And as always, here is chapter 2 the same day!

A/N: The "Guardians" as you know them (North, Bunny, Sandy, Tooth) are NOT Guardians in this story. They will be in the story (all human) but as their own characters.

Read relax review!

~o0o~

2.

Rapunzel stood at the window, as she did so often these days. With one hand she held onto the stone railing, gazing out onto the horizon, her eyes searching. When a dark black shape suddenly appeared, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Here they come," she spoke aloud, turning to face those she had gathered with, pushing aside and stepping over a curtain of long golden hair.

I should really braid this up again, she thought to herself as she meandered around the never-ending trail of hair. Her bare feet walked slowly but purposefully across the chilled stone floor of the ancient castle- Council, as the residents of Warren called it. It was the oldest building on the large island, Warren- a land that held the Four Great Kingdoms- and it stood tall and grand despite its age at the land's exact center. It was essentially Warren's Capital, as unlike other lands, the Four Kingdoms of Warren lived in peace and harmony with each other, keeping mostly to themselves but eagerly trading and collaborating when desired or when necessary. Each kingdom had its own government and way of life, and yet all four were united all the same. The Council building was mostly a symbol of this unity, but it was also where the rulers of each kingdom could meet in High Council (as the building's name so fittingly suggested) to discuss the matters of Warren.

And what a pressing matter awaited the four sets of rulers. Rapunzel took her place upon her throne at the raised dais at the far end of the hall- an intricate piece of work weaved from flowers with golden leaves that seemed to radiate light- to wait for Merida and Hiccup. As she waited, she gazed at the rulers that sat gathered around an elegant round table in equally elegant chairs.

At one end of the table sat Merida's parents, the King and Queen of the Western Kingdom of DunBroch. Next to them sat Rapunzel's own parents, the rulers of Corona in the South. All shared silent worried expressions.

Next sat the ruler of the Eastern Kingdom of Berk, Hiccup's own father. A more... old fashioned... viking kingdom, the citizens of Berk preferred to address their leader as their Chief, Chief Stoick the Vast, who was indeed... quite vast. He was a buff man, but quick minded, filled with determination and held the heart of the people.

Finally sat the ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Burgess, the newly appointed E. Aster Bunnymund, or "Bunny" as many called him. He was a stern man who liked order, much different from his predecessor who was more of the "anything goes" type. This former ruler, Nikolas St. North, was also present at the gathering, because although he was old and retired, he had a wise head on his shoulders even with his easy-going nature. In addition, he had recently stepped into the role as Ambassador of the Guardians, a position that wasn't technically necessary but put the four sets of rulers more at ease with the... current developments... within the Guardian Court.

Rapunzel sighed quietly to herself in the silent room, looking at her feet. The Guardian Court. What a mess they were in right now.

The Four Guardians: protectors of the land and diplomats between the individual kingdoms. They were supposed to keep the peace, to guard and teach the people, especially the children, of all the kingdoms. It was they who people brought their concerns and troubles to when their leaders could not help. It was they who made the final decisions when disputes rose up between the rulers themselves. And it was they who strengthened Warren as a whole, as each Guardian was gifted with great and unique powers.

But it was also the Guardians who were the cause of the most recent disaster, and it was they who were the reason all the rulers had been gathered.

At that moment, the great black Nightfury soared in through one of the great and expansive open windows, landing lightly on his feet a good distance from the table of people. The redhead, Merida, quickly slid off Toothless and marched up to her throne of stone- hewn from one of the Great Stones at Compass and embedded with tiny glittering blue stones- without even glancing at her parents. She crossed her arms and glared at the floor.

Hiccup was slower to dismount. He walked more casually to his own throne- simple and unadorned, made from polished oak- nodding to his father in greeting as he passed, Toothless following closely behind. Hiccup took his place at the right-side end of the row of thrones upon the dais, so conveniently placed that Toothless could sit at his side and Merida would be as far away from him as possible, as her throne occupied the end on the left. Rapunzel smiled encouragingly at Merida from beside her, but received no response. Hiccup gave them both a sideways glance- he felt so far away and cut off from them now with the rather large empty space between them. A fourth throne had once sat between himself and Rapunzel, but the inky-black curled chair had mysteriously vanished a little over a year before.

