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4.

When Jack opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the face of the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He instantly decided that if this was death, living was overrated.

As the rest of Jack's surroundings slowly came into focus, the girl that sat beside him smiled happily, her green eyes bright and cheerful as she pushed aside a lock of golden hair.

"Look who decided to wake up," she teased.

Jack grunted in response, pushing back layers of blankets from the bed he lay in, trying to sit up. He held a hand up to his face, blinking in the afternoon light.

The room they were in was overall very white and plain, with tall bright curtain-less windows overlooking a green valley and a glittering blue river. The bed Jack occupied was one of many all lined up in a row, facing opposite another row of beds, all with plain unadorned white sheets. In fact, other than the outstanding view from the windows, the girl who sat beside Jack's bed seemed to be the only source of color in the room, even with the beige color of the walls and the golden sunlight that flitted through the windows.

Jack pushed up against his elbows, trying to sit up but finding himself unable to. His whole body felt like lead, weighing down against the extremely comfortable pillows.

"...hi," the girl spoke again, softer this time, staring at him with a tender expression, as if worried the boy couldn't speak.

Jack stared up into her beautiful face, trying to form words.

"Uhh...h-hi?" he managed to get out. "I... I'm dead, aren't I?" he reasoned.

The girl giggled. Jack decided he liked hearing her laugh, and made a mental note to try to make her laugh often, if he could.

"No silly," she said. "Almost but... not quite," she smiled warmly.

Jack sighed, letting his head fall back down on top of his pillows.

"Where am I then?" he asked, letting his eyes wander about the ceiling of the room. More white.

"This is the Hospital Wing."

"Oh. Obviously."

Jack turned his head without bothering to lift it to stare again at the pretty girl.

"Who are you again?" he asked, trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing he remembered was falling through the ice into the lake's watery depths... but if he wasn't dead...

The girl titled her head to the side, clearly intrigued. "Interesting," she said quietly to herself.

"Sorry, what is?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised.

The girl shrugged with a smile before extending her hand. "It's very nice to meet you Jack. My name is Rapunzel."

Jack sat up so fast his aching muscles screamed. But he didn't notice. 'Rapunzel' was an extremely uncommon name. "You're serious?" he asked in shock. "As in, the Guardi-"

"The Guardian, yes," Rapunzel finished for him eagerly, a guilty smile playing upon her lips.

Jack stared with wide eyes around the hospital room he was in with a newfound interest.

"...But that means..." He turned to look at Rapunzel again, excited and nervous all at the same time. "No!" he exclaimed, not daring to believe it. "Do not tell me that I am sitting in this very boring white bed in the Palace of-"

"Corinthia?" Rapunzel grinned. Jack laughed, letting his head fall once more back down to the pillows.

"No, no, no, no," he was saying in between laughs.

"What?" Rapunzel asked, laughing as well.

"This," Jack said with a grin, turning towards her, "This is crazy."

"You think so?" she deadpanned in amusement.

"Uh huh," Jack nodded his head up and down, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He ran a hand through his brown locks in amazement. Corinthia was like a fairytale to him- it was a place that you heard about in stories. He knew it was real, just as the Guardians were real, but for a boy growing up in Burgess, the kingdom farthest from the palace, and having never left Burgess once in his life, Corinthia had always seemed so very far away and a little surreal. And yet, here he was, lying apparently wounded in the palace beside one of the Guardians herself, and a very beautiful one at that. Jack really didn't know what to make of the situation.

"So... what did I possibly do" he asked, shaking his head with a chuckle and attempting once more to sit up, "to land myself here?"

"Umm... nothing?" Rapunzel answered, tilting her head and sweeping her hair to the side, which Jack had only just realized was extremely long. "It's um, well... I really should wait for Merida and Hiccup to explain..."

"No need," a new voice spoke. "We're here."

Jack looked past Rapunzel to the double door entrance to the room, where two newcomers had just entered and were walking toward him and Rapunzel. A tall brunette boy and a girl with wild red curls.

