Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the story line and characters of Frozen and Rise of the Guardians, they belong to their rightful owners respectively.

Elsa looked around the icy walls of her dining room as she walked in, it was so silent… so empty.

Walking towards the table, she stopped in her tracks as a familiar sight greeted her.

Plated nicely on the table was a sandwich, a chocolate muffin and a little daisy flower, neatly placed in a vase.

It was the first ever meal Jack prepared for her, the day she met him.

Her hand shot up to cover her mouth as her chest shook slightly with her soft sobs. They echoed off the walls and she took a second to recompose herself. She wiped her tears and her face hardened, no matter how painful it was or how much she missed him, she had to move on and stay strong.

She was the fifth spirit of the Enchanted Forest. The Snow Queen.

Picking up the muffin from the table, her eyes widened as it disintegrated slowly in her hands. Her fingers curled around the black sand that remained in her hands.

"You know, I have been wondering when that prick was going to go." Elsa gasped in shock at the dark, cold voice that rang in the room. The atmosphere became dimmer and all Elsa could feel was tension.

Do not show fear.

"Finally he's gone." Pitch cooed as he stepped out from the dark corner of the room. Elsa watched as the remaining items on the table also disappeared, leaving just clumps of black sand in its wake.

"Now, dear Elsa," Pitch gave a sickly smile as he approached the Snow Queen. When he was close enough, he combed her platinum blonde hair behind her ear, causing a chill to go down her spine. "I have a proposition."

She slapped his hand away, stepping away from him. "I have nothing to do with you, Pitch."

"My my, this feisty girl," he gave a sick chuckle as he slowly circled her like a predator taunting its prey. Her disgusted eyes followed him. "I waited so long for your frosty boyfriend to leave, and this is how you greet me. You wound me, Elsa."

"I am not scared of you."

Pitch stopped in his tracks, and turned to fully face her. He towered over her, a grimace on his face as she narrowed her eyes at him. Her fists were clenched as she tried her best to keep her cool and not blitz him to pieces, she was smarter than that. He was a strong creature and the last thing she needed was to anger him.

Her brows furrowed slightly when he chuckled sinisterly. It took her much effort to not shudder as he eyed her with his beady yellow ords.

"I'd make you take that back, but why would I when it makes this game more interesting?" Her eyes widened as he paused and snapped his fingers. Black sand piled at his feet and it started building up on itself, growing taller and taller. "I don't need you to fear me, though we will get there eventually and you will join me in domination of this universe…"

The black sand grew and Elsa felt her heart drop as a black figure of Anna stood before her.

"I just need you to fear what I can do to those you love," he ran his hand along the shoulders of Anna's sand figure. "Because that's what you do, no? You protect the ones you love, don't you, my dear?"

Her knuckles turned white and her fists shook. "No, you can't hurt her like that… Y-You're just a nightmare."

Pitch shook his head, tsking her as he waved his finger to her face. Lifting her chin up, his nail dug into the skin of her chin. "I see you want to test me. Very well, Snow Queen. I accept your challenge, and I will start with that little babe growing in that beloved sister of yours."

"No…" she barely got out a whisper as Pitch used his black sand to form a sword, and pierced it into Anna's abdomen. Anna's black sand figure started melting and Pitch cackled evilly.

"NO!" Elsa cried as she blasted him with her ice, but he dodged her hit easily, and the darkness consumed her.

"ANNA!" Elsa shouted as she sat up straight in her bed. Another nightmare, she thought as she tried to calm herself. The sunlight was starting to pour in through her window, as she held her hand to her chest. She'd frozen her sheets in the night in reaction to her dream, and her usual soft sheets were stiff as she pulled them aside.

She needed to see Anna, to make sure she was alright. She couldn't throw the terrible gut feeling she had that Pitch was stronger than Jack and herself had ever expected and he was threatening those that mattered to her.

She threw on her usual dress and walked briskly out to the main door. Opening it, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a carriage pull up by the road.

Before the carriage had a chance of even stopping properly, the door burst open and an older man hopped off the wooden carriage. Lieutenant Mattias might be older than most of the court guards, but despite his gray hairs, he was still extremely combat fit, helping him retain his position as grand lieutenant. His usually wise face was etched with agony as his eyes caught the Snow Queen's.

