There was an old legend that everyone had a soul mate. Someone that would show them unconditional love and support, the only problem was finding that person.
~xXx~
"Tell me a bedtime story Papa?" Merida asked in a sleepy voice as her father carried her to bed.
"Of course Merida, anything for you." He said in a quiet voice. "There's a legend that everyone has a soul mate they are meant to be with, but you see Merida," her father said as he tucked her into bed, "Some people settle for less than their soul mate and don't even realize it."
"But how are you supposed to know?" Merida asked with wide blue eyes.
"You don't, but..." Fergus looked around the room to check if anyone else was there before leaning in to whisper to Merida, "Some people are able to see the souls of others and that's how they can tell."
"Can you see souls Papa?" Merida whispered back. "Is that why you married Mummy?"
Laughing jovially Fergus said, "I don't need to see souls to know that Elinor is the one for me." Bending down he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Goodnight Merida."
~xXx~
When Jack woke up from the ice he awoke to see white wings on his back. "Who am I?" He whispered looking at the moon. "What am I?" Jack didn't remember who he was, but he knew that wings were not normal. When he traveled down to the village he scoured it high and low looking for someone else with wings, looking for someone who could see him.
The passed straight through him and he flew off to the next village repeating the same process until there was nowhere left to go.
"What am I?" Jack asked again in a broken voice as he looked up at the sky.
The Moon was silent.
~xXx~
Merida was six when she realized that no one else in the castle could see people's wings.
"Mummy why do your wings and Papa's wings look the same?" She asked curiously as they ate lunch.
Elinor looked at Fergus, her fork halfway to her mouth. "We don't have wings Merida."
"Yes you do." She told her mother with a frown. "Yours are orange brown just like Papas."
"Merida sweetheart we don't have wings." Elinor said soft but firm. "Now eat your carrots."
Pouting Merida stabbed at her carrots before reaching out to touch her father's wings (brown like the sparrows that say outside her window with orange feathers at the tips) and her hand passed straight through like there was nothing there. She let out a small gasp and reached out again only for the same result to happen. Fergus looked over his should and shuddered muttering, "Wee bit drafty in here."
Merida sat on her windowsill after lunch and looked down below at the people milling about with their multicoloured wings. She stroked the feathers of my own green wings speckled with white. They were solid under her fingertips so why were anyone else?
~xXx~
Years and years passed before Jack encountered someone else with wings and Jack was so excited to see someone else like him to see that he wasn't alone. The boy was sitting in from of his house humming as he carved a piece of wood; his blue wings were swaying slightly to the beat of the song he was humming.
"Hey what's your name?" Jack asked excited as he sat down next to the boy. "My names Jack, Jack Frost. You have really nice looking wing, the first wings I've actually seen so far beyond my own." He chatted a mile a minute trying to fill the silence. "Can you see other people's wings as well? Have you seen anyone else with wings? Do you know what they mean because I just woke up with them and-"
Jack let out a shuddering gasp as the boy stood up and his wings went straight through Jack. "It's so cold." The boy muttered. "What kind of spring is this there's frost on the ground." He went inside his house closing the door shut leaving Jack sitting along on the porch.
~xXx~
When Merida was ten she realized that the wings she saw were people's souls. They were a way for her to see what people were really feeling based on the twitching of their wings or how they held them and the colours, the colours of a persons wings were a claim of who they belonged to, a way to find your soul mate.
The first time Merida ever saw a pair of soul mates who had found each other was when she looked at her parents. Her mother's wings shared the same coloring of her fathers, but inverted. Where her father's wings were primarily brown and then the orange tips, her mother's wings were orange with brown streaks in them.
The colour of their wings wasn't the be all end all though, otherwise Maisy her brothers wet nurse could have been her fathers soul mate. No the real identifying mark of soul mates was how their wings acted around each other.
Elinor's wings would automatically perk up whenever Fergus was in the room and the tips of their wings would angle towards each other, straining to touch. When they sat down together their wings would rub against the others with such familiarity it made Merida's heart ache and she didn't know why. Their wings so close and overlapping they bled into each other until you couldn't tell where one started and one ended.
