~Chapter One~
In a lonely forest, as far away from civilization as it is possible to be nowadays, a tall girl in a ragged white gown wanders through the woods. The icy branches catch at her bare ankles and the hem of her dress, but she ignores them, as well as the icy wind that cuts through the thin sleeves of her fancy coat. Sharp rocks dig in to her bare feet, her shoes lost somewhere behind her. As she wanders like a pale ghost, she sings softly to herself. A pale boy, attracted by the tune winding through the freezing air, flying towards the ground before settling down on one of the lower branches of the tree. Snow slides onto the ground with a soft noise, but both of them ignore it. The boy settles down on the branch, getting comfortable in order to listen to the singing of the girl, who continues on, unaware of her pale spectator.
"Walkin' in a winter wonderland..." The girl's voice is not particularly good, but it makes the whole scene seem more real, and is beautiful in it's own way. Jack Frost basks in the fascinating scene for a few minutes more before lazily calling out
"Aren't you cold?" The tune stops suddenly, and the girl pauses, saying "Not particularly..." in a dreamy sort of voice. Jack is so shocked he falls off his branch. Somehow he holds onto his staff as he plummets into the bank of snow built up against the trunk of the tree, his legs flailing comically. Giving himself no time to recover, he leaps up and doesn't even bother to brush the snow that clings to his blue hoodie before he darts forward and reaches out a tentative hand towards her half-bare shoulder. Just before he brushes her skin, her song falters, then gives out entirely. The frosty boy gets half a second of warning before her legs collapse and she falls into his ready arms. To his surprise, she is warm, despite the fact that she was presumably wandering around in a snowy forest in a thin dress for a few hours. He looks down at her worryingly pale face and decides that she could do with a visit to the north pole. He pulls off his hoodie and awkwardly wraps her in it. Then there is the issue of carrying her prone body while flying with his twisted staff. Eventually he slings her unceremoniously over his shoulder and shoots off to the icy north.
About halfway there, the girl's limp form slips off his shoulder and he almost drops his staff while flying over the arctic ocean. Fumbling with her in mid-air, Jack's grip slips on the worn wood of his staff and it tumbles down. He falls, readjusting his hold on the lethargic girl as he reaches out with his toes and nabs the staff. His plummeting fall turns into a swoop, as his hair is blown back and he feels the girl's ribs cut into his shoulder. He winces and attempts to rearrange his grip, hooking his shepards crook on his forearm this time.
When he finally reaches North's workshop, he blows in without delay. North and the Yetis, not used to this kind of seriousness from Jack, immediately bustle out to meet him, alerted by the frost spreading on the windows. They stop short when they see Jack crouching over a slim figure. The only thing North can see is one extremely pale hand, and snowy white hair pooling out from behind Jack's shoulder.
Pale eyelids flutter open, revealing azure irises. They flick around the room before settling on a pale boy barely visible through the partially ajar door.
"What do you think North? She could see me in the woods, but she was kind of out of it." A mischievous light sparks in the cerulean orbs, but the eyelashes flutter shut before she hears the response.
Once more the mysterious girl opens her eyes. Again, they take in the room- high ceiling, dark wardrobe, and warm wood. Once more, they find the pale boy, this time slumped in a chair by the bedside. A decidedly wicked smile curls across her face, and once more she closes her eyes, arranging herself into peaceful slumber once more. Then, she made a show of waking up, groaning, rolling over, then stretching with a delicate yawn. The boy stirs, and she throws back her covers. She doesn't have to fake surprise at the tattered dress she's wearing, and although there isn't time to change, she still gives a longing glance to the wardrobe in the corner, wishing to cover herself in more protection than the thin fabric of the dress. Her toes flex, and she forces herself to ignore the boy as he tentatively says "Hello?" Instead she starts singing quietly to herself "Walking in a winter wonderland...In the meadow, we can throw our sled down, and go sliding over ice and snow," Behind her, she hears the creak of wood and the tap of the wooden staff that had been propped against the headboard. In a low voice, the winter spirit says "You know, those aren't the words to that song." The girl lets off of her singing and says in an aloof voice "Well, you know what, maybe I like my lyrics better." She then turns just in time to catch the look of absolute shock that came over his face at her response. She busts up laughing, savoring the results of her prank. To her surprise, he starts laughing too, merrily enjoying his humiliation.
"Hi," He greets, "My name is Jack Frost."
"Pleasure." She steps forward smartly, offering a hand to the boy. He pulls back, surprised and unused to the ritual of shaking hands. Then, something strikes her.
"Wait, like the Jack Frost?" He nods, clearly pleased at her reaction. "Like, patterns on the windows? Icy sidewalks?" He begins to frown at that last one.
"No, that's more just a side affect of winter weather."
"Like, old man winter?" He pouts, scrunching up his nose in the most adorable way.
"No," he says adamantly, "I'm not a grumpy old man and I'm not a little elf."
"Well, I can see that much," She says, having to gaze up at him despite being tall herself. The pout fades, and an excited smile grows.
"What's your name?" He askes, like a child.
"My name's...Winter. Yes, that seems about right."