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 Sixteen


Jackson Overland had melded his life into one continuously spinning wheel over the past year.

Ever since his seventeenth birthday he's accepted new responsibilities that most kids his age have to confront sooner or later. The only difference is most of his friends were annoyed with these responsibilities whereas Jack couldn't be more excited. Ever since his father succumbed to illness and lost the ability to work in the fields, Jack had been eager to step up and take his place. He liked knowing that his family relied on him. That they needed him.

Even though his father was on the mend, Jack knew hard labor was something he'd never be able to pursue again. His strength and energy had been cut in half from months of sickness and his body was now weathered beyond his years. He looked about a decade older than he truly was and the bags under his eyes were more or less permanent. It worried Jack but ever since the color in his cheeks returned, the anxiety in his stomach had quelled. It was the healthiest he'd seen his father in a year and he wasn't taking that for granted.

Unfortunately, the months Hector Overland spent on bed rest really put a damper on the family financially. His mother took up sewing and repairing clothing for the townsfolk (before it had simply just been a hobby of hers) and Jack was all too willing to accept a job harvesting crops and assisting at the mill for extra money once he became of age. The farming helped pay for their food and chopping wood at the mill kept Grace's tutor coming three times a week to help with her studies.

This meant that Jack's studies had to be put on hold but he didn't care. He felt more useful working rather than learning multiplication or Latin. Plus Grace really loved to learn and why not let the sibling who actually enjoyed school continue it? She was just shy of five years younger than Jack but it was clear she had a brilliant mind that showed a lot of promise. There hadn't been a scholar in the Overland family for decades but at the rate Grace was going she was going to break the dry spell quick. It was obvious their parents were proud and Jack couldn't stop the envy that burned in his chest. But they also seemed pleased with the money Jack was bringing in so that really boasted his confidence a bit. It was nice to know he was actually good at something. Academics had never really been his strong suit.

But as mentioned before, Jack's life had become a wheel that continued to spin in the same direction every day. He woke up at first light, brought in a fresh pail of water from the well so his mother could start breakfast, then he bid his family farewell to plant and harvest crops until lunch. He wasn't so bothered by the routine. His father's descent into illness had been something none of them expected so he could appreciate knowing what his day-to-day life was going to be like.

Sometimes it wasn't easy working in the weather, especially when winter rolled around and the breezes nipped painfully at his cheeks. Jack soldiered on without complaint, wrapping a scarf tightly around his chin and nose that smelled greatly of rose petals and fresh soap. It was something his mother made him as a gift for his seventeenth birthday. When the days grew cold he never parted from it. He much preferred that to the hot summer days where his clothes stuck to him from the sweat and he panted beneath the sun's powerful rays. He really hated summer. He hated the sun.

It was a particularly warm day in mid-August. Hector had gotten a job working at the local post office where he sorted incoming deliveries of letters and packages. It was easy on him plus he got off work earlier than Jack. He was waiting for him as the brunette boy slowly trailed home after a grueling session at the mill. The heat was making Jack lethargic and dizzy and he'd made more trips to the well for water than he sawed planks of wood. It wasn't his best day but he had a feeling the mill's owner spared him from a lecture because he'd been sweating up a storm as well.

Jack pulled his shirt off halfway home and was wiping his brow with a wince as he stepped inside. He sighed in relief at the shade. It was still stuffy but all their windows were open, giving the kitchen a comfortable cross breeze that made the room feel less stifling.

"Evening son," Hector greeted amicably from the dining room table. He glanced up at the boy with a hooded smirk. "Rough day?"

"No kidding," Jack grimaced at the sticky shirt. He tossed it into a basket with the rest of their laundry before throwing on a loose shirt that was hanging up along the back wall. It briefly crossed his mind that he shouldn't dirty a clean shirt but he didn't care. "I can't wait until the snow gets here."

Hector hummed. "So Mr. Brown spoke with me today," he mentioned casually as if he'd been waiting for the opportune moment to slip it in.

Jack spared his father a wary glance. "Is that so?" he peered curiously into the cauldron of stew his mother was cooking and she smacked his wrist before he could grab the spoon to sneak a taste.

"Indeed," said Hector, attempting to sound aloof. "He mentioned that Isabelle is turning seventeen next month."

"Uh-huh," Jack squinted. He wasn't stupid. He hoped his open distaste towards the subject was enough to deter his father but clearly the man wasn't at all discouraged.

"She's growing into a fine young lady," Hector continued, ignoring the looks of exasperation Jack was shooting his way. "No doubt she'd make a fine bride one day as well," he pointed out, also very casual.

Jack rolled his eyes at Grace who was seated at the table with their father. She giggled into her fist at his irritated look. Neither of the siblings were very fond of Isabelle Brown. She didn't like getting her dress dirty or spending any inordinate amount of time outside which Grace immediately disliked. She was a pretty face, sure, but Jack much preferred spending time with a girl who didn't act as though she had a stick lodged up her ass. That's not something he'd ever say out loud (at least in the presence of his father) but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was very much opposed to any sort of courtship his father was attempting to bestow upon the two.

Apparently Mr. Brown was becoming more and more accustomed to the idea which irked Jack. Obviously hassling someone for years on end about marrying their oldest children eventually worked with the right kind of persuasion that his father clearly possessed. Jack liked to call it 'obsession' but his father never appreciated that term.

"I'm sure she would, father. Any idea who might be interested?" he asked in a pointed sort of way. The unspoken 'not me' was clear as day but his father dutifully ignored it in favor of giving his son an unimpressed look.

"You're already seventeen, Jack. Getting married and starting a family are things you should seriously start considering. I'm just trying to help you," he gave Jack a frustrated look as if Jack was being difficult just to spite him.

