Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 16: Jack

I knew I had done the right thing by honoring the deal. Maybe I disobeyed the Elites, but I never felt a strong allegiance to them. My fellow Guardians were fun to hang around, except for maybe Bunnymund, but I never liked how everyone discriminated against Experiments like Rapunzel. I could get why we tried to keep every magic-user under control since I had been there when the Black War broke out.

And besides, Ella was just one magic-user. Keeping her secret wouldn't be that hard. 

The temple was what had worried me. Before the Elites and before Skyara. When I was just one of the many magic-users scattered across the land. Most magic-users, including me, were immortal. We had been gifted powers from one of the gods, and we spent our time defending the world from threats, or bettering the land for the innocent.

Then, the Black War came. Most people didn't know of it. Most history started with the founding of the Elites, everything before that was classified as the Midnight Ages. 

But I had been there. Sandy, Toothiana, Bunnymund, and North - my fellow Guardians - had been there as well. Millions of magical people and creatures roamed the land. Trolls, elves, goblins, wizards, warlocks, witches, and more. 

Back then, there had been five Celestials. Five gods and goddesses. Vana, Varda, Goldred, Moon, and Pitch. Varda was the goddess of the stars and dusk, Vana was the goddess of the sky during the day, Goldred was the god of the sun and dawn, Pitch had been the god of the night sky, and Moon had been the king of them all. 

Then, Pitch turned against them out of a thirst for power. He had started to manipulate dreams, turning them into nightmares, which was out of the bounds of his power. Pitch attempted to assassinate Moon. The world descended into the Black War, and what had once been millions of magical entities became a mere thousand.

When Moon emerged victorious, Pitch was banished. Moon turned most of the magic-users into mortals, incapable of doing magic. Except for a hundred of us. The hundred most powerful ones. He gave us a mission. 

I could still recall the words he gave to the hundred of us, "Magic is your charge. It is a very dangerous tool, and it is up to you to keep this world safe. I leave you hundred, the most powerful of you with a mission: To keep this world from harm with the use of your gifts. Do not let there be a second Black War."

Moon had chosen well. The magicless had quickly bowed down to us, allowing our leader, Solen, to claim himself Emperor and found the First Kingdom. We Elites spread out from there, helping mortal build kingdoms from ashes, making rulers swear pacts not to record Pitch in any of the history books. We needed people to bolster our ranks, so Solen allowed experimentation, which resulted in Experiments. Somehow, we could not seem to replicate the truest essence of magic, leaving us with people like Rapunzel. Technically, they had magic, but they didn't have full control of it. Much like how Rapunzel had to sing a song to make her powers work.

Whenever a magic-user was born, one of us arrived at the household, and whether the child belonged to a merchant or a king, we took the baby away to be raised as one of us. 

Regardless, Pitch's name was wiped from the history, and five gods became four. The Elites still answered directly to Moon, who communed with Solen and Sandy. Sandy was charged with the power of dreams because Moon wanted a weapon just in case Pitch did ever rise again. There were rumors that Solen was Sandy's son. I found them hard to believe since Solen was so much taller than Sandy, but I had never asked.

I hadn't seen Solen in a long time. I wasn't exactly his biggest fan, either since he passed a law that Elites had to complete their schooling. 

But now, Pitch was back. Solen needed to know. I still wasn't sure why there was a temple dedicated to him buried in the middle of Skyara though.

And why had he taken such an interest in Ella? There was something special about her.

"Jack? Rapunzel? Ella? Merida? Where have you guys been? We thought you were dead! We were about to call the authorities," Hiccup burst out, when we knocked on his dorm. I blinked, spiraling back to the present.

"What happened?" Flynn demanded; he was leaning against the wall. 

"Long story," Rapunzel collapsed on the floor. "Long, long story."

I settled on to my bed. I was roommates with Hiccup. Flynn shared a dorm with some douche named Hans. Merida and Astrid were roommates, and Rapunzel and Ella were now sharing a room as well.

"I passed out," Merida grumbled in disbelief. Surprisingly, she hadn't remembered any of what happened when she had disappeared. Rapunzel told her she had passed out, which was partially true.

"What happened to the rest of you?" Astrid raised her eyebrows. Apparently, Flynn and Hiccup had filled her in.

"The door mysteriously closed, but an Elite found us and got us out. He already had Merida when he pulled us out. And yelled at us for not notifying them immediately." I lied, sticking to the story Rapunzel, Ella, and I had forged on our ride back before Merida woke up. 

"How did the Elite know about the weird secret-passageway-and-temple thingy?" Astrid wiggled her fingers, like she was trying to explain the temple we found. Hiccup and Flynn were not good at explaining.

"Secret-passageway-and-temple thingy?" I scoffed, avoiding her question.

"You know, whatever it was you guys found when you all went exploring without me," Astrid said.

"We'll be sure to bring you along next time," I replied dryly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy getting knocked out just as much as Merida does."

Astrid gave me a rude gesture that relied mostly on her middle finger. I decided to ignore that.

In between Rapunzel and me, Ella laughed softly. 

"I'd hate to be the voice of reason, but school still starts tomorrow," she pointed out.

"Gods," Rapunzel checked the clock. "It's 1 a.m."

"Breakfast is at 6:30 in the mess hall and classes start at 7," Hiccup informed Ella.

"But no one eats in the mess hall," interjected Merida. "Everyone usually has breakfast in the dorm."

"Sleep is for the weak," Flynn said airily. 

Rapunzel teased, "You're late to class everyday, Eugene, and your only excuse is, "I overslept.""

We all laughed, even Ella. I could feel us sinking back into our natural rhythm. We had always been like this. Teasing and joking with each other. Ella seemed to fit right in. Her presence just felt right. These people were as close to family as I would ever get.

This was as close to family as I would ever need.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but this is going to be a slow burn. I think. This is my first time writing fanfiction, so if you all have any suggestions or tips then please share them with me! Thanks for reading!