As always, chapters hit over at AO3 first. Please enjoy.

Chapter 8

Seafoam froths and sputters as angry waves crash with a deafening roar upon the black sand beaches of the Dark Sea. The Nokk increases their ferocity with every crash, and Gale beats down at the foul spirits with yellow eyes that try to pass into the air above the raging waters. Behind them on the beach, the treeline blazes with incandescent flames. Bruni will not allow them to retreat into the forest.

It is a long journey for the rock giants, but one is making its way up from the river south, the ground trembling beneath its footfalls. It has been many years since all the spirits have been awake at once, but one is still missing.

Elsa clings to Jack as they race back. She can hear the call of the other spirits; their voices, though not in any language known to mortals, ring in her ears. Her magic pulses in reply. They need her.

Jack sees oddly colored smoke before anything else, vaguely recognizing the beach where he'd met the Nokk with Elsa. The north wind brings them in fast, and both look down at the chaos below.

There are nightmares everywhere, though it's hard to tell how many due to the dark volcanic sand. For now, the Nokk is keeping them at bay, though the relentless crashing of the waves appears to deter them little. They keep trying to head across the sea.

Elsa can guess why, Ahtohallan.

They touchdown, ice blasting out instantly, bursting from beneath Elsa's feet when she touches the ground. Like thousands of blades, ice slashes through air and nightmares alike. Jack keeps airborne above her; his presence seems to whip the nightmares into a frenzy. They know a Guardian when they see one. He and Elsa blast out ice at a furious pace, nightmares shattering, their forms lost to the beach's black sand.

The Nokk sends another great wave in, crushing and pummeling the ones that linger too close to the water. Gale and Jack work to herd the nightmares back toward Elsa and Bruni.

Half a dozen or more vault into the air after Jack, nostrils flaring as they try to snap and bite at him. One grazes past him; it's dark, gaping maw barely missing as he allows himself to drop out of the sky. One still manages to snag the fabric of his hood, viciously shaking its head and tossing Jack to the ground briefly; another runs past him, the rough sand of its body scraping by him before he jumps back into the air with a spin, freezing everything immediately around him instantly.

The temperature in the immediate area plummets, and ice begins to form on the surrounding sea. The presence of the two winter spirits and the torrent of magic is enough to chill the already frozen landscape to the bone.

Elsa jumps and turns; her movements are fluid and steady; it almost looks like a dance as she turns and whirls, freezing nightmares solid. Soon, beautiful and terrible statues litter the beach. Elsa breaks up the sea ice when she can. She cannot allow the evil spirits to use the ice as stepping stones to Ahtohallan.

The ground rumbles, and not from the crashing waves; Jack stops, momentarily startled, before he realizes that the giant stone creature striding down the beach must be an earth spirit. "Elsa!" He calls a warning as the giant lifts a massive boulder above its head.

She heeds him just in time and retreats to the treeline as the stone giant hurls the boulder down the beach. It smashes into the frozen and unfrozen nightmares as it tumbles and embeds deep into the sand.

Gale lifts Jack high above the fight as his magic crackles through the air. He pulls back with his staff and then slams it down. Lightning-like magic and ice rip through the sky, turning the pale night into day for a brief moment.

Elsa flinches and dodges a pair of nightmares. They try to press her back into the trees and away from the others. The blast and light from Jack's attack distract them long enough for her to make a break for it. She rushes past, freezing one, and feels something rough and sharp on her shoulder, like sandpaper, and sharply turns to end up face-to-face with a huge nightmare. The nightmare had a translucent piece of her dress in its teeth as it reared up on its back legs. She thrusts her hands forward and blasts a powerful stream of ice at it, the force enough to freeze and shatter the creature.

Heading back to the beach, she covered herself in a thin layer of cool frost, soothing her arm.

The nightmares were thinning out, many fleeing south; what few remained were quickly destroyed by Jack and the other spirits. Flying over, he lands on the sand beside her as the Nokk emerges from the water. Its nostrils are flaring, its head reared high, the fight still in its eyes. Elsa reaches up and soothes it, adding a light coating of her ice to its form while stroking its neck.

With a gentle wave of her hand, she drops snow along the trees, putting out the fires, and Bruni emerges with a chirp and scurries up to sit on her shoulder.

"You alright?" Jack asks, helping to put out the fires.

"Yes, we made it just in time, it seems." Elsa watched the form of the stone giant retreat back into the forest. They never did stick around for long.

A heavy sigh, "I'm sorry, Elsa, I wouldn't have suggested we leave the forest if I knew there were so many nightmares in the area."

