School was a foreign concept to another girl living in town as well. Rapunzel had grown up, living her entire life under the trickery of a woman she falsely believed to be her mother. Gothel had kept her hidden from the world, insisting that people would harm her for her gifts. She was a super, and her healing ability would be feared and desired by all. Ruffians would try and kidnap her for longer lives, and thugs would try and steal her hair away on a whim. As a result, she had never left her house, until Eugene came along and changed it all.
With a dreamy smile, Rapunzel sat down in the bathroom, still gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Sure, she had gotten out of the situation fine, but in the meantime, she had found her new dream. Her boyfriend Eugene had not only managed to show her the truth about Gothel, but he had also managed to locate her real family. Her actual parents owned a flower shop in town, and they had been searching for their daughter for years before she actually returned. From what she had heard, they would actually put out lanterns in remembrance of her every year, on her birthday. The symbol of their flower shop, a stylized sun, rested on each one and was what had reminded her of the only thing she could recall from being a baby. That very design had been on the ceiling of her room, though that had vanished quite quickly with Gothel's interference.
"Rapunzel, are you almost ready?" Her mother's voice called out down the hall, making her shake her head and blink at her reflection. She still wasn't ready. Her hair wasn't even brushed yet, not to mention braided so other kids wouldn't trip over it at school. This would take forever at this rate. Maybe she should try and put a little bit of a halt on her daydreaming.
Smiling at herself, she quickly began hurrying through the process of brushing her fifty-foot long golden hair. Most people would cut it long before it reached this length, but not her. Rapunzel valued the hair that gave her her gifts, and refused to let anything cut it off. As a result, she had to work to keep it styled in a way that didn't interfere with living her life. First, it had been a group of young girls that showed her how to do it. They had been so eager to style her hair, Rapunzel had been happy to sit down and let them do what they wanted. After finishing her journey with Eugene, she had gone back to those girls, begging them to teach her how to mimic the same style again. It had taken a while to get the hang of it, but now, she could manage a slightly sloppier version of what they had accomplished. No flowers were woven within, but at least her hair could be pulled off of the ground.
From what Rapunzel had gathered, most people weren't all that happy to be going to school. Her neighbor, Tony, talked about how boring classes were, though he thought it was cool to see his friends on occasion. Talking to Eugene made her hear that it was the "worst experience of an angst-ridden teenager's life". Luckily, he was eighteen and graduated, so he didn't have to go through it with her, at least, that was how he explained it. Sighing, Rapunzel still couldn't help but wish he would be in class with her. Learning new things just sounded like an amazing adventure. She heard that there were art classes, and people to talk to, not to mention more than three books to read! The place had a library, so she wouldn't have to constantly reread the same tales over and over. It was going to be amazing!
Eager to get to school, Rapunzel rushed back into her room, glancing at her desk and pausing for a moment. There, she had a small tank that held her life-long pet, Pascal. She hated having to put the chameleon in a cage, but her parents refused to let him roam free. So, for now, he was stuck in a small tank, with a few toys to play with if he got bored. Kneeling down in front of him, Rapunzel smiled. "Can you believe it, Pascal? I'm actually going to a real school!" She squealed slightly, while the chameleon seemed to lift an eyebrow at her. While the creature didn't have actual eyebrows, it did have an odd arch above its eye that functioned similarly. "Do you think the people there'll like me? Oh, what if they hate me? I'm probably going to be exiled for life!" Groaning, Rapunzel flopped onto her bed, resting her arm on her forehead.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly began to peer her eyes open again. Pascal was shaking his head, glaring at her with narrowed eyes. "You're right…I'm probably just exaggerating. They won't hate me…after all, I seemed to get along with Eugene so well. Even if it is my first time, I'm certain I'll make a ton of friends! Oh, do you think any of them love to paint to? And what about singing? Do people get to sing at school, or do you think that'd just make me seem weird?"
Pascal seemed to frown, thinking about it for a moment. Then, the chameleon simple shrugged, walking away and lying down in the tank. Laughing, Rapunzel got back up, grabbing her bag and shaking her head. "You get some sleep, Pascal. I've gotta get going. After all, there's no time to waste if I'm going to get to class on time!" With that, she began running off downstairs, rushing out the door after quickly giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. Snagging a piece of toast off of a waiting plate on the counter, she rushed towards the door. "Sorry, I'm going to be late! I'll be back after school, Mom!"
With a slightly wave, Rapunzel turned and continued her rush out the door. Just in time, the bus arrived for her to run on. Taking a seat, Rapunzel couldn't help but smile back at her house as the bus drove off. Today, things would begin to really change. Maybe her relationship with her parents was new, and they didn't always approve of Eugene, but this was her new dream. All Rapunzel wanted to do was live a normal life, and enjoy going to school like a normal kid. Who cared if she had magic hair? Right now, no one knew about it other than Eugene, and so long as that remained true, she could pretend that she was normal for as long as she wanted to.
