Hey everybody, welcome back to Running for Life! I'm back to being a couple hours late, yes, but hey, I was doing um...important things this week...things that uh...were definitely not playing Fire Emblem and Pokémon Moon...I promise...

...ANYWHO, you know the drill, review time! Thanks so much to StarG4zer, readwithcats, WinterCrystal1009, jackandelsaforever101, OneWhoDreamz (Late review's fine, haha. Oh, and North's surprised about people trying to frequently hurt Jack only because he'd never really thought about it before. It's like one of those things that you know subconsciously but when someone actually says it out loud, you're just like "...oh." As for the rest, not saying anything! ;), Guest, zealousfreak27 (Aw, thank you!), BooksAreMedicine (Don't worry, that'll come!), and Randomly Talented (Well, it's more like he's saying, "We're never making him a real Guardian because he's literally just a kid and we're not going to force him to be one of us", but yeah, I get where you're coming from, haha.)!

REMEMBER: SONG RECCOMENDATIONS HELP AUTHORS WHO WANT TO FORM A SOUNDTRACK TYPE THING FOR THEIR STORY. Thank you!

OH AND BEFORE I FORGET:I finally put stuff up on my DeviantArt account (Sapphire316, of course), including a sketch of RFL Jack, so if you're interested, go check that out!

Without further ado, on with the chapter!

Chapter 23: A Name on a Stone

With the help of the medicine, Jack's wounds had healed rapidly. Even without its constant influence, he found that it was only necessary that he stay confined to bed for a grand total of two weeks. As it was, five days after the medicine had left his system for the last time, the boy was able to stand again, albeit shakily.

I should probably wait for one of the Guardians to come and help me with this, Jack thought bitterly, leaning against the wall for support. But I can't really bring myself to care. I may not have walked for a while, but I certainly haven't forgotten how.

Jack staggered over to the other side of the room, coming to a stop beside a chair near the door. Draped across it were his pants, tunic and undershirt, and of course, his cloak, all of which had been neatly mended after the knife had torn them. As he dressed, Jack allowed himself to be mildly impressed with the stitchwork. If he hadn't known better, he would have never guessed that any of the clothing had ever been altered in the slightest, let alone forcibly ripped apart with a blade.

As he tied the strings of his cloak and let the extra fabric around the neck fall to cover the knot, Jack took comfort in the garment's familiar weight. He would have preferred to return to wearing his former shirt and vest, but he wasn't about to complain about such trivial things.

He had decided to leave his bandages on, just in case something undesirable was to happen. Regardless of his still-sore injuries, though, the boy stood up straight as best as he could, gritting his teeth with the effort of it. Crystal blue eyes flicked to the side, noting a mirror hanging on the wall. A slight frown on his face, Jack allowed himself a brief moment to take in his appearance.

Due to his slim figure and pale complexion, Jack knew that, by human standards, he generally looked to be rather unhealthy. However, his usual appearance could not compare to the corpse he now saw in the mirror.

Jack had always been slender, but now he looked nothing short of gaunt, and the dark circles under his eyes didn't help much. The young sprite frowned, though he was admittedly unsurprised by this. After the medicine had been abandoned, he had found it much harder to fall asleep. Sandy delivered dreamsand when he could, but there were only so many times he could step away from the busy work of helping to restore the attack-ravaged town. Because of this, he hadn't been getting the proper amount of rest over the past few days. He hadn't eaten much either; on top of the fact that, while on the run, he had grown used to eating little, both the pain from his wounds and the very sight of them tended to nauseate him, causing him to fear that whatever he might consume would come right back up again shortly after.

Running his fingers through his disheveled, now-snowy white hair, Jack took a deep breath. His disguise had completely faded, both from the solution for his ears wearing off and from blood being washed from his hair, taking the brown dye with it. Jack was undeniably a snow sprite to anyone that might see him, and that notion unnerved him.

He pulled up his hood to hide his features, feeling slightly more at ease due to the familiarity of the action. Of course, he could never allow himself to relax, but he had to admit that he found slight comfort in the concealment of his face.

Drawing his cloak tightly around him, Jack moved unsteadily towards the door. Might as well figure out where I am, he thought. I'm probably still at Laura's house, for fear of moving me far after being so severely injured, but no one ever clarified, did they…?

Jack left the irritatingly red room and looked around. The rich but subtle feel of the hallway assured him that he was indeed still inside the Thener household, though he wasn't sure where exactly. I suppose I'll have to figure that out for myself… the young sprite acknowledged.

Wandering around the large house took up much time, time that he used mainly for thinking. He thought about Onyx, and about the Nightmare King, and about the Guardians, and about Olivia. Jack wished he had something far less painful to consider, but he simply did not.