The fourth Guardian, Pitch Black, brother to former ruler North, had always been a puzzle to the other Guardians, and he'd always seemed to be the odd one out. He had received the Guardianship because of his relation to North, as the position always ran in the ruling family. North had never married or had any children of his own (who were the traditional choices), so when he became the ruler of Burgess the position of Guardian had seemed to naturally fall to his brother, Pitch. Because of this, Pitch had been in the Guardianship much longer than his other three fellow Guardians, and had never quite... mixed... with them. They were much younger than he, and saw many things quite differently than he did.

The other three had known this, but had never made an effort to do anything about it. It had always seemed easier to not get in his way, to take his views into account when they could, and to just let him be. After all, Pitch did seem to have the hardest job and duty among all of them...

Hiccup guarded the mind- truth, knowledge, intellect. Learning (and trying) new things, and accepting change. His center had always been learning and curiosity. Rapunzel guarded peace and freedom, helping people find joy and contentment. Kindness and creativity was her center. Merida guarded fate and destiny. She could foresee possible futures, and helped people become brave enough to face them. Her center was courage.

But Pitch... Pitch guarded fear. Because no matter how much the stubborn Merida might try, people couldn't always be brave. Fear could never be nonexistent. In times like those, Pitch helped people face their fears to become stronger and, in turn, braver. He also taught people that sometimes being afraid is ok. Sometimes accepting fear but carrying on anyway is the biggest bravery of all. It was a tough job, one that many people didn't always take kindly to. Pitch's Guardianship had never been easy.

No Guardian was immortal, and many different sets of four had sat upon thrones in this hall of Council, beginning all the way back to when Warren was first discovered and settled and Council was first built. Each Guardian was different and unique in purpose and powers, and while each Guardian's powers had come equally with burdens, the burden Pitch carried was unlike anything in the entire history of the Guardians.

All these thoughts swam in everyone at Council's heads. Because something terrible had happened. Pitch had vanished along with his throne, nowhere to be found. Never before in the history of the Guardians had something like this occurred. For a while the four rulers and three remaining Guardians had waited in anxious uncertainty, unable to discern what Pitch's disappearance meant.

And then the attacks began.

It began with the dreams. Shadowy thoughts crept their way into people's dreams with a newfound ferocity, magnifying their fears to greater than they'd ever been. The people blamed Pitch, for they believed that his disappearance left room for unchecked fear, and that therefore he was to blame for the new surge of panic and chaos that was spreading like wild fire throughout all of Warren. They wouldn't realize until later that instead of protecting the people (or failing to, in this case) against fear, Pitch was actually using it against them.

Then the horses came. The people of the Four Kingdoms called them Nightmares. In the dead of night the creatures rampaged through villages, setting homes on fire and sending children into fits of terror. People turned against one another whenever one of the horses was close by- the more horses, the more magnified the fear, the more hostile and afraid people became.

And then Pitch returned from the shadows. At first people cheered for whom they thought was their savior, but when they saw the change he'd undergone, they shrank away in terror. Pitch had yet to confront the other Guardians, but the people of Warren reported the once noble warrior to be an ashen man in a cloak made from shadow who sat astride one of the terrible Nightmares, commanding them as a general commands an army. Commanding them for the past three months in stealthy and seemingly random attacks on the Four Kingdoms. No matter what the rulers and Guardians tried, Pitch always managed to slip through their fingers, never being where they thought he was, and always vanquishing their counter-attacks with effortless ease.

Warren was afraid.

And this was what the rulers and Guardians had met to discuss. They'd met for three days now (much to Merida's annoyance; she was a "free-spirit" as Hiccup called her- she hated sitting in her stone chair for hours at a time talking and discussing such serious matters. Of course she understood their importance, but she much preferred escaping into the forests and hills, discovering new things and places). Unfortunately in these last few days, those of the High Council had accomplished little.

The mood of the hall was dejected. Something had to be done.

