Happy Easter everyone! Well, happy Easter for those on the American side of the International Dateline. Happy Belated Easter to the rest of the world. Sorry… Anyway, so this has been spinning in my mind ever since I wrote chapter 4 of 'Names and Titles'. I mentioned something that happened in '68, but didn't elaborate on it. So why not tell it as a one shot for Easter? So without further ado; What really happen on Easter Sunday 1968.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of the Guardian characters, sadly. I would love to own Aster, but Dreamworks and William Joyce owns him so…. I also do not own Jokul Frosti; he belongs to the Norse. I do own the other spirits, such as May Flowers, Talayeh Sun, Treddian Breeze, Karma, and nameless followers.
1968, Burgess, Pennsylvania, Easter Sunday
Aster was on his usual run in Pennsylvania. After hitting Philly, he slowed down slightly to hide his googlies in the surrounding small towns and suburbs. As he reached one of the outer towns, Burgess, he felt the air change. The wind, which had been the normal eastern spring breeze, had shifted courses and was now a crisp northern wind. He stopped and looked up to the sky. The clouds were changing too. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. No, it couldn't be. Spring had been going strong for the last 3 weeks. He had even talk to May Flowers, the Spirit of Spring, to make sure there wouldn't be any bad weather on his run. But those clouds were definitely snowstorm clouds. And they were approaching extremely fast.
Aster started moving at a faster pace. There was no way he wanted to get caught in this storm. But he needed to finish his route. This was the last one of the day, the one that he could take the most time on since it held most of his believers. As soon as the last egg was in its place, he felt the first snowflake. And then he heard a shout of protestation. Looking up in the sky, he saw none other than the spring spirit in question, followed by her usual helpers.
"May!" He yelled. The young girl looked down, her pastel blue and green hair flying all around her. She was wearing a similarly colored Easter dress, in celebration of this day. She quickly dived down and landed next to Aster, the others following her movements. Aster looked at the frantic sprite, his eyes widening at the meaning. She had no clue what was going on.
"Aster! I'm so sorry! I- I have no idea where this storm came from. I was on patrol, making sure that everything was okay for today and then the wind stopped listening to me and knocked me off course. Next thing I know, this blizzard appears out of nowhere and I can't get control of it. I-I don't know what to do…." May explained, her eyes watering with tears. She and Aster were always good friends, seeing what their jobs were. She looked up to the pooka and hated letting him down. The other sprites moved to comfort their leader.
Aster on the other hand was furious. By the way May was talking, she was clearly distraught. He knew she tried to make his holiday as good as possible, even throwing off her schedule in places so he could have his hunts. And then this storm comes out of nowhere? No, this was clearly planned. The only winter spirit that could have this kind of power was either Father Winter or the new Spirit of Winter. And as far as he knew, Father Winter was in Antarctica, playing with the penguins and causing trouble for the last of the researchers there. So that only left one option.
"May, who is the new Spirit of Winter? It's a bloke right?" Aster asked calmly, bringing the girl in his arms. The storm was starting to pick up. If he wanted to confront the troublemaker, he would have to do it soon. The girl sniffled.
"Jack Frost. He got instated a century and a half ago, but he's just like all of the other winter spirits. A prankster. He's somewhere in this area. I know, because this is the last place I get control of and the first Treddian loses." The sprite's eyes widened. "You can't go talk to him right now Aster! He is unstable and you'll just get hurt. Just let the storm pass. After spring is over, I'll get Talayeh to talk to him. It's too dangerous to even see him right now." The pooka raised an eyebrow but nodded.
"Fine Shelia, Ah won't go see the bloke. Now, ya go head home an' get out of this weather. Ah don't want ya getting' sick." He lied. The girl backed away and started walking deeper into the forest. She turned back to face Aster.
"You promise." Aster winced internally. The Shelia was going to be mad at him afterwards.
"Ah promise. Now go." The Spring maiden smiled and took off, her helpers following at her heels. Aster let out a sigh and sniffed the air for any sign of the bloke who caused this mess. Soon enough, a faint smell of snowdrops and crisp mint hit him. He smirked and started to follow it.
