~*~ I do NOT own "Rise of the Guardians", "Brave", "How to Train Your Dragon", and "Tangled".

~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~

Lillith shook her head a tiny bit for the umpteenth time as she slashed at Jack, her blade missing purposely by centimeters. Her eyes flashed bright blue then black, then blue and Jack knew it was not all Pitch's fault, but more on his.

Flashback:

"Jack! Jack, it's freezing out here! What are you doing?!"

Jack spun around, his blue eyes meeting another pair of the same shade, a girl in her fifteen to sixteen years of age, was standing before him, her eyes flashing in concern. Jack took a surprised step back as she reached out, coming closer.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, pointing his staff. The girl immediately jumped back, her eyes filling with fear.

"J-Jack, it's me. Emma. Your sister?" she laughs nervously. "I know, I look different. We both do, with the hair and the eyes and-"

"Look, I don't care!" Jack yelled. "Back off! I don't know any Emma's!" Jack's stare was so intense she actually backed off, her eyes filling with tears.

"But, how can you not remember? We did everything together! Jack I-"

"Leave me alone! I don't want to see you ever again! You talk way too much missy!" Jack waved his staff threateningly and the girl bit her lip, tears spilling on her cheeks as she did what she did best.

She fled.

And for some reason, amber eyes followed in each step until the shadows had taken her in, bright blue eyes that once glowed with the happiest hues, turned to dark.

End of Flashback.

Jack knew he was indeed guilty. He had neglected his sister when she came to him, bringing along that second chance of family with her. Today, he had to fight his eyes from watering just from thinking about it. What a failure he must have been.

Lillith barely gave him a chance to think. She engaged in a sword fight much more elaborate than they had a lifetime ago, too elaborate in fact that Jack thought she wasn't kidding anymore. Her eyes remained dark with a sliver of the ice she had grown to love and despise at the same time.

"I'll end you here!" Jack swooped from the air, just in time to dodge the whistling black blade and drop down as Gothel's dagger came down, his arm catching hers, the dagger inches from his eye. Behind him, Rapunzel was shaking. Pitch watched from above, a victorious smirk on his lips.

Jack shoved at Gothel, the hag toppling to the side, age catching up to her in heartbeats. Her hair trned silver and her skin paled, wrinkled like an old potato. She snarled, gripping her dagger tight as she attacked again. Jack shut his eyes and let his magic zap, a jet of blue light bursting form his staff and struck Gothel in the stomach.

"How dare you-" Gothel barely finished as her skirts went cold, stiff and began to freeze. She writhed like an animal caught in a bear trap, screaming profanities and clawing at the wind as the ice glues her on the hard floor. In seconds, she was complete ice.

Lillith stopped mid-air, watching the woman she once called "Mother" envelope into thick blue ice and her blade dropped to the ground with a clank. Not because Gothel was finished, but because Pitch was nowhere to be seen.

Jack turned towards her, Rapunzel behind him with a smile. Lillith felt herself relax. Pitch must have retreated to the shadows. The wall collapsed, Merida running through the dust with a limping Hiccup behind her on Toothless.

Rapunzel ran to them, engulfing them in the largest hug, inspecting Hiccup right after.

"Bear accident" he said with a sheepish smile. "Nothing I can't handle."

They shared a laugh, a victorious one as Lillith descended from the air. She watched on, not knowing what to do. Her eyes shone the brightest blue, like Jack remembered from that first day she showed up, even if it didn't really go so well.

"I'm proud of you." Jack's staff came to rest on his shoulder. Lillith smiled faintly at him.

She could see the genuineness of the smile behind her brother's eyes and the curl of his smirk. She saw the happiness around her, the way Rapunzel beamed at her friends, the way Hiccup stood a bit closer to Merida, the way Merida had a faint blush on her cheeks, the way the Guardians and the captives jumped for joy when their sand cages fell apart, and the way Jack stared at her like he used to when she had won that contest in her old school centuries ago. Soon, she was lost in a wave of faces, the Guardians, friends, comrades and family rejoicing their rescue and their reunions.

But that moment wasn't meant to last long…

~*~ This literally took forever. I know. I did promise a quicker chapter but writer's block hits me like a ton of bricks and I barely got anything out of my head and into the page. But I'm back into action and I'm gonna finish this one before I make a new one. Let me know if I should push on creating that one-shot prequel for Lillith on the comments below, a fave or follow would be really great too!

Lovelots,
FantasYAnDMadnesS xoxo