The room was packed with yetis and elves nearly shoulder to shoulder. The walls and floor were solid steel. The sound of muffled explosions echoing off their surfaces made her feel like she was in an old World War Two bunker.
A tug on her sleeve made her look down to see Jingle. The small elf smiled up at her.
"Jingle. Glad to see your alright. Tell me are the others down here?"
Jingle nodded and began dragging her along by the sleeve.
"Pitch this way."
They made their way through the crowd trying not to jostle any yetis or step on any elves. They reached the corner of the room where the other guardians and Smith's family were gathered and talking loudly over the crowd.
Sandy spotted them and quickly singed to the others. Jack turned and saw them as well.
"Hey look!"
They turned.
"You made it!" Bunny shouted.
"Smith said that you got trapped in a hallway, we were about to go back after you." North said.
"I was, but Pitch got me out."
"Tell me how many more are are still trapped upstairs?"
Elsie was at a loss. "Uh-"
"We came from the second floor and didn't see anyone left on our way down." Pitch answered.
North nodded. "Good, so hopefully everyone's here. Now to get out." He took two snow globes from his pockets.
"Where do we go now?" Jack asked grimly.
"Bunny is your warren safe?" North asked turning to his friend.
Bunny shook his head. "I wouldn't reckon so. My warrens not far from Cupid's place. I reckon Morticia's already got some of her creatures there."
"We can go to my palace." Tooth chimed in. "I don't know how much time it'll buy us, but it'll take those things some time to reach the Huang Shan mountain range."
"Looks like our best option for now." Jack said.
"I agree." North said and turned to the crowd. "Listen up!" He bellowed causing the chattering to stop. North shook the snow globes and threw them, opening two portals. "We're all getting out of here. I want everyone to file up into two lines, and no pushing." A loud explosion shook the bunker. "That'll be the stairwell collapsing. Alright double time!"
The yetis, elves and fairies filed out of the room, making it much less crowded. It was then Elsie noticed that something was missing, or rather someone.
"North where's Chirin?" She couldn't see her friend anywhere and was getting more and more worried by the second.
North looked down in shame. "While you were missing, Chirin helped us fight down to the first floor. I stopped to release reindeer, letting them loose outside. Ram stopped and acted like he saw something. He took off out into blizzard. I tried calling him back. I am so sorry Elsie."
Elsie stared in shock, Chirin had ran out into the blizzard. She had to do something. As the last yeti exited through the portal she turned to the door.
"I have to go back for him."
Jack grabbed her shoulder. "Are you crazy? That's suicide!"
"I can't leave him behind! He wouldn't leave me."
"Your not going." North said authoritatively.
"I wasn't asking." Elsie said and made for the door. She heard someone growl and was suddenly pulled back and turned around to face a pair of angry eclipse eyes.
He lifted her up by the collar of her jacket. "Don't be a damned fool!" He growled so menacingly.
Elsie was rendered silent. She had never seen this side of Pitch before, he was actually threatening and she was for a moment afraid.
"Your ram has a better chance of surviving that blizzard than you do. If your foolish enough to think you could fight your way back up there just to throw yourself into a storm then I don't see how the man in the moon thought you'd ever be any help to us at all." He dropped her back onto the ground.
She stood and stared at him defiantly. "I won't leave him." She said unshaken.
He looked like he was about to yell again before his face relaxed. "Fine then, I won't ask you." He grabbed her tightly by the wrist and began dragging her to the portal.
"Let go!" She tried to pry her wrist free but his grasp was too strong.
"Not until you stop acting like a damned fool."
She tried summoning a shadow, but when nothing happened she realized that he was manipulating them, holding them back, and as strong as she was she was no real match for him. He had centuries to of perfecting shadow manipulation over her.
Pitch dragged Elsie through the portal with the others close behind, and only let go after the swirling vortex had vanished behind them.
Elsie stared at where the portal had once been not sure if she should be sad or angry. A hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to see Tooth with a sympathetic expression.
