Chapter 4

Jack looked up and took in the view. In the middle of the Core's rain forest stood ancient ruins made of stone. An overgrowth of various plants seem to consume it. At the center of the ruins stood a dome. A small, steady stream of water coming in and out of either sides. The vines crept up until the the tip of the gleaming crystal roof. The giant moss-covered double doors are studded with various gemstones. The gems sparkled under the sun. The air is humid and smells like the rain.

He threw his cape over his shoulder and tightened his grip on his staff. It was his first ever Core meeting, he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Especially with the current situation they were in. North had always been the one to attend the annual meetings after Jack and Emma's parents died. Jack's heart started to beat rapidly. His first Core meeting was a war meeting.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" North sighed, adoring the dome, calming Jack down. "It was built by the gods to unite the Seven Kingdoms...Now, come along." He patted Jack's back and entered the double doors.

The interior of the dome is more enchanting than the exterior. Flowers bloomed and little birds flew playfully above them, their nests placed within the nooks and cranies of the dome. Sunlight shined down from the crystal ceiling, changing colors according to the angles of the light. To the right was a stream of glistening water that flowed to the other side of the dome. To the left was a door leading to the other ruins. At the center of the dome was a huge round table with seven chairs, each with its corresponding insignia to represent a kingdom. Five leaders were already sitting around the table, talking to each other.

"North?" a voice called out, followed by fluttering wings. A jet of color seemed to tackle North. Jack's eyes widened at the sight. A winged woman covered with feathers hugged his uncle. "It's been a while since I've seen you! I'm glad you're safe!" she exclaimed. Her wings were like a dragonfly's and her feathers like a hummingbird's. She must be Toothiana of Punjam Hy Loo. He's never actually seen a fairy before and the legends are true—they're majestic.

North returned the hug, "We hardly escaped."

"What happened?" A six foot tall Pooka stood up. Edmund Bunnymund of the Eastern Island, Jack assumed.

Before North could answer, the double doors opened behind them revealing a blonde woman dragging a body.

Jack recognized the couple immediately, Astrid and Hiccup of Berk. The room fell silent, the leaders stood up from their seats. Two dragons poked their heads into the doors with concern in their eyes. Jack quickly assisted Astrid, wrapping Hiccup's other arm over his shoulder. Hiccup's abdomen was wrapped in bandages but his blood still bled through. Specks of black sand were around it. Jack furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the sand. His vision blurred and his head stung causing him to lean against a his staff.

A brunette woman a couple of years younger than North, Queen Elinor of the Highlands, caught Astrid before the blonde's knees could hit the ground. The queen gently urged Astrid to sit on a nearby chair. She knelt before the younger woman and held her hands. "You're safe, it's okay," she quietly told Astrid whose eyes were red and puffy.

"I'll bring him to the infirmary," a large handsome old man with long damp white hair walked towards Jack. The man was almost as big as North but slimmer and more muscular. His bright blue eyes glowed like the reflection of the moon against the ocean. A golden crown made of seashells and corals adorned his head, a blue toga wrapped around his waist and slung over his shoulder. Jack nodded, as if the man's mere presence took away his ability to speak, and let the god-like King take Hiccup into his arms.

Toothiana opened the door to the ruins for the man who carried Hiccup. She followed closely behind him.

"Tell us when you're ready," Elinor said.

"It's the Nightmare King-" Astrid's voice wavered. Everyone stood still, as if holding their breaths. "W-we...Hiccup wanted to check on Burgess so we did," she looked at Jack and North. "It was quiet, there were no signs of struggle in the town so we thought that it's, I don't know, safe?"

North sat on the chair besides Astrid's chair, crossing his arms. His gaze was on the old maps at the center of the round table.

"We saw Amelia and Hiccup tried to rescue her but," Astrid continued. "The Nightmare King, he held her hostage and trapped Hiccup, I don't know what happened but Hiccup could hardly stay awake. And when he's unconscious he struggles and screams."

"Astrid-" Jack knelt beside Elinor and placed his hand on Astrid's knee. He'd never seen her like this before. She was always so brave and strong but now she looked so small.

"I was so scared, I didn't know what to do," she cried, "I'm...I'm sorry...I tried telling him not to go but he insisted-"

Elinor wrapped Astrid in a motherly hug. "Shhh, it's okay. It's okay," she cooed, "It's going to be okay. Hiccup's going to be okay. You should get some rest." Elinor let go of the hug and brushed Astrid's bangs out of the way, cupping the blonde's face.

