A/N: Hello, readers, and welcome to my new story! I've been in love with the character that is Jack Frost for a while now and decided to do a little contribution of my own to the fandom. My last ROTG story was a bit short and lacking in any, well, romance, so I decided to do something about that with my new story idea! I hope that you do like my take on a certain fairy tale character, which I would have you perhaps try and guess the identity of on your own! Thank you and enjoy!
By the way, this first chapter was inspired by a song called "Going Home", by Radical Face. I would recommend it for not only how lovely it sounds but also to help get a feel for this chapter and the next. It may even be the overall theme song for the tale for now. Now, on to reading!
On a summer's day, in the midst of a field of gold, a girl watched as plumes of white drifted lazily by in a sea of blue called the sky. With her hair tangled up in the blades swaying around her in the wind, and her earth colored eyes mostly glazed over, she looked every bit as peaceful as she felt. The air was warm, but a light breeze danced along her skin, and the grass was soft underneath her body, and nothing could be heard save for the rippling of the grass around her. Everything felt perfect, and as she day dreamed of faraway places and a boy with brown eyes and a boyish smile, the girl was more than tempted to fall asleep right then and there.
Still, reality was persistent, and as this girl finally began to close her eyes, she heard the sound of a bark and the call of her name from nearby. The girl sighed, her eyes blinking open as she recognized the sure sound of her younger brother looking for her for the umpteenth time that day. From the moment that she would wake to the second that she would curl up in the plush folds of her woolen blankets, her younger brother of ten years would constantly find time to badger his older sister into some sort of game or chore. After chores had been done for the morning and the afternoon, and he had returned from school, it was amazing when she would ever find time to herself, and just herself. A part of her wanted to close her eyes again and ignore his calls, as perhaps he would just run right past her or even turn around and run to her mother instead, but a different side of her gave in, and she felt herself sitting up slowly before she could even stop herself.
Gloria stood erect in the tall grass, raising her arms above her head and giving out a world-weary yawn. After drawing one hand across her face and through her hair, she looked about and caught the sight of a small figure running excitedly through the grass, his face splitting into a grin as he recognized his one and only favorite sister.
"G-Gloria," the boy called out, his voice stuttering as he began running out of breath. In the grass she spotted a familiar flash of gray fur, and before long her little brother was running up to meet her, gasping for air and tripping over his words as his ever loyal best friend danced around him and came up to meet his mistress. Gloria bent down and drew a hand through the sleek fur around Char's ears and was greeted with a wet kiss on the hand.
"Gloria, we've been looking for you!" Jacob gasped, not bothering to take to time to really catch his breath properly, and causing his sister to look at him in a chastising manner.
"What is it this time," she asked. "Did you a find stone in the fields on the way home?"
Her brother shook his head wildly, but then stopped himself, "Well, yes! It was all speckled with black and brown and it was gray and pretty but Mum wanted me to come find you but it took so long and-!" "Jacob!" Gloria threw up her hands, interrupting her brother's crazy rambling, "What did Mum want?" She began to take a few steps forward, heading in the general direction of home but taking her time. Her brother saw her leaving and hurried to catch up, taking two quick steps for her every one. Char followed for a few seconds before hurrying ahead, off to chase any wayward grasshoppers, Gloria guessed silently to herself. As she watched the canine dart along the grass playfully, she had to remind herself for the thousandth time in her life that he was still a wolf, if only a domesticated one. Jacob's voice brought her back from her thoughts as he was midway through an explanation. "—into town to buy some apples from Mrs. Hemingway!" Jacob finished, failing to notice that his sister had not entirely been paying attention. Gloria looked down at him at the mention of the woman's name and raised an eye brow.
"That old bat?" She mostly spoke to herself, "It's a wonder that Mum still buys fruit from her."
Jacob smiled brightly; delighted at his sister's usual distaste of the woman that worked her own fruit stall in the bazaar in town. '"That's why she always sends you, Glo! As long as she never has to talk to her, she can keep buying sweet apples and making pie for my class!" He looked up at her fondly as he trailed his hands along the grass around him.
Gloria snorted in a way that her mother would have said was "very unladylike" and rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "I have half a mind to snap at the old bat, myself."
"But you won't."
Gloria looked down at her brother, curious, "And what makes you say that?"
He grinned cheekily, the last bits of baby fat that his features still held making him look all the more earnest, "Because you're too nice."
