CHAPTER 12-Half-Being

All was silent, except for the running of waters and the humming above as the mini fairies continued their work. Anna was the first to break the silence. "…Wow…Rapunzel…You're a Being."

"Partly," Rapunzel answer guiltily. "I'm not one of them quite yet, but I have the abilities of one."

"...You sure look different—In a good way."

"This is what I looked like when I was eighteen. I had golden hair at the time because, well…I never told you guys this but, back then my hair processed magic in them, to heal every wounds there was possible, even old age. I won't go into the details of how I lost my hair, but before it happened, I met my friends here, Jack, Merida, and Hiccup. We were strangers brought together by Manny for a special mission, we all changed—realizing we were Guardians, so we took the oath of Guardianship…But unlike the others, when I took the oath, I was, and still am a mortal. Until the time my mortal life ends, I can't become a full Being or spirit. But this is to be the form I take whenever I become a Being, and when I actually become one."

There was a long wait as Elsa, Anna, and Lukas was deep in thought, too long for Rapunzel to bear. The anxiety growing bigger inside of her the longer no one speak.

Anna was the first speak again. "…Well that's something to look forward to," she said trying to break through the newly formed barrier, "getting to look younger is a sweet deal—not that you have always look old—I mean you have always look young for your age, just now you look even younger-"

"Anna," Rapunzel giggled, "I understand, and thank-you."

"…So are you really the Spirit of Spring?"

"You've guessed well there princess," complimented Merida.

Anna walks over to Elsa in-order to lean in again, and say rather publicly, "I told you sooo."

Lukas also walks over to Elsa, though turns an angry glare at Rapunzel. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asks with bitter resentment. "Why make us go through all the charades when you could've told us—help us from the beginning?"

The fear vanished from Rapunzel's face, replaced by a hard defended look. "Everything was happening so quickly—how was I supposed to respond?!" Rapunzel challenged. "Even the Book of Promise, I never heard of the book until you brought it up. Besides, I couldn't just tell you 'hey I'm a Being' out of the blue, how crazy that would've been! And there were some things that I can't tell without the permission of Manny." Rapunzel stopped for a moment to allow herself to breath and calm down. "…Look, at the time, I couldn't be too sure if I could trust you. All I thought about doing was informing the Guardians, North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny about the attack, and let them decide what to do. They have experience when it comes to fighting Pitch-"

"-Wait Pitch?" ask Jack, his grip on his staff tightening. "Pitch Black is back?"

Toothless started to growl after hearing the name. "That can't be, we've beaten Pitch not too long ago!" said Hiccup, as he tries to understand how it was possible for Pitch to return so soon.

"Eight years is long enough in human time Hiccup," Rapunzel commented.

"Well why didn't you tell us about Pitch?" Merida questioned, sounding mad and disappointed in Rapunzel concealment.

"I'm sorry, I was unsure what to do…Seeing this Hans having powers similar to Pitch threw me off. Then hearing about the books, Pacts…I'm sorry…" She bows her head feeling ashamed of herself. She hates having to keep important secrets from her friends and family. Not even her own parents know about her being a Guardian: Eugene, Pascal and Maximus are the only exception to her secret.

"Enough," spoke North, coming to Rapunzel's side for comfort. "Rapunzel has done nothing wrong. She was right to keep her half-state Being a secret, and to hold off on spreading the news of Pitch. We currently don't know what Pitch is scheming with the use of war, not to mention, there are human lives at stake now, it would've been unwise to go rushing in without some proper thoughts and preparation put into this. Rapunzel has done right in her action given her short time."

North's logic made sense, Rapunzel's friends and cousins were all coming to accept her actions, and forgiving her for her concealment. Lukas however, was still holding on to his anger. Rapunzel walks over to him. Face-to-face, she said firmly to him, "I did helped you, I was helping you from the very beginning when we formed the kingdoms' alliances." Lukas raised an eyebrow at her, as a challenge. "I suggested you and Elsa to go to Tooth's world, right?"

"…You did," Lukas confirms.

"I was afraid of what might happen if the two of you were to enter the other world suddenly without warning, especially if you were to have visited a more, violent Being. This world may contain every good Beings there are, but some would rather rush into action than question why humans are here. Like Bunny as an example."

