Revelation

Moment of Departure

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Jack swallowed the bile that was threatening to come out of his mouth. Oh gods, did he really have to do this?

Yes, his mind screamed at him, Father was expecting great things from you and you disappointed him. This has to be done.

Jack walked alongside Anna to the audience hall, where the soldiers had told them their father was. They stood in front of the huge double doors that were embellished with the kingdom's royal crest on it, both of them hiding their nervousness in front of the other. Anna turned to her brother and smiled kindly.

"Jack, let's both try our hardest to apologize," she winked encouragingly to him. "I'll try to persuade Father. That way, he'll definitely forgive you."

"Sure, thanks, Anna," Jack said. He then raised a brow. "Though what makes you so sure that he'll forgive me when it's you doing the persuasion?"

"Please," Anna teased. "He can't resist my cuteness, can he?" she mocked an adorable pose, winking playfully.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Oh, hush!"

"Okay, let's do this," Anna said, looking at the door with determination. "Breathe in, breathe out," she told herself, jogging in place and psyching herself up. "All right, let's go!"

She knocked gently on the huge door. "Hey, uh, Father? Are you in there? About before..."

She was suddenly silenced into shock when they both heard raucous laughter coming from the room.

I-Is that...Father? Jack thought skeptically.

It had to be. No one was allowed into the audience hall without the permission of Pitch. But his Father never laughed, much less smiled at anything.

Has he gone mad?

"Father!? Are you all right?" Jack shouted to the door.

"J-Jack!" Anna whispered, horrified about his sudden behavior. "Don't yell!"

There was a sound of movements inside the room. "Who's there!?" Pitch's voice barked.

"So-sorry...Father," Anna said quietly, her eyes cast down while she shuffled her feet. "It's me and Jack."

"Excuse us for the unannounced audience, Father," Jack said through the door. "I-it was my fault, not Anna's."

"You two..." Pitch said, and Jack could feel his father's glare aimed at them through the doors. "What do you want?"

"Um, Jack came to apologize to you!" Anna said quickly, putting her hands behind her back to try to stop their fidgeting. She looked at Jack nervously. "Right, Jack?"

"That's right..."

There was silence on the other end, and Jack feared that his father was ordering his guards to take them away and not bother him again. That's why he was amazed to hear his father utter the words,

"You may enter."

The long, velvety-red carpet that led to the throne felt like eternity, as Jack and Anna tried to keep their heads held high and a straight face, when in reality all they wanted to do was bolt out of there. Standing in front of his father, Jack let his gaze wander on anything other than his father and began to focus his eyes on the two pillars that were each situated on opposite ends between the throne that his father was currently sitting on.

"Well, Jack," Pitch said, snapping him back to attention. "You disobeyed an order from the king. Normally, a crime so serious would result in death."