Original Story: Rise of the Guardians
Word Count: 1,490
Rating: K+ (because of the kiss on the cheek. wasn't 100% sure if just K would be okay because of that)
Summary: Jack Frost went unseen for two centuries, the wind his only companion. What no one knew, though, was that the wind was a forgotten spirit in herself. At least, she was until a young boy believed again.
Disclaimer: Jack and Jamie belong to the creators of "Rise of the Guardians" and DreamWorks Animation. Aura is of my own creation, and we all know that Mother Nature is probably a spirit too, just not part of the movie or a major part of this story.
Author's Note: I know on the Rise of the Guardians Wiki it says that one of Jack's power is the wind, but when I watched the movie the third time, I thought it would be really interesting if there was actually a character that was, in a way, the "North Wind". Now when I originally started to work on this short little story, I was going to make Wind a boy a few years younger than Jack, but when I sat down to write it, nothing for me worked. So I made a few changes, and so Aura was born.
About Aura: She's of Greek origin, if you're curious, and has been completely forgotten for almost 1000 years. And we thought Jack had it bad! When she was human, her name was Adaria, which in Old Greek means beauty. I tried to find a name that worked better with something related to the wind, but all the names I could find just didn't work. As a human, Adaria/Aura was the youngest daughter of a large family on the island Circe. She had golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. At the age of 16, she was about to be married off to a young man in her village, before their sea-side home was lost during a violent storm that, while trying to help one of her older, and pregnant, sisters whose husband had been killed during a battle, Adaria was killed. Because of her brave act, the Man in the Moon decided to give her a second chance. She was one of the more popular spirits for five centuries, but when Christianity became so popular and spirits like the Easter Bunny and North (aka Santa) became what the people believed in more than a young, pretty wind spirit. I'm sure the Tooth Fairy and Sand Man, even Pitch, have a few old memories of Aura, but eventually she was forgotten until she couldn't be seen anymore, by anyone. Then the Man in the Moon lead her to Jack, and she was able to smile again.
Aura frowned, laying on her back, suspended only by the thin line of a telephone wire.
Oh how she loved being able to defy the laws of gravity.
Her white blonde hair hung below her, gently swaying in the constant breeze that surrounded her person. She was used to it by now, though she was still annoyed by how her bangs had a liking to blow in her face now and then.
A figure passed over her quickly and she sat up, a large smile on her face.
"Jack!" She called.
By now she was used to him not responding. No one ever did. Because no one, not even the spirits like her, could see her. Everyone had forgotten the spirit of the wind.
One of her own breezes helped blow her up into the air and she bound after the other spirit, Jack Frost. Jack was the closest thing she had to a friend these days. Snow and wind, the greatest of companions.
But he didn't even know she was there.
Her white dress flowed around her, the ends tickling just below her knees as she followed Jack along, her winds helping quicken his journey. It didn't take long for her to recognize the path he was taking. It was because she knew the story, she had been there.
Jamie, the boy who first believed in Jack Frost.
She smiled softly, remembering watching Jack's excitement when Jamie had first come to believe Jack when he'd almost given up on believing entirely. But Pitch was gone now, no one had to worry about him and his nightmares.
Aura sent an extra strong wind to help Jack move forward farther when he leaped into the air, sending him skidding along the ice-slicked road that formed under his bare feet and he came to a stop in front of Jamie's house.
"Jamie!" The white haired boy called as Aura landed beside him, a smile on both their faces. Only seconds later, a brown haired boy stuck his head out of the window on the second floor.
"I'll be down in a minute!" The boy called before disappearing again.
Aura smiled widely, watching the happiness on Jack's face. She knew how happy he was to have the human boy, Jamie, as a friend. Because that's who he was, someone who wanted people to be happy. And he finally got to be happy himself.
When Jamie joined the duo, they made their way towards the park, a sled tucked under Jamie's arm.
Aura stayed silent as she followed the two boys, her feet barely touching the floor before they were up in the air again. When they reached the park, the invisible girl bound over to an igloo that had been built near the pond and sat atop it to watch as the boys played, her winds helping to send Jamie on his sled speeding along faster than he would have had it just been Jack's ice. After one particular leap into the air together, the boys went straight into a large, soft pile of snow, laughing when they popped out again, causing Aura to giggle. She stood and bound across the park to them in one leap, carried the entire way by the gentle breezes.
"That was awesome!" Jamie said and he pulled himself out of the snow, Jack merely jumping up and out of it, not a single clump of the frozen liquid on him. "Do you think we can do it again?!"
