A month later…
Sorry about the wait guys. Unfortunately I've been pretty caught up with my other stories this past month and have been vigorously dishing out chapter after chapter on them. But don't be alarmed! This month has also given me time to really flesh out this story more. I have the main points of it figured out, it's just going to be about filling in the fluff in between. I'm also pleased to announce that I've finally chosen an ending. If you remember from a while back, I said there were a few directions this story could go and alas I've picked one. I think it's going to be more motivating for me now because I'm finally writing up to an actual concrete goal. Much excitement.
Also, I can't believe that I've already written almost 100k words for this fic haha. Let's see if we can get to 200k? It's not all that farfetched considering the story isn't quite half over yet ;) And thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows this story continues to get! I'm amazed that we're almost at 100 follows. So cool! It's all appreciated and I don't take any of you for granted. Enjoy!
Melissa Fairy, I don't think Jack would risk Jamie's safety by getting him involved. Ammypie, thank you, I'm glad you feel that way! Frostover317, you have some very interesting theories here. I like that you've thought everything through. Never stop doing that. Momochan77, thank you, I'm glad you like it! Snowlily246, thanks, I appreciate it!
Warnings: Currently rated T for language, though liable to change in future chapters for dark imagery and mature content.
Disclaimer: I claim no copyright ownership to Rise of the Guardians or any recognizable characters depicted by DreamWorks, William Joyce, or other miscellaneous fairy tale creatures. However, the plot and original characters are my own.
Chapter Fourteen
"You did what?"
Jack shrunk under North's fiery gaze, suddenly wishing he possessed the ability to open tunnels beneath his feet like Bunny because for all intents and purposes the usually jolly man looked like he actually wanted to set Jack on fire.
"No, please tell me I heard you wrong," North continued, his white moustache fluttering and wiggling like a snake as he scowled and huffed. "Tell me you did not go to Pitch Black after I specifically asked you not to. Because that would mean you disobeyed me and I do not take well to disobedience. It would also mean that Pitch has yet another vendetta against us and I will be positively irate if another war is unleashed between us all because of your petty rebellion," North's lip curled as his beefy fists clenched where they rested on his hips. Jack had his head bowed and shoulders hunched, looking appropriately scorned. North shook his head in disappointment. "I will say it again: if you wish to not be treated like child then maybe you should stop acting like one."
"Do you guys maybe want to hear what information I got from this 'petty rebellion'?" he dared to ask, balking a bit at North's eyes widening in rage at being back sassed. "Respectively, of course," Jack quickly added.
"What, you mean besides Pitch getting all his powers back?" Bunny remarked sarcastically. The Pooka glanced quickly at North, thrusting a paw in Jack's direction. "You're going to punish him, right? This deserves punishment."
Jack almost rolled his eyes but was able to stop himself at the last second in fear of North pulling his swords out. "Punish me later, okay? I promise I'll accept whatever it is if you'll just listen to what I have to say."
Bunny narrowed his eyes. "You say that as if we'll give you an option."
Jack cast a pleading look at North who was breathing deeply through his large nose before he nodded for Jack to continue.
"Okay," Jack exhaled and his shoulders relaxed a bit. "Pitch said that he met up with a guy. Some guy who makes deals. He said he couldn't remember his proper name. I guess it's complicated like maybe a foreign name? But he said the guy goes by 'Tom'."
"Wait," Tooth interjected and Jack started, momentarily forgetting that she was in the room. Her small fingers were resting tentatively on her temples. "So you're saying that Pitch made a deal with someone to take the boy?"
"He said Max wasn't part of his deal," said Jack. "My guess is he wanted this Tom guy to get him his powers back but he still had to do something in return. I don't know what his end of the bargain was but my guess is it had something to do with Max, he's just not saying what."
"I mean if it comes down to a kid's life against his powers," Bunny said, lifting his paws as if weighing the two options. "I don't think he's going to care what happens to one boy. It's typical Pitch Black fashion. Or do you not remember what happened last Easter?"
"I don't know," Jack said, clenching his teeth and hissing in frustration. "But you have to admit this is more than what we were going on earlier," he directed his next question to North, "does the name Tom ring a bell? Or is there maybe some creature out there that makes deals for a living?"
North rubbed a tired hand down his face. "There are a few I suppose. Witches are notorious for making deals, as are some Elementals. Other beings grant wishes to those who do their bidding which is practically same thing—Genies, Faeries, some Nymphs. List goes on."