"My scouts report that Pitch may be based on the edge of Warren, deep in the northwest region of West Point forest," Stoick informed the council members. "Signs of the Nightmares were seen there close to midnight and again near the early hours of dawn this morning."

Hiccup's head shot to Merida's direction, and vice versa. Her eyes were wide. Hiccup's thoughts touched hers warily. "Don't be sorry" he spoke in her head, sensing her regretful feelings. "You had no way of knowing, and neither did I. All that matters is we got out safely." Hiccup smiled at her reassuringly, but Merida's expression showed she wasn't so sure.

The rulers talked strategy for a while longer, their words very much resembling the conversations they'd had for the past three months. Every strategy and battle plan they came up with was a good one, and yet each had ultimately failed.

When no other plan remained to be decided, Queen Eleanor turned to face the three Guardians. "There is only one matter left to be decided by today's Council. The rulers of the Four Kingdoms are now all in agreement."

A new Guardian, Hiccup thought warily. They actually want to go through with electing a new Guardian to replace Pitch.

"A new Guardian must be chosen," the Queen announced even as Hiccup thought it. "Pitch is no longer worthy of the title, and yet the balance must be restored. We, the rulers of the Four Kingdoms, have each nominated an individual from the ruling family of Burgess, and with your approval, wish to proceed with the process."

Rapunzel began to speak, but Hiccup held up a hand, silencing her.

"You both know my position on this," he projected his thoughts into the two girls' heads. Hiccup believed without a doubt Pitch didn't deserve the name Guardian. He believed without a doubt that a replacement was necessary. But he feared that replacing Pitch now, when their forces against him were failing and they had no upper hand, was asking for trouble. The act would surely anger the dark man, making things worse rather than better. It would be better for all if they waited, tried to talk sense back into Pitch, avoid any drastic measures. Hiccup had expressed this concern multiple times to the girls, trying to get them to agree to wait until they and the rulers knew they could get Pitch under control. But getting the girls to agree was one thing- getting the entire High Council to understand was another. The High Council didn't like waiting. They always wanted action, progress. They never listened to Hiccup's call for peaceful measures.

"A new Guardian can't be chosen without the unanimous consent from the three of us," he continued. "I will agree to whatever you decide, but I ask that you reconsider one more time."

Rapunzel looked at him sorrowfully. "You're right Hiccup," she spoke softly so only he could hear. "You always are. But this is the only choice we have. We have to hope the new Guardian will possess some power to help us."

Hiccup stared at her, deep in thought. Perhaps Rapunzel would be right. He had to hope so, anyway. Toothless nudged Hiccup's leg, and Hiccup gave his nod of approval.

"Rulers of the Four Kingdoms," Rapunzel called out in a confident voice, "you have the unanimous approval of the Guardian Court." She stood then and stepped off the dais and walked to the center of the room between the rulers' table and the Guardian thrones. Painted into the stones that made up the floor was the crest of Warren- the crest of the Four Kingdoms. At the center of the crest was a large diamond in which four smaller diamonds rested- one for each Guardian. A golden flower, a blue wisp, and a hand on the brow of a black dragon. The diamonds changed as magically as the thrones did, so it was no surprise that the fourth diamond was blank, just as the fourth throne had disappeared.

As Rapunzel approached the crest, the four diamonds in the center lifted and slid sideways over the stones, and a blue-white crystal slowly slid up from beneath the floor. The crystal had always been a part of Council. Warren was so old that the magic behind the crystal, crest, and thrones was long forgotten. They knew only that it was called Moon Magic, though they didn't understand why.

The rulers from the Four Kingdoms would always each choose a candidate for a new Guardian to keep the balance of power, and the crystal's magic selected the best from those candidates. The crystal's magic was binding- once the new Guardian was chosen, there was no room for further debate or interference from the rulers. Not even the person chosen could refuse the position. The only way to void Guardianship was a unanimous decision from the other three Guardians to "cast out" the fourth Guardian, as had just occurred with Pitch, but even that was difficult to do, as the Moon Magic, whatever it was, was unpredictable and sometimes prevented the Guardians from taking certain actions.

