I do not own RoTG or GoC.
The past is a funny thing. Sometimes, it is a wistful, pleasant place, that we cherish deeply in our memories. Sometimes, it is a terrifying beast, better left tucked into closets and under beds where it cannot hurt us.
Sometimes it is a sad and lonely thing.
For Jack, it was often the latter. Sad memories, with golden happy times, islands in a dark nothing.
He'd tried to chase the fog away. Viewed every memory that he could glean from his teeth a hundred times, cherishing each bright and painful moment.
But the fog was too deep, too thick for him to chase away on his own. So he'd sought out the aid of the one person who specialized in things like this.
As always, the Tooth Palace was a blur of activity. Countless mini-fairies flying to and fro, carrying coin or parcel, or tooth of every type. The only thing missing was its queen.
Jack spotted Vanish commanding the mini-fairies, a bored look on her face. Before he could spot him –or come after him- he flew down a level, waving a hand at a cluster of resting mini-fairies.
"Do you guys know where Tooth is?" he asked quietly. "I need to talk to her- about my memories."
The mini-fairies looked at each other, and nodded. One flew off, beckoning him to follow.
The fairiy led him away from the hustle and bustle of the towers, towards the ground and older parts of the palace. Here, the graceful spires gave way to beautiful bowers and golden carvings, empty of any other inhabitants.
The fairy stopped outside a cluster of trees gracefully blooming, and gestured inside. Without pausing for a response, she flew away, back up to the top.
Jack pushed aside the branches, fighting back a gasp at the sight before him.
The trunks of the trees were carved in the shape of beautiful winged women, as graceful and elegant as Tooth. Feathers turned to leaves, and what might have been hair bloomed in gentle flowers.
At the center, on the ground, Tooth sat tracing her fingers around a ruby box, humming something gently.
At a loss, Jack sent a thought out to the leaves. In an instant, one or two broke off from each tree, swirling gracefully about Tooth. She turned around, catching sight of Jack standing there.
Jack gave a nervous cough. "Am I bothering you?"
Tooth looked torn. "Not really. I was just…remembering."
Jack's own tooth box felt heavy in his pocket. "Oh." He knew how important memories were. "I can go, if you want."
"I don't mind." She preened her feathers nervously. "I can help you if you need something, Jack."
He frowned, and looked at the statue-trees again. The leaves were whispering oddly to him, more like Tooth's mini-fairies than actual leaves. "This is an interesting place." He said at last. "These…aren't normal trees, are they?"
At Tooth's confused look, he gave a sigh. "I talk to plants." He explained. "And these trees don't talk like any I've ever heard."
Tooth stood up and fluttered over. "They aren't." she said softly. "They're the Sisters of Flight."
"Like you?" Jack almost didn't want to ask. It felt like forbidden ground.
But Tooth didn't seem to notice. "Yes." She replied. "My mother's people." She reached up and brushed a blossom from a forehead. "Her sisters. My aunts."
"What happened?"
"Greed. And revenge." Tooth sighed. "If one dies, they all do. Hunters were looking for me, and my parents held them off. I only got to meet my aunts, before I had to say goodbye forever."
We were all someone before we were chosen. Tooth's earlier words echoed in his mind. Almost without thinking, Jack reached out with Twinetender, and drew gentle patterns of frost on their gowns. "I'm sorry." He said.
Tooth just gave him a sad smile, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank-you, Jack."
Jack sat down in the middle of the clearing, listening to the voices of the trees, and of the stories they told. "Some trees contain memories." Jack said softly. "Spirits passed on, who remember their old lives." He gestured with his staff. "Like Twinetender." The trees rustled in the wind, and Jack smiled. "These ones do too."
His memories could wait, Jack decided. Tooth and the Sisters of Flight had been waiting far longer for this reunion.
Something bittersweet today. And I finally figured out a chapter for Jack to interact with Tooth! Now Sandy's all that's left. And just one more (official) day. If you have any Sandy-centric ideas, I'm all ears!