As for the history of Guardians of Childhood, I would say read the books. Unfortunately, most people would rather wait for the movie. While, eventually, Jamie Bennett's debut book series will get published, it won't make it to the silver screen until several years after his death. In fact, the most unlikely person produces and directs it it. His first born son. Later, you will see why it was so incredibly unlikely that this was the career path his son took (even though any critic will eventually call the man a genius). So, waiting for the movie is unlikely. And, unfortunately, the book series didn't gain the popularity it deserved.

If I could, I would sum their stories up for you. I would, but it would take a whole chapter of this story. Several chapters, in fact. I could have a chapter for each Guardian and former Guardian. I could have several for Pitch Black alone. But, as you know, this isn't their story. It is Jack Frost's. Actually, it isn't even his anymore. It's his afterlife. And, since he is no longer a Guardian of Childhood, the other Guardian's stories would have no effect on this one. So, like Jackson Overland Frost, you're going to have to read the books.

But, since he's lucky and lives with the author he doesn't have to wait for them to come out. He is able to look over Jamie Bennett's notes and listen to audio recordings and finally have the whole story (or as much as Jamie Bennett knows because even the Guardians left a few details out). And Jamie Bennett has no patience to explain everything or sum it up, so he just let Jack Frost have at it.

Even if life for him has been rather quiet, he was not one to complain. In all honesty, he had a few lifetimes of adventure and he was fine with finally settling down. He was content with the mundane. But, if you knew magic like Jack did, you would know that magic didn't always disappear when it was disregarded. In fact, magic clung to the boy in a different way than it did when he was a winter spirit.

Sometimes, it would nudge Jack to remind him it was there. Simple things, like when his friend's dragon, Toothless, would fly them without command to a remote location that had so clearly been a dragon's den. Or Rapunzel's magical hair or flower would glow when she so much as hummed a certain tune. And Merida, who had clearly been haunted by something in her past (Jack and Jamie speculated it had to do with this "Mor'du" she had mentioned last year, but there was no lore on him that they could find).

Of course, this wasn't Jack's magic. This was the magic that clung to his friends. His magic came in the form of frequent Immortal sightings and several visits. Cupid, every now and then when he was in the area. Jack wasn't sure if he appreciated the visits, in all honestly. Cupid wanted to hear about how his and Sophie's relationship was going and Jack would rather not share the gory details Cupid so wanted to hear. He had come across a few fairy sightings in their courtyard during the summer, but they decided to cross the veil back into their realm when it started getting colder. They liked to play pranks, but Jack knew their games. He would trick them before they had a chance to trick him. Of course, this only ticked them off more and he had to make sure his window was shut tight and locked to make sure they didn't get him while he slept.

Every now and again, when he felt so much like his old self, he would let out a puff of cold air that would cloud before him. A reminder that Jack Frost hadn't left him completely and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Because he still couldn't make it snow, he still couldn't form ice, and he still had a warm body. He wasn't Jack Frost any more and these reminders wore on him.

It was October now and he hoped this would be the last big reminder of who he was and how powerless he really was. It started while he was at work, and it was the last place he really wanted it to start. It was the start of his involvement, anyway. Merida had inadvertently dragged Hiccup into this. Yes. This was because of Merida and her place in his story. Because her story was just as important as his, perhaps more-so since lives were actually in danger.

It happened to be fate that he remembered to bring his cell phone to work that day and it happened to be destiny that it was actually charged for once. He was sure if he didn't have it on him, Merida and Hiccup could have been killed. Or they would have brought Jamie or Sophie into it, and that was not what he wanted to happen.

Merida called Jack while he sat in the back with a can of soda, just about to finish up and head back into the play room. His phone sang Frank Sinatra at him and he took a moment to listen to it. Fly Me to the Moon played and he hummed a few cords before pulling the device from his pocket to look at the caller ID. Merida. It was strange because she rarely actually called him. If she was going to hang out, she would send him a text asking where he was and just show up whenever.

He was wondering why she was calling at noon on a Friday when he remembered she was on a long weekend camping trip with Hiccup. Since she had learned of his proficiency while outdoors, she finally had a partner to camp with. She was so excited. They went away often, sometimes with their friends, sometimes with just each other.

He picked up. "Hello?"

"Jack!" she breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear the panic in her voice. His brow creased with worry. "I did something incredibly stupid."

"You didn't—"

"Last week."

God damn it. "Merida—!"

"We don't have time for this! Jack, we need you to call Stoick and bring Toothless to us." Merida explained.

