~Chapter 8~
That night Tislar Lunar decided it was time to take action, and rescue Ember from herself. She didn't know what was good for her, and something needed to be done. So he decided to call the Guardians together.
Tislar positioned the moon right over Nicholas St. North's workshop and beamed moonlight in through the ceiling, and the windows trying to get someone's attention. Luckily, one of North's yetis was standing right under one of Tislar's moon beams and instantly noticed. The yeti bowed and instantly ran off to fetch North and tell him of Tislar's arrival.
The yeti knocked on North's office door, remembering how North was always telling them to knock first.
"Come in!" North answered. The yeti opened the door to find North working on one of his famous ice sculptures. He was making an ice replica of Big Root the famous oak tree he used to live in with the wizard Ombric and the brave young girl Katherine. "What is it Phil?" North asked without looking up from his work.
Phil barked that Tislar Lunar was awaiting North. North dropped his tiny tools and finally looked up at Phil.
"What? Manny is here?" North questioned furrowing his bushy brows. Phil nodded and motioned with both arms to the door.
North stood up and quickly walked out of his office and into the main room where his globe of the world was. Millions of tiny bright lights dotted the globe, covering most land masses. Moonlight filled the room and reflected off the globe, nearly blinding North.
"Manny! What is big news old friend?" North beamed as shaded his eyes from the blinding moon light.
Manny moved all of his moon beams into one and maneuvered it so that it shined upon the lever that signaled the Guardians.
"You want to call a meeting?" North asked, making sure he fully understood Manny. The moon beam flashed in approval.
So North went over to the control panel for the globe and pulled the lever that signaled the Guardians. Instantly multicolored streams of light shot from the globe and lit up the sky, shinning all the way around the world to signal the Guardians.
"Prepare for company!" North shouted to the yetis and elves that had started to gather around him. They instantly started scrambling to prepare drinks and food for the guests to come.
It didn't take long for the Guardians to start arriving. E. Aster Bunnymund was the first to arrive, bounding out of one of his holes he uses to travel.
"Whats the big fuss about this time?" Bunnymund huffed as he hopped over to the fire and started to warm his fur, he clearly never liked the cold. "I have eggs that need painting you know."
"Yes yes, I know. But we will find out when the others get here." North said as he joined Bunnymund by the fire, leaning against the mantel piece.
After another moment Toothina and her faeries arrived, joining North and Bunnymund by the fire. Toothina continued ordering her faeries to go to different states and towns to collect teeth while Bunnymund and North tried to carry on a civilized conversation for once. After another couple minuets or so Jack and Sandy come rushing in through one of the open windows.
"Haha! I win again Sandy!" Jack shouted as he pumped his fist in the air. Sandy just fumed and turned to the other Guardians, forming a question mark above his head with dream sand.
"Ahh yes, now that we are all here we can hear what Manny has to tell us." North said as he turned to the moon. The others followed suit and gathered around North. "What is big news Manny?" North asked.
Tislar moved his moon beam to the center of the room and waited for the Guardians to turn and watch. The Guardians all turn and circle around the moon beam, curious as to what Tislar was about to show them. Tislar's moon beam flashed and started to morph itself into the shape of a teenage girl. Jack, Sandy, and Toothina all gaped at the image. It was Ember.
"That's her! That's the girl my fairy's saw destroy the memories of an innocent young child tonight!." Toothina spat as her feathers ruffled up, her hands balling themselves up into fists.
"What? Ember wouldn't do that." Jack advocated as his brows furrowed.
"Jack, you know this girl?" North asked giving Jack a questioning look.
Sandy instantly started jumping up and down, waving his arms in the air with a broad smile on his face.
"You to, Sandy?" North asked furrowing his brows.
"Sandy, you know Ember to?" Jack asked in surprise, he thought he was the only one who knew of her. Sandy nodded yes, a bright smile appearing on his face. "Haha! Isn't she amazing?" Jack beamed as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Sandy nodded enthusiastically and gave a thumbs up.
North grunted and Jack and Sandy both stopped bouncing up and down. "Sorry North. She is Ember Black, new daughter of Pitch Black." Jack explained to them.
"What!" Bunnymund shouted, his eyes wide. "Pitch... No. He couldn't of have."
"He did. But according to her she choose to be his daughter." Jack replied, knowing the shock that Bunnymund was feeling.
"She chose to be his daughter? No way mate, no one in their right mind would choose to live with such a thing." Bunnymund shook his head, just like Jack had said no one would ever choose to be with such a person as Pitch.
"Do you think Pitch forced her to be his daughter?" Toothina asked as worry replaced her anger. Toothina hated the fact that Ember had desecrated and destroyed a young girls memory's, but the fact that Pitch had something to do with it made Toothina worry that Pitch had blackened an innocent child soul. Toothina couldn't stand the thought of it.
"Something tells me that's why Manny has called us all together." North remarked as he stared thoughtfully at the image of Ember.
"What should we do?" Bunnymund asked as he joined Norths side by the image of Ember.
Suddenly the moon beam flickered, and the image started to move. A bright light began to shine from the inside of Ember's chest, but something dark and cloudy started to block out the light. Jack knew what Tislar was trying to tell them. It was the light being suppressed in Ember.
