The glistening halls of the kingdom’s most hardened fortress did little to detract from just how terrifying those icy corridors felt. As Jack’s heavy paws clicked against the hard floor, Polly took the time to memorize their winding path through the fortress. As might have been expected from such a formidable defensive structure, the only windows or paths of escape that might exist were far too small even for Polly to squeeze through. It went without saying Jack's giant body would be in even more trouble! The lumbering Jack came to a stop as their armed escort reached an imposing set of doors leading to their host's chambers.

“I have an idea,” Polly quietly chirped into Jack’s ear as if the solid blocks of opaque ice could listen in. “It’s going to sound crazy, and I’m going to sound crazy, but I think it’s the only way.”

Jack responded with little more than a half woof, half sigh. A large plume of condensed breath escaped his lips as he did so, startling the two guards. “No funny business, now!” One of the guards pointed his ice-tipped spear at the two. “Or it’s off to the dungeon with both of you!”

“My apologies, good sir.” Polly gave a deep bow, fanning her feathers as was the royal custom. “Please, let us enter.”

An enormous groan from the old iron doors heralded Jack and Polly’s entrance into the foreboding chambers as the guard opened the way. Jack, unused to the sight, winced as a flood of blue light refracting off the magnificent crystal inside blinded his eyes. Polly kept her head down in anticipation of what would come next.

“Come forth!” A booming squawk came from what felt like miles away, reverberating with power across the hall’s hardened ice. “We will hear your message, trespassers, and pass judgment accordingly!”

Polly shuddered, and Jack grunt-sighed again. With his companion sitting on his shoulders the large wolf began to traverse the vast room. Unlike the chill of the floor on the way there, here a large black carpet led the way towards the far back end of the room where both the Captain of the Guard and his first lieutenant awaited. Jack’s unusually quiet approach on the soft surface unnerved Polly, who ruffled her feathers in agitation. At least she could still hear Jack’s powerful heartbeat, the sole sound that permeated those regal halls.

Jack came to a stop as Polly’s tiny talons squeezed, and he kept his head upright despite Polly’s insistence he bow. Giving up on that she unfurled her wings and gave a deep, almost groveling gesture, before tweeting out her platitudes. “Oh, great and esteemed Lord Salvador-”

“Do not waste your breath with pleasantries!” This time the commanding voice came from the Captain’s side, coming from his right hand soldier. She spoke with an order of magnitude greater displeasure. “Spit it out. You have tested our patience enough. Do you think to waste our time, just because the Captain is only the brother of the king?”

A short, chilled silence floated between the royals and their guests. Polly’s beak clattered together as she tried to piece her words together. “My apologies, I’ll be brief. I am sure you have already heard-”

“Yes!” The Captain took his turn to boom out in annoyance. “We’ve heard the rumors of you too already. It is why you won’t be granted an audience with the King at all. Are you here to explain yourselves?”

“Ah!” Polly let out an abnormally high chirp, and Jack responded with a little bristling of his own. “That- that might take a while. Rather, I wish to prove-” she paused, rearranging the words in her head as her eyes glossed over all the familiar scenery. “What you’ve heard is slander, coming from those who would do the crown ill! The royal crown is in grave danger!”

“Preposterous!” The Captain cried. “You mean to threaten the king, here, in the heart of his kingdom? You and that mutt-”

“-now, now, Captain.” The lieutenant gave a tidy growl and stood more upright. “After what happened to their dear child-”

“-nonsense, nonsense, I won’t hear it.” The Captain scoffed and cocked his head away. “I’ve made my decision. Toss these two ne’er-do-wells-”

“I can assist you!” Polly quickly cut in after a moment of hesitation. The blood pumping loudly through Jack’s veins made it clear the wolf was not in the mood to be tossed anywhere. “We- I can help with that! We can! Your honor can be restored-”

“More nonsense!” The Captain almost howled out his words now. “If you mean to dishonor our name even further then nothing short of an execution will be in order. Speak again and I’ll cut out your tongue!”

Around them the previously unnoticed soldiers began to close in. Showing restraint Jack kept himself from lashing out. Polly wasn’t fairing as well as her feathers poofed up from the stress. Right before the critical moment could arrive, she gave her own terrifying squawk of protest.

“If I’m wrong, then kill us both! But hear me out, at least!” The Captain looked ready to spit venom but his partner quieted him down with a brief flapping gesture, then motioned for Polly to continue. Still out of breath she pushed forward anyway. “We can lead you-” she glanced to the troops now encircling her and Jack “-I mean, we can lead your soldiers, to where the true culprit of your misfortunes is! We can prove who is really at fault!”

Again, before the Captain could bark out something trivial, the lieutenant quelled his fury with a single motion. “Why not just tell us then, little bird?” She began to tap her foot as if disinterested. “We can keep you here...while our loyal retainers investigate your claim. We wouldn’t want to walk ourselves into a trap, would we?”

Another intense silence suffocated Polly and she nibbled a bit on her tongue to try and distract herself from the mounting pressure. Jack offered no assistance either and judging from how firmly his muscles began to flex, he anticipated the events turning south in a hurry.

“Clip my wings!” Polly unfurled her wingspan to its fullest limit, though given her immaturity, the display was not nearly as impressive as she’d hoped it would be. “The culprit will not reveal themselves except to us, but if you are afraid I will escape, then you may take my flight away. I swear on my life I tell the truth and surrender my freedom to prove it.”

For a moment that proclamation almost seemed to work, as even the Captain’s expression turned from enraged to contemplative. Filling in that void came the song-like Lieutenant’s voice yet again. “And what of the beast? Of your...canine, there? What guarantee do we have that he will not lunge at us when our back is turned?”

Understanding perhaps too well what was about to be suggested, Jack very slightly bared his fangs, though no growls or howls came from the huge animal. Polly fretted as she tried to think of a compromising and threw out the first suggestion before it could even register in her head. “The muzzle! Surely- I mean, surely you have one, with those guards and all. And if need be any other hindrance you wish to use will be permitted.” Polly puffed up and looked the seething Captain right in the eye. “I am confident I will deliver the culprit into your hands. And I don’t ask for anything in return!”

“Lunacy.” The Captain wheezed, but with a wave his soldiers suddenly dispersed. “Prepare the first regiment for deployment, and keep these two in the barracks until it is time to depart. Remove her wings and his mouth while we wait.” The Captain glowered down at Polly and Jack as if he could melt them with his gaze alone. “And if these two try anything funny while we get ready, break them in two.”

A loud ‘Yes Sire!” shook the frigid walls and at once a series of weapons pointed their lethal ends at Jack. The large wolf watched with a distant, annoyed sort of amusement as they tried to prod him forward. “Come on, get going, you mangy mongrel.” At Polly's insistence Jack acquiesced, and before long the fortress’s security detail led them down into the darkest, deepest dungeon in the kingdom.

Along the way Polly chattered into Jack’s ear in an attempt to assuage his fears. “I know, I know, okay? I said what I had to- you think the Captain would have believed me if I told the truth? Look how much time I bought us to get to the King!” As they began to descend a spiraling ice staircase into the depths, it felt as though Polly’s antics were only bringing the odd pair closer to an even bigger catastrophe.