Whenever Merida saw their wings angle towards each other and the soft smiles her parents shared, Merida looked at her own speckled wings and wished for the day when she would find her soul mate.
~xXx~
Life as a winter spirit was lonely.
Jack spent his days carrying on conversations with people that couldn't see or hear him. He brought snow and ice wherever he went and while normally Jack loved seeing children run outside to play in the snow and catch snowflakes on their tongues, it was empty joy from isolation.
The worst part of being a winter spirit though, was seeing the children who suffered because of him.
The first frozen child Jack ever came across was a little girl with red hair frosted over with snow. Ice crusts her lashes and Jack couldn't breathe when he saw how pale and still she was.
"Help." He croaked out. "Help!" He yelled and yelled until his throat was raw and his voice just a whisper, but still no one came and he just laid there not moving.
"What do you want me to do?" Jack asked looking up at the moon. When no answer came his face contorted in anguish and his wings flared out behind him. "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?"
The Moon didn't answer, he never did.
~xXx~
When Merida's mother informed her that the three clans were coming Merida was actually excited. She thought to herself that this might actually be her chance to find her soul mate, to find someone that would have green and white wings.
Imagine her disappointment when instead of seeing wings her own would angle towards, itching to brush against, she saw the pink wings of the MacIntosh boy preening for all to see even though his wing span was so small Merida has seen larger of the fowl the used to hunt with. The pink wings puffed and preened to try and look bigger, but Merida saw him for what he really was, a boy who thought that he was the center of the universe, what everyone should be focusing on, offering himself up for anyone who was willing to take it.
The young Dingwall had hummingbird wings that constantly fluttered about, Merida didn't understand because the only other people she had seen with hummingbird wings had been the maids who constantly went about never stopping for a moment. Perhaps his wings were meant to indicate how active him mind was, but they were a dirty grey like the dishwater the servants used and something warned her to stay away.
The MacGuffin heir had green wings like hers and she grew excited only to realize that there was no white present in his wings and her own wings stayed silent and unmoving by her side. His wings curled protectively around himself, protecting him from anything that might happen and Merida watched with stormy blue eyes as his fathers wings (red wings that faded to brown) fluttered around restlessly hitting the shield of wings has son had created, Merida wants to stomp down and tell him to stop, she wanted to scream at him saying /can't you see what you're doing to you son right now?
Instead Merida stayed quiet in her seat only speaking when realizing the loophole she could exploit to get out of marrying any of them.
She wouldn't be someone who settled for less than their soul mate.
~xXx~
About eighty years since his birth of becoming the Spirit of Winter Jack met the rest of the Seasonal Spirits.
He hadn't even thought about there being a spirit of spring, which was rather stupid of him since if he was a spirit of winter why wouldn't there be other seasonal spirits?
"Oh you must be the new winter spirit! I'm Rapunzel, the Spirit of Spring!" She said clapping her hands together in excitement. Jack couldn't help but stare at her impossibly long her; it completely obscured her wings until she bundled up her hair and began to braid it allowing Jack to see the light purple and pink wings she had.
The boy with brown hair waved awkwardly and said, "I'm Hiccup the Spirit of Autumn, so I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot then." Jack couldn't help but look curiously at his wings, they were scaly like a reptiles and he had never seen wings like them before on any animal or human.
"No summer spirit?" Jack asked curiously.
Hiccup shrugged, "Not that we know of. Man in the moon must be waiting for someone special to become the summer spirit."
"So how does summer come about?" Jack asked confused.
"We're not really sure." Rapunzel said cheerfully. "It just does. Hey being the winter spirit you freeze stuff and make ice right?"
"Ya." Jack said slowly. "What else would I do?"
"Oh I don't know, but there was a girl I once knew, her name was Elsa." Rapunzel said as she braided her hair. "She was a queen, but she controlled ice as well." She smiled fondly as she reminisced. "You two would've gotten along well."
Jack gave a bland smile but didn't say anything, he had learned long ago that dwelling in what ifs and things that could've happened would drive him to the brink of insanity.
~xXx~
When her mother died Merida rode through the forest and didn't look back.
