He wanted to check on what was going on in the northern lands. He needed to now. It was five hundred miles away, but he knew the village he was protecting was the tenth one down from other small, scattered villages. Trade was vital between them. He had to keep them all alive.
"One big mess. But…one vital solution…" Jack muttered. "Let's go say hi and have some fun."
He smirked to himself, as he wielded his staff to summon up a nasty, cold wind. It carried him easily to the northern lands, and he landed rather gently. What he saw was an encampment in the distance and studied what his wind told him. There were no women or children here. Raiders like them had no need for them around. They tended to be back at the main village away from the violence of everything. If there was the odd woman, she would be dead within a week from abuse. They respected their own women and children. The others were simply considered spoils after the raiding was done.
On listening to the idle gossip from the men around the camp, he learned that this raiding party was actually more like a scouting group. They only raided what they thought would benefit their village. They tended to leave merchants alone, if they were heading to and from their village. What they didn't know was that their village depended on the trade of the other villages. They were on the very same trade line the merchants followed along. They would be killing themselves, if they tried to attack anything to the south. He also knew they wouldn't listen to him if he simply approached them. I need to scare them into reason. He knew exactly how to do that. Locating the tent of the lead raider, he grinned and blew on the edge of his staff. The snowstorm created was unlike anything they had ever seen.
"Save the fire!" a scout screamed out.
"Where did this storm happen?!" a man cringed.
"My water froze!" another shouted. As chaos happened all around, Jack calmly walked through them and hummed softly to himself. Those that did see him had their mouths gaping. They saw him as the bringer of death. Many made small mutters of what faith they had. Any that tried to approach him were turned away from the severe cold that emanated from him. Jack was here on a mission. He wasn't going to be deterred. At his icy glare, many could vow they were chilled to the bone.
"Your leader. Out here. Now. Before everyone here freezes," Jack said lightly. "I don't have much patience. Be quick. Or die."
His words were heeded quickly. He kept the storm going easily, as he stood tall. When the leader finally approached him, Jack gave a cold, cruel chuckle. That made the man pause at first, but he had to be bold to show that he was able to confront such an abomination. Like the others, he wore the odd fur, patched up cloth clothing, and leather shoes. But, he wore a helmet with deer antlers to show his status. Now the leader of the raiders growled, gnashed his teeth together, and snarled out, "What are you?!"
"I am Father Winter," Jack smirked. At the sheer wave of cold that smacked into the human, the man gasped and coughed from it. "I am warning you this once. Do not attack south of here. Those villages are under my protection. They swore fealty to me. Attack anywhere else. But not south."
"Must be a vast treasure…" a man muttered. Before greed could set in, Jack used the wind to sprint to the man's side. A single, icy touch to his forehead was enough to freeze his head. Then Jack used his staff to smash the man's head to pieces all over the ground. When he turned to look at the gaping leader, his icy glare of warning was given again. He knew there was no such fealty given, but he didn't care about the lives of humans. A small white lie was usually all it took get what he wanted.
"There is no treasure there. I am merely fulfilling my end of a bargain. If you attack ANY village south of here…I will know!" Jack snarled. "And I will find all of you and do EXACTLY what I just did to this human here! Unlike me…all of you need to sleep…at some point…right?"
"We will not raid south!" the leader said with a touch of fear in him. Normally his mercenary crew would see this as weakness. They saw it, this time, as a wise decision.
"If you keep to your bargain, I may have need of you. And I will pay well. In fact, here…" Jack mused and tossed him a small ice diamond. "That is one of many that I have. Stick to your oath to me, and I may have further use of you."
"You kill one of my men and expect me to obey you?!" the leader spat.
"He was a nuisance. He tried to get in my way," Jack said dryly. That made the other men shift nervously. "I know why you all are raiding. I know what towns and villages you need to plunder. The ones south of you hold no meaning. They are merely trading towns. They provide food and supplies to your own village further north."
"Why didn't you just say so?!" the leader frowned.
"You wouldn't have listened," Jack grinned. That made the man pout. He knew he wouldn't have listened. "There may be a time that I might call on you to help defend…or even protect…someone that I value. I'm not sure yet. It may never come to that. But…here…"
A small fur was produced, and writing was now etched into the hide. On giving it to the man, the leader muttered, "What is this?"
"A contract. If I have need of you, I will hire your services. If I don't have need of you, the fur will become a pile of diamonds like the one you have in your possession. Agreed?"
"Agreed," the leader said with a stubborn nod. "What places do we go to next?"
"There is another raiding party to the west. They are heading in a colliding point to your village," Jack said sternly. "If you leave now, you'll confront them and wipe them out. They will not expect it."
"Our village?!" a man hissed.
"Break camp!" the leader shouted. When he looked back at Jack, the otherworldly being was already gone. Knowing he was still around, the man said, "For this knowledge, we will keep to your contract. We will not attack south, but west, where our would-be attackers have come from!"
Jack chuckled to himself, and he showed that the man was heard when the odd storm suddenly died down to nothing. It was always like clockwork. Take out one of them with a show of force and power. Then they buckled to my will. If anything, I only bought some time. He still had one other way to show how serious he was. Heading to an overlooked valley area where he knew any raider would try to slip in, he used his staff to raise up two giant mountains of ice. They would go unnoticed for quite some time, and he could even rest here to keep them chilled up when he wanted to be close to Jenna. Of course, raising two mountains of vast size and structure weakened him. He needed to recharge.
