Jack collapsed in exhaustion as Jokul set her down in the now empty ice palace. They had just finished spreading winter, ending it with the rising of the sun on December 22nd, the end of the Winter Solstice in the mind of the Winter Court. All of the other winter sprites had gone to their territories, planning on enjoying the newly caused snowstorms and blizzards. Jack had used a majority of her power reserve in the past night because of the hype. The only thing keeping her conscious was the Winter Stone. Jokul sighed and sat down in a nearby chair.
"Milady, your job isn't done. You still have to dismantle the palace and rest yourself before going back to the Guardians, as you promised." He reminded her, tiredness in his voice.
A yawn escaped her lips. "I'm tired. Help me." She held her arms up pitifully like she wasn't able to get up herself. Jokul sighed and stood up, grabbing one of her arms. She probably couldn't get up in her state. She would just fall back down. Lifting her up, he slung the arm around his shoulders and wrapped one of his around her waist.
"Come on, Lady Frost. Let's take you to the bedroom. I assume you can undress yourself."
"mmmm?"
"I'm taking that as a yes." They began to make their way to the bedroom, a room designed for this purpose. Opening the door carefully, Jokul set down the frost princess on the bed and removed what was left of the accessories, including the Winter Stone. Jack moaned as she lost contact with the gem, the tiredness seeping into her core. Jokul rolled his eyes and helped her out of the jacket and vest. This was a far as he would go, leaving her modesty in place. "Let me go fetch your staff. I will come check on you in 12 hours with a change of clothes. Hopefully, you will be recovered by then."
"Jokul?" He turned around and looked at the girl lying down in the bed, looking both like a boy and girl.
"Yes, Milady?"
"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you." She mumbled, turning over so that she was face first in the blankets. Jokul chuckled.
"Neither do I, Milady. Let's hope we don't have to find out. Now, I am going to get your staff. Please do not die while I am gone. It would be a hassle to explain that to the Guardians AND find another Spirit of Winter." Walking away, he chuckled. This was going to be an interesting journey with Lady Frost.
When Jack woke up, she was confused. The last thing she remembered was the snowstorm over Colorado that she had summoned. Now, she was in a bedroom made of ice and snow, in an extremely comfortable bed. Looking down, she was still wearing the pants and white shirt of her outfit, though the vest and jacket had disappeared. And yet, she was still wearing the fancy cape thing. Ripping it off, she threw her legs off the edge of the bed and hopped off, intent on finding other clothes. She didn't have to look far. On a chair, right next to her staff, was a pair of jeans and a gray hoodie with the words 'Let It Go' in blue and snow falling in the background. There was a note, with such familiar handwriting; Jack could have picked it out of a lineup.
Lady Frost,
So you have awakened before I have arrived. I have left you a change of clothes and your staff like promised. My suggestion would be to check on your Guardians first. But please remember to dismantle the castle in the next couple of days. The last thing we need is for summer to roll around and mortals discover it. Thank you.
Your loyal knight,
Jokul Frosti
Jack smiled slightly and put the note down, grabbing the extra pair of clothes instead. Might as well get dressed and head over. Quickly changing, Jack felt almost normal with the jeans and hoodie. Everything was hidden and comfy. Now if only she could find similar pants from before…. Shaking her head, Jack grabbed her staff and jumped out the window, letting the wind carry her for a moment.
"Ok Wind, take me to the pole!" She shouted, glad to be fully aware of where she was going. As she passed over the arctic, she started coming up with some filter answers that she could tell the Guardians. Nothing is to be revealed. Rule number uno of being a seasonal and still being out in the world. Be vague about what really goes on in the community. Because someone will find out and tell the Council. And then the Council will have to deliver punishment, like promised. That was the first and most important rule you learned when you become a season. Everything is secrecy. Because, if the rest of the spirit world betrayed them once, they would do it again.
Swooping in through the always open window, Jack landed in the main room of the pole to find the rest of the Guardians waiting for him, except North who was on overdrive for Christmas. Only 2 more days till the big day, so Jack wasn't expecting on seeing him till actual Christmas Day when the Guardians were supposedly going to get together and exchange gifts. Jack had gotten all of theirs months ago, but she was still slightly apprehensive about the whole thing. After all, this was going to be her first real Christmas since she was human, which was exactly why the Guardians wanted to have it. Tooth and Bunny immediately stood up.
"Is this some kind of intervention or something? Because if it is, I request ice cream. Rocky road, of course." Jack asked, smiling at them. They all shared a look.
"Sit down Jack, please." Tooth asked, gesturing to the nearby chair that they were all facing. Jack's grin fell off her face. It really was an intervention.
"I don't think I will. What is this about?" She asked, hovering above them now. Bunny crossed his arms.
"We just got some questions for ya, mate. Things aren't addin' up and we want to make sure ya ok." Bunny stated, not making eye contact with her. Jack narrowed her eyes.
