The Amazon was an amazing place. The animals teemed with life. It was magical. Except if you are trekking 3 miles of the tangled undergrowth to a top secret feminist headquarters to find the Spirit of Summer. Then the magic goes away some.
"I thought you said tunnel was close, Bunny. Why must we walk far if it's close?" North asked, panting slightly. It was too hot to be doing this 3 days from Christmas Eve. He might get sick, and that wouldn't be good. Bunny growled at the question.
"It was as close as Ah could get. This whole place is protected. Ah'm surprised none of the shelias have attacked yet. They don't like males comin' in their territory uninvited." Bunny snapped, boomerang ready. He had only met a group of the amazons once and he really didn't want to repeat it. A small noise caught his attention, causing his ears to swivel and him to stop. Scanning the area, he looked for anything out of the ordinary. Following his example, the others drew their weapons and looked around, anticipating a fight. Another small noise came, though its direction was unknown.
"I understand that you are the Guardians, one of the most important people in the spirit world, but that does not mean you can come into my territory uninvited." A girl's voice stated from the tree line. Bunny raised his hands in surrender.
"We're just here ta talk ta ya shelia. It's a spur of the moment, so we didn't send any notice first. Can ya come out so we can talk?" He called, trying to be the reasonable one, for once. There was a shuffling of leaves before she stepped out in front of them. Bunny could understand how no one saw her now. Her entire outfit was camouflaged for the Amazon. The only thing that could stand out was her red hair, which was pulled back into a braid.
"The only reason that I am even considering this is because Aira told me that you were coming. What do the Big Four want to talk to me about? I have done nothing wrong." Talayeh asked, leaning on her scepter.
"It has to do with Jack. Can we talk inside your home instead in the middle of the jungle?" Tooth answered, flying closer. Talayeh sighed and looked up at the sky.
"Almost sundown. Alright, you may come. But this needs to be quick. I am on a time crunch today." She decided, turning on her heel. She began to walk back into the jungle, stopping before she disappeared completely. "Well, follow me. I can't wait on you."
With that, the five spirits walked into the jungle.
They had finally reached the Amazon Headquarters and were now standing in the throne room, Talayeh seated on a throne made out of a living tree. A panther sat on her left side while a boa constrictor laid on her shoulders, its head at the base of her neck. Bunny was freaked out by the presence of the dangerous animals, but Talayeh seemed relaxed and the other amazons guarding the room didn't even blink.
"So what is so important that you forgot social protocol and intruded into my territory?" Talayeh asked once again, subconsciously petting the constrictor. The snake snuggled closer to her like a dog.
"Jack went missing about a week ago on season business. This isn't normal and we're worried that he may be hurt or kidnapped somewhere. Since you're the leader of the Season Council, we thought you may know where he went." Tooth responded, her hands clenched into fists. The guards had taken away all of their weapons upon entering the Throne Room. Though Talayeh had taken off her weapons belt and put her dagger in the collection dish as well, it didn't comfort the Guardians much. Seasonal spirits were powerful, especially the Spirits of the Seasons. A flick of the wrist and Talayeh could injure them like that. Talayeh snorted in a very unladylike way.
"Is that what this is about? You are worried for no reason. Jack is perfectly fine. I'm surprised that he didn't take more time off actually. He must have a good second in command. He will come back in a day or two, mattering on his recovery speed. Now run along. I have season business of my own to attend to. Besides, you shouldn't stay out too much longer. Today is going to be a dangerous night." An amazon walked over to the throne and handed Talayeh a stack of papers, along with a blue and white letter. It seemed that Talayeh was done talking, but that wasn't enough for Bunny. He was curious now.
"What do ya mean by dangerous? Ah know the seasonal don't like ta tell the rest of us anythin' but Jack is a part of our family and we are gonna need answers soon." Bunny demanded. Talayeh's eyes narrowed and she slowly put down the paper she was reading. The temperature in the room slowly started to rise, the Amazonian guards becoming antsy.