"Chirin is strong and fierce. There's nothing he couldn't handle."
She sighed finally defeated and a sense of misery overcoming her. "I...I know. We've just never left each other's side. Never retreat, never surrender, you know." She said dishearteningly.
Pitch felt guilty seeing this, but he didn't want to see her killed by those things. She reminded him so much like himself. She was so much like him,dark like him but at the same time seemed to light up the world around her. Thinking it best to give her space he disappeared into the shadows.
Tooth zoomed into the air above the crowd. She called over a flock of her fairies. "Everyone listen up." She called gaining everyone's attention. "My fairies are going to break you into groups and take you to your rooms. Dinner will be brought to you, oh and please don't wander off, it's very easy to get lost here. Okay thanks."
The large crowd dispersed as the fairies pointed to them and began leading them through the maze of pathways.
Tooth zipped down and led the guardians to three chambers at the peak of the palace. Smith and his family were given the one at the end and were quick to say goodnight. Tooth led the others into the middle one. It was large with single beds around the edges, silk curtains were draped around the walls and the open windows gave the room a warm and free feeling.
Bunny made a b-line for one of the beds and collapsed, rubbing his sore feet. "Oi, I thought I was going to collapse."
North and Sandy too went to claim a bed.
"What you guys can't be that tired already. It's barely mid afternoon." Jack said rushing to the windows to gaze at the mountains and jungle below. "Don't you want to check this place out?"
North groaned. "Jack while I admire your enthusiasm I am afraid that we are not as energetic as you are."
The young spirit pouted at them. "Fine. At least I know one person whose always up for an adventure." He lept to Elsie's side leaning on her shoulder in a comical way.
She turned away. "Thanks Jack." She tried to smile but it came out sad. "But I think I'll pass this time." She went to sit on the bed furthest away from the others.
Jack watched her for a bit. He thought about using one of his magic snowballs but thought that trying to force her into being happy would only make things worse. Eventually he nodded. "Alright then. Tooth?"
"Sure Jack, I'll give you the grand tour." She hoped that would get Elsie's attention.
She gave no reaction.
Tooth sighed and lead Jack out.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Elsie sifted through her dinner. The freshly picked fruit salad looked and smelled divine, but she couldn't get more than a few bites down. Worry and guilt were eating her away. What if he hadn't survived, what if he'd been taken down by those monsters? Or worse, was injured and in pain, awaiting when she would come back to save him. The uncertainty made her sick to her stomach. She kept replaying the siege of North's workshop over and over again thinking of what she could've done differently. If there was something she could have done to save Chirin.
The others had noticed her depression and had tried cheering her up, from flying sand animals to finding candy canes and brightly colored Easter eggs hidden all around her. She'd smiled and thanked them and say she was fine, but they knew she wasn't and Tooth decided it was her turn.
"Elsie." She hovered over to the younger woman. "Let's take a walk."
Elsie nodded, stood and began following her out.
Jack threw Tooth a confused look.
She smiled and winked at him.
He smiled understanding what she was doing.
Toothania lead her down one of the winding pathways. They past a large structure that was dispensing quarters which the fairies zipped over and took.
A strange noise caught their ears. They came around the structure to see an elf, Elsie recognized as Jingle, swatting at a group of fairies that were trying to lead him to a distant chamber.
"What's going on here?" Tooth asked confused.
A fairy zipped up and began squeaking to her.
Jingle saw Elsie and ran up to her, seeking shelter from the fairies that still tugged at him, trying to lead him away.
Elsie kneeled down. "Hey Jingle, what's wrong."
Jingle pointed to the fairies that hovered around them.
"Don't you want to go and be with the other elves?"
He shook his head, shaking his hat bell.
"Well do you wanna come with us, Tooth is showing me around?"
Jingle nodded happily.
"Okay okay, calm down girls." Tooth said trying to soothe her mini fairies. "I'll think he'll be fine with us. We'll keep an eye on him."
The fairies nodded and flew away to perform other tasks.
