A/N: I'm not sure still on how I can get to the ending I have planned for this.
I just know I have an ending.
The quiet whispering woke him, this time.
He was familiar with whom was whispering to him, the lives that were watching his own as he lived it. The familiar dream-grass that waved over him was so soft, and he was far too tempted to simply lay in it and keep his eyes closed.
Yet once more, the light forced him awake.
He sat up slowly, cautious on how he moved. More than once, he'd been awoken in the dream only to find a trap lying in wait, shoving him awake in the real world.
A bright blue sky, the green grass with the yellow and purple flowers, and the Omni-present shadows of his ancestors.
"You know, it's rude to watch someone sleep." He went to stand, but was yanked back by something.
He turned, and there was a form, surrounded by Anne's lace, their hand entwined in his.
While holding this persons hand was nice, and their hand was warm and inviting, he forced himself to let go, and to get them to let go.
"I need to talk with my family for a second." He hope that this would, in some way, help, yet it was fruitless.
The being spoke, but their voice was horribly distorted. "Stay."
"I can't. They're watching, and I need to talk to them."
"Who?"
"My family. They're watching."
"But no ones there." At this point, the being wrapped their arm around Idas waist, using their free hand to cup his cheek.
The chill returned, dancing along the areas where this person had their arms and hands. Normally, Ida would be furious, demanding that he be let go. Now, however, he leaned into the hand, taking in the affection he hardly allowed himself when he was awake.
"Come back to bed." The being led Ida back to the spot they'd been resting in, despite Idas turns to look at the shadows of his ancestors.
They continued to watch him, slowly vanishing as he returned to his spot with the being.
When he'd settled down, he stared at the being, trying to gather details. White hair, blue clothes... and a square jaw?
Ida sat up, studying the person ever closer. Before, it was a simple outline and colors Ida could get. Now, he could tell what the hairstyle the person wore was, and it was strangely familiar.
He could squint and see that this person had light blue eyes, which were staring at him in abject confusion.
Why were they so familiar?
They belonged to someone he knew, but. He simply couldn't place his finger on it.
His hand reached out, desperate to try and figure out this mystery, but the person moved away, leaving him feeling cold and helpless.
When Ida awoke, his hand was outstretched above him, and it aches as if the position had been held for hours.
Even before he realized he was alone, he felt tears run down the sides of his face, the sense of loss heavy within the air.
When Jack had taken Ida up on his offer of staying in his bedroom, in order to prevent a tree from becoming murderous and killing him, he hadn't expected half the things he had that night.
First, he had a bath.
Not horrible, but strange nonetheless. The nymphs that giggled at him didn't make him feel better, and he as relieved to find out that there were indeed bathing shorts for guests, and a changing room.
Secondly, he hadn't expected to fall asleep.
He was dead, and had been for centuries. He didn't need sleep, even. It was a nice experience, yes, and it passed the time, but was it necessary? Absolutely not.
Thirdly, even when he was asleep, he had the strangest dream that he'd ever had; and that's saying something, considering his life.
Waking up in a field of flowers and green grass was nice. In fact, many would say it was lovely.
However, what wasn't lovely was the (hopefully) sleeping body next to him. The body didn't move, and it didn't have many features to it.
All he could see was tan-ish skin, a few tufts of dirty blonde hair, and a few random lines here and there.
The image had freaked him out completely; it's not everyday you see a probably-dead body within your dreams, and anytime Jack dreamed about someone that was dead, it never ended well.
So many sleepless nights had taught him this.
But as for the final thing that creeped him out, it had to be Ida himself.
Despite Ida showing clear hatred when he was awake, he wanted to show love when he was asleep, apparently. Having woken from his dream, Jack had become a sort-of guard, mostly looking out the window that Idas bed rested near. The moon was full, shining brightly.
"Sorry, Moon. The Tree said no work tonight." He gave a light chuckle, then paused as Ida shuffled in his sleep.
When Jacks had set up his position for guarding the two of them, he'd moved to the edge of the bed, in order to avoid being near Ida.
Ida, on the other hand, sat up, and was squinting behind Jack, as if to try and see what was hiding in the shadows. A moment passed, and Ida crawled over to the winter sprite, collapsing back to the bed when he was a few inches away. The Cupid's arms opened up, wrapping around Jacks waist, and pulling him close.
Idas face nestled into Jacks side, falling still once more. It seems that Ida was that person that cuddled others in his sleep, or a pillow if he was alone. That would explain a few of the large, stuffed animals that he'd seen before Ida had tossed them into the closet.
Jack was terrified. On one hand, if he moved, Ida might wake up and claim Jack put him there. On the other, if he left him there until he woke up, Ida would be furious, more so than he was before.
