Chapter 25: Pyros

It had been centuries since he had last stepped foot in the North Pole.

It had been way back in the beginning, when Kris Kringle had been figuring things out with Saint Nicholas. Kris himself had excitedly asked him to personally come down to their new base and introduce himself to the "new guy", and could you maybe tell him all about Crystal Springs? You could do it a lot better than I could, Governor Frost, he had said, with an excited sideways grin.

It was very hard to say no to Mr. Kringle. He was an absolute gem of a magihuman and had that trademark Kringle Elf excitement about him so Blaise had, of course, agreed, almost immediately finding himself poofed over to the North Pole the moment the sure was out of his mouth. After that meeting, before the mantle was handed down, the responsibility of introducing long-running Santas to Crystal Springs fell to the Council. Blaise only needed to meet with the Santa in official capacity back at City Hall if they requested.

Or if his eldest once again disrupted operations in Santa's Workshop.

He never thought he'd be here doing the exact same because of his middlest. Especially not like this, Blaise thought, as he crouched down in the snow, picking out the patterns of both wintry kids in the drifts. Expressionless, he stood up, every joint in his body protesting very loudly. He glanced around, feeling as though it'd been loud enough for everyone to hear.

Thankfully, the elves hadn't. They hurried around, focusing on their tasks at hand. Clearing snow, rushing gifts to-and-fro, administering hot beverages and blankets. A group of masonry experts rushed past him, up to the steps leading into the Workshop. Medics in red jackets with big packs on their back weaved through the crowd (rushing into the surrounding buildings, some heading down the hill into the Elfburbs) while electricians rushed towards nearly every building in the square.

Blaise had teleported almost right away once he sent word back to Jack. A quick briefing with Winter (who was hunting down the twins and would join them later) before poof! In a whirl of flames and orange sparks he found himself up North, giving some of the younger looking elves a fright. You'd think they'd never seen a summer sprite before in their life!

They probably haven't, Blaise, he thought to himself, rubbing his chin as he surveyed the façade of the Workshop.

Gorgeous stained-glass windows. Still original from day one, he noted. Large doors at the top of the double-sided staircase up (original as well). The masonry crew was crouched on the steps up to the shop on his left, a group of older elves pushing a large slab of compacted snow (or perhaps simply ice?) down the steps with a bit of effort. The bottom doors stood open, snow preventing them from closing, both inside and outside. Snow removal crews shovelled furiously, the doors well on their way to being cleared and shut once more.

Alongside the Workshop, just past the impacted steps, the electricians were hard at work on a huge fuse box. Sparks rained down every so often. The elves ducked, waiting for them to pass, before trying to get to work once more. Another block of compacted snow sat below the box, the tip gone.

Blaise squinted.

The tip was embedded into the box. The heat was slowly melting it, every drop of water setting off a burst of sparks.

He made it over in several long strides.

He cleared his throat, gently parting the crowd of electrician elves (elftricians? Elflectricians?). "Here, allow me," he said. They stepped back and let him pass, some surveying him with wide eyes, others recognizing him from long ago and stepping to the side happily.

"It's quite alright lads," said the tallest of the bunch. "Governor Frost knows his way around electrics."

Blaise chuckled, gently touching the embedded snow. It melted fairly fast, the water on his palms evaporating before it could so much as splash an exposed wire. A few more sparks shot out of the box. Carefully, Blaise trailed his fingers along the already damp bits, drying them thoroughly.

He stepped back, nodding in approval. "There you go."

"Much better! Thank you, Governor Frost."

Blaise waved a hand. "It's the least I can do, Quintin."

"You remember me?!"

"I remember every person I've ever met," he tapped his head, smiling softly. "And boy am I glad to see a familiar face! Tell me something, Quintin. Where might I find the, ah, Elfirmary, is it?"

Quintin chuckled. "That it is! We relocated, recently! Inside the Workshop now. It's just up the stairs and to the right! You'll have to go down the corridor a bit, but swing another left just at the end of it and you'll find it no problem!"

"Got it." Blaise nodded, turning on his heel and heading towards the main doors, shouting a thank you over his shoulder.

Up the stairs he went, entering through the main doors amongst a throng of elves piled high with gift wrap. He stepped foot into the shop, and immediately frowned. To his right was more Workshop. No corridor. To his left, much the same. Across from him, at the other end of the Workshop floor, were stairs leading up to a balcony level. Definitely not original from day one, he decided.

He glanced around, smiling at the elves that giggled as they passed him by, gesturing at his simmering hair. Others crossed his path, looking very focused on the tasks at hand, carrying tools and odds and ends around the shop.

It was a little messy, Blaise noted. Snow was sprinkled all over the floor. Peeking out through the icy powder were cogs and gears, twine and thread and all sorts of odds and ends. The busy little bodies around him had many little crates, picking the objects out of the snow and sorting them after a quick little dust off.

Crouching, he took a closer look at the snow on the floor, frowning deeply when the swirls and ferns made themselves known.

Sprite made.

"They're getting worse," he mused silently to himself, rubbing his chin in thought as he got up.

He needed to get to the Elfirmary, stat.

"Uh, excuse me—" he said, a group of elves rushing past him without so much as a cursory glance. "Pardon me, could I get directions—" another group rushed by him in the opposite direction, hands full of empty boxes with hastily made labels. He huffed, a puff of steam floating out of his nose.

"Excuse me, SIR."

Blaise turned around, quirking an eyebrow at the small elf before him. This one looked young; they had curly-ish blonde hair and looked positively bothered. He pointed to himself, finger on his chest.

"Yes, YOU, sir! You are violating the fire code!"

Blaise glanced upwards. "Am I?"

"Yes! Literally! You are a literal walking fire hazard!" the elf took an angry step towards him. "Do you know how old this building is? Over sixteen hundred—"

"Over sixteen hundred years old, yes. I am aware," Blaise said, surveying this elf thoughtfully.

"I am going to need you to extinguish your head RIGHT AWAY!"

Blaise pursed his lips, an idea brewing. "And if I don't?"

"I'll report you right to the top," the elf pointed at him in what they thought was a menacing way, and what Blaise thought was just a little too cute to be menacing. It reminded him of when Jacqueline was little, angrily demanding that her horrible teacher be dealt with or else.

"The top being one Mr. Claus himself?"

"I'll report you directly to Santa himself, yes!" they said, crossing their arms.

Blaise raised an eyebrow, trying to bite back his grin. "So if I don't extinguish my hair right this instant, you will personally take me right to Santa himself to report me."

"Exactly," the elf's eyes narrowed, bottom lip sticking out in an angry little pout.

Kids, Blaise thought. "Okay," and, giving the elf a silly little corkscrew grin, promptly brought his hair from a simmer to a tall roar.

The elf gasped with their whole body, indignant. "That's IT! You are coming with ME sir! Right this instant!"

Success! He thought to himself. "Take me to your leader!" he said with a grin, following the elf closely.

They wound through the Workshop, elves giving them a wide berth. To the right, behind the unmoving conveyor belts, towards the far side of the Workshop. A gaggle of elves (more electricians, Blaise realized) stood crowded around a panel, a human man with stark white hair and a horrible sweater right in the middle of the throng.

"SANTA!" the elf said, stomping to a halt behind him.

"CROUTON!" Santa replied, not looking. "I'm a little busy right now—"

"This is an EMERGENCY!" the elf insisted.

"Just one second, just let me deal with this emergency here first—" sparks flew; something clicked. A staticky voice rang out from a radio sat on a bench beside them. "Try now, Santa!"

"You heard him! Go for it!"

The elf beside him nodded and flipped a breaker. Another one flipped a switch. Suddenly, the Workshop roared to life, the heat coming back on with a rumble, the conveyor belts grinding to a start again. The elves yay'd, happy to once again be in the light and warmth.

"SANTA."

"Crouton, just one more second, please."

"But Santa, I—"

A heavy sigh. "Can't it wait?"

"No it cannot!" The elf insisted. "This man was in the middle of the Workshop with an OPEN FLAME!" they said, pointing with their thumb over at Blaise.

Santa sighed, turning away from the electric panel to face Crouton. Whatever he was about to say died on his lips instantly as he met Blaise's eyes. His jaw dropped, his eyes going wide.

"Mr. Claus!" Blaise boomed, with a charming smile. "A pleasure to meet you at last," he stuck out a hand. "Frost. Blaise Frost."