Tooth motioned Elsie to follow, which she did with Jingle in tow. They came upon eleven very large structures, each containing thousands of canisters that the mini fairies opened and dropped teeth into.
"Elsie," Tooth started gaining her attention. "Do you know why we collect the teeth?"
Elsie shook her head.
Tooth motioned her to follow towards one of the large structures. "It's because the teeth hold the most important memories of childhood. We protect them and when the children need to remember, we're there for them." Tooth began looking at the cover of the canisters.
"Wow." Was all Elsie could manage as she gazed at the amount of canisters. She knew that the teeth had to have some kind of importance but she never thought it was anything like that.
"Here you are." Tooth plucked a canister from it's space. She gazed at it gingerly before handing it over. "I think you could really use this."
Elsie turned it over in her hand listening to the gentle rattle from within and found a small painted face with black hair with a blonde streak and vibrant green eyes smiling at her. "These are my teeth?"
Tooth nodded. "From your first central incisor when you were three to your last secondary molar when you were ten."
Elsie gently caressed the diamond pattern surface of the canister. She was suddenly overcome with a series of memories from her childhood. Dressing as a vampire for career day, discovering her powers, meeting Chirin, laughing with her parents on her eighteenth birthday. As the memories flowed through her the tight grip of sorrow loosened and a delicate smile graced her features. "Thank you Tooth, I had almost forgotten all of these."
Tooth smiled radiantly. "It's the very least I can do."
As Elsie continued to stroke the surface the facelet opened revealing the small white teeth within. "There's one missing." She said looking at an empty space.
Tooth leaned forward for a better look and confirmed this with a nod. "One of your first central incisors. I think you might have swallowed it." They both laughed for a bit.
Elsie gently closed the facelet and slid the canister back into place with the others. "Thank you Tooth, your a true friend."
Tooth scratched the back of her neck. "I'm getting there. Would you like to see the rest of the palace? There's a spectacular waterfall that goes right over the right wing."
"That sounds wonderful." She turned to the small elf. "Are you coming Jingle?"
The little elf nodded and trailed behind Elsie, occasionally stopping to look at something but never letting her get more than five steps ahead.
They visited the waterfall where a rainbow hung perpetually in the air above.
Elsie sighed, enjoying the cool mist that fell upon her face. They visited the lowest chambers, where they stood beholding the great mountains above and the misty jungles below where they caught the sounds of exotic birds singing their melodies in the setting sunlight. They visited the orchard where groves of mangoes, starfruit and papaya trees grew, filling the air with their heady fragrance. They stopped there for a snack. Tooth gathered the largest and ripest starfruit from the top of the tree and Elsie used a shadow blade to cut it perfectly into thirds for the three of them.
Finally when the sun had set and the stars shone brightly in the clear night sky did they start heading back to the sleeping chambers. As they climbed the pathways they past a structure filled with canisters, not unlike the ones at her own, but the structure was painted dark blue and mirrored the stars above and lacked the flocks of fairies coming to deposit teeth.
Elsie paused. "Hey Tooth whats that?"
Tooth looked at the structure, her content expression becoming sad and mournful. "That holds the teeth of the children who never made it past childhood." She nearly whispered in anguish.
"Oh. I see, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We carry on their memories, in a way they live on through us."
Elsie looked at the structure and up at the night sky. Such a sad place but such a beautiful night.
"Ready to head in?"
"Would you mind if I stayed out a bit longer. I find looking at the stars to be so lulling and it's such a gorgeous night."
"Of course. When your ready just head straight up this path." She pointed to the way and said good night before starting up herself.
"Jingle do you want to go up with her to bed?"
The tiny elf shook his head and sat down crossing his arms for good measure.
"Alright then."
Elsie stared up at the night sky for a good ten minutes, gazing at the magnificent celestial canopy of obsidian dappled with tiny flakes of gold, silver and occasionally a ruby or sapphire.
"Cheryl."