Deeper and deeper she rode into the woods hoping to find the door to the witches house, praying that there would be some way to bring her mother back.
The sun set and Merida could see her breath in front of her as the temperature dropped. "The wisps." She breathed out hopefully. "They can help me." She strained her eyes for the little blue spirits, and when Angus collapsed from exhaustion Merida realized how useless her search was, realized that her mother was never coming back.
"Oh Mom." She cried as she stroked Angus's flank, "Mom I miss ya." Merida shivered as the cold began to seep into her bones. She pressed against Angus trying to share his body heat, but she soon began shivering. "Got to move." She told herself. "Can't stay still." But she made no effort to move, only laid her head against Angus and as her tears froze against her face whispered, "Mum."
~xXx~
As much as Jack loved being a winter Spirit bringing the snow to all corners of the earth, freezing over lakes for skating, blanketing hills with soft downy snow, he hated seeing the product of his work at times. He looked down sadly from his branch at the still red head, her wings were so green they blended in with the trees, pressed up against her horse. Another person out in the cold destined to not wake up because their body shut down.
Casting his eyes upwards Jack asked angrily, "is this why you made me? So I could see what I bring forth?" Sweeping his hand to gesture at the girl he shouted, "You want me to see the death I bring? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT ME TO SEE?"
The moon remained silent as always, but Jack heard a soft moan from below. He looked down in disbelief and saw the red head move. "She's alive." He breathed out relieved. "Miss!" Jack called out concerned. "Miss are you alright? Can I do anything?"
As the red head raised her head and looked around blearily, looking in Jacks direction but not appearing to see him Jack cursed as he remembered that no one could see him. "Another time for false hope." He muttered under his breath.
"Are, Are you an angel?"
Inhaling sharply Jack looked down once more to see bright blue eyes staring at him in wonder. "You, you can see me?" He asked in disbelief.
"Did God send ya?" She asked frightened. "Am I dead and you're here to take me away?"
Jumping down from his branch so he could crouch beside her Jack said, "I'm no angel, I'm just Jack Frost. What made you think I was an angel?"
Looking at him curiously she replied, "I thought only angels had wings white as the snow, I've never seen anyone else with such white wings."
Jack could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. "You can see them?" He asked breathless, daring himself to hope.
"Aye. Can, can I touch them?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes!" Jack said enthusiastically. Finally someone that could see him, someone that would pass right through him so he wouldn't have to feel the cold violating feeling of someone passing thro-
Jack let out a shuddering sob as her hand went straight through his wing. "I knew it was too good to be true." He stood up and pushed up off the ground, leaving the girl who had given him false hope only to rip it and his heart away so quickly behind.
~xXx~
Merida became one of those people who settled for less.
Her mother and father were both dead and DunBroch was on the brink of war. With old law stating that she must be married to rule, Merida married Gavin MacGuffin whose green wings no longer curled in on himself with the passing of his father. When they met to discuss their marriage Merida strained her eyes trying to see if his wings had any trace of white in them.
They didn't.
~xXx~
Jack avoided Scotland, only passing through quickly when Hiccup said how unusual it was that Scotland was still fairy warm. He didn't linger any longer than he would have to and Jack became content to allow Scotland to escape with minimal winter if it meant he would have to spend less time there.
He kept Scotland and the girl he saw there pushed into the back of his mind, but when he woke up one day to find green patches near the base of his wings that looked so much like the green forest of Scotland (so much like the wings of that girl) he smile ruefully and looked to the sky wondering if this was some new way the Moon had come up with to punish him.
~xXx~
"You don't love me, do you Merida."
Merida was so shocked at Gavin's statement she almost fell off Angus. "Gavin why would you ever think that?"
His blue eyes stated straight ahead as they rode through the woods together. "We don't have any children."
"It's not like I told my body to not become pregnant." Merida said angrily.
"It's been five years since we were married." He continued as if Merida hadn't spoken. "And still every time you look at me I see you searching for something and then I see a look of disappointment on your face."
Merida looked away guiltily, she didn't think that Gavin had noticed her looking at his wings trying to see if there was any white in the . Her wings rustles nervously as she said, "I do love you Gavin."