Jack could hear Hiccup demand the phone and there was static transfer and he was now speaking with the boy. "Listen. Dad has Toothless in the shed. He just kind of hangs out there when we don't bring him with us. Call Dad at this number—" Jack fumbled for the notepad on a table and wrote down a number and the name of the camping grounds they were at. "I'd give you coordinates, but we have to keep moving. Just call when you get here and we'll give you a landmark. Hurry, Jack!"

"Hiccup, what's going on?"

"Well, I was face-to-face with the bear that took Fergus's leg, to put it simply. We'll explain later. Shit, come on, Merida!" There was a dial tone.

The bear? But.. that couldn't be possible. That was years ago. In Scotland. How did the bear get to Virginia? He didn't have time to think about this. He quickly dialed for Stoick, wondering why Hiccup just didn't take Toothless with him in the first place. And what was so terrifying about a bear? Merida had her bow with her. That was pretty lethal. And Hiccup was pretty handy with a knife. Yeah, it would be reckless, but a dragon might over-do it if it was just a bear. Unless… it wasn't just any ordinary bear.

Mor'du?

Jack didn't have time to explain anything to Stoick, especially since he had no idea what was going on himself. He assured him everything was fine, but just asked to send Toothless to the daycare. It took some convincing because, really? A dragon at the daycare? Bad idea. Jack knew it. But Stoick promised to let Toothless out and he would be there shortly.

Jack ran his hands down his face stressfully. Now his only obstacle was Pam. Lisa had the day off, which meant Pam was in charge. Pam wasn't as fond of Jack as Lisa was. Not that she didn't like the kid. He was good with the children. Just she ruled with an iron fist.

He begged, he pleaded, he said that it was an emergency. He needed to go. He wished he could explain what was wrong and why he needed to leave, but how would you explain your friends getting attacked by bears? Outside, while the children played, all dressed warmly for the brisk autumn air, he argued with Pam.

They were short staffed at the moment. The triplets were reeking havoc and Jack was here, fighting to be let go for the day. Whatever it was could wait the two hours for him to be let off. But it couldn't.

"When do I ever ask to go home early?!" Jack was exasperated. He liked Rose, he did. When she wasn't up on her high horse.

"I can't do it today, Jack." Pam shook her head.

"I can tell them to behave." Jack assured her. "They'll listen to me."

A particularly strong gust of wind blew at them, causing Jack to shiver a bit. Oh, great. His ride was here. In the sandbox. Some children screamed and ran back, yelling "dragon!" and "it's going to eat us!" The DunBroch triplets ran up to Toothless fearlessly and the dragon playfully bat at them. He wondered if Pam thought it was a rather dramatic game of pretend, though the fear the children portrayed was legitimate.

Jack looked to Pam, expression set. "I'm going to talk to the triplets and I'm going to go. My ride is here."

Jack opened his arms wide as he walked up to the dragon. He scratched Toothless under the chin with a wide grin. "Hey, there Toothless. You picked a hell of a spot to land, you know that, right?"

He turned to the kids who were trying to explain to the others that there was actually a dragon in the sandbox. He grinned playfully. "Guys, there's nothing to be afraid of! Your brave knight will fend him off!" He turned, picking up a plastic sword and swung it artfully. "Back! Back you, cur! Go across the street and we will battle there!" Toothless only gave him an incredulously look. Jack poked his snout with the plastic sword repeatedly. "Toothless. Go across the street, please. I'll be there soon."

Toothless rolled his eyes and flew off. Jack turned with his fists on his hips and grinned triumphantly. "The dragon will be slain! And you all will have cookies on Monday!" The handful of children that were able to see Toothless cheered as well as the ones that pretended there was a dragon there. Jack turned and crouched near the triplets.

"Hey, guys, I need you to be good, okay?" They looked between each other and up to Jack. "Your sister is in a pinch and I've gotta get her out of it." He wasn't sure if he wanted to worry them with questions about Mor'du or a bear. It seemed they realized something big was happening. Jack's forcibly calm demeanor wasn't fooling them. Toothless's presence wasn't helping either. "So, please be nice to Pam and the children." They hesitantly nodded in agreement.

Jack ruffled the hair on their heads before bolting past Pam, yelling an apology and rushed across the street to meet Toothless who was resting on a streetlamp. He beckoned for the dragon to follow him into the alley before climbing onto the saddle and instructing Toothless where to go. He seemed to understand the location better than Jack did because he shot straight into the sky.

As they flew, Jack explained to Toothless what they could possibly be up against. Mor'du. An Immortal bear (possibly, if he connected the dots correctly). And it was after Merida and Hiccup. Actually, it's goal was probably Merida. Because she was an idiot and played that flute and she was going to get such a talking-to when they were safe.

