Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Rise of the Guardians or Frozen
As promised, here is a longer chapter this week! I believe that this is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you enjoy. Thank you to Disney Fanatic and TheToastGhost for the reviews! I'm glad to know that my writing makes you happy just like your reviews, which keep making me smile!
Jack was back in the air, flying as his dream faded away. Anna was with him, clinging to his back as they soared through the sky. "Are you sure you're okay, Jack? I mean, you seem to be taking this awfully well. Not that I want you to be upset or anything…" Anna was muttering, amusing Jack slightly. She was worried for nothing, at least not with how his dream had ended. He found it rather cute, the way she rambled on and seemed to be afraid of upsetting Jack. "Trust me, I'm fine Anna. That dream was nothing." Jack told her, but he could tell she wasn't convinced yet.
"It wasn't for me. That sand created the worst dream I've ever had in my life. The things I saw…I don't think I'll ever really forget them" she whispered, her arms wrapping around Jack's neck even tighter than before. The winter spirit sighed, knowing that he had to give her something at least. "I guess it wasn't that bad because it was close enough to my life already. I was back to being without believers in the world, alone and isolated again." Jack told her, while she kept her head pressed tightly into his neck. "Well, that means it must have been a dream because there's no way I'll ever stop believing in you." Anna told him, making him feel warm inside. He was glad that he had met Anna, that she had started to believe in him as soon as he found her. She truly was the best friend he could have hoped for.
"Thank you, for what you said. I kept it in mind and it was enough to help me change the dream, towards the end. Well, I had a little help from Sandy it seems, but your words inspired it in the first place." Jack told her, smiling as they flew. He glanced out in front of them, recognizing the area. "Looks like we're almost there, Anna." he told her, landing on the ground in Jaimie's yard. "Hey, let me go in and talk to him first, okay?" Anna suggested, while Jack nodded to her. He flew off, towards the window by Jaimie's room while Anna walked inside. Elsa stood at the edge of the yard, waiting for them to finish dealing with Jaimie.
Anna walked upstairs slowly, feeling somewhat drained from everything that had happened lately. She had been on an amazing adventure, but it sure was tiring. Maybe she needed to take a break when all of this was over, if she was going to keep spending time with the Guardians. Considering the fact that they wanted Elsa to join them meant that Anna was going to stick close by for a while. She wasn't about to let her sister run off with them on her own, not when she had just gotten Elsa back. Anna stopped after a while, right outside of Jaimie's room. From inside, Anna could hear him talking quietly. "Okay, look, you and I are obviously at what they call a crossroads. So, here is what's gonna happen. If it wasn't a dream, and if you are real, then you have to prove it. Like, right now. I believed in you for a long time, okay? Like, my whole life in fact. So you kind of owe me now. You don't have to do much, just a little sign so I know. Anything, anything at all."
Anna hesitated before opening the door and walking inside. He must have been talking about one of the Guardians, she was certain of it. She saw him, sitting on his bed with a stuffed rabbit in his hand. "Egg hunt didn't go to well this year?" Anna asked, seeing his expression. Jaimie looked startled, glancing back at her. "I'm waiting for a sign, Anna. I need proof this time, or I'm done. How can I keep believing, if I can't see any kind of proof that they're real?" he asked, glancing out the window.
Anna walked over, looking outside as well. It took her a moment to see them, but she was glad that Jack and Elsa were still outside. She knocked on the window, getting Jack's attention. He had flown down again and was standing by Elsa in the yard, but that didn't stop him from noticing Anna. Anna watched him fly up to the window after he saw her. "Sorry, just a…spider. On the window. Anyway, why can't you keep believing? You saw them the other day, didn't you?" Anna asked, remembering that he had woken up when they were all here. Jaimie glanced down at the rabbit. "Maybe it was just a dream. I mean, it was late and I did find myself waking up the next day with all of them gone." Jaimie told her.
Anna sighed, realizing that Sandy must have used the dream sand on him after she left. He really didn't think he had any proof. "So, you need proof of the Easter Bunny, huh? Well, let's wait and see if he heard you." Anna told him, glancing out the window and giving Jack a hard look. He better come through on this one, for Jaimie and the others. Jack saw her look and understood what was happening. Jaimie was losing his belief and they needed to save it, somehow.
