The Boy in the Tower
by Frost Fox
Chapter 13: In which Jack finds his Center
The Warren was obviously the best place Aster could think to go to help Jack get in touch with his center, and while he was excited to show it off, he was also incredibly nervous. Would Jack like it? It was so different from anything Jack had ever known. Would it overwhelm him?
Bringing Jack to the North Pole was one thing, it was the boy's element and he had known he would take to it like a flower to a spring rain.
But the Warren was the complete opposite. Would it be too hot? Would that make Jack sick?!
Jack's usual bouncy energy was a bit contagious and Aster found himself smiling as the boy raced ahead of him out of the room.
North's Workshop was in an interesting location, drenched in so much magic that it often interfered with Bunny's tunnels, so it was wiser in the long run, to leave Santoff Clausen if they wanted to do any serious traveling.
"So, where are we going?" Jack inquired as he skipped along, walking completely backwards as he spoke to his friend.
"Thought it was about time ye got ta see the Warren." He stated as casually as he could.
Jack stopped walking, staring at the taller man with a gobsmacked expression, "We're going to your home? Really?" He asked in wonder, a spark of Hope flickering briefly before it was smothered out.
Aster really needed to talk to him about that, it wasn't healthy.
"Don' look so shocked.' He teased as he passed the boy, reaching out to ruffle Jack's hair as he brushed passed him.
Jack ducked under his reaching paw and slipped behind Aster's back to pop up on the other side of him. "North says you don't like company." Jack informed him, "He says you hoard your solitude like your googies-" He paused before glancing up at Aster with large sky blue eyes, "What's a googie anyway?" He asked, the word curling strangely on his tongue.
Aster slanted a look at the boy from the corner of his eye, "It's slang fer egg."
That seemed to confuse the boy further, "You collect eggs? Why?" He asked, absolutely baffled, nose wrinkled cutely.
A chuckle rumbled through Aster at the question, "That's a bit hard ta explain. It has ta do with me culture. Back home." The topic brought a lump to Aster's throat, his ears drooping under the weight of centuries old depression.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, much more cautiously, as if he could tell this was a touchy topic. Aster wondered if he would drop the subject if Aster asked him to. A large part of Aster wanted to do just that, or perhaps ignore the question completely. But...if it could help Jack…
"What...do ya know about...pooka, Jack." He knew it was a risky question. There was no telling what Pitch had told the boy about him. Jack's suddenly rigid posture was very telling. Aster pretended he hadn't noticed.
They were far enough away now that he was able to open the tunnel to the Warren. Jack followed after him trustingly, and that, at least, eased some of Aster's anxiety. He waited patiently for his companion to answer, this wasn't the time to push. He needed all the patience he could wrestle up, there was no way he was going to rush this particular conversation.
His patience paid off a few minutes later when Jack whispered into the stillness. "Aster is a Pooka." The boy waited another heartbeat before he continued, as if afraid talking about it would bring Aster to them. "Father says he's a feral monster with six arms. He steals hope. Father didn't say what he did with all of it, but he probably eats it." Despite the silly thought, Jack was obviously terrified of the monster Pitch had painted. He was shaking so hard his staff was vibrating and he had started shooting off shards of ice into the tunnel ahead of them.
Not that Jack seemed to notice, which was telling in and of itself.
Aster pulled Jack to a stop, forcing the boy around to face him, "Look at me, Jack. You need to breath." It took a few minutes of gentle coaxing before Jack was able to look at him. "Good." He crooned, "Do ya remember me promise, Jack? Ahm not gonna let anyone hurt you. Not Aster. Not the Nightmare King. No one. Ah Promise."
Jack slowly relaxed at his words, and when Bunny was sure he had calmed down enough he continued, only this time he made sure to keep a paw on the boy's shoulder to keep him grounded.
"Pookan's are not monsters, not anymore than humans are. The Pookan race is not from earth, so they did have a different anatomy from ya, but on their home world that was normal.
Pooka had a special ability that allowed them to change shape. They could grow extra arms or even wings, but it was an ability only used by the warrior caste in defense of those unable to fight and protect themselves; like the does and kits. There was a Great War. It destroyed everything. Everyone."
