Hey everybody, it's Saphi-conroy, and welcome back to another episode of Rise of the Guardians: Running for Life!

Let's player references aside, before we begin the fifth chapter, I'd like to give a big thanks to the reviewers! Thanks so much to AFandomLostInTheEcho, theawesomest5, Guest, crashingthroughtime, SilverSkies1524, and Serami Nefera! Love you guys!

That being said, on with the chapter!

Chapter 5: An Audience with the Tsar

Once again chained to the wooden post he loved so much, Jack sent each of the hunters the best glare he could possibly muster. "Explain to me again why it is so wrong for me to prefer freedom over captivity," he growled, cerulean eyes flashing in the darkness.

"We have told you, sprite," North replied, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Is nothing you can do. We have caught you, and you are going to Tsar Lunar."

"He's promised to end the menace of your kind," Tooth added. She paused, frowning slightly as she presumably realized how callous she sounded. "Ah, that is to say, the Tsar will put you where you can't pose a threat to the rest of Soluna's species."

"End our menace, hm?" Jack asked in a deadpan tone. "Ah yes, so say the hunters that poisoned me and bound me like a wild animal."

Aster narrowed his emerald eyes, long ears flattening across his head in anger. "Oi, we wouldn't've had ta capture ya like this if ya and yer kind didn't give us all a reason to!" he insisted.

"What reason?" Jack practically snarled. "Last I checked, snow sprites did no more evil than anyone else."

The Pooka snorted. "Then the last time ya checked, ya must've not been payin' much attention," he said. "The lot of ya are demons. Ya summon blizzards, ya freeze towns. Hell, ya give out hypothermia like it's candy! There ain't much evil ya don't do."

Jack couldn't help but frown at this, looking down at his hands in thought. For the past six years he had been on the run, he kept hearing the same speeches against his kind. Aster's proclamations were no different. Though he knew not where the rumors that all snow sprites were vicious demons had started, he feared they were now so locked in place that they may never be stopped.

"Uh, ever hear of a snow day?" Jack said quietly after a moment, not lifting his gaze. "Now, I know you Motoreans aren't exactly used to anything less than your 80-degree winters, but for some, snow is a treat. Besides, where's the proof that sprites willingly cause death? Hypothermia is a natural occurrence. We can't help it if our presence lowers the temperature."

Though Aster opened his mouth to speak, Jack pressed on, his tone gradually becoming more and more enraged.

"And am I correct in saying that every species has their criminals? Their thieves, murderers, and the like?" The boy clenched his pale fists, the trained formality he usually maintained slowly slipping from his voice, giving way to pure, formally-hidden emotion. "Why should we be singled out!? What did we ever do that was so evil that we have to be hunted down in the name of 'morals'!?" His head suddenly snapped up, cold, electric eyes piercing each individual hunter. His tone lowered, but regained none of the calm politeness it once held. "You call me the menace. But what does that make hunters like you?"

They were stunned into silence as the boy of winter turned away. Sandy snapped out of the stupor first and looked up at his fellow hunters. A moment passed. The Sand-Spinner, silent as usual, shook his head and floated over to Jack. The boy tensed when he felt the golden hand touch his shoulder, but otherwise did not acknowledge the little man's presence.

Sandy was not deterred. He moved around so that Jack was facing him. The other three hunters stared on as Sandy held out his hands, forming words out of dreamsand.

We are Guardians.

Jack took just one look at the message before his eyes widened in a mixture of recognition, awe, and finally, horror. A silent eternity passed. Then he simply scoffed. "Could've fooled me," he mumbled as he averted his gaze once more. Sandy let the sand fade out of existence and looked back at North, Aster, and Tooth, arching an eyebrow as he did so.

"Ah, he's right," Tooth said hesitantly. "That's what we are. Guardians. That's why we're doing this. It's our job to protect-"

"I know who you are," Jack interrupted huskily. "You're Nicholas St. North, E. Aster Bunnymund, Queen Toothiana, and Sanderson Mansnoozie. The immortal Guardians of Childhood. Veritable legends. Defenders of children and loved by all. I should've been clued in earlier by your nicknames and powers. I suppose I was...distracted." He looked up. "I too endlessly asked to hear your stories repeated as a child. I admired you." He shot a final icy blue glare in their direction. "I just never expected you four of all people would stoop so low as to hunt down the innocent."

