Before we get started, I want to thank all of you, because you've helped me reach a very important, personal milestone.
I started writing and posting fanfiction here when I was fifteen. I posted several stories (none of which are really worth remembering). But the main story was called A Drop of Sound. It was 20 chapters, and by the time I deleted it a couple years ago, it had reached 82 reviews. So it's been my goal to reach and surpass that number with one of my new stories.
In eight chapters (less than half of DoS), Among the Stars has 82 reviews as I type this out. I just did the math, and all my stories collected have 253 reviews. So I just want to thank you guys for all your support. It really does mean so much to me.
On a story related note, writing "Black" instead of "Black" is almost painful...
Now, without further ado: Chapter 9!
Among The Stars
Chapter 9
Jack would have kicked himself, were the motion possible.
In the heat of the fight, he hadn't even considered that the wave of Fearling was a distraction while Black went after Rapunzel. He had been too busy trying to prove to the other Governors that he deserved the second chance they were giving him – and trying to keep the fight away from Toothiana's room, he hadn't realized that it would end up there in spite of his best efforts.
"Stop beating yourself up, Jack," Nightlight said, while they flew toward Toothiana's room, ignoring the fatigue both of them still felt after Maneuver 7.
"Tell me that when she's safe," Jack muttered.
They rounded the corner of the palace. Jack shuddered as he felt the icy hand of fear brush against the edges of his mind.
Fearlings hovered outside Toothiana's area of the balcony.
The wind responded to his anxiety and pick up speed, carrying him faster. He swung his staff at the Fearlings, who froze and fell away.
The door to Toothiana's room was open. The light had been turned off, but he could hear a fight going on. He could hear Toothiana, and Merida.
They flew in, Nightlight's glow, as well as that from Moonbean, wasn't enough to banish the heavy shadows. But it illuminated enough for Jack to see the shimmer of Toothiana's jewel toned feather while she dove at Black. Several of her fairies were with her, doing their best to combat Black and his Fearlings with their small fists, feet and wings. It was truly admirable, the fight they put up.
He saw the general smack Toothiana aside with one sickly grey hand, the force sending her into the wall.
"Black!"
The Nightmare King looked up. It might have been the light, but it seemed as though Black's gold eyes seemed to be more out of focus – more insane – every time Jack saw him.
"Frost." There was edge – and echo – to Black's voice. As though more than one voice was speaking. The Fearlings were taking over the man's mind, Jack realized. Which would certainly explain his crazed eyes.
Then, Black's lips twisted in a sick grin, eyes widening, as if Jack were the honored guest he had been waiting for.
"Ah, the hero of our story arrives," Black said. "Better late than never, I suppose."
Jack rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic words and tone.
"You really like the sound of your own voice, don't you?" he asked, adjusting his grip on his staff.
He waved subtly, signaling for Nightlight to check on Toothiana, who was slowly sitting up, her fairies fluttering around her in their best attempts to help their queen.
Nightlight nodded.
Black didn't even spare a glance for the spectral young man, his attention fixed on Jack.
"How fortunate, for you, princess," Black chuckled. "To be saved by a hero straight out of a storybook.
"Shut up." Jack didn't know where Black was heading, but he knew he didn't like it.
His eyes darted around the shadows, searching for Rapunzel.
"It's all straight out of a story, really," Black sighed, brushing imaginary dust of his perfectly pressed uniform.
Jack hated that uniform. It really just made the situation all the worse.
"The beautiful princess captured for her people, bravely facing whatever her captors throw at her – never complaining, even when threatened with her own death."
Jack cringed. He hadn't asked about Rapunzel's time in The Tower, not want to bring up any bad memories. But now he wished he had, because Black's hints were driving him mad, wondering just how bad her time there had been.
Black's voice was moving around the room, roving, searching.
"Rescued by a handsome hero with the mysterious past." He chuckled darkly. "And smart enough to hide you from an Imperial search, that is truly impressive, really. It seems inevitable that she would fall in love. What girl can resist a dashing hero, after all?"
Now Jack knew that wasn't something he wanted to hear through to the end.
So why couldn't he move?
He had made his choice – but part of the way he had made it was convincing himself Rapunzel wouldn't feel the same way. That her trust and attention was just gratitude for saving her.