"Your highness!" He ran towards Elsa, his tone alert and disturbed. "We need you at the palace! Queen Anna-she-"

Elsa's eyes widened in shock as she quickly started walking towards the carriage without hesitation. Panicked, she took Mattias' hand. "What happened Anna?"

"It's the baby, there's something wrong…"

Elsa ran through the hallways of Arendelle castle, giving quick nods to the few panicked maids and servants scurrying along with towels and jugs of hot water. The palace was in turmoil as Queen Anna awoke in the wee hours of the morning, screaming and bleeding.

"Kristoff!" Elsa cried out upon seeing her brother-in-law leaning against the wall right outside of his and Anna's bed chambers. His blonde hair was still a mess and his eyes looked red as if he'd been crying.

"Elsa," he said, just loud enough for her to hear as she ran into his arms, giving him a big hug. She patted his back reassuringly as his forehead rested on her shoulder, she could feel him trembling.

"How's Anna? How's the baby?" She asked quickly, pulling away as she looked into his dejected face.

He shook his head slightly, looking down on the ground.

"Please, please tell me they are alright, Kristoff," Elsa shook him as he just continued shaking his head.

"The baby… I don't know…" he whispered, looking up at her, a tear rolling down his face.

Her lower lips trembled as her tears filled her eyes. "A-Anna? What about Anna?"

"The doctor is trying h-his best," he said between gasps of air. "S-she lost so m-much blood,"

Elsa covered her mouth with her hands as her sobs rang through the hallways. She leaned against the wall, her body shaking with sobs.

It's my fault. She thought to herself, the guilt building up in her chest as the hot tears continued streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Kristoff looked at the ground in shame. "I caused this. And now, my wife is paying the price."

"N-no," Elsa shushed him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Y-you didn't do this. Please don't blame yourself."

Kristoff opened his mouth to replay but the sound of the doors opening caught both their attention as the doctor came out.

The old man's face was solemn and stoic as he approached Kristoff and Elsa.

"How is she, doctor?" Elsa asked, pacing to his side hastily. Kristoff was also quick on his feet to figure out his wife's diagnosis.

The doctor looked at both of them, and gave a sigh. "Your highness, Prince Kristoff," he gave a small bow as formality before he started. "Forgive me, Queen Anna's prognosis is not looking good…"

Elsa felt her heart breaking and was calming telling herself to breathe. Kristoff had his hands on her shoulder and she felt his grip tighten.

"The baby is still holding on but the Queen is terribly weak, and I'm afraid that there is nothing much we can do to save them both… except…"

"Except what?" Both Elsa and Kristoff said aloud, a small glimmer of hope arising with the chance to save Anna.

The doctor looked around, before he led Elsa and Kristoff down the hall. "Let us speak in private, shall we?"

Elsa and Kristoff stood in the study, arms folded. The doctor had just left and they were both deep in thought at the crazy option they were left with.

He spoke of a flower, not just any plant, but a golden flower, born from a drop of sunlight that fell from the cosmics. The sun was the greatest source of power and energy in this realm and this flower had magical healing abilities. There had been one that was reported in the kingdom of Corona, which saved the queen during her own childbirth. Everyone thought there was only one flower ever,but recently there was another one sighted. Right up the North Mountain, in a corner so cold, it was the only thing that could survive in the extreme weather conditions. He'd heard of it from a bunch of men who just came back from their expeditions there, while he was treating them for their small injuries and frostbite.

The flower rested on the ledge at the corner of the mountain too. The men saw it, but they didn't know what it was, nor did they want to risk their lives to get it either. If the royal family could fetch some pollen grains off the flower and bring it back in time, Anna and the baby could be saved.

The only question was, how were they going to get there and in such a short time as well? It was a risky quest which was a test for the abilities. There was no other option, they had to do it to save Anna.

"No. Kristoff, it's too dangerous for you to go." Elsa shook her head. "I have powers, I will go. Anna needs you here with her."

"Elsa," Kristoff shook his head. "It makes more sense for me to go. I get that you aren't too worried about the cold, y'know, being the ice spirit… but being an ice harvester has trained me pretty well in that area too."

