Chapter Text
True to her word, Yuki immediately sought out some allies the moment she left the clearing. That was why she stood at the entrance of Mother Nature's Empire in only her ice blue cloak, for she knew the spirit would help her. After all, she was fiercely protective over those who wormed themselves into her shielded heart, and Jack was incredibly special to her.
As such, she waited patiently under the swaying branches of the densely packed trees in the area. Despite Mother Nature's changes to her home when she became a more influential figure, she kept the foreboding forest with its ink-black water swirling across the rich soil. This was why the brightly lit castle made of chalk white marble at the edge of the wooded region was still a jarring sight to Yuki.
Thankfully, the immortal didn't have to wait any longer as a cinnamon-haired boy with sparkling green eyes opened the gated door.
"Hello there, Winter Head Seasonal!" the boy welcomed, "What brings you here?"
Yuki dipped her head in greeting. "Hello Peter, I wish to seek Mother Nature's counsel about a concern regarding my Sovereign."
"Of course, right this way." Peter stepped aside to allow the immortal to enter.
Briskly, Peter led Yuki through the golden entrance hall, going past rows of small, white tables holding vases with various bouquets. From there, they reached the foyer, which held a gray statue of Mother Nature and Tsar Lunar in the center of the room. They went around a sitting area beside the fireplace and reached a set of stained glass doors with vines forming intricate designs across them.
Peter was able to crack open one of the doors soundlessly, Yuki focusing on her reflection on the beige tiled floor as he politely interrupted the meeting Mother Nature was in. The immortal looked up when she noticed the door opening wider and stepped into one of the most elegant gardens in the entire Spirit Realm.
Hedges trimmed to perfection guarded the area against intruders with trees scattered around the area, some blooming flowers that were not in season yet. Waves of colors rippled from each tree, blending in perfect harmony. In the center of the garden was a glittering patio with a whitewashed trail from the entrance leading up to its steps. Two cherry trees were set to each side of said patio which held a large tea table. Around the table were pink cushioned chairs, and sitting in them were three beings that Yuki immediately recognized from various meetings with them.
Anemone, the Monarch of the Winds, was sitting on one end of the table, dressed in a honey yellow gown with her white hair in a short ponytail. Beside her was Themis, the Titan Goddess of Justice, in an azure peplos, her blonde hair pinned up in a bun.
Mother Nature, also known as Emily Jane by her friends, was the one who rose to address Yuki. "Greetings, Winter Head Seasonal! Peter told me you seek my counsel?"
Yuki nodded, strolling up to the patio. "Indeed I have, Mother Nature. Would it be alright if all the servants could leave from the garden?"
"Certainly." She waved a hand to the other servants in the area. "Would you all be so kind as to go to the kitchens with Peter and prepare some food for our guests?"
With the order, the servants all left, Yuki and the trio being the only ones there.
Once Yuki settled down and pulled off her hood, Mother Nature hastily poured a cup of tea for the newcomer, somehow managing to not spill any on her form-fitting, green dress. "Do you prefer sugar or cream with your black tea?"
"One spoonful of each is enough."
The nature spirit handed the tea to Yuki. "How'd Jack react to the rescheduled meeting?"
"He was slightly panicked, but he will most likely miss it," Yuki relayed.
Mother Nature frowned. "How come? You told him it was mandatory, right?"
The winter immortal just took a sip of her tea to calm herself down. "Yes, but we, unfortunately, got attacked, and he surrendered himself for my protection."
Mother Nature tensed up at the news, golden eyes filled with worry. "Who kidnapped him?"
"Khione and Hel."
Themis locked eyes with Anemone, her amber orbs meeting the young woman's gray ones before she groaned softly. "Great, our suspicions about Hel's whereabouts were correct."
"Pardon?" Yuki frowned in confusion. "Is there something I am missing?"
"Have you heard about Surtr's tomb?" Anemone suddenly asked. When she received a puzzled look, the wind spirit turned to Mother Nature. "Do you want to tell her, Emily?"