Gloria let her eyes fall back on the horizon and let out a puff of breath in amusement at this, "Yeah," she said. "You're right." She felt her brother reach up with his left hand and grab her own slim palm to hold, a tuneless song coming to his mind as he hummed along with the bugs and the wind. Gloria wished that she could go back and lay in the sun for a few more hours, perhaps even until night fall, but the feel of her little brother's hand in her own and the sight of their little cottage coming up over the grass made her think differently. The girl could find peace in the sky, in the grass, and in the day dreams that swam through her mind, but she could also find that same peace in the familial warmth those closest to her heart and mind. She had plenty of time to sleep later, when her trip was over with and her mother and had filled her to the brim with sweets, soup and a story.
Ever since Gloria could remember it had mostly only been her brother, her mother, herself and Char in her little family. They lived in a broad field on the outskirts of the modest and blossoming town of Burgess, in a small cottage made of stone, wood and straw. The house had only two rooms, with the main room that held a loft with her and her brother's beds, their small kitchen, and a sitting area with a fireplace, and another room that their mother had made into her own. They had a little outhouse nearby, but baths were always taken in an over sized wooden bath either outside or in. As Gloria and her brother approached the homestead, the grass grew shorter and she could see a little path that wound around the house, and the short stone wall that her mother's garden resided in, adjacent to the right side of the house. The front door was wide open, as were all of the windows, and the smell of fresh baked bread wafted out from one in particular. From inside she could see some movement and guessed that her mother must have been busy in the kitchen.
Jacob hurried up to the door and darted inside, calling out to their mother to tell her of his success in finding her only daughter. Gloria followed after, her eyes sweeping around the main room. Her gaze landed on the image of her mother hanging up a small bushel of lavender above the stone fireplace. As Gloria stepped across the wooden floor, the woman turned around and brushed her hands on her old apron, the same warm smile and brown eyes that she shared with her daughter holding welcome and at the same time a glint of authority. "Gloriana, where have you been?" The older woman stepped forward and greeted her daughter with a hug: something that she was sure to do every time one of her children left and came home again.
Gloria returned the hug, "Nowhere, just out in the fields, again." Her mother shook her head as she pulled away, stepping down into the kitchen area of the room as she spoke.
"Day dreaming again, just like your father always would on a day like this." Gloria felt herself frown and she looked over to her brother, seeing him sitting in one of their only chairs. He was swinging his legs and chewing on a bite of their last apple, and shrugged good-naturedly when she gave him an exasperated look. Some of the townsfolk would swear up and down that Gloria looked to be an exact duplicate of her mother, but when it came to her dreamy personality they always referred to their absentee father. It really bugged her sometimes, but she decided not to push the subject and wind up making her mother cross, instead changing the subject entirely as she went to stand next her mother as she washed her hands in a bowl on their stone counter. "Jacob said that you wanted me to go into town."
"Yes, Mrs. Hemingway should have just started selling her sweet apples, and since Jacob has a presentation tomorrow, I thought that I would send him to school with a pie."
Gloria smirked, taking her the straw basket her mother picked up from beside her set out seasonings for the night's supper. "Really, and that has nothing to do with buttering up the teacher in hopes of maybe making Jacob her new favorite student, does it?"
Her mother glanced over her and raised her eye brows, looking indigent, "Never! I simply wanted to be a good mother and make her little boy happy. Is that so bad?"
Gloria laughed silently and turned away after her mother gave her another hug goodbye, making her way over to the door again and looking back to beckon to her brother. He jumped up from his seat with a laugh, hurrying over to their mother for his own squeeze, more than happy by his sister's sudden willingness to let him join her without his asking first.
Before the girl could step beyond the doorway she heard her mother speak aloud one last time, "And if that happens to make the teacher prefer Jacob over Mrs. Hemingway's boy and her custard then so be it!" Gloria laughed aloud with her brother, more then used to her mother's underhanded way of getting what she wanted.
Burgess was a small town nearby, a ten or so minute walk from their home. As they walked past its wooden homes and bustling streets, several people called out and Gloria waved to the familiar faces. Being so small, the farming town was mainly made up of people that sort of knew everyone and then some. If ever Serah Pond was caught sneaking around with another boy, or if Mr. Smith had a new deal on farming equipment, everyone was sure to know about it whether they liked it or not. Because of this privacy was a luxury that they could rarely find time for, but this simple fact made the town all the more closer for it.
Near the heart of town was the bustling marketplace that Gloria and her little brother were set on, and as they walked around, heading towards Mrs. Hemingway's fruit stall, they were greeted with smiling faces and the cries of merchants selling their goods.
"Gloria! Sweet Gloria! Why don't you try one of my sweet meats, today? Half off for a limited time!" A particular voice rang out, and Gloria found herself smiling and waving away the offer of a man with a salt and pepper mustache and a fatherly grin.
"Not today, Mr. Sadsworth. My mum just wanted some apples today." Mr. Sadsworth waved off her negative with a smile, unperturbed.
