A/N: K, so first off I'd like to say that this was completely just for fun. It's basically Jack and Peri on an adventure and... it doesn't really start from the beginning of the things, but I worked in what's going on through the dialogue and stuff, so I hope I did a good job of that. And the song that Jack sings is a real song by Chris Pine called "Someday Came Today".
The wind swiftly picked up in the nearly deserted mass of land. The gusts carried Jack through the air and Peri was alongside him, aided by her wings. "Do you see it yet?" Peri asked as she squinted, searching for their destination.
"No, not yet." Jack replied, shaking his head.
It wasn't until some minutes later that the two spotted something. There was a noticeable lump in the snow covered earth and Periwinkle pointed it out. "Good eye, Peri. That's got to be the place. Come on." Jack spoke, before diving toward the ground. The little fairy followed closely behind.
Jack landed just in front of the icy mound and Periwinkle paused in midair to hover just above his shoulder. He inspected what was before him; when standing in front of it, the lump was much larger, about as big as an average-sized building. Imbedded in the ice, the outline of a door was apparent and small peephole toward the top of it. Jack and Peri exchanged glances before he moved forward and wrapped his knuckles on the door. The peephole slid open and two eyes appeared, peering at the two friends dangerously. A voice sounded, but whatever it said was complete nonsense. "I'm sorry, what?" Jack leaned forward, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.
"He said 'password?'." Periwinkle translated. Jack looked to the pixie, brows still furrowed in confusion. "He's speaking yeti." Peri quickly explained.
"And… you understand it?" Jack pressed.
Periwinkle bobbed her head, "All winter fairies do." The corner of his lips curled upward a bit and he gestured toward the eyes.
"Okay, well, I've got no idea what the password is to get inside, so can you tell him why we're here." Peri's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, then closed it. "What's wrong?" He questioned.
"I never said I spoke yeti…" She answered. Now Jack's eyes widened.
"What do you mean you- but how can-"
"Only yetis can speak yeti. I-"
"That's just-"
"I'm sorry! But it-"
"Wait." Jack halted her, holding up a hand. Periwinkle stopped speaking, though her red cheeks displayed her growing frustration. "Where'd the guy at the door go?"
Peri blinked twice and then flew closer to the peephole. "I don't know." She peered into the darkness that was once occupied by the two eyes. Suddenly the door lurched open.
Peri was blown backward, but caught in the palm of Jack's hand. He carefully brought her to his shoulder. "Stay close." He spoke quietly and started to move to the open door, where all that could be seen was pitch black. Periwinkle merely nodded as they went inside.
Jack's hold on his wooden staff tightened as he scanned the darkness before him, trying to make out anything. Periwinkle looked about as well, but as the two went further inside of the icy mound, the light from outside grew dimmer. Suddenly, the entrance's door slammed shut and all light was diminished to nothing. "Hey!" Jack yelled out in surprise. He whirled about blindly and Peri clutched to his sweater desperately.
A few moments passed and then lights flooded the place. Jack and Peri blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness and then they took in their surroundings. They were in a pub of sorts, but taking up a large portion of the right wall, similar to a jazz club, there was a stage. The entire area was filled with yetis. They all stared at the guardian and fairy with blank expressions. "Uh… What exactly…" Jack muttered to himself. From a cluster of yetis, a particularly larger one with darker fur appeared. There was an air about him that clearly identified him as leader. He eyed the two companions before him with stern eyes.
"Jack Frost." He finally spoke.
Jack's eyes grew in size, astonished that he could understand the creature. "…Yeah?"
"What're you doing here?" The yeti glanced down at him with constricted eyes.
Jack cleared his throat, "The other guardians sent me here for something … a, uh, a ring." He formed his index finger and thumb into a circle as he spoke, indicating the size of the ring.
"Golden." Peri added. Jack nodded his head slightly.
"Hm…" The yeti sounded.
"You have it. Don't you?" Jack spoke.
"Mm." The leader of the yetis grunted out. He turned around and started to lumber away. The other large creatures took steps back to make a path for him.
Jack moved forward a bit, but then stopped unsurely. He looked to Periwinkle, not certain if the leader wanted them to follow him or if he was denying them the ring. She only shrugged; an uncertain expression on her face. The leader turned his head around slightly and jerked his head to the direction he was going. "Oh." Jack murmured and went to catch up with the leader.
Jack and Peri followed the Leader of the Yetis down a long hallway lined with rooms. "So, how come you can talk?" He asked, trying out casual conversation.
"Yeah, how come you don't speak yeti?" Peri inquired curiously. The two saw the creature visibly tense up; he looked away. "I have my reasons."
The yeti leader left it that. Jack's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he chose not to push the conversation any further.
After a couple moments of silence, Peri decided to speak up, "I don't think you told us your name…"
"Ivan." He answered simply.
"Huh…" Periwinkle nodded, attempting to show him interest. Ivan did not seem to notice or care; the next thing he said was, "In here." He pushed open the door to their left and entered. Jack and Peri went inside after.
The room they walked into was pretty dingy. "What's that smell?" Jack couldn't help fanning at the air in front of his nose.