Looking at her for the first time during their ride Gavin asked, "Do you?"
Smiling softly like she always saw her parents smile at each other Merida steered Angus closer to him so she could lace her fingers through his. "Yes."
She was grateful that no one else was able to see her wings curling around herself with guilt as she lied through her teeth with a fake smile.
~xXx~
The thing that wore down Jack the most was no one being able to see him. The feeling of being walked through made him freeze inside and tore his mind apart.
"It just comes with the job Jack." Rapunzel said as she braided her long blonde hair. "Us seasonal Spirits don't get the recognition and belief that the others do. We will never have believers; we'll only have each other."
"And what a lot of good that does." Jack grumbled as he moved his wings to touch to some of the snowdrops making them frost slightly.
Hitting his hand Rapunzel scolded, "I just finished those; you know our deal is you leave my flowers alone when I start."
"Come on 'Punz." Jack said with an impish smile. "We're in Canada and it's February, aren't you jumping the gun just a little by making snowdrops grow?" He moved his wings aside anyways so that frost stopped creeping along the petals.
With a slight frown Rapunzel said, "I wish I had control over my powers like you do. You don't even have to touch things and they frost over."
Glancing at his wings Jack said casually, "I actually do touch them; I just use my wings to touch things that are just out of reach."
Rapunzel smiled fondly at him. "Always looking to play a game and have some fun aren't you Jack."
He hated hearing the other spirits say that. It made him feel as if someone had just passed through him, so cold it froze the heart of the Winter Spirit. "You know me to well." He said softly. "I've got to go now; Russia is due for some more snow." He flapped his wings and flew away before Rapunzel could respond.
~xXx~
When Merida died she was greeted by the Moon. He told her that she had a new job as the Spirit of Summer and that she was meant to be the one to being heat and sunshine.
"I don't want this!" She yelled at the moon the night when she went to visit Gavin and he walked straight through her. "I don't want any of this!"
The Moon didn't speak.
~xXx~
"The Moon called a Summer Spirit." Hiccup said as he watched Jack blanket the ground in snow. "Rapunzel and I are going to greet her and give her the rundown of the job; you want to come with us?"
Jack swung his staff over his shoulders. "Naw, the mountain regions of Japan are starting to melt and that's not supposed to happen. I'll visit her some other time."
"You sure jack?" Hiccup asked concerned.
"Ya, besides she's the Spirit of Summer and I'm the Spirit of winter." He said blasé. "When are we going to interact anyways? Heat and cold don't mix."
~xXx~
Merida didn't know what she was doing and the Spirit of Summer. All she knew is that whatever she touched greenery flourished and became slightly drier and she could now use her wings to fly, something she has tried in her childhood but never quite succeeded at.
So for the first few months she just flew over countries and walked wherever there were still puddles and sent gusts of warm wind with her wings which is how Hiccup and Rapunzel found her.
"Yoo-hoo!" A high pitched voice called out. "Down here!" Merida looked down to see a blonde girl standing with a brunette boy.
Merida flew down in disbelief. "You can see me?" She asked shocked when she touched down.
"Yep! I'm Rapunzel the Spirit of Spring and this is Hiccup the Spirit of Autumn!"
"I wanted to introduce myself Rapunzel." Hiccup whined.
Blushing Rapunzel said, "Oops. You can tell her why we're here though!" She said like it was an amazing consolation. "
"That I will do." He turned to face Merida. "So the Moon told you why you're here right?"
"He just said I'm the Spirit of Summer and left it at that." Merida grumbled.
"Pretty standard fare." Rapunzel said sympathetically putting a hand on Merida's shoulder.
"Hey!" Hiccup snapped, "I'm the one talking!" Rapunzel mimicked locking her mouth and Hiccup continued. "That's all he told us as well, but we can help you figure out your powers!"
"You can do that?" Merida's wings fluttered about excitedly and she tried to reel them in so she would hit Hiccups wings.
"We can do that." They told her with a smile.
~xXx~
No one ever seemed to notice the wings.
Well really, no one ever seemed to notice Jack in the first place. Three hundred years and still everyone walked through him, and his fellow (ha ya right they never noticed or paid any attention to him becoming a guardian didn't change anything) spirits didn't believe Jack when he told them he had wings.