"Uh," Santa looked at the fiery head of hair and back down at the man's hand. "Frost?" he asked, taking the hand he offered.

"The irony is not lost on me," Blaise joked, shaking Santa's hand.

Santa chuckled. "Whoa. That's some grip there, Mr. Frost."

"Please, call me Blaise."

"SANTA! He is on FIRE!"

"THANK you, Crouton! I noticed," Santa said, letting go of Blaise's hand.

Crouton briefly pressed their fingers to their temples before throwing their hands on their hips, looking between Santa and Blaise unamused. "Look. I am trying very hard to establish a historical conservation society here, and it is people like you that are making this extremely," Crouton huffed, glaring at Blaise's hair, "challenging."

"You wouldn't mind, uh, simmering, maybe?" Santa asked.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry! Not at all," Blaise said, his hair going out. "It was the most ah, direct route to you, Mr. Claus."

"Call me Scott. Or, uh, Santa. I-it's interchangeable," he shrugged, sheepishly.

"Historical conservation society, you say—sorry. Crouton, was it?"

"…yes," Crouton replied, ferocity immediately dispelled.

"Really?" Blaise asked.

"Yes! Why does everyone always say that?!"

"Well, Crouton. I think it's a brilliant idea!"

"Really?" they asked, eyes lighting up.

"Really. In fact, if you're serious about it, I'd recommend reaching out to the Crystal Springs chapter. They'd be more than happy to help you out."

"They would?!"

"Absolutely! In fact, I think I have one of their cards around here somewhere..." Frowning, he patted himself all over his suit jacket. "Aha!" He snapped his fingers, a business card appearing between his thumb and index finger in a burst of orange sparks. "There you go, Crouton," he grinned, passing it over to them.

"Oh! Well thank you, Mr. Frost," Crouton said, looking down at the card and rushing away, a spring in their step.

Blaise straightened up, satisfied.

"Well done," Santa said.

Blaise shrugged. "Kids. After four of my own, I like to think I've got a handle on it. That being said, I believe a pair of mine have been causing you a bit of trouble?"

"I can honestly say that your son alone has done worse," Santa admitted.

"I believe it," Blaise sighed. "He sent me a message. Said that my daughter had another one of those blackouts. This is embarrassing to admit, Santa, but it's been sixteen hundred years since I've set foot into your fine establishment here. I have no idea where anything is. Could you take me to my kids? I can't find this elf infirmary for the life of me."

"Elfirmary. I'll take ya over."

Blaise exhaled, relieved. "Thank you, Santa."

"No problem!" Turning towards the stairs, Santa gestured over his shoulder for Blaise to follow him. The man caught up to him in two long strides. This guy's tall, Santa thought, unable to stop looking at his fiery head of hair every time he glanced back. "Fire!" he whispered quietly to himself, shaking his head as they ran up the stairs and out of the Shop.

"Uh, Jack? I found your Dad."

Jack perked up, glancing at the doorway. Santa was headed his way, Blaise overtaking him quickly.

"Boy am I glad to see you," Jack said. "And I can't believe I'm saying that."

Blaise chuckled. "Nor can I. You doing okay, son?"

Jack glanced over at Santa. His fellow Legend seemed low key transfixed, looking back and forth between the father son duo. "Um. I'll be fine. Jacqueline though? Hmm."

Blaise was at the top of the bed before Jack could fully finish sighing. Gently, he pushed her hair off of her face, brow furrowed with concern.

"She felt it coming on," Jack began, quietly. "She was fighting it from the get-go. She wanted to go into the mindscape and try to stop it before it happened…and I let her."

"Don't blame yourself," Blaise said, straightening up. He rubbed his chin in thought, eyes trained on Jacqueline. "She'd have done it regardless. She's as stubborn as the rest of us."

"She fought it the whole time, but it was…whatever it is, it was stronger than before. And it came on so fast," Jack frowned, sitting up in his seat and crossing his arms in thought. "She practically begged me to do whatever it takes to stop her. I didn't want to hurt her—"

"And you didn't," Blaise said, turning towards his son with a small smile. "Stop worrying about it, kiddo."

"Oh. Ah. I'll try. Thanks Dad."

"Thank you, son. I'm glad you were here for her. I'm sure she was, too."

"I just wish I could've done more."

"Dude, you did the most," said a new voice.

"Ellington!" Blaise smiled, literally brightening.

"Oh! Hi, Blaise! And—yep, that's a bone crushing hug," Elle said, lifted off of the floor slightly.

"It's nice to see you, Elle," Blaise placed her down carefully. "Things going okay?"

Elle nodded. "Busy as ever! But I'm good."

"Good," Blaise smiled warmly at her. "You were saying?"

"You should've seen Jack in action," Elle continued. "He really was doing the most. Trying to talk her down while keeping us all safe. It was impactful, I think. You should've heard what the other guy was saying."

Blaise quirked an eyebrow. "The other guy?"

Elle nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if either one of these two mentioned it when you all talked about it, but the last time this happened, I heard this other voice."

"They did, yes," Placing a hand on the footboard, Blaise gave Elle his undivided attention. "That'd be the telepathy kicking in. Interesting that whatever is doing this didn't block out that connection."

"It sort of did, actually. I couldn't reach her directly via telepathy the first time, or the second time, or this time. But the second time, I was able to hear him."

"Him?"

"It was definitely a man's voice. Not one I'd ever heard before, but it was sorta familiar? I can't really explain it. Anyway, he was goading her on, and also reminding her of…" Elle trailed off, glancing at Jack. "Uh. Pre-thaw shenanigans that directly affected her? It seemed like she was almost fighting it physically, but like, somewhere else, if that makes sense. And that it was reflected back from wherever she was."

"And this time?"

"It was...different. I didn't hear much of anything, admittedly. I was focused on helping, too. Before they headed up to the Dome, Jacqueline made Bernard and I promise the same thing Jack did."

"To stop her no matter what?" Jack asked.

Elle nodded. "Yeah. So I wasn't actively searching for anything. Even then, it was a bit quieter this time. Every so often I'd catch an errant thought, just reinforcing what Jacqueline was saying."

"Saying?" Blaise asked, perking up.

Jack and Elle shared a look.

"You wanna take this one? Or do you want me to?"

"I got it," Jack said, shifting in his seat. He took a deep breath in, folding his hands and staring at the ground. "It was true, everything she was saying. I think, if I were to describe it," Jack looked up, frowning in thought, fingers pressed together. "I'd say that she was voicing those thoughts you keep way bottled down, you know? Toxic, intrusive, whatever you want to call them. It—or I guess, he, was pulling on those to keep her going. And she was going."

"But she was fighting it off! The whole time! You could see it in her body language, her face, hear it in her voice even," Elle said, Jack nodding in agreement.

"That's one hell of a kid you got there, Mr. Frost," Santa spoke up.

"Blaise is fine, Santa. Just Blaise. And thank you. I know." He briefly let himself smile before it fell into a sigh, his brow furrowing. He squinted in thought. "Okay. We know a bit more than we did before. This one was very intense, very sudden; and judging by the looks of things out there, and the state the two of you are in, quite the struggle. Based on what I know from the last two, this one seems to have increased in severity. A more obvious fight for control; and more obvious that something…someone, that is, is involved in all this." He bit his lip briefly before turning to Santa. "What's been done so far?"

"I can honestly say, I have no idea. Tell ya what though, I'll go hunt down Hismus for you. He's our head doc. He'll know what's been done. I'll be right back!"

"Thank you," Blaise said gruffly, rubbing his chin as Santa popped off. "They started again almost immediately after the two of you arrived…but not at home."

"So what is she doing here that she didn't do at home?" Jack thought out loud.

"Bingo," Blaise said.

"Well, what happened when you guys headed up to the Dome?" Elle asked.

Jack shrugged. "Not much of anything, regrettably. We got up there and tried…everything. Nothing wanted to work. We had a pie break, tried a couple of other things, then I headed down to grab us a little pick me up."

"Your sister stayed behind?"

"She wanted to. The whole thing has got both of us feeling a little defeated. And before I left, I told her that we may have to just fully enact the Legate Law. She wasn't too keen on the idea. It's…complicated," Jack offered with a helpless shrug. "Anyway, I got us some drinks, a little snack, headed back up. We talked about our options and then…well, then it happened. She tried to head it off; it didn't work. I did my best to keep her and everyone else safe."