"Her soul wasn't completely blackened. She still has a light in her, but it's being suppressed from the darkness inside her." Jack stated. "There's a possibility that we might be able to save her."
"But how will we get her away from Pitch?" Toothina inquired, turning to meet the other Guardians gaze.
"I have an idea." Jack mused. "I'll be right back." Before anyone could protest Jack was already flying out of the window. He knew exactly where to find Ember. The lake by Burgess.
Ember didn't head back to the cave that night for fear that she might arouse suspicion from Pitch with all her excitement. So she hid in parts of the world that where still under the cover of the night sky and roamed the city's. Ember guessed that she was in Europe from how people who were roaming the dark streets spoke in a thick foreign language. From what she guessed it was Italian, or maybe even French. Ember wasn't too sure. But she loved roaming the beautiful moonlight streets. She had always wanted to visit Europe as a young girl, but never got the chance. So she thoroughly enjoyed being able to roam where she wished.
But there was something still weighing heavily on her mind. She felt a twinge of guilt for storming off and screaming at Jack. Though her life might have not been any of his business, she was still rude to him. And being rude could put a damper on her plan. So Ember decided that once it was night again in Burgess she would go back and apologize to Jack.
After a couple more hours of roaming around what Ember guessed was Paris, the sun started to rise and she headed back to Burgess. The sun was just starting to go down in Burgess, the last rays of light reflecting off the frozen lake casting dozens of dancing shadows in every direction. It was magical to Ember, how the shadows danced and played. For fun she manipulated her shadow and the shadows of the trees, turning them into dancing figures. They danced as if they were at a fancy ball, it was truly quite amusing for Ember.
Once the sun had fully disappeared behind the horizon Ember went and sat in her favorite oak tree and waited for Jack to show up. To keep herself occupied she created mini dragons, some with nightmare sand and others with regular dream sand. She laid back and watched the mini dragons fight each other, some shooting dream sand at each other, others swooping in on each other and destroying them. It was very amusing to Ember.
But it wasn't very amusing to Pitch, who sat in the shadows watching Ember create the dream sand. He couldn't believe his eyes, Ember was creating dream sand! Pure dream sand! 'How is this possible?' Pitch wondered. 'Did the fearlings not completely blacken her soul?' Pitch shook his head. But then he thought of something else. 'Or has she been with the Guardians...' The thought infuriated Pitch. He couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Hello, Ember." Pitch called as he walked out of the shadows. Ember froze, her dragons disappearing.
Pitch waited for Ember to gather herself and hop out of the tree. It took Ember a second to gather herself, but she instantly hoped out of the tree and came to stand in front of Pitch. Ember would have said something, but she was couldn't will herself to speak.
"What do you think you where doing?" Pitch growled as he glared down at Ember. Ember didn't know what to say. She tried to speak, but nothing came out leaving her mouth just hanging open. Pitch just glared down at Ember, he couldn't believe it.
"Please... Father I can explain." Ember stuttered, terrified that Pitch would reprimand her for calling him father. But Pitch didn't reprimand her, he just glared.
"You can explain back at the Lair." Pitch sneered. Before Ember could move Pitch had a firm grip around her wrists, his nails threatening to break skin.
Ember didn't dare try and struggle, she would be a fool if she did. If anything she didn't mind Pitch being near her, because fearlings began to swarm the forest around them. Their beady eyes and horrible screeches could be seen and heard at the forests edge, like they were waiting for something. But right as Pitch was about to drag Ember back to the lair, Jack Frost appeared behind him.
Jack had spotted Pitch and Ember from a distance. He saw how Pitch had roughly grabbed Ember's wrists and the fearlings gathering in the woods, he knew Ember was in trouble. His thoughts where confirmed, Pitch had to be controlling Ember. But Pitch didn't seem to notice that Jack was flying towards them, his back was turned and his attention fully on Ember.
But Ember did notice him right away, she saw him right as Jack reared up his staff to attack Pitch. Ember became fully alert and sprang into action. She wrenched her wrists from Pitch's grasp despite the nails that dug into her and sprang around Pitch. Ember threw her arms up creating a thick wall of nightmare sand blocking Pitch right as Jack's energy bolt of ice was about to hit him.
The two forces met sending ice and nightmare sand everywhere. Quickly Ember re-directed the nightmare sand towards Jack and hitting him square in the stomach, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying back a couple feet back. Jack looked up bewildered. He didn't expect Ember to defend Pitch, and apparently neither did Pitch. Pitch looked just as bewildered as Jack, if not even more. Yet there was something like a smirk that crossed Pitch's face as he watched Jack get sent flying.
"Jack, stay out of it." Ember snapped at Jack. The look Ember gave Jack made him recoil a little, yet there was something else. Yes, Jack new it all to well. There was a trace of fear, and sorrow in Ember's eyes.
Pitch put his hands on Ember's shoulders, smirking at Jack before he vanished into the shadows taking Ember with him. He yelled at them to stop, reaching out his hands as if he would catch them. But they where gone.
Jack had to warn the Guardians that Ember was in danger, and quickly. Something wasn't right about the way Ember looked, and it worried Jack to think of what could have happened to make her look so afraid and so sad. He needed to get her out of Pitch's grasp. So Jack instantly hopped back on his feet and flew off as fast as he could to North's workshop.