"Aster, are you demanding me to tell you information? Like I am just a regular spirit that bends to the Guardians? Because you are sadly mistaken if you think you can tell me what to do. I may not be as old as you, but I am stronger and you are in my home territory. So, I would watch your tone when talking to a Spirit of the Seasons. Jack is the most forgiving and nicest out of us. He is truly a child at heart. I, on the other hand, am an immortal warrior, the Queen of the Amazon, and the Spirit of Summer. I will not be ordered around." Talayeh threatened in a calm voice. Her eyes glowed green, one that spoke of power and age. All the Guardians were taken back and slightly scared by the words.
"You know, I was originally against Jack joining your group. I ordered him to immediately resign from his position and continue his duties as the Spirit of Winter." She stated suddenly. When they didn't respond, she continued. "He promised me that he could balance the duties and make sure they did not interfere with each other. At the time, we had made a deal that if he could do that and make sure that you kept a proper distance away from the rest of the community, he could stay with you. I had never seen Jack look so happy as he did when I agreed to it."
"Why are you telling us this?" Tooth asked. Talayeh turned towards her in a bored manner.
"I am making it clear to you the conditions for his continued work as a Guardian. You don't interfere with his duties or our community and he can do what he pleases. If they begin to interfere, he must resign. So, tread carefully from now on when you question our community and our ways. This is already strike two. Don't go looking for Jack and don't ask questions about the Seasonal Community. You may regret it if you do."
"Ah just want to know where he is and what happened to him. Ah don't want to know about the season community. Just tell me where the larkin is." Bunny pleaded.
Talayeh glanced at them before sighing. With a wave of her hand, the guards exited the room.
"What I am about to tell you must never leave this room. If I find out that any of you told a soul of this, I will find you and you will pay." She began as soon as the doors closed. They all nodded in agreement. "I don't know where exactly Jack is. What I do know is why he disappeared, and what he is doing."
"And what is that?" Tooth inquired. Petting the constrictor, Talayeh locked eyes with Tooth.
"He is doing what he does every year on this day. Today is the Winter Solstice, the single most important day to a winter sprite. And as the Spirit of Winter, he must throw the annual ball for his court. That's what he's been doing all week."
"What ball?"
"Why, the Winter Solstice Ball. Today is the day that winter rules the world indefinitely. No other elemental, seasonal, holiday or animal spirit would dare be caught out today." Talayeh paused. Smirking, she shrugged. "I do not know much else, but if the rumors are true, the Lord is in charge today. Which means that you should probably hurry home and just wait for Jack to come back."
"Who is the Lord? Why is everyone afraid of him?" North questioned, confused.
"You really know nothing about your winter child, do you? Well, at least he's obeying our rules. I am speaking of is the Lord of Misrule, a rumored winter spirit of immense power that only appears on the Winter Solstice when the Winter Stone is placed on the chosen person. Not much is known about them outside of the Winter Court, but that spirit is the reason that the other seasons hate winter so much. They play merciless pranks on the innocent and show the darker side of winter. Of course, it is pretty easy to guess who it is this year. Only the Spirit of Winter is allowed to handle the Winter Stone."
They all grew pale as the realized the implication of her words.
"So you mean the Jack is…."
"If the rumors are true, Jack will become the Lord of Misrule somewhere in the world like he has been for the past 200 years."
"What!" Tooth exclaimed. Talayeh shrugged her shoulders.
"This is all speculation of course. I know no more about the Winter Court than what is necessary like they do not know about my court than what is necessary. Secrecy between the courts is almost as bad as it is between us and the rest of the world." She reminded them. Bunny scowled. Why was there so much secrecy between and around the seasons? What were they hiding?
"So ya don't even know if it's true." He summarized. Talayeh gave him a look that said she knew more than she was saying.
"I never asked Jack about his court's customs. As long as the damage is contained to tonight, I don't really care about the so-called Lord of Misrule. But you seemed worried for some reason."