Elsa shook her head, "You couldn't have known. Besides, it's not the first time I've seen them around, though there were many more this time."

"When were there nightmares here before?"

"Right before Christmas, they were near the stone markers at the forest's border. I chased after them all the way from Arendelle. If this continues, we will need to take more drastic measures to keep them out of the forest and away from Ahtohallan."

"Drastic?"

Elsa rubs her shoulder; her skin is a bit scraped from the rough texture of the nightmare that snapped at her. She runs a hand over the area, cooling and soothing it. While she's at it, she repairs the damage to her sleeve.

She turns and calls for one of her snowbirds, and after a moment, one lands on her finger. Stroking it, she quietly asked it a favor before it flew back into the forest. Turning back to Jack, she couldn't help but laugh a little despite the current situation. The nightmares had done a number on his clothes. One pant leg was spitting clear up to mid-thigh, and the cording he usually had was gone from the other leg. The hood was missing a piece and partly separated from the collar. The nightmare had torn a sleeve seam under one arm, leaving a gaping hole.

Jack only then seems to take in his own appearance, "Aw, man! Those damn nightmares!" He turned around in a circle, trying to get a better view of his backside. They had given his already-worn clothes a thrashing.

He heaved a disappointed sigh; he really did like this hoodie, too. Running his hands down the garment, he took in the damage; most of it had come from the shaking that one nightmare had done. His pants were unsalvageable, and he would have to replace them. He could just see the look on Elsa's face if he stole a pair of pants off someone's clothesline.

Glancing up at Elsa, she gave him an appraising look, a finger thoughtfully tapping her chin as she hummed like one would at a particularly fascinating puzzle. It made him a bit nervous, "Elsa…?"

"Come here; I can help." She motioned to a large rock on the beach, ushering him to stand on top of it.

Jack complied, standing rather awkwardly as Elsa circled him like a shark. "Elsa, it's not a big deal; I can find something…"

She held up a hand, silencing him with a mere look, "Jack Frost, you are not stealing anyone's clothes when I can easily fix this. Hold still for a moment, and let me think."

Now oddly even more nervous, Jack stood ramrod straight, Gale still lingered on the beach, and Bruni let out a little squeak on Elsa's shoulder. Thankfully, the Nokk had retreated into the water. He tugged at what remained of his sleeve; it had felt a little short lately. Perhaps that dunking in the sea a while back had made it shrink? Whatever she made him, he hoped it didn't have shoes.

Coming to stand directly in front of him, Elsa lifted her hands, and with a simple flourish, his old pants transformed from tattered and brown to a charcoal gray, lengthening as they spread down to reach his ankles. Instead of the old cordage he'd once had, white spats wrapped each leg below his knees. She took inspiration from the clothes she'd lent him before, and his hoodie began to transform into a darker shade of blue, taking on the appearance of a double-breasted overcoat with a high collar and a neat row of double buttons running up his right side. She added bracers to the slim-fitting sleeves around his wrists for good measure.

Elsa admired her work, very pleased with the look, but did wonder if a cloak would suit him. She knew he'd appreciate a hood. Perhaps not; it would give the nightmares more to latch onto in a fight. Maybe she'd just add the hood to the overcoat? She flicked her wrist, adding a hood and lengthening the coat, the undershirt beneath peaking out from beneath the collar.

Jack shivered as Elsa's magic unfurled across his skin like frost across a pane of glass, not due to the cold but in pleasure. Goosebumps rose on his skin as he bit back a gasp. As quickly as she had begun, Elsa finished, creating brand-new clothes with just a flick of her wrist.

Spinning around, Jack lifted one leg and then the other to inspect the changes. Okay, maybe he'd been wrong to hold off on having her make him something; this was the most comfortable clothing he'd ever worn. It somehow felt like fabric despite being made of ice and slid over his skin like silk and was cool to the touch. His own frost magic hummed beneath his skin in approval.

"Wow, Elsa…just wow. This feels amazing! Why didn't you tell me how good clothes made from ice feel?"

Elsa hid a small laugh behind her hand, "I'm happy you like them; they suit you well."

Gale whirled around Jack in approval. Though still playful, something about the wind spirit felt subdued.

"Elsa," he turned back to her and stepped down, "Do you know what the nightmares might have been after?"

"I'm not sure exactly; Ahtohallan is a sacred place. In a way, it is a spirit in its own right, a spirit of memory and mother to the spirits of this land and I, its keeper. All memory is found in its depths. Though it's perilous to go too deep into the glacier."