Jack suppressed an eye roll with great difficulty while his mother watched the two of them from her place at the counter as she rinsed and diced vegetables to mix into the stew.

"That's great but I think I should get to choose who I marry. I mean, marriage is eternal. I think I deserve to pick who I get to spend the rest of my life with," Jack responded with equal heat. It'd been a while since this conversation had come up but it wasn't at all uncommon for it to end in a fight.

"What is it about Isabelle that you don't like?" Hector asked as if he couldn't fathom someone actively detesting the banker's daughter.

Jack ran a hand through his floppy hair. The strands of brown were beginning to fall down into his eyes. Ever since he started working he'd been neglecting his appearance. His skin had also begun to darken considerably from standing so long in the sun. He had a habit of working without a shirt throughout the summer season and he didn't miss the way Isabelle would ogle him from her trips to and from the well. There was one time he was getting water at the well around the time she'd stopped by to fill a bucket and her father happened to stumble upon the two of them as Isabelle attempted to make awkward conversation. Jack may not have liked her but he didn't want to be impolite in case that circled back to his family so he reciprocated while also trying to bring it to an abrupt end as soon as possible so he could leave.

In retrospect, seeing them talking without the influence of adults was probably what sold Mr. Brown on the idea of them courting in the first place.

"She's just… not what I'm looking for," he finally said after some consideration. "She doesn't know how to relax. Plus I hardly even know her," he exclaimed. He began to tug out a chair next to Grace to sit but his mother tsked and demanded that he set the table instead. He grudgingly did as she asked and Hector wasn't convinced.

"Your mother and I were complete strangers when we married. After a few months of living together we became quite close. I'm very fond of her now, as it were."

"'Very fond'?" his mother asked with a cocked eyebrow and a playful smile. Hector's face softened at her teasing and Jack wanted to hate the loving look but couldn't bring himself to. Despite being a teenage boy who went out of his way to not partake in any sort of emotional bonding, he couldn't help but feel nothing but joy whenever he saw his parents together. The happiness they gave one another was out of this world and it gave Jack hope. Again, not something he'd ever say out loud, but it did.

Jack shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. "Well regardless, just because you got lucky doesn't mean I will too. Isabelle and I are nothing alike. She's not even interesting."

"How would you know?" Hector commented dryly. "You've barely spoken to her. Besides, you automatically assume that you're interesting."

Jack blinked at the obvious insult even though the half grin on his father's face proved he was joking. "Oh I know I'm interesting," he pointed to himself as he distributed bowls to each seat at the table followed by spoons. "She follows me around whenever she has the chance. Would she do that if she thought I was boring?" he countered.

"Maybe she's just mistaken," Hector replied airily, easy grin still intact. "How is she to know? You won't even spare her any attention. By doing so you could prove her wrong," Jack made a face the second his father turned away and Grace cackled gleefully again. "The way I see it, if she already claims to find you interesting enough to warrant her pursuit then you already have half the problem solved. Maybe if you got to know her, you'd come to find that she's a delightful young woman who's perfectly capable of mothering your children."

"Hardly," Jack droned before the second half of the last statement caught up with his brain. His nose curled. "Can we not talk about this over dinner? I'd like to keep my appetite if it's all the same to you," he finished setting the table and made to sit down a second time but was once again stopped by his mother. He flashed her an impatient look and she motioned sternly towards the basin for him to wash his hands. He threw his arms in the air and once again did as requested as she began filling each bowl with steaming vegetable stew. "Am I just supposed to assume that you'd get nothing out of this 'engagement'?" Jack asked over his shoulder.

Hector sighed wearily, mischievous grin dropping from his lips.

"I'm not blind despite whatever you may think," Jack stated firmly as he made his way back to the table. He made to grab the back of the chair but thought better of it and cast his mother an expectant look. She gestured theatrically for him to sit and he did so with very little elegance, depositing himself bodily onto the wooden chair with a groan. "I know her father's one of the wealthiest bankers in town. I know how this stuff works. Whatever inheritance she has will partially go to me and, in return, you."

Hector rubbed a tired hand down his face. "I won't lie to you, Jack. The fact that they have money is good incentive. We're not doing so well right now and having the extra money would sure help out."

Jack frowned. "But I'm working now. Isn't that good enough?"

"You're just a kid, Jack," Hector replied carefully as if he was treading dangerous waters. Jack's slowly clenching jaw was proving it to be quite true. "Because of that you aren't paid nearly as much as a fully grown man would be."

"Why not?" Jack demanded. "I work just as hard as the men out there do. I can do everything they can do and more!"

"Don't misunderstand him, Jack," his mother intercepted, equally drained. "We appreciate everything you do for this family but sometimes when things get rough we need a little extra help to get back on our feet."

"And you think marrying me off to some rich girl will fix that?" Jack cried. "I thought I was 'just a kid'? Kids don't get married. Kids don't work instead of go to school. I thought I was more than just a kid to you," Jack said, feeling betrayed. He felt proud of himself. He felt proud that he had a full time job like the rest of the adults in town did. He felt like he was making something of himself. He thought he was helping. Clearly not.

"I'm not going to argue with you," Hector said with finality. Jack swallowed back a scoff. "We'll have this conversation another time. But I'd like for you to think about what we discussed today because it isn't over."

"How can you expect me to just get married and have kids right now?" Jack asked. He technically didn't even need to ask because it was quite common for people his age to marry. Even if the marriage was arranged by family. But he wanted to know what his father would say. "I'm still a kid myself, as you so kindly reminded me," he added with a hint of attitude. "I wouldn't even know how to take care of a kid. Isabelle probably wouldn't either. I'm not even good with kids."

