Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, I had writers block. Anyways, enjoy and feel free to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Rise of the Guardians
It took the two spirits about two hours to get to Pitch's lair, though it should of taken them shorter. As soon as they started flying off, they flew into a problem. Both of them had important jobs, and they kept having to stop so they could fulfil their duties. The first stop they had to make was when Arrows saw two little kids walking through the streets. They both had blonde hair and seemed to be around twelve years old. They were avoiding each others eyes, as they silently walked on the park's path.
Arrows stopped so suddenly when she saw them, that Jack thought that she had broken one of her wings. Before he could whine about how she nearly yanked his arm off when she had suddenly stopped and pulled him back to hover beside her, she notched an arrows and pointed it at the two kids. In a second she let go and the arrow exploded in a shower of pink glitter around the two, lovebirds.
Arrows let out a sigh and turned around to see Jack looking at her as he rubbed his sore arm. "What? I still have a job to do." she said as she rolled her eyes and started flying away again.
Jack let out a puff of annoyance and ordered the winds to make him fly beside her. He looked out at the expanse of the city before him. It looked cozy with the little shops with snow on their roofs and chilly people cuddling inside them. He waved his staff and smiled as snow started to lightly fall and cover the little city.
The winds continued to carry him until arrows did something else extremely odd. She fell out of the sky.
"Catch her!" Jack yelled to the cold, North wind and they responded; they caught her just as she was about to fall into a fast- moving river and set her down on a nearby snowbank.
When Jack landed he jogged over to her and looked down at her as she rested. What he saw shocked him.
The usually happy and smiling spirit of love was pale and looked as if she was about to be sick. She started to cough and didn't stop for about two minutes before she rolled over onto her side so she was facing Jack.
She smiled up at him. "How embarrassing. Sorry about that Jack, I didn't mean to scare you."
"What happened? Why did you fall?" Jack asked. He didn't understand to spirit of love, she was confusing. One moment, she would be all smiles and happiness and then the next she seemed to have the flu. Her smile faded and her face turned into a grim expression.
"Someone fell out of love. It happens sometimes and this one was bad; he boyfriend was cheating on her with he best friend. The people who are closest to you always hurt more." Arrows said as she got up with some of Jack's help. She looked into his eyes and his look was of shock and disgust.
"You made her boyfriend cheat on her for her best friend? What the heck is wrong with you! Why would you do that?!" Jack yelled at her. He was furious, and it was plain to see. His face went a deep purple and he clenched his hands onto his staff so hard they turned even whiter. She had just messed with some innocent kid and he was not okay with that.
"Calm down Jack, I didn't do it!" She yelled back at him and it caught him by surprise, people didn't yell at him often. "It happens sometimes, Jack. And he wasn't truly in love with her friend, he just wanted her for 'guy needs,' nothing more. And people can fall out of love, especially at a young age."
Jack didn't know who he felt more sorry for, the spirit in front of him or the heartbroken girl that was alone somewhere. It was odd to think about, that the spirit in front of him actually got physically hurt when someone fell out of love. She didn't even have to know the persons name, they didn't need to be her best friend or her sister, they just had to be anyone that fell out of love and she would be in pain.
"Should we do something for her or . . . ?" Jack left the question open, waiting for an answer. Arrows looked at the ground and Jack thought he could see the smallest of smiles grace her lips.
"No, its okay. I don't want you to take a giant detour from our journey to help me, I'll be fine. I'm strong, And after a few decades, you get used to it." Arrows started flying away and Jack ordered the wind to make him float beside her.
They flew along in silence for what seemed like a century. Jack could sense the awkwardness in the air, because both of them didn't know what to say. After a while, though, Arrows finally spoke.
"So, ice, snow and winter, eh? That's what you take care of?"
Jack looked at her and started laughing. "Yup, that's all me. I'm also the guardian of fun, no big deal or anything. And obviously the snow, frost, ice and of course the blizzards, which I hear you've experienced yourself."
If looks could kill, Jack swore that the look Arrows gave him wouldn't just kill, it would slowly torture him until his last breath.
"And you go around shooting people with arrows and giving them babies. What else do you do, give people dating advice? Write all of those cheesy songs and movies about love?" Arrows could sense the humour in his voice and saw the way his lips twitched into a smirk and couldn't help but laugh.
"No, I don't give people dating advice and i don't write the cheesy movies." Arrows sighed before she continued telling Jack what her hobbies were. "I do write some songs, though. Nothing wonderful, or Grammy-worthy, but they're descent."
Jack looked at her amused. "If they aren't that bad, why don't you sing one to me."
Arrows's eyes widened at his offer. "No! I- I don't have them memorized or anything! And wh-who says I would want to sing one to you anyways? No, no, absolutely not, it will never happen."
Jack chuckled at her persistence and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, jeez! You don't have to go crazy! I was just wondering if you would want to, like after we check on Pitch or something. But if you don't want to show me your hobby, I'm not going to show you mine."
Arrows perked up at that and looked her fellow spirit in the eye. "Really, you have hobbies? You don't seem like the kind of person."
