I have no excuse. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not posting since...Christmas? Am I reading that right?
I hope you all can forgive me.
So...how about two chapters for today? This one, and then another one that will be going up before I go to bed. So there's that...
Read, relax, review!
~o0o~
27.
Jack knew where to meet Pitch.
The place where everything- all of this- began for him.
The lake, his home. Well, old home.
As a child, he remembered his uncle taking Emma and him out on the frozen surface in the dead of winter, when it was bitter and cold and yet so beautiful at the same time. He taught them to ice skate, and on weekends sometimes they'd play hockey, or build snowmen. And sometimes they'd build forts and have snowball wars, and then they would laugh.
Now though, the war was real. Now, though, no one was laughing.
Jack made it to the clearing of the woods, a ways off from the main city. The lake wasn't so incredibly far enough from town that cries for help wouldn't be heard, Jack thought to himself, a vague, incomplete and fuzzy memory flashing through his head of the day he almost died. Still, however, the place was well secluded and cut off, and didn't typically receive many visitors, or those who just wandered past on their way to some other destination. And after his incident, not many would be brave enough to test the fragile ice, especially since the Burgessian people knew better than to depend on Rapunzel's aid for every accident. And especially not when they knew the Guardians were occupied by the threat of Pitch Black.
Jack landed on the center of the frozen lake, having no reason to be scared himself. He looked around at the empty trees, unsure of his surroundings, however familiar they might be. The forest lake, once a welcome, happy, haven-like place, had instantly become one of shadows… foreboding, and hollow. Never before had Jack felt uncomfortable here, never had he felt doubt.
What game is Pitch playing? he wondered.
Jack had to remind himself that he was the stronger one, not his crazed uncle. He thought about the wave of blue energy he'd made to rescue Rapunzel, trying to boost his courage and confidence.
He reminded himself that this place, his lake, should not be one of fear. Even the day he was with Emma, when the ice had begun to crack- even that day, Jack convinced them both that everything would turn out all right.
He remembered why he was here now, and he pushed his doubts away, and became angry.
Furious.
He looked around expectantly, but his uncle was nowhere in sight. Jack jumped into the air above the lake's icy surface, landing atop the rock wall that rimmed the one side of the lake, so that he could survey the entire space from a place of advantage.
And still, nothing.
Jack turned his back on the lake and bent down in frustration, scooping up the cold snow in his bare hands and magically compacting it into a snowball.
"I'm disappointed. Though I still expected it to happen."
Jack froze in his place, eyes going wide, afraid to turn around. Then he frowned as he felt his anger begin to boil at the sound of Pitch's voice.
"You've gone soft, Jack. You've warmed up to those fools who call themselves Guardians."
Jack narrowed his gaze and turned his head over his shoulder to see the form of his dark uncle, a lone figure upon the ice surface down below him, standing with his hands tucked neatly behind his back.
Jack looked for Emma, but she was nowhere to be seen. Jack exhaled slightly.
They'd gotten it all wrong.
He didn't know whether or not to be happy that Emma wasn't involved after all… if not his sister…what then did Pitch have up his sleeve?
"You used to be so neutral to all this political nonsense… you didn't even want the job they'd given you." Pitch continued, his voice that of a worried and disappointed father. "Why have you recently begun to care?"
Jack exhaled and smirked, aware of, and very much liking, his higher position.
"What, still upset I beat you last time?" Jack finally stood and turned around, confident and lifting his chin, holding out his staff and planting it firmly in the snow beside him.
Pitch remained motionless. "They don't really believe in you Jack, you know that."
Jack's smirk dropped, and his gaze became a narrowed suspicion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Pitch shrugged. "They're using you, Jack. Your gifts-"
"Oh come on- you're not- ha- you seriously expect me to believe this?" Jack laughed bitterly, pulling his staff from the snow and grasping it firmly between his two hands, the way Hiccup had shown him. "Who exactly do you think I am? I'm not the idiot child you get to manipulate anymore, Pitch," he spat down to the man, thinking of the afternoons spent skating and playing, and the other memories of the past he'd buried with his uncle's betrayal and villainy.
Pitch took a step forward. "I only wish to make you understand-"
But Jack was done with the conversation. He took of into the air off the rock shelf, shooting a torrent of ice and snow at the Nightmare King and flipping over him, behind him.
"You don't understand anything!" Jack yelled in an angry frustration finally let loose after days of being pent up at Corinthia. He fired again and again at his uncle, blind with hatred and betrayal.
