Tooth trailed along after Jack as he led through the dark lair. North, Bunny, and Sandy had gone on ahead to look for Pitch. Meanwhile Tooth and Jack were looking for the reason why Pitch had become so powerful so quickly. There had to be a reason.
"Jack did you hear that?" Tooth asked, putting her hand on Jack's shoulder. He paused and listened to the quiet air. Tooth was right...there was something. Very very faint, almost indiscernible. A gentle sobbing.
"What the hell..." Jack murmured, continuing towards the source of the sound. He held his staff out before him in case they ran into trouble. But it was quiet and cold as they continued on. Nothing stopped them. Nothing even hinted at caring that they were there. The sobbing increased the deeper they went into the twisted labyrinth of woe.
"Do you think North, Bunny, and Sandy are okay?" Tooth whispered anxiously.
"Yeah." Jack said it half consciously. The majority of his attention span was concentrated on finding the origin of the sobs. Finally they stopped in front of a pure black wall. The sobbing came from the other side, but the wall seemed solid, and no doors had come up at all. Jack nudged the wall with his staff. A perfect circle of ice formed from the touch, freezing the dark sand. Another nudge shattered the unique phenomenon and created a makeshift door to the hidden room beyond. But at first glance, there was nothing of interest. Jack stepped into the room, sure that whoever was crying was here somewhere. It was Tooth who spotted the girl first. She might not have ever seen her, but for the girl's curious glance at the newcomers. She blended in so well with her dark surroundings. A black dress covered her, kept her cloaked. And you could hardly see the tired and scared face behind dark masses of brown hair. But when Tooth caught sight of the sapphire eyes, she couldn't stop looking.
"Jack." she whispered, tugging on his sleeve. She pointed dumbly at the shaking girl, and Jack soon took up the same stance. Simply gaping at the poor abused creature like he'd never seen such a thing before. Finally Tooth summoned enough strength to step towards the girl. She flinched away with every step, showing just how terrified she was. Tooth had to wonder how long Pitch had kept this child here? How long had he tormented her with her fears? How long had it been since she'd seen real sunlight? "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you." She whispered softly, with a friendly smile at the traumatized girl. The child simply whimpered.
"We can take you away from here. Is that what you want?" Jack added, also stepping up next to Tooth. The girl reclined again, but nodded at his words.
"Please." Her voice was weak. Tooth had trouble believing she even spoke. "Please h-help me." Again the painfully soft voice begged for help. Jack carefully walked up to the girl. At least she had stopped flinching away from him. He handed his staff to Tooth and gently, ever so gently, put his arm under her knees, and around her waist. He picked the tiny thing up, amazed at how light she was. She felt like air.
"Can you put your arm around my neck?" He asked gently. She nodded and obliged, shivering slightly at the cold that was emitted from this boy. Whoever he was, and whether or not he was working for the demon she feared, he was certainly kind. Something she had little experience of as of late. She couldn't remember the last time she had a truly warm smile directed at her. Or a kind hug. Or any show of affection. Sometime Pitch would dote on her. Tell her how much she meant to him. How much she had helped him. He would even kiss her, but she didn't like it at all. She liked the kind boy and the strangely feathered girl though. They smiled at her and promised to take her away. And for some reason, she felt safe.
"We have to hurry Jack." Like he needed Tooth to tell him that. This girl, whoever she was, was in really very bad shape. She was completely traumatized, and weak. So frail and broken it hurt to even look at her. It made his heart hurt to think of what she had been subjected to because of Pitch. "Didn't we come this way?" Tooth proposed as they frantically tried to maneuver the never-ending maze of tunnels. Soon enough, thankfully, they heard voices though. Jack recognized Bunny and North. And from the way the girl started shaking in his arms, he could only guess she recognized Pitch's voice. They took one last branched off tunnel before arriving in the main hall of the underground fortress. Pitch sat atop a massive stone throne, addressing the three Guardians. North had his swords drawn, Bunny his boomerangs, and Sandy his whips. But for some reason, none of them were attacking Pitch. Sandy turned at the sound of Jack and Tooth arriving. He noticed the tiny girl in Jack's arms, but didn't draw attention to it just yet.
"Ah Jack Frost and the Tooth Fairy, come to join the party." Pitch grinned as the two joined the line of Guardians. The girl started breathing irregularly at the sight of the Boogeyman. She dug her nails into Jack's shoulder, not noticing the way he cringed. Pitch's golden eyes examined Tooth, then flicked to Jack, resting on the girl. His grin faltered. This drew the attention of North and Bunny. They too stared at the girl. But she kept her eyes locked on Pitch. She knew how quickly he could move. If she didn't keep her eyes on him, he may be right behind her in only a moment. And she did not want to be anywhere near him. She clutched to Jack even harsher, beginning to become panicked.
"First you come uninvited into my home. Now you're taking what is mine." Pitch said to disrupt the fixation of North and Bunny on the girl. Jack gently put the girl down, though she protested. She didn't want to let go of the boy. He had rescued her from that dark prison. But Jack had to stand with the other Guardians. He snatched his staff back from Tooth, who ran to comfort the sobbing girl.
"What have you done to girl?" North demanded.
"Oh, this and that. We've spent so much time together it all sorta blends together." He smirked devilishly. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the images that filled her head at the thought of the games. She hated the games. She hated Pitch. She hated everything. "Oh little one...you can't simply block me out." Pitch hissed, his voice seeping into her very thoughts. She grabbed both sides of her head and began to rock, trying to hard to not let him in. she started to sob again, and that pissed Bunny off immensely.
"Pitch I swear you're gunna pay for whatever you've done to this girl!" The pookah exclaimed stepping threateningly towards the Nightmare King. Pitch seemed anything but intimidated by the Easter Bunny's threats. In fact he knowingly ignored the giant rabbit and continued to try and pierce the girls mind. He had to get to her. One last time. He had to feel her fear in his veins. It would be a while before she would be his again. Sandy sensed what the Boogeyman was trying to do and sent a swift whip at the demon, breaking his train of though at releasing the girl temporarily. "Get her outta here mate." Bunny ordered Jack and Tooth. They both nodded, taking to the wind, Jack once again holding the girl. Jack swiftly flew up above the great hall, avoiding the skeletal cages, until he found the tunnel out and they disappeared. Pitch watched his prized possession go with anger written all over his face. He had lost his last opportunity to touch the girls fear. Who knew how long it would take him to recover her. And he was not happy about it.
"Tell me gentlemen...what did you intend to do now. You are in my domain after all." Pitch turned back to the three remaining Guardians. He could take them out right now. Summon sand and pierce the three through the heart. Turn them dark, just as he had the yetis and elves. But the game was just starting. He had made both the first and second move. They had retaliated with a third and fourth, and fifth move. And he needed to think his strategy over before coming back with an equally painful move on them. Preferably one that would bring the girl back to him. He wouldn't be able to go very long without her. Without seeing her tear filled blue eyes, or shaking form that was like a drug to him. He loved her fear. He no longer needed it. It was not his lifeline, as it had been previous. He wanted it was the problem. The girl had given him so much. Or rather he had taken so much from her. He had grown quite attached to the little creature. He even considered stopping his campaign of torture on her and treating her better. But the intoxicating fear that she emitted completely consumed him at times. He loved it. He loved her.
The Guardians saw how deep in thought Pitch had become after asking a question that he didn't really want an answer to. Instead of making an offense, or having to mount a defense, they slipped away allowing the Nightmare King to silently stew in his thoughts. Grieving over the loss of his toy. But he would have her back. He had to have her back.