Awakening

Jack Frost knew nothing. He had no recollection of a family, of a life, before he woke up in a frozen pond under the light of the moon.

Jack knew he was a winter spirit. He knew how to control ice and snow and how to call his friend the arctic wind. The man in the moon told him his name, but he didn't tell him what to do. What was his purpose?

It was directly after having woken up that he encountered the villagers. They couldn't see him and walked simply through him. It was this moment that made it clear to Jack: He would always be alone.

Easter 1968

Jack sang a song as he flew over the European continent to his next destination. He minded his power so it wouldn't affect the weather. The spring sprites had thrown a temper tantrum last time he hadn't had the control and for a week, there were all kind of flowers grown where it should have been impossible. It had dumbfounded the humans. Jack and the sprites had gotten reprimanded by Mother Nature for their childish fight. The seasons weren't to be trifled with, she had said.

Jack was suddenly blasted from the sky by what he guessed must have been a ball of fire. The pale skin was scorched where it was hit by the flames. He cried out in pain and crashed to the ground. As a human, he would be dead. As a powerful spirit, he broke only some ribs and bones in his body. He could feel a bruise on the back of his head and knew he got a nasty concussion. Dizzy, he saw golden eyes and a cruel smile. His attacker then.

"Well, well. What does a lowly winter bastard do in the middle of spring's season? Wanted to prolong your snow and ice to make us all suffer?" a female voice asked.

"What?" he questioned. "I was just flying through! No need to throw fire at me."

She scoffed and kicked him in the side. "Shut up! Your lies won't help you, scum!"

"I'm not lying!" What was with her? Who was she? Jack hadn't met many other spirits, so he knew not much of the others, only that there were the seasons and their sprites, the Guardians, and some other mythical figures. Tales he got from the wind sprites and the mistress of autumn.

His vision cleared and he finally got to see her. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, with her golden hair and gaze, a deep red and orange-yellow dress that seemed to burn like dancing flames, and bronzened skin. The sunflowers in her hair only added to her beauty. He had never met her, but from what he'd heard, she must be the mistress of summer.

"Don't you remember? I was there when you killed all these people in 1899. The winter was too hard, too cold. It was your fault, winter! Had you waited with the cold weather, they would have lived!"

It wasn't! He couldn't decide when to start with his season or when it was time to end the snow. His instincts simply told him to do it. All he could control was the amount of power used. He still hadn't reached full control over them and they were tied to his emotions.

Summer ignored his distress and continued.

"An entire village, destroyed. You killed them all, winter!"

"No…I wouldn't...!" he gasped in anguish.

She spat onto his form on the ground, malice in her gaze.

"I always told the council. The children of winter are a curse. You have no control. You bring death by your mere existence. Shall I prove it to you?"

And she attacked him with his flames and Jack screamed. Around him, a blizzard was forming.

Jack must have fallen uncooncious. He woke up in a drift of snow. The coolness felt good on his blistered skin. He was already healing, the open wounds nothing more than scars that would always be there. His tattered cloak was only held together by being frosted over. He felt stiff and couldn't move. A groan escaped his lips.

An angry Easter bunny broke the silence which had settled around him.

"You there! Stop this damn blizzard right now! It's my holiday and Easter is in spring! I can't have all this snow to freeze my eggs!"

Bunnymund glowered at him, his teeth chattering in the cold. His gaze looked murderous and Jack shrank into himself hiding his hurt. Nobody cared about him anyway, so he decided not to explain himself. He knew it was spring. He knew it was not okay to lose control. It was all his fault, really.

"Look kid. I can't afford to have the kids give up on Easter, because you decide to play by your own rules or got the seasons confused or something. Without them believing, I'm dead! So go to Antarctica or somewhere else, okay!"

Jack nodded, frightened by what his powers would have caused. He reigned in the storm which wasn't easy, but he shoved his feelings aside and succeeded. The Easter Bunny gave him one last murderous look and vanished through a hole in the ground which opened and closed at his command.