5 Times Jack Danced for Pan and 1 Time He Didn't

by MewWitch

Rise of the Guardians & Once Upon A Time Crossover

Rating: T-For now, may subject to change later

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, lyrics, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended, nor should any be inferred. No profit is being made.

Chapter 2. Three Months From Seventeen

Jack is three months from seventeen when he follows some of the other boys from the village out into the woods.

He knew that he shouldn't be shirking his duties, it had meant a lot to him when his father had finally decided that he was ready to help with the sheep. His family had been sheep herders since Jack's great grandparents had come over on one of the first boats of settlers and the fact that he was trusted to watch over the flock, all by himself, was a trust he had been looking forwards to for a long time.

Unfortunaly for Olga and the other yews, Jack had a curious boy far longer than he'd been a responsible one.

~*~RotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaT~*~

Jack knew that the older boys-and on some occasions men- would sneak out to the forest to get away from the womenfolk sometimes, but he's never before gotten a chance to join them. He was usually too busy helping his father, or taking care of his sister.

Not that Jack had actually joined the boys per say. No, at the moment he currently crouched behind one of the larger oaks that encircled a field about ten miles out from the nearest road into town. Jack hadn't thought twice about following his fellows out there, but now he was frozen between turning back towards his responsibilities or stepping forwards and joining the teens as they...as they...

Well, he wasn't actually sure what they were doing.

In the center of the wooded glen the boys had constructed an enormous bonfire and were all gyrating around its edges, every so often leaping about with a reckless abandon.

Part of him wondered if they had stolen ale from the tavern and were just making fools of themselves. Another briefly panicked of the idea of them being possessed.

Though the longer he watched them holler and hoot their way around in a circle the more likely the former seemed like a possibility.

Jack was beginning not to care what the boys were up to either way though, as the more he stood shivering in his hiding place, the more inviting the fire was looking.

"What are you doing down there?"

Jack lost his balance and tipped forwards at the sound of a voice from above his head. Flipping over onto his back he watched as a boy about his age jumped down from one of the upper branches of the very tree he had been hiding behind.

"Have you been up there the whole time?!"

The boy laughed and offered his hand out to help him up. Too flabbergasted by the other's sudden appearance Jack found himself unable to protest as he was hauled back to his feet.

"Not for the entire night, no. You never answered my question by the way." When Jack merely blinked, he elaborated. "What are you doing all the way out here my new friend? What brings you out to our little merrymaking tonight?"

"I…I'm supposed to be watching the sheep, but I heard something coming from the woods. I didn't really think about what I was doing, I just followed the noises...and ended up here."

The stranger grinned and threw his arm around Jack's shoulder. "Say no more, my friend you wouldn't be the first to get drawn into our fun and games that way, and I assure you, you certainly won't be the last! So who exactly are you lad?"

"...Jack."

"Nice to meet you Jack, the names Peter. Now come on then, what are we standing around here for? There's a perfectly good fire just over there, calling both our names!"

With the weight of the boys arm still strewn over him, Jack found himself being led past the tree line and into the clearing at a relaxed, but steady pace. Staring out of the corner of his eye at the elegant stitching and luxurious fabric, Jack couldn't help but feel rather plain in his simple vest and shirt. And that cloak! Jack doubted that his new friend even needed to stand next to the fire, his wrap looked like it was more than enough to keep the chill of the night at bay.

Perhaps he could bring the idea up to his father in the morning. He would be seventeen soon, maybe if he asked politely enough his parents might get him a cloak of his very own for his birthday.

As they grew closer Jack found himself letting the warmth of the fire wash over him. Jack could see out of the corner of his eye that Peter was staring at him expectantly. The look caused him to pause, and because the other's arm was still around him, they both came to a halt just beyond the celebration.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to join in?" He jerked his head towards the other boys, who had yet to stop romping about.

"Join what?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're dancing."

"But there's no music." He might have imagined it, but he was pretty sure that the hand on his shoulder tightened its grip slightly at the words. But Peter's smile never faltered as he continued to steer them both towards the assembly.

"Well, maybe you're just not listening hard enough."

For some reason, Jack couldn't seem to find any argument to Peter's logic. Maybe it was the warmth of the fire that continued to draw him in, maybe it was the way that the village boy's amusement seemed to have caught hold of him now that he was closer. Or perhaps….

Perhaps it was the shift to the look in Peter's eye as he watched him. A look that he refused to admit left him slightly unsettled.

Whatever the case was, Jack found himself offering up no further protests as he was enticed into the circle. Nor did he look back towards where his sheep were waiting for him as Peter led him through the dance.

~*~RotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaTRotGOUaT~*~

When word reached his family the next day that the Constable's boy Felix had gone missing sometime during the night, well Jack certainly wasn't able to offer up any help.

His family knew he'd been tending to the sheep after all.

A.N.

I'm sooo sorry that it has taken me so long to add to this story. Those of you who also read my storys over on A03 already know that I'd lost my flash drive as well as much of what I've been working on. Starting over from scratch has been difficult and a real blow to my modivation.

On a lighter note, I picture Pan dressed in the same outfit as this story's cover picture.

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