Touching the window with his staff, Jack created frost over the window. "Jaimie, look! I think it's working!" Anna yelled, pretending to get excited. She hated using Jack's invisibility right now, but it was her only option. It was better to have Jaimie believe in some of them than none of them at all. Jaimie looked up, gasping as he saw an egg form in the frost, followed by an image of a bunny. "He's real…" he whispered, looking over at Anna.
She laughed and ruffled his hair. "Of course he's real! I told you so, didn't I?" She asked, smiling at him. He grinned and began laughing as the bunny actually came to life, after Jack pulled it off of the window and made it seem real. Anna laughed as well, smiling at Jack to show her thanks. He had done a good job, helping out his friends tonight. Jack turned, getting ready to leave as the bunny disappeared and burst into snow around Jaimie. When a single flake touched his nose, he recalled something his mother said to him recently. "Jack Frost…" he whispered, catching Anna's attention as well as Jack's.
Jack glanced at Anna, curious to know if he had heard correctly. "Did he just say-" Anna was already nodding, looking at Jaimie who was turning around on his bed, looking around his room. "Jack Frost?" he repeated, as Anna watching in amazement. Jack had finally gotten another believer, and the best one too. Jaimie would never give up on him, not when he finally saw the winter spirit. "He said it again! He said-" Anna laughed, amused at his excitement. It was just like when she had seen him, only this was being taken to a new level. Maybe Jaimie had been special to Jack. After all, he seemed to come here a lot and play with Jaimie and his friends.
"Jack Frost!" Jaimie exclaimed, finally seeing the boy in his room. "Yes, that's really him!" Anna told Jaimie, ruffling his hair again. Jack still wasn't processing this, that he had another believer, that it was Jaimie too. "That's right! But, that's me! Jack Frost! That's my name! You said my name!" he was yelling, walking over to Jaimie. "Yes, he did now shut up, you are looking like an idiot." Anna told Jack, shaking her head at him. Jaimie was still in shock too, so she supposed it didn't matter. "Wait, can you hear me? Can you see me?" Jack asked, still not able to stop himself. He watched Jaimie nod, still unable to speak. Jack cheered, jumping up and flipping through the air as he got his answer.
"Anna, he sees me! Can you believe it, he sees me too!" He cheered, glancing at his friend. Anna laughed again, walking over to Jack and sitting on the desk next to him. "Yep, I believe it. Jaimie has a lot of belief in him, after all." Anna told him, patting his leg. "And you! You better not start acting stupid too! I get that this is exciting and all, but Jack is on an important mission right now." Anna said, pointing at Jaimie.
Jack was grinning wildly, ignoring her advice. "So what? I've got someone else who can see me! Pitch can wait!" Jack told her, making her glare at him again. Really, how could one boy be so irresponsible? "Jack, no he can't! Your friends are growing weaker every second Pitch is out there! Do you really think that now is the time to play with Jaimie?" she asked him, shaking her head. Jack glanced at Anna, getting an idea. "How about we do both? Jaimie, what do you say? Wanna go get your friends and have some fun?" Jack suggested, grinning at them.
Jaimie nodded, eager to see what Jack Frost could do. "Yeah! I mean, you are real, right?" Jaimie asked, as if he was afraid that this was another dream. Jack snorted, shaking his head. "Who do you think brings you all the blizzards and the snow days? Remember when you went flying on that sled the other day?" Jack asked him, seeing his grin widen. "That was you?" he asked. Jack returned the grin and nodded.
"We are all real, Jaimie, so don't stop believing. Now, let's get going because they need your help this time, kid." Jack told Jaimie, smiling softly. Maybe this was the way to fight against Pitch. Not with ice and swords, but with children who believed, children who were happy and laughing. Jack could definitely bring them with him and show Pitch that they were still able to fight. "What do they need my help with anyway?" Jaimie asked, watching Anna and Jack get up and start walking out of the room.
"They need help getting believers, like you. Together, we'll convince your friends that we are real. Then, we will stop Pitch." Jack told Jaimie, kneeling down in front of the kid. Jaimie nodded, looking confident and determined. He didn't know why they needed belief, but Jaimie could believe in them. He would do it with all his heart and never stop. "Jack! Pitch is coming!" they heard a voice yell, making them all start to run. They had to get away from him before he came.
