A/N Hello to all of you! I didn't think I'd be writing another story for this fandom, but here we are! I've been working very hard on this so I genuinely hope that you enjoy it. There is no connection between this story and the other two that I have worked on in the past.
I do not own Rise of the Guardians or it's characters. I only own this story and my OCs. Happy reading everyone!
In the darkest, coldest corner of the world sleeps an immortal being, who's powers and madness out shadowed that of the nightmare king himself. This beings name is Erys, a hateful spirit who's only purpose is to destroy everything in her path. She once laid waste to the lands of old kingdoms and rejoiced when the world was on the brink of destruction. She used her only companion, Loralie, to lure the last humans that remained out of hiding and set upon destroying them as well. However, something happened on that fateful night that Erys did not expect. A blue orb appeared in the sky that cast light into the dark corners of the world.
The blue orb took the shape of the moon and had the power to give life to the victims of Erys's conquests. It was thought that the life brought by the moon had put an end to Erys and her reign of darkness, but it was not so. For she has been lying in wait for the day to arise when she can once again destroy the world, and change the face of the earth. Many have long since forgotten about her and the terror she brought upon all that knew of her. That is about to change.
My name is River. You've probably never heard of me, so let me tell you about myself! I'm the spirit of summer. It's my job to make sure that the summer days are longer than any other time of year. I'm also in charge of making sure all of your summer days are warm so you can spend time outside in the fresh air. I also help encourage people of all ages to experience the joy of freedom. From a child who's riding a bike for the first time, to the women staring over the edge of a cliff with her arms outstretched.
The entire world is my home, but I prefer to spend the majority of my free time by the equator. I'm not like other spirits though. If I stay in one place for too long the temperature will rise to dangerous heights. So I'm forced travel up and down the equator when I'm not working. That's why it's always so hot there. It's the only way that I can keep the majority of people safe. Besides, the equator is a great place to see people enjoying the sun.
I've been alive for a very long time. I was reborn with the ability to control fire and heat with the use of a magical pair of gloves. They were gifted to me by the Man in the Moon. When I was first born the earth was covered in ice. I was scared that I had been a mistake, because I felt like there was no place for me in this world. But in time I found my way. The first time fire struck upon the earth was because of me. I gave the gift of fire to some of the first humans to roam upon the earth, and helped them to harness it. I enjoyed seeing how they took this gift and used it to keep themselves warm on the coldest of nights. Their use of fire grew as they did. It started off as being a simple way to keep warm and then turned into a tool that they wielded.
Farmers use it to help clear their lands, and the majority of people have used it to light their homes for centuries. It's used to help diminish the waste that humans often produce, and it's still apart of some cultural rituals even to this day. I remember seeing the first show of fireworks. Ancient China used them to drive away evil spirits, and they spread across the world from there. I love watching firework shows at night. There's something about them that just captivates me completely.
I enjoy roaming wherever the days are long, and the celebrations that take place during the summer months are my favorite. I don't really have a specific 'holiday' dedicated to myself, but I don't mind. I don't like to be tied down in that sense. I'm much more happy to roam from place to place. There's so many things to celebrate during summer. I like to pop in on the parties that people have to make sure that the day is nice for them. Sometimes I sit next to people and watch the sun set over the horizon. There are no words that I can use to describe the feelings that emerge from within me when I watch the sun disappear.
I don't have much contact with other spirits. The only time I ever really meet with any of them are in the season handoffs. When spring begins to turn into summer, I work with Aster to make the transition seamlessly smooth. I do the same thing during the fall, except with the spirit of the fall. She is a prankster named Akiko. Her tricks are often compared to those of Jack Frost's. I've never actually met Jack before, as we are on two opposites ends of the elemental wheel. Being friends with him is just not in the cards. Outside of seasonal transitions, I don't visit a lot of the other spirits.