"It was an honest mistake!" cry Bunny in defense. "That ankle-bitter shouldn't even have been there in the first place, thanks to North's damn snow glob again."

North laughs heartily, "Snow glob, honest mistake," he defended effortlessly. "Mistaking a child for an enemy, I don't think so."

"She made it back home safe and sound, and with a few of my best eggs as an apology if I may add." Bunny turns away and scolds at no one, mumbling to himself that it was an honest mistake still.

"A child wondered into Bunny's warren one time," Rapunzel explained, "nearly got hit with the boomerang as well. But the point is I was helping from the very start. Pitch Black coming back is a big thing, making a Pact, even bigger. I wasn't going to let you, Elsa, or the men on this mission get hurt because of an unexpected visit. After the meeting in Arendelle, I came to this world as fast as I could, and informed North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny about Pitch, our plans—everything. So nothing would go wrong. When I returned to Earth…Manny told me to help get Anna on board one way or another. He wanted her to be a part of the Pact…I did what I did for everyone's best of interest."

Lukas' anger was fading, but he had one last question before he can trust Rapunzel again. "…Were you planning on keeping your half-state a secret even after the Pact, even when the fighting starts?"

"I can't fight with my full strength if I were to do that Lukas. I can't be both human Rapunzel and a Guardian at the same time if I am to fight. I was hoping that once you and Elsa and Anna have gotten comfortable with North and the others; I could reveal my half-state to you. That plan still stand even with the inclusion of my friends…But I guess no matter the situation or how hard I try to prepare you, a shock is still a shock…"

Lukas took in a few deep breaths before running a hand through his hair, and letting out a long sigh. "I'm sorry," he replied, "sometimes my anger gets the best of me and I stop thinking straight…What you did you did for the best of all of us, you have my gratitude Rapunzel."

Lukas felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that it was Sandy. He was smiling a gentle smile, with a ring forming above his head with his sands. Lukas understands. Sandy is happy with his peacemaking with Rapunzel.

"This is good," North starts, "now we can get down to real business." He turns and walks over to stand by Tooth and Bunny, and was joined by Sandy. North had the young Guardians' attention along with Elsa's party. He first addresses the group of young Guardians, telling them of the attack on Arendelle, Pitch's involvement, the Promise Books, and the reason why Elsa and her group is here.

"Sounds like you guys got everything planned out," comment Jack, coming down from the squat potion he was in on his staff. "So what does Manny wants us to do?"

The young Guardians all turned their eyes to their friend Rapunzel, expecting she would know something. "Don't look at me; I'm as clueless as you guys."

"Originally," began Tooth, "it was decided that that the four of us was going to make a Pact with Elsa and the others. But Manny came and said he wanted the four of you instead.

"So what is a Pact exactly?" questioned Hiccup. "We're still pretty young North, according to Beings' standard. So we don't know much about it, or anything in general."

North crosses his arms and repositioned himself on a stump he was sitting on. "The Pact is what a Being would form with a human. A ceremony where both sides make a promise to one another, in order to strengthen a Being's power and ability to fight. Normally, what the Being would promise to their human partner is their loyalty, the aid of their power, trust, and in addition for Guardians, we can promise parts of our Layers, or even our Center."

Elsa had notice how the mention of 'their center,' made the young Beings, even Rapunzel, place a hand over their chest. As if the word center hold a special meaning to them. "In return," North continues, "their human partner would promise their own loyalty, strength, and their faith in their partner, and whatever else they can give to strengthen the Pact. So long as neither side betrays their end of the promise, then the Beings can only gain to become stronger from the Pact."

"…There is something that just doesn't make sense," comment Elsa. "All this time you've been saying how the partnered Beings will fight and will gain great power from the Pact. Can't the human partner fight as well, while sharing the Being's power?" North gave her a stern look along with the older Guardians.

"Is it possible North?" This time it was Rapunzel who asked. The night she went to inform the Guardians, she had asked them how it was possible for Hans to possess Pitch's powers, but they refused to answer her. Saying it was something she didn't need to know, and shouldn't know for the best.

North remains silent; a dark expression has fallen on his face as he seems to be in deep thought. "You can," answer Bunny reluctantly, "but it can come at a terrible price for the human depending on what they promised."