"And it worked," Elle said with a smile. "We didn't get buried in an avalanche, nor did we get blown away. And you helped her fight it off!"

"I think that honour goes to you and Bernard," Jack said. "I'm not sure I'd have been able to do it on my own."

"What did you two do to bring her back?" Blaise asked.

"We hugged her," Elle shrugged.

"Hugs, huh?" Blaise shot Jack a pointed look.

"They're weirdly effective," Jack agreed.

"Blaise, this is Dr. Hismus," Santa said, back at the bedside. "Hismus, this is Blaise Frost. He's the cold front's Dad."

"How do you do," Hismus said, shaking Blaise's hand and chuckling.

"Cold front?" Blaise asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Do you like it? I thought the pair of them needed a little team name. Came up with it myself!" Santa said proudly. "And Jack didn't even say anything about it!"

"I was a bit preoccupied! But…" he mulled it over for a moment, tilting his head back and forth. "It's apt."

"It most certainly is," Blaise agreed, dropping the handshake. "So, what've you got for me, doc?"

"Well, we've stabilized her! Did the basic tests, and a few that focused on magical influences. Nothing too obtrusive, of course," Hismus said with a chuckle. "We were at least able to confirm that whatever was triggering those blackouts was magical in nature! Naturally, her body has shut down all unnecessary processes in order to clean out whatever magical means led to it. We also picked up a remarkable increase in power; magically influenced, of course," he chuckled once again.

"Increase in power?" Blaise asked.

"Higher than her usual base readings," Hismus said, skimming the paperwork on his clipboard. "It's best explained as though something was opening her mind to a, shall we say, wider magical connection."

Blaise paled, his pupils shrinking.

Hismus's explanation faded out as Blaise's memory finally, finally clicked. The nightmares. The drinks; the fight. He could hear a faint ringing. A concerned voice.

"Dad?!"

"I need to sit down," Blaise said, feeling his body sinking down, his hand on the bed frame the only thing keeping him upright.

"Santa, the chair!"

"Oh!" Quickly, Santa grabbed his vacated chair, shoving it under Blaise just in time.

Gratefully, the sprite sank into it, his hair going out in a puff, the molten in his suit dimming. He brought his hands up to his face, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Dad? Is everything okay?"

"…I think I know what it is," Blaise admitted, looking up. "Because it happened to me, too."

Elle and Santa both gasped. Hismus looked very intrigued. Jack nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Back when I was younger," Blaise began, "Much, much younger, just before the Succession War, and a few centuries after The Call, I was training alongside my brother to become a Warlock. We'd study daily under the tutelage of Queen Frost, our mother. Your paternal grandmother." Blaise sighed, pressing his hands against his forehead. "You may as well sit back down, Jack. This may take a moment."

There was a bit of a shuffle as everyone got comfortable. Jack sat back down, listening closely. Elle hopped up onto the edge of Jacqueline's bed gently, head tilted towards Blaise. Santa pulled up another chair. Hismus had his clipboard at the ready, pen poised to write. Blaise looked up, arms resting on his knees, and began his tale.

"Queen Frost was always very…particular on how we should do things. The way we'd point; the way we'd use our staffs, the way we'd utter spells and incantations, everything right down to the most minute detail. To put it into modern day terms, it was very much her way or the highway. Quite frankly, lessons with her sucked."

He paused for a moment, wringing his hands, his knuckles cracking. "Around the time we were finishing up our advanced studies, getting ready to move on to the highly advanced level, Queen Frost got friendly," Blaise nearly spat, his eyes narrowing. "Suddenly, food and drink were allowed in lessons. She even brought us drinks, that she made, herself. It was suspicious…but I didn't pry. The one time I did, I got a lecture from her, then one from the King, and an even more annoying one from your Uncle later that night. I left it alone. But I was right. She was slipping a potion into the drinks. It was called mageia anochio. It's a bad one."

There was a click as Hismus opened his pen, quickly writing the name down. Blaise frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It didn't start out that way, of course. It was originally used on potential young castors, to open their minds to magic. It would make it easier for them to connect to the source, to the magic levels all around us. Or maybe it wouldn't. Either way, it'd tell both teacher and student all they needed to know. Their teachers could guide them, since the potion essentially opened their mind to outside magical influence. That's what it was supposed to be used for; to help. To guide. But of course, people found ways to misuse it. It was a potent mix. If you upped the dosage or gave a steady dose for a number of days, you could imbue their mind with power like no other, and with their mind that open…you could easily take control. You could influence them to do you bidding, even. Mould them to your will. Use their own thoughts against them."

"Holy shit," Elle said, voicing what everyone was thinking. "That's…awful."

"Very," Blaise agreed. "Probably one of the worst abuse of potions I've seen. Outlawed pretty fast post-monarchy. I made sure of it." He cleared his throat, straightening up the slightest bit before continuing. "The Queen planted it in our drinks for weeks, neither of us the wiser. Then finally one day, nearly a month later, we made to start on the highly advanced levels. She opened by giving us a lecture on power. What it means, and how much we could potentially tap into one day. We'd barely scratched the surface, she told us. Observe, she said, and she lifted her hands up, and suddenly my body wasn't my own anymore."

Hismus's pen went tumbling. Santa inhaled sharply, sharing a look of distaste with Elle. Even Jack looked horrified, leaning back in his seat and straightening up in shock as Blaise continued with his tale.

"I was stuck in my own mind, helplessly watching as my brother and I were forced to fight. I couldn't control myself; there was so much outside influence and so much power coming in. I could barely keep up. It burnt. I'd never experienced a burn before. Not until that very moment. It hurt. Her influence was strong; I fought so hard to kick it. I didn't want to hurt your uncle; I didn't want to have all the power she was showing me. Not like that. Not at the expense of my brother."

Blaise sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temple. "I had the upper hand. I saw myself ready to bring down fiery wrath on my brother, the Queen's voice in my head, telling me to let it happen. Don't cave; don't show weakness. Power commands respect; and weakness shows that you don't deserve respect. Bullshit like that." Blaise stiffened. "But she was wrong. I knew she was wrong; and I knew that this wasn't what I wanted. It took a lot of energy, but I managed to take back control. And just in time, too. The shot went wide. I rolled off of my brother, both of us panting on the floor as the Queen stood over us, disappointed. He could've lost an eye! But all she cared about was that I had shown weakness; I hadn't embraced the power that could be mine. Ours."

Blaise slumped, looking exhausted. "My mother was not pleased. But what else was new," he added with a loose shrug. "I quit warlock studies right then and there, on the spot. I walked out of our tutoring tower and never looked back. I was done."

"And your brother?" Santa asked, curious.

"He had gotten a taste of power. And just like our parents, decided that he wanted it. He continued his studies, and our relationship deteriorated from there, and, well. Most people know the rest," Blaise shrugged, droopy.

"I'm so sorry, Blaise," Elle said, unable to say anything else. She reached over, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Elle. I appreciate it." He took a deep breath in and, steadying himself, stood back up. His presence had shifted entirely; brows knit in determination, he turned to Hismus.

"From what Elle and Jack have told me, and what Jacqueline has described herself, and what I know, I think that's exactly what's been effecting her. I want any and all toxicology tests you have at your disposal done. If there's anything you need, I'll reach out to CS General myself to get it for you ASAP."

"Yes sir," Hismus said, rushing into action.

"If this is really what it is," Blaise said, "We have way more problems on our hands than a leaky roof and an overpowered sprite." Frowning, Blaise turned to Jack. "How was the pie, by the way?"

"Hmm? Oh! Pretty good, actually. Flaky crust; delicious filling."

"Enough filling?"

"Oh, more than enough."

"As good as Autumn's?"

"Eh, almost."

"ALMOST?! What do you mean almost?!"

"Sorry Dad, she just makes it better," Jack shrugged.

"Unbelievable," Blaise replied, shaking his head.

"I've contacted our resident magic expert; she'll be down momentarily to help with our diagnostics," Hismus said, reappearing. "We will have to ask that two of you leave; we'll need space, and generally when doing these procedures, if there must be somebodies present with the patient, two is the limit."

"Santa and I will go," Elle said, sliding off the bed. "If there's anything you guys need, just let me know. I'm a thought away."

Santa got up, nodding in agreement. "And feel free to ask for me if you need anything. I know Elle's a bit more direct but I'm happy to help any way I can."

"Thank you, Santa," Blaise said with a curt nod.

"No problem," Santa replied, surprised to find himself turning and heading out.

