Jack tore his eyes away from the mound of frozen snow as he felt the twinge of sickness begin to fester in his stomach. Who would have done something like this to Starina's mother? What had she done? So many questions drifted through Jack's mind as he tried to grasp onto anything that made sense to him. It couldn't be possible that the child had done anything wrong but the King must have been furious to learn of her genetic link to him. That was where he needed to go. The King would shed some light onto things but he needed to be quick, Starina would not last long alone in the bitter chill of night. Determined, he lifted from the ground and flew through the skies of Murnau, looking for signs of the castle nearby. What he saw disturbed him. As he flew he noticed a giant wall that surrounded a large part of the city. As he floated above the barrier below he noticed that the wall that he once assumed kept people in was actually keeping people out. What was the meaning behind such a scar in the land?
He needed to see things for himself. This planet, these people reminded him of those back home on Earth, but yet they were all so different. It had been many years since he had visited this place and so much had changed. As he landed on the cobble streets outside of the wall he noticed the people were frail and sickly. He wandered past the people, peering into homes and shops, he saw the same things. These people looked choked off from the planet, forced out and forgotten. They did not appear any different than the beings on Earth. What had cast them out? This perplexed Jack as he leaned back on his staff as he watched a group of children run through the town square with a ball. He turned back to see the castle looming in the distance.
"What are you hiding here in this heart of darkness?" He asked before flying up into the sky once more.
He ducked and weaved his way through tall buildings and elaborate decorations that adorned the massive wall. It was like these people were trying to paint smiles over the nightmares within. Jack found his way into the city and at once noticed a stark difference between the people. There was music playing, people were laughing, and the children were dressed in the most beautiful clothes. Fires burned within every hearth and lavish dinners lined the tables. "If they have so much food to spare..why are not sharing it with those outside the wall?" he thought to himself. Once again he felt a spike of anger in his chest. What king would ever hurt his subjects so? Clenching his fist Jack had seen enough. It was time for the King to receive a visit from 'Old Man Winter' himself.
"Margret! Margret...dammit where is my dinner?" A low and booming voice called from behind the window pane. Jack had perched himself outside one of the lavish stained glass windows of the castle in hopes of finding the king and from the sound of things he had. Peering into the room he noticed a large round man seated by the fire. He was clothed in the deepest red fabric which had been decorated with fine gold trim. Biting down hard, Jack recalled the blood of Starina's mother and how well it matched this fool's cape. As he watched frost began to cover the window. Grunting to himself Jack hopped away from his ledge to find another looking glass. Soon he did and this time the window had been left open.
Slipping into the room he could hear the king begin to complain about the sudden rush of cold air. "Margret you worthless girl come close this window! Do you want me to catch my death of cold?!" He called out, his large stomach jiggling as he did so. Disgusted, Jack moved away and found a nice view point from atop his staff on which he perched. Looking up he noticed a mouse of a women come running into the room with a tray larger than the king was round, in her hands.
"I'm so sorry m'lord but the chef had run out of onion for our soup...I had to go into town to fetch more." Jack couldn't help but smirk as he watched the women stumble over her words. She was about as tall as he was but was considerably older, perhaps thirty years in age. She had her hair pulled back into a messy blond bun and glasses sat upon her face. She had very thin features and if Jack hadn't noticed her glasses he would have almost missed her nose.
"That is little an excuse to be this late with dinner Margret. I'm sitting here wasting away, practically starving, and you fill me with your meaningless excuses instead of my soup?!" As the king spoke Jack had to steady himself on his staff to keep from falling backward in shock. Who did this man think he was talking to her like that? Lifting his hand up, Jack was tempted to show this pompous king one for but his better judgment won in the end.
"You are right my king. It was my error. It to it that it will never happen again." Margret bowed as she brought the soup to Fiaro before turning her attention to the open window. As she moved to close it something caught her attention. "The west looks quiet tonight m'lord."
"Ha! Good. The sooner we wipe out those western Murnauan rats the better. All there is room for on this planet are those of us from the east. That is why I built the wall Margret. Everything you see past that wall is trash not worth our time. The war should have taught you that. We are better than them..." He paused as he look the soup bowl to his lips and began to gulp it down like a pig. Wiping his mouth on sleeve the man continued.
