Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of the Guardian characters, places, or references. I do own Treddian Breeze, May Flowers, Aira, and Talayeh Sun. And the plot. Enjoy.
It was one of the few times that the Guardians were visiting each other for the fun of it. Sure, they were stopping to smell the roses more, but Tooth's job was still 24/7 and it was always night somewhere to spread dreams for Sandy. And now that it was September, North was getting ready for the Christmas rush by holing himself up in the shop for more inspiration and designs. Jack was also starting to get ready for the coming winter. Even Bunny was working on Easter Prep for next spring. But they had all agreed to try and meet at least once a month to spend time with each other. No business. No meetings. Just the enjoyment of company.
And they were having fun too. Well, for the most part. About an hour in, the youngest member of the group suddenly flew out of the window, claiming to have 'urgent business for the seasons'. How he had suddenly gotten this business when he was talking to them, they didn't question. They were starting to learn that Jack either couldn't or didn't want to talk about his job with the seasons. Besides, they all saw Jack on a weekly basis and spent quality alone time with him. So, there was no guilt about letting him get out of this family time. And he was pretty excited when he left….
"Ah'm tellin' ya North. That larkin was too happy when he left. He's up ta no good." Bunny commented, taking a sip of his eggnog. Of course, this was all playful for Bunny. From the way Jack bounded out of the room without a smirk towards his direction told Bunny that he wasn't going to be the victim this time. But that didn't mean that the Guardians weren't cautious. After all, they had seen that glint in his eyes too many times now.
"You don't give the boy enough credit, Bunny. Jack won't do anything-" North's words died on the tip of his tongue as several blurs flew through the still opened window and chased each other around the globe and sitting room.
"I'm going to kill you Frost!" A high pitched screeched echoed through the room, followed by laughter.
"Come on Flowers, take a joke! You look amazing with that color! Brings out your eyes!"
A blast of cool air went through the room, separating the blurs and making them visible.
"Calm down both of you! If anyone should be angry, it is me." The wind roared. Now that everyone had stopped moving, it was clear what exactly Jack had done. He was on the far side of the room with a huge smirk on his face, red, orange, black, pink, and purple paint on his hands. Directly across from him was May Flowers. Except that she didn't look like the Spirit of Spring was supposed to. In fact, she looked like a fall child. He usual pastel colored hair was now a pumpkin orange and her girly clothes were replaced with farmer clothes of orange, red, and brown. And there was orange and black paint all over her face and arms. She looked down right murderous.
In between the two was a sprite that most of the Guardians didn't see often. Treddian Breeze. Though, his usual red Henley, denim Levi's, and hiking boots were replaced with what looked like bright purple tights, a green frilly shirt, and green flats. His usual goldish auburn hair was now a hot pink with purple highlights. Like May, he had paint on his face and arms, except that they were pink and purple. Treddian looked extremely annoyed and tired.
"Why do you get to be angry with that imbecile and I don't?" May demanded, still yelled. Treddian shot her a dirty look.
"Because tomorrow is my equinox and I look like a spring sprite that has an addiction to pink. So shut it May, because I am so not in the mood for your crap." The breeze hissed. Jack's eyes widened slightly and he started to edge towards the door so that he could make a run for it. The date had slipped his mind. But now Treddian, the most peaceful one out of them, was going to kill him. Sadly, the wind wasn't being helpful and just pushed him back. "Really Jack? The day before my equinox? I get it; it's a tradition to mess with us, but I don't have time for this. Do you know how much work needs to be done today and now your little prank put me behind schedule. How would you like it if May messed with you the day before your solstice?"
Jack shrank back like a child being lectured and rubbed the back of his neck. The guardians were confused on what was going on, but they knew what needed to be done. At least, North did.
"Jack! Get down here this instant!" He called, anger slipping into his voice. He may not know what the situation was, but from how the Spirit of Autumn was talking, it sounded like Jack had pranked him the day before his own Christmas. Jack reluctantly flew down to the ground. The two other seasons followed in suit.
"Hey guys. Long time no see?" Jack half joked as the four looked at him expectantly. Tooth looked about ready to yell at him, Sandy was giving him a pointed look, and Bunny looked downright amused at the whole situation. But it was North that Jack couldn't make eye contact with. The Cossack was looking at him with such…disappointment.
"What did you do Jack?" North questioned. May crackled at the scene in front of her before Treddian elbowed her in the ribs.
"Saint North. Jack was just carrying out a tradition in the Seasonal Community. He just took it a little too far this time. We are sorry for disturbing you but Jack took off and May chased him. I had to stop them from fighting. I am so sorry. We will leave now." Treddian apologized with the wind. May gave him a look of indignity.
"I am not sorry! You got off lucky Treddian! That paint will come out sooner or later. He painted me with your leaf paint! Don't think I don't know how long that lasts!" May yelled at her polar. Treddian's eyes widened slightly before cracking up. His laughter filled the room. Jack cracked a smile at that. So Treddian did have a sense of humor.
