(3rd person POV)
Cloaked feet travel down the dimly lit hallway. A girl, the age of an adolescent child, stands near a door at the end of the hall, facing the newcomer.
"I thought you weren't coming, did you change your mind?" A smile alights the child's lips, although the voice she speaks in is one far above her visible age, and filled with the starts of sarcasm. The waiting immortal child moves towards the now visible dark man.
"It was a thought. I came though, didn't I? Now what was it you wanted, Autumna?" The dark man spoke revealing an rougher voice.
"Careful, Pitch, you remember what I can do, don't push your luck. I am going after the boy for you. After all, that little girlfriend of his seems to be getting a lot of attention from the guardians. You should have seen the boy's face when I borrowed some of your nightmare sand, it was worth trying to find them."
"And where are they, exactly, Autumna? I know they aren't in Everville, so they must have hidden the girl somewhere."
"Oh don't worry, Pitch. They're only at the North Pole, and I have already found a way past their defenses."
The girl shifts her weight to lean on her left leg, absentmindedly shifting into the form of a wolf and back.
"Ah, so Papa North is trying to save the day."
The girl glances up at the tall man's face.
"Not exactly, you see, she hasn't told the other guardians very much about me, yet. Furthermore Jack has taken almost full control of the situation. He has not let the girl leave his sight since she arrived at the pole. As I have been watching them closely, I have taken a liking to scaring the princess's mind, as it is just too good to not try and scare, as well as speaking to her twice, and both of which times times, she has tried to hide something from the boy. But now it is our turn to control the game. The girl is mine, the boy, yours. It's time for the taking of our little friends. What say you, Pitch?"
"Are you sure, Autumna? I don't think it's that easy to steal a guardian and someone they are protecting from under all of the guardians's noses."
The man looks down at the girl, taking in the slight sway in her sureness. The girl opens the door behind her, letting a faint glow enter the hallway from the room behind it.
"Come, Pitch. I have something to show you. It's in the room you have provided for me to stay in."
She enters the room, followed by the nightmare king. On the wall furthest from the door, a wide screen is displaying the actions of two people, well known to the watchers.
"This is how I am tracking them. Everywhere they go, everything they do. I know. Following them is one of your shadows with a recording spell cast on it. Everything it sees, I in turn see on this screen. No matter where they go. I can also hear everything they say by casting a simple spell on the screen, which in turn allows your shadow to pick up sound. Would you like to see them now, Pitch? To know everything they are doing? It's how I can access her mind, you know. Any who are watching has full access to everything that is on the screen."
Pitch studies the screen before him, then glances at the adolescent girl at his side. "You haven' t hurt either of them. have you?"
The girl glances up at the man, a frightened look in her eyes. "And if I have?"
"Do not worry, you did not know. Just don't hurt the girl again, since it must have been she you tampered with after the direct order not to physically harm the boy."
Autumna glances back up at the screen, speaking the words needed in order to hear the conversation on the other side.
~On the Screen~
Cyndra and Jack are walking towards a red door, behind which both spectators knows are the other guardians. Upon reaching the door, Jack pulls it open, allowing both him and the charge he is carrying, into the room.
Carrying Cyndra over to a table, Jack sets her in a chair. Walking to wards the other Guardians, Jack stands off to the side.
"Cyndra, why are you eating in here with us? You know that the kitchen is always open to use, yes?" North's apparent concern coats his voice as the girl continues to stare at her soup, before taking a small bite.
"North, let her eat, she will talk to you soon, but both she and I know that if she doesn't eat right now, she's not going to." Jack's voice takes on an air of comfort in order to help the young child eating soup.
"But, mate, why wouldn't she? Didn't she just ask us if she could go eat because she was hungry?" The tone in Bunny's voice tells the story of someone knowing that there is more behind what is going on.
"Kangaroo, if you want to know what it is so bad, why don't you just wait till I finish eating, and then MAYBE I'll tell you, but for now, Jack has something he needs to tell you, before I tell you the extent of what he says. May as well tell you the whole story while I'm at it, right Jack?"
Cyndra glances up at Jack until he nods his head and begins to speak, motioning for her to continue eating.
"Earlier, we forgot to mention a small fact to you, and it is why one, I need to watch her at all times, two neither of us can ever be alone, and three, that when I watch her someone else has to be with us." He speaks, his voice casual and cool.
"Well, what is Jack? Is there something wrong?" Tooth's motherly voice asks the first question.
"Well, we forgot to mention that the witch isn't only after Cyndra. She's after both of us. In fact she told Cyndra so in the times that she has spoken to her."
The guardians looked like they ha been slapped in the face,while Cyndra continued to finish up her small bowl of soup.
"How could you forget that bit of information, Jack? And why is she after both of you?" Tooth asked for herself and the others.
Setting her bowl aside, Cyndra stands up.
"Jack where should I start?"
