Frozen Heart
Chapter 84
The Nightmare King’s lair was dank and dark, high ceilings full of stalactites and suspended cages full of little fairies, mountains of teeth containers draped in shadows below.
Taking all of this in as exhaustion cleared from her eyes, Jack slowly sat up, frowning at the wrought iron cage she had been placed in.
It was a few feet off the ground, and barely wide enough to stretch her legs, with no visible door to speak of, the bars jagged and rough as sandpaper.
Clutching the fabric over her racing heart, the winter guardian dipped her head and breathed in the comforting scent of Gajeel’s coat, calming slightly.
“Ah, so you’re awake.”
Tensing, she glared at the smirking shade, ice shards flashing into her eyes like fracturing glass.
“I was starting to worry my Nightmares had been too rough with you, my dear.”
“What the hell do you want?” She snapped back, fingers curling as if to grab hold of her staff.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Pitch replied, starting to circle the cage like a wolf circling a trapped doe. “I want you.”
Ice coated the cage floor as she bristled, eyes cutting to him at every angle.
“What makes you think you can just have me?” The winter-girl growled, fierce.
The Nightmare King smiled, blade-sharp and wicked.
“Because you don’t have a choice in the matter, my little blizzard.” He answered, slick as oil. “Unless you want this little fairy to suffer, instead.”
Blue eyes widened at the panicked squeaking from Pitch’s clenched fist, jerking forward on instinct.
“Baby Tooth!”
Her glare was ice-cold fire as it met yellow eyes, the temperature dropping so fast the air crackled.
“Let her go!”
“Now, my dear, you know I can’t do that.” He chided, fingers tightening so Baby Tooth gasped in pain. “Not until you’ve agreed.”
“Agree to what?” Jack snarled, ice spiking across metal as her fingers gripped tight on the bars.
“To being my Nightmare Queen.” Pitch answered coolly, pleased. “If you should start to refuse, however…”
Poor Baby Tooth squeaked pitifully at the crushing grip on her body, begging Jack with her eyes to say no.
Looking at the mini-fairy, dwarfed by Pitch’s hand, Jack swallowed down every swear she wanted to say, gaze rising to meet the Nightmare King’s in grim determination.
“Fine. I’ll…”
She choked out the next words, almost on a growl.
“I’ll be your queen. Just let her go.”
“Of course, my dear.” Pitch cooed, triumphant.
Baby Tooth shrieked as he squeezed once, crushing her delicate wings, and was unceremoniously tossed into the cage and Jack’s soft gloved palms.
“Baby Tooth!” She panicked, cupping her hands around the injured little fairy and holding her close as she glared at the smirking Nightmare King.
“Now, now, don’t look at me like that.” He scolded teasingly, wicked. “I have to take care of the Guardians and those Earthland mages, my queen, and can’t chance you escaping before the ceremony.”
Arm phasing through the bars, he curled a loose lock of white hair around his fingers, admiring the stark contrast with his own grey skin as Jack went still, eyes sparking.
“Perhaps I should take the time to kill that Dragon Slayer that seems so fond of you…Or would you rather keep him as a pet?”
She only glared back, a bundle of barely-restrained fury, and Pitch smiled as he finally started to disappear into the shadows.
“I’ll be back soon, and then we can be together forever, my queen.”
Once the shade was gone, Jack turned her attention back to the mini-fairy pressed against her heart, running one finger over the little feathered head as Baby Tooth cried at the pain of her badly-bent wings.
“Hey, it’s okay…” She whispered, tears gathering despite all her efforts. “Don’t cry, Baby, everything’s gonna be alright…”
The fairies suspended above twittered worriedly, trying to get a glimpse of their sister’s injuries, and Jack curled protectively over her.
If I could just…
The idea flashed through her mind like lightning, and Jack set her jaw, focusing.
If I could just…
Baby Tooth twitched at the foreign magic trickling into her, so unlike her mother’s, and peered up with wide eyes.
“Jack…”
“Just a little…Just enough to…”
It was like laughter and snow and brisk wind singing through her veins, and Baby Tooth gasped as this new magic filled her, spreading outward in a white glow.
That caught Jack’s attention immediately, and she cut off the flow, almost panicked.
“Baby Tooth?”
The fairy shook out her tingling feathers, shocked to find they were white instead of green, tipped in an icy blue that reminded her of the snowflakes in Jack’s eyes.
Testing her wings, Baby Tooth smiled as they twitched and buzzed on cue, allowing her to zip up to the winter-girl’s face and smile.
“How do I look?”
Anxiety melted into relief, and Jack smiled back, a bit brittle but genuine.
“You look beautiful, Baby.”
Puffing up proudly, the mini-fairy did a lap around the cage to acquaint herself with this new strength.
“Alright, then it’s time to go!”
Jack’s smile faltered, blue eyes dimming to a dull blue, and Baby Tooth went quiet.
“Jack?”
“I’m not much of a help, am I?” She whispered, disheartened. “It’s my fault Sandy is gone, and that you were hurt…”
“We chose this!” Baby Tooth insisted, fierce. “Sandy gave his life for you because he wanted to, and I would have done the same!”
The winter-girl jerked her head up, stunned.
“Baby-”
“All of us care about you!” The fairy continued, blue-and-purple eyes firm. “And we’re all counting on you, too! Are you going to let Pitch get away with this? With hurting the Guardians? Your friends?”
That spark returned to her eyes, feeble as an ember, and Jack started to shake her head.
“They don’t…They don’t need-”
A shout echoed through her, setting every nerve on fire with awareness.
“JACK FROST!”
Wendy.