"How do you know all this?" Jack asked, luckily he hadn't started panicking again, and was more curious than anything.
"Ah told ya, ahm not human." Aster answered, he was holding his breath, Hoping that Jack wouldn't run off.
If he did, Aster would have let him go.
Jack's eyes widened and he sucked in a quick breath, Aster's sharp eyes caught his aborted step back. "You're - like him?" Jack's voice trembled minutely.
"Ahm a pooka." Aster acknowledged with a slow nod of his head.
"And there's no one else? It's just you two left?" He asked. Aster inclined his head in answer, turning away in an attempt to hide the overwhelming grief the subject brought to the surface, heart heavy, mind slipping into dark places. A split second later he was tackled from behind in a tight embrace. Jack's slim arms wrapped around Aster's waist. After a couple of shocked moments Aster carefully turned around never breaking Jack's hold and curled his own arms around Jack's slender shoulders, allowing the younger man to burrow his face into Aster's chest fur.
"It must be so hard, painful, knowing that the only other one of your kind has become something so horrible." Jack murmured, voice muffled by a mouthful of fur.
Aster slowly allowed himself to relax into the boy's arms, in his mind he responded with a heavy 'You have no idea, mate.'
This conversation didn't solve any of the issues that Pitch had created, all those lies still festered inside of Jack's heart and mind, but it was a start. If Aster could make Jack see how wrong Pitch was, if Jack could start to pick apart the lies himself, then maybe he could heal and maybe he'd allow Aster to take him away.
But that was a long time coming. For now, he would content himself with helping Jack in any way he could. Starting with locating and connecting him with his Center.
***FrostFox***
Jack wasn't sure what to make of Bunny's story. He kept glancing sideways at the...the pooka. He was positive Bunny knew he was doing it, but the older man acted like he didn't notice.
Jack was grateful. It gave him time to think, time to process.
Another not so sneaky glance, wide blue eyes trailing over Bunny's face searchingly, before trailing up to his expressive, long ears, currently standing proud atop his head, one tilted in Jack's direction; it was the only sign that Bunny was, in fact, paying attention to Jack.
Bunny looked nothing like how Jack had imagined Pooka to look. He had light blue-grey fur with beautiful dark markings and strikingly emerald eyes. There were no fangs. And although he had claws, they weren't an inch long and covered in blood.
Bunny was always so gentle and kind. He didn't have six arms or long, curving horns. Was Aster really so different, twisted so far beyond recognition, that he didn't even resemble a pooka anymore?
It was all so confusing. And sad.
Now that he knew, everything about Bunny screamed of loneliness. It certainly explained why he was so adamant with his promises to return. They were reflections of each other, ripples blurring the lines and confusing things, but the similarities were there. Like called to like.
Did Bunny see his reflection in Aster, too? Did they know each other before? Was Bunny one of the Warrior Caste, like Aster was? It was hard picturing his gentle Guardian fighting anyone. But Bunny was so protective that he just had to be.
Jack was overflowing with questions, learning even this little bit had opened a floodgate he hadn't been aware of. He had so many questions, yet there they were. And he even had a source of information. Jack knew that all he had to do was ask and Bunny would answer any question he had.
But Jack couldn't -wouldn't- do that to him. Jack could see how much talking about the past pained the pooka.
Jack could wait. The answers were there, and he knew Bunny would explain everything eventually.
They traveled for the remainder of the trip in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and not at all concerned about the quiet that had befallen them. When Aster reached the end of the tunnel he stepped aside and allowed the small sprite to enter first.
He wanted to be able to see the boy's reaction.
Jack did not disappoint. He stepped out into the warm sunlight and stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, wow." He breathed as he turned to see more. The tunnel had opened up to the best view of the Warren.
Green hills rolled down into the exotic foliage of the Color River. The water snaked through the lush trees and tall blooming plants that could only be found in this one place on Earth.
It was like stepping out of the cold barren world into a fantasy location people usually only saw in their dreams or between the covers of a book.