"But-"

"And I think, it would be a much safer bet for you to stay… for Arendelle. With Anna in this state, the town needs someone here for them still as a ruler, I'm not qualified for that. I-I just want my wife… I want to do this, for her and our child."

"I could ask some of the guards to go with you."

"No, it's fine. The North Mountains is tricky terrain. I don't need anyone else's life in my hands. It's easier for me to just go with Sven." He nodded, trying to reassure her. "I mean, that's how we survived before, we'll do it again."

"Kristoff, you don't know how crazy you sound," Elsa gave him a small smile, proud knowing that Anna had picked the most noble of men as her husband. She could tell by the slight waver in his voice that he was scared too, but that wasn't going to stop him from stepping up to save Anna.

"People do crazy things when they're in love." Kristoff said, not missing a heartbeat.

"I'm guessing your love expert friends taught you that?"

"Speaking of love experts," Kristoff raised a finger, an idea forming in his head. "I'll probably check in with Pabbie as well on my way, to see if he knows anything on this sundrop flower."

"You should get going then, we don't have time to waste. I'll help you take care of everything here, and Anna as well." Elsa gave him a reassuring look, giving him a gentle pat on his arm.

"Thanks Elsa," Kristoff walked towards the door of the study. He would visit his wife before he headed off, hoping for the best for both of them.

Stay strong for me, my love. I will be back for you.

The next few days passed in a whirl for Elsa. Between Anna's doctor visits, her role as regent Queen and her ice spirit duties, she was swamped. Kristoff would take about a week more to get back, she hoped and prayed that he'd be able to finish the task successfully. Olaf had been trying to cheer her up as well, but even his undying spirit was very much crushed with Anna's current state.

Elsa squeezed the towel that she soaked in the warm bowl of water, wringing it dry as she turned to the sleeping Anna. She wiped Anna's pale and sickly face, her lips and cheeks once red and rosy, were drained of colour. She looked as if she was on the brink of death, and Elsa couldn't help but sob as she delicately held her dear sister's face in her hands.

This was how she spent her evenings in Anna's chambers, cleaning her up and then breaking down into a crying mess as she felt the overwhelming guilt of Anna's predicament. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if she'd just gave Pitch what he wanted. Her heart burned with hatred, but at the same time, she was growing afraid. He'd already hurt Anna, who knows what else he could do.

She composed herself quickly, drying her tears. Placing the damp cloth back into the bowl, she tenderly kissed Anna's forehead, bidding her goodnight. Grabbing the bowl, she took a step out of the room, where the chambermaids were waiting.

"Thank you," Elsa said softly, handing the bowl over to one of the maids. The maid did a quick curtsy before taking the bowl with both hands, walking briskly away down the hallway.

Turning the other direction, Elsa walked to her old room, where she was staying for this period. She wanted to be as close to Anna as possible, in case of anything, she could protect her.

As she stepped into her dark room, a chill ran down her spine upon closing the door. It almost felt as if there was someone there with her.

She narrowed her eyes and gasped upon seeing the dark figure sitting casually on her recliner, in the corner of her room. Her hand instinctively raise up as she shot a warning at the figure, which immediately dodged and stood up, causing her to miss.

"My my, Elsa," Pitch chuckled as he inched closer to her. "I hope my absence the past few days has given you time to think?"

"I-I thought you only appeared in nightmares," she grimaced, her arms still up in defense as she eyed him.

"Well, surprise to you, my dear. I was just slowly building up my powers and now, I'm feeling stronger than ever,"

"You monster," she said through clenched teeth. "What do you want from me?"

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes. "Women are so dense sometimes."

He raised his hands as black sand rose from the ground, forming a small table and two chairs. He took a seat and gestured at her to do so as well.

She eyed him warily, but proceeded to slowly sit down. She didn't want to defy him lest he did something else to hurt Anna.

He placed his elbows on the table. "The plan is simple. I want you. We will then work together to instill fear and terror in people and children alike in the Sunlands and reign as King and Queen. What do you say?"

Her stomach lurched as she looked at his sick smile. "I'm afraid I have to decline, I don't have any interest in making people scared of me."

"Oh Darling, but you were so good at it," Pitch uttered as he waved his hand again, the black sand performing on the ground before them. He tapped in on one of her biggest insecurities, the day Arendelle found out about her powers during her coronation ball.