The mountains were three miles long and half a mile wide. Where they stopped was dense forest that was not safe for any human to go through. There was only one way through the mountains he made, and it would be treacherous for any man, carriage, or horse to get through. The chilling aura they gave off would even make many animals shy away. That and with the mountains being unnaturally cold, he knew they would wear down when they were no longer needed. As long as he lingered around them, they would stand through any of the hot months. Once he was sure they were fully stable, he had only one thought on his mind. I want to see Jenna.
Clifton was away at the blacksmith building. The two children were sleeping. Jenna was able to answer the door when he knocked on it. On seeing how he was struggling to stand, she gasped and moved to let him lean on her. He was grateful for the fur she wore around her shoulders.
"Jack! What happened?" she frowned.
"I created…two mountains…of solid ice…to protect this village…" he winced, and she helped him to a chair. "I can't show…how weak I am. I'll be fine…I just need an hour."
"Protect the village?" she frowned again, as she lightly caressed his cheek. He gasped and reached up to put his hand over hers. At first she expected his touch to freeze her. It did nothing this time. Jack could only blink at this. She was immune to me now?!
"You can withstand me?" he asked with bewilderment.
"I think…because of this pregnancy…" she whispered. He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. Again, she was right. But, he doubted it would be permanent after the baby was born.
"Clifton is at the smithy. The kids are sleeping," he muttered.
"Then why are you waiting?" she murmured, and he rose up to finally pull her close and kiss her the way he wanted to. This was the girl that should have been my bride. None other had ever touched my frozen heart so violently! He swallowed as she panted and removed her clothing for him. As he gazed at her, his hunger to claim her only got stronger.
"Are you cold?" he whispered.
"No," she said sternly, and he pulled her close. Once again, he let her teach him. She knew he had never done this with another. By the time it was over, he had no clue as to how much time had passed. He had started standing up with her. Now he was laying on a fur on the ground. She was nestled in his arms and snuggled into his chest. As much as he wanted to continue holding her, he had to check where Clifton was. Listening to the wind as a window slightly opened for him, his eyes widened.
"Jenna. Get dressed. Now!" he growled. "We have less than ten minutes!"
"What?" Jenna frowned.
"Clifton is on his way back with the blacksmith to talk to me," he muttered. They were dressed quickly, and the room was tidied up with her expert skills. She lay back in the bed, as he sat back in the chair. After a while, she got up to get the fire going again. It was here that Clifton walked in.
"Where's Jack?" he asked.
"Here," Jack smirked. "I thought you would look for me."
"There you are," McGreggor chuckled. "I was told about the storeroom. I will gladly help."
"Good. I quelled the raiders in the north. For now, at least," Jack grinned.
"Always a good thing," the burly man nodded.
"Raiders are not easy to convince," Clifton frowned.
"Easy to do when one of their own is set as an example for getting in my way," Jack said with a touch of rueful mischief. "Sometimes ice doesn't thaw very quickly…"
"Enough said," McGreggor said with a shake of his head.
"However, they may prove useful. I made a contract with them," he shrugged. "So, we may have neutral allies in the future."
"That's one way to see it," the blacksmith nodded. A round of ales were gotten, but Jack waved his mug off. He wasn't one to eat or drink. He did, however, chill the ales for the two men. This had them gaping at how much better it tasted.
"You should hire yourself out for doing this at local taverns," Clifton chuckled.
"That is a thought," Jack mused. "But…no. For all that, they could put their tankards alongside an open window. That does well enough."
"Until a thieving drunk learns how to steal in a quiet manner," McGreggor stated. Jack found himself grinning at that. "Anyways, I want to know about you. It's time."
"After the storeroom is built," he said.
"No. You said after I established myself. I have done that. I'll still help with the storeroom. This village clearly isn't done with my services yet."
"Very well," Jack said dryly. "What all has Clifton told you?"
"That you're the one that helped rid the area of wolves and protect the village," he said.
"Not very much, is it?" Jack grinned.
"I only told what I thought was safe in the open," Clifton muttered.
"Very wise," Jack nodded. "Well, Master McGreggor…you may know me as, oh…Father Winter. Of course, you can always call me Jack."
"You're the bringer of winter?!" the burly man gaped.
"Of course! How else would your wheels spin on ice?" Jack mused. "Of course, I don't really bring winter. I sort of, oh, help it along. I can appear in the other months. However, winter is where my powers are always at their peak. It's just harder to be around in the warmer months. Then again, if the place is always cold, that works, too."
"I never would have imagined," he sighed. "But…why protect this place?"
"Jenna owes me a debt. I saved her life. As for the debt, she is destined to give birth to a bride for me down the road. Could be tomorrow. Could be a hundred years from now. The moment the girl is born, I will whisk her away in what quiet solitude I'm able. Then I'll be done with your issues. Until I get bored again," Jack flashed a grin. "As it is, I need to get going. I have to check on the mess I caused to the northern raiders. Remind them of their place. Whatever suits my fancy."
"Right, right," McGreggor nodded. He wasn't going to get in the powerful being's way. When Jack left, he glared hard at his apprentice. "A debt?"
"Yes," Clifton sighed. "He has been helping us, though. Times would be tougher without him."
"Fine. Promise me something, then."
"Yes?"
"When this girl is born…and I have no doubt she would be born…" the man said. "If she comes to a time that she needs safety, bring her to me. I'd rather her be in my care than another's . I also know that Jack won't let her out of his sight. I'd rather he answer to me than force another to bend to his will. I can only shudder at what he did to the raiders! If he formed an alliance with them, then fine. But, I insist. I will care for the child, if something happens."
"I will definitely let Jack know when I see him again," his apprentice nodded. They rose up their chilled mugs and drank to it.