It was amazing. A perfect introduction, and look at who Aster was. Where he came from. "You live here?" Jack asked in awe. Aster nodded and led the boy deeper into the Warren, his eyes never leaving Jack's expressive face.
"Ah made it." He explained, earning an amazed look from the younger male.
"What? How?" The boy asked, somewhere between incredulous and impressed.
Aster didn't answer right away, contemplating how he was going to explain this. While he thought, he guided his guest towards his Sanctuary: the place that Aster always did his best thinking. Soon the gentle rush of running water whispered in his ears, alerting him to their arrival.
Aster pulled aside a curtain of vines and allowed Jack into the small clearing, hidden from the rest of the Garden. It was tucked up against a cliff wall where the beginnings of the color river danced down the rocks in a dazzlingly unique rainbow waterfall.
It allowed him a few more moments to decide what he would tell Jack as the boy explored this new space.
"Do ya remember me saying our magics are different?" He finally asked, drawing the boy's attention back to the pooka.
"Yeah." He said as he returned to Aster's side, more than willing to talk if Bunny was. It looked like he might get another explanation after all. "It's why you can't really help me with mine."
"That's right." Bunny agreed, gesturing for Jack to take a seat. The boy quickly found himself a rock and plopped down, not wanting to give the pooka a chance to change his mind. But Aster had already made up his mind, so there was no real chance of that happening. "It's a very simple distinction, but a complicated one to explain." Bunny started, "At it's core, our magic's are what you would call elements. Your magic is that of winter. Ice. Snow. Cold."
Death.
That one Aster chose to skip, he didn't think Jack would take too kindly to that revelation. It was something he would need to learn and accept on his own.
"Okay, that makes sense. What about yours? And why would that make it so you can't help me?" Jack questioned next.
"Ahm a spring spirit. Me main power is new beginnings...new life."
"Like the flowers!" Jack exclaimed in sudden understanding.
Aster smiled at him for his quick grasp of the concept. "Yeah, and tha's where the problem stems from. Winter an spring don' mix well. Spring melts winter, an winter kills spring. They canna coexist at the same time. Naugh' really. Ah cannot access winter magic, can't make ice, or spread frost. Me magic is too...warm."
This was a very hard idea to explain, he'd never needed to vocalize it before, it was proving tricky and this was about as simple as he could make the explanation. He could only hope Jack understood. He was a smart kid, so Aster wasn't truly worried.
"That makes sense." Jack admitted after a few minutes of silent pondering. "But I don't understand. You said you could teach me something, but if you can't use my magic then I can't imagine I could use yours."
"Yeah, not likely." Aster shot Jack an amused smile, "But what ahm gonna teach ya isn't magic. Ahm gonna show ya how to meditate an find yer center."
"My center?"
"Yeah, the core of yer magic. It's what makes you, you." Aster explained. It was a part of magic that most spirits overlooked, thinking that only the Guardians had centers. That wasn't technically true, most just didn't have a center that could be narrowed down to a specific source outside their element. Nor did they draw from an external source, seasonal magic was actually at the core of most spirit's powers.
Jack just needed to locate the font of winter magic inside him, that was his core.
"And this will help me with my control?" Jack asked dubiously.
"That's right. Ya ready ta start?" Jack nodded nervously. Aster carefully guided him through the process, proud when Jack followed his instructions to the letter. When he was sure the younger man was completely submerged in his own mind and magic, Aster left him to it and went to tend to his googie plants.
It would be a while before Jack would be able to pull himself completely free. By then his connection to his core would be considerably stronger, Aster hoped, and the boy would have an easier time working through North's assignments.
It was just one more step towards freeing Jack from Pitch's prison.
***FrostFox***
Jack was completely enamored with this whole experience. He was so glad Bunny had suggested it. He had never experienced anything quite like it.
It had taken him a while to get the hang of it and even longer still to find the tiny spark that was his magic, but once he did find it, it was like a beacon, drawing him deeper and deeper. That small spark grew into a huge glimmering lake that Jack didn't even hesitate to dive into.
Pure unadulterated Joy crashed over him, shattering like crystalline ice that melted and seeped into his soul sending a tingling sensation branching out through his body, pulsing and spreading, frost-like, back on itself. The sensation built in intensity until the icy tendrils surrounding and encasing his soul were so cold they almost hurt.
