardians have had ample opportunity to hurt us now as we have been slightly weakened from the shield but we have not been harmed. They do not wish to fight either, and maybe that's something we need to agree on," she said softly.
She turned to Jack and inclined her head in a gesture of respect. "I am sorry, Bringer of Winter. We did not mean to harm you in this, for you are a part of Winter like the rest of us," she apologized. He smiled softly at her.
"I do not hold a grudge against any of you. I can understand how you all feel, I was there. But we can choose to put this aside now and live our lives peacefully. What Facet are you anyway?" he asked curiously.
"I am Zima, the Facet of the Winter Forest. The forest changes in winter and I help bring that change to pine forests across the world, but I mainly reside in the Czech Republic," she answered. He nodded and turned back to Frio.
"The way I see it, you're the only one who really wants to fight. I get the feeling your followers aren't going to follow you as far as you would want them to. There is no shame in stopping now," Jack said, sensing Frio's wavering walls.
The Facet of Ice bowed his head and looked at his feet for a moment before straightening and looking at the other Facets who had approached. "Is that what the rest of you want? To give up our cause against the Guardians?" he asked, searching for any supporters. He found none as the rest of them nodded, relief showing in their faces.
He sighed and turned back to Jack. "What good is a leader without his army? It seems that I have been outvoted. We will leave, Spirit of Winter. Perhaps in time we can learn to exist peacefully with each other. But that will take some time, so for now we will stay out of each other's path," he decided.
Jack inclined his head and grinned. "See, things can be worked out diplomatically. Now Bunny can't say I'm never diplomatic!" he exclaimed, cheering up and reverting back to his usual self.
Frio turned to the other Facets, communicating silently before they began to back away.
"We will be taking our leave now, Spirit of Winter. Until next time," he said, bowing his head before turning to the others. One of the Facets, probably the Facet of Snow, created a swirling vortex out of the white crystals which the others stepped through one by one. Frio and Zima were the last to go, turning back to Jack once more before leaving.
As the portal closed, Jack exhaled the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He could feel all the tension leave his body as what could have been a disastrous fight had been averted. Now it was time to face his fellow Guardians.
A/N: And another chapter has been completed! I'm sorry if you were hoping for a big, epic battle between them all but the characters decided not to have it. There'll be fights later on in this series of stories, but not in this arc. So originally, Frio was going to be a recurring bad guy, but now he's really not so I'll have to make another one. Pitch isn't going to be that much of a villain here, just letting you know. Anyways, there'll be one more chapter to this arc, involving the Guardians and they're reactions to everything, and then more stories! Send requests pretty please, and don't forget to review.