It was soft, as soft as a feather on a summer's breeze, but Elsie swore she heard someone, a woman call out someone's name. Her gaze fell upon the structure for fallen children. No one was around. She turned to Jingle who was still stargazing.
"Did you here that?"
He shook his head.
She continued to look at the dark structure.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Pitch stared at the tiny painted face. Now it all made sense. The feeling he got whenever he looked into her eyes, how they almost looked familiar. He couldn't believe he didn't realize it sooner. Her burn marks should have been a dead give away. But her powers, where did they come from? Perhaps, perhaps when he had spilt nightmare sand over her it had seeped into her wounds. But could that have really caused her to develop shadow powers? Apparently so. He continued to ponder on his realization and what it meant now and how it now changed things. He didn't here the footsteps until he saw someone come around the corner. He looked to see Elsie looking back at him.
"Oh, hey." She greeted him awkwardly.
Jingle rushed behind her, wrapping himself around her heels.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked turning back.
"I stayed out to watch the stars for a bit."
He glanced up before turning back to the canisters.
"I owe you a thank you. For pulling me through the portal that is."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.
She sighed, knowing he wanted more. "I was acting irrational."
"Yes, you were."
"I know Chirin's fine. He's strong, stronger than me. I think actually I'm the one lost without him."
He nodded. With a glance at the painted face and a glance at Elsie he figured now was better than never. "Tell me, how was your family life, your childhood? Were you happy? Your parents are they good to you?"
"Why, are you looking to adopt?" She said humorously, almost laughing.
He smiled and remained silent.
She realized he was still waiting for an answer. She again looked to the stars and thought of her family. "Yeah, I had a great childhood. I was an only child and my parents were very loving. My mother was always a bit over protective but my father always encouraged me to be myself no matter what anyone else said."
"Were you ridiculed often?"
"No, I mean I usually kept to myself."
"Because the others didn't accept you."
"No because of my powers."
He gave her a questioning look.
"You saw what I did to North's globe."
"You were defending yourself."
"Yeah and I almost hurt Tooth and Sandy." She sighed. "When I was little I accidentally hurt one of my best friends with my powers. She was okay but I never forgave myself, I couldn't risk hurting anyone else. So I kept away from most people."
He nodded and continued staring forward. Curiously she approached to see what he was looking at. Jingle clung to her leg nervously. Elsie stood next to him and followed his gaze to a canister with a very young girl with bright blonde hair and green eyes, placed next to two canisters with similar features.
"Did you know her?" She asked watching his expression.
He looked conflicted. "Yes." He finally said.
"What happened?"
"A fire."
"A fire." Elsie repeated remembering her nightmares.
He sensed her fear. "Your afraid of fire?" It was a statement, not a question. He didn't need to ask.
"Yes from my nightmares." She paused.
"Which nightmares?"
"Well, it's always the same one, as long as I can remember. There's fire all around, everything's burning. Even I'm burning. Then everything's cool and dark and I wake up. Is that normal? I mean don't people usually have different nightmares."
Pitch closed his eyes and sighed. "Nightmares react differently for each person. What is normal for one person is an oddity to another." He looked up to the night sky. "Well I think I shall bid you a good night. Perhaps tomorrow shall bring some answers." He turned and began on his way up the path towards the sleeping chambers.
"Goodnight Pitch." Elsie said and turned to look back at the canister of the girl just in time to see Jingle on his tippy toes trying to pull it out. The canister teetered for a second before falling forwards towards the ground.
"Jingle no!" Elsie cried and quickly reached forward trying to catch it.
Pitch heard her and turned just in time to see Elsie catch the canister, her thumb rubbing against the diamond tiles. She inhaled sharply as images flooded her mind.
Elsie looked around the room. Light wooden walls, a window that looked out to a forest. There were two beds, one she was sitting on and one across from her, it was strange and all yet strangely familiar.
"Cheryl." A warm sweet voice called.
Elsie looked at the door.
