Chapter 10, The Queen's Guardian

Jack stood watch over Jamie and Elsa throughout what remained of the night. Sitting atop the hook of his staff, her peered across the room at the balcony doors. All the while, he could hear the howling winds of the storm outside. So far, the night seemed peaceful. There was no sign of Pitch or any of his Nightmares.

Though even still, the Guardian of Childhood remained vigilant.

He glanced over to the looming shadows at the corner of the room, where Pitch would normally lurk. He squinted his eyes as he peered forward at the corner of the room. He peered through the shadows which concealed whatever was there. Expecting to see those gleaming gold eyes as he stepped out of the shadows. But even still, it looked to be that he was not there. At least, not from what he could see anyway.

Jack shook his head.

"It's nothing." he said to himself.

Jack then heard Jamie groaning behind him. He glanced back to the bed, where he saw Jamie laying next to Elsa. Both of them were fast asleep with several of the snowies. Jack smirked at the two of them.

"Those two really get along nicely," Jack said to himself.

"They almost seemed like they were a happy... little family."

Jack narrowed his eyes. He then glanced to Elsa, who was laying next to him. Seeing her fast asleep, Jack couldn't help but bask at how beautiful she was. Her long icy blond hair, her crystal blue eyes and those red rose lips. Jack suddenly felt that strange feelings within his stomach.

"There's that strange feeling again," Jack said.

"Why do I keep feeling this way?"

He knew that they had only just met today. Yet for reasons he could not understand, every time he was around her he felt things he had never before. He felt so obligated to be by her side. To protect her.

But why? Why did he feel this way about her?

Jack turned forward as he glanced back up at the doorway to the balcony. He could hear the raging winds of the storm outside, whaling.

"Gotta admit," He said.

"She does know how to create quite the storm. Not sure Bunny is going to be happy about this."

Jack then narrowed his head as thought back to what she had said earlier.

"So Manny told her to come to Burgess," he thought to himself.

"But why would he tell her to come here? Could it have something to do with the children being in danger?"

Jack pondered about what she and North had said. About her having trouble controlling her powers. All the snow that covered over Burgess. The storm outside.

And even the Globe.

Jack then came to realize just what it was that Manny was trying to warn them about. The ice over the globe, that must be what will happen if Elsa lost control of her powers. All that snow that covered Burgess and the storm that was raging outside. It was just as North had said. All of this was beginning to add up now.

"This must be what Manny was trying to tell us," Jack proclaimed to himself.

"If Elsa loses control of her powers, then all the children would be in danger. And with Pitch out there, they might just already be."

Jack glanced back at Elsa. It was clear to him that the key to saving the children was to for him to help her control her powers. Being the only one to have the same powers as her, he could help her better control them. While he never really had trouble controlling his own powers. At least, not in the same way as she did. He did have some problems at first the day Manny brought him back to life. But he had gotten the hang of it real quick and he was sure she could as well.

If anyone knew how to help her control her power, it was him.

Jack glanced up to the ceiling above, suspecting that Manny must be looking down at them at this moment.

"I'll find a way to help her," The Guardian proclaimed to his chooser.

"No matter what it takes."

The ravines winds of the storm had slowly died down to where Jack hardly noticed them. Glancing up at the doorway to the balcony, he noticed the sun's light peering through the castle's icy walls. Jack hopped down off his staff as he took hold of it. He then walked out onto the balcony, where he found that the storm had finally passed. Leaving the sun to rise in a clear open sky over a snow covered forest.

Jack sighed.

"Looks like the storm has moved on." he said to himself.

He then gazed out toward the sun rising over head over the town. Seeing how much snow covered the forest, he could only guess how the town folk was gonna react to the five feet of snow that would cover the streets and top of their houses. Though it was right at that moment he then realized that few of the town's folk were going to notice more then just the snow outside.

"Oh, right," he said to himself.

"I should probably get Jamie home before his family notices he's missing."

Jack came up to the side of the bed where Jamie was laying. The nine year old was still fast asleep next to Elsa. He was still wearing his jacket and his winter cap, snuggled under the ice sheets of the bed. Jack placed his staff up against the wall. He then removed the covers and picked Jamie up into his arms without waking him. He glanced to Jamie, who laid his head over his shoulder, groaning.

Jack smiled down at him. He then glanced back down at Elsa, who continued to sleep peacefully over the bed of ice. He was a bit hesitant to leave her alone for even a moment, especially with Pitch out there. Luckily Jamie didn't live far from here. If he went now, he could be back in time before anything happens.

"Sit tight, snowflake," Jack said.

"I'll be back soon."

Grabbing hold of his staff, Jack turned and walked over to the doorway to the balcony. It was at that very moment that Elsa began to open her eyes, only to see that Jamie was gone. She glance across the room to see Jack walking out onto the balcony with Jamie. He then leaped into the air and flew off to the town. Elsa leaned off the bed as she stared out over the balcony.

She narrowed her head, glancing to the side at Bruni. The small fire spirit laidd curled up next to her as he usually did. It was probably best that they leave. Not that she was happy about it. To shut somebody out that she had grew to care about. But what other choice was there. She was a spirit and was immortal. And they were...

Elsa closed her eyes. She couldn't go through that.

Not again.

Jamie climbed in through the bedroom window of Jamie's bedroom. He came up to his bed, where he placed Jamie down and pull the covers over him. Jamie groaned as he snuggled into the pillows. Jack smiled, taking off Jamie's cap and place it down on the nightstand. As he stared down at Jamie laying in bed, he began to wonder if this was if felt like.

He had seen Jamie's mom always tuck him and Sophie into bed every night he would visit Burgess. It wasn't until recently he wondered what it would be like to be a parent himself. To have kids of his own.

Was this how it felt like? Whenever Jamie's mom would tuck him into bed, was this how she felt seeing them sleep?

Though he had little time to wonder as he then heard Jamie's mother call to him.

"Jamie!"

Jamie groaned as he opened his eyes. It was right at that moment that his mother opened his bedroom door and came into his room.

"Come on, Jamie," she said.

"It's time to get up."

Jamie leaned up out of bed, yawning as he stretched. His mother then chuckled as she saw him wearing his winter coat

"Jamie, what are you doing wearing your coat?" She asked, curiously.

Jamie paused. He glanced down at himself as he then realized he was wearing his jacket.

"Oh... uh..." he said, glancing to the side.

"It kind of looked cold last night."

Jack peered through the window of Jamie's bedroom, chuckling at what he had said. Jack the turned and gazed out over neighborhood, seeing the snow five feet of snow that that completely covered the street, lawns and the tops of peoples houses. The snow truck that was plowing through it all as it tried to clear the streets.

"You can defiantly say that again," Jack remarked.

"What a mess. kind of like I did with that Storm I made on that Easter Sunday."

Jack smirked. Bunny would be hopping mad if he saw this. Not that he wasn't already.

"Manny wasn't kidding," Jack said to himself.

"If this is what happens when she loses control of her powers..."

While Jack almost didn't mind the snow covered Burgess, he was beginning to feel a bit upstaged at this point. Seeing the extent of Elsa's powers and how easily she lost control, she could probably make a storm much like the one he made in sixty eight.

Yet even with his almost admiration of her powers, Jack knew he couldn't let that happened. Not if it meant endangering all the children of the world. It was right then that Jack remembered. He leaped up onto the roof of the house, peering ahead in the direction of Elsa's palace. He should be getting back to Elsa. He shouldn't have left her for this long.

"Right," Jack proclaimed to himself.

"I should head back. I have to help her."

Jack then leaped into the air and flew off to the palace.