The person in question nodded, wringing her hands in her lap. "Yuki, you're aware that we three and Manny defeated Hel and her husband, Surtr, during the Dark Ages, correct?" With an affirmative from the immortal, she continued, "In that battle, my husband and I imprisoned Surtr in a tomb with Themis' help since she and Anemone were too drained in the fight." Pausing, Mother Nature glared pointedly at Themis. "What she failed to tell me was that fate would automatically make a way for Surtr to escape. In this case, there's a prophecy about a specific person being the key."
"May I ask how this pertains to my news about Ou-sama?" Yuki questioned, frown deepening. From what she was hearing so far, there was nothing but trouble spelled out for her friend.
This time, it was Anemone who clarified, "The reason why Themis and I came here was that the protection wards around the tomb were triggered and the tomb itself was gone. We have a hunch that Hel was the one who took it, and her kidnapping Jack confirms that because, well…"
"Jack is the one from the prophecy," Themis interrupted, meeting Anemone's glare, "What? You know I prefer to cut to the chase as they say."
"Still, I was getting there with my explanation." Anemone crossed her arms and pouted slightly.
All that earned was an eye roll from Themis. "Please, now you are acting like a child."
"Y'know, when will you stop calling me that? Sometimes I wonder if everyone is a child compared to you."
Sensing the start of an argument, Yuki ignored the two and scanned over Mother Nature instead. After all, she was deeply connected to Jack just like Yuki was. He was their beacon of light, and knowing that he was in the hands of one of the worst tyrants in the Spirit Realm must hurt.
"Do you think Hel knows that it is Jack?" Yuki said in an attempt to break the silence between the two.
Mother Nature pursed her lips. "I'm not sure, quite honestly. I pray not, but there's a chance she immediately understood the connection. After all, the prophecy isn't much of a riddle."
The winter immortal nodded her head solemnly. "What should we do about this?"
The nature spirit glanced at the quarreling duo beside her as they got louder. "I believe you came for assistance, yes? Most likely, I'll send a few messengers to the other Sovereigns about an impromptu meeting. Of course, I won't specify why on the off chance that someone may intercept the letter."
Yuki was glad she caught on to her plea for help. "Should we hold the meeting at the Throne Room?"
Mother Nature shook her head. "No, it'll be painful for me to see Jack's vacant seat there. Rather, we should use one of the more spacious meeting rooms."
"Why can't we just talk here, Emily?" Anemone interjected.
Themis snapped back at Anemone, "There would not be enough space, nor would it be a proper place to discuss this when anyone can come in."
Anemone held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Shesh, I was just wondering, okay?"
"Alright, but do use your intelligence before talking," Themis chided before facing Mother Nature, "Emily Jane, do you think we should be risking the other Sovereigns for this?"
"Considering what may happen if Hel figures out how to use Jack, we need to be prompt in rescuing him," Mother Nature explained, rising from her seat, "If we were to take as long as last time, we would have no world to save."
Yuki agreed, standing along with the nature spirit, "Indeed, Ou-sama's… absence last time caused great upheaval in the Winter Court."
Themis hummed noncommittally. "In that case, I suppose the risk is necessary."
"Yes!" Everyone stared at Anemone when she fist-pumped in the air. "What? It's been forever since there's been some action in my life!"
Themis shook her head, muttering, "Foolish child."
"Hey, I told you to quit calling me that!"
Yuki waited anxiously for the last member in her green plush chair in the meeting room. So far, Mother Nature sat at the head of the table with Anemone and Yuki beside her on opposite sides. Next to Yuki was Ashun, the Autumn Sovereign, in his maroon red cloak that made the chalk red highlights in his dark brown bangs stand out. Across from Ashun and next to Themis was Bedelia, the Summer Sovereign, wearing a black blouse with brass buttons outlined in gold under her yellow cloak, her curly, red hair messily brushed over.
"Do we have to wait till Erantha shows up?" Bedelia spoke up, breaking the silence, "Yuki looks like she's about to frost over her chair."
Ashun glanced beneath him and coughed to get everyone's attention. "She already has and is in the process of freezing mine actually."
The winter immortal stopped her fidgeting and retracted the frost once she noticed it. "Apologies, I had not realized I was doing so."