"Rats huh? I think I've found the biggest rat of them all." Jack scoffed as he jumped from his staff and began to wander about the room. "For someone with so much power you sure do act like a child."
"Better than all of those brown-haired heathens and those who thought it best to cross me. Heh like that street wench Sofia." Jack noticed Margret's face fall as she pulled the window shut. It was at that moment Jack remembered the letter Starina had was signed 'Sofia'. He turned back to face the two as he felt his curiosity grow. "Speaking of Sofia, have you heard back from the wards about their mission?" Fiaro laced his fat fingers together as a wry smile crossed his thick bearded face. Margret closed her eyes as she removed her glasses, cleaning them upon her apron.
"The men spoke of a...mishap." Returning her thin frames to her face she continued. "They found Sofia right where you said she would be. Her daughter was with her but she took off when your guards arrived."
Jack took a firm grip on his staff as he felt anger welling up in his chest. Who did this king think he was? What was he hoping to gain from such an insane stunt? The frozen prince ran a hand through his silver hair as he glanced back toward the door. He noticed a set of tiny brown eyes peering through a crack in the door. "Hrm, what do we have here?" Jumping up he floated over to the door and crouched down. He reached out to move the door but Margret's voice caught his attention.
"Your men took chest m'lord but when they reached the lake they lost her. They mentioned something about a sudden storm rising up and forcing them to turn back. There is no way that the bastard child will survive the night." As she spoke, the servant woman clutched at her apron. Was she upset about these passings?
"Ha! That will show the rest of you not to mess with your king! Sofia thought she could escape but I was just waiting for the right moment. Well, that is one less rat to worry about." Fiaro scoffed as he took a long swig of his wine. "The world is a wicked place dear Margret, the sooner you realize it the better."
"Sire...but was killing the child worth it? She is no more than five years of age. She will freeze to death.."Margret trailed off just as Fiaro threw his goblet at the fire. The alcohol met with the flickering flame, causing a firy uproar within the hearth. Jack jumped back as he could feel the heat against his icy skin. He hated fire, hated the melting sensation it gave him. Just feeling the warmth from this far away caused him a small sensation of pain. He was distracted from the unfolding argument as his eyes found the owner of the brown pair he saw earlier. They belonged to a little girl with hair the color of sun beams. She looked to be a few years older than Starina and stood clothed in a woolen nightgown. Tiny hands covered her mouth as she continued to try and see what was going on in the room.
"You are out of bed late arn't you?" Jack mused as he looked over at Fiaro. "Hrm, is that your dad?" he questioned as he watched the little girl take a few steps into the room.
"Papa? Are you ok?" The young girl asked as she pushed past the door. Jack watched as Fiaro instantly composed himself and turned his attention to his daughter.
"Ah my Blume, my blossom daughter..why are you up this late? Do not worry, papa was just discussing things with Margret. Now come here and give me a kiss and Margret will take you back to bed."
"Princess Kirsche, your father is right. You are up much too late. Do as he says and I'll read you a story." Margret forced a smile on her face as the young girl ran over to her father, long golden locks flowing behind her. Kirsche threw her arms around Fiaro in a loving embrace as she hopped onto his lap.
"You are so innocent of the world around you." Jack added as he walked past the group and headed toward the window. "How she can grow up in a place like this..."
"Gute nacht Papa. Ich liebe dich." She giggled as she kissed her father good night once more before he placed her softly back on the ground. Kirsche turned back and held out her hand to Margret before pulling her out of the room. This left Jack and King Fiaro alone in the study for the first time. Fiaro placed a heavy hand on his own face before letting out a long sign.
"No one will ever know..." He said to himself as he leaned back in his chair and gave his attention to the fire.
Flicking his wrist, Jack used the wind to force the window he entered to thrust open. The room filled with an icy bitter wind. It whipped around the room, ripping books from their shelves, sending glass shattering to the ground, and extinguishing the only source of warmth in the room. Glaring at the frightened king Jack pulled himself back onto the windowpane. Shaking his head he jumped from the window and let the wind take he back to the child he would have to protect. She wasn't safe here, no, he had to get her away.
"Jack! Where did you go Jack?" Starina called out as she ran through the snow. A happy smile moved over her pale purple lips as she spun around in the snow. It had been two years since Jack had taken Starina from her home on Murnau and brought her to live on Earth with him. Without him, Jack knew she would have died that night. Maybe she would be his key to finally understanding who he was.