It was like she came back to life, eyes crackling with ice as she met Baby Tooth’s, implacable as a winter storm.
“Leave it to me.”
Taking all of this in as exhaustion cleared from her eyes, Jack slowly sat up, frowning at the wrought iron cage she had been placed in.
It was a few feet off the ground, and barely wide enough to stretch her legs, with no visible door to speak of, the bars jagged and rough as sandpaper.
Clutching the fabric over her racing heart, the winter guardian dipped her head and breathed in the comforting scent of Gajeel’s coat, calming slightly.
“Ah, so you’re awake.”
Tensing, she glared at the smirking shade, ice shards flashing into her eyes like fracturing glass.
“I was starting to worry my Nightmares had been too rough with you, my dear.”
“What the hell do you want?” She snapped back, fingers curling as if to grab hold of her staff.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Pitch replied, starting to circle the cage like a wolf circling a trapped doe. “I want you.”
Ice coated the cage floor as she bristled, eyes cutting to him at every angle.
“What makes you think you can just have me?” The winter-girl growled, fierce.
The Nightmare King smiled, blade-sharp and wicked.
“Because you don’t have a choice in the matter, my little blizzard.” He answered, slick as oil. “Unless you want this little fairy to suffer, instead.”
Blue eyes widened at the panicked squeaking from Pitch’s clenched fist, jerking forward on instinct.
“Baby Tooth!”
Her glare was ice-cold fire as it met yellow eyes, the temperature dropping so fast the air crackled.
“Let her go!”
“Now, my dear, you know I can’t do that.” He chided, fingers tightening so Baby Tooth gasped in pain. “Not until you’ve agreed.”
“Agree to what?” Jack snarled, ice spiking across metal as her fingers gripped tight on the bars.
“To being my Nightmare Queen.” Pitch answered coolly, pleased. “If you should start to refuse, however…”
Poor Baby Tooth squeaked pitifully at the crushing grip on her body, begging Jack with her eyes to say no.
Looking at the mini-fairy, dwarfed by Pitch’s hand, Jack swallowed down every swear she wanted to say, gaze rising to meet the Nightmare King’s in grim determination.
“Fine. I’ll…”
She choked out the next words, almost on a growl.
“I’ll be your queen. Just let her go.”
“Of course, my dear.” Pitch cooed, triumphant.
Baby Tooth shrieked as he squeezed once, crushing her delicate wings, and was unceremoniously tossed into the cage and Jack’s soft gloved palms.
“Baby Tooth!” She panicked, cupping her hands around the injured little fairy and holding her close as she glared at the smirking Nightmare King.
“Now, now, don’t look at me like that.” He scolded teasingly, wicked. “I have to take care of the Guardians and those Earthland mages, my queen, and can’t chance you escaping before the ceremony.”
Arm phasing through the bars, he curled a loose lock of white hair around his fingers, admiring the stark contrast with his own grey skin as Jack went still, eyes sparking.
“Perhaps I should take the time to kill that Dragon Slayer that seems so fond of you…Or would you rather keep him as a pet?”
She only glared back, a bundle of barely-restrained fury, and Pitch smiled as he finally started to disappear into the shadows.
“I’ll be back soon, and then we can be together forever, my queen.”
Once the shade was gone, Jack turned her attention back to the mini-fairy pressed against her heart, running one finger over the little feathered head as Baby Tooth cried at the pain of her badly-bent wings.
“Hey, it’s okay…” She whispered, tears gathering despite all her efforts. “Don’t cry, Baby, everything’s gonna be alright…”
The fairies suspended above twittered worriedly, trying to get a glimpse of their sister’s injuries, and Jack curled protectively over her.
If I could just…
The idea flashed through her mind like lightning, and Jack set her jaw, focusing.
If I could just…
Baby Tooth twitched at the foreign magic trickling into her, so unlike her mother’s, and peered up with wide eyes.
“Jack…”
“Just a little…Just enough to…”
It was like laughter and snow and brisk wind singing through her veins, and Baby Tooth gasped as this new magic filled her, spreading outward in a white glow.
That caught Jack’s attention immediately, and she cut off the flow, almost panicked.
“Baby Tooth?”
The fairy shook out her tingling feathers, shocked to find they were white instead of green, tipped in an icy blue that reminded her of the snowflakes in Jack’s eyes.
Testing her wings, Baby Tooth smiled as they twitched and buzzed on cue, allowing her to zip up to the winter-girl’s face and smile.
“How do I look?”
Anxiety melted into relief, and Jack smiled back, a bit brittle but genuine.
“You look beautiful, Baby.”
Puffing up proudly, the mini-fairy did a lap around the cage to acquaint herself with this new strength.
“Alright, then it’s time to go!”
Jack’s smile faltered, blue eyes dimming to a dull blue, and Baby Tooth went quiet.
“Jack?”
“I’m not much of a help, am I?” She whispered, disheartened. “It’s my fault Sandy is gone, and that you were hurt…”
“We chose this!” Baby Tooth insisted, fierce. “Sandy gave his life for you because he wanted to, and I would have done the same!”
The winter-girl jerked her head up, stunned.
“Baby-”
“All of us care about you!” The fairy continued, blue-and-purple eyes firm. “And we’re all counting on you, too! Are you going to let Pitch get away with this? With hurting the Guardians? Your friends?”
That spark returned to her eyes, feeble as an ember, and Jack started to shake her head.
“They don’t…They don’t need-”
A shout echoed through her, setting every nerve on fire with awareness.
“JACK FROST!”
Wendy.
It was like she came back to life, eyes crackling with ice as she met Baby Tooth’s, implacable as a winter storm.
“Leave it to me.”