"No, I'm okay." Astrid shook her head. "We should start the meeting. If we delay, more damage could be done. I can't let that happen."

Elinor nodded understandingly. The ones who brought Hiccup to the infirmary returned causing everyone to turn towards them. "The boy's stable but my magic alone can't heal him," the old man announced as everyone returned to their seats. "Toothiana's warriors are tending to him."

She took Hiccup's place at the table before answering, "Thank you, King Triton." Triton nodded at her before taking his place at the table. Jack took Astrid's hand and held it tightly, offering a reassuring smile. She squeezed his hand back, "I'm sorry about Amelia."

"She's a brave girl," Jack looked up. At least they know that Amelia is alive. Alive was enough.

"Now that we all know why we're here," Toothiana stood up, her wings fluttering behind her, "Let's begin with the roll call." She nodded at Bunnymund who took a scroll from the leahter pouch across his chest.

"From the east under Spring, Warrior Queen Toothiana of Punjam Hy Loo," Bunnymund nodded at Toothiana, "And yours truly, Chief Edmund Aster Bunnymund of the Eastern Islands. From the south under Summer, Queen Elinor Dun Broch from the Highlands."

Jack had a better look of the famous queen. Streaks of grey hair lined her very long brown braided hair where a golden crown sat. She wore an elegant green gown that matched the gems on her crown. She nodded with her hand on her heart at the mention of her name and kingdom. Amelia is a big fan of Elinor, Jack remembered. The queen was famous for being an incredible strategist and for being the wife of Fergus the Bear King. They're a formidable couple.

"And King Triton of Atlantis," Bunnymund continued.

Jack coudn't help but stare at King Triton. To be honest, he couldn't help but stare at Triton, Toothiana, and Bunnymund. He had only ever seen their kind from books and paintings. Their beauty was enough of a distraction from his fear and anger at the Nightmare King.

"From the west under Fall, Lady Mavis Dracula of Transylvania."

Jack didn't notice the young woman next to Astrid until she was called. She was very pale with short black hair and dressed in black. She looked a couple of years younger than Jack was but if he learned anything about Transylvanians, it was that they A.) keep to themselves and B.) hardly age. She might as well be a century old. She held a black umbrella over her head to shield her from the remaining afternoon sun. The dark circles around her eyes made her blue eyes pop out. She looked like she haven't slept for days.

"And finally, from the north under Winter, King Jackson Overland Frost of the Kingdom of Burgess and Lady Astrid Hofferson-Haddock of Berk," Bunnymund finished. "Now, what's the situation?" he asked the men from Burgess.

Jack sighed, intertwining his hands together. He glanced at North who nodded at him. "We were ambushed by Fearlings," he started. "On the Winter Solstice, black sand surrounded the kingdom. They took our General and used his body as a vessel along with our soldiers...we..." His voice faltered. He took a deep breath a cleared his throat before continuing, "As far as we know, he took Amelia and our people under hostage in the castle. North and I escaped."

"We went to Santoff Claussen, it being the closest village to us," North placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "The Fearlings were using Sand Magic, a replica."

All heads turned to Mavis who lowered her head. "Holy rabies," she muttered under her breath. It took a few moments before it clicked in Jack's mind. Transylvania was the only kingdom left to worship the Nightmare King. Little villages all around used to worship him to but they stopped when the Nightmare King tipped off the balance, causing more harm than anything. But Transylvania, the kingdom relied on darkness. Its very foundations were built on it. The darkness is where their people are safe.

Mavis looked around her, adjusting her umbrella, "We haven't seen signs for weeks. I thought he just went dormant like he usually does every once in a while so I didn't think much of it." Her voice was raspy. "It's why I'm the one here. My dad hasn't stopped trying to get in contact with him since we saw the lights. We didn't know...we didn't..."

"Wait, so...how did the Fearlings even escape? Nightlight guarded down under," Bunnymund asked.

Jack shook his head, "Katherine didn't say much about it. She said the fearlings grew stronger and Nightlight wasn't able to hold them off. He's in Santoff Claussen but he isn't well enough to fight with us."

The room fell silent as the sun disappeared. The dome's flora slowly glowed in the dark, enough to illuminate the room.