"How do you fly anyways Frostbite?" Bunnymund asked one day after watching Jack zip around North's workshop.
"The wind carries him of course." North said like it was obvious. "The same way it carries my sleigh."
Jack landed on top of the globe walking across it looking at all the different lights. "Wrong and wrong." he said swinging his staff around. "My wings carry me."
"Wings." Bunny said sceptically. "As in flappy things like what Tooth has?"
"A bit less colourful, but ya, wings." He waved them through the air sending wrapping paper flying everywhere."
"ARGBLAGLAH!" Phil yelled at Jack throwing his scissors down in anger.
"Sorry Phil." Jack chuckled, "Didn't mean to make that large of a gust."
"Very funny Frostbite." Bunny said scathingly. "Make a mess of North's workshop three weeks before Christmas to try and make your lie believable."
Jack sighed and glanced at his wings that no one could see before saying, "Not one of my best jokes I guess."
~xXx~
Merida didn't meet the Spirit of Winter until close two hundred years after she became the Spirit of Summer, not for lack of trying. She spent close to a decade trying to track him down and talk about if the Moon has talked to him (really she wanted to see what kind of wings he had and if he could see hers because she still hadn't given up on finding someone who could see wings as well).
"Don't feel to put out." Rapunzel told her during the transition period of spring to summer. "Jacks a bit of a loner."
"Really?" Merida asked in shock. "How does he stand it?"
Rapunzel shrugged. "I don't know, truth be told I don't think he has handed it very well." Leaning in as if she was about to share a conspiracy Rapunzel said, "Jack is convinced that he has wings that allow him to fly."
Merida couldn't breath.
~xXx~
"Jaime you've for to let me go." Jack said amused. "I'm due to create an ice storm in the US in an hour."
"You don't have to leave do you Jack?" Jaime asked looking up at him with tear filled eyes.
Putting his hand on Jaime's head Jack said softly, "Ya bud, I do. It's summer here in Burgess, not fit for the Spirit of Winter."
Jaime squeezed tighter and his red wings curled around Jack protectively as he asked Jack, "You'll come back as soon as you're finished with your ice storm? I'm not done your gift yet."
Chuckling he said, "Ya Jaime, I'll come right back after the ice storm. You have to let me go first though."
Reluctantly Jaime detangled himself from Jack, his wings coming in right to his body, and sniffed twice. "Okay. I'll miss you Jack."
"I'll miss you too." Jack said hoping to convey as much feeling as possible to Jaime. Flapping his wings once Jack lifted himself up of the ground shouting down to Jaime, "I'll be back soon, I promise!"
~xXx~
"Why is there snow on the ground in Burgess right now?" Merida grumbled. "This is my season no snow allowed." Waving her hand Merida made the snow melt and green grass spring up from underneath. "Much better." She said with satisfaction.
"Angry that someone has been messing around with your season?"
Merida started at the voice and whirled around with her bow drawn. "Who are you?" She demanded. "How can you see me?"
The tall figure raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I am Pitch Black; you must be awfully lonely to draw your weapon just because someone can see you." His voice sounded so sympathetic and understanding of her plight, but Merida knew better than to believe his words. While his wings were tattered with feathers missing as well as black and oily giving her a warning alarm to not trust him.
"I only draw my weapon on foes." She spat out through clenched teeth.
"Foes?" Pitch said as he moved around, her bow trailing him the entire time. "We only just met. Surely you don't know enough about me to call me a foe."
"I can see you." Merida hissed drawing her bowstring back farther. "I see what your soul is like."
"Ah." Pitch said tacking a step back, his placating facade disappearing to give way to a sinister grin. "You can see them can't you? Yours are quite lovely; they have the exact same colouring of someone else I know."
"Don't try and distract me." Merida yelled ignoring how fast her heart was beating. "What do you want? Why did you find me?"
