~Chapter 11~
Jack laid Ember down on one of the couches in Norths living room by the fire. He handled her as if she was made of glass, like he would break her if he touched her the wrong way. All the Guardians surrounded Ember, examining her unconscious bloody body.
"Here, I have something that should help the wound." Bunnymund announced as he put a comforting hand on Jacks shoulder.
Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground and disappeared into a hole that lead back to his warren. There he quickly raced to where he kept his medicinal herbs and medicine. He whipped up an old Pooka recipe that would help quickly heal the wound and keep the wound from bleeding any further. He poured the odd purple and blue liquid into a vial and raced back to the pole as quick as his feet could take him.
Ember was still unconscious when he got back. Everyone was silent and distant, sharing slightly concerned looks from time to time. Bunnymund joined Jacks side by Ember and found where she had been stabbed. He wiped away some of the blood with a wet medicinal cloth and tipped the substance onto the wound. The liquids swirled together and disappeared into the wound, making the bleeding stop almost instantaneously.
Suddenly Ember's eyes popped open, wide with fear and confusion. Her eyes found Bunnymund and Jack staring down at her with wild expressions, making her jump back as far as she could. But though the wound had stopped bleeding, the pain had not. Ember had completely forgotten about the wound. She winced and grabbed at it.
"Try not to make any sudden movements, it could rip open your wound and make it bleed again." Bunnymund instructed.
"Where am I?" Ember asked. She looked around and saw North leaning against the mantle piece by the fire. Toothina and Sandy stood nearby and watched hesitantly.
"Your in Norths workshop, your safe now." Jack explained.
"Safe?" Ember exclaimed. "I was safe before all this mess! I was safe before you fucking stabbed me, Jack!" Embers harsh tone made everyone recoil a little. Ember scowled and pushed herself up from the couch, wincing a little as she did.
"Listen, Ember I'm sorry. But it was the only way to get you away from Pitch." Jack began.
"Ugh, when will you Guardians understand I choose to be with Pitch!" Ember cried. She was getting fed up with the Guardians now.
"Yes, but why would a girl like you choose such a horrible life?" North argued.
Ember looked down at her feet. She hated to remember her past. But there seemed to be no other way but to tell them. "Fine, you want to know why I choose to be with Pitch? It's because I had no one. I was alone. No one would even glance in my direction, and when they did all they did was scoff. They all thought I was worthless, stupid, no one believed in me. If they had the chance they would have left me for dead. The only thing that kept me alive was books, and the hope that there was someone listening to my cry for help.
"But one day my cry for help was answered. I was laying out under the night sky talking to the man in the moon when my family was attacked by fearlings. They killed my parents, and would have killed me to. But Pitch decided to save me, and he offered me a loving family, a new life where I wouldn't be alone. How could I refuse? It's not like any of you came to save me." Ember shrugged. She hatted recalling that memory, she just wanted to live in the moment and not look back. Besides, it was better now than it could ever have been back then.
The Guardians all looked at each other with guilty looks. "If you don't believe me than I will gladly pull out a tooth and let you see." Ember added, glancing at Toothina.
"I'm sorry Ember, I-I didn't know." Jack stammered.
"If we had known than we would have come right away." Toothina added flying over to Ember and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, well it's all in the past. Besides, I love being with Pitch. He was like me, alone and without a family. He understood my situation, and I understood his." Ember smiled. She was of actual use to Pitch now that she thought about it.
"Humph, his fearlings killed your family though. Technically he made it so that you were truly alone." Bunnymund commented.
Ember was about to argue, but a loud bang caught everyone's attention. It came from the ceiling where the sky roof was. There was another, and then another. Then thousands and thousands of monkeys started to drop from the roof into the room. The Guardians and Ember were bewildered, they had no clue what was going on. But they instantly drew their weapons and started to cut down each monkey that drew near them.
The Yeti's and elves came thundering into the room to help with the fight, but every time one monkey was taken down three more took its place. Ember tried to help with the fight, creating swords and violently cutting down several monkeys at a time. But her wound slowed her down a little, and she was forced to be slowly pushed back.
The monkeys would catapult themselves in the air and try to grab at Toothina's wings, but she dogged them and let them fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. She summoned her fairies to help with the fight as she flew through the air and cut down any monkey that got within her reach. But she nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she saw one last monkey fall from the roof. It was the Monkey King, her number one enemy.
She bolted after him, her swords glinting in the air as she did. But when they meet he blocked her swords with his own and threw her off balance. "I'm not here for you, you silly Queen." The King spat as he raced on. Toothina couldn't believe her ears, then who was he after?
Her question was soon answered. The Monkey King was racing towards Ember, his swords at the ready. Toothina tried to fly to her rescue, but several monkeys blocked her path and restricted her from moving any further.
"Ember! Behind you!" Toothina shouted from across the room as she cut down another monkey.
Ember turned around just in time to see the Monkey King coming straight at her. She didn't have much strength left to fight, but she had to if she was going to live. She sent a wave of nightmare sand at the surrounding monkeys and threw them back far enough to have time to fight off the King. When there swords meet the Monkey King smiled a rotten yellow toothed smile.
"You will be coming with us my dear." The King smirked as he knocked Ember back.
"Like hell I am." Ember growled. She knew who the Monkey King was from the tales. But she had no clue what the King would want with her.
She sent a swarm of nightmare wolves at him that multiplied when you cut them down. It kept the King at bay for a while as she sent the surrounding monkeys back again. But they just doubled up and drew closer in. The Guardians tried to make their way towards her, but there were to many monkeys by now. Their numbers only kept growing.
Ember had no energy left when the King finally destroyed the wolves. Ember could only weakly block his attacks, and he got stronger by each blow. Soon the other monkeys were on top of her and her wound was starting to bleed again. The Monkey King wrenched her up by her hair and started to drag her off. Ember struggled as much as she could, clawing at the Monkey Kings hand and trying to pull out of his grip. But it was no use.
"Stop struggling you fool." The King screeched. But Ember didn't. Instead she kicked the Monkey King as hard as she could. The King howled at the searing pain in his thigh, but he didn't loosen his grip.
"I warned you." The King hissed and pulled out his sword once more. With one swift movement Ember was run through. It wasn't a deadly blow, but it was enough to make Ember scream in pain and stop struggling.
"Jack! Anyone help!" Ember cried out as tears started to race down her cheeks from the pain in her stomach.
"Damn you, now my sword is all bloody." The King sighed as he put it back in his sheath.
The Guardians all cried out to Ember, but nothing could be done. They had to watch Ember be dragged away by the Monkey King. No matter how hard they fought they didn't make any progress. With a blink of an eye Ember and the King were gone with only Ember's blood left to stain the floor.