Intro Info: It's been over a year since I saw the movie RotG, and I've never read the books. I only saw the movie once. Here's the basic info, then the note and disclaimer. Then the story starts. Have fun!
Title: Autumn Frost
Fandom: Rise of the Guardians
Official Genres: Friendship + Adventure
Other Genres: Romance?
Rating: T (just in case)
Content Notes: "New Guardian" OC, Brother-figure Jack, hints of the Rainbow Snowcone pairing if not full on Rainbow Snowcone shippage. Don't like, don't read.
Summary: A young girl finds herself stranded near the edge of a forest on the night of an autum full moon. She doesn't know anything about herself except her name, and that not knowing who she is...isn't a normal. One thought is stuck in this child's mind though...Find Jack Frost, and find some kind of answer. So who's Jack Frost? And where can she find him? If only someone would actually notice her long enough to tell her!
Chapter Word Count: (Without Notes) 2,338
Date Posted: 10-7-15
A/N: Okay, this is yet another idea born in the realm between asleep and awake. I think it's good, but who knows. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. I'm going to try to do half a chapter featuring Jack, and half featuring my OC for the time being...this may change later. Please leave me constructive criticism, and help me with the canon characters. I'm writing from limited memory, with very little web access. My usual Wiki sources will be hard to use. Also, I will finish my other fics too, at least the more recent ones. I just wanted to test the waters for this idea before getting too invested.
Disclaimer: I don't own RotH. I only own Eve. And I've only seen the movie once, over a year ago...so sorry for inaccuracies.
Chapter 1: Who is Jack Frost...Who is She?
The setting sun was casting tremulous shadows over a village nestled snugly in a valley between two rolling hills. Even in these modern times it would seem the small place had not evolved, part of its quaint charm. If one could share the view of the wind however, one might see a different sight.
The crisp breeze of early Autumn danced through the village streets, causing grumbling adults to wrap their fleece jackets tightly about themselves as they complained into their cellular phones. At this level, things seemed thoroughly up to date. The lamps had bulbs, flames long forgotten. Television sets flickered behind the windows in each house, scary movies having already made their way to the airwaves.
The breeze carried on, kicking up the few scattered leaves that had already fallen in its wake. As the brilliant hues of dusk faded darker, the brilliance of a full harvest moon shone bright; climbing its way to the sky.
Twirling and tumbling it's way out of town, that chill of air tried to chase the Moon, finally giving up only after reaching a half dead tree on the edge of a nearby forest. It puffed its way into a hollow in that tree and, uncaring that it was occupied already, that wind lay down to sleep.
But the wind's chilly entry caused the hollow's previous occupant to stir. A small girl, appearing no more than eight, wriggled as she fought to maintain slumber. The Moon peeked in at her, and unable to resist his bright charms, the girl opened first one eye, then the other.
She stretched and smiled a greeting to the Moon as she tried to recall how she'd come to be sleeping there. Ask Jack...
She couldn't recall. Well, she must have just been very tired. As long as she hurried now, that was what mattered. She had to get...she had to...where was she supposed to go? Find Jack Frost...
Something wasn't right. Where was she? In a tree on the edge of a forest near a mountain village. That came easily enough...the village name, however, did not. When was she? No clue other than night. Who was she?
She thought about that one. Thankfully, a name came to mind, and she was certain it was hers, "I'm Eve. So I know who I am...now what?"
She scrunched up her face in thought, not knowing what to do, or who to turn to. There was a thought nagging her, almost a voice, repeating an idea in her mind. She was pretty sure she should just ignore it, but it wouldn't stop! Listen, Eve...find Jack Frost...he can help...he knows...
Right, that was demanding and specific. She should probably listen after all. But she had no idea who Jack Frost was, let alone where to find him!
Being merely a child, Eve polled her mind for what grown ups might have told her to do in such a situation. She remembered the concepts of adults versus children, that a grown up would have more knowledge of what to do. But she couldn't really remember ever having encountered an actual adult before. She knew she was a young child, not an infant and not a teenager...but her memories stopped short of her actual age.
