The twinkling starlight was soothing to Prism's eyes as he checked the rigging. Nightlight was adjusting things as he was instructed high above, jumping around and scampering about with great energy. Lunar was seated on the railing before the wheel, having a pleasant conversation with Sandy as they waited for Jack to lead Jackson and his family onboard.
Prism ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it for what had to be the hundredth time since he'd gotten to Earth. He was nervous, afraid, and the others all had niggling worries that floated in their psyches, just below the surface but not quite forgotten. Toothiana came out of the hold, several bottles of Tickling Fancy in her slim hands. She paused when she saw Prism pacing nervously.
"It'll be okay," she promised.
"We don't know that," Prism replied, but he stopped pacing and took the bottles from her. She watched him curiously.
One thing that still startled her was Prism's gallantry. He had old-fashioned manners, instilled deeply in his genes from being born in the Golden Age, and it showed in how he treated others. He was especially kind and tender toward her, and she wondered at that. Fluttering her wings, she followed him to the table and arranged the glasses as he scanned the bottles.
"Prism?" Toothiana asked gently, placing her hand on his arm.
"Hm?" Prism looked up. He paused as he felt a ball of worry shiver in her aura. "What's wrong, Toothiana?" he asked.
"I just want to say that we're here. No matter what. I can tell you're nervous, and I think we all are, but we can handle any situation that pops up."
Prism's shoulders relaxed, and he sighed and nodded. "Thank you. I truly appreciate the thought."
Toothiana nodded and traced the rim of one of the crystal glasses. A smile upturned her mouth and she looked up. "You're welcome," she said. Then she paused. "May I ask you something?"
"Of course," Prism replied, setting the bottles on the table.
"Why do you treat me differently? From the other Guardians, I mean."
Prism raised his eyebrows and leaned against the table. He could sense that she had been worrying over this topic for a while, though he still couldn't find the root out. "Because you are a lady," he replied after a beat of silence.
Toothiana snorted. "That's silly."
"Not really."
"Yes it is. I'm a warrior, not a lady. Ladies wear expensive saris and drip with gold jewelry."
Prism nodded thoughtfully. "The Tsarina was a lady, but she was also a warrior. She owned many fine things and could have owned much more had she been so inclined. I see in you what I saw in her. A noble spirit, beautiful yet burning with inner fire. There's nothing unladylike about you, Toothiana." An inkling swept his consciousness and he smiled. "And no, I think no less of you just because I know you to be a lady. You needn't worry that I don't believe you are capable of handling things. I know very well that you are capable. But that doesn't take away the fact that gentlemen are taught to act a certain way around ladies."
Toothiana relaxed. "I just wasn't sure what thoughts lay behind your actions. Although now that you mention it, Lunar has always acted in a similar manner."
"With him, it's royal breeding," Prism said in a droll accent.
Toothiana laughed, and there was a cry from the ground. "It's such a cool ship!"
Prism took a deep breath then leaped up into the rigging. With a playful wink to his friends, he copied the pirate movies he'd seen with Jackson over the course of his treatment and swung down on a rope to land on the edge of the ship.
"Ahoy there," he said. "Ready to come aboard?"
Jackson's face glowed bright with pleasure as he stared up at Prism. Lucy stood behind him, and she waved, a beaming smile on her face. Jamie looked around uneasily, his lips pursed. He still couldn't see Prism, which was good. Or was it? Anxiety tightened in Prism's chest, but before panic could set in, Lunar was there, gesturing them to come aboard.
"Welcome. We're excited to see you."
Jackson galloped up the gangplank then teetered on the edge and looked up at Prism.
"Permission to come aboard, Captain?"
Prism flashed his teeth. "Permission granted," he said, bowing to the boy. "Welcome our honored guest, the brave Jackson Bennett!" he called to the others.
Jack Frost stood behind Jamie and Lucy, nervously swinging his staff as he took in the scene. He launched himself up and landed gently beside Prism as Jackson bolted past him and began exclaiming at everything. Lucy came up the gangplank, and Prism took her hand and kissed it.
