Trapped by Fear

Chapter 1

(DISLACAIMER: mentions of abuse and torture. Nothing too graphic but it is strongly hinted at. Otherwise appropriate for all)

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"FROST I SWEAR IF YE DANT GE BACK 'EAR WIT ME BOOMERANG I'LL CLOBBER YE ALL THE WAY TE DOWN UNDER YE PESKY BLIGHTER!!!!!!!! "

Another day at the pole, North thought. While Jack had certainly matured over the centuries he still maintained some childish tendencies. But then again that was part of his center after all. (A/N; in this world Jack started out as a guardian like all the others. He doesn't really have a backstory but he isn't bothered by this). North was just starting to wonder if he should intervene before someone got hurt when a clumsy jangling caught his attention. An elf ran up to him, tripped, and started babbling but he was jumping around so much that his bell drowned out his words. North grabbed him by the bell and held him up at eye-level.

"You make noise Elf. Speak slower."

The elf spoke again but this time he was drowned out by the sounds of Jack and Bunny fighting over the boomerangs.

"SILENCE!" North boomed in his thick Russian accent. "Jack give back boomerang! Elf speak!"

"we-just-got-news-that-one-of-the-tooth-fairies-saw-Pitch-going-into-what-we-think-is-his-hideout" The elf squeaked out hurriedly.

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--Jack--

Pitch! The nightmare king. The boogey man. Bringer of nightmares and fear. No that wasn't true- he didn't bring fears, he fed on them. Fears made him stronger and he was willing to do anything to gain more power. Children are the most prone to fear and suggestion so he targets them mostly. We guardians had to keep on our toes to curb his reign of terror. Bunny brought the children hope, Tooth memories, Sandy good dreams, North wonder and me? Well I brought the fun. We'd been doing a pretty good job these past few centuries but somehow Pitch was still gaining power. This was the news we'd been hoping for. His ability to travel through shadows made him hard to track down which meant battles always happened on his terms. Now was our chance to get the upper hand. We could surprise him at his lair and he wouldn't see it coming. There was no time to waste.

"Well" said North with a grin, as Tooth and Sandy came flying in "shall we get going then?"

"uh see ya there mate" Bunny yelped and disappeared through a hole in the ground.

"Coward" I yelled before making my way to North's sleigh. Well not to his sleigh, more like next to. I can fly after all.

----time skip----

"Do you think he's here?"

"hard to tell."

"I can hardly see anything"

"would it kill him to add in a few candles"

"if only it were that easy"

"This place gives me the creeps."

"I wonder why"

"oh shut up"

"yes shut up. What's the point of a sneak attack if you're going to talk and give us away!"

"oh for goodness sake"

"shhh! Do you hear that?"

"what?"

"listen"

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We listened. It was soft at first, barely audible. Like a dull buzzing in the back of your skull. The hallway opened up into a shadowy antechamber which connected more dark hallways. We looked at each other in the dim lightning and silently split up down the halls. I gripped my staff tighter as I continued along my hallway. The sound grew louder and became more recognizable. Crying? Screaming! What was going on? I followed the sound and it grew louder and louder. It was so full of anguish that my heart twisted in my chest. Whatever it was, it was bad.

"You should know by now that screaming doesn't help, though it does fill me with glee." *maniacal laughter* "I'll let you rest for a bit now. It's more fun when it's drawn out. Till then my dear, "

I'd know that voice anywhere-Pitch. I slowly crept around the corner and what I saw shocked me to my core. There was a girl. Her skin was pale-not just in terms of her skin tone, but a sickly pale. Her platinum blonde hair was tangled and dirty and had fallen out of what once might have been a plait. Her clothes were old and torn . She was curled up on her side facing away from me and her body was wracked with sobs. I stood there for what felt like an eternity just staring at this terrible, sad sight...... I noticed that although she was all alone she wasn't tied up or in chains...... Who was she?......Why was she here?.......How was she here?.......

She coughed and the spell was broken. All I could think in that moment was that I had to help her. I thought about getting the other guardians but I didn't know where they were and Pitch could be back at any time. I scanned the room and the hallway, not seeing anything, and approached.

"Hello?" I whispered.

She whimpered and drew her knees closer to her chest. "Please, no."

"Hey, hey it's ok. I'm here to help." Still talking in a low voice, I walked around till I could see her face. It was streaked with tears and her eyes were squeezed shut as if she could keep everything at bay with willpower alone.

"Hey, I need you to look at me." A small wave of confusion washed over her face but she kept her eyes squeezed shut tight. What should I do? I wanted to reach out and comfort her but that would probably make her even more scared. I didn't know how long I had until Pitch came back, I had to get her out of here soon.

"Listen, I want to help you get out of here but I can't do that if you don't work with me here."

Tentatively she cracked open her eyes. After a few seconds her eyes flew wide open in shock and in barely more than a whisper she stuttered. " wh-wh-who... h-how...d-d-di....th-this is a t-t-trick... isn't it?"

"What? No. I'm here to help." She looked at me for a long moment with her clear blue eyes wide and searching. Then as if she had decided something she slowly nodded and whispered "okay..."