Jack scoffed at her statement and flew in front of her to look her in the eye. "Actually, as a matter of fact, I do have hobbies." Arrows looked at him and urged him to continue. "Well, I like having snowball fights with my believers, I like pulling pranks on my non-believers. And I like annoying Bunnymund, that's always fun." Jack's lips curled into a lop-sided smile as he told the spirit of love what his hobbies were.
"I guess you're a bit of a trickster, eh? I remember when I first became a spirit, I used to always pull pranks on people. After awhile it got a little lonely, though, so I stopped. Now I write songs, as I mentioned before." Arrows's voice was bitter as she said this and Jack realized something. His fellow spirit was depressed, she must not of had a lot of believers, she was probably having no fun with her job.
He looked at Arrows and her face was downcast, as she looked at the dimly lit cities below them. Jack took her hand and ordered the wind to pull them faster.
When he looked back at her, he saw that plastered to her face, was a look of pure horror and glee. He met her eyes and she laughed at him, "What are you doing?!"
Jack didn't respond, instead he made the wind pull them to their destination faster. In a few minutes they arrived at a clearing at a forest. Arrows looked around and studied her surroundings. The trees around her were mainly birch, but she could see some other trees that she couldn't name. In the middle of the clearing was a bed. It wasn't a grand bed that was able to be slept in, it was an old rickety one that looked like it would collapse if someone touched it.
"So, where are we exactly?" Arrows asked as she let go of Jack's hand and went to examine the bed more closely. She could see that it was made out of a light brown wood and the bars that would usually support a mattress, were broken and practically destroyed.
"You haven't figured it out? I mean, we're probably at the place we were going to from the start." Arrows glared at Jack because of the sarcasm dripping from his words.
"Ha-ha, very funny." she quietly mumbled before she turned to look at the broken bed once again. "So, what are we supposed to do? We're here and everything, so how are we going to check on Pitch?"
Jack walked over to her and looked down at the bed-frame with a look of disgust. "I'm not really sure, I haven't checked up on him yet, the other Guardians usually do." He examined the bed for a little longer and then held out his hand. In it appeared a ball of ice. Without hesitation, he threw the ball at the bed and held his breath as he waited to see what would happen.
Nothing happened and after a while he shrugged. "I guess he's still in hibernation." He turned to look at Arrows. "What do you want to do now?"
"Well, I still have to go make some more people fall in love, then I'm probably going to write some new songs."
Jack started hopping up and down. "Can I come? I can spread winter while you spread love, and then we won't be lonely! And, I'm still not going to prank with you unless you sing me one of your songs."
Arrows sighed and looked at him. "You want to come with me? You don't really seem like the kind of person that needs company. But, sure, if you want to come you can, I won't stop you." And with that Arrows flew away with Jack trailing behind her.
"Ya, I don't really need company anymore, since kids have started believing in me, but I still want to hear one of your songs." Jack said. "Just a question, though. Are all your songs about love? 'Cause I don't really like the whole concept. Probably because I was born in the 18th century and people didn't really love, but I just don't really get it."
The speed that Arrows flew around to face Jack was blinding. In a second she was in his face so they were eye to eye. "You don't get love?! What is there not to get? It's when two people really like each other and they want to be more than friends. It's when someone cares for another person so much, that they will die for them, they will give away everything for them!" Jack was taken aback from the spirit of love's ferocity.
He held up his hands and said. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that I guess I'm bitter because I've never fallen in love with someone, like a romantic love. Before I died I had a sister and I gave up my life to save hers. I know what love is, I just don't know what the other way feels like."
Jack averted Arrows's gaze and looked at the ground they were hovering thirty feet over. After what he just said sunk into Arrows, she started to laugh.
"Hey, what's so funny about that? You're the one that wasn't doing your job right, you forgot, like, all of the Guardians! That isn't very fair, now is it?" Jack defended himself.
"Well, if love is what you want, then here, have some. First mortal you see that is appropriate for you to love, you will." Arrows notched an arrow in her bow and aimed it at Jack. It would of hit Jack square in the chest and would've exploded around him if he hadn't been quick to jump out of the way. Unfortunately, he jumped right into a tree.
"Hey! I didn't mean I wanted it to be like that! I want to choose the girl I fall for, not you!" Arrows chuckled as Jack slowly got up from the tree he had crashed into.
"Sorry, force of habit. I didn't want to leave a lonely boy to fend for himself and either way, its what I do!" Arrows yelled to him as he flew away.
"Hey, wait up, Arrows!" Jack yelled back at her as he went to catch up with her.
Neither of the two young spirits even looked to see that the arrow Arrows had shot, was dug into the Earth under an old rickety bed. At least, that was where it rested before it was sucked into the Earth itself.
Yup, there's the chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it.
By the way, the story takes place after the movie, and I haven't read the books, so sorry if something isn't correct with their stories or if I mess up, because I'm just following the movie.
Anyways, feel free to review, criticism is accepted too because it will just help me be a better writer.