Shooting the Frosts a wave over her shoulder, she caught up to Santa, following him out. He nodded when she appeared alongside him, looking a little bit perturbed.

"Everything okay, Santa?"

Santa let out a low whistle. "Wow."

"I know. It's a lot to take in—"

"That man really went and took charge! Did you see the way he took control of the scene?" Santa continued in a whisper as they headed out. "I just got dismissed! In my own house!"

"I can't tell if you're offended or impressed," Elle said.

"Nor can I," Santa admitted, the doors swinging shut behind them.

Jack found himself falling in and out of sleep as one hour turned into two, and two to three, and so on. He tried to stay awake; he really did. But he was exhausted, and pain was shooting through him, all over the place…

Eyelids heavy, he found himself scooting closer to Jacqueline's bedside, laying his arms on the free bit of mattress closest to him and resting his head. It wasn't until about the fifth or sixth time he snored himself awake that he let himself actually sleep. A blanket had been placed around his shoulders. Across from him, Blaise sat straight on the other side of the bed. One leg was thrown over the other, hands clasped just above his stomach. Both frosty kids were in his line of sight. Blaise looked over at Jack, giving him a warm smile and a reassuring nod. Feeling safe and at ease, Jack finally let himself get some shut eye.

It was almost restful.

Almost.

What felt like seconds after he got proper comfortable, eyes finally shutting, a loud slam and subsequent clatter startled him right awake. His arms nearly slipped off the bed.

"I wasn't sleeping!" he said.

"Yes you were," Blaise replied, wearily watching the windswept elf that had just burst into the room.

"Oh my GOSH I cannot BELIEVE it! GOVERNOR FROST," they said, LOUDLY, as they rushed past the front desk and slid to a stop at the base of Jacqueline's bed, almost losing their footing. Papers and pompoms and all sorts of oddities stuck out of the bag at their side, glitter littering the ground behind them as the bag swayed against their waist, clinking. "YOU WERE SO RIGHT!" they righted themselves on the bedpost, grinning at Blaise as feral as his kids did on a good day.

Blaise stood up right away. "Mageia anochio?"

"YES!" the elf shouted, dark hair sticking out at odd angles.

"I see you've met our magic expert," Hismus said, looking a little winded as he joined her side.

"Adria! Resident expert on all things wider magical world!" she said proudly, her grin so wide Jack thought her face would crack in half. "Just as you expected! Mageia anochio," she said, handing Blaise a packet of sticky, sparkly papers.

He took it, skimming through it.

"Very high levels of it, too! It's no WONDER she's been out for so long! Impressive that she fought it off as fast as she did," Adria mused, poking Jacqueline's booted toe.

"Don't," Jack said, shoving the blanket off and sitting upright (his body protesting immensely).

"Right! Sorry! SO! Mageia anochio! An ancient potion, SUPER illegal for CENTURIES. Used to open up the mind to magical influence, NOT to be taken on it's own! People have tried, of course. They're dead now," she said with a smile. "It's actually really fascinating, how often this particular potion has been misused—"

"Adria," Hismus began.

"Right! Sorry! Zipping it," she cut him off, miming zipping her mouth shut and tossing the invisible key over her shoulder.

Hismus chuckled. "I was simply going to remind you to stay on topic."

With an overdramatic pout, Adria rushed to the other side of the room. She mimed picking something up, unlocked her lips, and unzipped them. "Well NEXT time be more SPECIFIC!" she said, making her way back to the bedside. "Hi again."

Jack glanced at Blaise. His father shrugged, corner of his mouth twitching. "Hi, Adria. You were saying?"

"Right! It's actually astonishing how often this potion was misused, given its origin in magical studies as a helpful tool!"

"About how it's administrated," Hismus reminded her.

"Oh! Right! Yeah, so it's not to be taken on its own! Only with food or drink! So," the elf said, clapping her hands together. "What's she been eating?" Folding her hands together, Adria looked at the two men expectantly, eyes wide.

"Well," Jack began, leaning forward in his seat. "The first one happened a couple of hours after breakfast at the Grille," he paused, thinking back. "The second one after she went out with Elle. The third one happened after I got us drinks. From the Grille," Jack realized, straightening a bit.

"Of course!" Adria said. "It's BREAKFAST!"

Blaise couldn't help but snort. "I don't think it's breakfast in particular. Jack, do you know where your sister and Elle went for their outing?"

"I'm pretty sure it was the Grille. Give me a sec."

Focusing for a brief moment, Jack thought in Elle's direction.

You rang?

Tell me something, Elle, Jack thought back. When you and Jacqueline went for brunch, just before the second blackout. Did you by any chance go to the Grille?

It was quiet for a moment before Elle replied.

Yes! We did! Why do you ask?

They found out what's been causing Jacqueline's blackouts.

I'm on my way, Elle said, and before Jack could so much as think of thinking back to her, she rushed through the doors.

Pausing their conversation, Blaise, Hismus, and Adria all looked at Elle expectantly. "Hi," she said, catching her breath briefly. "Catch me up, please?"

"It's old magic!" Adria began, unprompted. "An old potion used to open the mind to magical influence, going from helpful to NOT real fast. Give someone a big enough dose, and you can get into their head, and potentially control them. Combined with the extra magic coming in? Big ol' yikes. And! You can't take it on it's own; it has to be given in food or drink."

"You two ate breakfast at the Grille that morning," Elle realized, eyes widening. "And then we went there the next day, just before the second one!"

"And today's happened almost seconds after she finished her drink," Jack said, jumping out of his chair now. "Which I got from the Grille."

"Who's in charge of this Grille?" Blaise asked.

"Abby oversees external hospitality. She's high in demand, and still helps Judy with internals, so other elves take care of day-to-day operations at each location. Lena runs the Grille," Elle said. "I'll go grab her."

And before anyone could protest, or agree, or say thank you, Elle poofed off.

Things were bonkers at the Grille.

It had been shaping up to be a steady evening, until a rumbling in the distance had the lights swaying. Lena had rushed outside and, panicking immediately, opened the doors wide to let in as many elves as possible. Moments after she closed the doors, snow rushed past them, semi-frozen pellets hitting the glass with harsh pings.

It all happened very fast. Kasper barely had time to ask what was going on when the lights went out with a sudden zap.

"What's happening out there?" Lena asked the elves that had come in.

They shook with cold, stomping snow off their boots and rubbing their arms.

"F-Frost," one of them finally piped up. "N-not Jack. Jacqueline. Brr!"

With a low buzz, the power came back to life. The heat clicked back on, warmth filling the space once more.

"Thank Christmas!" someone said.

"Alright, let's get you all in here," Lena said, ushering the elves deeper into the café. "Kasper? Let's get some hot chocolate going, yeah?"

"On it, Lena!" Kasper had said, turning on the stove and grabbing chocolate, milk, and sugar. Half focusing, he listened as the elves described what they had seen.

Jacqueline had nearly buried them in an avalanche. Jack had redirected it, right over the square and down the sides of the hill. Large chunks of snow had gone flying; the front of the Grille seemed to have sustained some damage. Both sprites had moved inwards, a smaller elf standing on the window seats describing everything in detail as Lena and Kasper and some of their other coworkers passed around fresh hot chocolate.

An hour or so had passed before snow removal crews began to dig out the doors, a medic rushing in to check over everyone in the Grille. Lena, the sweetest elf Kasper had met probably ever, had offered them and the teams crawling about some fresh cocoa as well.

Soon enough, all hands were on deck as the Grille worked overtime, passing along warm drinks as elves were freed from the other buildings. They gossiped among one another, bits and pieces making their way to Kasper's ears.

The power had completely gone out in the shop, Elves had been thrown about in some nasty winds, snow coating the main floor. Small parts and tools had been launched all over the place, and the team in charge of making sleds and toboggans was apparently now a whole week behind, all because of what Jacqueline had done.

Which was all because of what Kasper had done at The Man's request.

Each new report, each new oh no! and GASP had Kasper feeling a little more guilty. It stabbed at his chest, wedging itself deeper and deeper as the hours passed, the vials in his pockets growing heavier and heavier.

It was all his fault. Everything going on right now was because of him! He had let Polly get captured; he had been following the directions from The Man. He had given Jacqueline the thing The Man had made, that made her do all these things to his home, his friends. It was his fault. All of it.

"Kasper!"

He jumped, his wooden spoon flying across the kitchen.