"I think you underestimate yourself," his mother said after a generous sip of soup.

"You do just fine with Grace," Hector agreed.

Jack shrugged. "She's my sister. That's different. I wouldn't even know what to say or how to act."

"It's instinct," said his mother. "It just comes as second nature. I don't even think you realize how easily the children in this town gravitate towards you. Especially when you act silly and goof off during the stories the Turner family puts on over the fire every month."

Jack struggled for a response. "I'm not even doing it on purpose. It's not my job to entertain them."

"No but you do it anyway," Hector opposed. "Face it, you're a natural with children and I can assure you you'll be the same way with your own child one day."

Jack cringed. "It won't be with Isabelle. You're barking up the wrong tree."

Hector just laughed. "We'll see. I'll make a man of you yet."


Present Day

The Queen's chamber walls were similar but relatively smaller to those in the main hall with delicately carved wood in light reds and browns. They appeared perfectly flat to the touch, not a splinter in place, and Alice felt the sudden urge to run her fingers over them to test if they were as smooth as they looked.

Instead, she clenched her fists at her sides and allowed her eyes to glide over the rest of the room in open curiosity.

Intricate carvings of looped golden markings decorated the trim along the top of the walls and down at the baseboards. There was some sort of medallion placed in the center of the ceiling, a crème-colored oval accent piece with light emitting from its center. For a moment Alice foolishly wondered how the light from a bulb managed to pierce through the medallion but then she remembered where they were. The Fae's light came from a source of magic, probably some sort of concentrated otherworldly energy that clearly surpassed human technology.

Aside from the two Fae guards that stood before the chamber doors, there were two others in the room with them. They were similar in stature as the previous faeries, stout and tall with bronze chest plates covering their torsos and long robes hanging from their shoulders. Their hair was pinned beneath their wooden headpieces and their lavender eyes followed the Guardians and Alice closely as they cautiously entered the room.

Alice couldn't help but feel caged in once the heavy doors closed behind them. Though North said these were light faeries, she couldn't help but feel wary in their presence. Maybe it was because of what Bunny warned her about. Remembering his words, she avoided eye contact with the Fae Guard and instead focused on the figure resting at the head of a round marble table in the center of the room like it was prepared for an audience.

The first thing Alice noticed was that the Queen Regent's eyes were not lavender. Instead, they were a glowing shade of teal blue. The blue covered the entirety of both eyes, no pupil in sight, which was as maddeningly unnerving as it was before. Aside from that, she was quite beautiful. She was dressed in a pale pink gown with a sharp golden piece resting over her shoulders. From its design Alice could tell that it was clearly meant for show to prove where she stood in the line of succession. A gleaming yellow ringlet rested on top of her long, wavy red hair and the simplicity surprised Alice but she reasoned that it was still probably made of real gold.

Her cheekbones were prominent, skin a soft shade of light purple that nearly blended in with her gown. The color of her skin darkened to a deep purple along the base of her cheeks and at the tip of her hairline. She looked unearthly.

With a dainty hand, the Queen Regent gestured towards the empty chairs that sat evenly around the table.

"Please sit," she offered. Her voice was melodic and calm, a sound that would have normally soothed Alice but instead only managed to make her feel even more on edge.

Their party chose their seats carefully on the far side of the table. North and Bunny took the seats closest to the Queen Regent on opposites sides, a fact Bunny did not seem pleased with. Alice found herself sitting across from the powerful Fae and silently wished she was in Bunny's position instead because the Queen Regent's eyes inevitably flashed in her direction more often than the others as she was in her direct line of sight.

Alice shifted in her chair, ready to get their meeting over with. If the Queen Regent noticed her squirming, she didn't comment on it.

North cleared his throat once they were all sorted, placing his enormous forearms on the table and weaving his fingers together. When he didn't immediately say anything, the Queen Regent gave a meticulous smile.

"I understand you wished to speak with me," she said pressingly.

"Yeah—er—yes," North fumbled. Though he seemed much less anxious than Bunny, it was clear his close proximity to the Fae made him nervous. Alice kept her gaze trained on his fluttering white moustache as he spoke. "I suppose it would be best if I got right to it," he said. "We formed an alliance many years ago, if you remember. Man in Moon made it so, created pact between us and Unseelie Court, among others. I speak on behalf of that alliance now," he said cleanly. "We need your help."

Alice's eyes flickered briefly to the Queen Regent whose ethereal face gave nothing away. "Go on."

Feeling reassured that she hadn't immediately dismissed him, North obliged with a bit more confidence. "A boy has been taken. We are fairly certain we know who took him but we aren't able to locate him on our own. We have brought boy's mother along with us," Alice shrunk beneath North's beefy hand that motioned towards her. She felt the Queen Regent's eyes on her but didn't meet them. "She wishes to be involved with boy's recovery but as issue has played out," he chose his words carefully, "we are not sure if girl is in danger as well. There are five of us who are capable of watching out for her but as we are mostly blind in situation, we were hoping you could aid us in protection of her and tracking her missing son."

The Queen Regent fiddled with the hair resting near her collarbone. Her eyes remained insistently in North's direction but for all Alice knew she could have been staring at the wall behind him.

"Need I remind you that we have no interest in the Guardians' affairs," said the Queen Regent with a significant look as if a similar conversation had already taken place. "We've gone our separate ways for centuries and have remained in peace as such. Unlike you, it's not our job to keep watch over the human world and all the—" her eyes momentarily flickered towards Alice, "—feeble-minded inside of it. If the Queen were here, you know she would agree with me."

Alice felt like maybe she should be insulted but the feeling of Jack's arm brushing against hers in comfort soiled those thoughts. She held back and refrained from showing any emotion on her face as North spoke.