Living with three brothers was bad enough if they were well-behaved kids. Living with Merida's triplet brothers was a nightmare. The boys were constantly going into her room, stealing her things, and trying to eat her desserts. Today, she was done with it. "Mum, the boys have taken my backpack again!" She shouted across the house, walking out of her room with a glare. Normally, she wouldn't care if they were messing with her things. She had gotten used to it, in an odd way. After figuring out that hiding her stuff on the top shelves of her closet wasn't enough to keep them at bay, she settled on just making sure her valuables were kept in her locker at school, where the boys would never get them since they were still in elementary school.
Normally, when the boys took her bag, they were hoping she had stashed away sweets to snack on at school. This time, however, she had expected it to happen. Her most recent project had taken advantage of this, taking care to make sure she had a bag of beautifully frosted, round cookie-like objects inside. However, what she didn't reveal was that those cookies were going to be the nastiest thing those boys ever ate. When she heard a loud gagging noise from the other room, she couldn't help but smile victoriously and rush towards her brothers' shared room. Opening the door, she spotted them all choking and spitting out brown, lumpy food. Underneath all of that frosting was her brothers' least favorite meal, haggis. The shape was close enough to a cookie that with a little effort, she could disguise it as their favorite dessert.
"Ha! I got you, you wee devils. Now, give me back my school bag." Holding her hand out, she waited patiently for them to listen. After sharing a look and turning a glare on her, one of them held it out in surrender. Taking it away, Merida smiled triumphantly and began walking away, only to see her mother standing at the doorway with her arms folded over her chest.
"Merida, what have I told you about yelling in the house?" Her voice was strict, and rather upset.
Groaning, Merida impatiently tried to push past her to leave. "Mum, those boys are driving me insane! How can you expect me to stay quiet when they won't stay out of my room?" Her explanation didn't seem to work on her mother, though. This was why she almost always preferred being at home when Dad was here. At least he gave her some breathing room and freedom. With Mom, it felt like there was someone always breathing down her neck, waiting for her to screw up again.
"Maybe, if you just tried, you could all get along. Honestly, how hard is it to be friends with your brothers, Merida?" She sounded exasperated, still blocking Merida's path out.
"Come on, can't we talk about this later? I've gotta get to school." She tried once more to push past her mother, only for her mother to grab her shoulders and shake her head.
Gesturing to Merida's head, her mother seemed to sigh. "Are you really going to school looking like that? You need to be presentable, Merida. A lady never rushes, and she most certainly does not leave for school without brushing her hair." Glaring at her mother, Merida scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. Her mother never listened, and she never understood that Merida's curly red hair always looked like this, regardless of how much she brushed it. It refused to be tamed, and if it wanted to be wild, she would leave it as such.
Not wanting to start another argument, Merida stomped off to the bathroom, grabbing a brush for the second time that morning and dragging it through her curls. Her hands were rough, and she could feel the strain on her head as she yanked out strands of hair violently with her actions. Wincing when a particularly painful pull ripped out too much, Merida glared at her reflection instead. Behind her, she spotted her mother smiling slightly at her predicament, walking inside and taking the brush from her hand. "Hey!" She shouted, reaching out to grab it back. However, before she could, her mother already began gently brushing her hair, a light smile on her face.
"Sometimes, a gentle touch is needed, Merida. Just relax, let me help you for once." Huffing, Merida crossed her arms over her chest, avoiding looking at the mirror. It was at times like this when she found it hard to stay angry with her mother. As overbearing as she was, there was a kind side to the woman that Merida valued above all else. If she ever needed anything, she knew her mother would be there to help her. "You know, I was just like you once. I hated having to brush my hair too, and I always thought that no one could have as many troubles with it as I did." Narrowing her eyes at her mother's straight, brown locks, Merida had to force herself to stay quiet. "Then, I had you, and I realized I was gravely mistaken." With a slight laugh, her mother ruffled her hair and set down the brush. Rolling her eyes, Merida couldn't help but smile at the joke herself.
"Alright, Mum, I get it. I'll try to take my time tomorrow morning, now can I just get going already? I've got a test today, and I'm going to be late!" With that, her mother nodded, relenting and letting her run out the door. Most people would ride the bus to school, but Merida hated being on the stuffy, hot vehicle with tons of other people. She preferred the freedom of being outside, with the wind rushing through her hair. While her horse wasn't allowed to go to school, she settled for riding her bike instead. Getting on, she grinned as she sped off towards school, eager to see her friends again and forget about her worries at home. At least at school, she could be who she wanted to be without worrying about the pressure her parents put on her. Holding on to their heritage was hard, especially when they seemed insistent on training Merida to be the princess of a clan that had died out long before she was even born.