"Come on, let's go!" Jack yelled, grabbing both of their hands and dragging them behind him. "Whoa, slow down!" Jaimie complained, but Anna only laughed. "You'll have a hard time convincing Jack to do anything." Anna told him, running after Jack as well. Elsa saw the whole group come out of the house. "What is Jaimie doing here?" she asked, giving Jack a hard look. Jaimie frowned, clearly not understanding what the issue was. At the same time, he was wondering where Elsa had come from. She had vanished a year ago, but Anna and Jack seemed to think it was normal for her to be here. Maybe that's what Anna had been doing all day, he decided. Besides, he wasn't going to complain about the return of Anna's sister, not when it would make her so happy. "We're going to play a little game, right Jaimie?" Jack said, watching the boy nod as they gathered outside.
Elsa glanced at Jack, wondering what he was thinking. Pitch was strong, there was no way any child stood a chance against him. Suddenly, the sleigh came crashing down on the street, right in front of them. "Anna, go help them. Jaimie and I are going to get the others and meet you guys back here." Jack told her. glancing down at Jaimie. "Do you have your sled nearby?" he asked, thinking of a faster way to travel. He nodded and grinned, running off to grab it out of the yard. "Hold on tight, kid, we're in for a rough ride!" he told Jaimie, making a path of ice for him to sled across. Getting a running start, Jaimie threw himself across the ice, laughing as Jack slid him through town.
After a moment, Jack stopped at one of his friends' houses. Jack flew Jaimie up to the window, creating enough surprise for anyone to believe in him once Jaimie told them the truth. As they continued, even more kids gathered behind Jaimie, all of them believing in Jack Frost and his powers. "Alright kids, when you see the big, scary man dressed in black, don't be afraid. We are going to have some fun and he is our target! This snowball fight will now begin, it is us versus Pitch!" he told them, grinning as he created snow all around them.
The kids laughed, looking at Jack in amazement. "I can't believe you were right, Jaimie! Magic is real, just like Jack Frost!" Caleb commented, preparing some snowballs for the upcoming fight. "Yeah, kid, I am. So are all the others, the Sandman, Tooth Fairy, and Santa. I suppose I should include Bunny too…" he told them, grinning at the kids. They all were amazed, hanging onto Jack's every word. Just like with Jaimie, he had now become the expert on what was real and what was not.
Pitch arrived, but by that time Jack had already created his fortress for the kids. They had watched in amazement as Jack told them to watch is latest trick. With Elsa's magic now imbued into the staff with his own, he could do so much more than before. His creation was a variation on Elsa's ice castle, but it was just as amazing. For his first attempt at using his new powers, it was even better than he expected it to be. It was tall, with windows for throwing out of and even cannons that launched the snowballs for you. On top, he had created flags of ice to announce that it was their fortress for this battle, each decorated with a large G to represent the Guardians. His dream creation was complete, especially now that their target was in sight. "Alright, we have our fort now everyone get inside and prepare to fire!" Jack told the kids, grinning at them. This was going to be so much fun, just like he imagined it would be.
The rest of the Guardians had felt some of their power return, making them wonder just what Jack was doing. Anna followed as well, but none of them were prepared for the sight that awaited them when they arrived. All of them, including Pitch, were staring at the giant ice fortress in amazement. It was huge, and it actually looked armed and dangerous. "Alright, you see your target? Fire!" A voice yelled, and they looked up to see Jack standing on top of the building.
Pitch gasped as he was suddenly pelted with hundreds of snowballs, all of them coming from every direction. He couldn't predict where they would come from, not with that building hiding his opponents. Jack was laughing from his perch on the roof, watching Pitch struggle to dodge the children's attacks. Pitch had grown angry, though. "I've had enough of your games, Jack Frost!" Pitch yelled, calling forth his army of nightmares.
Jack grinned and looked back at the fortress. "The enemy has allies! Destroy them too!" Jack yelled, throwing snow at one of the horses. "You're gonna get them killed, stop it Jack!" North yelled, making Jack glare in response. "Ignore Santa, he is a little paranoid and doesn't understand how to have some fun. We can take down those horses, after all, they are only bad dreams." Jack told them, glaring at North. What was he thinking, saying something like that around the kids? They were only strong as long as they were ignoring their fear.
"No! You will believe in me, I will make you see me!" Pitch yelled, growing increasingly frustrated. What kind of attack was this anyway? Nothing but wet snow. It might be uncomfortable, but it was not enough to stop Pitch, not today. "That's the thing, they do see you, Pitch, they just aren't scared." Jack told him, flying down and standing back so the kids could continue to have their fun. Jack watched, waiting for Pitch to realize the truth. There were other ways to get belief without inspiring fear, he just needed Pitch to see that.