"Cheryl." The voice sounded again, a woman came to stand in the doorway, she had long bright blonde hair and vibrant green eyes, like Elsie's. She held the hand of a small with brown hair and the same green eyes. The woman spotted her and smiled warmly. "There you are Cheryl. Where have you been?"
Elsie felt herself smiling against her will. "I've been right here."
The woman smiled again. She took the young boy and tucked him into the other bed. "Goodnight Alex, sleep tight darling." She kissed his forehead.
"Night mommy." He said and closing his eyes and turning over.
The woman moved over to Elsie and sat on the edge of her bed. "Are you ready for bed sweet heart?"
Elsie felt herself nod.
A young girl, older than the boy, came to the doorway with a tall man at her side. Both had brown hair and blue eyes, but where the man's hair was straight the girl's was thick and wavy.
"Goodnight mommy." She called.
"Goodnight Rose." The woman called back.
The girl smiled and followed the man away.
"Alright Cheryl, it's time to close your eyes and fall asleep. I've put your tooth under your pillow so the tooth fairy can find it." The woman cooed.
'Wait', Elsie thought, 'who are these people, why do I know their faces? Why does that woman look like me? Why Can't I move? Am I dreaming?' Elsie felt herself lying down.
"Goodnight Cheryl."
"Goodnight mama."
The woman got up and headed for the door.
"Wait! Leave the light on please."
The woman nodded and turned down the light of the oil lamp on the table next to the boy's bed.
The next few images went by fast. A tall figure in the dark room exiting into the hallway. The boy Alex shifting in his sleep, knocking into the table, the room becoming very bright. The room was on fire, Elsie felt herself climb out of bed and run over to Alex's, which was buried in fire. Elsie reached out to lift the debris, she felt a terrible burning sensation and her hand came back burnt and bleeding. She back stepped and a rafter came down and trapped her leg, she tried to shriek but the smoke was suffocating her. She managed to free herself and was huddled into a corner. Soon the tall figure re-entered looking around desperately. In the light of the flame Elsie recognized Pitch. She tried to call out, to ask him what was going on, but couldn't, she couldn't even control what she was doing. She could only watch, like with the... It suddenly hit her, this was all a memory, her memory.
Her younger self whimpered as if to call out for help.
Pitch turned and spotted her. For a half second he stared, then kneeled and reached for her. She hobbled over to him, he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.
She felt the familiar sensation of icy water as he evaporated. He re-formed and Elsie looked at the house, now engulfed in flames. She felt a tingling sensation and could only watch as streams of nightmare sand flowed from Pitch's hands into her hair and over her wounds. Her burning limbs cooled as the sand trickled over and mixed with her blood. Young Elsie gripped tightly at his cloak, there was a buzzing sound and she spotted one of Tooth's fairies before the feeling of icy water again.
Now Pitch was carrying her through a street, her home street in her town. He placed on the steps of her home, rang the door bell and disappeared. The door opened and Elsie saw her mother and father.
Elsie gasped as her mind returned to her body. She breathed heavily, her whole body trembling.
"Those-those were my parents...my real parents." She said shakily staring at the canister. Her legs felt weak, she felt dizzy now, as if the world were spinning on a carousel around her. She reached a hand out to try and steady herself but could grasp nothing.
A large hand gently curled around hers, she looked up to see Pitch. He wrapped his other hand around her shoulders, holding her steady.
She couldn't shake that familiar feeling of his grip.
"You-" She paused trying to shake off the dizziness. "You saved me. It was you." She looked at him, his eclipse eyes shone brightly though his face was unreadable. "How-What happened?"
He was silent for a moment before answering. "I'm not exactly sure how the fire started. I was spreading a nightmare to the older girl-"
"Rose, her name was Rose and she was my sister, I had a sister and a brother." Elsie spoke without actually realizing.
"The room was smoldering, and the rest of the house was coming down. I was searching for an escape and spotted you by chance."
"You saved me and brought me to...my parents. My parents adopted me." She couldn't shake her dizziness. Her life, everything she knew about it, about herself changed in seconds. Her legs were starting to give out weak.