It was also the Moon Magic that granted each Guardian his or her specific powers. As Rapunzel watched the crystal rise, she hoped what she told Hiccup would be true- that the Moon Magic would grant the New Guardian some sort of power to defeat Pitch.

North walked over to stand beside Rapunzel, watching as the crystal's silvery-blue light flickered and danced around the room. The light suddenly elongated upward, taking the shape of its chosen Guardian.

What appeared in the light was the image of a boy much younger than Pitch, apparently around the age of the other Guardians. He wore a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up around his head, and a mischievous smirk upon his lips. Hiccup and Merida stood to get a better view of their new member, and the latter gasped in shock when she saw his face.

Those blue eyes. True, perhaps they only looked blue because of the crystal light, but they reminded her of the startling blue gaze from her vision. Merida made a mental note to tell Rapunzel and Hiccup the minute they were alone.

"Jack Frost," King Fergus, the king of DunBroch, exclaimed, recognizing the boy.

Bunnymund's head whipped around, enraged. "Who entered his name in there?" He spoke accusingly to the other rulers. King Fergus threw his hands up in a not me! gesture. The other rulers all shrugged similarly.

"I did," North spoke up, crossing his arms and staring into the light-projection boy's face. He then looked past it to where Bunny stood, his eyebrows raised as if daring the ruler for further objection.

"You had no right!" Bunny objected.

"I had every right," North countered calmly. "It's my family's kingdom just as much as it is yours, and I have the status of Guardian Ambassador."

"But- we just created that position! It isn't... real!"

"Exactly," North winked, leaving Bunny dumbfounded and exasperated.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, stepping down from the dais to join North and Rapunzel at the crystal. "Who is he?"

"My nephew," North said.

"A rambunctious nuisance," Bunny corrected.

"He's spirited, I'll give you that," North granted, stroking his long white beard in thought. "I believe he'll fit in nicely with you three."

"I've never met him," Hiccup confessed, unsure. From the corner of his eye he saw his and Merida's fathers exchange looks of uncertainty, as if they knew and understood Bunny's objections.

"Nor have I," Rapunzel agreed, looking at the boy's image thoughtfully, "But I have heard a few stories."

"Jack Frost is many things, but he is not a Guardian," Bunny insisted, throwing his fist on the table.

"He's got a good heart, I think," Hiccup's father acquiesced, "But I must agreed with Bunnymund. Jack is often quite foolish and childish and lacks a sense of responsibility. Why on earth would you nominate him, North?"

North just shook his head in response. "You do not know him as I do."

Foolish? Nuisance? No responsibility? That was all Hiccup could focus on. They needed a Guardian with leadership qualities. So far, Jack didn't seem to fit the bill in his book.

"In any event," North continued, "The crystal's magic is binding. Jack Frost is our new Guardian."

"North," Rapunzel's father spoke up, "Your nephew is not the Guardian we all hoped for to step up to fight with us against Pitch."

"Wait," Hiccup interrupted, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the crystal, "does everyone here know this guy except for the people who are actually Guardians?"

Toothless snorted and tilted his head. Seems like it, Hiccup knew he was saying.

"Rapunzel," Bunny spoke in a pleading tone. "Please tell me that North nominating a Guardian isn't valid."

The long-haired girl smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry Bunny, unfortunately it is."

"Wonderful!" Bunny exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and falling down into his seat. "Just bloody fantastic."

"I sense a rivalry Bunny," Rapunzel half-grinned knowingly. Then she turned to Merida, who still sat frozen in her throne, and Hiccup. "I think we need to give this Jack Frost a chance. I trust North's judgment. Perhaps a foolish rambunctious nuisance is just what we need."

Hiccup put a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples. Could things possibly get worse? he thought to himself.

Ok so here is the layout of Warren in case anyone is confused:

North: Kingdom of Burgess

East: K of Berk

South: K of Corona

West: K of DunBroch

Center: Council

East, within Berk: Compass (learn more about later, but it's basically the big stone circle from Brave)

Immediate West, between DunBroch and Corona: West Point forest

SouthEast, between Berk and Corona: Corinthia and Corinthia Palace (learn more about later)