The other two Guardians, Jack realized.

Jack didn't know much about the Guardians. He really had never paid attention to them in his life, and he'd slept through the part about the past ones in his history class at school... when he went to school, that is. The only thing he really recognized about them was their names. He also knew that Pitch Black was currently terrorizing the Four Kingdoms, but Jack dealt with fear by just not thinking about it. He simply turned his attention to other things. Besides, he had a little sister to look after, and he could never allow her to think he was afraid...

Emma. Where was she? Was she ok?

"My sister," Jack asked Rapunzel as Hiccup and Merida reached his bedside. "She's ok, right?" Rapunzel nodded knowingly.

"Perfectly fine, I promise." Jack sighed in relief, turning his head to greet the newcomers.

"Um, hey..." he spoke, suddenly feeling awkward to be in the presence of three Guardians. He suddenly became nervous. Am I supposed to, like, bow or kneel or something? Not that I can get out of the bed...

"Relax Jack," Hiccup grinned, sensing the other boy's unease. "We're normal kids, I swear."

Merida snorted. "Aye, except for the magical powers, of course."

Jack stared at her, anything but relaxed. He'd forgotten they had... gifts... as the people of Burgess liked to say. Again, he found himself wishing he'd paid better attention...

Hiccup rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Merida, we agreed we'd ease him into it-"

"Don't you two start," Rapunzel cut in, swatting them both on the arms from her seat beside the bed. "He only just woke up, give him a few minutes of peace before you terrorize him with your constant bickering."

Hiccup's mouth dropped open. "We- we do not terrorize people with our bickering! And who says we constantly bicker?"

Rapunzel laughed, and it was her turn to roll her eyes. She turned to face Jack and raised her eyebrows. "See what I have to put up with?" She asked him playfully.

Jack grinned, suddenly less tense. The jesting nature of the three was a comfortable feeling for him, and it put him at ease.

"A damsel in distress, you are," he told her, joining in on their jokes. Rapunzel laughed again, the clear bell-like laugh that Jack so liked.

Merida lightly punched Jack's shoulder. "Ah see you'll fit right in then, won't ya?" Jack grinned at her, not really understanding what she meant, but accepting the compliment anyway. He noticed the odd way she looked at him, the way she seemed to be searching his face for something, and then how she finally looked away, clearly disappointed. He heard her mutter something about "brown eyes," but decided not to press it.

"Sooo," Jack said, tearing his gaze awkwardly away from the redhead. "Corinthia. Me. Why?"

"Well," Rapunzel began, looking towards Hiccup for support, "with all that's been happening with Pitch lately... this new war he's started... the High Council decided that, well..."

"They decided to choose a new Guardian," Hiccup summarized. "And you were picked."

Silence.

"... What?"

"Different people were nominated, but the Moon Magic choose you Jack," Rapunzel repeated with a kind and hopeful smile.

Jack just stared at the three teens with a blank expression. He didn't understand what Moon Magic was, so he focused on the part he did.

"Wha- someone nominated me? Who?"

"Your uncle," Rapunzel explained, looking at Hiccup and Merida a little nervously. "North." She paused. "He didn't tell you?"

"I don't think he knew about any of this, Punz," Hiccup assessed, crossing his arms and looking down at Jack with a calculating expression. "What exactly do you know about the, for lack of a better word, war, that's begun against our former member, Pitch Black?"

Jack frowned. Pitch Black. He hated the name. Jack had always hated being part of Burgess's royal family. It had never really been his scene. He never directly told people that he was part of the ancient line, preferring for them to think he was just your average kid. Thankfully, his family was large enough that he, his mother, and sister could discreetly live somewhat separately from the rest of them, in a normal home in a normal neighborhood, and Jack could live a relatively worry-free, normal life. No one noticed him. But Pitch... Pitch had always been a kind uncle to Jack, if not an odd one. Pitch had become a Guardian when Jack was very young, so Jack couldn't honestly say he knew the man very well. But family was family, and the times Jack had encountered the man, he'd found him to be easy going and likeable enough. Prior to his Guardianship, Pitch had been a major General in the Burgess army, and Jack had always admired the calm and collected strength the man had in his disposition. Pitch wasn't one to mess with, but Jack had always felt that the kind, strong Pitch was on his side, from his family... like a secret guardian angel or something.

