AN: Hey again. The last few weeks of school have been crazy, what with graduation coming up and all. But instead of working on my homework I decided to write the next chapter lol. Hope you guys like it. –Erin xoxo
Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning saw Pitch and Jill heading over to Sandy's dream ship. It was a thing of wonder, huge and golden, the multitude of dreamsand particles glittering in the light of the sun. It soared through the air with ease, its propellers and sails pushing it gracefully along in its path.
Sandy greeted them with a smile and a tilting of his top hat. Jillian giggled affectionately before hugging the adorable little Guardian and Pitch shook his small hand. They weren't exactly back to their original camaraderie, but they were working on it. Still Jillian wasn't completely sure what had happened between the two of them to make things so rocky.
"So Sandy," Pitch started, holding Jillian's hand as the Sandman led them through the ship. "Why exactly have you called us here? You don't usually invite people on such short notice."
Sandy didn't need to answer for at that moment, Jillian and Pitch entered the parlour. Where Jack and North were waiting.
The white haired Guardian of Fun leapt to his feet, whipping his staff in front of him. It was pointed right at Pitch, and by extension, Jillian.
"What are they doing here, Sandy?" Jack growled, clearly upset.
North grabbed the staff from Jack.
"Sit down, Jack. Let us explain."
"Explain what?"
North sighed before gesturing to Sandy.
"Sandy wanted to give Jillian and Pitch a chance to tell their side of the story. He set this up so you would listen without running off or starting a fight."
"And what is stopping me from doing either of those right now, North?"
"Jack," Jillian finally said, sadness in her tone. "I'm your sister. You were gone for 300 years and I was left to figure things out for myself. At least let me tell you everything. You owe me that, at the very least."
Jack glared at them for a moment more before sighing. He sat down next to North and gestured for his staff. North returned it to him cautiously.
"Fine." The boy said, a bit petulantly. There was some guilt there too. "Tell me."
"One moment, Jack." North said, sitting down as well. "There is one story you need to hear before Pitch and Jillian's. Something that may help you understand the depth of their bond. It is time you heard my story."
Jillian and Pitch sat down, the spirit of love leaning forward slightly. She knew of North's lost love, but had never heard the full details behind it. Pitch, on the other hand, knew all about the sad story, but wanted to hear it again. Perhaps knowing North's grief would prepare him if he ever lost his Jillian.
North took a deep breath before beginning his tale.
"It was about a century after I became a Guardian. A few days after Christmas, the yetis and I had gone out as we do every year, looking for new ideas for toys for the children. We had just been leaving a rather large town when I heard a small sound. It was higher pitched than I had grown accustomed to hearing and rather pained. I followed it to a dark alley and that is where I found her.
"She was a small thing, dirty and waifish. Her cotton gown hung off of her malnourished figure like a burlap sack. Her golden hair was filthy, its light hue practically smothered by the dirt in it. She was minutes from dying right before my eyes.
"I would have helped her anyway, but when her eyes slowly opened, I knew that I was meant to help this woman. Her eyes were bluer than the ocean on a summer's day and seemed just as deep. They were what captured me; from that moment onward I would have done anything to keep this petite treasure safe.
"I picked her up gingerly; she seemed so fragile, like the smallest of movements would cause her to fall apart in my arms. I brought her back to the Pole and attempted to nurse her back to health. But after barely a day's struggle, the young woman succumbed to her maladies. I was upset, more than I should have been it seemed. I had barely known this woman and yet…. It was as if I had lost the world before I had truly grasped it in my hands.
"Manny ended up saving her, making her a spirit, much like young Jillian here. I'm still not sure if it is because she fought so bravely for her life and made such a wonderful spirit or if he wished to alleviate the pain I felt at losing her. But there she was, still petite but still looking healthier, her golden hair shining like the sun.
North took a breath. Jack looked enraptured with the story and Jillian already had tears in her eyes. Even now, North still loved this mysterious woman with all of his heart and soul, even though she had been gone for centuries.