"This is good then," said Jack, eyes alight with cautious optimism. "What do they usually make deals for? What's a good bargaining chip?"
"Souls mostly," North admitted. Tooth fluttered next to him uncomfortably at the subject.
"Souls?" Jack furrowed his brows. "Why souls?"
"They are actually quite valuable depending on particular soul being dealt. They can be used for any number of things. Certain spells require them if powerful enough."
"You think Pitch sold his soul to get his powers back," Bunny deadpanned, arms crossed. "Doesn't that seem a little counterproductive? Though it is Pitch so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
"Actually," North lifted a finger, shaking it in revelation. "If that is reason deal was made, it could explain why Max was taken. Rather than Pitch's soul, it could have been Maximilian's as replacement."
Jack felt sick to his stomach. "Can you do that? Trade someone else's soul in exchange for a deal?"
"I don't see why not. Witches and the like are sloppy. They do not care how deal is made, so long as someone does their dirty work. I would suspect that Pitch's soul is tarnished beyond repair especially after being tainted with dark magic," North lamented with regret. "It does not surprise me that his would not satisfy. Maximilian is young and pure, his soul is probably very bright. It would be very dangerous if someone were to get their hands on it."
"Again," Bunny's twitching nose wrinkled. "Sounds like Pitch."
"Let's just… take a step back for a moment and pretend like we didn't just discuss the possibility that someone's already ripped a seven-year-old boy's soul out of his body," Jack swallowed thickly with a grimace. He felt a little lightheaded and maybe like he wanted to hunt Pitch down again to finish what he started. He balled his trembling hand that wasn't clutching his staff into a fist, watching as it frosted over and sparkled blue. "This guy Tom – is there anyone who might know who he is?"
"I have already alerted Mother Nature of missing boy," North announced, warming his hands over the roaring fire of the grand fireplace. "But I will bring her up to date on what you have found. She may know something we do not."
"I can get in contact with Cupid," Tooth raised her hand meekly before smoothing down the feathers along her crown. "He owes me a favor anyway," she gave a breathy laugh. When everyone exchanged slightly awkward glances she quickly shook her head. "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that!" her already rosy cheeks deepened into a tomato red. Jack flashed her an amused grin despite himself which made her blush further.
"Bunny, I assume you will inform Groundhog," North gave the warrior bunny a pointed look who appeared exasperated at the mention of the elusive rodent.
"Useless weasel," Bunny muttered. North rolled his eyes.
"Jack," North commanded his attention. Jack momentarily wondered who North would ask him to attempt to contact now as he didn't really know anyone else outside their circle. "You should take Alice home today," he held up a hand to placate him the second Jack opened his mouth to protest. "Only for today. She needs other clothes. We can't expect her to wear same thing every day. She may be here for a while and we want her to feel comfortable."
Jack contemplated his words before reluctantly agreeing with a tilt of his head. He made to head for Alice's room after realizing both Bunny and Tooth had already dismissed themselves to run their errands but North stopped him.
"Not yet, Jack. Your punishment," he reminded him and Jack groaned. "Don't get smart with me Jack Frost," North glared and the silver-haired boy pursed his lips. "Seeing as how you feel need to run off when other people tell you not to, I don't want you to leave workshop unless I say otherwise. I don't even want you to leave my sight unless strictly directed to do so by me. And since I asked you to take Alice home, Sandy will accompany you to keep eye on you," he gestured towards the glowing sandman who hovered nearby, tiny eyes gliding over Jack's face to gauge his reaction.
"Seriously?" Jack countered dryly, feeling slightly annoyed that he now had a babysitter. "Do you really think I'd do anything to put Alice in danger? What, you not trust me with her now?"
"It is not about girl," North refuted, crossing his inked arms over his broad chest. "It is about you losing my trust in general. We are a team Jack, and as a team we do things together. You may have gotten used to having your way and doing things on your own a year ago but you know better now than to go gallivanting off trying to solve problems without consulting us first. You are a part of us—a Guardian. And as Guardians we combine our minds. We combine our minds and we combine our strengths. We are stronger and more powerful together than we are apart," he pointed a bejeweled finger at Jack. "It would do you some good to remember that. Despite what you may think, you still need us."
The skin pinched between Jack's eyebrows. "Is now really the best time to try and teach me a lesson?"