"No matter, I know of your taste for meat, just like that wolf of yours! You'll be back soon enough!" She laughed and waved goodbye, knowing good and well that he was probably right. There were few things that she liked more in the world then a plate of cooked ham or a turkey leg.
Soon enough Gloria managed to find what they had been looking for, and with it the face of their mother's least favorite person in town. Mrs. Hemingway was a large woman with a welcoming smile for all of her wondering customers, but as she caught sight of Alice's children her formerly bright gin turned into a displeased frown, "Gloriana, Jacobson, why are you visiting my stall on this fine day?" The way she posed the question almost seemed as though that she was implying that their very presence was ruining the good weather, but Gloria ignored this in favor of a sweet smile in return, although she was cursing on the inside.
"Just picking up some apples for a pie, Mrs. Hemingway," she said politely, holding up her basket for emphasis. The woman nodded, looking somehow doubtful but waving her towards the red fruit near at hand.
"Go ahead then, but be sure to keep track of everyone, Gloriana."
"Yes, Mrs. Hemingway," Gloria nodded as she turned away to some else. She caught the look on her brother's face and nudged him gently as he mocked her, repeating but what she had said in his lame attempt at impersonating her. Jacob looked up at her a beamed, appearing innocent as ever, and starting helping her sister pick out the fruit, insisting on looking over and approving every one that she picked up. As she finished up and handed the bitter old Mrs. Hemingway her payment, she felt Jacob pull on her red, hooded cloak and she looked over to wear he was pointing, curious of the mischievous look on his face.
Through the crowd she looked, trying to find the source of his interest, and suddenly she spotted a familiar face. Gloria's heart seized up at the sight of that boyish grin and those dancing eyes that she could spot even despite the distance between them. Gloria's face snapped back to her brother and she saw the way he was laughing before she looked up again, realizing only then that the boy was walking in their general direction. He was mostly distracted with the small figure by his side, his little sister no less, but the idea of him spotting Gloria at all made her panic and suddenly grab her brother's hand, rushing away from the stall as quickly as she could without giving herself away. Mrs. Hemingway saw them leaving before she could hand them back their small bit of change, but when she called out Gloria waved and said, "Later!"
Her brother was still laughing by the time they had managed to get away from the bazaar, and she let go of his hand, turning on his and sending a frustrated plea, "Why are you laughing? Stop laughing!" Jacob laughed harder to himself, all the more amused by his sister's jumpiness, "No way! You should have seen the look on your face!" He brought his hands to his chest, faking a swoon while still giggling, "Oh, Jack Overland! Your eyes are so lovely-!" Her brother attempted to keep going but failed, instead dissolving into a fit of fresh laughter. Gloria's eyes widened considerably. Had she said something aloud when she had seen Jack? Oh, her brother was never going to stop with this! "It's time to go home!" She said quickly, pushing down her jitteriness and walking away from her brother. Jacob caught her leaving and ran to catch up, jumping around the eighteen year-old's legs and refusing to relent.
Soon after they left town the heavens decided to grant her some mercy and Jacob ran off, distracted with an insect that he had spotted buzzing around. Her thoughts returned to the appearance of Jack in the market and a smile graced her lips. Gloria would never admit it, but that had actually made her day.
Ever since she could remember Gloria had liked the fun loving Overland that she had shared a home town and class with for years. She was more than happy to admit that they had been close friends when they were small, and after Jacob had come into her life, Jack had been one of the people to be more than willing to spend time with the boy even while he was still getting over his stutter after their father had left.
Their father's departure at the young age of only five had left Jacob feeling betrayed and hesitant to pick up any new friends, and for a long while he even refused to speak to her mother. Strangely though, Jacob had kept to whispering to his sister, and after a time began to speak again. Her father's leaving and Jack's own problems had caused Gloria and him to drift apart, but after Jack began insisting on joining Jacob in his fun around town, and thus began helping with his speech, Gloria's old love for the boy blossomed into blatant infatuation. They still didn't speak much, and discovering her own feelings for the boy had made her feel awkward around him, but it was so easy to fall into his easy going way of doing things that she couldn't help but be friendly around him again. Gloria wasn't sure if they were or would ever be anything close to what they had been years before, but there was something there, or, at least, she hoped that there was.
On the way home Gloria mused over this, her frequent thoughts of the boy being simply another normal part of her life.
That night after a dinner made up of home made bread and chicken noodle soup, the little family sat about their fire place together. Their mother spoke in a hushed tone, telling Jacob the story of the sandman, a man that would flit about in the night and use his sand to lull people in the land of dreams and slumber. Gloria had heard the tale a million times, along with a whole slew of other fairy tales, but as she listened to her mother tell of the little man she wore a soft smile. Curled up in her blanket, she sat near Jacob on the warm stones near the fireplace, while their mother sat in an old rocking chair she had brought from her room. Half of the girl's mind was focused on the story as it was being told, while the other thought over her little family and the life they lived.
