Chapter 1
"Jack? Jack!"
"Oh, sorry, what?"
"Forget it.", Tooth sighs.
Jack bows his head. She will not leave his mind. Now that he has once again taken a look at his memories, he knows why Merida could see him. Back in late summer, the last summer in his mortal life, they had met. She was only very young. He remembers everything so clearly and cherishes the moment when he had first laid eyes on his fiery princess. Could this be the moment they have been waiting for, he wonders. Longer than they had agreed, she has stayed a frozen statue in a secret hiding place. She had lost everything she knew and Jack is afraid that if she ever came back to life, she would never forgive him. He had taken away her family, her brothers, her parents and the normal mortal life she could have had. No, she would never forgive him. And who is to say it would even work? That she would even still be alive? Jack has visited her as often as he could manage. But who was to say she is even still alive?
He decides he owes her a second chance and then asks without further ado: "Is there a way to turn a mortal immortal?"
North looks at him and smiles: "Of course, we do every week, just for fun, easy as peasy." Jack groans at his sarcastic joke.
"Jack, it's not as simple as that. But why do you even ask?", Tooth butts in.
Jack pauses and then explains the whole story. At the end, they all look quite...well...surprised.
"Jack, that is very...naughty.", North stutters and Sandy chuckles silently.
"It's against the rules! You don't...freeze humans! That's just not cool, mate!", Bunnybund cries.
"It's different! Merida asked for it and I know it was a bad idea, but I just...didn't want to lose her..."
"But you told her two to three years! Now more than three hundred have gone by! She will never be happy in this world! She has lost everything she knows, everyone she knows!"
"Well, so have I!", Jack yells aggravated. "All of us! I had nobody, no one at all, she has me!"
The guardians fall silent.
"Jack, we could...we could ask the man in the moon."
"Tooth! No!", Bunnybund cries out.
"Bunnybund, please! He has made mistakes, but he's a guardian now and he's...in love."
"I...", Bunnybund starts, but then shakes his head. "Oh, alright! Sandy?"
The sandman nods hastily and a small heart of sand flickers in his mind.
"North?"
Father Christmas turns to the young guardian. "Jack, you know the risks?"
"Yes. But I'd do anything, even if it means she won't want me anymore."
"No, no, out of the question, forget it!"
"Jack, you have to! Just until you've found the answer to our questions. I don't care how long. Two, maybe even three years! Jack, I love you, I want to be with you." She grabs his shoulder and spins him to face her. "Forever." Then she kisses him. Jack feels torn between wrong and right. Between love and right.
"Merida, I love you too, but you don't know what you're asking."
"Yes, I do. I'm asking for eternity with you."
Jack sighs and pulls her close harshly. "You fool.", he whispers and strokes her hair. "This will not make you happy."
"Yes. Yes, it will.", she whispers softly and a single tear trickles down her cheek. Then a cold wave of ice is released and everything is still. Silent. Frozen.
Jack breaks down and cries. He knows it's a mistake, but she makes him so weak...
"It's right over there, I made an underground cave."
"Wow, what an effort.", North says.
"I just needed to make sure no one ever finds her."
"Yeah...", Bunnybund agrees.
Jack takes his staff and moves it over the small patch of ice. It melts instantly and Jack floats down through the hole in the ground. There she is, as beautiful as she last time. The walls that surround them are clear and glossy. For a moment, it feels like he and Merida are alone in the world, but then Tooth, Sandy and Bunnybund follow, though North has a little problem with getting through the small hole. When Jack widens it, North crashes down and Tooth and Sandy giggle.
"She's quite something. Looks like the...", Bunnybund states, but is interrupted.
"Dominating type? Yes. She is.", Jack smirks. That's when the guardians realize what she really means to him and Tooth rests her hand on his shoulder. "We'll ask him, okay? The man in the moon is not strict, but not foolish. He does what is right and only that."
"And usually, so do I.", Jack sighs and runs his fingers across her iced face. Slowly, the ice gets drippy until it properly starts melting. More and more, until her dress in no longer hard, but as white and silky as it always was. Until her hair is soft and fiery again.
Until she collapses into his arms. "Merida? Merida!", he shouts. She twitches and Jack sighs in relief. Merida looks at him. His cape is gone, he is now wearing some kind of blue garment now, but he is still the Jack she knows and loves. "J-Jack, so c-c-c-cold...", she whispers.
North jumps forwards, takes off his large coat and gives it to Jack, who wraps it around the weak, freezing girl in his arms.
"We should go.", Tooth says and the five guardians rise into the air with their new companion.
Jack Frost lays Merida down on North's couch.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring a girl that's been frozen for the last 300 years to the North Pole first thing?", Bunnybund frowns.
"Nonsense, it's warm in here!", North protests.
Jack is kneeling beside the couch and stroking her cheek. Her face is still pale, but she is breathing steadily and looks peaceful.
"I'll go make her a hot chocolate for when she wakes up.", Tooth says.
"Make it sweet.", Jack says and then goes back to stroking Merida's face. Lots of water bottles are placed all around her body and every time she moves, Jack rearranges them. If one gets cold, he immediately runs to the bathroom to refill it.
"Jack, what are you even waiting for?", Bunnybund asks.
"For now, all I want is for her to be well. Alive. Everything else is irrelevant."
"I see."
The night passes by and Jack never lets go of her hand. But he wears a glove, to not make her shiver.
Early the next morning, Jack has sunk his head down on the blanket. He usually gets his energy from the cold and the snow, but it's awfully hard to refuel on cold air when you are packed in with gloves and have warm water bottles sprayed all around you.