"Ah! I'm sorry Lena, I-I didn't mean to. To uh, fling that!"

"It's okay," she said softly, concern in her eyes. "You seemed a little spacey there. Is everything alright?"

"I…uh…"

"You can talk to me, if you'd like," she said, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'll listen."

Kasper felt his eyes well up. "I'm very not okay," he admitted.

"Things seem to be slowing down. I'll make us some food and we'll take a break, and you can tell me what's got you all bothered, okay?"

She was being so nice! So nice! He didn't deserve it at all! "No," he said, his voice heavy. "It's not okay! I—"

Suddenly, the bell above the door tinkled. Both elves glanced over, Lena gasping.

"Miss Elle!"

"Hi, Lena. Hi Kasper. Sorry for interrupting," she began, heading over to the counter.

"It's alright," Lena replied, giving Kasper a warm smile and reassuring squeeze before turning her attention to the counter. "What can we get for you?"

"I need you down in Elfirmary, if you don't mind," Elle said.

"Me?" Lena asked, concerned.

Elle nodded. "They found something that's been messing with Jacqueline's magic. They want to talk to you, if that's alright."

Kasper's face dropped.

"I don't know if I'll be much help," she said, glancing around. "Let me make sure everything is under control here, and I'll go right with you."

"Thanks," Elle said, glancing at her phone. She frowned at the screen, sliding it back into her jacket pocket. "I'll wait outside."

"I won't be long at all!" Lena said, already making her way over to the shift manager.

They talked, quietly and quickly as the bell tinkled once again. Kasper was sweating. He could feel his heart pounding; pulses in really weird places. They were bringing Lena in!

A whole other brother is going to see his sister get hurt…

Polly's words rang in his head as Lena left, she and Elle rushing off, out of view of the front window in short time.

The pots hissed; chocolate boiled. Low chatter from the patrons hummed in the background.

He pulled the empty vials out of his vest.

"No," he said. "No! I can't…I can't…" shoving the vials back in his vest, he burst through the kitchen doors. "I can't DO this!" he shouted.

The entire grille went quiet, everyone stopping to look at him.

"Kasper?" Mina, the shift manager, began. "You doing okay?" she asked, worried.

"I'm sorry Mina, I gotta GO," he said, not waiting for her answer as he hopped over the counter and rushed out the door, beelining for the Workshop.

Not wanting to waste too much time, Elle teleported, bringing Lena right to the Elfirmary doors with her.

"Right this way," she said, leading Lena towards the crowd by Jacqueline's bed.

Blaise stepped forward. "Lena, I presume?" he asked, hand outstretched.

"Yes sir," she said, shaking his hand. "I run the Grille just in the square. Elle told me what happened. I'm so sorry about all of this. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll do what I can!"

"That's all I'd ever ask," Blaise said, gently. Behind him, Jack stood with his arms crossed, watching intently. He took a breath in, about to speak when he caught Blaise's eye.

Blaise shook his head ever so slightly.

Grumbling to himself, Jack held his tongue. Though he was loathe to admit it, Blaise most definitely had a point. He was handling everything very calmly. Centuries of dealing with all sorts of magibeans would do that to a sprite. Meanwhile, Jack was growing increasingly agitated, and pacing wasn't helping, and the more he thought about everything the more tempting it was to snap at the next person who gave them more bad news about Jacqueline.

He glanced over at her.

Still out.

With a sigh, he moved to the foot of the bed to listen in, eyes trained on his sister.

"We've discovered an ancient substance within Jacqueline," Hismus was saying. "It's been confirmed to be Mageia anochio, if you've ever heard of it?"

Jack had. Far too many times in the last twenty or so minutes than he'd have liked, to be honest.

Lena, of course, had not; she shook her head no, much to Jack's irritation.

"Okay, so like, it was used PRE-CALL to help young casters in training," Adria began yet again. "It was put into a drink or on food, and helped open the mind up to outside magical influence, both good…and bad."

Lena gasped. "Has someone been making this in the Grille?! And feeding it to patrons?!"

"We think so," Elle said. "I was hoping you could potentially tell us about your employees. Have any of them been acting off? Have you seen any of them do anything weird? Suspicious? Shady? Anything strange happening in the building, maybe?"

"Oh! Oh, I don't know, I—"

"I think it'd be best to have this discussion in private," Blaise interrupted. "Is there somewhere else we could move to, Dr. Hismus?"

"Certainly. You can use my office, if you'd like! It's right this way, Governor Frost." He stretched his arm towards the other side of the Elfirmary, gesturing towards the hallway on the left of the waiting room.

"Thanks," Blaise said with a nod, heading in the direction he'd indicated. Hismus followed along, Elle gesturing Lena forward.

Jack watched them leave, glancing over at Jacqueline. He was quieter than usual. He glanced back at the retreating group, frowning.

Elle cleared her throat. "Jack? Did you want to go with them?"

His frown deepened.

He didn't want to leave her alone…but he didn't want to be out of the know. He wanted to help her; and knowing everything about the situation would give him a leg up, as it were.

But Jacqueline…

He glanced over at her, conflicted.

"I can keep an eye on her," Elle said, sensing his indecision. "Anything changes, I'll tell you right away."

"Right away?"

"Of course!"

"You're certain?"

"Absolutely."

Jack glanced at his sister once more before nodding to himself and letting go of the footboard. "The moment something happens, Elle. You let me know."

"Roger that," Elle said, lip twitching as Jack began to rush after the group.

He turned around to face her, walking backwards for the briefest of moments. "The MOMENT, ELLE!"

"Yeah!"

"POST HASTE!"

"As soon as it happens," Elle said, dryly.

"RIGHT AWAY! NO DILLY-DALLYING!"

He disappeared around the corner, Elle rolling her eyes with a wry smile as the door to Hismus's office clicked shut moments later.

She sighed, indulging in the brief moment of silence they had left in their wake. An inhale…hold it…and an exhale. Over her shoulder, she glanced at Jacqueline. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she looked down at the time.

The double doors smacked open, with a thunk loud enough to startle most every elf in the room. Elle's phone fell from her grasp; she reached out to grab it, managing instead to push it off course. It landed screen side down on Jacqueline's bed. Elle sighed, relieved. Screen shattering disaster adverted, she glanced over at the doors.

Kasper stood between the doors, chest heaving as he held them open.

"Kasper?"

"ELLE! WHERE'S LENA?!"

"Hismus's office."

"THANK YOU!"

The elf barrelled down the hall, hitting what Elle could only assume was the office door with a loud thunk. He knocked over and over and over again until finally, with a click, the door opened. There was a yell; what sounded like a clink? And suddenly the door slammed shut, the far off hall growing quiet again.

"Well. That was weird. I bet you would've loved how weird that was, pal."

Jacqueline did not reply.

Elle sighed. "That's okay. I'll tell you all about it when you're awake," Grabbing her phone off of the bed, Elle glanced at the time once more. Her eyes widened. "Which should be soon, if I'm right!"

Sliding her phone into her pocket, Elle pushed Jack's vacated chair right up to the bed and sat down. Elbows on the mattress, she rested her chin on her hands, watching the sprite's face for signs of life. Hopeful, she prodded about in her mind, trying to find Jacqueline's link to her.

Still no familiar cool presence.

Which was odd, given the single tear making its way down Jacqueline's cheek.

"So basically, this potion, it lets the person who made it control the person they've given it to? Like, mind control?!"

"That's a very rudimentary explanation but yes," Adria said.

"Well, I served them their food but I swear, I did NOT put anything in it! Just cinnamon, spice, and Christmas cheer!"

"Take a breather Lena, alright?" Blaise said, gently. "It's okay. You're not in trouble. We're just trying to get to the bottom of this."

She nodded, looking relieved. "Right. Please continue."

"Have you noticed any of your employees acting odd lately?" Blaise asked.

"Well, everyone's about their usual selves. Although…before Elle called me, I was talking to one of my employees. His name's Kasper. He's had a rough go of it, recently. He was getting a bit teary eyed when—"

Suddenly, a SLAM. Then, a knock. And another, and another…they kept going in rapid succession; they did not stop.

Closest to the door, Jack opened it.

"SHE DIDN'T DO IT!"

Lena looked shocked. "Kasper?!"

"Lena didn't do anything!" Shaking, he pulled the vials out of his vest. Lena gasped. "It was me."

"Oh, Kasper. What have you done?"