After years of silence from Pitch, Jack knew something had to be going on soon. Sure, the Guardians insisted that the guy was normally harmless. In fact, they claimed that they really only fought against Pitch once every few centuries. That didn't stop the uneasiness Jack felt, nor did it comfort him now. Belief was running strong, and more people than ever could see the winter spirit flying through the sky. However, it wasn't the same as it used to be. Just a few days ago, when he went to visit his home town of Burgess, Jack had realized a painful truth. All kids grew up one day, and as they grow up, they forget about important things from their childhood. He had run up to Jaimie, now fifteen, only to find that the kid couldn't hear him anymore.
Having his first believer walk straight through him had been a shocking wake-up call. He had flown of to Tooth, begging her to help, but she had shaken her head at him. She insisted that her powers couldn't help children his age regain their belief. While she could preserve the joy and fun he had as a child, the memories of the Guardians were things that even teeth could not preserve well enough for adults to recall for long.
Heartbroken and feeling alone for the first time in years, Jack had flown off, searching for at least something to do or someone to blame. Pitch was the easiest person to blame, so that was why he was angry with the spirit that had vanished after Easter so many years ago. Avoiding Burgess, Jack was flying through the skies, searching for any sign of the man's intervention in the world. If he saw so much as a single nightmare, he could have proof that Jaimie's loss of belief wasn't his fault. He could get the Guardians to try and help him bring Jaimie back to his side. That was all he really wanted, to be able to make Jaimie smile again with the wonders of his snow. It always made him so happy when Jack visited, even as he continued believing for years after most kids gave up on the Guardians. Jack thought it meant Jaimie would always believe, but maybe he had been wrong.
Shaking his head, Jack glared as he landed in town. The sun was rising, and it was getting close to being too late to search for nightmares. This place was familiar to him, though. Here was the place where human superheroes seemed to exist in abundance. Sure, Supers had spread across the world, but this town seemed to have more of them than anywhere else. He could remember watching over a family of them, even before he became a Guardian. They had two kids, a boy and a girl that had the most entertaining powers ever. The young boy had incredible speed and seemed to constantly try to annoy his older sister with it. However, she was able to stop him in an instant with her forcefields, and then she could also run and hide with her invisibility. As a kid, she had been young and shy, but the moments she fought with her brother, Jack had seen something feisty in those eyes. She was a fighter, and there was a strength in her that would help her push forward in life.
Curious if they were still around, Jack found himself searching for their old house. Glancing in the window, he was disappointed to see someone new inside. Maybe they had moved away. With a sigh, he flipped up onto the roof, walking around with his staff dragging behind him. Seeing the path of frost behind him, he quickly pulled it up with a sheepish grin. "Woops, gotta be careful about that. It's a little bit too early for winter in this town, I think." Considering it was only October, he figured he should hold off for another month or so.
Leaping into the sky, Jack began flying in search of at least something to do while he was here. Supers were the best kids to have snowball fights with. When he had tried with Dash and Violet, the two kids from that family, he had seen some really interesting tricks. Apparently, forcefields made excellent forts to block attacks. Then, the other kid's speed made him nearly impossible to hit. It had taken the intervention of their mother to actually stop that snowball fight from escalating into a war that revealed the kids to the neighbors. Despite the yelling of their parents, Jack thought the game was fun, even if it risked revealing them to the public.
Now, their powers were legal, so he could play with them to his heart's content. Maybe their secret identities were important if they actually did super hero work, but all kids deserved to have a little fun before getting thrown in to a world of fighting criminals and super villains. That was why he was grinning as he searched for young Supers just waking up, getting ready for school. He passed by an apartment building, seeing a young boy with brown hair getting ready in the window. In his arms was a black cat, that, oddly enough, seemed to turn and stare at him with curious green eyes. Ignoring the animal, he moved on, seeing nothing special in there. Last he heard, that was the home of Frozone, the Super with a rather demanding wife. He didn't want to be there to hear another one of those shouting matches, so he'd try and find someone else for his games.
Eventually, he found himself on the outskirts of town. Here, he could see a rather isolated mansion, hidden within a sea of plants that decorated the yard. A pond was man-made, built to give the occupants a view when gazing out the window. Some sides of the house were made entirely of glass, giving Jack a great view of what was inside. It was pristine, clean and organized with white carpets, red chairs and sofas, and even what looked like a control panel on the wall for certain features. "Whoa…this place looks expensive. Better not break anything, otherwise, North'll kill me." Destroying things in North's workshop was one thing, but interfering in the homes of actual people was different. Here, these people would actually have to pay for the damages he did. Luckily, he had good control over his powers, but sometimes, he got a little reckless with his games.