Merida slowly opens her eyes. She has never seen this place before, nor the furniture, decorations or odd lanterns hanging from the ceiling. And what is this she is lying on...oh. Her heart pounds faster and she smiles. She has never seen Jack sleep before and chuckles at how much he looks like a little boy. As she watches him breathing softly in and out, Merida starts stroking his hair and she sighs. How long has she been gone? She does not know, it feels like but a moment ago that she was in Jack's arms, declaring eternal love for him.
Merida sits up, but Jack still does not stir, so she whacks him over the head with a flat hand. He shoots up and looks around hectically, until his eyes meet hers and he gasps in excitement. She laughs at his expression and the next thing Merida knows is she is being whirled around the room while Jack is singing loudly. He does not possess the most talented singing voice and it makes her laugh yet again. For just a moment, the reunision is perfect, pure. But then Jack sees the smile on Merida's face fade. She looks deeply into his eyes. And he knows she wants the answers. The answers he has sought for over a hundred years. And found.
"Jack, where are we?"
"At North's house, at the north pole.", he replies and chuckles at her puzzled expression. "Father Christmas."
"Ohhhh! Wooow! And what about you? Are you still invisible?"
"Well, to most people, but a lot of children are able to see me and there are more every day.", he says and is surprised that she has not asked one question about herself yet. She beams at him and he feels warm when he realizes once again how much she cares for him.
"Merida..."
"Jack, it's so wonderful to be back! What about my parents? Have they missed me a lot? And how are my brothers? How old are they now? Aye, never mind, we'll discuss it all later! But what about Frederick? Is he..."
"He is...no longer after you.", Jack says and his guilty conscience rises more and more.
"That is so wonderful! But Jack..."
Suddenly a loud voice interrupts her. "So, she is awake."
Merida spins around and sees the large, strict-looking old man. But he is smiling, so Merida replies the gesture and walks over to him to shake his over-sized hand.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance...Father Christmas.", she says and giggles. He looks at her in surprise and then smiles. "Same here, princess. Jack has lot of explaining to do, I reckon. Why don't we sit down a bit and talk about everything? The others should be back soon, but they have quite a lot to do themselves. And please, call me North."
Merida nods and then frowns slightly. "Others?"
"Why, of course, you wouldn't know most of them. But you will like them. Now, if you please...", he says and points to one of the couches. Merida turns away and Jack takes her hand as they seat themselves. Merida suddenly turns to Jack.
"Jack, have you…found a way for us yet?", she asks carefully and Jack sees her blushing a bit and grins.
"You're blushing, no way!"
"No, I'm not!"
"Oh, yes, you are!"
"You clown!", she snaps and turns away, acting hurt.
"Oh, come on, it's all in good fun!", he cackles and puts his arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner. Suddenly he stops grinning and looks excited.
"Merida, yes, I kind of have. I'm not sure if it will work though." Merida spins around and looks at him anxiously.
"You would have to…become immortal." She gasps.
"Is that even possible?", she asks and turns to North.
"Well, that is the question. I assume it is, but…whether he will allows us to…"
"He?", Merida asks, looking confused again.
"The man in the moon.", Jack explains. "He controls everything. Every guardian, every human, every animal. He chose me to become a guardian a month ago. It was when Pitch tried to start a war."
"Pitch?", Merida inquires.
"Pitch Black.", North says.
"Also known as the boogey man.", Jack adds, when he sees her puzzled face.
"The boogey man? So he is real too?"
"Yes, but no longer a threat.", North smirks.
"I absolutely need to hear that story later!", she laughs and shoves Jack playfully. He grins slightly.
"We need to ask the man in the moon and I'm just really not sure if he will approve. I hope so though."
"But…but, Jack…what about my family? What will they say?" Jack feels the lump in his throat again and swallows hard. He opens his mouth, but she interrupts.
"I will have to talk to them later…and besides, we don't even know if it will work yet!" She tries her best to smile at him, but Jack sees she is troubled. So he decides to distract her.
"Merida, guess what? I figured out why you could see me!" He grins at her, expecting her to jump up and down, begging him to tell. But she doesn't. Instead, she looks at him with the greatest content and says: "Finally. Took you long enough."
"W-What? Do you mean…you already know?"
"It was on my wedding day. When you returned, when I felt you were back, all kinds of images started to hit me and I realized where I had seen you before. It was almost like…magic."
North flinches a bit, but doesn't say anything.
"Oh, you idiot, why didn't you tell me anything?!", he cries.
She starts laughing and replies: "I must have forgotten." Suddenly he takes her hand.
"So you…remember everything just as clear as me?" She looks at him and beams.
"Yes."
Even as Merida turns once again towards North, Jack is still staring into space, almost as if hypnotized, smiling like a mad man.
"North? Has a human ever been made immortal?"
North sighs and then answers, frowning: "I have never heard of a case, no. But I do not doubt the man in the moon can make it happen, though I have no idea how and what the circumstances would be or anything of the sort."
"I see…alright, I simply have to ask: What are these odd objects? That thing on the ceiling for example? I have never seen anything quite like it, were they invented while I was gone? And why is it giving any light, I don't see any fire inside of it…"
Jack swallows and knows the time has come. It can no longer be delayed. She must know the truth.
Merida turns to Jack. "Jack…how long was I gone?" Her eyes look a little unsure and she gets nervous when Jack does not reply. "Three years…?"
He looks deeply into her eyes and his fill with tears. "Merida…you've missed more than we planned. And I am so sorry…since…since we met for the first time…three hundred years have passed."
Merida's eyes widen and tears flood her eyes. "Oh-", she starts, but her voice breaks off. Then she stands up and leaves the room without another word.