"It's fine, Yuki. Mother Nature said that there was something wrong with Jack, so I get why you're so tense," Bedelia said, the gentle smile on her face slowly morphing into a scowl, "Although, I'm kinda getting worried myself now. I thought the meeting was called for something small, but it must be huge if you're this stressed."
Yuki could only force a nod as she tried reigning in her magic from her growing emotions. Thankfully, the door opened and Peter walked in. Behind him was the Spring Sovereign, Erantha, who came in with a regal posture, dark green cloak billowing behind her. Once the door closed, she undid the clasps of her pink mask and pulled down her hood, revealing an earthen brown braid with a vine containing pink flowers weaved into it.
She quickly curtsied at the head of the table. "I apologize for my tardiness, Mother Nature. I was working with my Head Seasonal on something related to the Spring Court. Since you only sought out for me, I left him in charge once I finished my side of the task."
Mother Nature smiled reassuringly. "No worries. I admit, Oisín would have been a nice contributor to the meeting, but I don't wish for any Head Seasonals outside of Yuki to be involved."
"May I ask why?" Erantha gracefully sat down in the seat across from the Summer Sovereign. However, she scowled at the other's messy curls. "Bedelia, why did you not prepare yourself properly for this meeting? Certainly, you could have spared more time to work through your hair."
Ashun chuckled under his hand when Bedelia glared at the Spring Sovereign. "Seriously? I just got up, okay? Jack literally storms in here half the time dancing on the North Wind with his cloak inside out, and you don't even care."
Erantha rolled her eyes when Anemone joined in on the snickering. "He is still somewhat new to all this. You, on the other hand, grew up as a royal, so you should know better."
"You do realize that I'm the newest Sovereign here, right?" Bedelia shot back, "Jack's been one since the mid-1700s or something. I only got here after Blaze died—"
"Ahem, Mother Nature, what's the news that you wanted to give us?" Ashun interjected, dark brown orbs flickering to the spirit.
Mother Nature blinked, shaking her head as if to get rid of a thought. "Right, Yuki came to me because Jack has gone missing—"
"Are we certain of that?" Erantha quickly asked, "He has been quite aloof for a while. Perhaps he is merely causing a blizzard?"
"He's one of those Guardian people by Manny, right?" Bedelia added, "Maybe he's just busy with them. Honestly, it's like he replaced us with them if you ask me," she muttered the last part, her lips in a soft snarl.
"Enough!" Mother Nature gave a forced smile once everyone gave her their attention before continuing, "Unfortunately, Yuki and Jack got into a squabble with Hel and Khione, and they took him hostage."
"Why didn't you do anything about it?" Bedelia suddenly snapped at the winter immortal, but she quickly recoiled when remembering how upset she was earlier, "Shoot sorry Yuki, I shouldn't have said that."
The woman in question just shook her head. "No, I am to blame here. If I were stronger, Ou-sama would not be in this predicament."
"Don't say that, Yuki. We all know Jack wouldn't blame you for whatever happened," Ashun told the winter immortal, "Plus, you're the one strong enough to deal with Jack's shit all the time."
"Could we go back to the topic at hand? There is more news after all." All attention went to Themis who gave them a cool stare back. "Anemone and I came here because of another disturbance. Now, have you all heard of Surtr's tomb?" The goddess sighed when she received a nod from everyone; most likely, the other Sovereigns had read up on it or Mother Nature had told them. "Recently, the protection spell around it has been triggered, and we believe Hel is the one behind it."
"Is there a reason why?" Erantha asked.
Anemone picked up from where Themis left off. "Yeah, the main lead is the prophecy carved into the tomb. It explains that the only way for the tomb to be opened is if the frozen blood of Emily Jane's and Tsar Lunar's child is spilled on top of it."
Ashun frowned. "Are we sure that it's Jack? Last I remember, he doesn't exactly bleed."
"Well, it is a possibility since Mother Nature and Manny resurrected him," Erantha explained, "Though, Ashun does bring up a good point."
Anemone and Themis shared a look with Mother Nature before the latter responded, "Perhaps, but the prophecy explicitly stated frozen blood. As we know, Jack's blood is naturally frozen, which is why he has no blood flow."