Pitch glared at Jack, clearly not accepting this. "No, they need to fear me! Fear is the only way to ensure that they will keep their belief, that it won't just fade with time! Fear stays in your memory, helping you continue to believe. They will fear me." Pitch argued, shaking his head. Elsa was listening, realizing that this was not going to end quite so easily. She had her own power, which might help, but it had no effect on Bunny. Then again, she hadn't managed to hit his chest, her shot had gone lower than she planned and struck his stomach. Maybe it was only dangerous if she hit their head or their heart.
Glancing down, Elsa got a plan. Jack had Pitch distracted and even though she wanted to find a way to help him, it was obvious that he didn't want that help. She had been about to attack when she heard a small shriek from inside the fortress, catching all of their attention. "Cupcake!" Jack yelled, rushing off towards one of the windows. "The enemy has struck back, do not let him win!" Jack yelled, keeping his voice light and somewhat playful as he continued giving out commands.
He found her, facing off against one of the nightmares. It must have gotten inside somehow, but he didn't have time to focus on figuring out where the fortress was weak. "It'll be okay, I'm right here." Jack told her, crouching down by her side. He watched her hold out her hand, reaching towards the horse carefully. "They're bad dreams, right? That means we can change them. Dreams can be changed." Cupcake said, sounding confident as she grabbed the muzzle of the horse. Jack watched in amazement as the horse changed color, becoming bright gold and transforming into a unicorn of golden sand in front of him.
Jack realized that this was what he had done within his nightmare. He had transformed the black sand into normal dream sand, with just a thought. "Kids, keep in mind that dreams can be changed! We can beat these nightmares!" Jack yelled out, after what he had seen. A few sparks of gold were still remaining and he flew out, letting them rain down from the sky above Pitch.
"Sandy is still stronger than you, Pitch. Looks like your plan isn't working quite right yet." Jack told him, landing in front of him again. He let the nightmares inside now, watching as golden bursts seemed to illuminate the ice in the fortress. Jack watched more golden sand form in front of them, swirling around in one spot. The Guardians gasped as someone appeared in the center, a familiar face that they had thought they would never see again. "The Sandman!" a voice yelled from inside the fortress.
Jack laughed, happy to see that he was alright. He watched Sandy get to work, spreading his sand throughout the town and bringing children good dreams once more. "He isn't going to stop, Jack." Elsa told him, glancing towards Pitch who was staring at the sand with anger. "What do we do?" he asked her, uncertain of how to stop him. He was a danger to children everywhere, but Jack didn't understand how to stop him. He could see Elsa staring at her hands, debating something with herself. "The mind can be persuaded, but not the heart." she whispered, as if repeating something she had heard a long time ago.
Anna recognized those words, suddenly remembering the memory she had seen in her dream. Had it been real? Did Elsa really hit her with her magic. Anna's hand touched the white streak of hair that was out of place on her head. This was from Elsa, from a blast that hit her head. It was an accident, she thought. Anna was frowning, trying to puzzle out what Elsa was going to do. "Are you sure?" she asked, her hand still playing with the hair.
Elsa saw the way she was holding it and began to wonder why she was doing that. Anna couldn't remember, not after the magic of the rock trolls. At the same time, there was no other reason for her to hold that strand of hair. "Yes, I am sure. It is the only way to stop him, however I must warn you, even I do not know what this will do to him." Elsa announced, realizing how little she knew about her powers. Jack nodded, touching her arm. "I know it might be scary, but we need to stop Pitch. Anna will be here for you and so will I. No matter what happens, you aren't alone, Elsa." Jack told her.
Elsa had longed for someone to tell her that for so long. She couldn't ignore the warmth she felt after hearing this, but now she had a job to do. Her eyes traveled to Pitch, who was backing away from the fortress and preparing to run. "I still have to get back at you for Anna, Pitch!" Elsa yelled, rushing forward and sending her ice straight for him. He dodged, but she had been expecting him to use his shadow tricks. She had gotten to know him well after her year of imprisonment. That was why her ice had blasted in two directions, one directly towards him and the other straight into the air, where he began to emerge as the shadows below to disguised his true position.
She watched it hit him dead on, striking his chest and making him fall from the sky. Elsa waited, knowing that it might take some time for her ice to take effect. Already, she could see white streaks in his normally black hair. "It is done. All that is left now is to wait and see what happens." Elsa told them staring down at her old ally. His heart was frozen and even the trolls couldn't save him now.
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