Each of the Guardians was once again stunned into silence as the boy put his back to them completely, arms around his legs and head angled down. The tips of Jack's elfin ears drooped slightly, betraying the inner devastation he hid behind cold indifference. He couldn't believe he hadn't recognized the hunters before. Like every other child in the tsardom of Soluna, he had grown up hearing tales of the Guardians' adventures. The four of them could be called, usually by the Tsar or the Tsarina, to perform an act of righteousness too dangerous or demanding for the common man. However, their main task was keeping the children of the land safe from danger, the most well-known threat being the sinister Nightmare King, Pitch Black. Through his six years on his own, Jack had often thought of the Guardians, sure that they would not stand for the injustice done to him and his kin, that they would somehow come to set things right. Unfortunately, it seemed that the whole world really was against him.

Sandy twiddled his thumbs in something akin to shame while North and Tooth shared a nervous glance. The short-tempered Aster, on the other hand, was not so quick to sympathize. "Oi, now look here, sprite," he began, stepping forward slightly.

"I have a name, you know," Jack growled, pulling his hood up over his head. "And 'Sprite' isn't it."

"If you think I give a bloody-"

"Bunny," Tooth said harshly, almost making Jack snort aloud at the use of the nickname. "Enough." Having been hovering before, she landed gently on the ground and tentatively padded over to the boy. "Could you tell us your name?" she asked softly.

Aster's eyes widened. "Are ya seriously-MMPH!" His protests were immediately silenced by North clamping a large hand over his comrade's furry mouth.

"Shh," the man said, putting a finger to his lips as he lowered his other hand. Aster scowled, but that was the end of it.

Jack remained dead silent for a moment longer, then sighed and responded, "'Tis Jack." He turned his head slightly to look the fairy queen directly in her magenta eyes. "Jack Frost."

"Great," Aster grumbled. "Now I can sleep tonight."

As North shot the Pooka a glare, Sandy held up a ball of his dreamsand threateningly. Aster's jaw nearly hit the ground. "Whose side are ya on anyway?" he asked incredulously. "Aren't ya even considerin' the idea that he's playin' us? He knows who we are-who's ta say he doesn't know exactly how ta trick us?"

Now the other hunters looked uncertain. Jack stifled a dry laugh. "Does he always read this far into everything?" he asked flatly.

He didn't receive a response. Instead, Tooth was examining him curiously, as if just noticing a particular detail she had missed before. Jack was forced to squirm under her violet gaze for a moment longer before she finally spoke. "Spri-Ah, Jack, I mean. How old are you?"

"I'm 17," he deadpanned, pulling the hood of his cloak further over his face. He would have lied and said he was older, had it not been for the slim chance that his age would earn him some reluctant sympathy.

"What?" North asked confusedly. "But back at Rusted Bell. You told barmaid you were 18."

Jack smiled frostily. "Ah yes," he said. "That would be what we commonfolk refer to as a 'lie'."

"And how do we know yer not lyin' ta us now?" Aster questioned suspiciously.

Jack's only response was a shrug.

"Jack," Toothiana began slowly, completely ignoring the Pooka. "You might be, erm, small, but you do not look as young as 17…"

"Well, 'tis what six years on the run will do," Jack replied with an air of indifference. "You can't expect me to spend most of my time in the woods and come out looking young and adorable."

Though his overall structure suggested otherwise, the tenseness of his posture and the steel of his eyes caused him to appear a good few years older than he actually was. Despite his being mistaken for younger with his hood up, it was often the opposite with it down.

Perhaps if I looked younger I could earn some sympathy, Jack thought bitterly. But if even the legendary Guardians will pay me no mind, I don't think I can allow myself any more hopes of survival.

"Now, could you just leave me alone?" the sprite said aloud, gaze sweeping across each of the hunters' wide-eyed faces. "If I'm going to die tomorrow, I'd like to at least be granted some final moments of peace." That being said, he drew his cloak around him and leaned sideways against the wooden stake, feigning sleep but keeping his eyes wide open.