"What do you mean?" question Lukas, wondering what sort of promise his brother has made with Pitch in return for the Being's power.

North recovers from his thought and proceeded to explain. "If the human partner wishes to possess some of their Being's power, then it involves more than just making a promise. It includes a Merging. Where the human must have a piece in which makes them similar to their partner, a part that is similar to their Being's center, or a layer of it. Through so, it can give the human a slight bit of magic ability similar to their partner, or enhance the human's magic if they already possess some. The closer their similarities are the stronger the Merging will be, and the greater the power the human will receive from their partner…But for the Merging to be at its peak, not only does the human must have the exact same center as their partner, including the layers, but do an actually physical merging."

"…North…are you telling me, that my brother and Pitch, has become one?" Lukas was shaken-up. Was his brother still human or a half-Being like Rapunzel? Or is he now something else entirely?

"No. From what Rapunzel have described to us, I don't think your brother has done a complete Merging. I don't know what Hans is like, but I assum he possess some similarities to Pitch's layers, but center, hardly anyone can inspire, master the use of fear as well as the Nightmare King himself. More likely he has managed to merge one of Pitch's Layers to himself."

"And what's the consequence for doing a Merging?" Anna asks hesitantly, in-which resulted in Elsa turning a glare on her. It was a clear message that she doesn't agree with doing a Merging, and was certainly not going to let Anna do it, if she was thinking of even trying it."

"Well…if it's just sharing the Being's Layers or the Center, then consequences small. A feeling of change of who you are, some physical changes as well, like the color of eyes and hair…But for an actual physical merging…the human must possess the exact center and layers like their partner, all of it. Otherwise, there's the possibility that the human will be consume by accident."

"Consume?"

"Consume. The human will be no more; they disappear, or turn into a creature use by the Being."

Lukas looks down to the ground, "So, that may be my brother's fate." What he said left an air of tension. He held an unreadable face, but Elsa, Anna, and the young Guardians couldn't turn their eyes away. Weary of what else he was thinking.

"Well isn't there any way to save him?" Hiccup asks, hoping that will give some console to Lukas.

Tooth was the one to answer. "The only way to save Hans is to separate him from Pitch. But doing so by force is near to impossible. It can only be done if Hans or Pitch wants to be separated, by having either of the two terminate their Merging and Pact…The question though, is Hans willing to terminate the Merging. It won't matter to Pitch if his partner is consumed or not…"

"You know him the best mate," said Bunny, "is there a chance he'll do it?"

"…Hans is clever," Lukas respond, "he will probably try to manipulate Pitch before terminating the Pact. It will have to come down to a dire situation to force him to do it."

"He's already in one." Merida comment, as she skips a pebble into the pond, "It may even be too late for him at this point."

"Merida!" Rapunzel scold.

"It's fine Rapunzel," Lukas defended. "We'll save him if we can, but from the sound of it he has to save himself. I can try to talk some sense into him—If I ever get the chance, but otherwise, there's not much we can do for him…"

It didn't seem like Lukas wanted to say anymore on the subject, and with night approaching soon, Jack wanted to reach the end of their meeting for today. "Looks like there's nothing else to discuss about," Jack starts, "We defeated Pitch before and we'll happily do it again. We'll send him back under the bed he crawled out of, right gang?"

"You don't have to say that twice," said Rapunzel, as she tucks part of her hair behind her back. Elsa wasn't sure if she was seeing right, but it looks as though Rapunzel's hair was glowing just as she was tucking it.

"Count me in for a good fight anytime!" said Merida, holding up her bow in the excitement.

"Don't forget about us." said Hiccup, as he scratched behind Toothless' ear. "I have a few new devises that needs to be test out. Pitch would make a good ginny pig for that."

North and the older Guardians all observed in silence, as the young Guardians get themselves hyped up. Elsa looks more relax now, Anna was also feeling the energy from their new allies. And Lukas, despite what he had learned of his brother's possible fate, he was smiling in satisfaction.

Outside, the sun was sinking under the horizon of clouds, the shades of pink are gone, replace by a warm set of orange, red, yellow. Manny's light was coming soon, ready to shine away the coming dark.