Darkness. That's the first thing he remembered.

It was dark, it was cold, and he was scared.

The icy water burned against his eyes as he struggled to open them. Deep in his chest, he knew something was wrong. But, as he floated there, he couldn't remember what was wrong. In fact, he couldn't remember anything.

Too numb to struggle, he allowed his eyelids to droop shut again.

He only opened them again when he felt the water moving around him, sending chills all along his body. It was then that he realized the water wasn't moving, he was. Slowly, by some unknown force, he was pulled towards the surface. His eyes widened as the light of the moon came in to view. The ice began to crack away, and he was lifted out of the water.

As he stared at the moon, the fear clutching at his heart was expelled, and he released the breath he had been holding for an eternity.

Gently, he was set back down on the ice.

Jack Frost finally looked away from the moon and down at himself. He touched his chest, feeling the faint heartbeat. He examined his hands, trying to recognize the pale blue fingers. On his third finger, there was a golden ring. He frowned at it, wondering where on earth it had come from.

His attention was immediately diverted to a long shepards crook. He didn't remember seeing it there just moments ago, but clearly he didn't have the greatest memory in general.

Curiosity beckoned him to pick up the staff and examine it in his hands.

Instantly, almost in response to his touch, the grooves of the wood lit up. Jack gasped and dropped it, and it returned to its former un-glowing state.

Although it was still weak, he could feel his heart beating in anticipation.

Jack lifted the staff again, this time prepared for the strange glowing. He gently tapped the end of it to the ice. He marveled at the beautiful spirals of ice that formed along the surface. With a grin, he ran over to the edge of the frozen lake and began to tap against the trees. Just like the ice, the trees were soon covered in the shimmering frost.

Unable to hold in his thrill, Jack began to skate along the ice, twirling and dancing around, sending ice and frost everywhere. He let out a delighted laugh, and he was only slightly surprised by the sound of his own voice.

Just as he began to wonder what else the magical staff could do, a cold breeze picked up, dragging him along and lifting him up into the air. He was launched through the sky, and he only stopped laughing when he crashed into a tree. But he instantly hopped back up with a grin on his face.

From the higher vantage point, he could see a golden light-a sharp contrast to the silvery blue the world had thus far been bathed in.

His smile faded, and his jaw dropped at the sight of golden lanterns floating into the sky.

Something in his chest ached, and he felt a strong urge to find the source of the lights.

Using the wind, he flew towards the lights, only crashing into four (or seven) trees before stumbling across a small village.

At the sight of other people, his elation returned. He ran into the village, calling out greetings to everyone.

When no one seemed to acknowledge him, he frowned but shook it off.

He spotted two girls resting in a haystack. Although he couldn't see eithers face, he began to walk towards them, mentally preparing his questions about where he was. Before he made it to them, the older one stood up and ran inside, carrying the smaller one with her.

"Poor dear," an elderly woman tutted.

Jack raised his eyebrows and looked over at the circle of old ladies. After glancing to see if the girl had returned, he asked, "Why? What happened?"

"They had only just been engaged!" another woman cried.

The older girl returned, but her hands were covering her face, and she was running towards the forest. She ran right past Jack, too fast for him to try to stop her. As she ran off, he noted the fact she wasn't wearing any shoes. Part of him wanted to call after her, jokingly say if she didn't want frostbite she should put on socks, but he noticed he himself was barefoot and had no place to speak.

"You know, I heard they were secretly married," the third woman clucked in an ooh-isn't-that-scandalous voice.

"That only makes it worse."

"Such a tragedy…"

Jack sighed, realizing these were rude women and probably weren't going to talk to him.

A man rose from his seat by the fire and began to walk back to his own home.

Jack quickly ran to get in his way, "Excuse me? Could you tell me where I-"

The man walked right through Jack, passing through him as if through thin air.

"...am?"

Chest suddenly cold and empty, Jack placed his trembling hands against the spot the man had walked through. Trying to stop himself from hyperventilating, he ran over to a cabin and touched the side of it. His hand didn't pass through the wood, so surely he wasn't a ghost…

He looked at his reflection in the window, but the boy with wild blue eyes and messy white hair staring back was a complete stranger.

He looked back at the rest of the villagers and called out weakly, "Hello?"

Not a soul looked up at him.

Tears began to blur his vision. He stumbled back, unsure of what actions to take next.

He looked up at the moon, silently pleading for advice. But there was no response.

Using most of his energy to hold himself together, he began to walk back towards the forest. As he re-entered the darkness, he felt himself go numb again.

As deeply as he wanted someone-anyone-to chase after him, to acknowledge his leaving, he knew with absolute certainty that there was no one who would. From that moment on, he accepted that he would have to carry on alone in the world.

xxx

The darkness was broken by a soft light. Gold surrounded her, enveloping her in a warmth that shooed away the chill in her bones. She opened her eyes just as the light faded away, and she met the cool gaze of an unfamiliar face.

"Hello?" she rasped. Her eyes widened in shock at the sound of her own voice.

"You must be dehydrated," the woman sighed. She grabbed a bucket with a ladle and handed it over, "Here."

She took the bucket and looked down into the water, trying to make out a reflection. A girl with blonde hair and green eyes squinted back up at her. She shook her head and began to drink, realizing how thirsty she was. After she had her fill, she looked back up at the stranger. "Where am I? And… who are you?"

"Well, I'm your Mother," the woman answered, a strangely wistful expression on her face. "And, we're in your room, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel looked around at the blank walls and simple furniture. Nothing about it was familiar. She grasped at a piece of hair that had fallen loose from her bun and asked, "You're… my mother? Why don't I recognize you? What happened to me?"

"Well, Rapunzel, you tried to leave the tower, against my orders. I don't know what your plan was, but I found you unconscious at the base of the tower. It's a miracle no one kidnapped you while you were there, but fortunately I found you first."

"The tower…" I repeated to myself. "Is that where we are?"

"Yes. This is where we have lived your entire life. And you were explicitly forbidden to leave."

"What? Why?"

Her mother hesitated before answering, "You have… a gift."

"That's specific," Rapunzel muttered.

"Don't mumble!" she snapped. At the sight of Rapunzel's shocked expression, she took a deep breath and continued in a more gentle tone, "I'll show you." She un-tucked some hair from behind Rapunzel's ears, allowing the blonde strands to fall in her face. Quietly, she began to sing, "Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…"

"M-my hair… My hair just glowed!" Rapunzel cried, grasping at the locks as the glow faded away. "Why does my hair glow?"

Her mother sighed, "It has the ability to heal the sick and injured, as well as keep someone alive forever. This is why you must remain in the tower, so no one can use your powers for selfish reasons."

"But why does it glow? This isn't normal, right? What… why did this happen to me?"

"When you were just a toddler, I let you play outside nearly every day, and one day I didn't pay enough attention. You wandered off, and I couldn't find you for hours. When I found you, your hair was blonde and you possessed this new power. I can only assume you were chosen to have this gift for a reason."

Rapunzel forced herself to her feet and stumbled over to the window. The last light of day was just slipping below the horizon, and the increasing darkness was doing little to reassure her.

"I'll… I'll leave you alone for now. If you need anything, I'll just be downstairs."

A tear slipped down Rapunzel's cheek. When she went to wipe it away, she noticed the silver ring on her third finger. She stared at it, examining the simple band. Out of everything, the ring was the only thing that felt familiar at all.

A cold breeze blew in, sending a slight shiver down her spine. She hugged herself tightly.

There were nothing but trees as far as she could see. For some reason, she was expecting there to be a village nearby. Despite the fact she couldn't remember a single thing from before, she felt it in her stomach that never before had she ever been so alone.