"Questions? We already talked about your so called questions Bunny. And you promised not to worry about it anymore. Besides, your questions got you in trouble in the past. Care to tell everyone about your misadventure around the world that led to you being hogtied by a group of girls this summer?" Jack shot back. She had never gotten around to talking to Bunny about disturbing Talayeh and snooping around. This seemed like a good time. Bunny's eyes widened.
"How do ya know about that?"
Jack snorted. "Come on Bun-Bun. Us seasonals do talk when someone trespasses on one of our turfs. It didn't help that you caught Talayeh at a bad time. I'm surprised she didn't skin you and make a new rabbit skirt out of it." Jack informed him, landing on top of the globe. He walked in the opposite direction of the spin, making it look like he was standing in the same place. Tooth shot a glare at Bunny.
"What did you do?" she hissed, causing Bunny to pull off one of the guiltiest kid looks Jack had ever seen. His ears even flattened against his head.
"Oh, nothing much. Just decided to wander into my territory without a proper invitation and then proceeded to demand to see a person that is under my protection, along with going behind Jack's back for information." A familiar voice replied from the still opened window. Jack looked up in surprise to see that Talayeh was leaning against the farthest wall.
"Wow! A summer sprite this far north right after the Winter Solstice? Apparently I didn't do my job well enough." Jack said, jumping from the globe to the control panel. She sat down and leaned on her staff. Talayeh gave her a knowing smile and held her hand up in a greeting, the amulet on her bracelet sparkling in the light. Jack nodded in understanding. So the bracelets do work. Better than she thought, at least.
"No, you did a pretty good job, Frost. I almost passed out flying over Canada just now." Talayeh stated, walking towards the group. Bunny immediately tensed, a growl at the back of his throat. He did not like the girl, from what happened yesterday. "I'm just here to discuss the favor I wanted from the Guardians. You know, technicalities and all." Jack raised an eyebrow as Bunny let out the growl.
"The information was tainted. Jack wasn't in any danger. Ya led us on a wild goose chase 'round half the world!" Bunny snarled at her. She gave him an innocent look.
"I do not know what you are talking about, Bunnymund." She said, tilting her head. Jack snorted.
"Cut the crap, Sunshine. They found the palace yesterday and told me about your little 'Lord of Misrule' gambit you fed them." Talayeh deflated slightly at the winter child's words.
"You could have played along, Frost." She sat, down in the empty chair and looked at one of the elves. The elf gulped and ran away, probably to get eggnog. "But my information I provided you was good."
"What are ya talkin' about! Ya-"
"You asked me where Jack was and what he was doing." Talayeh interrupted, eyes glinting. Jack smirked. This was going to be an interesting conversation. "The rest was just interesting tidbits that you would have heard from any other seasonals if you asked. The information you asked for was as much as I could give you. More than I should have, actually. If this were to get out to others, besides Jack, I would have to be punished. And my punishment would be severe, wouldn't it Jack?" The question directed to Jack had a threatening undertone, causing Jack to become confused. What else did they talk about when they visited the Amazon?
"Yeah, I would say. The worst thing the community could do to a seasonal. Well second worse. And I would hate to do that to you, Sunshine. Even if you did tell then to crash my party, your still a good leader and I would have a hard time doing that." Jack answered. Death was always a better option than total exile. At least Mortica would lessen the pain after a while. To have your powers taken away and fall from grace made a permanent mark on you. Most exiles were placed into the nuthouse by humans, for their ramblings of the spirit world.
"What would your punishment be?" Tooth asked, sitting in a chair again. Jack and Talayeh looked at each other knowingly before shrugging.
"It's a seasonal thing." They answered in sync. Sandy blew stream out of his ears at this. Everything seemed to be a seasonal thing. Bunny grunted and sat back down. Talayeh smirked once again.
"This isn't why I'm here, though. I am here to talk to you about that favor." Talayeh restated, leaning forward. Jack was still confused about this but she said nothing. She wasn't going to find out if she kept on interrupting Talayeh.
"You said that our favor to you would be for you to have total control of Jack's introduction ball. Why do you want that? I mean, we are a little hesitant to give you reign but you can have it. It's just that most people-"
"Want the Guardians to do their dirty work or look the other way when they do something wrong." Talayeh continued for Tooth. Tooth nodded in confirmation. "I don't need you to turn the other cheek. The seasonal community is held at a different standard the rest of the spirit world. We aren't scared of the Guardians, nor do we need you to handle any of our problems. That is why we have the Seasons Council. What I really needed was to make sure that Jack's introduction ball is held like a member of the Council's should be. After all, he is a seasonal first and a Guardian second, right Jack?"
Jack froze at her question. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, making her choose a side to take. The only answer was that Talayeh was right; she was a seasonal first. But she wanted to be a Guardian so bad. How would they react if she said that? They could kick her out. She would be alone again. The seasons weren't a family; just a group of acquaintances that she could call upon if things went life threatening. She couldn't lose her family or the beginning of a family. Talayeh rose an eyebrow at Jack's non-existent response.
