Rise of the Guardians
Winters' Snow Flake and summer's Radiance
Prologue
How Do you start such a story to begin with? It could have started long ago, but not too long ago when the man in the moon had appeared thousands of years ago in the sky for being punished by the gods for thievery. And for those many of thousands years gave a toll to rekindle his wrong doings. For he has given those that once lost life a chance for redemption in another, to do good, to protect the weak, to protect and give hope and happiness to the young. After all, the man in the moon still deals with his punishment today, but he forsakes himself to have those to be forsaken, given another chance he could never do.
So in year times, there came fables, stories, legends, but secretive tales that can only exist to those of open hearts and minds, to those that are young and blissful and full of faith. The man in the moon created them all. Gave them a destined life, some good or bad, but meant to shape mankind into anew. These fables and legends only existed to the young. Tiny and simple fables that are magical. St. Nick, Tooth Fairy, the Dream Maker, the Easter Bunny and belated but not overturned, Jack Frost.
Ah yes, Jack Frost, mischievous, trouble-making, joker, perceived to be jealous of children never noticing him, or so does the tale and the expressions say. In Fables he is a loner, flourishing with no obligations, and carefree. He starts the fun in the snow, but leaves behind crystal patterns on the windows and floor. They say that he is made of ice himself, and whatever he touches he makes it cold. But he is not always like what the fables say. In truth, Fables are long written rumors when it comes to Jack. A sprite of Winter, or a boy who just wants to have a fun? The Man in the Moon turned him to what he is not because of what he personifies, but what he did that made him become this.
In truth, Everyone started out human, perhaps even the gods, and you may wonder what made the gods, but no one has an answer for that. We just know this kind of story, that Jack was a kind and brave boy, in deep he was selfless and strong and willing to be sacrificed, which he did. He was a boy with a family, a home, a little sister, and a life. But he sacrificed himself for his faults to save his sister. And when he died, the Man in the Moon gave him another life for redemption, and named him Jack Frost.
There he lived his life alone, for when he tried to have those that are human around him to notice him, he was nothing but breath and shadow. A ghost to those that could not see him, and for a very long time no one did. No one could, he was 'unbelieved' Is what the tales would say. Though he caused so much fun and chaos of happiness and glee to children around him, he was…..so alone and so forgotten. Perhaps that was all he was, a fable written in a book, and nothing else.
For three hundred years this was what his life was, and every night Jack would look up in the dark starry sky and stare at the moon. He would ask why and beg for an answer, but the Man in the Moon didn't say anything. Jack could not die, could not be hurt or destroyed, but could be damaged and bruised. Deprived of social contact to the human world, he could not cover those bruises of loneliness he had, but could cover it with pranks and fun that he tried to believe is all that he had in him. He knew how to play with children well, but beside a curse of not being seen, he did not also have his memories of who he was before. He was a child, trapped in a three hundred year old body of air, and that's all he felt he was. Never to be believed in, so he can actually be seen, that is the true reason what Jack is now.
A guardian he was chosen by the Man in the Moon to be teamed with St. Nick, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and the Easter Bunny, realizing his role in life is to give pride and joy to children much like who he is. Before all this though, Jack was never seen by anyone, except unknowingly by one…..
In the winter year in hot predictable sunny California, was a suburban home in the valleys. Thanksgiving ended, and little four year old Marionette went around playing the front yard of her home in the grass. She had a golden red hearted locket bouncing on her flat chest as she ran around doing silly things in the grass with her stuff bunny, Baby. She did somersaults and touched the grass and dirt between her finger tips. Fascinated by the itchy feeling the green grass gave on her small palms. She was starting to sweat from all the active running she did so she took out her wagon filled with story books and started to look through the pictures, not knowing how to read, but guessing what is happening in each scene. Marionette was bored and tired but didn't want to go inside. She saw other kids in the street playing games but she didn't want to join them, for she felt being alone was more suitable, and being in another world. She looked through her picture book intently fascinated about the art and expressions each picture was giving. She turned a page to a snowy forest, saw children playing in the snow, and illustrations of snowflakes. Marionette didn't know what this was to be honest, but she knew it looked different, and guessed by the pictures the white powder came from the sky. Of course, that was hard to understand, she never saw such things come down from the sky before, not here in her hometown at least.