"Monster!"

"She's dangerous!"

The shouts echoed in her ears as closed her eyes and froze the black sand before her, it then cracked and burst into tiny pieces.

"I am not that anymore!" She shouted as she stood up, her eyes fierce and angry.

"I see you might need some more persuasion," Pitch stated as he stood up. "Very well then, maybe we could make a deal. Something along the lines of saving your sister's life perhaps? She is hanging on a thread now, isn't she? And that baby she's carrying… It's a tough little one isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa gasped and his words. He was playing mind games and she couldn't help but get tangled into the web he weaved.

"I mean, wouldn't it be terribly sad if your brother-in-law fell off a cliff while trying to get to the flower?" He placed a finger on his chin. "Or maybe he was attacked by wolves? So many ways we could go for this narration. Ultimately, if he doesn't return with what you need, it's goodbye to your sister and her child too."

"N-no," She shouted at him. "You can't do this!"

"Are you testing me again? I assure you my nightmares are here to prove you wrong."

She stood frozen in fear before him, trembling. She knew she had to be strong, to fight him and not fear, but she couldn't not when he was threatening her like this.

"Only when Kristoff comes back and Anna is saved," she gave a sigh. "I will join you."

"Ah," Pitch clapped his hands. "Taking the noble road, they all do that."

Elsa closed her eyes and dropped her head, her fists clenched.

"Fine. I give you my word that I will leave your sister and her husband alone. You will keep yours once she is back to health." She felt his heavy presence right beside her, breathing down her neck, making her hairs stand.

"I love the smell of your fear…" he whispered, loud enough for her to hear. "So, we have a deal, Snow Queen?"

Elsa looked down to see his outstretched hand, waiting for her. Taking a few uneasy breaths, she reached out a shaky hand.

For my family.

"Good girl." Pitch gave a laugh as she shook his hand, black sand wrapping around them as his magic binded them to their promises.

"I will see you again soon, Elsa." He cackled. With that, he vanished, leaving Elsa alone once again in her room.

"Jack! I feel like we haven't seen you in forever," Tooth exclaimed as she flew over to Jack. Her little tooth fairies followed suit, with Baby Tooth being the first one to snuggle herself into Jack's blue hoodie. He chuckled as the other little fairies followed suit, his torso now covered by little blue fairies.

"Girls, please!" Tooth exclaimed as they all let go of Jack, sighing in reluctance.

The guardians were at the North Pole, gathered for a little strategizing for the upcoming Christmas season. Usually, though North was the one who handled most of the logistics on Christmas night, the other guardians were very happy to take some time just to get together and share their thoughts on how to improve the processes, especially after working together to deliver presents that night they were having the war with the Nightmare King.

"Aye mate, it's been a while since I saw your bloody annoying face," Bunny laughed, giving Jack a slap on the back. Sandy nodded vigorously jumping up and down, happy to see the Winter Spirit.

"Yeah, sorry guys. I've been real busy," he shrugged casually, trying to be as convincing as ever. "Wrecking mischief, freezing walkways, y'know the usual."

It had been a few days since he returned and so far, he hadn't been in touch with Emily yet. He remained low and quiet as well as as he tried to get back into his Guardian of Fun groove, but somehow, he couldn't seem to shake off this bad feeling, which he boiled down to him just missing the beautiful Snow Queen. How in the world was he going to recover from this?

"Well, we're happy to finally be able to see you-" Tooth was interrupted just as North barged in through the wooden doors of his study. He was carrying a mountain of scrolls in his hands, blocking his view of where he was walking.

"Whoa!" He cried, almost tripping over an elf as a yeti caught his shoulder as he found his balance. The big russian man caught sight of the Winter Spirit and his blue eyes lit up. "Jack! Finally you have arrived!"

Turning to the yeti, North passed all his scrolls over to his furry friend, and dusted his hands. Walking towards Jack, he gave the boy a big hug such that Jack was lifted off the ground.

"Happy to see you too, North." Jack strained as North set him down.

"Where were you, boy? I've been seeing the ice and frosts but strangely I have not seen you in a suspiciously long time." North gave him a look and Jack shook his head.

"You must be getting old, North! Maybe I'm just too fast for you!" Jack laughed as he hopped onto the top of the globe.

