Rise of the Winter

Chapter 3

Nightmares attacked Jack from every direction. They overwhelmed him almost instantly. He felt his legs come out from underneath him and his staff was yanked out of his hands. Pitch's sand wrapped itself around his body and jerked him upright and onto a chair.

"What do you want Pitch?" Jack asked.

"At the moment, I want you to shut up." Pitch answered and more sand flew from his hand an into Jack's mouth.

Jack struggled uselessly against his bonds. Pitch laughed at Jack's inability to help himself. Pitch walked over to the staff that lay forgotten on the floor at Elsa's feet. He picked it up and waved it triumphantly in Jack's face. Laughing to himself, Pitch tossed the staff aside and walked away. Suddenly, Elsa woke up. Her breathing came in and out quickly, as if she wasn't aware of where she was. Her eyes fluttered open and looked around the room. Her eyes rested on Jack and her breathing slowed down to a normal pace. Elsa'a eyes seemed to ask him what happened. Then it hit him. Elsa couldn't talk as well. Why does Pitch have to be so cunning? Jack shook his head and looked down at his mouth, hoping that Elsa would understand that he couldn't talk. Elsa nodded and the confused look in her eyes turned to a look of bitter hatred. Jack hoped it was directed at Pitch because Jack didn't want to be on her bad side and face her wrath and fury. After a while, Jack fell asleep. He didn't have a dream. Nor did he have a nightmare. He woke up when Pitch threw an ice-cold bucket of water on top of him. He stared intensively at Pitch, wanting a satisfactory answer on why Pitch had to wake him like that.

"Are you cold, Jack? I would've thought that you didn't feel the cold. After all, you do control the winter. Plus you never wear shoes. You always go everywhere barefoot." Pitch said.

"No, I am not cold. I do not feel the cold. And yes, I am aware that I go everywhere barefoot. Do you know that it is dark in here? I would love some light and I'm sure Elsa would like some light as well. After all, we can hardly see each other." Jack said sarcastically.

Pitch rolled his eyes and Jack was stunned that he could talk. Pitch must've taken out the gag. Jack stole a quick glance at Elsa. From what he saw, she was okay.

"Seeing if you girlfriend is okay? She is okay but she won't be your girlfriend for much longer." Pitch said.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.

So Pitch had taken Elsa's gag out as well.

"She's not my girlfriend! At least, not yet anyway." Jack exclaimed.

"Well, in that case, she will never be your girlfriend." Pitch yelled.

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"Because, she will marry me!" Pitch whispered in Jack's ear.

"She will never marry you!" Jack snapped.

"She will because it will save you!" Pitch told him.

"You're going to kill Jack if I don't marry you?" Elsa asked, shocked.

"Yes. I am going to kill Jack if you don't marry me!" Pitch said.

"If you kill me, you won't get her to marry you!" Jack remarked.

"I'll kill you slowly so she has time to save you!" Pitch said, hotly.

"If I marry you, you'll probably kill Jack anyway," Elsa stated.

"Maybe, maybe not!" Pitch said.

Pitch made a dagger and held it against Jack's thigh. Then he asked the dreaded question, "Elsa, will you marry me?"

"No, I won't!" Elsa exclaimed.

Pitch drove the dagger into Jack's thigh and while Jack screamed, he pulled it towards Jack's knee, opening a big wound that could be infected easily. Jack passed out and Pitch pulled the dagger out.

"If he dies now, it will be your fault!" Pitch yelled.

Then he turned and left. Elsa started to cry. Never had she felt so useless. If she kept saying no, Jack would die. After a while, Jack woke up.

"North, where's Jack? He's been missing for over three hours!" exclaimed a worried Tooth.

"He probably went to find Elsa and Pitch captured him," Bunny said.

Then Sandy came in waving a note. North took it and read it out loud.

"I have gone to find Elsa. I'm checking where Pitch's old hideout by the lake near Jamie's town. If I don't get back, something has gone wrong. If I'm not there, I'll leave another note saying where I've gone from there. - Jack."

"So that's where he went. We have to find him!" Tooth said.

The guardians rushed to North's sleigh. Bunny reluctantly climbed on. They were on their way! In no time, they were at the lake. They found the hole and jumped in, one by one. Bunny saw them first and pointed to Jack and Elsa.

"Oi. There they are!" Bunny whispered.

The guardians went down. Suddenly, laughter echoed though the vast room.

"You think you can just waltz in here and rescue them? Didn't this seem to easy to you?" Pitch asked.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Bunny demanded.

Unnoticed by the others, Sandy crept towards Jack. He destroyed the bonds with his golden sand and then did the same to Elsa. While that happened, nightmares burst into the room. North, seeing that Jack couldn't walk, slung him over his shoulder and Tooth picked up his staff. Pitch lobbed a black sand ball at Jack and it hit him square in the back, forcing him into a magic sleep. The guardians fought their way out of the room and Elsa helped too. At last! They were out! They boarded the sleigh an went to North's workshop. North picked Jack up and walked inside a room. He set Jack down on a table as there were no spare beds. Phil the yeti brought in some blankets, two pillows and medical supplies. Elsa, being the only one who had been out in towns and cities, worked on Jack's leg.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Bunny asked.

A series of pictures made from golden sand flashed above Sandy's head.

"Pitch put him into a magical sleep?" guessed Tooth.

Sandy nodded. North sighed then said "well, at least it gives his leg time to heal." The guardians and Phil the yeti left, leaving Elsa with Jack. She put a pillow under his head and put some of the blankets over him. She grabbed a chair and put it at the table, near Jack's head. Then she made it comfortable using the other pillow and the other blankets.