"Here I am!" Jack called back as he flew in from the north, grabbing Starina with his free arm and pulling her up into the night sky with him. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her wiggle and laugh as she held onto him. The wind carried them higher and higher until they hovered just above the clouds. The light of the moon illuminated the fluffy white world around them. Jack's crystal eyes found the moon as he swallowed hard. Every night he asked for some reason as to why he was here, why he couldn't remember where he had come from before, and every night the moon refused to answer. He was forever trapped in this 17 year-old body, unable to be seen by those his own age. The only one that could even remotely notice his existence was the girl he held in his arms. He wanted answers. His thoughts broke from the moon as he looked down to notice Starina had begun to mess with his coat.
"Do you like it Jack? Mama taught me to sew. Your old coat was so old..." Pale eyes looked motionlessly at the brown tailored fabric.
"Of course I do." He replied as he tussled her long hair slightly. Every night Jack would go to the Bugress fountain and fished out what little coin he could before heading out to touch the world with his icy grasp. Things were tough but he was determined to keep Starina happy and laughing as much as he could. Life was about having fun after all. Starina spent most of her time in Jack's hiding place beside the pond that sat under the moon every evening. She would use what she could do make clothes that she would try and sell within the town. Most would not even give her a second glance, being as young as she was, but Starina didn't mind. She was just happy to have a place to call home. The fabric she had managed to find behind the old textile mill was what she used to make Jack's new civil jacket.
"Maybe we can find you something to do in that mill. Wouldn't that be fun Stellie?" Jack spun around in the air which caused the little girl to laugh happily as she held onto Jack with all her strength.
"Yeah, yeah fun!" The reality was that the job for a scavenger in the textile mill would be hard but it would mean that Starina would be able to be warmer than she would be back in the cave. He wasn't sure this was the best idea, but it was something. If he kept everything entertaining then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Higher Jack higher!" Starina called out as she lifted her arms up above her head, her dull eyes seeming to shine with life.
"Up it is then! Hold on tight!" Jack let out a laugh as he shot up into the sky and lifted his staff to the night. A blast of crystal light flew from the crook and caused snow to fall all around them. Looking down he noticed Starina's eyes were fixed on something. He turned his head behind him but didn't see anything. Glancing back he watched her expression of fear fade away before she shook her head. Had she seen something? "It is getting late missy. I think it is time for your bedtime."
"Awww Jack, just five more minutes..." She whined as she clutched onto Jack's jacket and buried her face into it as he began to descend back down to earth. Once he was back on land, Jack started toward their cave shelter. Starina began to fuss slightly as Jack carried her past the frozen barrier he put up to keep people out and to keep her safe. As Jack reached her make-shift bed he tried to pull the child leech off of him but she refused to budge. "No.. not yet." She pleaded as Jack laughed and rolled his eyes.
"Stellie you need your sleep and I have to head to Russia for a bit. I think they are in need for a bit of snowy fun." Peeling Starina off of his jacket he placed her on the bed of sprawled out straw and torn fabric. He took a step back and noticed the fearful face she was making. "What is wrong?" He asked kneeling down next to her as he tucked her in.
"When you leave the monsters come."
"Monsters?"
"Yeah...they come when you are not here. The scare me." Jack tilted his head to the side as he didn't understand what she meant. "They gather outside of the cave, crying... They sound so sad."
"Sad? Starina what is it that you see?" Starina rolled over in her bed so that she faced Jack as she lifted her hands out to him.
"Their aura's. They glow so dark, like black light...crying out to be let go. They try and get in here Jack. They wake me up with their sad tears. They twist and swirl in the air." Jack shook his head as he moved a few strands of hair from Starina's face.
"It's going to be ok. I promise. I won't be gone long. Just try and get some sleep ok?" He watched as she nodded. "I'll be back soon." Standing up he turn to leave the cave. This was the first time that she had ever mentioned being able to 'see' anything but a grey mist and the energy that auras give off. Perhaps he would have to look into this. He knew only a few people capable of such spiritual creation and he would rather not have anything to do with them. As he reached the lake, just as he did every night, he looked to the wind to take him where he needed to go.