"They lie to you!" Pitch yelled as he fought back, the two almost dancing amongst the snow and black sandy shadows raining down upon the ice. "They keep things hidden from you!"
Jack rolled to escape the clouds of darkness Pitch sent his way, jumping into the air and landing with another heavy blast that sent a dense mist of snow sprinkled with shards of ice into the surrounding air.
Jack paused then, catching his breath as he waited for the flurries to settle, only to find Pitch behind him. He quickly turned and held up his staff threateningly.
"The only lies are yours," Jack stated, both his tone and body dripping with ice.
Pitch raised his chin. "Really?" he asked the Winter Guardian softly. "No one else has ever kept secrets from you these past few days?" Pitch scowled. "You don't mean to tell me that those fools who call themselves rulers haven't withheld valuable information from their Guardians, and that you haven't kept secrets from them in turn?"
Pitch started coming towards Jack, his motions so fluid it was as if he was gliding across the snow, slowly circling the boy. "Secrets upon secrets Jack! You all say I'm the corrupt one, I'm the one to blame for the disruption of peace, when I am the only one who has been completely truthful, brutally honest with you all this entire time!"
Pitch stopped right in front of Jack narrowing his yellow eyes. "Why, even at this moment, your precious Guardian friends haven't told you everything about this war. Yes," Pitch continued, encouraged by Jack's confused and surprised face, "the fair Rapunzel and noble Hiccup are keeping a rather important and powerful secret from you, though I can't imagine why-"
Jack angrily shot another burst of his magic at the dark man, but Pitch all too easily sidestepped the assault. "Stop it!" Jack yelled, feeling his voice go hoarse. "Leave them out of this! Tell me what you came here for, or leave me alone."
"You aren't really one of them-"
Another wave of snow and ice and blue energy.
"You don't have to be alone Jack," Pitch insisted. "Do you not remember all the wondrous times we once shared, you and I? Come, help me rebuild Warren, help me to eliminate all the lies and secrets that hold our kingdoms back. Look at what we can do!" Pitch raised his arms to the sky, revealing an ice sculpture that the two had accidently created by the mixing of their powers during their brief scuffle. It shot out from the center of the ice, an imposing pillar, a stain upon the purity of the icy lake.
Pitch laughed excitedly as he beheld their creation, coming up behind Jack and placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe- we'll give them a world where everything, everything is-"
"Pitch black?" Jack cut in, his voice flat. He was no longer gazing at the hideous sculpture- for that's what it was, hideous- but at his uncle and his unrestrained enthusiasm.
Pitch turned to look at Jack, aware of his nephew's word choice and trying to judge his thoughts. "And Jack Frost… too," he acquiesced, gesturing to the Guardian encouragingly. "They'll believe in both of us-"
Jack shook his head. "No, they'll fear both of us. And that's not what I want," he stated definitively. He turned and stormed away from the man, intent upon leaving the ice. "Now for the last time- Leave me, and my friends, and all of Warren for that matter, alone!"
Pitch frowned, fuming in anger for the briefest of seconds. "Very well," he murmured.
"You want to be left alone?" he called to the retreating Guardian, "Done! But first…" he grinned maliciously.
Something in Jack's gut clenched. A horrible, terrible feeling washed over him, and instantly he turned around with wide eyes to face the evil Pitch had committed.
Held firmly in his traitor-uncle's grip, was little Emma, tears streaming down her innocent face as she stared at her brother with wide, fearful eyes that reflected his own.
"Emma!" Jack yelled in anguish, racing back toward her and the man, calling upon the wind to propel him forward, slipping and sliding across the slick ice. He stopped mere feet in front of them, pointing his curved staff threateningly, though he knew it was no good- Jack daren't strike while Pitch held Emma so close.
He'd saved Emma from falling through the ice once- he didn't want to be responsible for a second time.
So the three stood frozen for a moment- Emma silently crying, Jack's heart beating wildly and frightfully, Pitch basking in what could only lead to triumph with a cold-hearted smile.
"The staff, Jack!" Pitch called.
Jack's grip squeezed his wooden weapon tighter, before grasping the meaning of Pitch's words. His hold slackened as his face fell. A trade…
Pitch spoke lowly with narrowed eyes. "Hand it over…" he glanced down at the girl tucked between his arms, "and I'll let her go."