"The smell of hard work. This is my office." Ivan said. Jack wrinkled his nose a bit and Periwinkle's entire face scrunched up.
"Right…" He walked up a little closer to Ivan, who was hunched over a small desk abundant with drawers.
"You do know where the ring is, right?" He questioned as the yeti dug through drawer after drawer.
"Of course I do." Ivan responded gruffly. The winter spirit beside him still looked disbelieving, though. "Hah! You see, here it is." The yeti held a small golden ring in his hairy hand.
Periwinkle looked up and was able to read the name, 'Tsar Lunar', inscribed into the piece of jewelry. "The Man in the Moon's…" Periwinkle spoke quietly. There was no doubt that it was his. A smile split across Jack's face and he reached for it. But Ivan's hand moved back away from the boy.
"Now wait a minute. I'm not just going to give away this beauty for nothing."
Jack rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration, "What do you want?"
"The yetis here, we are not exactly on the guardians' good side. It is quite the event to have one show up at The Cave. Especially the newest of the bunch, right?" Ivan began.
Jack did not say anything; he only glared at the yeti in growing annoyance."All I am asking for is just a little something from you; something that will make me feel that it is worth it to hand over the ring." Ivan continued.
"What?" Jack pressed.
"Up front… did you see a stage?"
"Yeah…" Jack answered; then realization donned on him. "Wait, you don't expect me to go up there and, and, what, perform for you, do you? Like some sort of circus monkey?"
"No. You don't have to do much. Sing a song if you would like."
"I don't really sing." Jack stated.
"Well, do something. My companions and I want to see some entertainment and we don't get much here in this frozen wasteland. If we are all good and satisfied, I will give up the ring."
Jack bit his lip and looked to Peri again. This time she offered a bit more help before, gesturing toward the staff in Jack's grip. A grin pulled at his lips and he began to hold it forward.
"Do not even think about it, Jack. How do you expect to get the ring from me when I'm frozen solid?"
"Who said I was going to freeze all of you?" Jack responded.
"You will not be able to pry it from my fingers." As he said this, his fist tightened around the object. He still held his staff pointed toward Ivan. "You are a guardian, are you not? The guardian of fun? All the yetis want is to have a bit of fun. Why back down from such a simple request?"
"I… I just…" Ivan's words stabbed at Jack's pride mockingly. "Alright. One little performance and then you hand over the ring." He lowered his staff.
"Hm…" Ivan smiled in satisfaction.
Jack and Periwinkle headed out of the office on their own, moving toward the front area. " You don't owe these guys anything. You're a guardian of childhood, not yetis. And these yetis seem selfish. Here we are trying to save the Man in the Moon and all they care about is what's in it for them. I don't like this, Jack."
"Neither do I. But if I just perform something quick, Ivan will give us the ring and we'll be out of here. Don't worry." Jack answered.
Peri bit her lip, still uncertain. But she nodded and said, "Okay."
Jack stood on stage, scratching at his head and looking for something to use in his act. "Uh…" He muttered to himself.
Periwinkle was perched on a ledge of one of the columns in the room, glancing at the yetis around her and Jack. They looked restless; she looked back to her friend worriedly. Jack peeked around helplessly until finally he found a discarded acoustic guitar that sat against a back wall. He went over and picked it up. He looked unsurely at the object, muttering his previous statement once more, "I don't really sing…" Jack turned slightly to look behind him and scanned over the crowd of yetis. Nearby, Ivan noticed him with the guitar and his eyes lit up.
"So you are going to do a song?" The yeti moved from where he stood and placed a furry hand on Jack's back. "Good choice."
"Hey, wait- I didn't-" Jack argued as he spotted the pick to the guitar on the ground and swiped it up. Before he knew it he'd been shoved back on stage. A yeti in the crowd with a cowboy hat- that was way too small for him- on his head shouted something in yeti. He shook his fist at Jack as he yelled; the glass in his hand spilled out his drink as he did so. Jack sighed, placing his staff against the wall and stared at the instrument in his hands. Spending the last 300 years on Earth, he'd inadvertently learned a couple things about playing guitar. He struck a C chord experimentally.
"I'll just make something up… It can't be too hard…" Jack assured himself. He cleared his throat and brought the microphone on stage closer. "Hi." The room was silent. Peri held two thumbs encouragingly, but from where she was seated, Jack could hardly see her. "My name is Jack Frost. And, uh, I guess I'm gonna sing."
He started plucking the C chord and after about several times he decided to move to a B chord. After strumming the strings for a bit, he realized he still didn't know what words to say. "Hmm-mm-mm-mmm…" He vocalized. Finally, he opened his mouth and just forced something to come out, "Someday I will find my ticket out of here. Wake up one mornin' and just start packin'."
And then he let his thoughts and come out as lyrics, which actually worked, "I'll make up my mind; I'll lay down my fear. Stop waitin' for the next bad thing to happen."
A reaction just barely began to form from the crowd and Jack let his voice grow louder, "Now I'm ready for the rainbow to begin. I just got through a storm of tears I thought would never end!"