"I would say it is as good a time as any," North answered lightly but his face was serious. "It does not matter if you are hundred years old or three hundred years old. You still act like teenager. So you are going to be treated like one and as such punished like one too. Maybe then you will learn that even though you are Spirit of Fun who hates grownups, you could take a leaf out of their book and grow up a little yourself," North paused only for a moment before gesturing forward. "You can go now."
Jack's frown was deep as he headed down the hall to find Alice with Sandy hot on his trail.
Alice flipped and twisted the cell phone in her hands absently as she rested in the rocking chair alongside the fireplace. She pulled the chair closer to the balcony earlier that day and though the doors were closed to keep her warm, it didn't take away from the beauty of the snow dunes decorating the horizon.
She felt tired even though she spent the better part of the day sleeping. Her bones felt tired and heavy whenever she moved and she wondered if maybe she felt so exhausted because she'd been sleeping so much. She found that she didn't have the energy to do anything. Even the walk to and from the library was a chore for her. She felt no less motivated in finding Max but she was beginning to accept the fact more and more that there was nothing she could really do. The only thing she seemed to be good for was sleeping. Sleeping and having nightmares.
The man with the glowing eyes came to her in a dream again with his abnormally large mouth, spindly fingers and taunting words still intact. He never stuck around long but it was enough to make her mind feel heavy and foggy.
Between his maniacal cackling and haunting jeers, she also found herself dreaming of a white room. There was something hard resting underneath her like a mattress with no padding, only tightly coiled springs. The air was cold and sterile and burned her nose. She always tried to move her arms and swing herself upright but the discovery of something prodding her arms kept her in place.
Despite the brightness of the room she felt claustrophobic like there wasn't enough air to breathe. Amidst her struggling she would find herself dizzy and disoriented which would inevitably cease her fight against the invisible restraints. And when she focused hard enough, unmoving, she could hear the distinct drone of beep, beep, beep, beep…
"Alice?"
She shook herself out of the memory, feeling the warmth of the fire coating her skin as she turned to face the direction the voice came. She spotted Jack standing in her doorway, brows taut and lips thin with Sandy floating behind him. The golden sandman quirked a half-smile at her once their eyes met.
"Oh," she said, not having heard their approach. She feebly lifted the device in her hands. "There wouldn't happen to be a phone charger lying around the workshop somewhere, would there?" she asked, only partially joking. North made a lot of things, didn't he? She glanced down at the phone. "It's dead and I realized not too long ago that my aunt probably responded to my voicemail already and is most likely freaking out about not hearing back from me yet."
"You're in luck," Jack said and something about his voice was off. His words were stiff. "North asked me to take you home so we can pick up some of your things. Clothes and I guess now a phone charger," Alice stood from her seat, feeling the joints in her back crack after being in the same position for so long. She winced. "Oh and guess what?" Jack smirked, tossing his arms out. "I now have a babysitter. Say hello to the guy who's going to be breathing down my neck. No offense," he added offhandedly to Sandy who had clearly taken offense.
A golden bucket with sparkling steam appeared over Jack's head who glanced confusedly up at it before the bucket lurched forward and spilled its contents over Jack's face, glittery dream sand sprinkling down to the ground in waves. Jack coughed and swatted at the sand before scowling at Sandy in irritation.
"Real mature," Jack glared and Sandy raised his eyebrows and shrugged as if to say 'you're one to talk'.
"I missed something," Alice stated, tossing a puzzled look between the two. From what she'd seen, Jack usually got along the best with Sandy.
Jack licked his lips before adjusting the staff in his hand. "Pitch said some more things about whoever took Max. He gave a name. Tom. Apparently he made a deal with the guy. I don't actually know if it's any more helpful than what we already had to go on but well," he shrugged as if the action alone proved his point and Alice deflated a bit. They still hadn't gotten anywhere. They had no idea where Max was and it'd been nearly three days. Jack must've realized he said the wrong thing because he gave her a quick smile, "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll find something. They're all getting their magical friends up to date so hopefully we'll be hearing something useful soon."
"Right," Alice nodded, wringing her fingers beneath the sleeves of her hoodie because Jack's words were less than reassuring and he seemed to realize it.
"C'mon," he said, urging her forward with a pale hand. "Let's go get you some warmer clothes, huh?"