"But no matter how romantic this story, the ending..." Black laughed. He was enjoying this. He was enjoying the swirl of emotion that held Jack in place.
And he knew Black had gotten it all from Jack's own mind. It was what the Fearling had pulled from him in the forest earlier, and had passed it on to Black the same way the fairies passed on gossip to Toothiana.
"Oh, the ending... Do you really thing there can be a happy ending, Princess? Do you think he would love you? The carefree pilot? And the princess? Really, it's too cliché..."
Jack's eyes widened. What was Black playing at? Because he wasn't talking to Jack.
"There are no happy endings in real life, you know. So no matter how romantic the story, it will end in tragedy. I'm almost doing you a service, helping it play out this way, rather than the inevitable. You know I'm right. Why else would you be so afraid that he'll reject you?
"Oh yes, I can feel it. As much as you love him, with all your naïve little heart, you know you will never, ever, find the happy ending you want so badly."
There was an audible sob.
Black chuckled.
And Jack realized this little show hadn't been about torturing or embarrassing him. It was about getting a reaction from Rapunzel so black could feel her exact location. That was what he had been searching for.
Jack dove toward the sound of Rapunzel's sob, raising his staff just in time to stop Black hand from landing on her.
He felt her hand on his shoulder, just a ghost of a touch over his hoodie. There was a question in the touch.
"Jack..." The brokenness was audible, and it was a knife in Jack's heart.
He wanted to tell her it was a lie. To assure her he felt the same. To hold her until her fears abated.
But there wasn't time. Not now.
"Nightlight!"
He didn't take his gaze from Black, holding his staff to keep the Nightmare King from getting closer. From the corner of his eye he saw Nightlight's glow come closer, until it was behind him.
"Your Highness."
"Go, Rapunzel."
Her hand slid from his back, and immediately missed her presence as he felt Nightlight lead her away.
The moment there was space he swung his staff, putting his mind back into the battle. A wave of ice shot toward the Nightmare King. The wind came in to strength the blow, and the force sent Black stumbling backwards.
Black made a wide gesture, and the Fearling obeyed, rushing to defend him.
But another wave of Jack's staff – another blast of ice – cut through the wraiths.
Another blast, before the man could defend himself, caused Black to stumble through the door, out of Toothiana's room – just as Jack had hoped.
On the balcony, while Black struggled to regain his balance, Jack reached back and slammed shut the bedroom door. One of them would turn on the light and they would be safe from the Fearlings still inside.
Satisfied that Rapunzel and his friends were safe, he turned his attention back on his opponent.
"Did I strike a nerve, Jack?"
Jack ignored his words, instead tightening his grip on his staff.
He evaluated the situation, the way Bunnymund had taught him. He was really tired of making amateur mistakes tonight.
He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep, and Maneuver 7 had left him drained – this fight would have to be quick or Black would wear him out.
The lights in the gardens were bright but sparse, with more than enough shadows for the Fearlings to hide in.
His eyes landed on the eastern horizon, where he could see the beginnings of his only hope. He only had to hold out for a few minutes.
Black watched him warily, carefully, waiting for him to make the first move.
Good. He could use that to his advantage.
Shifting his grip again, he adjusted his stand.
Black had was twitching nervously.
Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Black's nervousness surprised him, really. He had expected more patience from an Imperial general. Of course, then he remembered that the man was saturated with the darkest creatures in the universe. That would probably make anyone a little twitchy.
Why wait? The wind asked, growing bored of this game it didn't understand.
Jack smiled faintly at the wind's impatience. A few years ago, he would have been the same.
Time had taught him patience though, just as North had always assured Bunnymund that it would. He had learned to wait for the opportune moment.
And the longer he waited, the more frantic Black became.
Jack watched his opponent carefully.
"If ya know what t' look for, your opponent will tell ya what he's gonna do as soon as he knows himself," Bunnymund had said.
It was a skill Nightlight had always been better at, which had just served to frustrate Jack further. But he had continued to train even after he had left Warren. Night light would probably always be more patient. But Black wasn't.
Finally Black could take no more, and he surged down the hallway, toward Jack, surrounded by a swarm of his Fearlings.