They were landed on a treetop in the campground. Jack pulled out his phone and fumbled to call Merida. He still couldn't get used to the whole calling thing and texting was worse. The first time, Merida didn't pick up. Jack's heart began to race and he thought the worst. It took him calling two more times for her to finally answer, out of breath and in harsh whispers.

"Jack! You're here?"

"Yeah, where are you?" Jack looked around, maybe hoping they were on top of a tree where he could easily pick them up.

"There's a pile of boulders." Merida explained. "Remember during the summer when we went hiking and climbed them? Sophie twisted her ankle there?" Jack made a noise of affirmation. "We're there."

"Right. Stay on, I'm coming." Jack instructed Toothless to fly. They flew high enough to look around, circling the forest until they spotted the familiar pile of boulders. When they landed on the peek, they twisted around to look for their friends. Jack let Merida know they were there.

Then, a mane of red hair popped up from a crevice. It looked incredibly dangerous to be hiding in there, the rocks precariously perched on the edge, ready to fall at any time. Merida smiled with relief and climbed out, offering a hand to Hiccup as he followed.

Merida. Oh, god. There were three deep claw marks that trailed from her shoulder to her spine. She looked as if she traveled through a creek, drenched below the waist. She could have possibly tried to wash out her wound that continued to bleed freely. Her fare skill growing ever paler.

Hiccup helped support her as they climbed up the pile of rocks. Jack slid off of Toothless, rushing to meet them. The boys practically carried the girl to the dragon, setting her on the saddle. She slumped forward, panting.

"Jack, take her to the hospital." Hiccup instructed.

"W-What?" Jack sputtered.

"I'm going to pack up the camp site and take my truck back home." Hiccup explained, brushing hair from Merida's face. He was drenched in sweat and water. Dirt and grime coated his face and a cobweb was trapped in his auburn hair. His clothes were torn from running through a thicket, twigs still clinging to bits of his clothes.

"Won't the bear, uh, try and kill you?"

"It's after my family," Merida said. "Nobody else. We passed some hunters and it completely disregarded them. He'll be safe…"

Jack wasn't buying it. He looked down to the ground just as he heard the roar of an incredible beast. Oh. That was the bear?! That was Mor'du?! A bear that was at least four times the size of a normal black bear with scars dug deep into it's body. Arrows and shotgun holes riddled his body. It seemed a few arrows were freshly shot into his already scarred left eye since blood was trickling down its face.

"Alright, everyone on the dragon." Jack ordered, shoving Hiccup into the hide. Hiccup had no qualms about climbing aboard, Jack scrambling to follow him. As soon as Jack was on, Toothless took to the skies and shot a plasma blast the bear. The animal roared, climbing the boulders to try and reach them. Hiccup turned Toothless away, steering him away from the bear and out of the forest.

Once they were clear, Hiccup sighed, rubbing the uninjured part of Merida's back. "You're going to be okay, Merida."

"'M such an idiot." she mumbled.

"Yeah, you are," Hiccup agreed. "But that's okay. I am, too, remember?"

Merida snorted. "True. Goin' up against Thor."

"Right. And you fought really well." Hiccup grinned. "I've never seen anyone so brave before."

Merida snorted. She leaned back against Hiccup, content. He didn't seem to care that she was bleeding all over him. He brushed sweat-slicked hair from her face, telling her not to close her eyes no matter how tired she was. The boy instructed Toothless to land by his truck in the parking lot.

"Don't go get our stuff." Merida mumbled.

"I won't." Hiccup promised her. "I'll meet you guys at the hospital."

Merida shook her head. "Princess."

"Punzel?" Hiccup clarified. She nodded. "Alright, I'll meet you there."

"Why aren't you coming with us?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to let the park rangers know there's a bear. I know it won't do much, but… I figured they could clear everyone out for good measure." Hiccup explained as he slid off the dragon. "Take care of her, Jack."

"I will," he promised. Merida didn't look steady, sitting up front. Jack switched places with her and ordered her to hold on to him before they took flight. Merida's usually strong arms felt weak against him. He prayed she wouldn't bleed out before they got to Rapunzel's. He asked her to call the other so he didn't just show up at her door with a half-dead archer.

Merida fumbled with her phone. Jack glanced back, seeing her struggle with the touch-pad that was slicked with blood. He took the phone from her and pocketed it, assuring her she was going to be okay. She just needed to hold on a little longer. Jack pulled out his phone, careful to hand on to the saddle tighter as she dialed.

It took a moment for her to answer. "Jack?"

"Rapunzel. Where are you?"

"Home, getting ready to head to class." she replied.

"Don't move." he told her firmly. "I'm coming to you."