All of them stopped with varying degrees of grief and worry before Erantha said, "How would Hel know? Would she not expect someone else since he cannot bleed?"
"Maybe, but Jack would be the main suspect since he recently became a Guardian," Anemone explained, "That means that Manny had a role in Jack's creation, and he mostly has elemental magic like Emily."
"What about me?" Yuki spoke up. She was listening to the entirety of the meeting but finally managed to say something through her growing anxiety. "Man in the Moon was the one who turned me into an immortal, but I have elemental magic as well."
Mother Nature shook her head. "Your circumstances were different. My husband merely unlocked your dormant magic from your mother. I had no role in your immortalization, nor does Hel know about it."
Yuki sighed solemnly, accepting the answer she received. She already knew that information from when she was told by the Man in the Moon himself before she had become an immortal. However, she wanted to run through every possibility so that her Ou-sama wasn't the one who was it.
After all, he already went through enough as it was.
Before she could say anything else, Ashun interjected, "All this talk about Hel made me realize something. When was the last time we've seen Nefra or Ciara?"
"You are speaking about Ma'at and Nemesis, correct?" Themis clarified, earning a nod from the Autumn Sovereign, "Last I remember, they had told me they were visiting the Spring Sovereign over a week ago."
"They never arrived." Erantha pursed her lips. "Is it possible Hel took them captive as well?"
"Why would she?" Bedelia questioned, picking nervously at the hem of her blouse, "She'd have her hands full with Jack, and she knows that."
Yuki's head raced as she thought about the situation. Not only was Jack missing, but his closest friends were too. Still, they were incredibly strong and managed to resist the darkness, so it would be difficult holding one of them, much less all three. Unless… "Is there any way Hel has more accomplices?"
"What do you mean?" Anemone turned to the winter immortal.
"As we know, she has an alliance with Khione at the moment. Is there any way she has other allies?" Yuki elaborated.
Mother Nature hummed. "Yes, but who would they be?"
All of them were quiet as the question hung in the air, contemplating who else would join Hel. Unfortunately for them, there were a plethora of spirits that were after Jack alone.
After a while, Bedelia shook her head. "Instead of wasting time speculating, we should be focusing on how to get them out of there. Sure we've been able to figure out a lot of information, but we can't possibly find out everyone involved with the limited knowledge that we have. Plus, we can't even arrest Khione because the only evidence we have is Yuki's statement, so there's literally nothing we can do to those who could be involved."
Surprisingly, Erantha readily agreed with the redhead, "Bedelia has a point; we need to focus on planning now. Any ideas?"
"We could call in the police forces!" Anemone suggested, but her idea was immediately met with a bunch of head shakes, "What?"
"They're too weak."
"It would be a waste of troops."
"We don't want a war just yet."
"There might be spies within the squads."
Each of the seasonal royalty responded tersely causing Anemone to deflate. Soon enough, Bedelia added, "Although, we could have the Guardians involved."
"Why should we?" Erantha raised an eyebrow. "We would need to reveal the secret Jack has been keeping from them."
"Honestly, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" Ashun piped up, "I don't know about you, but we've been begging that idiot to tell them for the past two years. I'm tired of all the meetings he skips or the ones we cut short just because he's a Guardian, and he rarely stays as long at parties. Not to mention, it's not like the Guardians aren't trustworthy; they seem to care enough about him."
"Ugh, tell me about it," Bedelia groaned, "That's exactly why I want them involved."
"Do you think we could get anyone else in on this? We need as many powerful spirits as possible," Anemone told them.
Themis replied, "I would like to involve some of the Gods, but they are already suspicious about Jack's status after he kept looking for Ma'at over there. Not only that, but some of them might be allies with Hel and may try to sabotage our plans."
"I could ask the Winter Court," Yuki suggested, "While many are actively against Jack or are neutral about him, there are some that I know would be eager to help."
"So it's settled," Mother Nature said, "We'll go to the Guardians first and seek their help before Yuki asks her fellow Winter Court members."
There were no qualms about it, but Yuki couldn't help but fret about their plan. There was a lot that could go wrong, but what other choice did they have?