"You know Aster, its bad karma to break a promise. It's worse karma to hurt an innocent boy that doesn't know how to control his powers." A sharp voice said. He looked back to see Karma sitting on a tree branch, swinging her legs. He had to say, she was one of the only spirits that he avoided. She just gave him the creeps. And her story on how she was chosen to become the Spirit of Karma was horrifying and dark. He was surprised she was rewarded with becoming a Spirit but she didn't seem to enjoy her immortal life.
Karma looked about 15, with her short stature and thin frame. Her hair reached her knees and was split down the middle, half pure black and pure white. Her clothes were up to date with the time, seeing that she was wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt with some popular band on it, black jeans with the cuffs rolled up, and black and white converse. That wasn't the scary part. The scary part was her eyes. Her eyes were pure white. No color, no pupil, nothing. A pure white that seemed like it could see your soul.
"Ah don't know, what ya talkin' about Karma." He stated, avoiding eye contact with the girl. He heard a slight movement and the girl was standing in front of him, looking at him with those eyes. The pooka jumped back, gripping one of his boomerangs. The girl smirked and walked over to a tree.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Tread lightly, Aster. I am not a nice spirit, nor am I forgiving one. Jack does not deserve whatever you plan to do to him. Besides, karma will come back to him. He does not need your interference, nor do I need your help doing my job. You mess with Jack right now and I will get back at you. Not right away, but you will feel exactly what he feels and you will know that you brought it on yourself. So choose wisely, because I always fulfill my duties." She gave him one last smirk before vanishing in thin air. Aster blinked, shocked slightly by her words.
So the bloke was going to get punished by Karma? But that girl was known to take years to punish people, to the point that they don't remember what they did. He wanted this Jack Frost to know the reason. Continuing on his path, he followed the scent that was getting stronger. Soon, he found himself in front of a cave. He furrowed his eyebrows, but didn't focus on the fact. He was on a mission. With a deep breath, Aster headed into the cave where the Spirit of Winter was causing this mess.
. . . . . . . .
Jack tossed and turned in his sleep. Tears ran down the boy's face and whimpers were the only things heard. Usually, his hibernation was peaceful and full of good dreams. But this year was tainted with nightmares. 3 weeks. He had been holding in all of his turmoil for 3 weeks. His grip was slipping though. The nightmares were getting worse.
Nameless faces taunted him, calling him worthless, stupid, a bringer of death. Other figures would walk through Jack like nothing was happening. With each person, he felt a piece of his heart break. The pain. The pain was becoming too much. He looked up and finally saw a face that he recognized. Talayeh Sun, the Spirit of Summer. They weren't close but she was kind to him. She helped him get used to being the new Spirit of Winter and introduce him to all of the weird things season spirits do.
"Talayeh!" He yelled, trying to get her attention. She stopped walking and turned towards him. Her features were twisted into a snarl and she crouched in a defensive position.
"Bringer of Death! You killed them! You killed them all and you're not even mourning them!" She screamed, pulling out one of her hunting daggers. Jack backed up, only to be walked through by two other spirits. He fell to his knees.
"I didn't do anything! Talayeh, you have to believe me. I need your help." He pleaded. Suddenly, the crowd disappeared and two bodies laid in front of him. Jack's eyes widened as he realized who they were. May Flowers and Treddian Breeze, the Spirits of Spring and Fall. They were both pale and covered in ice and blood. He looked down at his hands to see that they were also covered in blood. Their blood. No. No, this can't be real.
"You killed them! I trusted you; they trusted you and you killed them! You are not worthy to be the Spirit of Winter!" Talayeh shrieked, walking closer with her knife. Soon, she was in front of him and raised her knife. "And now that I found you, I am going to make you feel what they felt. You're worthless Jack Frost. A nuisance. And I am going to rid the world of you." She brought the knife down.
Jack screamed and finally lost control of his powers. All of the fear, the anger, the sadness was too much. He convulsed slightly, before settling down and curling up into a ball. He wouldn't wake up for a couple more weeks now. All of the energy he had gotten was gone. At least the nightmares had stopped for now. He drifted off into a dreamless slumber. Little did he know that someone would try to awake him. And you never try and wake a hibernating spirit. Unless you want to fight an uncontrollable force of nature.
. . . . . . .
