Believe in Me

Betrayed

Jack groaned involentarily as his eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurred the messy white hair that fell in front of his eyes and his head pounded like a drum was forced through his ears, the ringing from the screeching winds still echoing in his head. The world spun, and with the blur, all the winter spirit could make out in his daze was the dark green and black of the forest's night. He hadn't reached this part of the world yet, the grass he was sprawled in was wet as if it had just rained but there was no snow, just a chill that he knew was there but couldn't feel. He was sore if anything. When he had tried to close his hand into a fist to see if he could move it, it felt like someone had gotten a dart and shoved it right up his bone through the rest of his arm in a wave. He couldn't even tell if Ilia had made it okay, he couldn't tell anything as his confused turquoise eyes lazed around to try and lose the blur in his vision... until they stopped at a smiling figure. All Jack could see was a smear of black on the canvas of the world, but he knew who it was. The only one who could possibly be smiling, the figure of darkness himself. He tried to growl at the man to go away but his mouth refused to obey him, his pale lips sticking together with the dryness of the wind taking their moisture away. Instead he glared, though it was more of a narrow of his eyes as he couldn't even manage to fully do that. Maybe his spine was broken.. he thought in a fear. Guardians cant die, and though they heal faster, if something that damaging had happened to him, a lot of the world wouldn't get winter for at least a year if not two or three for him to heal. There was a chuckle and the carefree voice of the nightmare king stung the already buzzing ears of the winter spirit. "Did you have a nice rest? I let you sleep for a while, look, its almost dawn." Jack's eyes tried to focus on the skies again. Sure enough, the pure blackness of night was tinted with a deep blue, just barely visable as he still couldn't see well enough to make out any other signs of day coming. Still, it angered him. Pitch said it like he was being nice of all things. He laughed at the darker look coming from the winter spirit. "Aw, it seems like your little tumble left the both of you completely speechless. Here I was thinking you would enjoy meeting the wind again. What a shame." Jack growled from the  back of his throat, the only sound he could make. So Ilia was there.. he was unsure if she was okay or not, according to what he assumed from Pitch's words, she might've been out cold or just as dazed as he was. He wanted to burst up, grab his staff and rush to attack the evil man, both for beating Ilia like he had before and for mocking him while he was down.. but Jack couldn't move. "Don't worry Jack.. I'll let you go back to your guardian family soon enough. I just need you for.. oh.. maybe till March? Just a few months.." His voice grew into a sadistic coldness, " so that all of the children realize that the snowdays and fun of winter won't come." Jack felt his eyes widen involentarily. So Pitch was up to this again.. before he had fallen he had tried to knock out the belief in Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy. Now he was trying to take away the very few lights Jack had of his own. He tried to raise his head and the force of the drums in his mind slammed him back down with a yelp. Pitch laughed, shaking his head. "You just dont know when to give up! But you dont have to worry.. I'm bringing your new friend as well. Ilia has caused some trouble for me, recently, I'd rather her not be out in the world to do it again. She has quite an affect on one of my allies and it wouldnt be fitting if he left because of her. Its nice to have a stronghold against your followers, is it not?" Jack wanted to reply, to yell back, but his vision suddenly blurred again, eyes squeezing shut at the pain that shot through him. "But you dont seem to want to talk for now.. sleep well, Jack Frost." There was a cold, wicked laugh, and the spirit of winter felt something smooth run over his face like a blanket. Nightmare sand. He started to struggle, ignoring the pain, fighting to rise.. then with a last effort wasted, fell back, the soft damp grass acting as a pillow for his heavy head. 

Pitch laughed with his glory.  Finally, his efforts were for something! The two he wanted were in his grasps, helpless, without a chance of escape. He pulled his nightmare sand away and looked down at the small and smaller figures on the ground. Their faces were peaceful in their sleep.. he would change that soon, but for now he didn't want them squirming on the way back. The thought got him excited, Jack Frost, the one who had shoved him into his loneliness from his glory yet again, breaking at his own power. Revenge was sweet.. and since the boy was almost always missing for a while, the guardians wouldnt come to search for them for at least another few days. He quickly called back the sand, letting it surround both them and him as they faded from the forest, the only sign they were there at all was the large bird, eyes closed as it laid, heavily breathing, in the dirt.