Jack awoke with a gasp, his eyes snapping open and glowing a pure bright white. The magic faded, curling back into his core like a snake, content to wait for it's charmer to call it out to dance.
Jack's eyes returned to their normal, crisp winter blue, and he breathed out all the tension he had been carrying around with him. A tentative poke at his center caused the magic to unfurl, spreading icy needles down his arms to spark from his fingertips.
It was still there. He could feel it prickling under his skin, waiting for him to command it. He felt a bubbling Joy building up inside him with that knowledge. Bunny was right about needing this connection. It already felt different.
Lifting his heart and leaving him feeling like he was flying, and that was a sensation Jack was readily familiar with.
It was almost as if he understood his magic better. Even if he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was he now understood.
Jack sat there for a long time, just basking in the feel of his magic, enjoying the way his magic unfurled like one of Bunny's flowers in the sun.
He had no idea when Bunny had left, he didn't remember him leaving, but when it became obvious that the pooka wasn't coming back anytime soon, Jack's curiosity peaked out and he found himself wandering through the Warren, content to explore this little slice of Heaven.
There were so many colors and everything was so warm. Jack was fascinated with every new thing he encountered. There was so much green everywhere he looked, a stark contrast to the fields of white snow he'd known all his life.
Flowers grew in colorful patches and flowed up the side of the rolling hills of the warren like gentle waves of a colorful lake lapping at the delicate carvings etched into the walls.
And that too was fascinating, pulling Jack away from the gardens and up towards the cliffs and rocky hills that surrounded this little oasis. He wandered among the different structures and long forgotten statues, ruins of a long lost civilization from a world that was far away and long dead. It was all formed from a strange golden stone that almost seemed to gleam like marble. It felt like someone had taken a small piece of that other world and integrated it into this world. He had never seen anything like it, not at his tower (cold, grey, devoid of the joys of color), and not at Santoff Clausen (with it's strong wooden beams and bright flashy walls.)
It made him inexplicably sad.
The boy trailed his fingers lightly over the rune like carvings on one of the walls, following an overgrown path up the side of the warren under an archway, covered in vines that draped down and partially obscured a tunnel delving beyond the cliff face. This tunnel was very different from Bunny's usual traveling tunnels, it was built from the same golden stone as the rest of the structures. It was wide and quite tall, with a pattern of flagstones on the floor beneath his feet and a faded mural set in the wall to his right.
His fingers trailed over that mural now, following it deeper into the tunnel, eyes trailing over the obscure images and up to the glowing orbs dangling from the ceiling like ripe fruit. The orbs seemed to sense his approach and lit up as he drew within a few feet of them, lighting the path for another short stretch before another orb turned on.
The tunnel wasn't exceptionally long, and soon Jack was stepping out into another garden area, this one set above the rest of the warren on a ledge overlooking the rolling hills and the color river.
But Jack hardly even noticed that, caught by the most beautiful flower he had ever seen before standing proudly in the very center of this small little garden. The only way Jack could think to describe it was otherworldly. Whether that was because it was glowing like a tiny sun, or some other reason he couldn't quite put his finger on but could feel down to his Core…well, he wasn't quite sure.
He was so enamored with the flower he didn't notice he wasn't alone anymore until Aster's low voice sounded from behind him, crooning almost directly into his ear, the pooka's breath ghosting against he nape of his neck sending shivers down his spine, "It's called a Phoenix Tear."
Jack gasped, spine going stiff in shock before relief flooded through him and a wide smile slipped across his lips, "Bunny!" He exclaimed, his voice caught somewhere between a laugh and an admonishment. "Don't do that!" He turned around to lightly push the pooka's shoulder. "How are you that sneaky?" He asked in disbelief; someone that large had no right being so stealthy.
Bunny just shrugged, a smug look on his face, ears erect.
Jack turned back to the flower, knowing his friend wasn't going to answer that particular question, "Why does it glow?" He knew that some plants on earth could glow, but he didn't think this was like that. It felt different. Special.
His magic was practically singing.