Pitch chuckled to himself at his work. The Jack Frost fellow was easy to torture. He had so many fears and insecurities; it was like a free feast for Pitch and his nightmares. He had been tormenting the boy very carefully, making sure that the he would be at his breaking point on Easter. Two birds in one stone really. Feed on the sprite and then have a treat from the mortals as they faced a rather unexpected snow storm. It would be grand for sure. This was just the energy boost he needed. Now he could take back the world in the next 50 years, instead of waiting another century or two for the energy. Jack Frost was very helpful, indeed.
"You know Pitch that karma comes around. I would think you would have figured this fact out by now, with all of our previous meetings." A voice spoke, causing Pitch to look up. He sneered. The girl Karma was leaning on one of his pillars, acting like she didn't care. A rather annoying spirit in his opinion.
"What do I owe this pleasure Karma?" he sarcastically said. She looked up, her white eyes staring at his darkened soul. She pushed off the pillar and walked to the Globe.
"I have come to tell you that your actions have not gone unnoticed by me. You have hurt that poor boy and caused an unnecessary altercation to happen. You will get your dues, Pitch. I am fair to all, no matter if they are a Guardian, a mortal, or the Boogeyman." She absentmindedly said, touching the black sand. It crumbled at her touch, as if it was too weak against her.
"Such brave words for a small spirit. I do not fear you or your so called 'punishments'. You have warned me before and nothing has happened." Pitch replied, standing up. The girl chuckled darkly at the dark spirit. Pitch growled. How dare this girl laugh at him? She looked up and he gasped as images filled his head. Battles, Fearlings, the Guardians, all memories of his past life and his downfalls. Then the images changed. People going insane, dying ironically, meeting their terrible fate. He stumbled slightly. Then, as soon as they appeared, the images vanished.
"I do not need fear to live Pitch. Nor do I need petty believers like you and the Guardians. I am a force of nature. Everyone has karma and it is my job to carry it out, whether it is good or bad." She paused and smirked at the Nightmare King. "And you have no control over me, like you do other spirits. I fear nothing. I had eradicated everything I feared before I became a spirit. Look inside of me Pitch Black and see if I am lying."
Pitch did as the girl said and felt some of the energy he had just gained leave him. She-she had no fears. Nothing. There was only a faint trace of what her fear might have been, but that fear had left her long ago. He stumbled back and looked at her with wide eyes. The girl smirked.
"I have warned you Pitch. You have come in contact with terrible karma that I intend for you to feel to the fullest. Be prepared." She reminded him as she disappeared in thin air. Pitch sat in his throne and sighed. There was something wrong with that spirit. The thought was soon pushed out of his mind as he felt the first wave of fear hit him. He smiled. It was going to be a good Easter.
. . . . . . . .
The cave was smaller than Aster had first thought. He was now on all four, shuffling through a small tunnel. He growled. This was definitely the place. The temperature was slowly dropping, causing the pooka to shiver. He hoped the cave opened up soon, or he was just going to let Karma handle the boy. No sooner that he thought that, the cave suddenly opened up and he found himself at the end of it. Looking around, he was surprised to see that it looked like a child's room, with a desk, some books and a bed that was occupied. He smirked. There was his target.
Aster took a step forward, actually entering the room and instantly felt him crossing a magical barrier. A weak one, but it was there. Then, the person in the bed shot up and flew into the air. The boy was gripping a shepherd staff and was dressed in a blue hoodie and what looked like colonial deer skin pants.
"Who dare interrupts the Spirit of Winter's slumber? Leave now or face the wrath of Winter." The bloke spoke in a dead voice. Aster took a closer look and saw that his eyes were closed, like he was still sleeping. Aster took another step forward.
"Ah aint goin' anywhere unti' ya stop the blizzard goin' on outside! Ya ruinin' Easter, ya grumby!" Aster yelled at the winter sprite.
"This is your last chance to leave. If you do not, then you will have invoked the Wrath of Winter." The boy said again, in the same dead tone, though Aster heard just a twinge of pleading. Aster held his ground.
"Ya fix the blizzard an' then Ah'll leave."
The boy chuckled darkly and floated down to the ground. "So have it, Spirit of Easter. May Odin be with you. You will need it." Then, his appearance started to change.