"Maybe… Well alright, since we're all here, let us get to work!" North took a scroll from the yeti who was standing behind him. However, just after he'd grabbed a scroll, the yeti stumbled backwards slightly, tripping over an elf, and the remaining scrolls came crashing to the floor. The yeti glared at the elf who gave him a nervous smile, before running away.

North continued on to open the scroll he took on the table. "We have so many presents to deliver, I was wondering if we could use some of Bunny's tunnels this year."

"Maybe, I just got some reservations for places that are snowy, mate." Bunny crossed his arms and shuddered. "Once the snow gets into the burrow, I'll be shoveling for days! Plus you know the eggs don't deal well in the cold,"

As North bickered with Bunny on not being a baby on a little bit of snow, Jack pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie and picked up a scroll from the ground. He opened it up to find it filled with names of children from around the world and the toys they were asking for. He smiled and marveled at how North did all this without fail every year.

Suddenly, Jack felt a tug at his hoodie and he looked down to see Sandy calling him. The Sandman pointed at him and then used his left hand to point at his right arm, right below the wrist. Jack looked at his outer right wrist and his eyes widened. On his pale white skin was a mark, it was small but slightly red, making it pretty noticeable. It was four diamonds coming together, forming an intricate snowflake. Though he didn't know why he had it, he recognized it immediately. It was Elsa's ice spirit symbol, he remembered seeing it from their trip to Ahtohallan.

He pulled his sleeves down and looked back to Sandy. He shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just trying out some new patterns of snowflakes,"

Sandy created a question mark over his head with his golden sand.

"Don't worry about it, Sandy," Jack laughed as he waved his hand at his fellow guardian.

Sandy just nodded slowly, still feeling extremely suspicious about the whole thing. But if Jack didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't press on.

Jack rubbed the skin through the fabric of his hoodie. Was this why he was feeling so troubled?

"I can't believe he left you," Anna huffed as she sat in her bed, propped up by a pillow. She crossed her arms as Elsa scooped another spoonful of soup from the bowl she was holding.

"It's not his fault," Elsa said calmly as she brought the spoon to Anna's lips as she slurped it up. "He had to go."

"Well, if I were him, I would take you with me. Or at least tell you when I'll be back!" She exclaimed, feeling indignation for her sister. "I can't believe you let him do that to you."

Anna was almost fully recovered from her near brush with death caused by an infection. Kristoff managed to successfully return with the sundrop pollen, which immediately helped bring Anna back from the sullen state she was in. The kingdom was rejoicing at the Queen's steady return to health while Elsa was still acting regent for her sister until she was sure she could go back to her Queenly duties. Miraculously, the baby was fine as well and they both are on the way to a great recovery.

"Anna, he's not the bad guy here. Sometimes life happens and things just don't work out." Elsa quipped as she set the bowl down by the bedside table. She seated herself on the edge of Anna's bed and neatened up her strawberry blonde hair. "I'm just glad you and the baby are okay."

Upon Anna's question of where Jack was, Elsa came up with a story of how he had to go home for his own personal reasons. She didn't want to get into all the details, especially since Anna was still recuperating. It was one less stress for her as well, though Elsa didn't expect her to be so angry about it.

"Fine," she pouted. "Are you okay though, Elsa?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you both seemed to really like each other. I just want to make sure that you're okay." Her voice softened as she reached for her sister's hand.

Elsa sighed. "I am. I have to be."

"Did you love him?" Anna bit her lip, looking at her sister intently with cyan blue eyes.

Elsa made a face and then looked down at their hands. "I-I think I did… yeah."

"Els-"

"It's okay, Anna, I've come to terms with it." Elsa took a deep breath. She tightened the grip on her sister's hands. "I just want you to get better and stronger, do it for me, please?"

"Alright," Anna smiled, stretching out her words and gave her sister a hug. Just as Elsa stood up, Anna couldn't help but notice a red mark on Elsa's wrist. It was barely visible under the long white sleeves but Elsa had pulled it up earlier to feed her the soup.

"Els, what's that on your arm?"

"Hmm?" Elsa looked down and gave a confused look as she saw the red mark on her skin. It was thin and small, in the shape of a hook.

Elsa knew exactly what it was.