"Where you think it's best to start, and although I know you'd rather not, leave no information out this time. None." His voice was almost cold and held a rather pointed meaning.
Cyndra begins to look really nervous.
"Cyndra, you need to tell them, you know best."
"I first realized that she can speak to me via telepathy not so long after I had woken up the first time. I was telling Jack that I was ready to tell you guys what happened to me, and was beginning the relax at the fact that I was safe." She look over to Jack and he nods his support to her. " He had just finished telling me that he would tell you guys, when she spoke to me. She told me this: 'You are never Safe. Not even in your own mind. I see what you mean to Jack and he to you. Watch what happens the next time you see me, it may be your last.' Followed by her evil laughter. Jack consoled me after I cried out. You then you guys came in, heard my story and conversed over plans of action, whilst I slept. When I awoke again, I was taken, albeit willingly, to you. That was when Bunny dared me to walk across the room. Jack was afraid to let me go on my own, but I'm a stubborn girl. I wouldn't let him come with me. A sudden thought crossed my mind when I realized that he always seems so worried about me." She glances down at her feet. "I wondered about a few possibilities when she entered my head again. At that time, the possibility of him ... caring for me was my predominant thought. She answered that rather inaccurately, and with a harsh meaning behind her words that scared me and made me afraid that they were true. She said: 'Don't worry, Princess. We know that he doesn't. He'll never want a mortal girl like you. He would rather see you dead than be with you, but don't worry, Princess, he won't get the chance to before we have you both.' Followed again by her evil laughter. I continued on with Bunny's dare, and that ended with him carrying me. While he carried me, I mentioned this to both of them, and yet hadn't revealed all of the information to either of them then, or the time right after that and before this. I gave them most of the facts though, and Jack received only a small portion more than Bunny, and yet none of you knew all of the information I just disclosed to you. Then I repeated most of the information again when we met up in North's office. I was still tired and hungry at the time and I requested to leave, and left with Jack to receive my food." She pauses. " That was when I felt an odd sense of foreboding in the back of my mind that made me sick to my stomach, and yet as quick as it came it was gone. Not but a few second later, I noticed the first shadows behind Jack, and then we were surrounded by them. I was scared, and I could see the fear echoed in Jack's eyes. I spoke to him and mentioned that if we didn't get out of there then, I would have been too scared to leave. I had just finished my statement when she spoke aloud to both of us through the shadows. 'I wouldn't be so sure about things, foolish mortal girl, foolish princess. The guardians will be no match for my newest ally and I. And dear Jack Frost, I believe we haven't met yet, although, in your memory I recall you seeing me flee the scene of your helpless little mortal friend, the helpless little princess you hold now. She made quite a fun play toy, and as soon as we have you both in our grasp, she will be a play toy to both of us, while you, dear Jack, get to watch and be helpless as we slowly steal her life away from her. You will suffer for what you have done, and she will be the first price you have to pay.' And then Jack spoke in my defense. She spoke once more to the pair of us. 'Foolish boy, you cannot stop us. We will have you both, and you will pay for your actions, but for now, the little princess you have, must heal. We shall give you that long, but do not expect more time, for when the process is through, princess, you shall be ours. Do not even dare to think you can stop us, it is impossible.' Then her voice faded and the shadows left. I got breakfast and came here." She glances over at Jack, whose eyes were wide in realization. The other guardians looked gravely at her.
~back to the people watching~
Autumna speaks the words in order to turn the sound off of the screen. "That girl! She will ruin everything if they even suspect that it is me helping you! They know! How dare she? HOW DARE SHE!"
"Autumna, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down, Pitch! I can't touch the girl until she has healed, by being sworn under spell cast oath! By the time that happens, if they already know, I won't be able to grab either of them! We need to get them now!"
The nightmare king draws his form up, making himself larger, more intimidating.
"I said calm yourself, you insolent girl! You are the one helping me, and not the other way around! I will make the decisions, and you will follow them or you will find yourself without a victim, while I still get the one I am after!"
The shadows started circling around the girl, causing her to flinch.
"Yes, Pitch. As you say, I will do. Nothing else. No more, no less. Only what you say. Until further notice."
"That's right, insolent girl. Do not tamper with the nightmare king or you will find yourself in the same predicament Jack will soon be in."
"Yes, Pitch. Now, your royal nightmare, are we going to attack or not? I fear that they will soon take our only means of kidnapping the two if we wait any longer."
"Yes Autumna it is time for us to make ourselves known. As a team of great proportions. I have only one question for you. What will we do when we have them, since getting them is as far as I have gotten in this plan?"
"Make them wish that they had stayed safe at home, tucked in their beds. Make them wish that it was a nightmare. Make them beg for release from a prison so horrible that when, and if, we let them return, they will never be the same."
A smile covers Pitch's lips as the two teleport to a location near the North Pole.