A few days after that, Jack was roused from the troubled thoughts that kept him occupied in place of dreams by the sound of bells on a harness. He looked down out a window, startled that the queen would be taking a trip so late, but the courtyard was empty but for the eerie statues that always stood there. He shivered and looked around for the source of the jingling.

To his amazement, it was coming from the sky. Jack jumped out the window and onto the steep roof of the castle, clinging to one of the long spires so he could lean out and look. He scanned the night sky, squinting against the glare of the full moon off the snow – there! A bright red sleigh was soaring across the sky, drawn by six reindeer – much larger than the queen's – and Jack could make out a fur-lined red coat covering the driver.

"North?" he whispered, stunned. Then, "North!" he laughed, waving his staff in greeting. He had not known Christmas came to this strange land; he had thought it separate from the Earth he had come from.

But as Jack was waving, a blast of magic hurtled past him and exploded, knocking North and his reindeer off course. Jack leapt past several towers to crouch on a ceiling overlooking the central courtyard. The queen was there, practically glowing with fury, her golden wand clenched in one hand.

She raised it just as North came around again, hurling Russian curses and explosive snow globes. The queen sent another blast – colder than even Jack was comfortable with – flying towards the sleigh. North evaded that one, and dropped a few more globes for good measure. But at Jack watched, each globe seemed to hit a wall and explode in midair, safely out of reach of the castle. No residue even fell towards it; everything fell along a distinct line as though an invisible barrier had been erected in midair.

"Have you not learned your lesson yet, Father Christmas?" the queen jeered, her vicious shout splitting the dull roar of the explosives.

"No more than you have!" North shouted in reply. "You can't keep me out forever, Jadis. You don't have the strength."

"Don't have the strength?" she shrieked. "Impudent boy! What can you possibly know of my strength?"

Jack had skittered down the roof and swung around several columns to land in a crouch a few feet in front of the queen.

"Your majesty please!" he cried, standing and stepping toward her. "He means your kingdom no harm – he's just trying to give presents to the children."

"You know him?" The queen hissed, taking her eyes off the sky just long enough to fix Jack with a terrible, accusing stare.

"I-of course I know who he is," Jack stammered, but in the moment the queen had dropped her attention from the sky one of North's snow globes had blown through the invisible barrier. Jack and the queen looked up as North gave a wild war whoop and cracked his whip. The reindeer were bearing down on them quickly. Jack thought to hide, but as he moved to duck the queen snatched his staff. Holding it crossed over her own wand, she lifted both and sent a surge of magic racing toward the sleigh.

Jack screamed and collapsed, clutching his chest where the abuse of his magic left a raw pain in the center of him. He was only dimly aware of the flash of light and the queen's furious shriek that followed, but tried to find North in the sky once more. There was no trace of him, roasted by magic or otherwise, so he must have escaped. Jack sank into the ground, curling around his aching heart, and passed out.

When he next came to, he was shackled and lying on cold stone. He blinked and looked around, and discovered that he was still in the queen's castle. She was sitting imperiously on an icy throne covered again by white furs, glaring at him with contained fury.

"Get up," she ordered.

Jack struggled to obey, only managing to drag himself to his knees with his arms chained behind him. His breathing was labored – catching around the pain in his chest, which had not eased. He knelt hunched over, unable to bring himself to meet the queen's harsh eyes.

"You have been hiding information from me," the queen said. "Who are you really?"

"I'm Jack Frost," he said.

"And where does Jack Frost come from?" she asked. "Who does he work for? How does he know that abominable man and his red sleigh?" Her tone was mocking, and Jack bristled under it. He raised his head to answer her, but her terrible eyes frightened him and curbed his courage.

"I don't know," he said.

"How can you not know?" the queen said, her voice loud with anger.

"I lost my memory," Jack said miserably.

"But you remember Father Christmas?" she asked.

"I've seen him around," he said. "I never really knew him personally." There was a moment of uncomfortable quiet at the queen considered every implication of that statement. Jack knew that he should let her break the silence, but he could not himself from saying "He only wants to bring presents so everyone can celebrate Christmas. You don't have to attack him."

The queen's eyes flew open. Jack bowed his head and grimaced bitterly. That had been a huge mistake.

"Maugrim, take this thing to the dungeons," the queen snapped.

"Yes, your majesty," the largest of her wolves growled. Jack had not noticed him, sitting in the back of the room. He tried to scramble away from the beast, but lacking his arms and still hindered by pain he was helpless. Maugrim bit his upper arm and dragged him up to standing, leaving Jack to stumble and cry out at the injury.

"Careful, Maugrim," the queen said meanly. "We wouldn't want our strange little friend here to be hurt."

"Yes, your majesty," he said. He gave Jack's heels a nip for good measure, and both he and the queen laughed as Jack tried to hop away from the sharp teeth. Jack turned to glare at the queen and noticed, for the first time, that his staff was leaning against her throne.

"Hey!" he yelled. He started to run toward it, but Maugrim caught his leg in his jaws and yanked him back. Jack hit the floor hard - a resounding crack echoed through the hall.

"Get him out of my sight," the queen ordered in a voice as deep and gravelly as the wolf's. Maugrim picked up Jack by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the room, ignoring Jack's tiny whimpers of pain.