"You've mentioned before that it was a 'river of memory.' Isn't that how you became a–?"

"Yes, I became a spirit after going to the bottom searching for my family's past." Elsa walked with him down the beach as Gale followed. Even standing on the shore, the glacier that made up Ahtohallan was not visible. The distance was too great, and the sea too foggy. Ice from the fight still lingered in the crashing waves.

She hummed quietly before singing softly.

Where the north wind meets the sea
There's a river full of memory
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
For in this river, all is found
When all is lost, all is found

In her waters, deep and true
Lay the answers and a path for you
Dive down deep into her sound
But not too far, or you'll be drowned

Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear
And in her song, all magic flows
But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows?

"That is part of a song my mother used to sing to us; it tells that there are answers from the past in Ahtohallan but also warns of its dangers. If its depths can freeze someone like me born with ice magic, can you imagine what it would do to anyone else?"

Jack grimaced at the thought, "There's a place just outside of Toothina's realm; the ancient people of that land called it Smrti, and the river there was called 'the well of memory.' Sound familiar?"

Elsa paused mid-stride to stare at him.

"Right after Christmas, nightmares also scouted that area, but not nearly as many as were here. They were probing, looking; we've not found anything in the area yet, though North has some of his Yetis combing over the mountainside. Toothina is the Guardian of Memory, but even she only knows of the myth and nothing more. There may be other 'wells of memory" besides Ahtohallan."

Elsa stared out to sea for a long moment, trying to recall any of the stories she'd heard from the Northuldra, but none she knew mentioned other places like Ahtohallan. "If there are such places, are they also protected by spirits?"

Jack shrugged, "I don't know; nothing has come up. If nightmares make it into either area, I just worry about what they plan to do. The last time we fought Pitch, he stole all the childhood memories that Toothina protects. It's how I learned that Toothina had my childhood memories. Without their happy childhood memories, kids stopped believing in the Guardians, and that was when Pitch made his move, but I don't know how he'd even be able to steal anything from a place like Ahtohallan."

"If they tried and failed to reach the river here, they might try again in the area you saw them at before."

Before Jack could reply, an angry hooting sound made them both look up. Elsa's snow owl landed by the beach on a thin, scraggly tree. It sat, snowy feathers ruffled and puffed out; it looked like an angry pinecone.

"Oh dear, we accidentally left him behind." The owl hooted again and flew down, landing on her forearm. Stroking the bird, Elsa continued, "Jack, you should warn the other Guardians. If the area you spoke of truly resembles Ahtohallan, you should go. You must protect it."

"But what will you do, Elsa?" Jack ran his hands along his staff. He didn't like leaving her out here with so many Nightmares on the prowl.

"I have work to do as well. The other spirits and I must decide the best way to protect the forest and Ahtohallan."

Jack hesitated before nodding, swinging his staff in an arc; the wind picked him up, and he momentarily hovered before her. "I'll head out, but if you need anything, have Gale tell the north wind."

"I will. Thank you, Jack. I'm sorry our trip had to be cut short."

He gave her that lopsided grin she was becoming quite fond of. "I'll take you somewhere else sometime once we have these nightmares taken care of. What do you think, London or Paris, maybe Venice?"

Her laughter in reply filled his chest with what felt like bubbles; not even flying could compare to the feeling.

"I'll think about it and let you know." Elsa waved at him.

Without hesitation, he swooped down and scooped her into a quick hug. "I'll try to come back soon." With a final wave, he was off, heading south.

Elsa watched and waved until he disappeared. Sighing deeply, she rubbed her sore shoulder and turned to Bruni, "We need to call everyone." The fire spirit gave a moody grumble of agreement.

Gale whirled overhead and down to the water, where the water spirit emerged. Reaching out, she coated the Nokk in ice once more. It kneeled for her, and she slid onto its back smoothly. Elsa patted its neck, "Let's go to the forest border by the stone markers." Bruni peeped out from her hair, and she hoped the little spirit wouldn't singe it again.

Before the Nokk took off, she stroked her new owl friend, "Please keep an eye on the shore. Let me know if anything not from the forest tries to come near it." With a sharp hoot, the owl flew up and took a perch high up in a bare tree, its blue eyes watching the crashing sea waves.

Elsa and the three other spirits raced into the trees. Far in the distance, the footfalls of an earth spirit could be heard following after.

Jack flew into the mountains and through Toothina's realm late that evening with a yawn. He'd been all over northern Europe and as far south as the Alps. He needed to make a trip to North America, but it would have to wait. He yawned again as he landed on a spire of the Tooth Palace. The baby teeth near him chipped greetings as they flew past.