"Welcome to my ship," he said. "Look around all you like."
"Thanks, Prism," she said. Her dark eyes swept over his tall form, and her gaze lingered on his face. She finally relaxed. "You look well."
"I've been a patient with good and knowledgeable doctors," he replied. "Lunar knows more than most of the spirits think."
Lucy turned to look over the short, round man with brilliant brown eyes. He smiled and bowed low. Jamie clicked his tongue and stepped forward. His eyes seemed to peer through Lunar.
"Jack?" he asked, a hint of insecurity in his tone.
Jack, who understood that Jamie couldn't quite see him yet, smiled and stepped forward, placing his hand on Lunar's shoulder. "This is Lunar Lunanoff XII. I've talked about him before. He's the Man in the Moon."
Lucy watched with interest as he struggled to focus on Lunar. Then there seemed to be a click as his eyes focused and Jamie smiled.
"There you are," he said. "I'm Jamie."
"Nice to finally meet you," Lunar said jovially. "I've heard a lot about you from Jack."
"Just Jack?" Jamie asked uneasily, his eyes darting around.
"No," Lunar replied but didn't expound on his answer.
While Lunar spoke to Jack and Jamie, Prism took in Jackson's appearance. His cheeks had a ruddy glow about them, and his brown eyes shone with health and energy. The last time Prism had seen him, Jackson had been stick thin, but now he had some weight back. His hair was also growing marvelously, thick and wild, just as any self-respecting boy's should be. Jackson was speaking to Nightlight, and he caught Prism's eye and beamed. Prism smiled back and strolled over.
"How are you?" Prism asked when Nightlight paused to greet him.
"I feel great! When can we take off? I want to go to the moon!"
Prism grinned at the eager boy then looked at Nightlight. "Pull up the gangplank. We're going to take off soon."
Nightlight dashed off to obey, and Jack helped him when he saw what was going on. Prism took Jackson's hand and guided him up to the wheel.
"Can I steer?" Jackson asked breathlessly.
"Better not. You'll need practice first. It's not like Earth ships. This one goes vertically and diagonally as well as horizontally. But you can ring the bell for liftoff."
Jackson bounced up and down as the Guardians and Lucy and Jamie approached to watch Jackson. Prism noticed Jamie glaring at the wheel, mistrust and anger in his expression.
"Okay now," Prism said. "Ring the bell twice. Hard. And up we'll go."
Jackson nodded and grabbed the bell rope. He hesitated then rang it twice in rapid succession. At once there was a change in the gravity, and Jackson wobbled as the ship gently parted from the ground and started floating. Lucy gasped and grabbed Jamie to stabilize herself. Jamie grabbed on to North, who laughed and held them steady.
"Jack, take Jackson up to the crow's nest," Prism ordered. "I think he'll like seeing the Earth recede."
"Come on, partner!" Jack exclaimed. "Up the ladder!"
Jackson embraced Prism then bounded down to the deck. As Jack followed Jackson up the ladder, watching every movement carefully, Prism grasped the wheel and pushed down gently. At once the ship went higher, and Lucy shivered.
"Is this feeling normal?" she asked nobody in particular.
"The tightness in your core is the gravity generator," Prism replied, guiding the ship higher as he checked on the progress of Jackson in climbing.
"So that's a yes?" Lucy asked.
"Yes," Prism said, smiling in spite of himself. "There's nothing wrong with you. I know it's a foreign feeling. But it'll get even stranger once we're out of Earth's atmosphere. Just as a warning."
Lucy nodded, and she looked up at the crow's nest when Jackson called for her.
"Mom! Look how high I am!"
Lucy smiled, and even Jamie relaxed a bit at the look of exhilaration on his son's face. Jack watched every move carefully, ready at a moment's notice to pull him from danger. Then he looked down at the ship's wheel, shifting from minute movements of a person he couldn't even see.
"I don't get it," he huffed.
Lunar was sitting off to one side of the wheel on the railing, and he looked over. "You don't get what?" he asked pleasantly.