She's gone… he thought numbly, for what must have been the hundredth time. My little sister is gone. I couldn't protect her...I'm supposed to sacrifice myself for her, not the other way around...she was innocent...she didn't deserve any of this...none of it...it should have been me…

Though the boy still harbored a deep reservoir of anger towards the woman who had killed his sister, he felt considerably less sure of whether or not he should act on it. Livi wouldn't want me to hurt someone else for her… he thought glumly, rubbing his eyes. But...I can't let Onyx get away. I have to do something...otherwise she may even hurt or kill someone else…

Soon, Jack heard familiar voices sounding up ahead, pulling him out of his dark, conflicted thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for a lecture about why he should not have gotten out of bed on his own, and walked towards the sound. Sure enough, upon turning the corner, he came face to face with Aster and Toothiana.

Aster wasted no time in brusquely questioning him. "Why the hell are ya out of bed?" It was hardly even worded as a question, instead giving off more of an aura of command.

"Good to see you too," Jack deadpanned, looking dully at the Pooka out from under his hood. "I'm up because I couldn't handle sitting in that bed for any longer. And if you couldn't tell, Bunny, I'm completely capable of walking on my own."

"Jack, you were stabbed three times only two weeks ago!" Tooth exclaimed, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, much to his chagrin. "I realize the medicine we gave you closed your wounds, but you still have to rest!"

"No," Jack snapped sharply, pulling away from her touch. "I'm fine. I need you to tell me something, though."

Aster raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, do ya, mate? And what might that be?"

The boy narrowed his eyes, sapphire gaze piercing into Aster's emerald one. "Tell me where my sister is buried," he said simply, voice low.

The mood shifted almost instantly from hostile to solemn. There was a long moment of heavy silence, in which the two Guardians shared a glance and Jack patiently waited. When the moment passed, it was the Guardian of Memories who finally spoke.

"I'll...I'll take you to her, Jack," she told him gently.

He nodded, saying nothing.

()()()()

Jack knelt silently before the stone, practically hypnotized by the neat engraved lettering upon its surface. He had hoped he would never have to see the name "Olivia Frost" on one of these stones, and yet here he was.

After guiding him to the town cemetery, Tooth had left him alone, telling him to take his time and come back as soon as he was done. He almost snorted slightly at the fact that she was letting him out in public with only his hood to conceal the fact that he was a snow sprite, but then it hit him that she most likely didn't know his disguise was no more. After all, because she had been helping with repairs to the town and medical treatment to the townspeople, she had not had the time to check on Jack over the past two weeks. She hadn't seen him without his hood covering his hair and ears quite yet. Jack briefly considered telling her, but cast the thought away. He didn't want to waste any more time, and his cloak had served him well in the past.

The boy traced the capital letter O in Olivia's name, feeling a stinging sensation behind his eyes. "I'm sorry, Livi…" he whispered softly, not trusting his voice to remain steady should he speak any louder. "I couldn't save you...I failed as your brother."

From the inner folds of his cloak, he produced a flower. It was an ice lily that he had retrieved from outside the Thener house. Though he had been confused by their presence before, he now understood completely. Olivia had always loved ice lilies; it made sense that she would try to find some after she had been freed from the Nightmare King's clutches. It was with a heavy heart that Jack gently laid the crystalline flower in the snow before the slate gray stone.

Why did this happen…? Jack wondered, withdrawing his hand and pulling his hood low over his eyes. Why did the Nightmare King want her back…? And what did Onyx mean when she said that he would kill her for "letting one die"...? Who are the others? More converted snow sprites? But...why would he need them back?

Jack cringed as his thoughts swirled and rubbed his now-aching forehead. "Damn it," he mumbled. "If I keep this up, all I'll end up doing is giving myself a migraine…"

Still, he could not simply banish all thoughts of the confusing events from his mind. Though every strange fact and ill-fitting detail made his head spin, he had to find a way to sort through them and figure out what exactly was going on so that he could put an end to it.

Jack let out a long sigh. I wish I wasn't involved in this...I wish I was just a normal person, be it sprite, human, or whatever. I don't want to have to pretend to be a hero when I'm nowhere near deserving of such a title...I don't want to have to play Guardian. He frowned. But that's exactly what I have to do if I'm ever going to avenge my sister…

The boy exhaled slightly and sat back on his heels, staring at the stone but not really seeing it. His mind was elsewhere, locked in memories of better times and fear of events to come, which was why he didn't hear the footsteps until it was too late.

The sound of an arrow being nocked and pulled back caused Jack's ear to twitch under his hood, and he stiffened, swallowing the lump of fear in his throat. He didn't dare turn around to see who was behind him; he knew that, should he move even slightly, the arrow he heard was likely to be loosed and he wouldn't have time to dodge it.

"Don't move," an unfamiliar male voice growled. "I know what you are."

...you didn't really think I was done with the cliffhangers, did you? See you guys next week! :D

For now, Sapphire316, out.