"Come on Eve!" She scolded herself with a pout, small tanned hands pulling on the hem of her frilly, tooled skirt, "You must know something!"
Well, something warned her adult advice would be to wait to be found. But she also had an inkling that she had to be on the move to find Jack, whomever that was. Blinking she giggled suddenly, "Oh! If I want a grown up's help,I should go find a grown up and ask! Silly!"
Not to far away she could see the lights of a village. If she had a family, then that must be where they were. If her family wasn't there, adults of some sort would be; and they could help her find Jack! Mind made up, she grabbed her only possessions, a pointy hat and a broom, and set off in that direction.
It took the petite girl around ten minutes to make it to the village streets. Deep red ringlets of hair bounced around her face as she looked for someone to speak with. The concept of interrupting seemed naturally rude, and yet she saw adults talking on their phones or to each other everywhere. No one seemed to even notice the small child on the street!
A kid's patience only lasts so long, and interruptions were needed here. Still, she tried to be cute and polite, that would get the best results, "Exscuse me, Ma'am, do you..."
Her voice trailed of as the woman she'd been addressing bustled on without acknowledging her, too busy arguing about something business on her phone. Eve pouted and blew a raspberry. Maybe a man would be a better bet.
So this time, she found a promising looking man. He didn't have a suit on like the woman had, and was leaving a toy store. Since he was locking the door, he must work there, so he must like kids! Eve stopped beside him, waited for him to finish, the smiled brightly, "Hi! Can you- wait! I'm talking!"
He had turned and walked in the other direction, whistling merrily. She chased him a short ways, but eventually stopped and sulked. So working at a toy store didn't mean he liked kids. Fine then! She sniffed back her frustration and glanced around once more, this time spotting a mother who carried a slumbering boy in her arms. No way would a parent turn away a child in need!
Determined, Eve ran forward, crossing the street and halting right in the woman's path. Polite had gotten her nowhere, time for direct, "Miss, I need help! Hey, Miss, can you he-Ahh!"
Eve shrieked as she whipped around in a flurry of crimson curls to stare at the mother and son who had just passed right through her. What was going on? Was no one answering her, or couldn't they even see or hear her?
Now she was more alone than ever. She couldn't talk to anyone...couldn't ask for help. She was a child with no real identity or home, and her only hope was to find someone named Jack Frost, who she'd never heard of! Suddenly the girl gasped, "What if Jack can't see me..."
Terrified, lonely, and lost, Eve sunk to the ground as people walked past and through her. Her lip quivered as tears rolled from amber eyes. Her broom remain clutched tight, held firmly in her lap. There was no way she could survive.
The girl wasn't sure how long she spent weeping, but by the time all she had left were hiccups everyone had cleared the streets. They had probably rushed home for a restful evening.
A few feeble sniffles later and Eve wiped her face on the back of a green and purple sleeve. Looking up at the harvest moon she drew a deep breath to gather her resolve and climbed to her feet, "Nothing's gonna happen sittin' here! Let's go, Eve!"
With that she walked back the way she had come, out of the village, past the half dead tree, and further into the forest. The trees were ominous in the shroud of darkness, but the girl pulled down on the brim of her pointed hat, gripped her broom tightly, and trudged on. Jack was her only hope, and no forest would stop her from finding him.
From his seat on the bough of a tree, its colorful leaves crisped by his early frosts, Jack surveyed his surroundings. The area was strangely vacant, he noted. Apple trees clustered in the distance, and he sat in a maple of some kind, but there weren't any people.
It was this lack of humans that concerned him. The sun was already beginning to speak over the horizon, and he could clearly see there were no homes to speak of. Yet those apple trees obviously made an orchard.
Curiosity got the better of him, leading Jack down from his resting place. Instinct guided him toward the orchard, knowing that people might gather there. As he drifted nearer he spied a small girl, seven or eight years old.
She was dressed as a witch, her costume colored purple, green, and black. A toole skirt with layers of each featured color was worn over plaid leggings. The she featured mostly black, with purple and green accents. A black hat with green and purple ribbons around the brim crowned a head of crimson curls that spiraled halfway to her shoulders. On her feat she wore purple high tops with green laces, black frilled socks peeked from beneath them.