Unfortunately the entire schedule of the seasons was thrown out of whack thanks to The King of Nightmares, Pitch Black. It's been three years since he tried to destroy the guardians, but there are still some kinks in the system. I've worked my tail off to get the majority of the globe back on track, but there are a few unlucky places that spring still clings too. That's why I'm currently on my way to meet up with Aster. I need him to help pull back his own magic so I can allow mine to take it's place.
Traveling as always been easy for me to do. The summer breeze helps carry me to wherever it is that I need to go. I just have to raise my body temperature high enough to be lifted above whatever buildings or trees that I have to get past. Heat does rise after all. When I reach my destination I slowly cool down so I don't crash land. It took me ages to master that little trick. There was one time that I got stuck in a tree for three whole days. I had to wait for Akiko to come find me as it was turning to fall. It was defiantly a lessoned learned.
I gleam with excitement as the town of Burgess comes into view. The people here always get so excited when they feel summer finally breaking through after the rainy season ends. I glide throughout the town, watching people as I go. I'm headed towards the outskirts of town where there are less people. I, however, choose to steer clear of Jack's lake. If Jack is indeed here, then he'll stay where he is. We have a mutual agreement about that for obvious reasons.
I glide lower and lower until my feet touch softly upon the earth. I've landed in a clearing a few miles out of town. The smell of spring is everywhere. Flowers mingle with grass that has been laying dormant for months. The tree branches have small buds on them that are just beginning to open. Soon they'll be sprouting into leaves. Everything is so filled with life that it's almost overwhelming. It's the perfect place to start the transition of spring to summer. I walk further into the field and glance around. It seems that Aster's not here yet.
As I'm wait for him to pop up through one of his tunnels I decide to play around a little. I hold out my hand, with my palm towards the sky. A small flame wavers in the very center of my hand before it spreads outwards, reaching all the way to my finger tips. I let it burn for a few seconds before willing it back to the center of my palm. Then I make the tiny flame rise a few inches away from the leather covering the skin of my hand. I whisper softly to it and the flame grows in size until it's as big as a baseball. I twirl my fingers underneath the ball of fire making it swirl in the air. I smile at it before I allow it to settle in my hand once again. I begin tossing the ball from hand to hand.
I occasionally glance around the clearing but I still see no signs of Aster. That's odd. Usually the grumpy pooka is always relatively on time. I catch the ball of fire and slowly close my hand around it. This causes the flame to disappear from sight. I debate weather or not to stay here. I could always let the breeze carry me up above the trees and try to locate the pooka. Maybe we had different ideas of where to start spring? I shake the idea from my head. Elemental spirits can tell when we're near each other. So if he was around here I would be able to sense it. Maybe he got help up the guardians or something...
I hear a twig snap in the woods behind me. I turn around quickly with one hand ready to start throwing flames if something were to attack me. It seems silly, but not every spirit is a friend these days. A shadowy figure moves along the trees. I narrow my eyes to see who it is but the figure somehow remains illusive. Then one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard starts singing. I don't understand the words, but I'm gripped with emotion at every verse. It's like this song is the embodiment of everything that I want to see in the world.
I can't look away from the figure who continues to dance just out of sight. My hand lowers to my side and the tension drains out of my body. My right foot steps forward on it's own accord. I barely notice the movements of my body until I'm halfway across the clearing. That's when I truly notice that I'm not in control of my own body. A shock of alarm runs up my spine at the realization. I will myself to stop moving. At first my limps do not listen to me. But as I focus on clearing more and more of my mind I slow to a stop.
The singing stops abruptly and is followed by a shrill scream. The pure sound of it cause me to cover my ears. As soon as the scream started, it stops. I look back up in the direction of the figure, but I no longer see whatever that was. I don't know what's going on, but whoever that was somehow managed to put me in some sort of trance. Manny only knows what that thing would have done if I hadn't been able to break free of it.. Not cool.
A/N So, what did you guys think? Stay awesome!