The youthful face turned sharp and rugged and the smooth hair became spiked and made out of shards of ice. Even his clothes began to change. They soon became battle armor of the Norse, made out of silver and ice. Aster's eyes widened as he realized who was standing in front of him now. This wasn't Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter and prankster, but Jokul Frosti, God of Frost and Ice and fearsome warrior.
"Jokul…" Aster breathed out, gripping one of his boomerangs. This wasn't going to be a fight now. This was going to be an escape. The ice man chuckled darkly and held out the shepherd staff that was slowly turning into a double edged sword. Aster backed away, only to hit a sheet of ice.
"Hello, Pooka of Eggs. It has been a while. My master has called upon me to protect him during his weak point. He gave you a chance to leave, but you were like Thor, too prideful to retreat when necessary. Now there is no escape." Jokul stated, swinging the sword in front of him as he calmly approached the pooka. Aster smirked. The last time the bloke had saw him, he hadn't figured out his tunnel magic all the way.
"That's wha' ya think, mate. Ah got a few more tricks up mah sleeve, since ya last saw me." Aster stated, before tapping on the ground twice. Jokul narrowed his eyes and shot several ice shards at the pooka, along with frost magic meant to send him into send him into immediate hypothermia. Aster was able to dodge the magic and jump down the tunnel, but not before a lucky ice shard hit his left arm. He hissed in pain as he bounded towards the Warren. That wasn't normal. Jokul hadn't been seen in centuries and then he suddenly is obeying this boy and doing his bidding. Once he got his arm treated and wrapped, he checked out was going on in the Northeast. His jaw dropped at the size of the storm. It was over 3 states! Bunny growled. He hoped Karma was right and that Jack Frost was going to pay for ruining this Easter. Aster would never forget the Blizzard of '68, Easter Sunday.
(I was going to end it right here, but Karma hasn't finished her job yet. So here is the epilogue of 'The Storm That Started It All')
. . . . . . . .
1968 Manchester, England 3 days before winter begins
Jack flew into the open door of the Fall Palace. Talayeh called an emergency meeting as soon as she woke up from her hibernation. Something about spring and a storm. As Jack landed, he found that the other 3 were already there, which was unusual. Most of the time, Talayeh wouldn't show up until 10 minutes after the time, especially seeing that she was getting ready for summer in the southern hemisphere. As usual, May was glaring at him but Talayeh and Treddian also looking at him weird. Silence filled the room.
"Do I have something on my face? Why are you looking at me?" he asked, shifting slightly. He wasn't used to this much attention. With him being the Spirit of Winter, they just told him when spring and fall was coming and where he could go at certain times of the year. May scowled.
"See what I mean, Talayeh? He doesn't care that he ruined spring and a very important holiday." She snarled. Talayeh rubbed her temple and sighed. Ever since the blizzard on Easter Sunday happened, all that she has heard was May's complaining. Jack gave them all a confused look.
"I have no clue what you're talking about Flowers. I was asleep the whole spring. I barely woke up in time for my small duties in the Southern hemisphere. If something happened during spring, I wasn't the cause of it." Jack explained, balancing on his staff. May scoffed.
"And he won't even take responsibility for it."
Talayeh shot May a look. "May, do not assume and accuse people of something without proof. Do you have any evidence to support your claim?" She injected, crossing her arms. Jack looked at Talayeh and flinched. He remembered the nightmares still, especially the ones involving the seasons. Every so often, he still had that nightmare. May thought about it for a minute and shrugged.
"It was 3 weeks into spring, where I would be at my strongest. As far as I know, only the Spirit of Winter or Father Winter could cause such a big blizzard at that point. And Jack is known as a prankster and it was done on Easter. I thought he was messing with me and Aster by causing a slight snowstorm that got out of hand." She stated, still thinking of anything else. Jack was surprised at this point. A snowstorm on Easter? And they thought he did it? Talayeh nodded and walked around the room before stopping at one of the windows.
"Jack, did you sleep well this spring? Nightmares, intruders, anything?" Talayeh asked carefully, staring out of the window. Jack shifted nervously and gracefully jumped off his hook and landed on the ground.