Jack glanced about, but there was no homestead to go with the orchard, no family to claim the girl. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she turned toward him before he could. Her face was full and young, an uncertain smile on her features as the full moon illuminated her tan skin. Her eyes reflected that light with an eerie amber color like nothing he had ever quite seen before.
Head canted to the left she gave Jack a curious look. Her mouth moved soundlessly, though the guardian had a feeling she was trying to confirm his identity. Again he was about to speak, again he lost his chance.
Thunder rumbled across the sky. The sound brought a look of fear to the girl's eyes as darkness enveloped the Moon. The sky seemed cloudless, just dark. Returning his crystal blues to the little witch, Jack realized they were surrounded by the inky blackness. That could only be Pitch's doing. With a sense of urgency, the guardian moved to rush to the child's aid, only to find he was locked in place.
Pitch loomed into view on the other side of the now terrified witch, wrapping an arm around her with a leer. Jack tried to shout, but no sound came. Pitch brought his other arm around the girl, the two of them disappearing into the expanding darkness.
Finally Jack lunged free, floating in a vacuum of blackness. From all directions echoed the sound of a girl screaming. Then her desperate voice plead in little more that a whisper, "Help me!"
With such force did Jack wake that he nearly propelled himself off the ledge where he had been napping. Wide blue eyes darted wildly about looking for the girl who had appeared so vividly moments early. Already though, she was fading from his mind. He remembered vaguely a witch's hat, and that she had been relatively young. Those eyes stood out clearly though. Amber, the color of honey perhaps. He was pretty sure he'd never seen eyes that shade before, and now they were burned in his mind.
A sigh slipped past his lips as he ran a pale hand through his white locks. Jack had realized now that it was a dream. So now the question became what to do? Dreams were only images in a sleeping mind, nothing serious, right? But this one seemed so real...so foreboding.
The obvious answer was to question Sandy. If the question involved a dream, the Sandman had the answer, right? Though...this didn't seem like his doing, not Pitch's either, not directly.
Well, when in doubt, he supposed, North was always a good person to consult. The older guardian hadn't steered him wrong before. Jack shifted his crystalline gaze toward the full moon, still shining brightly in the clear sky.
There were other options for guardians to ask about his dream. He didn't relish the idea of going to the Easter Bunny with attitude. Then their was Toothania. He considered her. With her collection of baby teeth she might give him a lead on who the girl was. Not many children could have eyes that color.
Besides, Jack reasoned, it was heading into the autumn months. North was probably starting to get pretty busy in his own right. Tooth had a good system work out with her small helpers actually collecting the teeth for her.
So there it was, he concluded with a smirk. He would head out to Toothania's place and ask her help. She could be a bit flighty, but it made her good at multitasking. Plus, he hadn't seen her in awhile. It would be nice to catch up.
Having decided his course, the guardian rolled himself off the ledge where he'd been resting, flying off in the direction of the Toothfairy's headquarters. He could almost hear her excited voice lilting through the air, a thought that brought a smile to his face.
Soon, though, he noticed that what he had imagined to be a lingering memory was growing louder, drawing nearer. The young guardian glanced to his right just in time to see the flurry of color before it wrapped itself around him with a happy squeal.
"Jack! How are you? How are those brilliant teeth? Let me see!" Tooth had collided with him in a mid air hug and proceeded to pry his mouth open to look at his teeth.
"Ey, Toof..." Jack murmured his best before gently pulling her hands from his mouth, "I was just on my way to see you."
"You were?" Toothania gasped softly, fluttering in surprise. She wasn't sure why the boy would seek her out, since North was more the advisor type and social calls weren't high on the group's priority list. She was pleased though.
"Yeah." Jack shrugged nonchalantly. He was curious as to what she was doing here, since usually she had her smaller counterparts run to gather teeth for her, "You're kinda far from home, huh?"
"Hmm?" The colorful woman blinked before trilling out a laugh and waving it off, "I like getting out sometimes, you know! Now, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I had this dream..." The younger guardian began as the pair flew to a nearby rooftop.