He voted to leave Ida alone. If worst came to worse, it'd be easy to tell Ida that he'd been the one to get all buddy-buddy with him.
Hours passed. The moon went down. Jack watched patiently, eyed dancing slowly around the room as Ida remained in his huddled up position.
That's when he began to speak and move, promptly scaring the living Christ out of Jack.
"I need to talk with my family for a second." He let go of Jack, climbing out of bed and heading to the door.
Now, he may have been the only one, but Jack wasn't one to let someone who's unconscious leave a room at random."Stay."
Jacks unease has grown when Idas eyes were revealed to be closed still, and he was sure no one was up at this hour.
That didn't mean they were free from danger, of course. Ida was a Cupid after all, and they were very highly ranked, even compared to the Guardians; the only difference was that while Guardians protected kids, Cupids protected the feeling of love, and the actions that stemmed from this feeling. A very important thing, Hack found.
"I can't. They're watching, and I need to talk to them." Well, that was not something you wanted to hear in the early morning hours.
"Who?" Jack gently ran his hands up Idas arm, trying to lure him back to bed; Ida was resistant to this, pulling back.
"My family. They're watching." Ida continued to pull back, growing desperate.
"But no ones there." Jack rested his hand on Idas cheek, trying to get him to face him, or at least deter him from heading to the door again. Surprisingly, Ida allowed this, even going so far as to nuzzle into his hand.
"Come back to bed." He whispered.
Finally, Ida stopped. He turned and looked behind him, then turned back to Jack, tiredly moving back to the bed. He fell back and stopped moving and speaking, letting Jack grow hopeful that maybe the strangeness was over.
Of course, he was wrong, but at least he had a few moments of peace before Ida once more did something strange: he sat up and looked over Jack, eyes half-open but hazy.
Jack had a feeling that while Ida was looking, he wasn't truly seeing. Finally, finally, Ida laid himself back down, pulling Jack closer again.
The winter sprite gave a relived sigh, daring to loop an arm around the Cupid and letting his hand rest on Idas shoulder.
The sunset was beautiful. The humans would be jealous of this sunset, that was for sure. Jack had slipped away from Ida, not taking his chances on seeing if Ida rose early.
He padded down the hallways, glancing out the windows as he did so.
The pink clouds reminded him of cotton candy. The Rivers were startlingly similar to the paintings Jack has seen on his journey as the winter sprite he now was.
The hallways were twisting and winding, confusing Jack until he found that he could no longer return to Idas room even if he wanted to.
Instead, he stumbled upon a room which must have been the dining room.
Young people, at least in their 20s, were setting a table. A quick count of the table revealed that there would be 10 people sitting there. Everything about this room made him feel strange, as if something bigger was going on. Something like a party?
It was on the tip of his tongue, a phrase he'd learned ages ago, when he'd last visited.
The people, servants he supposed, brushed out the tablecloth, set down napkins and silverware that was freshly polished. Plates with intricate details that shine were set next to these utensils, and the curtains were flung open with ease.
As the people cleared out, Jack wandered after them, curious as to how this place worked- after all, he'd usually only been over for tea, it wasn't like he'd been there for anything else.
The people walked out through an oak door, smiling and chatting with one another. He followed them through the maze of doors and hallways, glancing through the windows to check how much time was passing,
It wasn't long before the group reached a smaller door, where loud laughter and music was coming through. Jack was drawn to this door, excitement building as the door was opened,
His eyes went wide, glancing around at the scene before him.
It was as if he'd walked into North's shop, only... livlier, almost, brighter!
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people, all dressed in Valentine attire, sat at large tables, conversing with one another brightly.
Decorations were being put up by half the population, the other half eating and waiting for their turn. Jack took quick note that the elderly, children, disabled, or pregnant Valentines were the ones sitting and eating. Those who were able-bodied were diving the work by what they could do, based on their skills. Jack only guessed this by the fact that a leader was chatting with the workers before they were given a job.
"This is... amazing." He felt as if he couldn't bring the words out, and forcing them out was a struggle.
A Valentine that had heard him, an older, fat woman, wandered over to him, using her cane to help her over.
"Are you new here, youngster?" She smiled, her ball-joints (much like Idas and his siblings) folding carefully.
"Uh, Yes. You could say that? I usually come for tea with Evelyn... this is all new to me."
"And how is it?"
"Beautiful!" His voice held no hesitation now, and he looked over when she chuckled.
"We should hope it's beautiful. A ball is going to be held here in three days time." She used her cane to lean on it as she carefully dug within her purse, pulling a small paper out, "here you are. Read this."