Bunny glanced over at the plant as well, though he wasn't smiling like Jack was, "Well, it's not a normal flower. It's from me home planet, the last one left." Much like Bunny himself, Jack didn't think Aster counted, with someone like that around, Bunny might as well be the last of his kind. "It's got magic all it's own." Bunny finished his explanation, not seeming at all bothered by the topic of their conversation.
That got Jack's attention, he turned wide blue eyes on Bunny, "Really?" That revelation brought a whole slew of new questions up, things that he didn't quite dare to ask. So he settled for the obvious question, one Bunny had brought on by his explanation and, so, was more likely to answer. "What does it do?"
"Well, it has strong healing properties. Ahm saving it fer an emergency." The older male explained.
"It's beautiful." Jack said as the pooka guided him back into the tunnel and down towards the center of the Warren. He could tell that just being around a piece of his Lost Home filled the pooka with sorrow so he didn't protest and let the subject drop.
"Yes." Bunny sadly agreed, "It is."
***FrostFox***
Aster took a moment to shelve his longing for a home that no longer existed before he was able to address Jack's lesson. "Were you able to locate yer center?" He asked. If he had to keep Jack here until he was able to easily access his magic, he would.
Jack instantly perked up, "You were right! Accessing my center helped so much." He turned his hand and a glove of glimmering frost glittered like diamonds on his skin. "I can feel it, almost dancing, through my veins."
Aster squinted at the boy, what an odd description. Usually a spirit's magic sat in a pool at their center and that was it. Seasonal spirit's didn't draw magic from an outside source, they didn't need to. What Jack was describing sounded closer to how Aster's Center worked, but that was impossible. Aster's magic stemmed from the Hope and Belief of children, which was why it flowed through his body like blood does. It was constantly flowing into him from an outside source, supplementing his central pool.
Jack's magic should not be doing that.
Oddness aside, this was wonderful news. The sooner Jack learned control, the better. If things went smoothly, Jack would be able to go back to his tower and not worry about accidentally hurting pitch.
Which was not something Aster ever thought he would ever have to be concerned about. And if Pitch did end up getting frosted, well, Aster thought he had it coming at this point. But that would upset Jack, the boy was convinced that Pitch was his father and whether that was true or not (Aster thought not) Pitch was a dangerous and unpredictable man. There was no telling what he would do to Jack in the case of an accidental burst of magic.
It would be best to avoid such a situation.
If Bunny thought there was a possibility to convince Jack to stay away from Pitch, he would do so in a heartbeat, but he knew that as things stood now, Jack would never agree. He had to see for himself the sort of monster his so-called father was.
Aster wasn't looking forward to that particular revelation, breaking Jack's heart was the last thing Aster wanted to do. 'You ready ta head back ta the Pole?" He asked to distract himself from his melancholy thoughts.
Jack smiled ruefully up at him, a mischievous glint in his eye, coy smile on his lips, and cheeks flushed a fetching dusky rose. "Could we stay longer if I said no?" He asked.
Aster was charmed, caught in those mesmerizing crystal blue eyes, and had to force back the urge to agree to anything the boy asked for. "Yer welcome in me Warren whenever ya want, mate." He invited, the wards around the Warren shifting with the invitation. It was a rare sensation that caused the fur all down his spine to bristle, but he just couldn't outright say no to Jack. He couldn't bring himself to regret it either, not when Jack's whole being lit up with happiness and Aster caught another glimpse of the boy's carefully guarded Hope again before it was smothered.
Aster sighed heavily and stared at Jack soulfully, "Why d'ya do that, snowflake?" He asked, unable to stop himself even as he wished he could snatch the words back the moment they crossed his lips. He knew Jack was skittish about anything pertaining to The Big Four, and from how he seemed to smother his Hope, Aster had a feeling Pitch had something to do with it. He just wasn't sure what the vile man had said about him and how it was twisting things up in Jack's head.
Jack blinked innocently up at him, his long white bangs falling into his eyes, "What?" He asked, baffled, his blinding smile swept away with Bunny's sudden shift in mood and random question.