"Um, yeah I had some nightmares at the beginning of it. They never ended up until I was at my breaking point. As soon as I screamed, they ended." Jack answered quietly. Then he paused and rubbed his neck. "And someone did enter my space. I handled them though." There was a collective gasp at his words. Talayeh nodded sadly, as if she was expecting this.
"Jack, you did cause the Blizzard of '68, just not on purpose. When we hibernate, we are still in control of our powers. Well, more like we can still affect the outside world. The nightmares caused you to lose control of your powers and make a blizzard. Since you were sleeping, you couldn't stop the storm from become dangerous. The intruder probably agitated you even further, especially when you… when you killed them." Talayeh explained, still looking outside the window. Jack's eyes widened.
"No! I didn't kill anyone. My other personality, Jokul Frosti, came out and protected me. He threatened the guy and injured him, but he didn't kill him. Jokul just made sure I was safe." Jack quickly clarified. Talayeh and Treddian let out a sigh of relief at this news. May on the other hand, turned pale.
"Him? You know who intruded?"
"I don't have a name but I know it was a guy. He was pretty tall. Had some weird accent." Jack shrugged his shoulders. May still was rigid.
"Where did Jokul injure him?" May's tone shook Jack slightly. He had seen the spring girl angry before, but the way he voice wavered and her clench fist shook, he could tell the she was ready to go full-on crazy on someone.
"His left arm, I believe." The eternal maiden was silent for a moment. Then she screeched with indignation.
"I can't believe he did that! He told me he wouldn't disturb you. He gave me his word! I should have known something was up when he came to Canada with a bandage on his arm! Ahhh!" May screamed, kicking the walls and furniture. Treddian frowned at his polar and signaled for some help. Two fall spirits entered the room and carefully set May on a couch. May didn't resist but still was angry.
"Who is it?" the western wind asked as Treddian sat down on the opposite couch. The sprites brought out tea and chocolate brownies. He took a cup and offered one to the rest of them. Jack gave his friend a weird look, but Talayeh and May both took a cup and a brownie.
"Aster. I ran into him before the storm got bad. He seemed mad at the fact that the storm had ruined spring and Easter. He wanted to know who the new Spirit of Winter was. I told him before realizing what he was going to do. I got him to promise me that he wasn't going to confront Jack but apparently he didn't keep his promise. "May ranted.
Jack took in all of the information before something hit him. He pulled his hoodie over his head and walked over to the window. Manchester was beautiful right before winter. The trees were still changing but soon they would be covered in frost and ice. Snow days, ice skating, all the fun things about winter that he loved. But he could never forget the terrible part of his job. The sickness, death, and danger that came with the snow and ice.
"How many people died?" He asked softly. They turn towards him.
"What did you ask Jack?" Talayeh questioned. He was so quiet that she wasn't even sure he had actually said anything.
"How many people died?" He asked louder, still facing the window.
"102 dead, 65 injured. That's the official count anyway. It's so hard to tell, with how much good and bad karma was flying through the air that day." A distinct voice answered. Jack turned to see that his friend, Karma, sitting on one of the ceiling beams. Jack would have usually smiled and joked with his slightly depressing and sadistic friend, but he knew why she was here. She was here to do her job, to balance out his karma.
"Karma."
"Jack." The girl smiled sadly at her friend. He was a good soul but everyone had some bad karma. She had just hoped that his wouldn't be this big. She jumped of the beam and landed softly on the ground. Ever since she had been transformed into a Spirit, she was able to disappear, walk through solid objects, and basically defy with physics. She cast a glance at the other three in the room and smiled sadly. Talayeh had bad karma too, but she would have to wait. May would also get her share of bad karma. Treddian was already paying his karma by staying near the one he loves while knowing they will never be together. "I would say it's nice to see you but we both know why I'm here."
"I would like to know." May piped up, looking at the sadistic spirit with confusion. Karma narrowed her eyes and ignored the spring child.
"You know they hard part of knowing everyone's karma, Jack? I know when it stops. The exact time and place when they don't need any more karma. 102 different people lost all of their karma due to one storm. Of course, I'm sure Life and Grim have an even harder time with it. Do you want to know something else Jack?" Karma stated, walking towards the same window. Jack felt his blood go cold. The guilt was starting to build. The pain, the sorrow, the guilt was becoming a think ball in his stomach. Talayeh stood up.