"I—I was just trying to keep her safe," he admitted, the floodgates opening.

"Who?" Jack asked, coldly.

"My sister," Kasper said, hiccuping. "She—I—she was taken by this. This MAN. He sent the flame monsters, and, and—"

Blaise stepped forward, looking down at Kasper. "This man. What did he look like?"

Kasper looked up at Blaise, paling almost immediately as they met eyes. The elf screamed, bolted right around everyone, tumbled to the ground and hid himself under the desk.

"Jacqueline?"

The tears kept coming. Her eyes stayed shut.

"It's okay," Elle said, grabbing her friend's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm here. We got you help! You're safe."

She squeezed back. Hard. "I don't think I am," she admitted, eyes still closed.

"No, don't talk like that! You are!"

Jacqueline's eyes shot open. "Then why can't you hear me?"

Elle's heart plummeted. "I'm sure we can figure it out."

"We can't," Jacqueline said, desperation in her voice. She shifted, sliding upwards and resting against the headboard. "Nothing I do fixes anything." Her voice cracked. Tears were rolling faster down her cheeks now, freezing before they could drop off of her chin. "It's all just so…hopeless."

"No. No no no don't say that! It's not over yet. I mean, we figured out what happened to you! That's good! We can stop it now! Blaise is here and—"

"I feel so hopeless," Jacqueline admitted, looking up at her friend with watery eyes. "I've failed."

"Ou, did you hear that?" The Man said, turning to the air beside him, where nobody stood. "She's hopeless! Absolutely hopeless!"

The Man was giddy, pouring over his tub of molten rock. He watched as the girl brought her knees up to her chest, rubbing the icy tears off with the bottom of her palm.

"Your words are useless," he hissed, smirking at the image of the telepath beside her. "I've done it! I've broken her."

He glanced up suddenly, squinting at the ceiling for a moment. He tilted his head, ear turned towards the front of the castle. A smirk crept onto his face. Mouth closed, he chuckled.

"It's just about time."

Gleefully, every stride filled with purpose, The Man left his study, walking through the castle. His boots clunked through the hall, dust stirring with his every step. Dimly lit sconces illuminated suits of armour, his reflection looking...presentable. He'd tidied up for this day. This very special day, this day he'd been waiting for for nearly five thousand years (give or take two hundred).

Hair long, but tied back. As he had had it in his youth. Beard full; respectable. Like all the great Kings of times long ago. With a wave, his staff appeared, spruced up and shinning in the lowlight. He wore his best red robes, his father's own royal cloak draped over his shoulders. And soon his crown would join the ensemble, completing the look that he had been destined to have. Destined until it was snatched from him by the prince that should not have been.

With a low growl, he waved his staff.

The castle doors flew open, hitting the stone walls with unpleasant cracks. The wind picked up, rustling the fallen leaves. He weaved through the courtyard, the outer buildings nothing but ruins now. He crunched through the vines and dead foliage from the overgrown gardens towards what he had calculated to be the centre most point of the grounds. Below him, sigils and runes were etched into the floor, glowing brightly on the ground.

It was ready.

Stepping into the centre of the circle, he hit the ground with his staff. The runes lit up, shifting from a stark white to light pastels, then darkening until the magic was all his customary burgundy. Lifting his staff, the enchantment left the ground, flying high up into the sky and hitting the top of the seal.

The forcefield rippled. Cracking sounds filled the courtyard.

The weakening spells had worked.

With a grin, he lifted his staff once more, magic shooting out the top and hitting the exact same spot. The shield rippled once more, the sky looking as though it was underwater as the cracks deepened before it stilled.

"Better watch your back, brother," The Man said, launching another, and another, and another blast, until the ripples became falling bits of magic, gently drifting down to the ground, extinguishing after centuries of doing what needed to be done. He chuckled to himself. "It won't be long now."

Giving his staff an unnecessary two-handed twirl, he stabbed it into the ground. He closed his eyes, letting the magic build as he reached out with his mind, scrying in place and waiting for the right amount of power to build.

All the pieces were falling into place.

And out of place, he thought with a chuckle, as the forcefield above him cracked and fissured, the falling bits of magic exploding into colourful little sparks as they drifted down, hitting the ground.

"I…was not expecting that."

Based on the ensuing silence that followed his remark, nobody was.

Blaise sighed. Making his way around the desk, he bent down slightly, peering underneath it at the cowering elf. "Hi there. Sorry for the fright. Is it okay if I—?" He pointed at his head.

Kasper squinted at it for a moment before straightening up and nodding ever so slightly.

"Thanks." Smiling, Blaise let his hair flickered back to life, the darkness under the desk easing.

Kasper did not reply. He looked up at Blaise, still shaking, scrutinizing him closely in what looked to be disbelief.

Getting down on his knees, making himself seem as small as he could be, Blaise looked the elf in the eye as best as he could. "You okay?" He spoke softly; evenly. Doing what he could to not frighten him any further.

"I'm sorry," Kasper finally said, shoulders dropping in relief. "I thought…it's just. You look an awful lot like The Man."

Blaise stiffened. He cleared his throat. "Tell me about him."

Kasper gulped, nervously.

"Hey now, it's okay," Blaise held his palms up flat in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. None of us are."

"We're not?!"

"Jack."

"Fine." Rolling his eyes and trying very hard to keep his grumbling to himself, Jack weaved around Hismus and Lena, crouching down on the other side of the desk. "You said something about your sister?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

Kasper nodded, whimpering a bit. "She was taken from me. I couldn't-I. I couldn't protect her! I was supposed to. Supposed to keep her safe and I didn't. The Man got her and took her away, and then he whooshed me away and told me that if I didn't do exactly what he said he'd-he'd hurt her! And if I listened to him and did exactly what he said, he promised he'd keep her safe and unharmed."

"And so he gave you those vials and asked you to potion my sister?!"

Kasper nodded. "But not. Not right away. This was recent. He. Uh. He. He had me looking out for someone to help him. Someone very powerful and very angry. And uh…when she. When your sister came up. To visit you…"

"You found just the person," Jack said, filling with dread. He thought back to their reunion with a frown. Powerful? Angry? Yep.

Jacqueline fit the bill.

Jack glanced over at Blaise. Though the man's face was soft as he listened intently to Kasper, he was tense, Jack noted. And his hair was crackling in the back in a way that made him think of a sopping wet log being tossed on a roaring fire which couldn't possibly be good.

"Why did you do it? Why did you agree to it?" Blaise asked.

"Because he has my sister!" Kasper nearly snapped, tears flowing once more. "And he said! If I. If I DIDN'T listen to him, if I told anyone what had happened, he would KNOW, and she wouldn't be safe anymore, and I didn't know what ELSE to do so..." he shrugged, sniffling. "I couldn't keep her safe before but maybe now, I could! So I listened to him! I just wanted to keep Polly safe—" he was cut off by a heavy, heartfelt sob.

Blaise shifted into a cross-legged sit. "I know, Kasper. I understand."

"Y—y-you-hic-you do?"

Blaise nodded. "Once, long ago, I was willing to go to the ends of the Earth for my brother. Consequences be damned."

"And I'd do the same for my sister," Jack agreed, sinking down now as well. "I am doing the same for her. That is, what I can do. Right now."

"We both are. We understand why you did what you did."

"Why you're doing what you're doing," Jack corrected.

"That too," said Blaise. "You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?"

"He's not?"

"Jack, don't make me ground you."

"At this age? Please."

Blaise rolled his eyes, turning back to Kasper. "You're not in trouble, Kasper," he reiterated. "But we need answers."

"But…my sister…"

"Will be safe. You both will be. We'll keep you safe. I promise."

Blaise sounded so sure; Kasper was transfixed. He crawled out from under the desk, looking up at the fiery man before him and hiccuping. "H-how?"

"Help us help my sister," Jack said, "and we'll help you help yours."

"You will?"

Jack glanced at Blaise, eyes questioning. Blaise looked back, face set, jaw tense. He nodded.

"We will," Jack said. "Sprite's honour," he added, the elf's eyes widening.

"Double or nothing," Blaise agreed.

"Oh. Oh wow! Sprite's honour is a big deal."

"It sure is." Knees protesting, Blaise got up, clearing the space for Kasper to crawl out. "We mean business, Kasper. We want to help Jacqueline, and in order to do that, we need to help you. So, come on out. You're safe with us; we won't let anything happen to you, okay? I just want to know about the man who took your sister."

