Alaia Skyhawk:

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.

~(-)~

Chapter 88: The Wait

There was a moderate amount of surprise from the residents of the Workshop, when the group and the sleigh arrived seemingly out of thin air at the clear area just outside the building's main doors. Jack's mirrors had saved a lot of time, in retrieving the fifth Relic and then returning to base. Whether or not that was a bonus, they wouldn't know for a while. But what was a bonus, was being able to sit down in the warm and relax as they discussed what to do next.

They went to the top floor, to where the massive hearth was, and settled around a table that the yetis quickly set up. Jack parked himself on one of the windowsills that were either side of the fire, conjuring and suspending what looked like a dozen or so palm-sized ice mirrors. He then closed his eyes and sat there, not sleeping because he was tapping his fingers on one knee, but certainly listening to what would be discussed at the table.

The others paused after he'd settled himself, not sure how to interpret him going off to the side. But then matters as important as what was at hand, meant they didn't watch for long before sitting and starting to talk.

All five Relics were laid out on the table. The sword of Tsar Lunanoff XI. The egg off Bunnymund's staff, which contained light from the beginning of time. Toothiana's ruby box, which held inside it one of the Man in the Moon's baby teeth. The Mirror of Wishing Stars, and lastly the pendant that had been in the keeping of that Native American village.

Ombric picked that one up, examining it before then sliding it across the table to Bunnymund.

"As you are our resident expert on all things from the Golden Age, can you tell us about that one? What is it called? What does it do?"

The Pooka caught it, adjusting his spectacles and tilting his head.

"Not much to say, really. The rest of the Relic's are unique, one of a kind, but there were many of these during the Golden Age. I suppose you could call them a 'badge of office'."

North looked puzzled, as did everyone else.

"For what?"

Bunnymund sighed.

"The head of each Constellation Family had one, and any new such family that was found would be made and given one as well. It allowed them to draw strength from any willing people or immortals that are in range. It could also be used to spread the burden of a fight across those people. That is what the spiral shape, which connects all the gems together, represents. The ties between those who have utmost trust in each other. Who will support each other no matter what."

He set the pendant down. "Its usefulness is directly linked to the level of trust between those it is used to connect. Pitch had several very tough fights against Constellation Families, because of these. He had to wear down every single member of those households, and all the immortals and friends that rushed to protect them, to defeat them. It was the only thing that ever seemed to slow his rampage down."

Jack's voice drifted over from the window, his eyes still closed.

"Sounds to me like you guys need to prepare an army while you have the chance. I can get as many as you want up to the moon, so there's no limit other than what you can recruit before we go. The yetis here are practically an army all by themselves."

The rest of them stared at him, Toothiana noting that the Spirit of Winter's hair was being stirred by wind from somewhere.

"What exactly are you doing over there?"

Jack shrugged.

"I've still got the winds looking for Pitch, and the ship he stole. I can't exactly recreate my proper set-up from the future, but a handful of my mirrors still cuts the time it takes for winds to reach me with information, to a maximum of ten minutes. It takes longer than that to fly to the moon, so we can still get there before him as soon as the wind's see him launch."

North raised his eyebrows.

"Useful."

Katherine tapped on the table, and then pointed to the Mirror of Wishing Stars.

"We still haven't told Jack about that, or asked him what his inner talent would be."

Jack cracked his eyes open a little, glancing over at the table to the Relic she indicated.

"You've see it. I can stop people feeling Unnatural Fear, and make them smile and laugh. Why you ask?" Sanderson pointed to the mirror as well, rapidly drawing with dreamsand for several seconds until Jack made an 'oh' expression. The Guardian of Fun then mused to himself, then stood up and opened the window. "So that's what it does... I'll leave you all to keep planning. If the winds find anything, I'll come and let you know."

He jumped out the window, nudging it closed as he left, and shot upwards out of view. Leaving behind a group of very confused people.

The silence lasted for almost a minute, until Ombric nodded to himself.

"He's right. We should keep planning."

~(-)~

Over the ensuing days, Jack was seen very little in or around the Workshop. Even when he did show up, it was only for a few minutes to say the winds hadn't yet found anything. Sat by the window in her room, it was something that made Katherine worry. As she wondered just why it was that he was being so distant.

She began to go outside during the day, wrapped up tight against the Arctic chill, to walk around in search of the Spirit of Winter. A simple feeling in her heart, telling her that he hadn't gone far. That even if he wasn't seen, he was still close by just in case he was needed.

Katherine stayed out as long as she could, which wasn't really long with Polar Night starting to creep closer and closer. The sun shone for less and less each passing day, and yet even after sunset she would linger outside just a little longer. That was why, a week after she'd started looking for Jack, Nightlight joined her outside. His glow letting her wander about even when it was dark, until the cold at last drove her back inside. Santoff Claussen had been cold in winter, but not as cold as this.

