Tooth and her Mini Fairies patrolled the Moors, keeping watch all night and day to alert their protector. Tooth would watch Jack and his beloved spend time together. She was reluctant to accept that he had fallen for an Enslaved since these fairies lived in the human lands, having become submissive to their masters. She had to make sure that Jack wouldn't get hurt. He had lost his parents during the war and she couldn't bear to let him endure that heartbreak again. She would have her Mini Fairies would watch the two of them. All seemed well between the two of them so far.

At early dawn, there was a sound of thunder that awakened her. Tooth's feathers fluffed and her purple eyes went wide when her fairies had spotted the waving banners with a black horse reared up. Her heart sank when she realized that there at the border was the King and he had brought an army! Another war was coming to the Moors! She flitted towards the rowan tree where Jack and Colleen were snuggling together in the hammock blissfully.

"JACK!" she said frantically.

Jack awakened immediately at the sound of distress in Tooth's voice, Colleen awakening as well. The green feathered fairy's eyes were widened with fear.

"What is it, Tooth?" he asked concerned.

"The King..." she gasped. "He's here. With an Army. Outside the Moors."

Jack's blue wings fluttered as he stood up quickly. Being the largest and strongest of the fairies, he had to protect his beloved home from the humans.

"Stay here," he told Colleen.

She watched as Jack took to the skies. She was worried about him, hoping he would come back alive. She had heard the King brag at many parties about what they would do to the fairies they had captured them during the War. All she could do was hope the King never laid hands on him.

As Jack flew up, he saw the Royal Army just outside the border. Tooth had told Jack many times that the humans had attempted to conquer the Moors for centuries. Mainly it was due to their greed and envy of their lands. But King Pitch was worse. He wanted to crush the Moors since he hated magic and the Fair Folk. But no one knew why.

Jack landed on the rock, standing tall and spreading his wings wide to make him appear bigger and more threatening. He narrowed his eyes and looked for the one who called himself the King of the human lands. A man had rode an armored black horse towards him, donning black armor from head to toe. The figure removed his spiked helmet and looked at him. His eyes were amber. His skin was a dark olive. His hair was black. His face expressed serenity with a hint of sadism, arrogance, and determination.

"Go no further!" Jack warned loudly.

"Relax, demon," King Pitch spoke diplomatically. "I am not here to cause any trouble. I am here to retrieve something that belongs to me."

"I do not know what you speak of. I have nothing of yours."

He wouldn't let him hurt Colleen or anyone else. After hearing all those stories Colleen had told him about what had happened to most of the Fair Folk, he was horrified by the cruelties the Enslaved endured and the monstrosities humans could do: torture, families and loved ones separated, enduring mutilations, starved, beaten, and used for blood sport.

"Oh?" said Pitch with an arched eyebrow. "You don't know? I'm referring to my slave: the adorable little blonde with green eyes. I was told she came this way. By order of the crown, all runaway slaves must be returned to their owners or suffer on pain of death."

"You give no orders here, especially to me," Jack said through his grit his teeth. "Now go back to where you came from!"

The air began to chill as his anger rose. The rock began to frost. Some of the horses nickered nervously as they sensed a force in the air that was not natural. Jack watched the king with suspicion.

"Come now Sire," a knight hissed impatiently. "Why don't we just force our way in?!"

Pitch held his hand up to silence him. He was surprised by the skinny fairy's gall.

"A King does not take orders from a demon," said Pitch. "Now last chance: release the girl from your lair of evil and begone to the depths of hell from whence you came!"

"You are no king to me!"

The King just had enough. He raised his sword, indicating to ready their weapons.

"Bring me his head," he said to his captain. "And wings as well. No doubt they'll make fine trophies on my wall. Ready the archers."

The captain called forward the archers. In a mingle of hoof beats, shouts and clinking armor among the King's army, the archers rushed forward with bows in their hand and quivers of arrows on their back. They awaited the captain's command to ready and armed themselves with arrows on their bows.

"Archers...ready..." the captain announced.

Jack's heart hammered with fear-he wondered if this is what happened with his parents. No matter, he was going to protect everything he loved-his home, his family, and his beloved. He braced himself to fight, wings spreading as he snarled. Ice formed in his hands and spikes formed on the rock he stood on, spreading on the grass in a thick layer.