"Jack, no!" Emma cried out desperately, but Pitch simply clamped an ashen hand over the young girl's mouth. She began to squirm and struggle, but she was no match for the older man's strength, and her feet kept slipping.
Jack, furious, tightened his grip around his staff- so tight that the ice coating it cracked- and pointed it harshly at Pitch, baring his teeth and silently staring the dark man down. Pitch did nothing- he was far from being intimidated by his young nephew. He only smiled and waited for the boy to make his decision.
Seconds passed.
Minutes.
Nothing happened.
Then Jack's arms fell.
And Pitch's smile widened.
Jack held the long piece of wood up, staring at it contemplatively, his hand shaking.
This was the source of his power. Could he really just hand it over?
Of course he could. For Emma, he could.
But this wasn't supposed to be the trade. Hiccup had said… what had Hiccup said? 'We have something he wants.' The crown- the Corona relic…
No… Merida had said Pitch wanted the crown.
They'd just assumed that was the bargaining chip- their biggest advantage against him.
So what did Pitch want with Jack's staff? Did he know Jack had come empty handed? Was it collateral? Or was Pitch just seeking to weaken Jack's powers? But then why go through the effort of pitting Jack against his biggest weakness? It wouldn't make a difference once the Guardians retrieved the Burgess relic from North-
Dread flooded into Jack's chest.
'…North assured us it was safe...'
'…Your friends haven't told you everything about this war…keeping a rather important and powerful secret from you…'
'I'm sure you have realized, you are completely reliant on staff... Without it, you are… vell… nothing… Do not be reckless with your power. Should anything happen to you… or your staff… you condemn Warren to loose the war."
Jack looked down at the staff in his hands.
Could…it be…
He was holding the Burgess relic.
Jack squeezed his eyes tight in disbelief.
If handed over his simple staff of wood, he not only doomed himself by sacrificing his powers, but he also sentenced the Guardians and all of Warren to whatever evils Pitch was planning by giving up the relic.
His eyes opened. But Emma. Little Emma. Jack couldn't bare the thought of Pitch laying a single finger on her.
No. He had to save Emma. He'd give up every power in the world for her.
Was sacrificing… everything… worth it? Was condemning, betraying everyone even, worth it?
Yes.
It had to be. It was Emma. There was no question in Jack's mind. There was no choice. No other option to consider. There was only giving over the staff for Emma. End of story.
And so with a practiced hand, Jack flipped the staff around so the shepherd's crook faced himself. He looked down, defeated, as he handed the weapon over to the dark man, guilt and shame welling in his chest, Emma's name echoing in his head.
"Alright," Jack spoke lowly, his eyes full of loathing as he finally looked up to face Pitch. "Now let her go," he commanded, coolly and calmly, reaching out his empty hand for his sister.
The little girl took her chance to break free, sprinting to her brother's outstretched arms. Pitch pushed her away willingly, no longer making an effort to keep her by his side.
Jack pushed her behind him protectively, glaring at Pitch with every ounce of anger he had in his body.
But Pitch was no longer paying the siblings any attention. He was staring at the staff with a strange expression of incredulity and confusion. He raised his yellow eyes to meet Jack's icy blue, and the young Guardian saw burning hatred within them.
Pitch sneered, bringing his knee up and snapping Jack's staff neatly in two.
It wasn't just the wooden rod that broke- something snapped in Jack's gut, a harsh and sudden pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. White spots flared in his vision. He yelled in surprised anguish, collapsing to his knees, hitting the snowy ice hard. It was gone as soon as it had come, leaving behind a dull ache.
Breathing hard, Jack looked up at Pitch, completely aghast.
The evil man approached the two with a honeyed smile, and once more, once painfully more, Jack was reminded of days past when he actually trusted and looked up to this man as his greatest role model.
How foolish I was.
Jack remained kneeling, too hurt to stand, with Emma's hands gripping his shoulders. He silently stared up into Pitch's yellowed eyes with defiance and disgust. Pitch only chuckled, tucking the two halves of Jack's broken staff into his robes.
"We shall see each other again quite soon, I should think," Pitch smirked. "Until then, dear nephew…" and without so much as a glance towards Emma, a column of darkness and shadows rose up and around him, and he disappeared entirely.
Jack turned to his sister and enveloped her into his arms, hugging her close. She cried into his sweatshirt, apologizing over and over- "It's my fault… he forced you… all my fault…"
Jack cried as well as he attempted to soothe her, telling her to stop crying, that it wasn't her fault at all… but they both knew the gravity of what had just occurred, and how much danger the Four Kingdoms were in now because of them. Even if Emma didn't recognize the true value of her brother's staff, she understood Jack was powerless without it.