"Someday was a dream that always seemed to turn out wrong. But now it's not so far away. Puttin' off tomorrow is 24 hours too long. I guess my someday came today." A small smile pricked at the corners of his mouth and he continued on.
The yeti's attention was quickly caught and they all watched Jack with the beginnings of grins. Peri looked around at the yetis and began to smile as well before looking back to Jack; things were going well. The yeti with the cowboy hat began to clap his hands to the music and soon everyone was, too. Periwinkle giggled in amusement and began clapping as well. Jack would've never thought it possible before, but he was starting to have fun. He sang and he strummed the acoustic guitar until the song had been stretched out long enough. The pick struck the strings one last time before he pulled away from the mic. He was breathing heavily, but still grinning as he gazed at the happy bunch of yetis. They all applauded and some of the girls screamed out compliments, though unintelligible.
Peri continued to clap, smiling in admiration at her friend. But soon he was blocked out of view by a crowd of female yetis who had clambered onto the stage. They all gushed over Jack and squealed out praises while surrounding him. She stopped clapping; Periwinkle's eyes widened at this, then narrowed, her cheeks beginning to flush red. Pushing herself off of the ledge, she shot off toward the mass of fur that was Jack's newfound fans. Peri quickly set herself between him and the girls, "Hey! Hey! Hey! You guys need to back off!" By now her whole body was fire-truck red. The yetis looked at the little fairy with big eyes, wide in shock. "Peri! They're not hurting anyone. Relax; it's okay!" Jack tried to calm her.
"Wha- But… B-but they…" Peri spluttered, turning to face him.
"Don't get all worked up over them. I did the song. We're getting the ring and then leaving." Jack said in a quieter voice that was meant for only her to hear. Periwinkle exhaled in defeat and her skin returned to its regular pale tone.
Jack then brought his attention to the girl yetis, "Do any of you know where Ivan is?" He could not see any beyond them and there was no wind in the room to lift him above their massive forms.
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Several of the girls shot their arms into the air and waved their arms about. They didn't really point into any certain direction. "Uh…" Jack furrowed his eyebrows looking from arm to arm. The throng of yetis was pushed out of the way and a bit of space was made where Ivan appeared. Jack sighed in relief, setting the guitar down and picking up his staff.
"Was that good enough for you?" He questioned.
"That was impressive. I will give you that."
"So then you'll give me the ring, too?" Jack held out his free hand.
Ivan chuckled and Jack's face scrunched up slightly in confusion. A female yeti with a little pink bow in her fur appeared behind Ivan and tugged at his fur anxiously, "Pah-pah."
"Yes, I know, darling." He spoke to her. Then he turned back to Jack, "You see, Jack, this here is my daughter. She tells me she has taken quite a liking to you." Jack's extended hand began to falter.
The yeti leader's daughter yelled out something in her native language. Jack wasn't sure what, but he noticed that it made Peri look unhappy. Ivan translated, "She says she loved your performance." Jack glanced away from the fairy and her expression and glanced back at the yetis with a still confused face.
"Okay, that's nice, but what about the ring?" Jack failed to hide the hint of uncertainty and desperation his voice.
"You will have it…" Ivan said.
"Will?" Jack inquired.
"Yes. Will. Once you have taken my precious baby on her first date tonight." The leader of the yeti placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"What?" Jack's eyes grew big and then constricted, his brows deepening into a scowl. "But… but you said-" He held out his hand with firmness, his grip tightening on his staff.
"I said that I would give you the Man in the Moon's ring when we all were good and satisfied. And clearly, she is not." Ivan interrupted. Realization hit Jack and his scowling eyebrows lifted a bit.
"Take my daughter out for the night. It will only be for a few hours." As Ivan spoke, Jack looked to said daughter; she batted her eyes flirtatiously at him, acting coyly. He took a shaky step back and Peri glimpsed at him worriedly.
"No… No way. I'm not doing it. I came here for something important and I'm gonna get it. I sang for you! You owe me!" The volume to his voice increased as he spoke; enough that it would've been smart of Peri to cover her ears.
"Jack, you do not have to make this difficult." Ivan said.
"Don't be so sure about that." Jack shot back. He held his staff in both hands. Suddenly he was pulled at by the hood of his sweater and lifted into the hair. "Whoa! Hey! Let go of me! Put me down!" His eyes swerved over to see behind him and he saw that he was in the grip of a yeti. He struggled but to no avail; he caught sight of Peri before she disappeared into the grasp of another furry creature's hand. "Stop! Let go of her!"
"You can make this all easier, you know." Ivan said. Jack struggled a bit longer before he let himself hang helplessly.
"Fine." Jack spat. Ivan smiled in satisfaction. He nodded to the other yetis and the dropped Jack and let Peri free. The small fairy found her way to her friend and hovered close to his shoulder, gazing at the yetis fearfully.
"Take him to one of the spare rooms-t he ones with changing spaces. Give him something to wear for the evening. There should be something that fits in my office." The leader instructed. The yetis bobbed in understanding and shoved Jack and Peri forward back toward the hallway.