It was the fourth day after Nightlight began joining her, with preparations of the yeti and egg-bot armies now finished, that she and the spectral boy at last discovered where Jack had been hiding himself.

He was up on the roof of the main building, at the back of the dome where it met with the rock of the mountain. The winds whipped up the snow in that natural funnel, creating a misty veil of white that had kept Jack even from Nightlight's view. And when the boy carried Katherine up there, and the two of them approached, they arrived to see Jack taking shots at the mountainside with his bow. The Guardian still had his cluster of small mirrors suspended in the air just behind him.

Jack glanced at them when they came into view, before going right back to shooting at the rock. Almost as if he were putting an invisible wall of ice up between them, to discourage them from staying. But that wouldn't work on Katherine, ever, and she murmured to the boy beside her.

"Come back for me in a while, ok? I'd like to talk to Jack alone. I don't think he'll talk if we're both here."

Nightlight nodded, if a bit hesitantly, and flew away as requested. Leaving Katherine to proceed to Jack's side, where she then sat down in the snow next to him and pulled up her hood against the cold wind.

She said nothing, just sat there watching him practice, until he at last sighed and made a gesture with his hand. The winds began to veer around the two of them, leaving a pocket of still air as Jack sat down beside her.

"You're just the same in a few centuries, as you are right now. You may not become a wizard, but your Belief and sheer stubborn will keep you around for very long time... What do you want to talk about?"

Katherine frowned a little.

"I've been worried about you. You keep hiding away, like you don't want to be around us. Aren't you lonely?"

Jack winced, and sighed.

"Yeah, but that's besides the point. I do want to be around you all, but... The less I'm there, then the fewer strange gaps you'll have in your memories once I'm sent home. It's like how I won't be able to be right there with you, during the fight at the moon."

Katherine gasped.

"Why not?"

Jack remained solemn.

"I've spoken to Ombric about it, and he'll tell everyone once the battle starts, but I suppose I can tell you now. I'm going to use the Mirror of Wishing Stars, so that it will protect you all and the yetis from being affected by Unnatural Fear during the fight. Without me being there with you... In the meantime I'm going to be on my own, guarding Tsar Lunar."

He glanced at her. "I could go out there beside you all, use my frostdust full on and burn the Fearlings to fragile wraiths with it... But that would change history, and break the paradox. Because in the history I know, you fight the Fearlings and Pitch at the dark side of the moon. It's a big battle, really big, so there's no way I could possibly be involved in it directly. I'm not here to win the fight for you all. I'm here to tip the balance just enough for you to win on your own."

"And so you've been up here, by yourself, just waiting for the battle. With nothing but your memories of home for company." Katherine shuffled closer, and pulled him into a hug. "You can keep out of the way if you like, but you don't have to do it up here. I'm sure we can find a room for you, where you can wait without being obvious. And, if you don't mind a little company, I can come by and read you some of my stories."

Jack smiled at that, wry.

"Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but it's all right. I know all of your stories anyway. I choose and tell some of them to my believers every Northern Winter. The children love them." He sighed. "Even the ones I don't tell the kids, are great. Your story about the Battle of the Moon, is especially good. It makes no mention of me though, obviously."

Katherine lowered her arm from his shoulders in surprise, aghast.

"You're not in the story? But without your help we wouldn't win!"

Jack put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"You won't recall that I was here, none of you will. You'll write your story without me in it, but I don't mind."

Katherine had tears in her eyes, in sympathy for him and frustration in knowing she would forget. It wasn't fair.

"But we really will remember again, someday?" Jack nodded, and she smiled. "Then I promise that, as soon as I remember the truth again, I'll be re-writing that story! So you'd better come visit me to hear it, ok?"

Jack grinned, playfully reaching with his fingers to tweak the end of her nose.

"Sure thing, Mother Goose."

She blinked at that, then started to giggle at the nickname. It would be something she'd remember, even if she couldn't say for sure who called her that first. It was a name that just seemed to 'fit'.

Jack resumed his practice, and listening to the winds coming through his mirrors, while she stayed and watched for a bit longer. Katherine didn't argue when Nightlight arrived to carry her back down, and Jack chose to remain where he was. Because she knew Jack would refuse no matter what she said. He cared about them too much to risk anything going wrong with the paradox.

It would be two more days of no news, before the morning when he burst into the Workshop with his expression set and determined.

"Pitch has just launched the stolen ship. He's on his way to the moon."

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: Dun dun dun DUN! Tomorrow, the battle! ^_^