"Is that… a tattoo of Jack's staff?" Anna cocked her head to one side, squinting her eyes to see it more clearly.

"Uhh… Yes." Elsa's eyes quickly darted around as she pulled her arm away, rubbing the marked skin and pulling her sleeves down. She had no idea how it got there but she was just going along with whatever Anna had in mind.

"You got a tattoo? You'd never let me get a tattoo!" Anna exclaimed, flinging her arms up. "And for a boy at that matter!"

"Well," Elsa wrecked her brains to think of the best reasoning. "Y-you never actually asked me if you could get one. I merely just mentioned my disapproval at one point when you asked for my opinion,"

"I guess so…" Anna backed down, laying back in bed.

"Now, let's get you cosy and comfortable, and I'll let you get some rest."

Elsa took her time making her way up the mountain, as per Pitches instructions that he gave her in her dreams the night before.

"I've held my word, it's time for you to fulfill yours." He gave a sly smile. "Head up the mountains just on the outskirts of the forest tomorrow evening and you will find a cave. Enter the cave and follow it through, I will be waiting for you."

It was snowing heavily, but she wasn't bothered by the weather. She sighed in defeat, her face grim, knowing she was getting closer to a dark and cold future. She'd almost regret it, but knowing that her choices will keep her family safe, she was willing to do anything to keep it that way. Furthermore, Pitch's spell that bounded her guided her along the way, giving her no chance to turn back and run, no matter how much she wanted to.

The blizzard on the mountain was raging such that even though it was day time, it seemed as if it was night in this area. Eventually, through the curtain of snow, she noticed a cave just before her, leading into a tunnel. Waking through the path down, she didn't notice a hole in the ground. Taking a step forward, she fell in, screaming.

When she opened her eyes, she was on the ground, covered in black sand. She looked around, the cave was creepy and dark.

"Finally, I was waiting for you." Pitch's voice rang through the chamber as she quickly turned around to the origin of the voice.

Her breathing hitched in her breath as he came closer to her. "I said I would be here, so here I am."

His mouth curled up into his usual bone chilling smile, showing his razor teeth. "Excellent."

Pitch snapped his fingers and before Elsa could react, ropes of black sand came in from all directions, grabbing her wrists and ankles so she couldn't go anywhere.

"Let go of me," Elsa grunted, tugged on the ropes but she could barely move them.

"Take a seat, my dear," Pitch waved his hand and a black sand chair appeared. The sand ropes roughly pushed her into the chair before wrapping itself around her body.

"First things first, I'm going to make you my queen." He whispered in her ear as his fingers slid across her chin and jaw.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked shakily, hoping in her mind that it didn't mean what she thought it would be.

"Well, that means that we're going to have some fun." He gave her another sickly smile. Once he was bonded with her, no matter which universe he wanted to take, she would help make him invincible.

Elsa stirred in her seat, thinking about how she could get away. Using her powers, she froze the sand that wrapped around her body and they broke in an instant. She quickly got up, her hands up in defense as she looked at the tall dark man before her.

"How cute," Pitch laughed. "I admire your spirit. But don't you forget, you can't fight it. It's the promise you made on your sister's life-"

He stopped in his tracks upon seeing the red mark, peeking from her sleeves. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her sleeve up to take a closer look.

"You are soul bonded to that fool," he whispered to himself as she eyed him warily. For a moment Pitch looked angry and he threw her on the ground. He couldn't make her his queen like this, not when she was linked to that pain-in-the-ass guardian. He snarled through his clenched teeth. "What a turn of events."

She looked up at him with utter confusion as to what was going on, her heart beating furiously against her chest as she swallowed thickly. His face was no longer angry, but he was deep in thought. He looked at her menacingly as he bent down, gripping her chin in his hand.

"Seems like I can't make you my Queen, especially not after you've permanently bonded with that fool. A whore like you doesn't deserve it."

She winced at his insult, but deep down she was very relieved. Though the next look he gave her left her as petrified as before.

"There are other ways to make you obey. You will still bow down to me, on your family's life."

"Oof!" Jack rolled into a grass patch as the wind dropped him off. "Must you do this every time, Wind?!"

He sat up and looked around. Greeted by dark skies he caught a familiar sight - Emily's home. A flash of lightning was seen in the distance and the crash of thunder followed.