She accepted his outstretched hand, nearly recoiling at the coldness of his skin before she got used to it. He held her hand lightly and began to steer her out of the room, only to be halted by Sandy who descended in front of them. He pulled one of his small arms from around his back, exposing what looked to be a snow globe that rested in his palm. Jack's shoulders slumped with relief.
"Oh thank god," he made to grab the snow globe from Sandy as Alice watched on, confused as to why a snow globe was of import, when Sandy tugged it closer to himself out of Jack's reach. "Really?" Jack asked exasperatedly. Sandy gave him a pointed look and Jack tossed his free hand in the air, his staff emitting a few snowflakes from its tip as some sort of physical response to Jack's annoyance. "Go on then," he said and Sandy rolled his eyes at the attitude before reeling his arm back and tossing the snow globe to the ground.
Alice jumped as the globe seemingly shattered on the wooden floor, only to have the floorboards swallowed up by a glowing, spherical portal. The air hummed in offense as the portal disturbed the air, causing the hairs on Alice's arms to stand on end like an electric field.
"Remember how I said you can teleport?" Jack murmured close to her ear. She nodded, still too entranced by the portal to pull her gaze away. "Well, this is how you do it. You just think of a place and it takes you there. Pretty cool, huh?"
"It's… definitely something," Alice nodded before she paused in the movement, struck with sudden realization. "Wait, you mean this can take you anywhere?" she asked, finally turning to face Jack for clarification who was giving her a curious look. "Anywhere you can think of?" when Jack nodded she quickly said, "Couldn't this take us to Max then? What if I thought about him? What if I thought, 'Take me to wherever Max is.' Wouldn't it do it?" she asked, feeling excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach. How ridiculous would they all feel if it was really that easy? They would've been wasting their time for nothing!
Jack bit his lip, seemingly hesitant to answer. Alice narrowed her eyes. "I don't think it works like that," he answered carefully.
"Why not?" she demanded.
"Well usually you have to think of a specific place. It's not just about going wherever someone else is. Magic has its limitations that way," he told her gently, squeezing her hand when she looked away. "But even if you could, whoever's got Max has him hidden even from North's Globe. If he's been cloaked from that, he's been cloaked from the snow globes too."
"Couldn't we at least try?" Alice pressed desperately.
Jack didn't seem convinced and side-eyeing Sandy didn't help. "I think it'd be too dangerous. If it doesn't work there's no telling where it'll send us or if we'll be able to find our way back," he then relented, "But I'll ask North when we get back, okay? Let's just go and get this taken care of first. Deal?"
Alice couldn't quell the anxiety weighing heavy in her chest but she nodded anyway, too tired to fight him.
"Okay now keep a hold of my hand," he squeezed their fingers together for emphasis. "It's going to feel a little weird going through the portal but as long as you don't let go of me you'll be fine if only a bit dizzy coming out the other side."
Alice nodded, lacing their fingers together. Jack nodded to Sandy who motioned them to go first. Jack pulled Alice towards the portal and her stomach tugged the closer they got to it. She eyed the swirling vortex warily.
"You'll be fine," Jack assured her. "Don't let go."
And then he stepped into the portal, forcing Alice along with him. There was a tugging sensation in her belly and she yelped at the feeling of being tugged every which way like a rubber band being stretched too far. She felt the stress on her limbs and her core tightened and loosened unpleasantly before she surged forward with a shrill yell, landing roughly on a carpeted floor with a loud grunt. Her arm was twisted awkwardly and she peeled her hand away from Jack's, her palm sweaty and sticky.
"Yeah I've never been able to stick the landing," Jack moaned on his stomach next to her. Alice breathed heavily as she tried to slow her heart rate and waited for the room to stop spinning. Her stomach churned and she kind of felt like she'd been turned inside out. "Up you go," Jack huffed, grabbing her elbow and helping her to her feet. Her equilibrium was severely off-balance and she leaned into Jack for support until she could finally see straight.
"I didn't like that at all," she admitted, swallowing down the bile threatening to rise up in her throat. She didn't miss how Sandy landed gracefully on her other side.
"It takes some getting used to," Jack winced sympathetically, checking her over to make sure she didn't hurt herself. Besides the dizziness he warned her about and the nausea, she felt fine and when he was satisfied that she was alright he backed away to give her space. "Let's get this over with. Still probably not the best idea to hang around here too long."