"Oh ho, look who's finally showed up late again. With new clothes, too, you stop and go shopping on your way, mate?"

The glare Jack shot Bunny could melt a glacier, "Haha, where are Tooth and North?"

"Down to business, eh? That's not like you. They're in the main hall." Bunny hopped from one platform to the next as Jack flew lazily after him. "What's with the fancy clothes? Got a party to go to?"

Jack ignored the jab, "I ran into a problem that everyone needs to hear about."

All jokes on Jack's clothes stopped, and Bunny's ears twitched. "How bad?"

"Bad enough, the local spirits had to help me, though I think I might know what the nightmares have been looking for. Where's Sandy?"

"On his way," Toothina called out as they entered the towering doorway of her palace's main hall. Sunlight streamed in through the colored glass, making the room glow with gold and pink light as Jack landed in front of her and North. "North just finished speaking with the Yetis he's had patrolling the mountain's upper reaches."

"Yes, very interesting! They haven't found much, but they tell me a strange creature seems to inhabit the snow and ice. Has caused a few avalanches and made it difficult for them to go up." North patted Jack on the shoulder, "That is why we need you to go up there."

"Wait, hold up. What exactly is causing the avalanches? A local spirit?" Jack raised his hands defensively, "I'd like to know a bit more about it before you throw me to the proverbial wolves North."

North guffawed, "You will be fine; you are Jack Frost, no? Snow and ice, no problem."

Jack sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Look, before we get into that, I need to tell you–"

"Oh, you got a new outfit! It's very good!" North interrupted.

"No, you dolt! That is not what he's getting on about," Bunny interjected.

"I think I know why the nightmares tried coming here, and they may try again." Jack crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling uneasy with all eyes on him. He was used to being the center of attention by pulling a prank, not because of anything serious.

Thankfully, Sandy arrived right on time to offer a momentary distraction. He waved at Jack, smiling at everyone before sitting beside Toothina.

Jack took a deep breath. At least he wouldn't have to explain this more than once.

"There is a place in the far north of Norway that I think is like the area we're looking for here. In the legend, Toothina talked about four rivers diverging from a well of memory, right? This place is called Ahtohallan by the local spirits in Norway, and it's referred to as a river of memory. It's a giant glacier in the North Sea. Late last night, dozens of nightmares invaded the forest outside the sea where this glacier is."

Sandy motioned at him in concern.

"I took care of them, Sandy, but I had help. I'd not have been so lucky if I had fought them alone." Jack unconsciously smoothed down the front of his new jacket. He didn't like admitting that much if he were honest with himself. He didn't want them to think he needed help and couldn't handle his duties.

"And the locals helped you?" Bunny asked.

"Yeah, local spirits in that area. The water spirit I tangled with several months ago was one of them. They guard over the forest and sea near Ahtohallan." Spinning his staff absently, Jack fidgeted as if he half expected a horde of nightmares to appear at any moment. "If Ahtohallan has spirits guarding it. Then whatever is causing the avalanches here to keep the yetis away might also be watching over something."

"So," North stroked his beard, "There may be four of these locations?"

"And they all seem to have something to do with ice. If the one in Norway is a sea glacier, then the glacier on this mountain might hold the key." Toothina frowned, absently giving out directions to her fairies. "The glacier here has shrunk in recent years, the mountain has been getting warmer and warmer, and it's retreated quite a ways higher than it used to be."

"But what would Pitch and his nightmares want with these places? It's not like taking children's memories; it would not affect our strength, would it?" Bunny scratched his forehead with the tip of a boomerang.

Toothina's head feathers raised and lowered in distress, "It might not affect us directly or right away, but it would cause problems. The kind of old magic in these places is rare today; if it was damaged or tainted, I'm not sure we could repair it. From what little I know of them, they work as 'reservoirs' of memory, a collective of humanities expenses. The very heart of what it means to be human."

Sandy seemed deep in thought before waving to get North's attention.

"Ah, I see. That is a concern." North nodded.

"What is?" Jack asked.

"Sandy thinks if these 'rivers' are truly wells of memory, Pitch must want to disrupt or damage the flow of memories in some way or alter them. False memories."

"What would happen if he did?" Jack asked, browns furrowed. He did not like the sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm not sure, but if the old stories are true, it would not just affect children." Toothina fluttered over to Jack, "It would affect all humanity's memory. It would not be as simple as taking my tooth containers back from Pitch."

"How would he do that?" Jack wondered out loud.