"Yer Hope, Jack." Aster said, helpless to stop now that he had started, "Why d'ya keep smotherin' it?"
Jack's sharply inhaled breath and slight stumble backwards, so similar to his reaction to their conversation about Pooka just a few short hours ago, hurt. Aster's ears fell, pinned against his skull, and he felt his back curling forwards, hunching in on himself in anticipation of this particularly rough conversation.
Jack's eyes were wide and filled with a mixture of fear and confusion.
"How-" He cut himself off, as if he was telling himself he didn't want to know.
"Ah cen feel it." Bunny explained softly, running a paw down his face. This was bad. "It's connected ta me core, Jack. Ah cen feel everyone's Hope."
There was a long moment when neither of them spoke, Jack trying to process yet another life altering revelation. But he wasn't running away yet, so that was a good sign…right?
"I-is it a pooka thing?" The boy asked, hurrying to explain himself, as if afraid Bunny would misunderstand the question somehow. "Aster can feel it too. Father says. He eats Hope."
Aster slowly inclines his head. There was no harm in letting Jack think it was a shared Pookan trait. And it wasn't technically a lie since it was his trait and he was the only pooka left.
Jack's relief was palpable, filling the air around them with the crisp scent of fresh snow. "Father says Aster can use my Hope to hunt me down." He told Bunny readily, he obviously wanted to talk about it, confide in someone his deepest fear. Fear Pitch had no doubt seeded.
The trust he held for the pooka continued to astound Bunny. In all reality, Jack should be able to realize that Bunny is Aster. All the clues are there, laid out for the boy in a neat little row. Yet, Jack still refused to see it.
Aster knew he needed to come clean, but he didn't want to lose him. He had reached somewhere deep into Aster's soul and awoken a part of him he had long thought dead. Lost with the destruction of everyone and everything he had ever held dear.
The pooka put a hand on the boy's shoulder and told him solemnly, "Hope is not something to hide, Jack. It helps you grow and want to learn and experience new things. Hope is what fuels you to continue forward, even when things are difficult. If you always hide and ignore it, you will always remain stagnant.
"Don't hide it. Aster can't touch ya, he will never hurt ya. Ah wont let him." Aster promised solemnly.
"But he's so strong." Jack worriedly replied, "What if he hurts you?"
Bunny's hand moved to cup the boy's face, "Nothing could stop me from keeping ya safe. Ah will always come fer ya." He swore.
Jack's eyes shown wetly before he threw himself against Bunny, a sliver of tentative Hope reaching for the Guardian.
Bunny enveloped him in his embrace, wishing this moment would last forever just so he would be able to shelter the boy from any hardships the future wanted to hurl his way.
***Frostfox***
It very quickly became apparent to Jack that he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. His mind was racing too fast, running in circles as he lay away in his bed in the room North had gifted to him for his stay.
The ceiling of this room was made of glass, allowing Jack to watch the stars and gentle snow drift in the heavens as he fell asleep. It usually helped, but not tonight. Jack couldn't seem to convince his brain to shut up. He kept repeating Bunny's words.
Over.
And over.
Was it really possible? Could he actually be able to protect Jack from the one thing he'd feared the most for his entire life?
Bunny certainly believed it. He'd been so earnest in his vow to keep Jack safe.
But Father had always said the safest place for him was to stay hidden in his tower. He didn't want to go back. Trapped in that endless cycle of boredom and loneliness and fear.
Everything was happening so fast. Too fast. It left him dizzy. But it also gave him a certain thrill, a rush of adrenaline he'd been missing for three hundred years.
His mind would then helpfully supply the memory of how soft Bunny's fur was and how warm and safe Jack had felt tucked up under the pooka's chin.
It was a vicious cycle and so Jack grabbed his staff and snuck out of his room to explore.
Even in the dead of night the workshop was abuzz with busy yetis and the tinkle of elf bells. Jack took to the rafters, still shy of the much larger creatures, especially without Bunny around to act as a buffer.
He watched them work for a long while, marveling over the magic infused toys zipping around the building. Everything about the Pole was a mystery. It was so full of magic, magic they used for making toys. Jack still had no idea what they did with so many toy's, there were no children at Santoff Clausen so far as Jack had seen. Just North, the elves, and the yetis.