"Knowing that we have you on our side would be most appreciated," said North, speaking cautiously again. "This situation could be bigger than we expected. If it comes down to battle—"

"Are you expecting it to?" the Queen Regent interrupted him, tone superior. "Are you expecting there to be a war? Like there was with, say, Pitch Black for instance?" North was noticeably startled at her knowledge of that and she smiled without humor again. "We know all about his tricks with dark magic. You really should keep him on a leash, you know. If you have no control over your own kin, how do you expect to have any over anyone else?"

North looked like he'd been slapped and Alice felt the insult burning in her gut. She risked a glance at Bunny who sat stiff as a board in his chair next to Jack attempting to reign in his temper. Jack was giving the Fae a dirty look and Alice wondered if that comment affected him differently than it did the others. She knew North looked after him. He was still a newly recruited Guardian and Alice was no stranger to the odd jabs and berates North tossed his way for disobeying the rules.

North wet his lips. "We didn't know he was going to—"

She intercepted him again. "Of course nobody knows when someone's going to step out of line," she said with an underlying hint of mockery. "But if you're kept under a watchful eye then you're less likely to do something stupid. Maybe if you'd been paying closer attention, you could have stopped Black's terrorizing before it even began."

Alice wanted to comfort North who looked properly guilty as if he were to blame for Pitch going rogue. She had a feeling North was already harboring feelings of self-loathing and regret towards Pitch for a while now and the Queen Regent's remarks only pulled those thoughts to the forefront. Alice swallowed back a glare she desperately wished to throw in the Queen Regent's direction at the open disrespect.

"And maybe then the child wouldn't have been taken in the first place," the Queen Regent added as an afterthought.

Bunny bristled, ears falling back against his head.

"Now wait just a minute," he snapped, only to be immediately silenced by North's hand.

Alice felt Jack tense beside her and she had no doubt that if it came down to it, Bunny would have no qualms with starting a fight. She felt anger building at the obvious accusations the Queen Regent was throwing at North but North seemed to have suppressed his remorse for the time being and regained his composure.

"It's fine, Bunny," North said, sounding weary but no less determined. His sparkling blue eyes met the glowing teal of the Queen Regent's. "Maybe you are right. Maybe if I had been keeping tabs on Pitch, I could have saved us lots of heartache. But what's done is done. I cannot change the past, I can only move forward. Pitch Black is… least of our concerns for now," Alice didn't miss his hesitation and neither did the Fae. "We must focus on child."

The Queen Regent observed him for a moment and if Alice were in his place she would have writhed under the scrutiny. "You know, I find it odd," she said in a blasé sort of way. "You have asked me for two things thus far and have yet to offer anything in return, especially when you speak of matters that are none of our concern. It's interesting," she remarked airily in a falsely casual sort of way that said she didn't find it interesting at all.

Bunny muttered something under his breath that made the Fae Guard behind him twitch but the Queen Regent paid him no mind.

North schooled his features. "Oh but I can assure you they are," he said seriously.

The Queen Regent lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "And how do you figure that?"

"Because I believe an Unseelie faerie was one who aided in capture of the boy."

There was silence.

Bunny's head snapped towards North at a comical speed, clearly surprised, and Tooth apparently hadn't seen that one coming either for she gave North a questioning look. Sandy rarely expressed any sort of emotion other than happiness and when Alice glimpsed at him, his glittering face was devoid of anything except for the flickering of his beady eyes towards the Queen Regent.

Alice wondered what this meant. Did this mean they had some sort of advantage over the Seelie Court? Was North telling the truth or just using it as an excuse to pull the Court on their side? Alice felt sick to her stomach at the thought of Max being anywhere near an Unseelie faerie. She gathered well enough that they were dangerous and not at all pleasant or kind. What would they do to an young, innocent boy like Max if they got their hands on him? Her fingers clenched on the arms of the chairs and her expression fell stony.

"Unseelie faeries have knack for experimenting with dark magic. They are one of the few creatures who can tamper with it at a molecular level and bend it to their will. Some of them can even waive a powerful protection spell," North explained casually, ever the epitome of innocence, and it was then that it clicked in Alice's brain. His sack. He thought an Unseelie faerie was the one who slipped the Brothers Grimm into his gift sack. "Creature who took boy goes by Tom. Or you may better know him by his common name, Rumpelstiltskin."

Alice shamelessly ogled the Queen Regent at this, searching for any traces of recognition in her face. As usual her expression gave nothing away but her eyes glinted in subtle familiarity of the name. That was all the verification Alice needed that Tom and Rumpelstiltskin were indeed the same person.

"You know who he is," Alice spoke up for the first time, voice cracking from lack of use. "Don't you?"

The Queen Regent barely spared her a cursory glance. Jack inched closer to Alice in his chair as if expecting the Fae to lash out at Alice's nosiness but none of the sort came. Her gaze held true to North's knowing face instead.

She finally asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

North seemed all too pleased to tell. "You made a pact long ago stating that Courts would not harm a human being."

The Queen Regent's jaw clenched but nevertheless she waved his statement off with a flick of her wrist. "What makes you think I would honor such a pact? Those who wrote it no longer exist."

"The pact still holds true," North said, eyebrows raised and daring her to protest. "It is against laws of your kin not to abide by it. Does not matter how long ago it was. Tsar Lunar was there to bear witness when you signed it. Manny would know if you went against his word," the Queen Regent's cheek twitched but she didn't necessarily seem angry.

Alice still felt wary nonetheless, waiting for the inevitable levee to break, and Jack placed his hand on top of hers that was still clenched.