"Mate, what do you do to a well you don't want to be used?" Bunny raised an eyebrow.

Toothina gasped, "You poison it."

Jack's gaze snapped to Toothina and then back to the horizon north of the open palace doors. His hands twisted around his staff.

"We must find out where this place is on the mountain and protect it. Wherever the other two are, it might be best if they stay hidden, even to us. They're safer if their locations are lost to time. Tomorrow, we'll try to go up the mountain ourselves. We must protect these wells from Pitch." North strode back into Toothina's palace, mumbling about plans and what the yetis needed to do before tomorrow.

Jack's fingers clenched around his staff until they ached. Pitch could not find these wells for humanity's sake but also…

Jack stared at the horizon north.

Elsa…

The Nokk pawed the ground with a frozen hoof, likely feeling it's riders unease. In all fairness, Elsa had never done this before. It had never crossed her mind they would ever have to close the forest.

Though this time, she doubted anyone in Arendelle would even notice. Far down in the valley, she could see the faint twinkle of lights from the village. She wondered if they had liked the decorations she had made for Christmas.

Dismounting, she walked over to stand among the ring of stones. The other spirits did not need her help to do this, but she felt it would be better if she did. All of their powers together would be enough to once more envelope the forest's borders in mist and keep anything unwanted out, including nightmares.

Gale blew past her, tossing her hair as they both worked to move the snow away from the ancient markers. Bruni hopped down and ran among the snow and faded grass. On the edge of the trees, a stone giant lingered.

Elsa stood center-stage among them and took a deep breath.

Her voice rang out, pure and clear in the early morning dark.

Ah ah ah ahh, ah ah.

Her voice carried far and wide. Her magic flickered alive through the air before forming a familiar snowflake pattern beneath her feet, shining in the fading moonlight. It broke her heart to do this, but she knew no other way to keep the forest and Ahtohallan safe. At least this time, no one would be trapped by the barrier.

She wondered what Anna would have thought.

Ah ah ah ahh, ah ah.

The world around her spins; magic thrums in the air and through the ground. The carvings in the stones around her begin to glow. The spirits stand ringed around her like the stones that surround them. The air whirls snow around her like a hurricane; far below in Arendelle, almost no one is awake to see the water in the fountain stop flowing, and street lights flicker as the ground trembles.

A moment later, all is quiet again. The water returns and the lights fade back in.

Elsa was panting hard in the clearing, and sweat dripped down her back. She felt at once both hot and cold. Feeling winded and with trembling knees, she leans on the Nokk, which lowers its head to help steady her. Her arm burns.

For the first time since she had become a spirit, the Enchanted Forest was now surrounded by the same shimming fog-like barrier she and Anna had encountered so many years ago. Now, nothing could pass into the forest unless the spirits allowed it.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Elsa gripped the Nokk's mane. It'd been a long time since she'd used her magic for more than the occasional trick, but she hadn't expected it to take so much out of her. However, she had fought all those nightmares with Jack. Perhaps working with her magic more often would be a good idea. It would not be wise to become winded in a fight.

The Nokk kneeled, making it easier for her to mount it as the earth trembled a bit from the footfalls of the retreating stone giant. Sighing, she stroked the Nokk's neck, "Let's go home."

She returned home swiftly. Nothing in the forest could keep pace with the Nokk save Gale. Sliding from the water spirit's back on the base of the hill near her home, she expected it to slip away into the river, but it hesitated momentarily. Tilting its head, the Nokk turned to study her with one pale glowing eye before nudging her with its neck towards her home.

"I'm alright. I will go rest now." She stroked its mane before slowly trekking the small, worn path to her door. Gale followed after her, a gentle trail of leaves in her wake, as she finally stepped in the door with a deep sigh.

With some regret, she realized she'd left her books outside, but she felt too tired to retrieve them. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought a shadow moved near the hearth, but nothing was there save the ashes of a dead fire. There were no coals to start a new one, and Bruni had left to go its own way halfway back from the forest border. She would ask favors of the other spirits but never commanded them. She was not a queen here. They were free to go their own way.

Leaning on the rock wall with a sigh, she went upstairs and changed her dress into a nightgown. Quickly washing her face, she winced a bit, looking at the scrape on her arm; it was very tender.

She wondered how many more fights she might end up in.

When she'd first met Jack, she'd been wary of having anything to do with him, worried that she would end up drawn into whatever conflict he was in. Now, she would need his help to protect the forest and Ahtohallen.

Climbing into bed, she did her best to fall asleep and tried to ignore how the shadows on her walls seemed to move.