Jack waited, silent as he listened to the Guardians' slow retreating footsteps. Once he was sure they had all retreated to their tents, he let himself expel from his lungs the air he had been holding in. The winter boy lifted his crystal gaze to the starry night sky and willed a few snowflakes to fall. He breathed in deep as a flurry formed and fell, leaving a light dusting of chilled powder to line the front stitching of his hood. The moon glowed softly above him, as if it was a reminder that it may be the last time Jack would ever see it.

"Some last night..." Jack murmured to himself as his eyelids slowly fell shut.

()()()()

When Jack awoke, it was to Zephyr's familiar smooth walking gait and lack of a saddle. The sprite mentally acknowledged that his hands were once again bound, and he was draped across his horse in such a way that his face was buried in the white mane. He did not open his eyes, nor give any other physical indication that he had awoken. Instead, he listened intently to the conversation the so-called Guardians were currently engaged in.

"-that snow sprites live longer than most, sheila," Aster was grumbling. He sounded close by, so Jack assumed that the Pooka was leading the white stallion along. "There's no way ta tell if he's really a kid or not. And ya said it yerself-he doesn't look 17."

"Aster I know that," Tooth sighed. "And I also know that sprites are dangerous creatures, but…" She hesitated. "What if we're wrong? What if they're not all evil?"

Jack's heart flared with hope. He had longed for years to hear someone speak those words. However, Aster's next words crushed the boy's hope back down and out of existence once more.

"Ah come on Tooth, ya saw those attacks," the Motorean hunter said grimly. "And the evidence those spies collected. They're demons, the lot of them. Sure, the kids might start out alright, but they're trained ta hate us. Ya know that, right?"

Tooth let out a long sigh. "Right…" she agreed.

Jack meanwhile, frowned slightly, though still not daring to open his eyes. What attacks? he thought. What spies? He realized that if he could innocently question his captures, he might discover a possible reason for the widespread hatred of his kind.

If spies were involved, there's no possible way they could gotten the impression that snow sprites are generally demonic and evil, Jack acknowledged silently. In fact, snow sprites were generally a rather peaceful race. Sure, they had their fair share of criminals, and their magic certainly helped them defend themselves, but they were scarcely different from any of Soluna's other species in that respect. Anyway, who would want to spread rumors about us in the first place?

Jack couldn't think of a particular group that might desire to begin the eradication of his kind. However, he figured that would make sense. After all, if whoever was behind this had made their true intentions known, they would have been much less likely to attain the level of success they had currently reached.

"Let us just get boy to the Tsar," North added after a long silence. "He will know what to do. He always does, yes?"

That was another thing. Why did the Tsar want snow sprites captured alive? Jack had initially assumed that he was to be killed when they reached the capital city, but that job could have easily been completed by any randomly selected hunter off the streets. It was much more difficult to capture something-or someone-alive, as was indicated by the need for the Guardians' aid to be enlisted. Why would Tsar Lunar go through the trouble of keeping any captured sprites alive if his intentions were to kill them anyway?

Unless he would rather hold a public execution for the lot of us, Jack thought somewhat bitterly. His actions don't make any sense.

The boy was jolted from his thoughts by a rough hand jostling his shoulder. "Oi. Kid. You up yet?" came Aster's gruff voice. Though Jack was tempted to remain still if only to get the satisfaction of being difficult, he opened his eyes and stared at the shape-shifting Pooka-now back in his humanoid form-with half-lidded eyes.

"You called?" he drawled boredly.

Aster's eyes narrowed into slits. "Matter of fact, I did," he replied, a sarcastic tone lacing his words. "Anyway sprite, we're less than half an hour away from the city, and ya still haven't answered my question."

Jack rolled his eyes, masking his confusion at this remark with a snarky, "My apologies, I should have been able to read your mind. Obviously this wouldn't have worked any better if you had actually asked a question, oh no."

"Don't ya get smart with me, mate!" the Motorean growled, placing a hand on one of his boomerang holders. He then let out a short sigh and lowered his hand, fingers clenched into a fist. "Look, I know it'll be hard for ya, but could ya just try ta listen? For two minutes?"

Jack could've laughed out loud at Aster's condescending tone. However instead, he simply replied indifferently, "I'll try my best, Bunny."

The Pooka's eye twitched slightly. "Anyway," he said stiffly. "Just like the snark yer showin' off now, ever since ya tried yer little escape, ya've been a lot more confident, eh? Would that have somethin' ta do with the bottle ya stole from my tent?"