Kasper scrambled out from under the desk cautiously, backing up to the far wall of the room. He looked carefully at every person in there. The two sprites. Lena. Hismus. Adria. They were all waiting on him. They wanted to listen to him, to hear what he had to say. To help him.

And so, taking a deep breath in, Kasper shared his story.

"You haven't failed yet! Look, I mean. Jack's back in working order!"

"No he's not! It was a temporary solution! I was supposed to help him figure it out permanently! NOT temporarily," Jacqueline snapped, her face growing red.

"But you are helping him! I mean, you got him this far! That's impressive in itself!"

Jacqueline huffed, closing her eyes tightly and angrily brushing away tears.

"It's like that thing you always say. You're doing your best, and that's the best anyone can do."

Her head sprung back up, her cheeks very red and very wet. "But that's not good enough, Elle! Everything I do to fix the Dome makes it break somewhere else. Everything we did before we left to fix the Dome isn't working and on top of all that, I can't even help my brother—" her voice caught and, choking on a sob, she pulled up her legs, burying her face in them.

"He seems to think otherwise." Elle placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Look at how far he went with your help! It was you who figured out the cause of the freezer burn! You're the one who came up with the temporary solution!"

"But his powers aren't back yet," Jacqueline nudged Elle's hand off her shoulder, unburrowing herself from her knees. She looked frustrated now, angrily swiping away at the tears that refused to stay put . "I was supposed to—I'm supposed to help him recover and I can't even do that properly! He's still out of commission and I was supposed to help him get better so that this—" she waved her hand towards the window, where the cracking Dome was clearly visible, "this would stop happening and I can't even do that! I'm a Legate, Elle. I was asked to do my literal job and I couldn't even do that right!" Her voice cracked. "I need to fix this, but I can't. I can't fix the Dome, and I can't fix Jack's freezer burn, and I can't even fix myself!"

Static seemed to charge the air. Elle patted her hair down, frowning. "Fix yourself? Jacqueline, you're fine just the way you are."

"Not with these blackouts landing me here every frostbitten time I come up!" she snapped, hands angrily waving about in front of her. Light blue sparks drifted off of her fingertips. Elle blanched.

"We've figured those out, though," she said, softly. "We know what caused them! Your immune system keeps shutting everything down just to clean it out."

"And it keeps coming back, Elle! I'm worried! And scared! What if I can't get rid of it all?! I'm so tired, I just want to give in. I can't keep doing this," she slumped, arms finally resting. "I keep trying to fix everything and I keep failing. The Dome. Jack. These blackouts. Frostmas," she spat the last word, looking off into the distance darkly.

"Frostmas?"

"Frostmas."

Jacqueline spoke with so much malice in her voice that Elle found herself unconsciously shifting back a bit. Light blue sparks travelled knuckle to knuckle now, arcing back and forth.

Oh no, Elle thought.

The Man's eyes shot open. He smirked, his lips curling up in an unpleasant fashion.

"Time's up."

In front of him, his staff glowed red, his magic cracking and arcing brighter and faster the longer he held on to the spell. Finally, he thrust it up into the air and let the spell go. The magic rushed up and out of the staff, heading straight for the barrier above him. It flickered in and out of existence now, the bright lavender casting an odd glow over the ground every time it reappeared until the red blast of magic hit, dead centre.

The Man watched as the barrier flicked back into existence one final time. Cracks snaked along it, thickening, growing larger and larger as it hit the holes he had already made, thousands of minuscule cracks spiralling out from there. The ground seemed to shake around him. Finally, it shattered.

The SNAP was loud. It resounded, echoing throughout the mountains.

For a moment, the barrier stood still in the air. Just a moment. A gust of wind rushed out from the castle grounds, ruffling the foliage and knocking over crumbling bricks. There was a flash; a bright, reddish flash.

Then the remains began to fall.

Purplish-red residue rained down around him. The Man's magic rippled through the air above him, casting the area in a deep red glow. No longer blocked by a magical forcefield, the cool eastern breeze billowed into the grounds.

The Man inhaled the fresh air. Smelt the decaying leaves; the dirt, the wet…he chuckled.

Dust began to fall around lifted his staff; the tip glowed, and the dust that had been drifting towards him stopped centimetres above him. It fell around him, he and his robes untouched by the residue.

"One more thing," he said to himself. Sticking out his free hand, he uttered a quick summoning incantation.

Deep within the castle, something shattered.

He smirked.

It raced through the corridors, the high-pitched whir just reaching his ears as it shot down staircases and around corners, doors flying open with stony smacks. The Man turned to look just as the object came shooting out of the main doors and into the cold night air, the wooden doors once again shuddering. There was a snap as the hinges finally gave up, one of the doors falling right off the frame and slowly sliding down to the ground, the wood snapping on the crooked stones leading to the door.

He caught the object on his wrist. It spun once, twice, thrice before finally, it settled.

The gold glinted in the magical glow, the rubies embedded in it shinning as bright as a roaring fire. The Man nudged it up, clutching it between his fingers, his face reflected in the perfectly polished gems. Chuckling, he tossed it up into the air. It spiralled and twirled, glinting as the glowing magical dust fell around it. It straightened, landing perfectly on The Man's head.

He straightened, standing at full height. The royal cloak billowed out behind him, the crown glinting ominously in the light of his magic as it continued to bring down the barrier above him. The Man chuckled, his lips quirking into a malicious smile.

"Show time." He stuck his foot out, paused for a moment and grinned, his heel hitting the ground hard. Flames burst out around him, obscuring him completely. They twirled up into the air and vanished with The Man, the courtyard once again lifeless.

It can't be, Blaise was thinking. It can't be.

His heart was racing. The young elf was wrapping up his tale, and Blaise had a feeling he knew exactly who the man was.

"…and then LENA got called in and she's been so nice to me I couldn't see her get in trouble for it and I kept thinking of Polly and, and—" Kasper's lips quivered as he pulled the vials out once more and threw them on the desk, looking back up at the crowd and bursting into tears once again.

"I'm just gonna, grab those," Adria said quietly, hopping up onto the desk. "For science."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so sorry I—" choking on either a sob or snot (or maybe both), he slid down the wall, hugging his legs and sobbing his little heart out.

"Oh, Kasper." Dropping down beside him, Lena pulled him into a hug. "It's okay. Thank you for telling us what happened. We all appreciate it. You've been a big help, I think."

His head popped up. He looked at Blaise, wide eyed and teary. "Is Polly gonna be okay?"

"I'll make sure of it. Just, one last thing, Kasper. If you don't mind."

He glanced at Lena. She nodded.

"You said I reminded you of this man. Tell me. As best as you can remember. What did he look like," Blaise said, Jack catching a whiff of desperation in his tone.

"Like you. Just as tall and sort of a similar shape? But not as on fire. And he had whiskers. Lots of 'em. And his hair's darker, and I think his eyes are too. And he looks like he walked out of one of Polly's fairy tale books."

Blaise stiffened.

"Dad? Are you okay?"

It was him.

In his head, something seemed to fall. There was a sound. Laughter.

A message.

We're well overdue for a visit, don't you think?

Blaise lurched forward, looking around wildly.

"Dad. What's going on?!"

Come out, come out, wherever you are…

Tensing, Blaise whirled on Jack. "Whatever happens," he said, grabbing Jack's shoulders a bit too tightly. "Whatever you do. Whatever I do. Do NOT leave this building. Secure all the doors," letting Jack go, he looked to Hismus. "I want everyone OUT of the square and kept INDOORS."

"I'll alert Santa," Hismus said, no questions asked.

"If anyone is outside, get them inside as soon as possible. Tell Santa no ifs and or buts."

"Right away, sir!"

"Dad!"

Blaise spun back around, facing Jack who very nearly recoiled with how intense he looked. Nearly. Standing his ground, he straightened up, trying his best to match Blaise's demeanour. "What's going on?"

"Jack." Blaise pulled his son towards him. "Do not leave this building."

"But—

"No buts! I need you to listen to me just this once. Whatever you do, stay inside. Please," he said, his voice cracking, fingers squeezing. "Keep yourself safe. Keep your sister safe. I can't let him hurt her anymore. And I won't let him hurt you again."

Jaw set, Blaise let go of Jack, straightening up once more. "This ends now," he said, and, before Jack could even open up his mouth to reply, Blaise disappeared in a whirl of flames and orange sparks.