"If an Unseelie faerie has taken or harmed a human being it becomes your concern," North continued. "And as boy is her son," Alice winced at being indirectly mentioned again, "she carries right just as much as he does to your protection. And," North added wryly, "your valiant efforts to return boy to his family safe and sound."

The Queen Regent did not appreciate his sarcasm. "If we're speaking in regards to that pact, hasn't your nightmare friend already broken it? He used his own dark magic on human children multiple times. How is that no different?"

The question seemed to stump North only for a second. "None of children were physically harmed," he reluctantly defended Pitch. "Technically he did nothing wrong in accordance to pact. His moral compass is not exactly pointing north but that is beside point."

"If we use Black's terms then, how do you know that this child has come to any harm?" the Queen Regent challenged.

"How do you know he has not?" North fired back without pause. "We knew those children were not harmed. We do not know that this one isn't," he cast Alice an apologetic look whose stomach had knotted at his words. "Pitch never even kidnapped one of them. Technically speaking he did nothing wrong."

It left a sour taste in Alice's mouth as North continued to defend the Nightmare King even though she knew why he did it. If it turns out that he had something to do with Max's capture, she did not want to be the one who justified any of his previous actions or wrongdoings.

The Queen Regent leaned back in her tall chair, appearing deep in thought. "How do you know for sure that an Unseelie was behind the capture?"

"I don't," North admitted. "But there is little magic out there that can counter my spells and an Unseelie's dark magic is one of them."

Alice held her breath as the Fae mulled over North's words. She felt eyes on her and she turned to face Jack who was watching her closely. Once their eyes met he offered her a quick smile. It was tight and not at all like the usual smiles he gave her. It was obvious the situation made both of them feel uncomfortable. He squeezed her hand in a vain attempt to reassure her and the corners of her lips twitched upward. He didn't succeed in making her feel any less tense but she appreciated the effort.

"If what you say is true," the Queen Regent's melodic voice interrupted their silent conversation and they turned back towards her. "Then the Unseelie Court must be alerted to a suspected treachery amongst their Faes," Alice breathed a sigh of cautious relief. For now it seemed the Queen Regent was on their side. "I must warn you that they may not be willing to cooperate."

"We'll take our chances," said North who was equally relieved.

"I'll send some of the Seelie Guard to the Unseelie Court to make them aware of the situation," she said and even though she was still facing North, it was obvious her words were directed towards the Fae standing behind her whose spines straightened. "With any luck they will be agreeable. Perhaps it would be wise if a member of your Guardianship accompanied the Seelie Guard to ensure the correct information is relayed," the Queen Regent suggested and North pursed his lips, seemingly displeased but not enough to protest.

Alice narrowed her eyes at the Queen Regent's tone. Despite being filled with noticeably less animosity than before, she could still detect stiffness in the powerful Fae's voice.

"I'll go with them," North said and Bunny fidgeted in his seat next to Jack before rolling his eyes like he was exasperated with his own train of thought.

"Can't have you going alone, mate," he said with a pained wince, regretting the words as they fell from his tongue. It was obvious the Fae put him on edge the most. Alice wondered if there was a reason for that or if he simply disliked everyone outside the Guardians equally. "I'll tag along."

North nodded reluctantly, unable to deny that a back-up may be necessary, and the Queen Regent stood from her chair. North quickly followed suit and one after the other the rest of them pushed back from the table and congregated near the doors. Jack made sure to place himself between Alice and the Fae Guards that stood in formation waiting for instructions. Alice gave him a tense smile in gratitude, unwilling to be any closer to the faeries than she needed to, and Jack gave her a cautious look in return as if to say, 'don't thank me yet.'

The Queen Regent glided elegantly around the table and approached them, nodding towards the Fae Guard who bowed and pushed open the doors.

"We have a passageway that leads to the Unseelie Court's dwelling," she explained as they marched down the rounded corridor they came from. "Technically they're located quite far from here but the passage is enchanted. What would take days of travel has been turned into seconds. It's much easier for us whenever there's an urgent need to meet unexpectedly."

They turned down another winding hallway and Alice clasped her hands together nervously as they descended a staircase leading into another level of the Court. A few Fae Guards were scattered about the corridors dressed in their gold and bronze armor. The Queen Regent gave a few of them significant looks and wordlessly they followed alongside her. Alice momentarily wondered if they could communicate telepathically.

North glanced at Alice over his shoulder where he walked in front of her. "I don't think it best that Alice be exposed to the Unseelie Court. She should remain here with Jack, Tooth and Sandy until we return."

The Queen Regent spared him an amused glance.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," she replied lightly but it made the hairs on the back of Alice's neck stand on end all the same.

Part of her felt the urge to interject. She wanted to participate as much as she could in finding Max and if that meant traveling to the Unseelie Court then so be it. If she could she'd confront the faerie herself and give it a piece of her mind, North's warnings be damned. But at the same time she knew not to overcompensate her worth. There wasn't much she could do in way of aiding in the capture of a rogue dark faerie. She was essentially powerless.

She was reminded of the speech Jack gave her the day she arrived at the Pole. He told her she'd be nothing in a fight and would only serve to get in everyone else's way. Unnecessary baggage to look after that would just slow them down. She remembered feeling hurt at being told that she was utterly useless to them but after she had time alone to calm down and clear her head, she realized he was right. She knew better than to try biting off more than she could chew.

The last thing she needed to do was leave Max motherless once again because she went and got herself killed.

She still couldn't help but feel personally responsible for the situation they put themselves in though. She hated that the Guardians were doing all the work for her, even if it was something anyone even remotely human like herself couldn't hope to accomplish on their own. They were willingly putting their lives at risk to save Max. Wasn't that her job?