Tooth walked ahead of everyone and kneeled. Talayeh looked at her with interest. "Please tell us what you know of the ball. We want to find Jack." Tooth asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's very dangerous." Talayeh warned again. Tooth didn't budge. Talayeh looked back at her pets and closed her eyes.
"The ball begins at sundown. Once the ball begins, the Spirit of Winter puts on the Winter Stone. I will warn you, though, it won't be easy to talk to Jack once the ball begins. The Winter Court does not like to be disturbed." Talayeh informed them, still looking through the pile of work. Picking up the blue and white letter, she read through it quickly and nodded. "So she did decide to do it right. That's good. I hope she has the potion on her still." She muttered. Bunny raised his eyebrow at the letter. It had the symbol of a snowflake on it, one that seemed vaguely familiar.
"So do you know where he is?" North asked. Talayeh thought for a moment.
"Somewhere cold most likely."
Bunny scowled. "Well that narrows it down ta the whole world 'cause it's bloody winter!"
"No," Talayeh retorted. "It's only winter in the Northern hemisphere. I am ruling the Southern hemisphere. But on the Winter Solstice, all bets are off. I've told all my spirits to stay at their location and not engage in any fights. Many are going to be coming here for the night. Fall sprites are already taken care of. And I am sure May has already told her spirits to watch out."
Tooth sighed. "Do have any clue on how to find him?"
"Most likely in the Northern Hemisphere. They need a remote location for discreetness. With so many winter spirits there, there will no doubt be a snowstorm surrounding the place. You'll know it when you find it." Talayeh described. "That's all I know. Now run along. You only have so much time."
"Thank you, Talayeh. We will remember this. If you ever need anything-" Tooth started to say before Talayeh interrupted.
"I want to handle Jack's introduction ball. As well as any training he is taking. I want to be in charge of all of it. I don't want any recognition for it. You can claim it a Guardian function. That would help Jack tremendously. But I want to have final say, and decide who gets to help." She ordered. The Guardians were slightly shocked at this. It was like she knew they were going to offer her a favor.
"Why do ya want ta handle it if ya don't want ta take any credit?" Bunny asked suspiciously. Talayeh petted the snake once more.
"Us seasonals have certain…traditions when it comes to introduction balls and how to train the person for it. Since Jack is a Season first and a Guardian second, we must have our traditions in there. A non-seasonal would just butcher them. So, I will handle those aspects. You are all welcome to help me, but Jack must follow our traditions in every way or he will be looked down upon in our society and even lose his spot on our Council. And he has gone through too much to chance his seat." Talayeh explained.
"Jack is a Guardian first!" North protested. Sandy looked at both sides skeptically. Talayeh had a point. He knew that seasonals had many different traditions and rules, and they knew none of them. Jack might be expecting these things. Maybe it was better that Talayeh handled the ball. If what she was hinting at was true, then she threw a ball for seasonal sprites every year on the Summer Solstice since she became the Spirit of Summer. She knew everything that they would need. Talayeh's laughed.
"Oh Saint North, you are a joy to be around. Jack barely joined the Guardians 6 months ago. He has been the Spirit of Winter for 2 centuries now and has been in our culture for even longer. Being a winter sprite is what makes him Jack Frost." She retorted. Her smile grew a little dark. "Do you know what Jack would be if he wasn't a seasonal anymore?"
Tooth stepped forward daringly. "He would be a Guardian." This response made Talayeh smirk.
"No, my dear. He would not. Jack knows why he needs to act like a seasonal and follow our rules. He knows the consequence if he turns his back on us. He has had to punish many who have." Talayeh answered darkly. "I am tired of your conversations. You have my request. You have all the information I can give you. Leave." The vine doors opened with a burst of warm summer wind, indicating that their audience with the Spirit of Summer was over. Walking out, they headed back to the pole to narrow down their searching grounds. It was time to find Jack and save him from becoming the Lord of Misrule this year.