But what had happened over the last year... Jack had never felt more betrayed. Pitch had changed so much in such a short amount of time that no one could have predicted it... When Jack had found out... when things turned out to be not all they had seemed...

Jack utterly despised the man. He'd never been so grateful for the separation he, his mother and sister had always had from the rest of his family. He didn't want to be associated with them. The people of Burgess whispered things about his "royal" family because of the evils Pitch had done, they whispered their fears that they all would turn just as dark. But Jack and his small family never seemed to be part of those whispers, as if the Burgess people had forgotten they were even related, which was perfectly fine by Jack. He hated Pitch. He hated his family.

He'd moved on. He forgot things, or pretended not to know. He ignored the politics of the world, as he'd always done, stubbornly insisting that he continue to spend each day as carefree as the last. But this... after all that had happened, after all he'd pushed aside and given up on... He was supposed to do what?

"Not much," Jack admitted to Hiccup's question with an annoyed shrug, a sour taste in his mouth. North had nominated him to be a Guardian? How couldn't he have told me something as huge as that! Are they even serious? I was picked? How am I a freaking Guardian now?

Jack ran a hand through his hair stressfully. "I don't know if this is, like, some really big joke, but trust me, you really don't want me-"

Rapunzel leaned foreword and placed her hand over his. "Jack, of course we do!"

"No, I'm flattered, truly," Jack argued, recoiling a little from her touch, "But I'm not a Guardian. I don't... I'm not like you guys. Like, at all."

Hiccup turned to face Rapunzel, and the two seemed to take part in a lengthy staring contest.

"Hiccup!" Rapunzel hissed quietly, so quiet that Jack had to strain his ears to hear the conversation. "Don't say that! You've only just met him!"

Hiccup raised his eyebrows and continued to stare at Rapunzel. She said something else to him, but it was even softer than before, and Jack couldn't hear.

That's so bizarre. Jack thought to himself. He's not even talking. They are literally having a one sided conversation.

"Oi!" Merida suddenly spoke. "Ah hear ya Hiccup, but can we not do this right now? He's still here yew know, and he's starin at us like we're all crazy," she said, gesturing towards Jack then crossing her arms.

Rapunzel sighed. "I'm sorry Jack," she said. "I guess this just means we have a lot to teach you." She glanced at the clock on the far wall. "We should let you rest, though, for now. The Acceptance Ceremony is tonight, and you've had a rough day as it is."

"You could say that again," Jack said bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "Are you guys really serious? I mean, I'm actually a Guardian now? You aren't just messing with me? 'Cause I really think that you'd, well actually we'd, be much better off without-"

"Naw, you're stuck with us," Merida confirmed.

"And there's no chance of getting out of it? I can't, like, not accept, can I?"

Rapunzel bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Jack."

The look on her face made him feel extremely guilty. After all, being chosen was supposed to be a huge honor. It was just that Jack didn't want it.

"Just try to rest, ok?" Rapunzel urged, trying for a smile and getting up from her chair. "Rest now, worry later."

Worry later, Jack repeated in his head. That's what he seemed to do best. Push the unpleasant aspects of life aside... stick to what was easy and fun. He shook his head as the three Guardians left, as if doing so might clear the jumbled thoughts that were built up in his head.

Why was I picked for this? What do they see in me? Jack wondered as he lay alone in the hospital room. Why on earth was I chosen to be a Guardian? Why?

I confess, I pictured the hospital room they are in similar to the Harry Potter hospital wing...

So, lots of background here into Jack's life. Hope everything is making sense so far. If you do have questions, feel free to ask!

!Next chapter will delve more into the other Guardians' powers and abilities, and then hopefully will won't be any remaining confusion...

Iceprincess