North was puzzled.

Acording to Jack's first believer, the Winter King had a castle. According to the boy, Jack slept at his lake.

But if Jamie had said Jack had a place to call home, why would he also say that the place Jack slept was his lake?

There was only one way to find out. He would ask Jack himself.

He found the Winter spirit with the reindeer, getting along quite well actually with Burter, the head stag who usually had a nasty temper. Upon seeing North, the spirit smiled and got up from where he had been cuddled on the large creature. Burter grunted and butted him gently, as if chastising the boy for leaving, and Jack scratched between his antlers before leaving with North.

":What's up?" he wanted to know, twirling his staff playfully.

The big man folded his arms and said simply

"If you have castle, why sleep in a tree?"

Jack halted "Say again..."

"I say, If you have a castle, Why do you insist on sleeping in tree?"

Jack was bewildered, and suddenly defensive "Who told you about the Winter Palace?" he asked, voice suddenly growling and dark.

"Was Jamie."

Jack's mood lightened instantly, and he threw back his head and laughed.

"Jamie knows I had a castle because I told him about it in a story, North."

The man's eyebrow raised, "Past tense Jack?"

"Yes. I HAD a castle. I don't even know if it's still there. It was created 200 years ago, during my own personal Dark Age. Because of that, I sleep in my tree. IF the Winter Palace still stands, I'd rather not sleep in it. Too many memories."

North now understood why Jack never mentioned his castle to the Guardians, and why he still slept at his lake during winter. However, the man was then struck with a very particular idea, and voiced it immediately.

"Why not build new castle...one that does not haunt you?"

Jack smiled fondly. "Well I thought about it, but really...could you picture me being confined to a structure with walls? No, I think I'll stick to my lake and in the summer, here."

"Here has walls." North pointed out.

"This is true. But here is a home away from home. A castle is lonely, and believe me, I have had plenty of time to be lonely. No North, I think I'll stick to being as free as I can be, with as little confines as possible. It's just...better you know?"

North smiled fondly, but noticed with amusement that Jack looked a bit wistful. Perhaps, he thought, the child in the boy really did miss his castle, and would consider making a new one sometime in the future, just because. He chuckled at the thought, then laughed as a reindeer scooped the winter king up and carried him back to the stables, Jack laughing as he clutched the creature to stay on.

"Is it really, Jack?" North murmured, still laughing.