"Karma that is-" Talayeh started to say before she was suddenly pushed against the wall. Her breath flew out of her lungs as Karma snarled at her. May and Treddian leaped up in protest but a force kept them from intervening.
"You stay out of this Talayeh! I will get to you later but right now, its Jack's turn to deal with his karma. You will not intervene and you will not tell me what to do. So, if you can't take my punishment, then leave because it is going to happen whether you like it or not." Karma spatted, her white eyes boring onto Talayeh's soul. Talayeh's heart froze with fear for a moment before nodding. Karma put her down slowly.
"I am sorry for intervening in your work. I will take my leave now." Talayeh said hollowly and picked up her discarded scepter. She walked over to the balcony slowly and stopped as the wind hit. "Treddian, May, come with me. I have some things that I want you to help me with."
May tried to protest but Treddian grabbed her arm and dragged her to the balcony. The wind picked the three up and took them who knows where. This just left Jack and Karma. Silence filled the room as Karma got herself together.
"So what were you going to tell me Karma?" Jack asked, scared of what she would say. He didn't know how much bad karma he had gotten from the storm and he knew how bad Karma could get back at someone for such a little drop of karma.
"27 children died that day. 13 more were injured due to frostbite and hypothermia. That's 40 children that you hurt. You, someone that is always trying to play with them, even if they can't see you." Karma started. Jack felt a shot of pain go through his heart and he stumbled. She continued. "Although maybe that is why they can't see you. They know that you will only hurt them and so they don't try. After all, your season is all about death and destruction. People feared winter, they still fear it. Their afraid of you Jack and they are never going to believe in you."
"Stop. Please stop Karma." He said weakly, now at the edge of the balcony. His grip on his staff was turning his knuckles even paler and he felt like he was going to vomit. Karma laughed bitterly and walked over to him, her eyes staring into his crystal blue, a dangerous smirk on her lips.
"Why Jack? Can't handle the truth? Can't handle the fact that no one wants or needs you? I mean, Talayeh and the others left the minute I gave them the option." She sneered at him. "No one wants you. No one believes in you and they never will. Why don't you just leave all of us alone?"
These words hit Jack like a ton of bricks. Whispering to the wind, he flew away as quickly as possible. As soon as the boy was out of sight, Karma collapsed on the floor. This was her punishment for what she did. She hated her job. She hated the pain, the suffering she caused. Feeling the tears coming, she disappeared from the Fall Palace and travel back to her own home. She would never admit it, but Jack was a wonderful friend to her. He had always been so understanding of her job and why she had to do it, but she knew that she had lost his trust at this point. That night was one of the few nights that Karma cried because of her job. Not that anyone would know.
. . . . . . . .
After the Battle Against Pitch, Greenland
Karma sighed in relief as she saw the scales of Aster and Pitch balance out. She sat in her office, surrounded by the scales of everyone who has karma and smirked at her work. Pitch would think twice before crossing her or anyone else. After that big of a loss and the pain he had suffered at the hands of his own minions, his karma was somewhat balanced. There were still a few more punishments to deal out, but those would be small and insignificant compared to what had just happened.
Aster had also learned his lesson. Easter had set him right in karma, and he realized how Jack had felt for all those years. He would behave more and respect her. She would talk to him later and make sure he realized what he experienced. She leaned back in her chair. She wasn't happy, she could never be happy again, but she was satisfied. Everything had worked out for the most part.
A flicker of movement in the corner of the room caught her attention. She got up and walked over to it. A dusty scale was tilting back and forth, like it was trying to move again. Karma squinted at the name on the plaque and her face dropped. So she was back. Now this was going to be an interesting year.
And Happy Easter! So, this was a little more than just about the Easter of '68 but it explains it all in my world. I hoped you enjoyed it. Karma isn't that bad of a person, she is just doing her job. You will meet her more in A Snowstorm of Secrets. So, I would add more, but I have to go to church and get blessed so that I may stuff my face with burgers and bacon….I gave up red meat for lint this year. Anyway, have a great (belated) Easter! Review (I love hearing comments and feedback) my snowflakes.