A/N: I have written and rewritten this chapter too many times to count, and at this point I'm just thinking 'good enough,' so here. Before I change my mind.

Chapter Six

One unusually warm day in early autumn, nearly two years after I had woken by the pond, I had a run-in with a rather odd young man.

He was sprawled out on the gentle slope of a hill, watching the sunset disinterestedly. The light reflected off of the silver chain around his neck, and I could immediately tell something about him was… different, for lack of a better word.

He saw me, quite unlike most other mortals I had attempted to interact with, but the strangest thing was what he said when I lighted down nearby.

"Are you a fairy?"

I had no idea how I was supposed to react to that, so I merely replied that I didn't think I was.

He sat up, pushing his dark hair away from his emerald green eyes. "If you're not a fairy, how can you fly?"

"I can fly because the Wind lets me."

He absently brought his fingers to his necklace while he thought over my response. "I see…"

I settled down a few feet away from him. "My name's Jack."

"I'm called Philip. Would you like to join me for supper, Jack the Not-Fairy?"

I accepted his invitation without hesitation, as I had no idea when I would have another opportunity to interact with another person, and he seemed amused at my eagerness.

We trudged across fields and marshland for a long while, before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a run-down cottage.

The door was ajar, and Philip hissed. "If he's come back again, I'll kill him."

Before I could tell him not to, he stormed into the cabin, and I could hear a scuffle break out.

The slight breeze carried with it a warning of a wicked-minded, bad thing. 'Do not let it near you...' Ignoring the Wind's caution, I went after him.

A large dark grey-furred rabbit was digging his claws into the back of a lithe black stallion, and Philip was nowhere to be seen.

"Get off me, Phooka!" The kelp-maned horse screamed, and the realisation that Philip wasn't actually human spurred me into action.

I sent a wave of ice at the rabbit, effectively knocking him off of my acquaintance.

The last thing I remember is an egg flying towards my face, and exploding when a fearling intercepted it.

The grey predawn light filtering through the window threw me off, and it took a few minutes to remember where I was.

The whole place was a mess, furniture and books strewn all over. Philip, human again, was unconscious on the bed.

"Welcome back to the land of the half-living, Jack." I practically jumped out of my skin, before noticing him leaning against the overturned table.

"Augh, Pitch, you almost gave me a heartattack."

"Then at least one of us is doing our job." I stares at the broken mirror on the wall, which failed to offer an image of myself. He sighed. "Though I suppose I shouldn't have expected you to remember our deal."

I clenched my jaw. "Why would I have made a deal with you?"

"To protect the thing you care most about, Mors."

At the mere mention of that name, I collapsed on the ground at the sudden onset of pain so excruciating it was beyond words.

Once I was able to, I glared at the Nightmare King. "I still think three hundred years is a bit much for the protection of a girl who will only live another three decades."

"Who said she would remain human?"

Before I was able to think of a response, he vanished into the shadows.