He took the paper, thanking the old woman for the paper. He read through the gilded paper quickly.
We, the Valentine family, welcome you to our palace much later than usual, for a very important event within the Prince Ida's life; his bonding ceremony!
On this date, Ida will allow the Tree, which brings us such love, peace, and unity, full control over finding the one whom he will remain bonded with for now til the end.
We hope that you will accept our offer, for both the party and the after party.
We also extend an invitation, from now til the end, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which shall be prepared by someone new every day.
Jack was a bit confused, looking to the older woman, who's black eyes shone.
"What's a Bonding Ceremony?" Jacks thumb ran over the words again, frowning.
"Ah, the Bonding Ceremony. It's that special moment in a Cupids young life that they find the one they shall live with for the rest of their lives."
Jack grimaced. "So the Tree decides which person you get to tolerate for the rest of your life?"
"Oh, it doesn't have to be a person, hun." She chuckled again. "There's been more than one occasion where the Cupid has been bonded with a pet, or with a device they find has sentimental value to them."
"Did you know anyone like that?" Jacks confusion was lessening, growing intrigued.
"Oh, plenty! My mother bonded to her cat. My sister was bonded to her son after he was born, and she raised him with a firm grip. He grew into an exemplimentary young man, bonding with a wonderful wife."
"So it's not always romantic?" Jack lifted his head, looking over the crowd of Cupids.
The old woman scoffed. "It's never about Romance, sunny. That's Romans job."
The two shared a laugh.
"In reality, you find that a best friend is much more important than a romantic partner. That's why when you choose said romantic partner, you choose your best friend. A romantic bond is no good if you hate one another."
"Is it possible to bond to someone outside of the Cupid circle?"
"You have many questions - that's a good thing." The old woman stretched a bit, before looking over at the large oak doors, seeing the Valentine family walk in and begin to mingle. "Yes, it's very common actually."
Jack spotted Ida, who was now dressed in a gold vest with his usual black pants and boots. The young Valentine was chatting with a young woman who wore a similar shade of gold, although she seemed to be a baker, judging from the flour on her apron.
"Are they like other royal families? In the human world, monarchies are a rare breed now." In reality, Jack wanted to change the topic.
"Oh, no. This couldn't really be considered a monarchy, you could say."
"No?" Jack looked over at the old woman, shock evident.
"No. The Valentine family exists to protect us. They constantly use their magic, which is very different from our magic, to protect us from outside forces. They help us feed ourselves, and long before today, they once starved to ensure us civilians ate lavishly."
"Wow. That really is different from monarchies in the human world."
"But of course. Humans don't love each other as much as Cupids love each other. We're a tight knit community here."
There was a moment of silence as Jack listened to the music, taking a deep breath.
"I wish I were apart of this community."
"Well, you never know, hun."
The old woman started hobbling away, moving over to a group of small children, all of whom were ball-jointed.
Jack remained standing in the corner, staring st the scene before him. Despite his solitude in the corner, he didn't feel alone.
He felt warm and welcomed.
Another glance at Ida made him feel a bit mischiouvous, and he pushed himself off the wall.
Ida hadnt been expecting him. He had his back turned, Evelyn not too far from Ida, easily in hearing distance. Jack rounded Idas side, grasping Idas hand, startling him.
"So, what's this about a Bonding Ceremony?" Jacks tone was coy.
"None of your business." Ida snatched his hand back, clearly upset. "Are you suicidal?! You left my room by yourself! The Tree could have killed you!"
"Ah, the key word here is could. Now cmon, Ida. I won't be against asking your mother for an invitation."
Ida frowned, his eye twitching as he weighed his options. Either have his mother embarrass him by loudly inviting Jack, or have himself give Jack an invitation. His lip curled down, but he dug out an invitation and shoved it into Jacks hands.
"Just be quiet and don't make a scene." He growled.
It could have been the lighting, but Jack could have sworn he saw the dusting of blush on Idas cheeks.
"Oh, but of course Princey."
"Fr-"
"Oh, would you look at the time." Jack beamed. "I have to go to the North Pole."
"We're not done, Frost!" Ida tried to grab at Jacks shirt, but Jack danced out of range.
"You can keep my hoodie for now- I'll be back tomorrow!" He said this cheerily, leaving the room quickly after.
Ida was left shocked, nervous, and horrified. Evelyn had heard Idas side, and smiled down at her son.
"Aw, is my sweet boy inviting his friends to his bonding ceremony?"
"Mother. Please."
With that, he rushed out of the room, tail swishing in agitation, glancing for balconies that he could take a breather on.
What had he gotten himself into.