But even his fascination with the yetis and their strange job, it wasn't able to hold his attention for long. He grew bored eventually and wandered off to continue his exploration of the large workshop. He eventually ended up in a large room he'd never been in before. The walls were lined with bookcases reaching up to the tall vaulted ceiling. There were beautiful patterns carved into the floor beside the colorful murals there. But the centerpiece of the whole thing, was the massive globe with small glowing lights winking at him from every available surface.
Jack spent a good while inspecting the globe, unsure what it's purpose was, then he was flitting off to look through the books. Hoping to find something to keep him busy - distracted - for a while. Maybe he could read himself to sleep. It would at least keep his mind occupied for a while and stop his spiraling thoughts.
He was scanning over the back cover of one of the books when an errant moonbeam filtered through the high windows, illuminating a corner of the room Jack had originally overlooked.
Slowly Jack replaced the book he was inspecting and floated down to investigate. There was a thick tome sitting on a pedestal in the newly illuminated corner, much larger than the books in any of the shelves, and set in a place of honor. He absently set his staff aside, leaning it against the wall nearby, and turned his attention to his find.
It was a beautiful book with a tooled leather binding. Jack couldn't help but trace a finger over the elaborate letter "G" decorating the center of the cover.
Jack shiftily glanced around himself, worried someone was going to materialize and yell at him for touching such an important looking book (Phil was always following him around with a disapproving look when he was not studying his magic).
The room remained empty and so he delicately eased open the cover. For some reason his heart was racing, as if he was doing something he knew he would be in trouble for.
Not that that had ever stopped him before.
The first page in the book was a poem of sorts. But it was unlike anything he'd ever read before.
Do you swear to watch over the children of the world
Guide and protect them
For they are all that we are
All that we have
And all that we will ever be
He contemplated that for a few moments, wondering what it could mean and what sort of book would have that for a preface.
Was the whole thing full of poems?
No. The very next page was titled: The Story of Nicholas St. North.
North.
As in his current host? Was this a journal? That thought did cause him to hesitate, but it wasn't enough to completely dissuade him from turning the page.
Besides, it certainly didn't read like a journal. It was more of a storybook or biography. Who exactly was North that someone would write a book about him…and it was rather telling that he would choose to display it in such a way. Narcissistic much?
It was as he was reading about North's time as a Cossack that the sound of raised voices filtered to him through the closed door.
It was odd and it took a while before what he was hearing to register with him. It sounded like North and Bunny were yelling at each other. He knew they didn't really get along all the time, but he'd never heard them shouting before.
He stalled for a couple minutes while he debated with himself on whether or not he really wanted to go investigate.
Bunny's voice raising in obvious agitation decided it for him. He absently closed the book, tucking it under his arm as he grabbed his staff and left the room. His mind was already completely focused on finding his friend and he didn't even notice he'd taken the book with him.
He followed the sounds of the quarrel through the workshop until he realized where he was being lead. It looked as if Bunny and North were tucked away in North's personal workshop.
The small room was on the other side of the workshop from where Jack had been and on a completely different level from the Globe room.
It was a bit surprising that he'd been able to hear them at all and had it been under normal circumstances he probably wouldn't have. But it was currently passed midnight, and so most of the sprawling fortress was sleeping. There was only a small group of yetis still working on some of the quieter toy projects, like stuffing teddy-bears and hand stitching doll clothes.
As such the two older men's heated conversation and raised voices echoed down the vaulted corridors and vast open air balconies between floors.
That same echo made it difficult to understand what they were fighting about until he was standing right outside the door. Someone had left it slightly ajar, though Jack couldn't be sure if it was one of the men inside, or an elf that wandered out mindlessly (they were always leaving doors open).
"This iz not normal Bunny." North's voice boomed through the slightly open door, drawing Jack closer in curiosity.
"Don' start that again, North. Fer him it is. Ye can't just go 'fixing' all the pictures he's painted." Bunny spat back.
"We can't just leave it like this. It's not healthy." North again.