Then a droplet of white icy powder fell on her nose. She wiped it away and looked up. She saw white spots of fluff and coldness come whistle fully down from the sky like dropping a feather to the floor. She stood up on her stubby legs and put both her hands high up in the sky to catch them. Kids on the street stop playing to notice it too, but Marionette wasn't noticing what people were doing around her, just saw beautiful white flakes falling down on her like flower pedals. She danced around with her arms spread wide apart, spiraling like a ballerina, her summer dress of flowers and butterflies got wet and a bit soggy. People in the suburban neighborhoods came to look at the sky, to see snow falling in Southern California! Who'd a thought? Marionette couldn't stop spinning until she saw the sidewalk and the street suddenly glazing over with floral ice. It spread so quickly throughout the asphalt and cement that it was like watching a large snake leaving behind trails of skin covering. Soon the street was iced and trees and grass was filled with fluffy snow, Marionette wasn't sure how to react. Then she grabbed a handful of snow and threw it up in the air so it could rain down on her again. The cold icy flakes felt relieving on such a hot day, soon kids started making snow men in their shorts and housewives coming out in their aprons and dresses making snow angels. Other people came out trying to walk on the icy street and roller skated over it like it was their own ice rink. Marionette just ran through the snow and rolled around it like it was a fluffy bed. Looking up, she suddenly saw something flew by, quick like a bird flying for its life, she went over to see it, but saw on her front yard, it hid in the tree. Something or someone with a flash of blue or grey hid in the leaves and branches. Then Marionette heard her mother come out with a coat and a hat. "Mommy! Mommy! Look it's white!" Marionette said telling her mother the news of what she saw. "It's snow sweetie, it's actual snow," She said coming over running to get her daughter in a hat and coat. "Now you can play for just a little while, but were going to have to go inside soon, I don't want you catching a cold." Her mother assured her of her curfew. But Marionette wasn't listening even though she said Okay to have her mother stop talking so she can listen to her. "Mommy I saw something, a big bird in the tree!" "That's nice sweetie," her mother answered back.
"No, I mean not a bird," Marionette changed her mind trying to find the word so her mother can understand what she is trying to say. "I saw something big in the tree, I think it turned the floor white!" She said rephrasing her sentence. "It could be Jack Frost sweetie," her mother answered. "Who?" Marionette asked again.
"Jack Frost makes it snow, but be careful he nips your nose with a cold" Her mother warned her. Marionette didn't understand, but said yes anyways and ran back to the tree. She picked up snow and lift her arm up to the tree. She could see a dark figure hidden beneath the leaves and branches which were turning floral iced and leaves were turning yellow and red and soon falling down the tree, where she saw him high up looking down at everyone playing in the streets, not recognizing her. Marionette took a good look at him and memorized his face. The she said, "Sank You Jack Frosh for a…"She thought for a moment, "For stha snow!" She yelled up high to the tree, where she saw the boy's reaction turned to look down at her, eyes wide open. Marionette dropped the snow and took off her locket. She placed it hanging on the tree of a branch she could only reached sticking out to her short height. "Zis' is for you for making it beautiful!" she said yelling back for him up high to here. Then she saw her mother come out of the house, calling her name to come inside, which she obediently did running to her mother, her long pony tail bouncing up and down rapped in a red boy clip.
He watched her going inside and disappearing when he came jumping down the tree, to look at what the little girl left behind. A golden chain with a dangling gold and red heart locket had the name Marionette written inside with a picture of her. Hold it, the chain went icy and fell apart with flakes as the boy held the necklace by the locket. He looked over to the house the girl and her mother went into, wondering what just happened was true.
He wondered if she actually saw him, high up in the tree he didn't really get a close look at her face, maybe noticing she was looking at the direction he was in, but could it be that she saw him? He wondered for a bit, standing there thinking. Then and there, he decided to keep the locket, putting it over his neck and stuffing it under his blue sweatshirt, where the chain on the back of his neck turned to cold ice over the metal. He walked away though, having the wind blow him away, he flew to the next place to make fun and mischief. Believing that maybe one child did actually see him and knew his name.