Alice ran a finger through her hair. Even though she'd only been at the North Pole a few days, the house still smelled foreign to her like when you walk into someone's house for the first time and it smells distinctly different than your own. It was like she didn't recognize it anymore. Probably because Max wasn't there. He made it familiar.
Jack and Sandy followed her down the hallway and even though she paused to stare fitfully at the broken glass, she continued on to her closet with Jack's hand on her lower back urging her forward. She pulled open the closet door and skimmed through her clothes. She tugged a duffle bag down from the top shelf and threw some clothes inside followed by a pair of shoes. She felt awkward digging around in her underwear drawer with Jack and Sandy so close behind her but she managed to throw everything she needed inside before zipping it up, hiding the contents from sight.
When she turned back around, she saw Sandy standing over the shards of broken glass as he glanced up at the window. It didn't look as though the broken pieces bothered his feet even when he shifted on top of them. He tossed a generous handful of dream sand at the window and within seconds the window had repaired itself.
"Hey," Jack's voice rang in the room, sounding surprised. "I didn't know you could do that. I thought your dream sand was only good for putting people to sleep."
Sandy shrugged in a modest sort of way and Alice smiled a bit to herself before hooking the strap to the duffle over her shoulder. Jack scoped out the room, probably making sure no one else had been there and attempting to appear casual about it, before bending down behind one of the night stands. He stood back up and a cable dangled from his pale hand.
"Need this?" he asked with a playful smirk and Alice recognized it as her phone charger. She gave a brief smile before accepting it and placing it in one of the smaller pouches on the outside of the duffle. "Got everything?" he checked. Alice pursed her lips, eyes glancing about the room. She was thankful that Max's silhouette was no longer embedded in the sheets. She nodded and Jack grinned. "Great. Let's blow this popsicle stand."
With a hand on the small of her back again, Jack followed her out of the bedroom and back down the hall with Sandy in tow. The portal was still waiting for them when they returned and Alice's lips turned downward at the thought of going back through it. She almost preferred Jack flying them there if it were for the fact that it was freezing outside. Maybe Sandy would have a better means of transportation.
Something glittering in the light of the window caught her eye as Jack held out his hand for her to take again. She turned her head to see where it was coming from and noticed a book lying on the floor face down, looking to have been knocked over probably from when Max was taken. She furrowed her brows and held up a finger to Jack before walking towards it and kneeling, dropping the duffle next to her. The gold letters had been reflecting the sunlight and Alice immediately recognized it as The Brothers Grimm.
"Hey," she called, grabbing the book before standing. She turned around, idly flipping through the pages before thrusting the book upward as she looked at the two Guardians. "Maybe I should bring this with us. It's a book about fairy tales," she said, walking towards them and displaying the book's cover. Jack squinted as he read the front. "What better way to find a fairy tale than a book about all of them?"
"Where'd you get that?" Jack asked.
"For Christmas actually," she remarked, turning the leather bound book over in her hands. Sandy only appeared mildly interested in it. Jack made a hum in the back of his throat before walking over to retrieve her duffle, throwing it over his own shoulder instead.
"No harm in it I guess," he shrugged. "Hey, am I in it?" he grinned.
Alice laughed a bit. "I don't actually know, I haven't read all of it. Maybe?"
"Hmm," he headed back towards the portal and extended his hand for her to take. She took it, placing the book under her arm. "Hold tight," he warned before he stepped through the portal again.
It was just as unpleasant the second time as it was the first. Alice found landing on wooden floors was much more unappealing than landing on carpet and she groaned, stifling a hiss as she disentangled their hands again and pushed herself up in an uncoordinated flailing of limbs.
"Gah," Jack scrambled to his feet after kicking her duffle bag off of him. "I almost dislocated my shoulder," he rotated the joint with a wince.
Sandy seemed amused as he watched them recover.
Jack tossed the duffle bag onto her bed and Alice made sure the book hadn't gotten squashed underneath her.
"So do you maybe wanna change first or…?" he kept her in his line of sight as she began walking towards the doors before he even finished his sentence.
"I want to show North this book and see if he can find anything in it," she shouted over her shoulder, raising the book a bit so Jack could see what she was referring to as if he'd already forgotten about it. She heard the pitter patter of bare feet as Jack hurried to catch up with her. "I think we should also ask him about the portal thing, too. You know, just in case," she said as he fell into step beside her. Sandy hopped onto his cloud of dream sand and floated ahead of them.