Jack was too drained to throw up a wall of ice. But he held his staff straight in front of him, thoughts focused on anything but his fears.
He thought about climbing the cliffs in the Sunset Mountains, sitting on the left, looking out at the landscape with Baby Tooth on his shoulder.
Even as the Fearlings raced toward him, he braced himself and fought back the deluge of darker thoughts that showed up to tug at the edge of his mind.
He thought about flying alongside the wolf pack as they ran across the snow covered forest floor, under the light of the full moon.
He could feel the Fearlings at his defenses, in search of the stray thread that would unravel the tapestry he had wrapped around his mind.
He thought of Rapunzel's smile.
One of the Fearlings recognized that thread, and the shadows connected to it. And it tried to pull at the threat, the possible weak link.
But Jack pulled the thread tighter, refusing to give fear a foothold. He had made his choice.
He could admit that somewhere between pulling her up through the air duct and now, he had falling in love with Rapunzel. And that meant he would do what was best for her, regardless of what would happen.
His staff quivered as it responded to Jack's determination. The frost along the gnarled wood glowed a brighter blue with each passing moment, until Jack felt his control over his powers slip, and he felt his center take control.
The pressure built until he thought it would break through his skin in desperation to get out if he didn't channel it.
With the last ounce of focus he could muster against the freezing burn of pressure, he took mental hold of his powers and directed it from his ribcage, down his arms and into his staff.
The ice crackled like a firework as it exploded from him to fill the air. Even behind his eyelids he could see the flashing. Vaguely he heard the screams of the Fearlings as they melted under the light, and Black cried out in pain. But those sounds were distant beyond his own blood pounding in his ears.
Finally the rush ended, taking with it the last of Jack's strength. He felt his body tremble, and leaned his weight on his staff just before he collapsed, breathing hard from the exertion.
Pitch lay spread eagled on the hall floor, the pose comical to the point of drawing a tired laugh from Jack.
He closed his eyes, his entire body pleading for sleep.
But a rustling sound made him open his eyes again and look around...
Now that the light had dissipated, the Fearlings were regrouping. He had initially scared them off, but now they knew he had no hope of fighting anymore.
Annoying creatures.
"Ni-" his voice was barely above a whisper. Jack shook his head and cleared his throat. "Nightlight!"
A moment later the door of Toothiana's room opened. The Fearlings edged closer to try and get into the room. But Moonbeam flared, blocking the doorway. The shadow creature recoiled back from the light. Nightlight looked between Jack and the fallen Nightmare King.
"What did you do?"
Jack shook his head, too tired to try and explain. Especially since he didn't even know what he had done.
Nightlight nodded in what appeared to be understand as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
The Fearlings that had begun to regroup shuddered, and the friends looked over to watch them dart away or vanish as the first rays of sunlight spilled over the horizon, flooding the balcony with light.
"Sunrise," Nightlight murmured.
Sunlight.
He had made it.
Jack stumbled over to the wall to lean against it when he realized his staff could no longer handle the weight he was putting on it.
"I need to sleep."
"You need to talk to the princess," Nightlight murmured. "We're all too tired to rebind the Fearlings before nightfall, so they will be back with or without Black. You need to take away any edge they have over you."
"And what do I say?" Jack asked. "That yes I love her, but I have to stay her while she goes back to Corona?"
"You're assuming."
"I'm making an educated guess."
"You don't know that Jack."
"Nightlight, do I look capable of having this conversation right now?" His tone was harsher than intended.
He sighed. "Sorry. I just..." he shook his head. "I'm acting like Merida."
"And you don't have the excuse of being pregnant," Nightlight chuckled.
Jack rolled his eyes.
The sound of movements from his right made him looked over. And even with his tired eyes squinted against the brightening light, he realized he had made another amateur mistake. And while the list had been growing of late, this one would be his undoing.
Because he had taken his eyes of Black, thinking the Imperial was helpless now that the Fearlings were gone.
He had forgotten about the blaster now aimed at his chest. And he didn't have time to react before Black smirked and pull the trigger.
The energy bolt burned through his chest, just below his heart.
Sometimes he really wished he would just listened to Nightlight.