Followers & reviewers as of 4/16/2013: DementedDementor101, Gloriana the Younger, CasperGhost, AlwaysGryffindor13, Darksnider05, harrylee94, & Rileyshima
Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not the genius behind A Song of Ice & Fire, nor one of the ones behind Rise of the Guardians. All I own is my own insanity, which I claim proudly and fully blame for this convoluted mess.
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Chapter Nine: JACK
True to his word, Jack did bring a storm, letting the snow and ice dance its savage dance with the wind; for a moment. He stoppered his power after a day and a half, not letting his reach extend very far past the Wall, and wincing as the restraint caused him pain. Winter was already long overdue in Westeros, but his late arrival had allowed the pointless war to flower. Now he would wait as long as he could in hopes that something could be salvaged. The pressure of backed up power was laughable next to the pain he would feel for those who would surely starve, slipping into death as the cold claimed them. That was something he had not revealed to Jon Snow; he was a Guardian, yes, but he was also a killer.
The snow faded into soft flakes that would drift for a few more hours without his guidance and the wind tamed from a shrieking madness to a haunting moan, bending around the trees happily. It caressed him softly, sensing his hurt, and gathered him in gentle arms, urging him to rest. It was not the same wind he was used to, not really; it was composed of different spirits, but they were no less his friends than those in the winds of Earth. They cared for him just as warmly.
"I'm fine," he assured them, allowing himself to be led on their course, floating lazily in the breeze. In the quiet, he found his mind wandering to his other friends, wondering how they would acclimate to the new world MiM had sent them to. He was not too worried about Sandy; like Jack, the little golden man peddled something universal. He probably had his own paths between worlds; Westeros was likely a fairly familiar place. But Tooth, Bunny, and North? They had the dangerous disadvantage of being specialists. Who knew how MiM had transformed them to fit this world? He doubted the celestial Guardian would allow a giant rabbit to run around.
Shaking his head, the boy pushed his concerns out of his mind. Each of the Guardians was more than capable of handling any danger. He didn't like it, but separating had been necessary. There were too many pieces that had to come together, scattered across the land. Finding them one-by-one would have taken too long. Besides, Jack had to stay behind the Wall for as long as possible. The lands beyond the sea were not ready for winter; the Kingdoms were not prepared. He had been gone too long and had returned too late. Tying together the frayed edges was the only chance; especially with what stirred in the heart of the frozen north.
The weirwood hollow appeared ahead and the wind slackened, depositing its weary passenger on the boughs of a neighboring pine. The branch creaked a faint protest at the added weight, but held firm. Faint footsteps broke through his new snow, silent to ears that did not know the quiets of winter and wild, and he rolled his head to face Ghost. "Will you keep watch tonight?" he asked. White fur ruffled in the wind, reflecting the gleam of silent moonbeams, and red eyes held blue evenly. An agreement passed between them wordlessly, and the direwolf sat on his haunches, nose pointed into the wind, ears pricked to full alert. "Thank you," Jack breathed, letting his aching body relax against the tree. Within moments he had dropped into a sound sleep.
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"Jack… Jack…"
Jack shifted in his sleep, curling tighter on himself, trying to cling to whatever dream Sandman had sent him. He was tired and sore. Why wouldn't Jamie let him be?
"Jack Frost!"
The urgency in the shout dispelled the fog of unconsciousness, jerking Jack awake. Fully alert, he recognized the voice as Jon Snow, not Jamie, and he dropped to a lower branch. Jon stood in the knee-deep snow, a blazing branch in one hand, Ghost's back under the other. The direwolf's hackles were raised, his face pulled into a smiling snarl. The forest was quiet, even for a winter night, and the darkness outside Jon's circle of torchlight seemed exceptionally thick.
"White-walkers." There was no question in Jon's voice, despite his immediate blindness to the enemy that pressed just out of sight. "A lot of them."
Jack sank into a crouch, one hand resting on his perch, the other tightening on his staff, sending a fresh layer of frost over the worn wood. A blue glow fanned outward as he directed his power into the conduit, lighting up one circle of forest after another until the white-walkers were revealed. He hissed, an animal sound that was low and cold and lethal, drawing the attention of the abominations that corrupted his domain. Filmy blue eyes moved as one to settle on him, dead mouths pulling into sick facsimiles of smiles. Another hiss slipped past his lips, daring them to try him. There was a moment's hesitation, and then, as one, they charged.
Their approach was swift, unhindered by the deep snow, but he was faster still. He slammed his power back, sending it down the tree and across the buried ground, bringing it up again as an unbroken barricade of massive icicles. The crystalline spears were angled sharply, impaling many of the white-walkers as they ran. Another slam of his staff brought up a second row, piercing the opposite way, skewering the creatures in place. A handful made it past the defense, only to be quickly torn apart by Ghost's silent claws and fangs.
"Destroy them," Jack snarled, his voice as cold as his skin. Jon was quick to obey, touching his torch to every struggling body and shredded limb. Jack remained tensed and coiled, eyes and ears scanning the forest, and it was only when the last wisp of smoke was chased away by the wind that he allowed his guard to drop. He flopped onto the branch, exhausted despite his sleep, letting his magic seep back into his skin. Twining his fingers into his hair, he exhaled a deep breath, looking down at Jon. "We move on at daybreak."
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A/N: There. That's it. No more for the day. Probably. Don't expect this many one-day updates often, though. I mean, I probably could do it, but it would end with me drooling in a padded room. Anyhow, I tried to make this one longer. Hope you enjoyed it. AlwaysGriffyndor13 pointed out that all my introductory stuff took up a lot of space, so I got rid of most of it. This chapter feels naked to me, now, but hey, more actual story for you to read. So I guess I'll get over it. ^.^ Who should I do next?