He moved so fast Merida didn't even see him move. One moment he was in front of her and the next he was gone from her line of sight. "Such lovely wings." Pitch whispered into her ear making Merida jump. "Do you know what it's like to have part of it ripped out?" He grabbed some of her feathers and Merida's breath sped up she was sure should would pass out. Pitch grabbed her chin and yanked Merida's head around so she looked him in the eyes. His face was contorted with rage as he snarled, "It's absolutely excruciating." He pulled hard and Merida screamed.
~xXx~
Jack flew back in to Burgess to be greeted with lush grass and warm weather. "Looks like the Spirit of Summer is here. Perhaps I shouldn't see Jaime. Argh, but I promised him."
Jack musings were cut off when he heard a scream coming from his lake. "Jaime." He whispered afraid before speeding off towards the scream. When he reached the source of the scream Jack almost fell from midair when he saw Pitch standing behind the girl he met in Scotland from so many years ago.
"Please stop." He heard her beg. "Please no, why are you doing this?"
"Why am I doing this?" Pitch snarled. "Because you are the key to Jack Frosts happiness and we can't have that now can we." He finished in a mocking voice, laughing as he listened to her scream as he pulled out more feathers.
Enraged at the site Jack yelled, "Let her go Pitch!"
Pitch looked away from the girl and looked in his direction. "Jack!" He said as if they were meeting at a garden party. "So nice to see you! Here to save your precious soul mate Merida?"
"Soul mate?" Jack asked confused. "I have no clue what you're talking about Pitch, I don't even know her."
"Don't know her you say?" Pitch said softly. "So you don't care if I do this?" He reached a dark hand out and caressed her trembling wings like a lover would.
Jacks wings reacted impulsively flaring out to display their size and shot ice magic out at Pitch. It hit Pitch square in the face and he let go of Merida. Jack flapped his wings and propelled himself to stand between Pitch and Merida, his wings forming a protective barrier around Merida. "Don't. Touch. Her." He hissed.
"Interesting reaction for someone you don't know Jack." Pitch spat out, his hand covering the area where Jack's magic had hit him. Black sand swirled in his hands before forming a scythe. "Can you protect yourself while shielding her?"
~xXx~
She felt cold, dirty, violated. Worse than she had ever felt when someone passed through her. The feeling of his hands touching her wings made her feel so violently sick Merida was surprised that she hadn't been ill right then and there. None of that compared to when Pitch ripped out her feathers her soul it just felt so wrong like a piece of her was now missing.
How dare he touch her?
"I don't need him to protect me." Merida said as she stood up on shaking feet, drawing strength from the feeling of her wings brushing against Jacks and it just felt so right and this is what she had waited so long for. Looking defiantly at Pitch she said, "I can protect myself."
"You have spirit." Pitch said as he leered at her. "I'll have fun destroying it."
"You can try." She said drawing back her bow, "but you won't succeed."
Pitch began swinging his scythe around and Merida whispered to Jack. "Distract him and I'll shoot."
Looking down at hair Jack whispered back angrily, "Distract him how? Do you want me to start tap dancing?"
"If that's what it takes for me to get an opening for a shot then yes. I'm not asking you to bring me down a star." Merida hissed angrily her wings puffing up. "I'm just asking you to distract him. Fly around hit him with your wings, do something!"
"Fine." Jack snapped angrily. "Afterwards we talk though; you have a lot of answer to give me."
"Fine." She repeated back frustrated. "Just start distracting him!"
~xXx~
"Done with your little lovers spat you two?" Pitch said in a droll tone.
"Shut up." They said in unison. They looked at each other in surprise before Jack flew up and began throwing ice at Pitch.
"Jack, Jack!" Pitch said as he swatted away ice missiles. "I thought that we were beyond such petty tricks like throwing ice at me." Forming a spear of black sand Pitch said with a toothy grin. "Entertain me."
"You want me to entertain you?" Jack mumbled as he looked down from the sky. "I'll entertain you." Twirling his staff in front of his body Jack summoned the wind and concentrated to call upon the cold that was inside of him.
As a blizzard began to form Pitch looked around and said in an excited voice, "Now this is entertainment!" Flinching as the pieces of ice within the blizzard struck him Pitch said with a malicious grin, "My turn to play." Tossing his spear up to reposition his grip, Pitch swung his scythe widen making Jack dodge and while Jack was moving threw the spear and smile triumphantly.