"You did what?!" Tooth exclaimed, finally done holding back. Jack shrank back.
"It's a season thing! We do this to each other all the time. I mean, I've gotten pranked by some of Treddian's followers and May's maidens come after me all the time! They even get back at me too!" Jack defended himself. Tooth rubbed her temples.
"Jack you- ugh I can't- you know-ugh." Tooth took a deep breath. "Jack, you're grounded. For a week."
Silence filled the air before several things happened at once. Both May and Bunny fell on the ground laughing, Treddian looked satisfied with the decision, Jack looked at Tooth with shock, and the balcony doors burst open with a gust of wind.
"You can't ground me!" Jack argued, his face flushing blue.
"They can't but I can Lord Frost." A bell like voice called from the balcony doors. They all turned to find Aira standing there, decked in paint as well. Jack paled.
"H-hey Aira. That's a nice look. It really brings out your eyes." He nervously stuttered. Aira came closer to where you could see that she was covered in orange, purple, red, and green paint, staining her white dress and ribbons. Her face was stoic but there was an unnatural fire in her eyes that the Spirit of the Wind shouldn't have.
"I expected better out of you Lord Frost. My dress is now stained and my dear friends are angry. You are grounded for a week. You will not be able to summon the wind or use it in anyway. This is your punishment. Though I am sure Talayeh will give you an additional one once she-" Aira cut herself off, but continued to have a stern tone in her voice. "Once she is able to carry out her duty as the leader of the Seasons Council."
"But Air-"
"I will take my leave now. I have to wash my clothes and hair now. Maybe I will get new ones. Goodbye Lord Frost. I will see you in one week." Aira dismissed, before disappearing in a strong gust of wind. May coughed, bringing everyone's attention back to her and Treddian.
"Well, I have to go too. I must get this pain off of me somehow. And Aira's punishment seems good enough…for now. Have fun being grounded Frost!" She stated, smirking slightly. Then, nothing was left except for a bundle of Amaryllis where she stood. Bunny scoffed and picked up the bundle.
"Ah don't know if it's for ya or her, but the shelia has a sense of humor. Here ya go, Frostbite." Bunny stated, tossing the bouquet at Jack. Jack caught it effortlessly but seemed miserable. Treddian smiled and walked over to the balcony.
"Now that that's settled, I must be going. The fall equinox only happens once a year and I still have so much to do." There was a paused and a small smile. "Starting with getting this paint and hideous outfit off. See you in a week, Jack. Have fun." With that, the fall sprite took off into the air, heading towards Manchester, England. Bunny scowled at the fading dot in the sky. That guy was too nice and formal for his own good. And the fact that he depended on Aira more than the others annoyed him slightly. Aira had enough trouble as it was, with trying to adjust to the new way of society and how the world worked today.
"So, I cannot fly, jump, glide, or use the wind in any way for a week?" Jack asked, looking at the ground with a dazed expression.
"It seems like that Sweet Tooth. Don't worry; the week will go by fast." Tooth responded, patting his shoulder gently. The Jack got the same mischievous smirk and gleam in his eyes as before.
"Well, I guess if I'm stuck at the pole for a week, I might as well try out a few more 'surprises' that I had planned for May and Treddian. I'm sure the elves and yetis won't mind." He commented innocently before running out of the room. "This is going to be so much fun!"
North groaned and rubbed his temples. He should have known that this was going to backfire on him. Now, instead of letting Jack roam around the world and see the other Guardians, the hyperactive teen was stuck at the workshop with nothing to do. This wasn't going to be a good week at all. Bunny chuckled and patted the Cossack on the shoulder.
"that's what ya get for literally groundin' the boy. Now ya stuck with him. Looks like Ah'm gonna get a peaceful week to take care of the Warren. Have fun, Daddy North." Bunny jabbed, tapping the ground twice before disappearing in a tunnel, leaving a single stephanotis in place. North sighed and looked around to find that both Sandy and Tooth had disappeared. Then a series of crashes and yells echoed through the building followed by a familiar 'Sorry!'. Yep, long week indeed.
Well, that wasn't how the chapter supposed to end. Awkward. So, here is the next segment. This just came to me when I was thinking of the weird things seasonal sprites do. A piece of news that you might be interested in is that I have created a tumblr blog dedicated to the universe this story takes place in. I will be putting commentary up of what some of the characters were actually thinking, why it happened, and basically explain each chapter a little more. There will also be things on 'A Snowstorm of Secrets', the main story that this prequels. You will also see the face behind the story every Wednesday when I answer reviews or questions. The link will be on my profile since I can't place it in here. The blog is called 'A Snowstorm of Secrets'. So, come check it out! Review and Ciao snowflakes.