"Ooh, a sharp one," Jack sneered, examining his bindings. The boy noted that the Guardians had stepped up and switched from twine to actual chains that were most likely infused with magic. A shadow of a frown crossed his face. They really don't want me getting out again… he thought. Not that I wasn't expecting something like this…

"Right," Aster snorted. "And I could say the same thing about ya, sprite. Ya ain't exactly the brightest candle in the bunch."

"Oh really?" Jack asked with mock curiosity. He tore his gaze away from his tied hands to look the hunter right in his forest green eyes. "And why is that?"

Aster smirked and reached into a small pocket on the leather strap that held his quiver to his back. He pulled out the vial of silver liquid labelled "Antidote". The bottle was full and sealed tightly. "Ya think too much into things," he said smugly. "What, didja think I was tryin' ta trick ya? What ya drank was poison. Yer not feelin' pain anymore 'cause it numbs yer nerves for a bit before killin' ya. Hope ya feel real smart now, Frostbite."

Raising an eyebrow at the new nickname, Jack couldn't help but let a smirk spread across his pale face. "Oh, I do," he said casually. "But 'twas you just now that made me feel so. I appreciate that, dear friend."

"Oh, ya do, do ya? Well, how about ya enlighten me, then?"

"Gladly." Though his bound hands made it an awkward process, Jack managed to reach inside his cloak and pull the empty "Poison" bottle from his vest pocket. The stopper that had once kept the liquid inside was now gone, as was said thick, bubbling substance. Aster opened his mouth to make a comment, but Jack stopped him with a smirk.

"You must really think me unintelligent if you expected to scare me with your little speech just now," Jack began, looking over the bottle. Despite his captivity, he couldn't help but be excited for his previous thought process being proved correct. "Firstly, you assume that I wouldn't be able to recognize what that arrow injected into my arm-it went in remarkably easily, so it had to have been your 'antidote' there."

Continuing to ignore the Guardian's attempts to speak, Jack pressed on, the smug tone of his voice gradually fading into one similar to that of a small child, proud of whatever he had just accomplished. "Secondly, going for the bottle labeled 'Antidote' would've been too easy, yes? There had to have been some sort of catch. Thirdly, you clearly need me alive, otherwise you'd've killed me already. If I had really taken some kind of deadly poison, you wouldn't be so calm and indifferent. And finally, the silver poison? As we've already established, 'twas the same kind as the substance on the arrow you shot me with a few days back, and that proved far from deadly. Next time you try to scare a teenage boy by informing him of his impending doom, try to fix the holes in your story first." The young snow sprite flashed the Pooka a brilliant smile. "If I think of any other edits to make to your lovely little tale, I'll let you know, I promise."

Jack could almost see smoke curling from Aster's nostrils, such was the hunter's rage at being outsmarted. "Fine then," he said stiffly. "Yer more clever than ya look, I'll give ya that."

"Thank you," Jack said flatly. "And now that I've answered your burning question, would you mind answering mine?"

"I would mind, but I get the feeling yer gonna ask it anyway, so go right ahead," Aster muttered.

"I appreciate the thought. So here it is; why did you let me escape?"

The Pooka raised an eyebrow and looked up at the boy on the horse. "And what exactly makes ya think we let ya sneak outta here?" he asked, for once having no malice in his tone.

"Because it was too easy," Jack responded, gazing once again at the chains that had been continuously absorbing his magic as he had tried to freeze them throughout the conversation. "The poison's effects made it so that I didn't realize it at the time, but the entire process-'twas all staged, wasn't it? Why else wouldn't you use these in the first place?" He held up his wrists to display his bindings. "Why would you leave me without a guard? Why would you tether my horse with a chain I'm assuming you knew I'd be able to freeze? Why weren't there any traps set up around the camp? Save for flight, judging by your red-coated friend's initial reaction, you were all aware of a snow sprite's set of powers. So why didn't you plan accordingly? It doesn't make any sense."

Aster narrowed his emerald eyes and examined the boy for a long moment. Then he snorted. "Like I said, sprite, yer more clever than I gave ya credit for," he said. "But I can't answer that question for ya. Matter of fact, I don't know myself. All the four of us got were our orders from the Tsar. He told us ta test ya like that, nothin' more."