Jack, Elle's voice crept into his mind. We have a problem.

"Frostmas?"

"It was exactly the same!" Jacqueline spoke with her whole body. "It was wrong! It was the wrong timeline! Nobody knew! Nobody knew but me! And Jack," she paused briefly, eyes narrowing. "Because he's the one who triggered it! And I had to sit there the entire time and watch as things here got worse and worse, had to listen to everyone insisting that it was exactly what should be happening, that nothing was wrong, when everything was very, very wrong. I told them over and over and over again but I was always dismissed, always, and do you know what the worst part was, Elle?"

"What?"

"NOBODY BELIEVED ME!" Magic was cracking at her fingertips. The Elfirmary was rapidly dropping in temperature. "I knew it wasn't the right timeline but nobody believed me! The only person who knew it was wrong too, who could back me up, was Jack, and of course he didn't do sleet to put it back to rights because why on Earth would he do that? It was exactly what he wanted! Why give it all up? He didn't care how many people got hurt in the process! He didn't care about what happened to B, or you, or the elves or the magic or mom or dad or the twins or me! He almost killed Christmas magic and I had to sit there and watch it all happen, knowing that if someone had just listened to me, we could've fixed it! I could've fixed it!"

Frost began to creep down the bed and onto the floors below them. Bedsheets were lifting up as wind seemed to come from nowhere, shaking the trays and loops holding up the curtains. Staff, patients, and visitors glanced around worried as Jacqueline sat up on her knees, making her way to the edge of the bed.

"He didn't care about any of the consequences!" Angry, she sliced her hand through the air in front of her. A chair went flying, propelled by a fresh wind that whipped up directly behind them. "What it did to everyone! What it did to me!"

She gasped suddenly, leaning back. "Oh, oh no. Not again," she said, fearful.

"It's okay," Elle said. "I'm here for you. I got you!"

And in her mind, as she stood up, hands hovering near Jacqueline, she sent a thought Jack's way.

Jack. We've got a problem.

Jack didn't reply. He flew out of the Elfirmary moments after getting the message, nearly barrelling down Hismus and Adria as he rushed to Jacqueline's bedside. Turning the corner through the waiting room, he stopped cold at the sight that greeted him, blanching.

Jacqueline was up. She sat on her bed, practically oozing frost.

She sat on her knees, hugging her midsection, breathing heavily. Puffs of frost came out with every exhale. It was drifting from her, heading down and off the bed, pooling on the floor and slowly seeping over it, freezing it over. Beside her, standing by the bed, Elle stood, barely noticing her frozen boots and icy hems as she tried her best to reassure Jacqueline, looking pale herself.

"Jacqueline!"

Both sprite and elf glanced up. "No, no, stay back Jack!" Jacqueline said. "Please!"

"I promised Dad I'd keep you safe," Jack shouted back, as the winds in the Elfirmary began to pick up. Behind him, Adria shuffled Kasper and Lena out; behind her, Hismus grabbed the nurse at the front desk and rushed through the Elfirmary, nurses and physicians and medics by the beds of the patients prepping them to leave, ushering out visitors and evacuating the rest of the medical staff.

That's a funny joke, isn't it?

Elle perked up, looking around. Nobody was speaking; staff was rushing out, patients and visitors in toe. Jack was focused on Jacqueline; things were quiet on his end. In his surface thoughts, too.

But then who had said that?

She glanced back at Jacqueline.

He wants to keep you safe? Since when has he cared for your safety? For anyone's safety?

Elle gasped. "The voice is back. The voice is back!" She rushed down the bed, standing in front of her friend now. "Jacqueline, don't listen to it! It's trying to upset you! It's doing this on purpose!"

Elle's warning went unheard and unheeded. Anger had taken over now, Jacqueline colouring. She growled, clenching her fists and glaring at her brother. "Keep me safe?! Since when do you care about my safety, let alone anyone else's!"

"Since always!"

"Oh please," Jacqueline scoffed, standing up on the bed. "Don't give me that bullsleet, Jack. You certainly didn't care about my safety the day you left. You almost destroyed the entire magical world by ignoring every single warning and breaking several safety and secrecy laws just to have your big old Santa show, and now you're doing it AGAIN with the Deliquesce!"

"Santa show?" Jack asked, perplexed. "What in the goddess given springs are you talking about?"

"Frostmas." Ice curled out from around her as she hopped off the bed. The wind intensified; the trays shook faster, the equipment in them rattling. The curtains were billowing too now, chairs scraping the floors as the wind blew them back.

Jack paled. He gulped. Oh no, he thought. "If you're ready to talk about that, we can!" Magical energy cracked and popped all around her, now. Her hair was lifting up, her skirt billowing as the winds ramped up. "We can just sit, and, and talk about it!"

"Sit and talk? Ha! No, Jack. I'm done talking."

She lifted her hands. The winds sped up, looping around the elfirmary and gathering behind her. With a growl, Jacqueline pushed her hands out in front of her and the winds rushed forward, taking everything that wasn't bolted down with them. Including the empty beds.

They slammed into one another, creaking as wires hit wires and wheels spun round and round. They flipped on their sides, screeching along the floors as the wind pushed them across the space relentlessly, Jacqueline doubling down every time they got stuck. They headed right past the beginning of the ward, rushing straight for the offices and triage space and the waiting room, every single item converging on the exact spot where Jack stood.

Out in the middle of the square, the ground began to smoulder.

There was a crackle; a pop. A small tendril of flame appeared, glowing brightly.

It grew taller; wider. It swirled up and up and up, slowly, ever so slowly, growing brighter and hotter and hotter and silver bells, was it ever hot!

In a whirl of fire and orange sparks, Blaise appeared in front of the Workshop. The fire died down, disappearing as Blaise walked forward intently, eyes trained on the fiery tornado before him. Elves began to back up, pulling friends away with them as the flames soared up in a tight circle and began to spin.

"Get inside! Quickly!" He barked, hand slicing the air in front of him. Elves darted behind him, rushing into the shop, Blaise's eyes unmoving from the flame in the middle of the square. It churned, faster and faster, growing hotter and hotter still.

Laughter had started in his head. Familiar laughter; laughter he had once loved to hear. Now, it was distorted. A mockery of what it used to be, of what he used to be.

What they used to be.

Standing his ground, Blaise readied himself as the fiery tornado suddenly reversed course. It fell down, gathering into a ball and landing on the ground. The ball exploded.

The flames rushed along the ground, billowing out a fair distance. Elves took cover, barely missing the tendrils of fire that licked at their elbows and toes. Some weren't so lucky, finding themselves tossed into the snow by worried friends, or patting out embers that had landed on clothes. The flames flew up, dissipating into the air.

In front of Blaise, where the fiery tornado had touched down, stood not just any man, but The Man, looking exactly as Kasper had described. He stood just as tall as Blaise, the features of his face that weren't covered by his greying-red hair sporting the same angles and sizes. He took a few steps forward, chuckling as his dark reddish eyes met Blaise's goldish ones.

"There you are Blaise! My dear, dear brother," The Man spat, his lips quirking up into the most malicious of smiles as he sauntered forward, opening his arms wide. "What, has it been four thousand eight hundred years already?"

Blaise's eyes narrowed. His jaw twitched, the pinstripes on his suit briefly glowing as he glared at his twin.

"Pyros."

A/N: THIS ONE GOES OUT TO MY BOY CURTIS, WHO GOT SO STRESSED HE APPARENTLY EXPLODED. AH. (I am once again being destroyed in all the bad ways by the series)

EXCITING to have this chapter out! I'm just excited I can call Pyros Pyros again. I mean, I think it's v obvious it was him the entire time? But I am a woman of PRINCIPLES and one of them was DO NOT NAME DROP PYROS UNTIL HE COMES FACE TO FACE WITH BLAISE. And then I named the chapter after him, lmao. Man, when that hit me as chapter title I almost exploded! I hope you all do too!

Anyway! Enjoy! Read and review, I LOVE comments! Chapter is ALSO up on ao3 in case you're not a fan of this platform. Or rather just kudos and go, lol. CS is open for everyone to read there so you don't have to have an account, but I'd recommend one. It's growing on me as a fanfic platform tbh. SO easy to edit quick little typos two days later (which reminds me if you see any lmk, I've stared at this one for a haute minute)

I hear it's Turkey Day in the States? So uh, happy Turkey Day! Please enjoy the start of the CS climax with your apple pie and such :D