They scrambled away from the ice, suddenly both afraid of the watery depths, and Jack no longer able to trust his abilities. They collapsed together on the snowy water bank.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed once all the tears had fallen, nor how much time had passed when they decided to stand, Emma helping her brother up.
Jack knew he could no longer fly. He also knew he had to get Emma out of the snow, and quickly, as she was not as immune to the cold temperatures as he was, and the way she shivered and chattered her teeth had begun to frighten Jack. He clutched her tightly to his side, beginning to lead her away from the clearing in the direction of town.
But there would be questions. Jack stopped walking, and Emma did, too, looking up at her brother with confused eyes. He couldn't face the Burgess people, not now, not like this, not when they needed a leader, needed hope. The worst thing he could do would be to show them defeat.
No- no one could know what happened, except for Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Merida. Jack swallowed bitterly, the remembrance of Pitch's words still playing through his ears.
Secrets…lies… defeat…failure…
Emma sneezed beside him.
Jack took a deep breath. Here's hoping, he thought. And though he dreaded it, Jack closed his eyes and mentally shouted out to Hiccup, not even confident the other boy would hear him.
To Jack's immense relief, Hiccup responded after a moment or two with an onslaught of questions. "Jack? Are you ok? Did you find Emma? What happened?"
Jack opened his eyes, his feelings an unpleasant mixture of dread and relief.
I'm with Emma. She's fine, she's safe, I'm… I'm ok, too, he thought in his head as his response. We're going to need you to get us, Jack added after a moment.
It took Hiccup longer this time to respond. Whether or not this was because Hiccup could sense something had gone wrong from Jack's thoughts, he couldn't be sure.
"Toothless and I will find you," he said. "What happened?"
Jack shut his eyes again, taking a deep breath. You aren't going to like it, Hic.
"What did he want from you?" Hiccup responded, an edge growing on his voice that suggested the brunette knew exactly what Pitch had wanted. Though Jack couldn't see his face, he could picture with perfect clarity the fearful, furrowed-brow expression Hiccup must be wearing.
Pitch had been right. Hiccup had known what the staff was. Why hadn't he told Jack?
Jack's shoulders slumped. He'd never asked to be a Guardian. It seemed all he knew how to do was mess things up.
Hiccup, I… I don't want to have to explain it twice. I'll tell you once we meet the girls in Corona. Jack paused, reaching down to grasp Emma's trembling hand. What I did… I didn't have a choice, he added weakly… hoping Hiccup could understand...
Again, a pause. Then, "Just stay where you are. We're on our way."
Jack sighed as the connection was severed. "Hiccup's coming," he announced warily. He looked down at his sister, who nestled close to him for comfort, the two of them alone with only the trees for company, soaking and shivering from the snow. She sneezed again.
Jack shook his head, feeling helpless. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her, brushing her hair away from her face. "All I can do is keep you cold."
He gazed out into the white-grey sky, wishing Hiccup would hurry up and at the same time dreading the moment of his arrival.
SO this chapter's inspiration was obviously the Antartica scene. I did my best to make it my own, and I hope it was still a refreshing read/interpretation of the scene... I know you guys have been good at spotting my references throughout the rest of the story, hopefully this one was a success too :)
Would love to hear from you all though, seeing as it's been sooooo long...!
Yours in love,
Iceprincess
Guest Reviews:
Guest: I'M SORRY HAHA! THANK YOU SO SO SO FREAKING MUCH FRIEND! SO HAPPY YOU ARE ENJOYING IT AND I HOPE TO CONTINUE TO IMPRESS YOU! THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFULLY KIND WORDS
Orange Cat: Thanks friend :) I'm glad the three month wait didn't bother you... hope the 6 month plus wait won't bother you either...oh god I totally agree with you and wish they ALL were real people... wouldn't that be something? And Merida... it's amazing what stress can do to a person... Merida is wrong, yes, in more ways than one, and hopefully in ways you might not expect that will come to pass many many chapters from now...hopefully lol. But, to be fair, she is also right in certain ways... ugh my head... its ok fangirl! I love hearing from you! Thank you for all your kind words and for all the compelling and thoughtful and strong support you've given me with this story. Being able to correspond with you has been so wonderful for me. So let it be me thanking you! Much love :)