Alice was jolted out of her reverie when the Queen Regent paused at a crossroads between several different corridors, all of which looked the same. Alice felt a bit dizzy as she gazed down each one, an issue everyone seemed to be having.

"It's just this way," the Queen Regent announced and they turned down the left corridor that almost immediately led to another flight of stairs.

"For being used as a shortcut in case of an 'urgent need to meet unexpectedly' it's pretty far away from the main hall," Bunny noted, sounding annoyed as they reached the base of the stairs.

The look the Queen Regent gave him was unreadable but Bunny appeared properly scorned all the same. His ears twitched in response, nearly folding back against his furry head but he stopped them before they could. Alice saw Tooth place a tiny hand on his arm to calm him.

"It's just through there," the Queen Regent gestured towards the end of the hallway that seemed to go on for miles with no apparent end. After extending about half the length of the previous corridors it eventually faded into blackness.

Alice felt the electricity on her arms buzzing in the air. It was the same feeling she got whenever one of North's portals opened nearby and she figured there was some sort of portal waiting at the end of the hallway to transport them to the Unseelie Court.

"As you're aware, their dwelling is much farther underground than ours. They have little use for light so at times it can be rather difficult to see. The Guards will guide you and keep you safe should the need arise," explained the Queen Regent.

North sucked in a deep breath, sparing the dark corridor a guarded look before adjusting his wool coat and turning to face Bunny. A look passed between the two Guardians, one that Alice couldn't exactly read but assumed it had something to do with whatever they were about to face, before North's eyes met Alice's. Alice was fidgeting with her fingers and even though North's gaze typically eased her mind, this one only succeeded in making her feel more on edge.

"Alice," said North with a fond smile. He stepped forward and patted the side of her head, his hand nearly engulfing her face.

"You don't have to do this," the words tumbled out of Alice's mouth in a hushed whisper before she even knew they were coming. "It's okay, I understand. We can find another way. I don't want to put you in any danger. That's never been my intention. I don't want—"

"Alice, Alice," North steadied her rambling by placing his bejeweled hands on her shoulders. "Relax. We can handle this. You forget how old we are," he gave her a wise smirk. "This is not first time we've put ourselves at risk and it certainly won't be the last."

"That's exactly the problem," Alice frowned deeply. "I don't want you putting yourself at risk for me. For Max. You're his heroes," Alice gave a watery smile, her eyes rolling over each magical figure that stood before her before somberly shaking her head. "He wouldn't want this."

"They exaggerate how dangerous the Unseelie really are," North leaned forward to murmur conspiratorially as if it prevented the Fae nearby from hearing him. "They are no match for Bunny and me. Have a little faith in us," North winked and Alice cracked a tiny smile. "Besides, Max is more than just your son. He is our believer. We protect our believers. It is our job to get him back. Let us do our jobs?"

Alice swallowed thickly and with her heart hammering painfully in her chest, she nodded in spite of herself. There was something heavy coiling in the pit of her stomach like ominous foreshadowing. She had a bad feeling but she knew she couldn't stop the Guardians from doing anything no matter how hard she tried. And she really wanted her son back.

"Okay," she whispered.

North gave her another tender look before casting his eyes at Jack. "Watch out for her," he advised.

"Always do," said Jack simply.

A silent conversation passed between North, Tooth and Sandy before he nodded at the four of them and gave a jovial smile. "We'll be back in a flash."

With a single nod from Bunny who looked much less resolute than North did, the two of them turned their backs and exchanged brief glances with the Queen Regent. Neither said anything and with that, the two Guardians followed the Fae Guard as they marched purposefully down the hall.

Alice watched them go with the shuddering fear that she'd never see them again. Even reminding herself that the Guardians had some sort of alliance with the Fae (or at least used to) and North himself seemed to trust them enough to bring her there didn't quell her anxiety. Maybe it was because she knew next to nothing about the Unseelie Court. Not that she could say with absolute certainty that she knew anything remotely noteworthy about the Seelie Court, but at least she'd been around them long enough to see that they had no intentions of hurting the Guardians. She couldn't deny that they seemed wary, or at least strikingly curious, about her but that was the least of her concerns. For the moment she was only worried about North and Bunny and if the Seelie Guard would in fact protect them if the situation demanded it.

The Queen Regents' warning rang clear in her mind like a mantra that the Unseelie Court may not be as willing to cooperate. 'Willing' was a funny word considering it took quite a bit of convincing before the Queen Regent was on board. Alice wasn't even fully convinced that the Seelie Court was on their side, but at least for the moment they seemed to not be against them. Alice wasn't feeling too quick to push their luck despite all the red flags waving around behind her eyes that something could easily go wrong and they'd be none the wiser because they were on the wrong side of the portal. And even if the Seelie faeries were alerted to the danger North or Bunny might be in, there was no guarantee they'd tell them.

It was these nagging thoughts that caused Alice's eyes to flit cautiously towards the Queen Regent as North and Bunny's forms disappeared halfway down the corridor. Jack was fidgeting restlessly with his staff next to her, all his tension and anxiety noticeable in the crease of his eyebrows as he pursed his lips. Even Sandy who on the worst of days couldn't even produce a frown was giving the dark portal a hard look.

The Queen Regent eventually turned to face them.

"If you will just follow me…" she made to turn back the way they came but as four pairs of eyes flickered nervously between one another, unmoving, she paused and faced them. "Two Faes will stand guard over the portal to greet your Guardians when they return," she nodded towards two exceptionally tall faeries that were standing behind her and, heeding the silent order, they gracefully slid past her and took their posts a few feet away from the portal. She then eyed Alice and the Guardians to see if that arrangement satisfied them. "By all means stand there if you'd like but I have other more comfortable places to wait if you can pull yourselves away. It may take a while."