"Looks like someone's in a bad mood." He muttered, picking up his staff and brushing some dirt off himself before he yelped when he looked up again.

"Hello Jack." Emily smiled sweetly at him. "I hope your trip was well?"

"I guess," he shrugged. Emily gestured for him to follow her to her home and while walking behind her, he noticed that though nothing much changed with her looks; long black cloud hair, black clothes and her golden necklace, she did look a little more disheveled today. Mother Nature seemed slightly… worn out? But of course, he wasn't going to say anything because telling a lady she looked tired was almost basically a death wish. Jack wasn't stupid.

Entering her study again, she signaled for him to take a seat before she sat down at her table before him. Everything looked exactly the same as he remembered, the books, the trinkets… the only difference was that her table was not as neat as before, with some books strewn over the place.

Emily cleared her throat. "I would've called you back sooner, but I wanted to give you some time to settle back in and also because I needed to find out how to get Windy to sneak you here without Manny knowing. Congratulations on surviving Jack, I would assume that the quest went well?"

"As you asked, I found the Snow Queen, and you were right, she was having nightmares because of Pitch Black. I protected her, though I saw no signs of Pitch while I was there, and when I left she was definitely more confident."

"Alright, okay…" Emily nodded. Her hands were folded in front of her as she drummed her fingers on the table, deep in thought.

"Will I be able to go back again?" Jack said quickly as Emily's head snapped up.

"Well, I've had some close shaves while you weren't here… so I highly discourage it as I fear Manny could become suspicious." Her dark eyes were serious for a moment, before they softened and she gave a teasing smile. "Why? Do you miss Elsa already?"

"I-ah- No." Jack rolled his eyes, refusing to reveal his relationship with Elsa, even if she was kind of his decided to change the subject. "I have a question though, what's with this tattoo thingy on my hand?"

He pulled down the cuff of his hoodie, showing her the red symbol on the corner of his wrist.

She took his hand and brushed her thumb over the mark, her eyes narrowed as she whispered. "This looks like a cosmic mark…"

As she trailed off, she turned around, looking through her shelf to find the book which will give them the answers.

"What's a cosmic mark?"

"A cosmic mark-" she paused, hands gliding through the book spines. "-Nope not here. It's something I haven't seen before myself, but I did briefly see it somewhere a long time ago. There we go!"

She pulled out a book, flipping the pages at immeasurable speeds, her finger landing on the page. It was in a language Jack couldn't understand so he just waited for Emily to read it out to him.

"A cosmic mark is a red mark in the skin that appears in spirits and divine beings who've travelled or interacted with others across universes. They usually show up as a symbol or a semblance of the other party involved."

"So is it basically because I spent too much time with Elsa-"

Emily raised her hand, interrupting him. "They appear as an explanation to events that do not normally happen, a way to justify the actions between realms and universes that would be impossible without some form of divine intervention. They can sometimes occur as a pair, forever bonding the two beings. Cosmic marks appear through the following three causes. One, unrightful execution or assassination of an individual."

They looked at each other for a brief moment.

"Yeap, a hundred percent, I totally killed her," Jack said sarcastically and Emily continued, ignoring him.

"Two, dark magic and/or blood promises." Emily stopped, looking up once again at Jack who shrugged.

"And three, imprinting of two individuals on each other. Example, copulation-" Emily's head snapped up as she narrowed her eyes at Jack. He avoided her gaze purposefully, his lips pressed in a thin line. A few silent moments passed and Emily didn't say a word as she continued glaring at him. If looks could kill, Jack would've died a hundred times over.

"I think," Jack raised a finger as he cleared his throat. "Maybe there was some dark magic going on-"

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER!" Emily exclaimed as she banged both fists on the table. "You were supposed to be there on a mission!"

"Look it's not like I wanted to catch feelings-"

"Oh no… why did I not think of this?" Emily sighed, her hands on her head in distress as she paced around. "Putting together two good-looking winter spirits who battled crippling loneliness-"

"I mean, what do you expect? We aren't playing board games all day!" Jack defended.

"I didn't think you were going to get that close in a month!" Emily snapped her head up at him.