"I guess we can do that first," Jack cautiously agreed. "I just think maybe you should take it easy for a while. Shower or something and change clothes."
"I've been taking it easy for three days," Alice retorted, the tendrils of guilt creeping up into her subconscious at the thought. "I've been useless up until now because I haven't been able to do anything. But maybe this book," she tapped her palm a few times on its cover for good measure and Jack's eyes remained steady on it after she pulled her hand away, "will tell us something we don't know. I need to find my son, Jack," she paused just outside the atrium of the workshop and gave Jack a pleading look for emphasis. "I need to. He's my whole world and every day spent away from him feels like another piece of me's gone missing."
"I know," Jack whispered. "I know that finding Max is your top priority. Everyone knows it is," he hesitated for a moment, swinging his staff back and forth as if unsure whether or not he should voice his next question. "Are you sleeping alright at night?" he asked. Her spine stiffened a bit at the question but it wasn't noticeable to Jack's eyes who were currently gazing into hers with something akin to concern. "You've had bags under your eyes since yesterday."
Alice bit the inside of her cheek, mentally debating with herself whether or not she'd tell him what he wanted to hear. "I'm sleeping fine," she eventually settled with before breezing past him into the atrium in search of North. She heard Jack sigh behind her before he followed along a few paces back. She scoured the workshop, winding through each station and giving the yetis a wide berth as she looked for a head of white hair.
"He might be in his office," Jack supplied helpfully after about five minutes of searching.
Alice made to turn around before thinking better of it and giving Jack a feeble look. "Can you show me where that is?" she hadn't seen much of the North Pole besides the library, the atrium and the hallway leading to her room.
"Come on," Jack nudged her before leading the way down a corridor between the fireplace and Globe. They eventually reached another set of intricate large doors that were currently propped open.
The room smelled of candy canes and hot chocolate as they stepped inside. Jack tapped his staff against the doorframe to gain North's attention who was sitting at a grand desk in front of a roaring fire. He glanced up at the knocks, pulling a pair of half-moon reading glasses off his face once he saw them.
"Jack, Alice, you're back!" he announced, pushing his large chair back to stand. Alice carefully approached the desk, taking in the sight of the trinkets that were stashed about the room on cluttered bookshelves. There was a large oval window overlooking the courtyard as snowflakes gently fell past the glass. The room felt cozy and warm and she spotted a half-eaten tray of chocolate chip cookies on the corner of his desk. He caught her eyeing them and motioned to them welcomingly. She politely declined with a shake of her head. "Is there something you need?" he then asked.
"I actually wanted to talk about the book you gave me for Christmas," Alice said, tugging the book out into the open. Jack gave her a surprised look. She never mentioned it was North who gave it to her. "Maybe it has something in here we missed," she tried meekly, rubbing her thumb along the spine of the leather. "I know we're looking for someone who can create gold and make deals. I figured," she shrugged. "Maybe this book will tell us something your books didn't. Your books talk about the creatures in them like a book from my world would talk about regular mammals or sea creatures. But this book talks about them from a writer's perspective who only sees them for what they are: fairy tales," she explained, exhaling deeply. "I thought maybe it'd help us look at it from a different perspective."
North gave the book an odd look. He outstretched a beefy hand, "Let me see."
She handed the book to him and he leafed through it with a lick of his thumb, skimming through page after page. Alice shifted her hands nervously, hoping that he would happily declare 'aha!' and tell her that he found their culprit. When all that actually happened was him continuously flipping through the pages with the sound of the crackling fire to numb her thoughts, Alice felt antsy.
"Well?" she asked, sharing a glance with Jack who had his arms crossed and was leaning against the corner of North's desk.
North, for his part, seemed perplexed. "This book," he started carefully, finger trailing down one of the pages as he read. "For most part it speaks truth but someone has changed things."
Alice nodded a bit. "I guess that's bound to happen. Truth gets lost in translation and becomes fiction after the stories are passed down long enough. The Grimm stories are supposed to be dark anyway. Maybe they were twisted on purpose."
"It's strange to see so many I know of talked about in a novel from human world," he admitted. "I suppose adults are not so naïve after all."
Alice frowned a bit, sensing that his confusion about the book's origin was more than he was letting on. "Wait, you're the one who gave me the book to begin with. Didn't you already know that a human wrote it? Or two humans, rather. Brothers to be more specific."
North lifted his head sharply, giving her an alarmed look. "What did you say?"