Gloria and Jacob were born in the cottage her father had built years ago, the two had been rocked to sleep in their mother's arms in the very same chair she told her tale from, and years of their life could be found throughout the house. On the doorway of their mother's room were tick marks showing their height as they had grown. Books were scattered all about their mother's room, on her shelves, side table, and dresser, a collection that had begun at their mother's childhood and was continuously expanding. On he legs of her bed one could find tooth marks from Char's puppy days, and in their beds one could always find bits off his hair sticking their sheets and blankets. The home always smelt of drying flowers and herbs for tea, and Gloria knew every crack and groan in the floor boards by heart. The little cottage was her home, and really she could never think of leaving it, but really she found it hard for anyone to ever consider the possibility.
Well, all except one person, but in order to keep herself in her good mood she chased away any thought of the man. His reasons were his own, whatever they were. She honestly didn't care.
Gloria heard the sound of shifting weight and noticed her mother rising from her seat. The woman was wrapping her shawl about her shoulders and looking tired. "I'm off to bed then. Be sure as to not stay up to late you two." Their mother said her goodnight and drifted off toward her room, closing it behind her just as Gloria managed a reply.
For several moments the siblings simply sat silently, their eyes lost in the only source of light in the room, the fire itself, but their thoughts else wear. Gloria thought about going to bed before her brother spoke up, his voice coming quite and careful.
"I had a dream about dad last night, Glo."
Gloria blinked, frowning to herself. Jacob had been so young at the time of his leaving, but she supposed that he wasn't quite young enough to not remember the man's face. It had only been three years since then, so his voice, mannerisms, and pretty much everything about him was still fresh in her mind, as much as she would like to hide them away. She even still remembered the day he had left. It had been raining, Jacob had been sleeping, and she was almost wide awake, open eyed in her bed and yet pretending to rest as her father made his quite departure. The man had gone up to their beds and kissed them on the forehead goodbye, leaving the faint smell of gun powder and musk in his wake, before leaving. Long after shutting the front door she had still smelled him, even when she had gone down to her silent mother and begun to prepare a pot of tea as per her oddly emotionless request. They had not spoken much about it, and when Jacob had asked for him their mother had simply said that daddy had left and that she didn't know when he would come back. Jacob rarely brought up the subject of their father around their mother, or at least he had never wondered about his leaving around her, for he learned very quickly that asking such questions would make her quite and withdrawn.
Still, life had been mostly well despite his disappearance. They had sold off the rest of his guns, along with his shop and smithy to someone in town, and they were easy enough to be rid of sense he had been skilled in the art of making one and the last of Fang's models were definite collectibles for those about town. The townsfolk had even helped a bit here and there, and really the only person that had dared speak ill of the man was Mrs. Hemingway herself. Their mother had never liked the woman, but her comment was sort of the last straw. Their father soon became a matter of the past, one mentioned in only a rare comment, so having Jacob suddenly mention the man came as almost a surprise to Gloria.
She didn't reply, prompting him to speak on his own.
"Do you think that he'll ever come back?"
There came a pregnant pause as Gloria thought awkwardly on this. She didn't want to get his hopes up, but she hardly wanted them to crash and burn either! Finally the girl sighed, shaking her head softly, "I don't know. That's up to him, I suppose."
Her brother grew quite once more, his feelings on what she had said being entirely locked away within his own heart.
An hour later and the two were tucked away in bed, the fire was but a somber glow and Char had found his way onto Jacob's legs in the dark. Gloria lay half awake, in between reality and dreams, but not quite ready to fall into slumber with her brother's question still hanging heavily on her mind. Knowing that insomnia would get her nowhere, she instead brought up the image of a certain boy and smiled to herself. Jack Overland had a way of making her feel better, even when she was far from seeing his laughing face and playful smirk. As she finally drifted off, she promised herself in her vulnerable state of mind that the next time she saw him, she would finally find the courage to ask him to hang out with her and her alone, just like when they were children, years ago.
Gloria fell asleep, and a few hours would pass before she would wake to the ominous sound of voices, and Char growling in the dark.
A/N: A hint of human!Jack Frost, plenty of family fuzzies, and a bit of suspense in the end to wrap it all up, who could ask for more? Be sure to check in every now and then for an update, which at the latest will hopefully be a full week after this chapter. Please leave any helpful comments in the review section, and be sure to as to grab a cookie on the way out the door. See you next time!