Without waiting for a response, the Queen Regent turned on her heels and glided down the hall. The only remaining Fae Guard followed closely behind her and Alice exchanged a look with Jack. He looked conflicted with a range of emotions darting across his face but Tooth seemed to make the decision for them as she slowly fluttered after them. Sandy trailed alongside her, hobbling a good six feet beneath the Tooth Fairy who floated off the ground, causing Alice and Jack to take up the rear of the group.

They followed quickly after the Queen Regent and her Fae Guard who glided elegantly through each corridor as if they didn't have to think about where they were headed. They circled back towards the main hall and took a hard right before they could enter. They were deposited into a side room with plush armchairs and a table full of fresh fruit and wine goblets. Alice eyed them warily.

"Make yourselves comfortable," said the Queen Regent. "Feel free to help yourselves to the refreshments if you feel any thirst or hunger," she turned towards the Fae Guard that had accompanied her. "Sidhion, if you'd be so kind."

She outstretched an arm and Sidhion bowed before stepping into the room and standing straight near the threshold in clean formation as if to hold watch over them. Alice leered dubiously at the drinks and food. Her mouth watered from the sight of the strawberries and diced kiwi but she didn't move forward to grab anything, heeding North's warning. Jack, Tooth and Sandy squinted suspiciously at the table and, noticing this, the Queen Regent flashed her teeth in a mirthful grin as if their actions – or lack thereof – greatly amused her.

"If you need anything or have any concerns, please see Sidhion," she continued. "Otherwise I have other engagements to attend."

With that she turned smoothly and exited the room, the door clicking shut behind her without being touched or pulled. Alice licked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. She assumed the Fae Guard, Sidhion, was supposed to make them feel comfortable but he did just the opposite. Tooth daintily eased onto the large ivory loveseat and Sandy floated next to her with the absence of anything else better to do.

After some hesitation Alice followed suit and sat in one of the armchairs. Jack, on the other hand, seemed too antsy to sit still and began pacing the room. There was a negative energy that radiated off of him in waves and Alice gave him a worried look, following his erratic pacing a few seconds behind as if she couldn't catch up.

Alice side-eyed the Fae Guard who seemed for all intents and purposes to be ignoring their very existences. Once Jack made his rounds back towards her she muttered, "I have a bad feeling."

She figured it'd be best to tell one of them. She couldn't bear keeping it bottled up inside her. The feeling was threatening to make her sick all over the Fae's intricate snack table and she assumed they'd be none too pleased with her if that happened.

"Yeah no kidding," Jack huffed. He leaned his staff against the arm of her chair and she tugged it towards her without thinking. Unlike when Jack grabbed it and his eyes lightening with recognition and strength, she felt nothing but rough wood under her fingertips. She gripped the staff close to her nonetheless, garnering some security from it even though in her grasp it was powerless. "How do we even know we can trust them?" Jack asked without thinking, though he did spare the Fae Guard a momentary glance whose eyes narrowed. Sidhion clearly heard him.

"North obviously does," Tooth said, inviting herself into the conversation. "If he does then so do I," she stated firmly, though there was a hint of doubt in her tone as if she didn't really believe that.

"Easy for you to say," retorted Jack, severely unimpressed. "You've met them all before. I don't even know them. How do we know we can trust them with Max? Or even finding him in the first place? What if the Unseelie Court doesn't want to help and we're back to square one?"

Tooth sighed tiredly. "Let's just take this one step at a time. You heard North: have faith. Him and Bunny are well equipped to handle it if the situation were to go… awry."

"Yeah," Jack sneered as if what she said reminded him of another concern. "What the hell's that about, by the way? The Seelie Court obviously doesn't trust the Unseelie faeries in the first place. Aren't they connected somehow? Why not trust your own…people?" he waved his arm around as if he couldn't find the right word to describe them.

Alice eyed the Fae Guard out of the corner of her eye. She wondered if this conversation was bothersome to him at all. Tooth seemed to share the same concern as she spared a fleeting glance in the Fae's direction.

"They used to be one Court," Tooth explained. Jack stopped near Alice where she continued to hold his staff and he placed his hand on the top of the staff's hook. An energy coursed through the staff that nearly caused Alice to drop it in shock. Her arms felt like jelly and she glanced up at Jack in surprise. He didn't return the look but she had a feeling he awoke a pulse of magic in the staff to help distract her. "A few thousand years ago there was a disagreement amongst the Faes. Some faeries believed that dark magic was a necessity. They believed it was comprised of the purest magic, that it was almost a sin not to utilize it. The other faeries didn't agree; they could see risk in using such unyielding power and so the Court was split into two and they named themselves the Seelie and the Unseelie Court: the light and the dark," she said. "Over time the Unseelie faeries grew harsh. Their use of dark magic turned them dark themselves. Even though they evolved from the same Elders as the Seelie faeries, that is why their appearances are so different. That's what dark magic does. It blackens the soul."

Jack was frowning at Tooth as Alice let the fairy's words simmer. "That doesn't make any sense," he said. "What was the point of the pact North mentioned then? If they use dark magic, doesn't that go against their laws?"

"Not exactly," said Tooth slowly. "The pact was written to dissuade any magical beings from harming a human. That didn't mean they couldn't practice dark magic."

"Why even make the pact in the first place? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad humans aren't being harmed but what started that? Did they make it a hobby to hurt humans or something?"

"There were a few misunderstandings long ago," Tooth mentioned evasively. "There was an argument on whether or not it was just in harming innocent people."

Jack rolled his eyes. "As if it's a hard concept."