North paced up and down the floor of the Globe Room. They had transformed the Globe into a color-coded map, trying to find possible places Jack could be. They had finally cleared North America and all of the islands on the Northern Hemisphere and were now looking through some of the remote places in Europe. Of course, they had to take shifts since they couldn't stand cold temperatures long. North stared at the Globe in frustration. They had been at it for 2 hours now, past the sunset deadline, but they had hope that if Jack saw it was them, he could be reasoned with. As he turned to start pacing again, a hole appeared in the middle of the floor and Bunny hopped out, shaking off some snow.
"Ah think Ah found him, North. It's hard ta tell. Couldn't get close enough with all the snow blowin'. But it feels like every winter sprite in the world is right there." Bunny announced as he sat by the fireplace, trying to warm himself. The yetis in the room soon brought him a wool blanket and a cup of hot tea, since he couldn't have chocolate. North turned towards Bunny, relief on his face.
"Where?"
"Serbian Tundra, mate. Right on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, straight dab in the middle. No human in their right mind would even try and go there in the dead of winter. Ah saw it from afar on a quick look around." Bunny stated, drinking some of the tea. North nodded and looked back at the globe. After pressing a few buttons, he finally zeroed in on a particularly giant snowstorm in the middle of the Serbian tundra near the Arctic Ocean.
"I'll call the others. We'll take sleigh and make our way there." North stated, flicking the Aurora Borealis on. The shimmery lights covered the night sky as North turned to get the sleigh prepared. They had found Jack.
30 minutes later, the rest of the Guardians had finally arrived at the pole and were getting ready to take off. After explaining the situation, they decided to dress as warm as possible so that they wouldn't freeze to death. Tooth was bundled up in several layers of jackets and coats, making her almost too heavy to fly. North was in a similar style, making the burly Russian look even bigger. Even Bunny had decided to wear a coat just in case. Of course, they couldn't do anything about his paws freezing over, but at least they could try and keep his core temperature up. The only one who didn't apply more layers was Sandy, seeing that he was made out of sand.
They all climbed into the sleigh, Bunny in the very back, holding on to the railing for dear life, and North cracked the reins. The reindeer took off and started building speed as they raced through the tunnels. Bunny slid lower in his seat, as did Tooth who wasn't really used to flying in the sleigh as she had wings and wasn't one for crazy tricks. North yelled in excitement as they left the ramp and took off in the air.
"Ok Bunny, you know where place is. Look around and direct." North instructed as he headed towards the Serbian tundra. Bunny groaned and shook his head.
"Ya tryin' ta kill me, Ah know it." he muttered, slowly looking over the edge for any landmarks that could direct them. "It's on an island between the Barents and Kara Seas. More on the northern coast, about 2 miles inland from the Barents Sea. Ya know it when ya see it. Giant snowstorm around the whole area. Only snowstorm Ah ran into the whole night."
Tooth scrunched her eyebrows at this comment. "You're right. The whole time I was looking, not a single snowstorm or even flurry. It was really calm. Too calm from what the Spirit of Summer was describing." Sandy nodded in agreement, a question mark appearing over his head.
"Ah don't know Sandy, but we're about ta find out." Bunny answered, still slightly sick. North grunted in agreement.
"Sooner is better. Buckle up!"
"Stop saying that bloody expression if ya don't have seatbelts!" The sleigh sped off to the Serbian tundra once again, going faster than what was considered humanly possible, to get back Jack Frost.
This one didn't need as much editing surprisingly, besides you know, me dissecting and putting back together two different chapters in a completely different order so that they could flow better. The reboot is almost complete and I am so excited! Like the inspiration is really flowing now that I am constantly editing these chapters. And since school is ending, I will have more time to do this stuff, which is going to be great when I am not traveling. Next chapter will be on the usual Saturday update time. Um, I think that is all I wanted to say. As always, review and ciao snowflakes!