~xXx~
Merida watched with intense concentration waiting for the moment when Pitch would leave himself vulnerable. She watched as Jack changed tactics and instead of throwing ice he created a blizzard go surround Pitch and blind him. She watched as Pitch threw his spear of darkness at Jack and in that small moment that Pitch watched it travel she knew and she let go.
~xXx~
Jack saw the spear coming towards him and pulled his wings tight against his body making him drop to the ground causing pain to shoot up his ankle, but hey he wasn't impaled by a black spear.
"Argh!" Pitch yelled in pain. "You wretch!" Clutching his shoulder he screamed. "I will get you back for this!"
Landing to stand beside Merida Jack levelled his staff at Pitch. "No you won't." He vowed. "Now leave."
Retreating Pitch snarled, "This isn't over!"
"Yes." Merida said standing tall. "It is."
~xXx~
With Pitch gone Merida and Jack stood awkwardly beside each other before Jack said, "So you're the Spirit of Summer?"
"Ya definitely wasn't what I signed up for."
Jack snorted in disbelief. "You signed up for this?"
Rolling her eyes Merida told him, "Of course not, why would anyone ever sign up for years and years of being passed through and invisible."
He shrugged his shoulders in response. "No one I guess, so he didn't ask you either?"
"He asks people?" Merida asked in disbelief.
Running a hand through his hair Jack told her, "Apparently the rest on the guardians, you know Santa Claus and the rest, we're asked to become Spirits."
Kicking some of the stray snow leftover from the blizzard and watching it melt Merida said, "Of course the big shots get the special treatment."
The silence between them was so thick Merida was certain she could fire an arrow through it and the arrow would bounce off. The silence she could've handled, but the feeling of her wings inching towards Jack was something she had been waiting so long for and her soul mate looked like he didn't want anything to do with her.
"You said that we needed to talk." She blurted out because she couldn't stand the feeling of her own skin trying to move its way towards him.
"Right right." He said absentmindedly. "You can see the wings?"
"I thought we established that when I was still alive and thought that you were an angel." She said with a raised eyebrow. Oh lord she thought to herself, please don't let my soul mate be just a pretty face.
"I'm just trying to establish what we already know." Jack told her crossly, his wings fluffing up. "No need to get snippy."
"Snippy? I'm just stating a fact."
"You know what? Whatever." Jack said frustrated. "I was trying to ease the conversation in but no I can see you're not going to agree with that."
"Agree?" Merida said with her eyebrows so high they disappeared into her hair. "You never asked me to agree to anything!"
"Enough!" Jack shouted. "Just tell me what Pitch meant by you being my soul mate!"
Merida wasn't sure what to say, so she figured she would just show Jack. "Have you ever tried to touch someone else's wings?"
"Ya." He replied with furrowed eyebrows. "I just go straight through them."
"The same happens with me. You want to know why?"
"Of course I want to know why." Jack said exasperated. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise."
"It's because they aren't meant to be together. I was married before Jack." Merida said looking into the distance. "It was a political marriage at first, but I loved him. He had green wings like me too." Turning so that she was facing him Merida could see that Jack's wings were straining towards hers. "But no matter what I did my hand passed through."
"So what does this have to do with us?" Jack asked impatiently. "What does any of this have to do with what Pitch said?"
For the first time since they drove Pitch away Merida didn't stop her wings from reaching out towards Jack, and when the tips of their wings connected Merida's world exploded and all she saw was white.
~xXx~
Warmth and happiness and love encompassed Jack and he never wanted it to end. It made all his loneliness and the anguish and fear and pain he had felt mean nothing because she was here with him and Jack understood what Pitch meant by she would be his happiness.
Through the haze of love and warmth that Jack felt he heard her voice, "That is what it means to be a soul mate."
~xXx~
There's an old legend passed down that everyone has a soul mate. Some times you meet them, but it isn't the right time and fate is both cruel and kind to keep you apart. Some people have to wait so long they believe that they don't have a soul mate. One thing is certain though, when you find your soul mate you hold on and never let go.