"Unseelie faeries see the world in a different way," Tooth attempted to explain with a sensitive smile. "They have different perspectives on right and wrong. A lot of creatures out there are like that. Even some humans are the same way," Tooth's eyes roamed over to Alice's form and she couldn't say she disagreed with the fairy. People were crazy. "Once it got out of control Tsar Lunar had to step in. He decided to write the pact and a representative from each race was there to sign it. Not only did Tsar Lunar create the pact but he was also there to bear witness when the pact went into place. It's punishable to go against it. Then again," Tooth tilted her head. "Since the pact only specifies humans to be unharmed, some creatures like to take advantage of that. Their excuse is always, 'The pact only said humans,' and legally they've done no wrong."

"I'm not surprised," said Alice. All creatures were alike in the sense that they needed to be spoon fed the rules, otherwise they'd find a loophole around them. It was sad.

"Neither am I," Tooth agreed with a tone of regret.

"Do they have a Queen?" Alice asked suddenly. "Like the Seelie Court does?"

"Yes," Tooth nodded. "That's who North and Bunny will be speaking to."

Alice felt like she was being eaten alive by the silence after that. It seemed as though there was more to say but the Fae Guard watching over the room ceased that from happening. Jack continued to pace, though not as aggressively as before, and Alice attempted to steer her mind away from whatever North and Bunny were facing at this very moment. She could only hope that they were making some sort of progress.

A solid ten minutes later and Alice found Jack taking a seat on the arm of the chair she was resting stiffly in. She bounced her knees to give herself something to do and Jack watched the action for a few minutes before branding her with a terse smile.

"Everything alright up there?" he asked, gesturing towards her head. He could probably sense the migraine forming behind her eyes.

Alice breathed. "I don't know. Probably not."

"It's probably a stupid question to ask," Jack shrugged a shoulder. "None of this is exactly getting any easier."

"I just…" Alice paused. "I hate waiting. I hate not knowing what's going on."

Jack inclined his head. "Can't disagree with you there."

"Sometimes I can't believe that any of this is happening," Alice shook her head. "It's like none of it's real. It doesn't make any logical sense. Max and I shouldn't even be in this situation and yet here we are," Alice lifted her arms, Jack's staff tilting with them. "Sometimes I have to remind myself that all of this isn't my imagination. Meeting you, meeting the other Guardians, having Max taken by some fairy tale character and then sitting here in the Seelie Court. I just… sometimes reality gets a little warped."

Jack didn't say anything for a moment and Alice was too busy looking down at her hands to see what kind of emotions were fixed on his face.

"Jack…" Alice started carefully. She bit the inside of her cheek and lifted her eyes momentarily to gaze at the edge of the table in front of her before resorting to playing with her fingers again. She absently ran her hands along Jack's staff as she considered something. "If I were to tell you something, would you promise not to overreact?" she asked, her eyes sliding meagerly up to the winter spirit's. Jack's forehead was wrinkled.

"I guess that depends on what that something is," he answered.

Alice's mind flittered back to the dream she had. The one involving the faceless creature that spoke to her about everything around her not being real.

"What if I told you that I think Rumpelstiltskin – or Tom – came to me in a dream?" she asked.

Jack's eyes flashed dangerously. "What do you mean 'came to you in a dream'?" he asked, voice hard.

"Back at the Pole," Alice wetted her lips, attempting to block the intense glare Jack was boring into the side of her skull. "I think that he interfered with my dream somehow and told me that you—"

The grand door burst open in that moment, startling its inhabitants besides Sidhion who merely turned his head to face the intruder. Jack had his arm thrust in front of Alice defensively, crouched and ready for an attack, only to relax (partially) at the sight of the Queen Regent. Despite her dramatic entrance she looked neither out of breath nor in a hurry. However, there was something strange about the look on her face that set Alice on edge.

Alice quickly stood from the armchair as Tooth fluttered anxiously behind her. Jack grabbed her arm in caution, keeping himself slightly in front of her and making his distrust for the Fae apparent. The Queen Regent ignored this in favor of gazing at Alice with a faraway look in her gleaming teal eyes.

"Are they back?" Alice asked instantly. The tension in her stomach had increased tenfold at the weird expression on the Queen Regent's face.

"Not quite. Something better, though," the powerful Fae said. "It seems the Unseelie Court have located your son."

Alice's heart lodged itself in her throat and she choked out a strangled gasp.


A/N: It got to the point where I needed to stop the chapter before it became too long again. I'm sorry if the ending seems rushed. I was getting mad that I couldn't reach a decent stopping point. Meh.

So I think I'm going to stop apologizing for the huge gaps between chapters because I'm starting to sound like a broken record. I'm just having some writer's block with this story that's driving me crazy. I've kept myself writing and posted some new stuff so I haven't lost the motivation to write (thank god) I'm just having a hard time filling in all the empty spots. I know what's going to happen and I know what I want to happen because I have this entire story outlined, I just don't have all the details down which is making things difficult right now to connect the dots. So hopefully you guys aren't too disappointed with this chapter, especially with the wait on top of it.

How did you guys like reading some of Jack's backstory? I'm hoping to weave some more of it into the story as things progress because I had a lot of fun with it. Let me know what you think. And yay, Max has finally been found! About time, right? I know, I miss him too. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows this story continues to get. I think when I posted the last chapter we were at 100 follows and now we're at 116. I hope you guys realize how much stuff like that motivates me. I've probably gone back and read all your reviews twice since chapter fifteen. It may not seem like much but your comments really do help me out. Whenever I'm in a funk I come back to them and they help me soldier through all the stupid writer's block. Love you guys. Stay tuned for more! I plan on seeing this story through to the end :)