"Why I can't see Pitch anymore."
Lunar tilted his head as Prism seized up at the wheel, his face draining of all shadow. "When was the last time you saw him?" Lunar asked.
"When I was a kid. When he was trying to kill me."
"I see. So you saw him swept back into the dark with the Night Mares?"
Jamie blinked. "No. I saw Pitch get knocked out by Sandy. And then he was gone."
"Interesting," Lunar murmured. He turned to Prism. "Was that when Obscurus lost his grip on you?"
Prism swallowed and looked up at the moon, his fingers trembling against the dark wood that made up the wheel. "I started clawing back up at that point. That's when the Night Mares sensed my own fear. That's when they swept me away."
Lucy looked sad, but Jamie was rubbing his ears. "What is that horrible noise?" he demanded.
Lunar was affronted. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, his brown eyes glowing.
"That noise! It hurts my ears," Jamie complained.
"I don't care what you think of Prism, you are not to speak of him like that," Lunar began severely, but Prism snorted.
"He cannot hear my voice," he said calmly.
Lunar turned to look at him. "What?"
"If he cannot see me, he cannot hear my voice," Prism explained calmly. "I suppose it's part of the magic, but he hears something like glass squealing against itself when I speak. That's how Lucy described it. Once she was able to see me, she could hear my voice. Once he can see me, he will be able to hear me. But until then, there's no use complaining about it. He actually is in physical pain, so don't harp, Lunar."
Lunar relaxed and inclined his head. "Sorry, Jamie. I was unaware that his speaking is hurting you."
"Is that what's going on?" Jamie asked, grimacing as he rubbed his ears.
"Apparently. Now, as to your question of why you cannot see Prism," Lunar said. "According to Prism, after he was knocked unconscious by Sanderson, he began to get control of himself again. My guess as to why you couldn't see him afterwards, as well as now, is because you didn't know who he was anymore."
"I know exactly what he is," Jamie growled.
Lunar raised his eyebrows. "Oh. So you can see him?"
Jamie blinked. "No."
"Then you don't know him," Lunar said.
"I began to see him more clearly once I knew he was good. And when I remembered him, it got easier. The more I learned about who he is, the better I could see him," Lucy said.
"But he's not good!" Jamie argued. "Why can't you guys see that?"
"Prism has always been good. But that doesn't mean he's always been able to act upon it," North said quietly.
"What does that mean?" Jamie asked, exasperated.
"Shadow Man," Bunnymund murmured, his ears slicking back.
"Who?" Jamie asked, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"When we get to the moon, I'll make red-leaf tea," Lunar said. "And while Prism and Nightlight show Jackson around, we shall have a story time."
A thought occurred to Jamie, and he frowned. They didn't want to talk about this Shadow Man character in front of his son. Who was this strange man and why did just thinking about him make him nervous? And what did Shadow Man have to do with Pitch almost killing him as a child?
Jamie thought about Pitch, recalling every detail he could as he built up the mysterious monster that had scared him so badly when he was young. Gazing at the wheel, he still couldn't see anything but a shimmering haze, like a heat wave. If he couldn't see Prism because he wasn't Pitch Black, then who really was this Prism Lunanoff? He'd selflessly jumped in front of a speeding truck to save the life of Jackson, and that was nothing like what he'd remembered about Pitch. Still, from what Lunar said, he wasn't Pitch anymore.
As Jamie began to consider all the positive stories Lucy had told him, a strange feeling filled him. He fought the curiosity that craved to know more about his enemy. What was the use when he was good for nothing except as a figure to hate? Still, as his mind lingered on the kind, heroic actions that he'd been told about, as well as the one he had witnessed, the hazy silhouette seemed to sharpen until Jamie could see a flash of prismatic starlight fill out the familiar form of a tall, thin man.
A burst of fear filled Jamie, and the form tensed and turned to face him. Jamie turned away immediately, frightened and ashamed. He didn't want to know more about Shadow Man. He didn't want to know Prism Lunanoff. He wanted to keep hating Pitch Black. And he decided that nothing would change his mind.
