Meeting at the Crossroads

Chapter 36

Mother Gothel grounded spices with a certain aggressiveness that evening. It had been over a month since Rapunzel's "adventure" but she would not let it go. She constantly talked about her oh-so-wonderful friends and to Gothel's horror, was in unending correspondance with them.

Her scowl deepened. And on top of all of this, a certain someone had not dropped by in-

"Hello, Gothel."

Mother Gothel jumped and nearly dropped her grinding bowl. She whirled around to see a dark figure reclining in the only shadowed corner of the cozy kitchen.

"Don't do that!" she hissed, checking to see if Rapunzel was upstairs t the same time.

The figure leaned forward and she could make out his sly grin and tarnished gold eyes. "Did I scare you?" Pitch Black asked with fake concern.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, ignoring his tease. She sat at the table across from him.

"Ah, right to business, as usual. I was..busy, you see-."

"Busy!" Gothel shrieked. Then she remembered her volume and went down to a whispher. "With what, exactly? It has been weeks and weeks since you little plan went into motion and it failed."

Pitch tried to cut in but Gothel wasn't finished. "And then, Rapunzel arrives on a dragon which belongs to a certain boy that you promised to kill! The Scot girl lives too! And she tells me of this peasant boy-!"

"The boy, Jack, drowned," Pitch interrupted softly. "Terrible fate, really. Fell right through the ice, just as the last lines of the prophecy foretold."

Gothel blinked, surprised at this fortunate news. "Well, that's a relief,"she said, trying to compse herself. "Well, we won't expect anything from him now that he's good and dead."

She stopped when she saw that Pitch Black looked slightly embarrassed. "What?" she snapped. "What do you know?"

The Bogeyman twirled his pale hands nervously. "You see, Gothel," he began slowly. "When I said that Jack died, I didn't say that he remained so."

Gothel felt her face heating up. "He's still alive?" she growled. "How?"

"Let's just say that the Man in the Moon got involved, the meddling fool."

Gothel cursed. "What will he do? Search for his friends? Come after you?"

Pitch Black grinned wickedly. "The boy has immense power that he cannot even begin to comprehend. At his full strengh, I admit he could defeat me at my current state." He turned away bitterly. "Losing control of the shadows took its toll. But!" he countered. "Jack Frost has no memory of his past life. He is an immortal spirit trapped as a teenager forever. Not a good mix, especially with no answers." Pitch quickly glanced towards the roof of the tower.

"Nevertheless, " he continued. "In due time, the boy will become a great use to me. Together we can conquer the Guardians!"

Gothel had been quiet up to his point but she was getting impatient. "And how will you do that, exactly?" she sneered. "You have no more shadows under your command."

Pitch looked like he was about to slap her, but maintained the same calm smile. "I have a plan that just might work. It could take years and years but I will do it." He glanced upward again. "No one will ever underestimate me again."

Mother Gothel rolled her eyes at this dramatic satement. "While you do that, what about me? Rapunzel won't shut her trap about her friends. Can you do anything about that?"

For a moment, the man's eyes flashed gold. "As a matter of fact, I can." He reached into his dark robes and placed a tiny object on the table.

Mother Gothel recoiled in disgust. "Is that a tooth?"

"It is. I have stolen it from my winged friend, the Tooth Fairy. This is one of Rapuznel's teeth."

"So what?"

Pitch placed a hand on his chest. "So what?" he repeacted incredulusly. "Teeth contain memories. This was the most recent tooth Rapunzel lost so it holds her most recent ones. If something were to...happen to this tooth, the girl would forget all about her adventures. She would be your little, obiedient girl again. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Gothel was now staring at the tooth with a new respect. Could all her problems be gone just like that? "Yes, it does," she murmered. She quickly picked up the tooth and slipped it into her pocket.

If Mother Gothel had a good heart, she would have thanked Pitch. But she did not, and the Bogeyman didn't expect one anyways.

Pitch stood up from the table. "I'm leaving, Gothel. Good luck with your flower..."

And he faded into the shadows, completely gone.

Not a second later, Rapunzel came running into the kitchen. "Mother!" she wailed. Tears streamed down her face and she clutched a letter.

Mother Gothel jumped up and ran over. "Flower, what is the matter?" she asked, stroking the girl's golden hair.

Rapunzel choked back a sob. "Hiccup sent me a letter saying that Jack is....is d-dead!" She buried her face into Gothel's shoulder.

The woman rubbed Rapunzel's back soothingly. "There, there," she said. She guided the desolate girl over to the table. "I'll make you some hazelnut soup to make you feel better."

Gothel returned to the grinding bowl. She placed her hand in her pocket and felt the tooth. Funny how such a small thing had so much power. She gripped it tightly.

"I just need to finish grinding these spices."