The archer's fired a volley of arrows towards Jack. The boy let out a loud cry, beating his wings and in a powerful surge, the arrows were blown off-course and went in all directions. Angered at this, Pitch pointed his sword towards Jack and let out a battle cry to charge towards the Moors. The knights joined in, their armor clinked as they advanced on the field, armed with spears, swords and shields.

"Arise and stand with me!" Jack called.

The ground began to tremble, making the soldiers chatter nervously and they looked around. The King was quite surprised. Having tried many times to crush the Moors, this was a new one. Mostly he had fought the tall Fair Folk. Now that they were decimated or enslaved, he was beyond surprised with this sight. Creatures made of moss, tree roots and rock rose from the ground and snarled at the Royal Army.

"It's the dark creatures!" cried the soldiers fearful.

"Fight for your king!" Pitch insisted bravely.

Soon a root serpent hissed as it emerged from the earth. More tree sentries emerged from the forest, mounted on boars that snorted viciously. The border patrol armed with spears. The root serpent and the troll flung some soldiers across the battlefield. Jack free fell towards the knights, flapping his wings and knocking several off their horses. Some soldiers threw spears and slashed at him as he passed over. Jack evaded them quickly, feeling the heat of the iron just graze him as the battle got more intense. He landed on the ground to fight the charging soldiers with his powerful wings, knocking them over. His blue eyes searched for the king. Upon seeing the black armor, he took flight and knocked him off his horse, making the man cry out in pain.

"You will have NOTHING!" growled Jack. "Not Colleen! Not the Moors! Not now! Not EVER!"

Pitch pushed his iron gauntlet on Jack's flesh, making him yell in pain. It left a large, red imprint on his shoulder. He stumbled away from the King as he heard a horde of soldier charge towards him. With a flap of his wings, a powerful pulse knocked the soldiers off their feet.

The battle was a loss for the humans and they retreated. Jack got up and watched as the knights retreated, looking down at his arms and hands as the burns slowly healed. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. His army approached the fairy and they bowed to him gratefully for protecting their home.

When the skirmish was over, Jack returned to the Moors, a bit worried for Colleen. He found Colleen at the edge of the border in silence. She had watched the battle. She wanted less violence between the two kingdoms even if it meant giving up her freedom. She knew the King was tenacious and wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted. Colleen watched from the edge of the Moors where the battle was occurring. They were all fighting over her. She didn't think it was right. She knew she couldn't leave the castle. She would be stuck there until her dying day.

He embraced her in silence with solemn looks. In Colleen's heart, she knew the King would be back soon. She knew he wouldn't stop until the Moors were crushed. King Pitch hated all magic and the Fair Folk. She pulled away, making the fairy frown.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. "The battle is won. The King won't harm you again."

Colleen shook her head sadly. "It's not right you're fighting over me," she said. "The King will come back again."

"I assure you that if he does return, he will answer to me."

"I can't stay here. It'll start again. The War."

She was just about to head back to the human lands when Jack stopped her. "Do you want to go back there?"

"I don't. But I have no choice. If it means no war between the lands..."

"There is always going to be a war between the Moors and the human lands, Colleen," he said cutting her off and holding her hands. "And not because of you."

"Don't you see? I led the King here. He wanted me back was just an excuse. But his intentions are much darker. Destroying the Moors will always be his goal."

"He won't have the Moors. And he won't have you."

"And the others?" she asked.

Jack sighed, realizing there were the Enslaved back in the human lands. He wondered how long it would take to fight for their freedom. Colleen was the lucky one who had escaped from the tyranny of the land.

"We'll think of something," he promised. "Please stay here. I can't imagine what would happen if you went back."

Colleen only shook her head sadly, feeling tears. She knew there was no other choice but to go back. She kissed Jack's cheek, leaving him standing at the Moors.

"Goodbye, my love," she said tearfully.

Jack's heart broke as he watched Colleen leave. He should've known in his heart all along that even though she was fae descent, she belonged in the human world. He felt tears and his heart hardened.

Upon returning to the Moors, he saw the entire forest celebrating their victory. Jack barely looked at any of the creatures and went to the rowan tree to be alone. Tooth saw the look on the youthful fairy's face. His love was gone. She shook her head sadly. It wasn't meant to be. She should've warned him that she never belonged here. She watched as Jack sat on the cliff with the rowan tree, looking at the castle with a mixture of forlorn and betrayal. While he hoped she'd come back, he knew in his heart that she wouldn't this time. Gone were the days where they played in the fields, sat under the trees of the Moors, holding hands and so forth. They had grown apart and lived worlds away now.