When Frost meets Ice (Jelsa)

Friendly Greetings from the toy shoppe.

Jack continued to run and grab note after note, each one grew shorter and shorter as the handwriting was hurried until they only consisted of directions like left or right. Jack followed the notes until he found the last one at the door of a small toyshop.

Here.
-TL

Jack steeled his resolve and prepared himself for any creature man or woman that knew more about him here than he did. The shop had a large window with antique toys along with the newest electronic gadgets like helicopters and robots. There was a curtain behind the display with light peeking behind it, and the door had a curtain behind a glass window situated only at eye level. The same mysterious light was peeking out of its corners Jack approached the door and tried the knob only to find it locked. At the sound of the metal grinding against its lock's the lights of the shop went off. Jack then knocked on the old wooden door at the moment of his knocks nothing in the air stirred not even Jack's own breath.

There was a thud on the ground behind him and a sharp object pressed against his back.

A familiar accent spoke to him from behind, "Knock three times mate, and don't make and sudden moves or I'll run you through and make sure that nobody on this continent finds your body."

Jack rapped on the old door three times with his fist.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door creaked as the locks unlatched and groaned with a weight that surpassed the reasonable makings of the wood.

"Go on," said the voice behind him.

Jack slowly took stepped into the dark shop with nothing but a sly grin on his face. Once the door closed, Jack decided it was time to open his mouth. He should not have...

"When did you switch from boomerangs to blades Bunnymund?" Jack felt a hand grab him and throw him against the wall. At that moment, the lights flickered on with the shock of hands pinning him against the wall. It took Jack a few seconds to adjust to the brilliant glow of the shop that could not come from the small fire in the fireplace or the lights above him.

"How did you know my name? Who are you?" A large rabbit the size of a man and standing on his hind legs pinned Jack against the wall, and he was dressed as a 17th century musketeer.

"Wow nice get up Bunny, did you rob an actor?" Jack taunted.

The Easter Bunny named Bunnymund took off his feathered hat to reveal his floppy ears and laid his rapier at Jacks chin. What really stole Jacks smile was Bunnymund's appearance; one of his ears bitten clean in half, his fur was dirty and battle-worn with a scar that ran along the left side of his face, and worse yet was where the scar met his glassy white left eye.

"You have some explaining to do mate. How do you know my name?" Bunnymund said with a mixture of shock and fury.

"Bunny what happened to you?" Jack never hated Bunnymund, he was a good enough character who loved children even if he was a little rough around the edges sometimes, but a fist pounded against the wall the stopped him mid thought.

"I want answers, and I'll be givin' ya one heck of a wallop if you don't give them to me quick."

"Easy Bunny he is our guest, you are not allowed to damage him until HE says so, after all HE brought us all here tonight." A large muscular man came from the back room he was wearing an apron and was wiping dust out of his beard and off his hands.

"North, what are you doing here, Christmas is in a week?" Jack asked.

"Interesting how you knew it was me, however it won't matter if HE says you are a threat." North replied.

Bunnymund laughed as he sheathed his rapier and fixed his hat. "Don't worry he won't be, even if HE says he is."

"And now we wait, please have seat it may be your last." North pulled a chair out of thin air and set it next to the hearth.

Jack sat down, "what happened to you guys? The Santa Claus and Easter Bunny I knew were a little more jolly and hopeful than this."

"I don't what you are talking about mate, I've never met you before and there hasn't been an Easter Bunny in a century. I am the Musketeer, defender of the weak vanquisher of shadows. I shouldn't even be here indulging a deluded child, I should be patrolling, who knows what Pitch's Fearlings are doing on a night like tonight." Bunnymund paced.

"No Easter?" Jack really had woken up in a nightmare world. He turned toward North, "Wait what about Christmas?"

North didn't even look at Jack, "It is barely even a Holiday anymore, next week is my shortest run in history." He looked toward Jack. "Five."

"Five what?" Jack asked almost not wanting to know.

"Five countries in the world that still celebrate Christmas, I make the run in a little under 3 hours, only two thousand children that still believe in Santa Claus. Two thousand and one if I count you."

"That's horrible!" Jack exclaimed.

"That's life mate, there are no more Saints in this world, only money and power." Bunnymund said. "I don't see why you care it's your kind that is stamping out hope and holiday."

"Easy Bunny, you know he is too young to have done anything." Said North

"I know but if we let him live he'll be the one that delivers the killing blow." Said Bunny, "I say we beat him to it." He gave Jack a deadly look that said he meant it.

Jack decided to change the subject, "how did you go from Easter Bunny to the Musketeer?"

Bunny looked at Jack then looked at North who gave him an apathetic nod. "I am the Guardian of hope, Easter wasn't bringing anyone 'hope' anymore, so when Pitch's armies moved in on the cities I picked up one of North's swords and fought them, By the end of it I had lost my eye and my ear I wrapped a sheet around myself to catch the blood. I guess against the moonlight I looked like a Musketeer so I went with it. That's what they have been calling me ever since and it is the only thing that has kept me going. I don't have a holiday anymore but at least they still believe in me... well at least they still believe in something."

"Has Pitch really become that strong it didn't seem that bad-"Jack was cut off but Bunnymund.

"Of course it didn't seem 'that bad', you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth and gold chips in your ears! There is no way you would have noticed the cold dark attacks that Pitch has been making, especially here in France!"

"Calm down Bunny." North said in a warning voice.

"I won't be calm, not until his lot and Pitch are gone for good!" Bunnymund fumed as he drew his rapier once more. "I'll show you not 'that bad' you arrogant little dingo! I'll run you through!"

"Easy Bunnymund-" Jack was off his chair and holding his hands up defensively.

"That's another thing, stop saying my real name you have no right to know that!" Bunny whipped his sword back, but before he could do anything his ear twitched from beneath his hat.

A mysterious crash and a light exploded from under the door that led to the back room.

"HE's here." Bunnymund expression changed to that of disbelief and shock. "HE's actually here..."

North prostrated himself in a bow with one knee and one fist on the ground facing the door where the crashed happened.

Bunnymund sheathed his rapier and did the same thing.

Jack looked at the door was he finally going to meet the mysterious TL, a man or being whom the Easter Bunny/Musketeer and Santa Claus bowed to. What was he going to say, what was he going to do? Nothing could have prepared him for the man that walked through that door that fateful night. That night that would change everything.

***

I hope you guys are getting anxious to meet TL. Who do you think it will be?