"Okay, I did have feelings for her, I admit. But I swear it was consensual and she was the one who-"

"I do not need to know that and that's not the point, Jack." Emily said, exasperated. "The issue now is that you two are bonded with cosmic energy. She probably has one as well. We won't be able to get rid of that, it's totally out of my scope."

Emily paced around again, muttering to herself as Jack processed her words.

"Wait, if we're bonded, does it mean that… I can sense her?"

"I don't know, Jack," Emily groaned. "You couldn't keep it in your pants and now I have to think of how to clean up this mess-"

"Does the book say anything about it?" Jack asked, urgency evident in his voice. From his suddenly serious demeanor, Emily looked down at the book again. Her fingers tracing the page as she looked for the key information.

"It says, you won't feel exactly what she does, but in the event that one party is threatened, you'll feel unease and unsettled…"

Jack's eyes widened, his hand brushing against his marked wrist. "Elsa is in trouble! I can feel it! Do you have any way to check on her?"

"What?" Emily exclaimed as she rushed to her cupboard in a corner. She opened the black cabinet and picked out a block of ice. "From Ahtohallan. I sometimes use it to check in on my nature spirits."

She put her hand on the ice block and it started glowing. Emily closed her eyes, speaking a few words in a tongue Jack couldn't understand.

Her eyes opened and Jack could see the fright in them.

"Elsa is missing. She hasn't been seen in the forest and her presence was not felt in the last few days. Also-" Emily trailed off, unsure whether to continue or not.

"What?" Jack shouted, he was shaking slightly. "What else?"

"They told me there were sightings of nightmares in the North Mountains a little over a week ago, they were stalking Kristoff. They didn't harm him, but the fact that they were there is grave news."

Jack furrowed his brows in confusion. "Nightmares… Why would they stalk Kristoff-" he paused.

"Fuck… Fuck." His eyes grew wide as he buried his face in his hands. "All this while I was trying to help her save herself, but Pitch is actually using her family as a threat."

The realization dawned on Emily as she wore a solemn grimace on her face and she rubbed her temple. "I was so busy that I didn't notice, I underestimated how powerful he became."

Jack ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I'm so stupid! Why didn't I see it? I didn't protect her enough-"

"Jack, calm down-"

"I CAN'T! How do you expect me to calm down when this is my fault and there's nothing I can fucking do!" Jack shouted, his anger getting the best of him. Holding on to his staff tightly, he took a breath and relaxed slightly, muttering an apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice. We need to help Elsa. Is there any way we can go to the Sunlands now?"

Emily shook her head, nervousness evident in her voice as she nervously toyed with the golden pendant hanging around her neck. "N-no, not now. I'm not ready. I need the spell to work so that we can defeat Pitch Black. I'm already so close…"

"We need to help her. I need to find a way to help her, I can't leave her there on her own." Jack clenched fistful of his white hair. "I can't get there without you."

"We can't go now." She insisted, shaking her head. She hastily went through her things, nervously flipping open the books sprawled across her desk. "I need time."

"Emily, please-"

"We can't… besides, we need to wait for the next new moon, if not-"

"We don't have time for that, that's still over week away!"

"I'm not ready-"

"I love her." Jack admitted, slightly louder, catching Emily's attention as she looked up at him.

"What?" She blinked. He said it so quickly that she thought she might be mistaken. Did she hear him correctly?

"I'm in love with her." Jack whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. "She's one of the best things to ever happen to me in my 319 years… and I cannot let this happen to her."

"Jack-"

"Please, Emily. I need to help her, I can't stand here doing nothing any longer while she is in trouble." He begged, eyes filling up with tears.

Emily watched as the Winter Spirit crumpled in front of her. Her heart went out to him, knowing it was also partially her fault that they were in this predicament. She went to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Give me three more days," she gave him a hopeful look and a small smile. "Three more days and we'll go to the Sunlands… for you and Elsa."

Surprise! Phew... here's my longest chapter to date and a quick update for you as a treat for the really slow updates over the last few months... I also wanted to move the story along, we are reaching the end soon!

Please leave me a review, keeps me motivated to keep going and I'm always so happy seeing your comments.

Not sure when I'll post the next one but hopefully not too long from now! Maybe 2 more chapters to wrap up this story :')

In the meanwhile, hope everyone is taking care! Till next time!

~Mae