Jack chewed his lower lip in thought. "Test me…?" he mused quietly, lacing his fingers together in Zephyr's mane. "Why would he…?" He shook his head and spoke again, this time loud enough to really be heard. "How much longer to Soluna City, anyway? If I'm going to die, I want to at least get it over with quickly."

North, having been listening in on the whole conversation with the other two, was the one to answer. "We are here," he said, a slight grin on his face.

Jack's gaze hardened, but his scowl dropped in an instant when he looked up and laid eyes on the silvery stone of the capital of Soluna's main gate. The structure glowed softly in the afternoon sun, giving off an almost lunar light. Jack's mouth slowly fell open as he looked past the gate to see that the streets and buildings of the city, including the massive palace that stood in the very center of it all, were built in much the same way. The thought of something manmade possessing such ethereal beauty almost made the boy forget about his fast approaching audience with the Tsar.

That is, until North turned to face him, grinning widely. "Let us go in, shall we?"

()()()()

Acquiring an audience with Tsar Lunar was surprisingly painless, most likely due to the Guardians' high status. Sitting in the audience chamber as they waited for the man to show up, however, made Jack want to tear his own hair from his scalp.

'Tis bad enough not knowing what's to come, Jack thought, restlessly tapping his slender fingers against his knee as his eyes followed North's pacing form. Now the Tsar cannot even bother to show. I knew he was reclusive, but…

He noticed that Toothiana was staring intently at a sort of balcony high above them. Upon following her gaze, he could see that a single throne was set up upon it, with elaborate crescent moon designs etched into its surface. Jack frowned, noting the sheer distance from the platform to the ground where he and the Guardians were located. Does Tsar Lunar really plan to speak with us from all the way up there? Perhaps royalty is even more vain than I expected.

The boy shook his head, silvery bangs falling into his cerulean eyes, and lowered his line of sight. Aster was rolling an arrow in between his thumb and index finger while Sandy entertained himself by forming little animals out of dreamsand and having them jump around.

A shade of a smile worked its way onto Jack's face as a golden dolphin leapt and swam through the air, a fox bounding after it. Suddenly, however, the animals vanished in favor of a large exclamation mark positioned above the Sand-Spinner's head. Now every Guardian's eyes were trained on the throne above. Jack followed their gaze, mouth falling open in awe as he realized that, though he hadn't noticed his entrance, the Tsar was now seated in the silver chair.

Each hunter bowed in unison to the regal man, but Jack only narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why is he wearing a mask? he wondered silently. Why is this land's leader so...so mysterious and secretive?

Tsar Lunar silently held up his hand, motioning for the Guardians to rise. As they did so, the Tsar's head swung Jack's way.

Jack shuddered. Despite his earlier confidence and snark, the full-moon mask that covered the man's face unnerved him. He was uneasily conscious of the fact that there were eyes behind the smooth white surface. Eyes that were no doubt staring through him into his very core. The thought sent a shiver up his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

The Tsar gave a slight nod to the slightly trembling sprite, then abruptly turned back to face the Guardians, silver robes swirling around him and hiding any physical features that might have defined him. He placed his hands on the railing of the balcony and stood, rigid as a board and not making a sound.

At least, no sound that Jack heard. He stared at the four hunters, unsure of what to do or think, as they seemed to be listening intently to some kind of inaudible sound. Jack found himself looking back and forth between them and the Tsar, tilting his head slightly as he wondered if he had somehow gone deaf.

This went on for the next few minutes as Jack grew increasingly frustrated. He figured that, since he could hear otherwise, there was some kind of spell on the Tsar's voice that only allowed specific people to hear it. Subconsciously, he acknowledged that allowing someone who was a veritable prisoner to listen in on an otherwise private conversation would not have been the most intelligent of decisions, but outwardly he scowled.

"So what is it that you are saying, Tsar Lunar?" North asked suddenly, furrowing his thick eyebrows. "I do not understand."

Suddenly, the Tsar's voice echoed, loud and clear to all, through the audience chamber, nearly startling the winter boy out of his skin with its deepness and strength.

"Jackson Frost. You are to be the fifth Guardian of Childhood."

Then, Tsar Lunar was gone.

...see you guys next chapter! ;)

Sapphire316, out.