Flying up to a different window, Jack began searching for the people that lived in this place. He couldn't remember if he'd been to this house before or not, but it looked awesome. There was so much space, it had a lot of potential for snowball fights, sledding, and so many other games in the snow. Come winter, he was going to show the people here exactly how fun the snow could be. With a smirk, he flew past another window, only to stop and turn back. He thought he saw something dark in there, something that didn't belong. Flying back, he stopped and pressed his hand against the glass. His eyes widened, not seeing the girl at first. Instead, his gaze was drawn towards the growing black nightmare dancing above her head. Watching over it all in the shadows, Jack could have sworn he spotted a pair of golden, yellow eyes.
Scowling, Jack quickly flew around and found an entrance into the home. Breaking windows kind of broke North's new rules for him, so he had to settle for getting inside using the door. Luckily, they had forgotten to lock the back door, so he got in with little issue. Flying upstairs, he began opening and closing doors, searching for that room again. He spotted the familiar blond hair of the young Super he had played with years ago, but he disregarded the boy quickly. Instead, he opened another door, this time spotting the girl with the nightmare.
Observing her, he frowned in confusion. "Aren't you a little old to be a target for Pitch? I thought he only went after children." Reaching out, he moved to grasp her hand. However, the girl rolled away, mumbling in her sleep and clutching her blanket tightly to her chest. Long black hair seemed to sprawl out behind her, with a hint of purple just visible from her pajamas.
As if from no where, another voice began to speak. "Jack Frost…I knew you'd find a way to interfere, even now." Spinning around, Jack held his staff out, ready to fight.
"Show yourself! I know you're there, Pitch. Where are you? What did you do to Jaimie?" Anger and pain made Jack's chest feel tight. He wanted to destroy him for eliminating that kid's belief. He would do it, no matter what it took.
Laughter was the response, echoing around the room as the shadows on the walls seemed to move. "Jaimie? Why, I haven't seen that child since our last battle. No, I've had far more pressing matters to deal with…starting with suppressing my own fears." The shadow on the wall in front of Jack vanished entirely, reappearing on the wall next to the open door. "Then, I came to a certain epiphany. You Guardians did have a valid point, after all. You will always be there, fighting back against everything I do, protecting those precious children's dreams and wonder. So, I asked myself, if I can't defeat you, how can I gain belief? How can I spread fear into this world, uninterrupted and unbothered by you Guardians? That was when it came to me…the challenge no one has been able to overcome. If I can't have the belief of children, if I can't spread fear to them…then why not make the adults afraid? Why not make them see me, starting with the children who have only just begun to forget about their childhood fantasies? So young, so impressionable…and so much potential for fear."
With that, he seemed to appear just by the bed, reaching out towards Violet. With a snarl, Jack charged forward, ready to blast him with ice, but Pitch raised a finger towards him, shaking it as if reprimanding a child. "Ah ah ah! Can you promise you won't hit the girl, firing at me?" He stroked hair out of Violet's face, making Jack see her clenched teeth clearly. Her arms seemed to tighten their grip even further, and she pulled her legs up and curled into a ball on her bed. "These Supers…they are afraid of so much. Afraid of not being accepted, afraid of failure, afraid of never being able to live a normal life…in a way, I find them to be the perfect target, don't you? So tell me, Jack Frost, Guardian of Childhood, are you going to stop me? It would break the fundamental rules of your group, after all. The Guardians only protect children…and if you stop me, you will take away that protection from a child that may be in need. In fact…I think Jaimie just might be in need of you…right now." With that, he vanished from sight, laughing darkly and fading into the shadows.
Unable to stop himself, Jack ran towards him, only to find his hand colliding with the wall of the room. "Damn it, Pitch! What did you do?" With a grimace, he let his head drop to his chest, breathing deeply. Pitch was right, about all of it. The Guardians weren't supposed to protect adults. Tooth herself even told him that they couldn't try and restore their belief. So, if they couldn't protect these people, how were they going to stop Pitch? Glancing towards the restless girl, Jack ran a hand through his hair. He was never one for following rules, that much he knew. So, maybe just this once, he would try and expand their reach. The others had protected all children for years, so now, it was about time he tried to protect someone else. This girl already went through hell as a kid, having to hide herself away from the world because of a dumb law. He wasn't going to let Pitch take advantage of that, not if he was around to show her a different side of life. All he had to do now was figure out how to do the impossible, and make a teenager believe in myths and legends once more.
And a little bit more plot comes in...along with a few more introductions for the characters. Hopefully, this isn't progressing too slowly...this is my first time trying to write a crossover with this many fandoms at once. Not to mention, it is my first time writing for all of them except for ROTG (and Frozen, but I'm still not certain how major of a role that one will play), so if you see anyone that seems OOC, feel free to let me know and advise me on how to fix it. Still working on ideas for the future of this story, so suggestions remain welcome. Please review and tell me what you think!
