Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians
Jack
He remembers being alone. Years upon years where the only companion he had was time and the only conversations he had were with the wind. He remembers looking at the moon every night and wondering why? Why make him feel so much in those moments after being pulled from the lake, only to rip all of the wonder away and replace it with despair and confusion. He'd searched for attention in the form of pranks and received only scowls and exasperated sighs. He wasn't Jack Frost, The Guardian of Fun, he was Jack Frost the "Absolute Nuisance". For 300 years, he had existed in a state of proverbial limbo with no change in sight and he'd almost been okay with that, almost gotten used to it, but then everything changed. All at once he was something more and maybe he hadn't understood what that meant at first, after all the word "guardian" was never one he would have used to describe himself, but he learned. He learned the difference between existing and having a purpose and he learned how to let go of his grudges. He learned how to rely on others and he learned how to fight, both for his sake and the sake of others.
Jack remembers fighting Pitch. He remembers wanting nothing more than for Pitch to disappear and he remembers the feeling of utter triumph when finally, finally, they'd defeated him. Jack had never been happier, the kids were safe, the guardians were safe, and Jack had people who believed in him. Everything, he'd thought, was going to be okay.
Now he can see that not everything is okay and never has there been more proof of that than the quivering figure of what had once been Pitch Black, The Nightmare King.
Jack isn't so sure that he can call him that anymore.
He knows that this is his fault. He'd turned all of the fear on Pitch and then he'd left even though he knew what it was like to be alone and unwanted. He'd wanted Pitch to go away, but he'd never wanted to ruin him like this. He'd never wanted to stand across from Pitch and watch him lose himself in his own hollow laughter.
He's going to fix this, he has to.
Pitch is still laughing when Jack finds his voice again,"Pitch, you- I can help you". He's not sure how to help Pitch and he's not sure that he can, but if he doesn't try he'll never really know. There has to be something more to Pitch, something decent, at least.
He's met with silence but he can see Pitch trying to make sense of the words. He can wait, he knows, he's had years to get used to silence and he can wait for Pitch's answer. He doesn't wait nearly as long as he'd expected because the words come soon enough, "and if I don't want your help?"
Jack's hands tighten around his staff, he'd expected this response, "I'll leave. I won't tell anyone that you're here. You can be alone in peace." It's a joke really, the thought of being peacefully alone. Sure you can adjust and maybe even find comfort in it, but sooner or later it gets to you and then it never stops. He knows that Pitch really has no choice at all, either way he's about to set himself down a path that leads to potential disaster, but Jack would like to think that Pitch has a better chance with him than with no one at all.
Pitch must know this as well because he laughs again. This laugh is more defeated than the last, like he's accepting or trying to accept that the lesser of two evils comes in the form of accepting help from someone who was once (and still is) his enemy. "Well, Jack Frost, you can certainly try."
It's not a yes, but it's not a no. Jack isn't entirely sure what either of them are doing, but he does know that they are both reaching for something that is beyond themselves. Maybe, just maybe, there is hope for them yet.
I apologize if my Jack is bad. I wasn't entirely sure what to do with him, I just knew that I wanted his perspective on the situation. Thanks for reading.