"He could have killed Hiccup and Amelia," Astrid quetly said with sharpness in her voice. "But he didn't. He's sending a message."

Elinor took one of the maps from the table to examine closer, "If he's sending a message, possibly showing off his power..." Her finger traced the map, "Then he must be planning to attack each kingdom one by one, starting with the strongest ones." Her tone completely changed from warm and motherly to sharp and venomous.

"I don't understand, he'd be exhausting himself by starting with the strongest," Mavis chimed in.

"Well," Triton spoke. "If I had a limited amount of power, just enough to bring a few kingdoms down, I would start with the most essential ones first." His eyes seemed to glow brighter as the sky grew darker.

"...By doing that he'd scare the other kingdoms enough to surrender," Bunnymund said softly, a wave of realization came upon his face. Triton nodded.

"Which is the reason why the Core Alliance stands. To prevent that from happening," Elinor added, her eyebrows furrowing."He knows that we would be shaken by conquering Burgess. The next logical move would be to attack either Spring Kingdoms."

"He's gonna try to erase and rewrite history, isn't he?" Toothiana scowled. Her knuckles white, her feathers ruffled. "I swear if-"

"Whatever he plans to do, we prevent it," North cuts in. "We can't risk another kingdom on the line." Jack looked up at North whose hands were slowly consumed by frost.

"We'll prioritize Punjam Hy Loo's defenses," Elinor nodded. "I can send my men around the perimeter of Hy Loo's forests, securing any attacks from below while Berk can send in aerial assists." Astrid nodded at this.

Mavis closed her umbrella and raised her hand before speaking, "I'm afraid my kingdom have to opt out of this but we can try to reason, bargain; maybe understand why all of this is happening from our side." She shrugged, "Even if I want to send help, it'd be ridiculous. Like the Eastern Island trying to wage war against the Sun."

Bunnymund chuckled at the last statement.

"Every assist is appreciated and necessary," Triton smiled at Mavis. "I can send reinforcements to the Eastern Islands, we can surround the shores."

"Aside from the riders we'll send to Hy Loo, I can deploy scouts to watch Burgess closely," Astrid suggested. "It might help us figure out more of his power and plans." Elinor agreed, noting that it will greatly help with strategizing a counter attack.

Jack looked up, the moon was directly above them. "How are we gonna defeat black sand magic?" he asked aloud. "And Hiccup-" Moonbeams passed through the crystal roof, dancing its way to the center of the round table. "What the?"

Jack instinctively stood up and cleared the table, moving the maps to the side. Toothiana swiftly collected the maps as Jack quickly moved to the other side, standing between Triton and Elinor. The Moon was contacting them. Jack's heartbeat picked up pace, it was a crescent moon; the Man in the Moon only ever communicates with them during a full one so this must be urgent.

"Hands off the table," North's voice boomed.

Once the table was fully cleared, he nodded at Jack and they pressed their palms against the table. The frost that consumed North and Jack's hands spread through out the round table, causing the seated leaders to stand and move away. It swirled into intricate patterns towards the center of the table, creating a glyph.

The leaders watched in awe as the men focused on their magic. The pattern glowed and from it emerged crystal clear ice that grew taller and taller, snow danced around the growing ice as it reached its full height. Chill surged through North and Jack's veins, their eyes glowing, hair floating. Creating a vessel for a Celestial was entirely different from simply using magic. It used more energy and required a spiritual out-pour from the ones creating the vessel. It was a form of worship.

The room's temperature dropped as the vessel fully formed. It stood 5 feet tall on the stone table. Clear and iridescent. Moonbeams danced around it before hitting it directly. A flash of blinding light illuminated the room before revealing a figure formed on the ice. Jack and North pulled away from the table, both stumbling and leaning against a chair.

The moonbeams formed multiple figures in the crystal, dancing around to form the holograms. The moon spoke in rhymes only few can understand.

"He's dying," Triton spoke. The glow in his eyes was dimmer. Frost formed on his shoulders and hair. He walked towards the now frozen stream, under his feet it melted. The water rose to surround his lower body as scales appeared on his skin. Before their eyes, the king of the oceans transformed into his natural form. His eyes glowed brighter, the iridescent blue scales from his tail crept up to his back and abdomen. He apologized, "My human form can't handle freezing temperatures."

"Who's dying?" Astrid asked as she lent Toothiana her fur cape.

"Tsar Lunar."