"They were brothers—"
"No, no, no," he waved a large hand, exposing the scripted edges of his Naughty tattoo beneath his sleeve. "First part," he amended quickly.
"Um, you gave me the book?" she asked rather than stated, feeling tentative. The look on North's face was startlingly unnerving and Jack chuckled uncomfortably. Alice furrowed her brows when the man didn't immediately respond.
"What's wrong, North?" Jack asked lightly, if to at least get the conversation flowing again as North seemed to have been struck speechless. "You're looking at her like she took your firstborn child or something," he huffed a strained laugh. Alice's brain only briefly followed his words, too focused on North's facial expressions to really care, before backtracking so quickly she nearly got whiplash. Something about what Jack said struck a chord in her mind and before she knew what she was doing, she stepped up to North's desk.
"Hang on," she murmured, eyebrows pinched. "Can I see that?" she pointed at the book and North handed it over, still only granting her with that same unsettling look. She closed the spot North had previously been reading in favor of flipping to the Table of Contents. Her eyes darted across the page, searching for something in particular before her eyes ignited in recognition. She then placed the book on North's desk and opened it to the page the Table of Contents directed to. She made a noise in the back of her throat once she found it and deliberately placed her pointer finger on the page, glancing up at North and Jack with steady awareness.
Jack eyed North out of the corner of his eye before gazing down at the page Alice was pointing to. After a moment's hesitation North did the same.
"Rump-el-stilt-skin," Jack carefully read the name displayed across the top of the chapter.
"Rumpelstiltskin," Alice repeated forcefully with a nod. She spared North a fitful glance before returning her eyes back to the page. "A hard name to remember if someone doesn't know the story, wouldn't you say?" she countered wisely, referring to watch Pitch had said. "A miller's daughter, queen-to-be," she began to recite from memory, "is asked to spin straw into gold to prove her worth in order to become betrothed to the King. A man appears to her saying he can help. In return for her necklace, he'll spin the straw into gold. She agrees. The King is surprised once he sees the spun gold but greedily demands her to make more. The man returns and in exchange for her ring, he does it again," North and Jack listened carefully as she explained the legendary tale. "The third time she's asked to spin gold, the man asks for her firstborn child and in exchange he will spin even more gold. If she can figure out his name in three days' time, he'll let her keep the child. Of course," she nodded to herself, supporting her weight against the desk as they hung onto her every word. "The woman does end up learning his name and, well, as the story goes he gets so mad at losing the bet that he literally tears himself in two."
Jack grimaced at the image it put inside his head and North's bushy brows pulled together in distraught.
"Regardless of that, everything fits doesn't it?" she asked, tapping the page madly with her fist as she listed off, "Difficult name, has the ability to make gold, and has a knack for making deals to get what he wants. Have you ever heard of him before?" she glanced at North whose lips were pursed.
"Rumpelstiltskin," he repeated lowly, tasting the name on his tongue. "I know of a man that goes by that name, though his story is much different than this. But Alice," he shook his head, only to be interrupted by Jack.
"That's great!" Jack straightened, face alight with bright elation. "If this guy exists then that means we can track him, right? There's got to be a way," he reached across to squeeze Alice's arm and she gave him an unsteady smile.
"Alice," North stressed loudly, forcing her to pull her eyes away from Jack's face. North's blue eyes were wide and crisp as he stared at her, cheeks flushed. When she met his gaze he gestured vehemently to the book lying on display before them. There was an uneasiness pooling in the pit of her stomach at the look he was giving her. She couldn't understand what had made him so distressed, that is until he uttered with careful precision to where she cleanly understood,
"No matter what you may think or what it may have looked like," North said seriously. "I can promise you that I did not give you this book."
A/N: Anyone see that coming? I tried adding a few hints here and there about that particular fairy tale. Hehe. And I just wanted to lay a quick disclaimer here which is the main reason for this author's note. If any of you are fans of ABC's Once Upon A Time, I just wanted to assure you now that this Rumpelstiltskin is not the same as the one from the show nor will there be any striking similarities. Though I think it would be brilliant to add Jack and the rest of the Guardians into the show (I even considered writing my own crossover once – can you imagine Jack Frost and Peter Pan in the same story? I would have so much fun with that), that's not what this is. I like to give my characters their own unique backstories and that includes the villains which is no exception here. I can't wait to introduce him more to the story and really flesh out his character. That's all. Until next time!