Pitch sensed this and held her closer. "There was nothing else I could do. Their's was the only house on the street still alight." He paused looking at her. Her face was pale, hands shaking and legs barely holding her weight, even with his help. She felt very cool to the touch but her face was dotted with sweat. She was in shock.
"Are you alright?"
"I-I'm dizzy."
Jingle unsure of what to do clung to her leg refusing to let go, regardless of his fear of the nightmare king, as if he himself could awaken her from her stupor.
"You need to rest."
Now that he said it, he too was tired, no absolutely exhausted from the days events. She nodded, attempted to take a step forward and fell to her face.
Pitch leaned forward and caught her before that. Gently as if picking a flower he plucked her up and began carrying her to the rooms. Jingle who was conflicted finally chased after him. Pitch came to the tallest platform, he headed towards the middle chamber.
Elsie grasped his cloak tighter, her head resting on his shoulder. "No. I-I don't want to be alone."
"Your guardians are there, your not alone"
She shook her head and buried her face beginning to cry. "Please don't leave me alone." She sobbed her voice muffled. She didn't know why she was crying, whether it was her fallen family or the stress of the past few days catching up with her. But she knew she didn't want Pitch to leave her side. She felt so safe with him and she needed that right now more than ever.
Pitch paused and looked at the young woman in his arms. Her face was hidden in his cloak as she cried, from the shock and emotional stress, he assured himself. Her hands were twisted into his cloak gripping him like a life line, like so long ago.
He mentally groaned, but he couldn't leave her like this. The guardians wouldn't know what to do and in their bumbling would things worse. He turned to the empty chamber on the right and headed in. It was very similar to the others with a high ceiling and open windows with silk curtains and beds against the walls. He carefully placed her in one and gently pried her hands form him.
"Don't leave." She whispered into the pillow.
He sat next to her and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. "I won't"
Jingle cautiously climbed upon the bed and curled himself on her legs, watching the man carefully as if h might suddenly launch himself at the other or attempt to drink their blood like a vampire.
Elsie continued to sob for some time, trembling under the blanket in the warm tropic air. But eventually she cried herself out. Her back gently raised and lowered as she slept deeply.
Pitch sighed and rubbed his head. How had this happened? How could he, the nightmare king, the spreader of fear, the Boogeyman himself grow to care for this girl? When he had saved her from the fire it had been a whim, he had placed her where she would be safe, only because he was morally obligated to do so. He had never expected to meet her again and had simply forgotten all about her. But now, now all of...this. Her powers that he had unintentionally given her, Tzar choosing her to help vanquish Morticia and now she remembered everything. When did his existence become so complicated.
And now here he was sitting on the edge of her bed, watching over her like a... a guardian, when not days ago he wouldn't have hesitated to fill her head with his nightmares.
Why-how did she affect him so? Was it because he felt obliged to do so because he was the reason she was involved in all of this in the first place, or was it something else. She was a person of darkness, very much like him, but she was also of the light. She spread gentleness and kindness where she went and would risk her safety and life for others. While at the same time she was a ferocious warrior. The way she fought with her shadows, without fear of death, without fear at all, like a wolf charging into the fray for it's prey.
But it was her compassion that he found most intriguing. She had showed him kindness and had took the time to know him and treated him with basic human dignity that no one had shown him in centuries. Even when others had told her of his darker past she hadn't judged him by it. She accepted him as he was. And not just him, after Smith had treated her so terribly she still saved him and his family, and nearly got herself killed in the process.
He didn't want that for her, he didn't want to see her kindness and bravery die for nothing. He didn't want the only person who actually showed him kindness to die. He didn't want to be alone in the world again. Pitch stopped and re-traced his thoughts, back to their time at the pole. Wherever he had been she was never far away and vise versa. He hadn't realized it then but he had taken comfort in her presence, in the way she was just there, unbiased and un-judging. He rubbed his temples again trying to soothe the head ache that was coming on. He took one more look at the sleeping form of Elsie before standing and moving to a bed nearby.