Jack chuckled. "It all depends on the wind Jamie, it's not just me."
"The wind?" Jamie blinked. "You never mentioned the wind before."
Jack's blue eyes widened. "Really? The wind was my only friend before you were able to see me. Surely I talked about it once."
"Nope!" Jamie smiled. "Wait, is the wind like you and the other Guardians?!" He asked excitedly, looking around him.
Hope sparked in Aura's chest, but only for a moment.
"Sorry bud, but the wind is just the wind." Jack shrugged, lifting his staff up to rest in on his shoulder. "But it's been my greatest companion as I woke as Jack Frost."
"Oh." Jamie pouted for a moment, but it was gone in a moment before he smiled up at Jack. "But what if the wind was a spirit thing too, like you? I've read stories about the North Wind!"
"Now that's real fiction. The wind is part of the elements controlled by Mother Nature." Jack explained.
"I'm saying if, Jack!" Jamie said rolling his eyes. "Do you think the wind would be a girl or a boy?"
Jack blinked as Aura smiled widely. "Oh come on Jackie boy, you know the answer!" She said desperately, moving to stand next to him.
After a moment of thought, Jack shrugged. "Probably a girl."
Aura let out an excited 'whoop' of joy, the wind around the trio picking up for a moment.
Jamie's eyes widened. "The wind agreed with you Jack!"
Jack frowned, looking around them. "I'm sure that was just a coincidence Jamie."
"No it wasn't!" Jamie and Aura shouted together.
"I'm sure it was a sign!" Jamie added, now bouncing up and down where he stood. He then turned away from Jack, and Aura, and shouted, "come on wind, if you're there, give us a sign!"
Aura blinked, then grinned widely. She knew exactly what to do. The wind picked up around them, carrying some loose snow with it. Concentrating hard, Aura focused on the snow particles that floated a few feet in front of Jamie. Slowly they started to form shapes that danced before and around the boy.
The scene created by the snow would have been familiar to the two boys, human and spirit alike. It was that day, before Pitch almost ruined everything, when Jack had sent Jamie flying through town on his sled and eventually the boy was hit with a couch. The couch had been partly Aura's fault, but she had been there in the fun, helping Jack have his fun.
She watched as both boys' eyes widened, and when Jamie turned back to Jack, excitement on his face and ready to give a shout, he stopped and gasped.
"I see her!" He shouted.
The flying snow forms exploded in her excitement, pale hands flying up to cover her mouth. Jack had turned, looking at where Jamie was pointing, but confusion was still on his face. He didn't believe yet.
"You can see me?" She asked, taking a step towards him, one hand covering her racing heart.
"Yeah!" Jamie exclaimed, grinning widely. It was the same excited grin he had on when he'd first seen Jack.
A happy 'whoop' left her lips as she shot into the air, twirling in her excitement. A part of her was thankful for the pale white leggings she wore that went to her ankles, even if the boy was only 12.
When she landed she launched herself at Jack, wrapping her arms around him as they fell backwards.
Her eyes widened as she pulled away, looking him in his shocked blue eyes. "Can you see me too?" She asked, voice full of hope.
He nodded slowly.
Aura smiled widely, hugging him again as they lay there in the snow, her face buried in his shoulder.
"Oh it's been forever since someone was able to see me!" She exclaimed, on the edge of tears.
Jack sat up slowly, Aura still clinging to him. She was feather-light, barely weighing a thing.
"How long have you been besides me?" He asked softly, shocked that his friend, the wind, was just like him: forgotten and unseen for centuries.
She pulled away and smiled. "Almost since the beginning." She said, smiling. "The Man in the Moon sent me to the village you were staying at, right after you'd woken. I've barely left you since, thinking he knew you'd be able to see me one day."
Jack stared at her for a few moments, obviously shocked. Slowly, though, a small smile spread across his face. "Sorry to make you wait." He said softly, staring into her almost clear ice blue eyes.
Aura smiled widely and hugged him again, kissing his cheek. "It's about time." She whispered, smiling as she heard Jamie talking excitedly behind her about all the fun the three of them could have, now that they knew she was real.
And Aura couldn't wait, because finally she had friends that could see her. She'd been waiting for longer than Jack had to be seen, but at least he'd had the others, like the Guardians, who knew he was there.
Now that they knew, though, she didn't plan on changing how she went about her days. She'd stayed beside Jack Frost for two hundred years and she had no intentions on leaving him alone now.
They were snow and wind, together they could do so much. And that's how she knew it was meant to be.