"Yeah? And what happens when ya do tell him? 'E won't listen. Ye'll just chase him back ta Pitch. We'll never see him again!" Bunny fought passionately, whatever this was about was obviously very important to the pooka.
"So, we don't take him back. Keep him here, where he is safe!"
Jack reeled back in shock and horror at what he was hearing. Were they planning an abduction?!
Jack found his hands trembling and his grip on the book tightening. He was so absorbed in his own growing panic that he almost missed Bunny's response, "We're not kitnapping him, North!" There was a growl to the pooka's low voice that sent a shiver down Jack's spine and calmed his fraying nerves.
Of course. He was stupid to ever believe Bunny would do something so heinous. He wasn't Aster.
Bunny was good. Jack was certain of it.
He crept closer now, staff braced over his shoulder as he carefully pressed a hand to the door to ease it open a bit more to aid in his eavesdropping endeavors.
He really just wanted to be able to see them. "So we just let the boy stay with him?" the big man hissed, slamming his hand against the wall in his frustration, causing Jack to flinch away from the violence for a moment before creeping closer again.
"He think's Pitch is his father, what exactly do you want ta do? This is a very delicate matter." Bunny countered, trying for reasonable.
North scowled at him, but didn't deny it, "What of boy's magic? Why does he keep talking to it as if it is alive?"
Bunny's ears slicked back in a clear sign of unease. "Call's it Wind." He grumbled reluctantly.
Wait…were they talking about him? No. He must have heard wrong, Bunny wouldn't-
"He has been alone fer over 300 years, North. Musta been lonely."
The world seemed to shift on it's axis and if Jack had not been holding his staff he would have fallen. But even as Jack's universe began to shift under his feet, the conversation in the other room continued.
"We must tell him!" North's voice slammed into him like a hammer into ice, jarring him back to the conversation and shattering his nerves in one fell swing, "His magic isn't sentient. Is just magic. Part of him. Wind is not real."
Tears flooded Jack's eyes, each word cutting into him like a serrated knife, leaving a jagged, open wound behind.
"He's real ta Jack." Bunny growled defensively, "You'll not be talkin to him about it. Ah'll tell him when he's ready."
"And when will that be?" North yelled back. "He'll never be ready, not as long as you continue to coddle the boy. This isn't something you can protect him from, Aster. He needs to know!"
Aster.
Jack gasped, the sharp arrow of betrayal piercing his chest and he stumbled backwards, away from the pooka in the other room. The sharp jerky movement caused his staff to clatter loudly against the door, causing it to swing open and reveal Jack's stunned form on the other side.
Bunny - no - Aster's - head snapped towards the sound, sharp green eyes landed on the boy.
Jack was shaking so badly he could almost hear his bones rattling together under the pooka's critical gaze.
It took less than a second for Aster to realize what had happened -what Jack had heard. His ears plastered themselves back against his head, and he took a tentative step towards Jack, his paws outstretched imploringly. "Jack! Ah cen explain-"
But Jack was done listening to him. The minute the pooka moved Jack took off, springing for the closest window, a burst of magic causing it to shatter outwards before Jack crashed into it. Glass shards glinting in the moonlight, biting at any bare flesh it could find. He ignored it, flying as fast and as far as his magic would allow, completely ignoring Bunny's anguished cry of "Jack! Wait!" Echoing through the valley behind him.
He didn't care anymore, all that mattered was that he get away from the one person in the world he thought he could trust. The one person he thought would never lie to him.
He had been so very, very, wrong.
AN: Well...what do you think?
We've been building up to this for a while now, and it's finally here. This story is going to be wrapping up in a couple more chapters. I'm so excited for you to see it! Feel free to tell me all your thoughts on the chapter, I absolutely love seeing your reactions.
This is actually one of my favorite projects, and I'm so glad so many people are enjoying it. I'd love to hear your thoughts, here or on my social medias. Want to come hang out with me? join me Dec 28 for:
LIVE STREAM READING!
That's right, I'm going to be reading this live over on my tiktok, and I'll be doing it in my Jack cosplay, so come hang out. My user name is frostysirenfox.
Don't forget to leave a review. I love you all and I'll see you soon.