"Jack? What's going on?" Rapunzel seemed to have picked up on the panic in his voice.

"Merida's hurt pretty bad." he glanced back to the red-head.

Rapunzel made a noise of confirmation. "Okay."

Jack was silent for a moment. Would Rapunzel be okay seeing Merida in this state? She had handled small injuries. Not so much blood. Internal injuries. Nothing like this. He wanted to say something to prepare her. "Listen, Rapunzel. It's really bad."

The other end was quiet. Did she hang up? Did he lose her? Then, "I understand. I'll be waiting. My parents are at work, so… you can just come in if I'm not outside."

Jack thanked her and promised an explanation when they got there. It was twenty grueling minutes of trying to keep Merida awake and keep her talking because he didn't know what else to do. Keeping her talking was the only way he knew she was awake, since she was behind him. He had to catch her and adjust her a few times as she slipped on the saddle.

She berated herself for her own foolishness. She should have listened to the witch when she said she escaped her fate. Her fate was to get mauled by an Immortal bear, Mor'du. It hadn't been able to cross the pond like she was. She didn't know what the bear wanted with her or her family, but she knew they were targets. When she played the flute, it seemed she had summoned it.

She admitted Mor'du was what she had been keeping from them. She wanted to put that part of the past behind her. She had told Hiccup and made him swear not to tell anyone else.

She groaned. "I dragged Hiccup into this." her fingers twisted into Jack's sweatshirt agonizingly. "I could have kill him."

"He's in way better shape than you, Merida. I think he'll be just fine." Jack assured her.

"But it's my fault! I brought him here! I got Hiccup involved." Merida pressed, her voice strained and thick with emotion. "If he got hurt because of what I did, I don't… I don't think I'd…"

Jack tenderly glanced back to her. "Merida." he said just loud enough for her to hear him over the whistling winds. "He didn't get hurt. If you think about what could have happened, you'll just stress yourself out. Focus on what did happen and what you're going to do now."

She pressed herself against his back. "We might have to move again…"

Jack didn't know what to say to that. Move? Merdia? No, he didn't want that. He wanted her to stay right where she was because they were friends and he considered her family, despite their differences and he wasn't going to let her move. He would do what he could to keep her and her family safe.

"We're here." Jack announced as they descended, landing in Rapunzel's back yard. He got off of Toothless and helped Merida off. She stumbled and her knees buckled and he caught her. She couldn't walk. She was too weak. Jack lifted her up on his back, hefting to lift her weight.

"Oof! You're heavy," Jack teased.

"Shaddap, Toothpick."

Jack brought her inside through the back door and called for Rapunzel. It didn't take more than a few seconds to hear the scrambling and ruckus the blonde made as she rushed into the kitchen. She frozen for a fraction of a second before beckoning them to follow her. Jack carried Merida into the bathroom, doing as Rapunzel instructed and set her in the bathtub. Rapunzel turned on the shower, pulling away fabric and flinching. Rapunzel helped her out of her jacket and pushed aside the tattered fabric of her shirt.

"You okay, Punzel?" Jack asked, finally getting a good look at the claw marks. They were gruesome, to the bone, ripped through flesh and muscle deep. Leaves, dirt, and bugs had seemed to have gotten trapped in the blood and other body fluids that leaked from the wound.

Rapunzel swallowed hard, as if forcing down bile and nodded. She cleaned out the wound before taking her hair to the still bleeding wound to heal Merida.

"Flower gleam and glow…"

Jack knelt next to Merida and lifted her face. In the golden glow, she already began to look better. She scowled at him. He smirked, sticking out his tongue.

"Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

Rapunzel pulled away and Merida rolled her shoulder, testing how well it healed. Not even a scar or a scratch. As if the wound was never there. Rapunzel's power sure was amazing. Sometimes, Jack had trouble believing this power was real.

Merida had her color back. She offered a tiny smile to Rapunzel. "Thanks, Princess." Rapunzel threw herself at Merida, hugging her tightly under the shower of warm water. Merida rolled her eyes and held her back, rubbing her shoulders. "I'm okay, Princess. Just a flesh wound."

"What happened?!"

Merida rubbed her forehead. Then, she said reluctantly, "I changed me fate."

A/N: I did a cop-out for not summing up the Guardians of Childhood books. Sue me. Don't worry, you'll see a little of those characters later with just an explanation that's need-to-know.

Yay~ Merida's story is coming to fruition. Rapunzel's will be during the summer. Now, uh, not sure how I'm gonna get rid of Mor'du. Don't worry, I'll figure something out! No, Mama DunBroch isn't gonna turn into a bear. But Merida's mommy problems will be solved, promise!