"Her name was Ella. She was bright, funny and so terribly kind to everyone. The yetis adored her and protected her with their very lives. The elves seemed to view her as a mother figure and she absolutely doted upon them. Called them her 'little dears.' And I, I cherished her. She was the most precious thing in my world. I would have given her anything she wanted, given her my holiday if she decided she wished to try it for herself. But Ella would never have asked anything of me; she was content with the life I had given her at the Pole and within five years we were wed. Bunny, Sandy and Tooth were all there; they loved Ella just as much as I had." Sandy nodded, his little cherub like face saddened as he remembered the golden haired spirit, very much the Queen of North's heart.
"Ella and I spent so many wonderful centuries together. She adored the workshop and the wonder it brought. Sometimes she would tag along on gift deliveries, loving to see the sleeping children. She had always wanted children but we were both unsure if Spirits of Childhood could have little ones of their own. Then after two centuries, we found out that we could.
"Ella was so thrilled, as was I. After bringing joy and wonder to the children of the world, we wished to do the same for one or more of our own. The yetis helped me create a nursery and the elves modeled baby clothes for Ella. Everything was working out near perfectly; the baby preparations were turning out well and Christmas was also set to occur on schedule. It seemed like we would get our wish and bring a whole new bundle of happiness into our lives."
North sighed, looking down. He tried to compose himself as much as possible, but a solitary tear still slipped from his eye. Jillian grabbed Pitch's hand; this was the most painful moment of North's life, she could tell. The pain radiating from the Christmas Spirit's heart was so vast, it caused small pains in her own. Jack looked almost afraid of what North would say next.
"It was near the end of Ella's seven month of pregnancy when everything we had worked for fell apart. She woke up in intense pain, sweat coating her form and her hand gripping her swollen belly. The yetis and I hurried her into the infirmary and did our best to save her and our unborn child. But it had been a futile effort." North took another shaky breath, his large hands trembling. Jillian reached over and took it, sympathy shining through her eyes. The large small swallowed tightly before continuing. "Ella faded away as the light of dawn filled the room. There was nothing left of her or the baby except her wedding band. For the longest time I didn't move from where she had vanished, not even to set up the memorial. The yetis and elves worked hard to keep present production going, even through their grief. Thus it went until about a month before Christmas. Sandy, Bunny and Tooth came to the Pole to snap me out of it; they helped set up the memorial and offered to help me give out the presents for the children. I didn't even want to do any of it; the children were starting to lose faith and I just wanted to fade away like Ella. It was while we were delivering presents that I saw her. She could have been the child we lost, she looked so like a mix of my Ella and myself. She was so excited for Christmas, pictures and decorations all over her small bedroom. She brought back my wish to provide wonder to children; I still mourned Ella but I could function again.
"This is the true depth of the Other Half bond, Jack. If it hadn't been for that little girl, I probably wouldn't be here and there wouldn't be a Christmas. When a Spirit loses their Other Half, they lose a part of themselves. Perhaps it isn't so obvious in Pitch and Jillian to your eyes, but when I look at them, they remind me so much of how Ella and I were. Let Jillian tell you her story now, Jack, and keep my own in mind. I don't want you to lose your sister, but Jillian and Pitch cannot lose each other."
The room was silent for a moment. Jillian refused to start her tale until Jack said something. The winter spirit sat back in his seat, his expression blank as he sorted through the information North had just disclosed. He still wasn't completely buying the idea that Jill and Pitch had such a sacred bond between them, but… he would listen to what Jill had to say. After North's story, he needed to.
"Alright, Jill," he finally spoke. "Let me have it."
Jillian smiled before sitting back, hand still wrapped about Pitch's. The Nightmare King smiled reassuringly at her, but stayed silent. Pitch may be central to this story, but it was Jillian's to tell. He would give her this; it was her moment.
"Well," Jillian started. "You had just fallen under the ice, Jack…"