"Um…I…can we not get into this right now? I'm exhausted from the Winter Solstice. So, Sunshine is going to be in charge of my introduction ball? I assume I need to put you in contact with Jokul to discuss the Winter Court's demands for it too?" Jack managed to finally get out. Talayeh nodded, choosing not to comment on Jack's sudden subject change.
"That would be excellent, really. I would also like to be in touch with North, after Christmas of course. He was going to be the one to put it on before me, right?" Talayeh replied. Jack nodded and looked at her staff skeptically. She was able to summon Jokul at will but she didn't know how to make it so other people could summon him.
"I'll call Jokul so he can figure out how to get in contact with you. And I'm sure once North is done with Christmas, he will be able to keep in contact with you and help out. Is that all?" Jack asked, feeling the tension in the room rising the more Talayeh stayed there. She was quiet for a moment before standing up.
"For now. I will talk to you and Jokul later, Frost. Now, I have some work to do. Have a merry Christmas, Guardians. Goodbye, Jack." Talayeh jumped out of the window before anyone could stop her. Tooth looked worried for a minute before remembering the connection between the wind and the seasons.
"Well, I should go too. After all, the Winter Solstice only marks the big beginning of winter. A lot of things to do now. You guys probably have things to do too, so I won't see you until Christmas Day most likely." Jack informed them, standing up and heading towards the window.
"Jack! Wait!"
Jack turned around and looked at Tooth, who had stood up and was looking at her with worried eyes. "What?"
"Does being a seasonal really come first to you?"
Jack's heart beat against her chest wildly. She really didn't want to answer the question, but if they were making her, she had to answer it correctly. Sighing, she sat down on the control panel again. "You can't ask me that and expect the answer you want, Tooth. If you are comparing the two side by side, then yes. Being a seasonal will always come first."
"Why?"
"It's really complicated, and I can't explain it all." Jack started, trying to think her way through this. She had one shot to get it right. "Really, comparing the two groups are like comparing apples and bananas. And I don't mean oranges. I mean bananas because they are just that different from each other."
When the others didn't respond, Jack continued. "The Guardians are something that you are chosen for, something that would be considered destiny if you believe in destiny. Being a seasonal is something that you are born into. You have no choice in the manner. I am a seasonal like North is Russian. It's a part of my identity, a part of my very center of being. I wouldn't be Jack Frost if I wasn't a winter sprite."
"So you can't escape." Tooth summed up. Jack shrugged.
"Not really. There are some spirits that live on the fringes of the society and only mix with certain people and we leave them alone for the most part as long as they don't cause trouble or break the major rules. But I don't have that option. I am the Spirit of Winter; the Winter Seat on the Council. I have responsibilities to my court and so I have to follow the rules. And I can't turn my back on my court." She answered.
"So they will always be ya first choice?" Bunny asked. Jack looked down.
"I hope I never have to choose. Being a seasonal makes me Jack Frost, but being a Guardian makes being Jack Frost worth it. I am able to help people, children, as a Guardian, something that isn't a priority as a seasonal. You guys picked me, took me in, and gave me a family. The seasonals watch each other's back, sure, but we aren't a family. So, I can't choose." Looking up, she locked eyes with Bunny. "Choosing between being a Guardian or a Seasonal would end up with me losing half of my very being either way. So please, don't make me choose."
The room fell into silence at her last words. Jack kept her eyes on Bunny, making it clear that she was waiting for him to answer the unspoken question. The longer time passed, the more she began to regret telling them the truth. Maybe she should have just lied. Told them what they wanted to hear. But what was the point of lying to them if she wanted them to trust her? The moments dragged by until finally Bunny stood up and walked towards her. Putting a paw on her shoulder, he snorted.
"Like we would make ya choose. Frostbite, ya a Guardian for life, no matter what else ya are." He said casually. Jack felt joy shoot through her and she gave him a small smile. Bunny quickly dropped his paw, shivering slightly. Standing up, Jack stretched.
"Thanks. For understanding I mean." She replied quietly. Looking at the other two, she gave them a grin. "Now, I do have some actual things to do. You know, places to be, snowball fights to start. Bye, guys!" Zipping out, Jack disappeared from their line of vision. Bunny stared after the young spirit. That was the second time this weird jolt of cold and happiness had shot through him when he made contact with Jack. Maybe Jack was just having some excess power bursts and he was absorbing it. He glanced down at his paw in confusion. Yeah, that is what it had to be.
And we have finally made it to chapter 12! Thank god! All revisions are done and now we have caught up with where we were before I couldn't stand reading my own writing. It has been interesting to look back at the previous chapters and see my train of thought but I'm happy to present to you guys with brand new material. For fun, try and connect the dots and see if you can figure out what exactly is happening with Bunny. As always, review and ciao snowflakes!
