War of the Seasons
A/N – So, this chapter was supposed to be a series of flashbacks. In the end though I just made it dedicated to Harry and Jack's first meeting after it reached the 6th page and was still not finished XD Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2 – Seasons Meetings
Jack's POV
"Your name is Jack Frost"
The newly dubbed Jack Frost stared in awe at the moon. The moon! The moon just spoke to him! He waited, hoping they'd say more. What was he supposed to do? Where was he supposed to go? Who was he really? He waited but was met with nothing more than the gentle swooshing of the trees in the early spring breeze.
Undiscouraged, Jack chose to explore the area around him instead. He took a few shaky steps forward when his foot knocked against something on the ice. Looking down, he spotted two objects resting on the slippery surface. He wasn't sure where they came from but something about them felt important, right. These were his.
One was a long shepherds crook. The wood was bumpy, and it seemed to have been crudely made but it looked strong and sturdy. Reliable. He picked it up and examined it closer. He felt…connected to it. The wooden staff almost seemed to radiate power and yet, nothing happened. Slightly disappointed but unwilling to leave his new possession behind, he looked at the second object.
On the ice was a necklace. The chord was black and seemed to be made of entwined cotton. On the end was a glowing, light blue stone. It seemed to shimmer; cloudy, lighter blue swirls moving inside the stone. Jack gasped as he gently picked it up. He immediately felt a rush of energy shoot through him as his hand made contact with the stone. Much to his surprise, the staff briefly glowed blue before ice shot out of the crook, creating a pattern on the surface of the lake. Bewildered by the new development, Jack put the necklace around his neck and held the staff out in front of him.
Nothing.
Frowning, Jack wondered how he could get the staff to create ice agi….
Just as the thought crossed his mind, it happened.
The white-haired boy laughed as he watched the frost spread out across the ice. Grinning, he turned to the trees at the edge of the lake and cautiously tapped one with the staff. Frost swirled up the bark in a beautiful pattern. Jack did the same to a few more trees and laughed again. He wasn't sure why he could do this or how it was possible, but it felt right. Felt like what he was supposed to do.
Jack dashed back out onto the frozen surface, twisting and twirling around the pond, watching as the stunning frost patterns flared out around him. He wanted to see the whole area like that and sure enough, the rest of the trees surrounding him begin to glisten with frost.
The young man stopped and admired his work. He was excited! He wanted to show other people what he could do! Maybe that was it! Maybe he was supposed to share this gift with others. But where could he find other people?
Jack scanned the forest around him, and he eventually spotted a dirt path leading away from the lake. Deciding to follow it, he quickly skated to the edge of the ice and climbed up the shore. He walked for nearly ten minutes before finally reaching a village.
Excited to show someone his newly discovered abilities, Jack quickly ran towards the houses. However, as soon as he stepped foot into the small community it became apparent to him something was wrong. A group of children were standing outside a house, speaking to a man who looked deeply troubled. Some of the parents were rushing over, examining their children in a panic before pulling them into their arms in evident relief. The children were all crying, in particular one girl with brown hair who was near inconsolable. The people around them were listening to the conversation in varying stages of shock and sadness.
Jack wasn't sure exactly what was going on but it was clear something very bad had happened here. He felt his heart twist at the sight. He decided he didn't like to see people sad, especially the kids. Children weren't supposed to be sad.
He quicky came to the conclusion that he didn't want to show off his strange abilities right now. It felt wrong to do so. He still needed some answers though and these were the only people he'd found. Maybe he could ask someone here for help? He retreated so he could walk around the outskirts of the small community, hoping to see if he could ask someone there, away from the sombre sight of distressed children. He didn't want to disturb whatever was going on.
The teen reached another entrance to the village where he spotted a woman standing outside her home. She was waving goodbye to a friend and about to turn in for the night. Jack decided to ask her.
"Madam?" He called with a friendly smile. The lady ignored him though, stepping inside the small home and shutting the door. Weird….maybe she didn't hear me? Oh well.
The winter spirit turned around, spotting a man cooking some kind of meat over a fire. "Hello sir, I'm new here and was wondering if you could help me?" Like the lady before him, the man didn't answer, his brown eyes never once straying from his dinner.
Jack frowned. He was new to life, not even an hour old in truth, but he was pretty sure ignoring someone was rude right? Maybe the man didn't understand him? But….that couldn't be it? The children before were speaking the same language he did, right?
High pitched laughter suddenly filled the air as a small boy, no older than eight, came running towards him. He was waving a stick behind him as a dog chased after it. Jack smiled, maybe the boy could help him? "Excuse me? I'm a bit lost. Could you tell me where I am?"
What happened next turned Jack's world upside down. The boy ran straight through him, sending a sharp spike of pain through his body. However, that wasn't the worst part. It was the terrible feeling of loneliness and fear that rocked him to the core. It was the realisation that the man and woman hadn't been ignoring him. They simply couldn't see him. It was the discovery that he was different, so painfully different to these people. Different. Not real. Alone.
Jack ran, finding the dirt path again and racing back to the lake. He couldn't stay there. No one could see him. No one could hear him. Why? What made him different? Who was he? Did he even exist?
Was he real?
Jack fell to his knees on the shore of the lake. He caught sight of his reflection in the icy surface. Pale skin, light blue eyes, scruffy white hair. He didn't look that different to the people in the village. Sure, most of the humans seemed to have darker hair than his but other than that, he was a person too. So, why could no one see him?
Snap!
Jack leapt to his feet at the sound of a twig snapping in the bushes. He held his staff in front of him protectively, aware that it was the only form of self-defence he had right now. Silence stretched on around him and Jack began to wonder if he imagined the noise. Then, a large gust of wind blew into the area and….
"Woah!" he yelped as his feet left the ground. Before he knew it, he was hovering high above the lake. Jack gasped in astonishment. He could see the pale light from the village in the near distance and the snow speckled forest stretching out all around him. He smiled; it was amazing!
Then, just as quickly as it stared, he was falling.
"Ahhh!" He tumbled back to the Earth. Before he could hit the ground though another burst of air sent him tumbling into a pile of snow.
"Wind!" Jack looked up, startled at the shout. Glancing up from the snowbank he'd landed in, he was surprised to spot another person standing near the lake. It was a boy who looked to be around his age. He was pale, though not quite as pale as Jack, with bright green eyes. His hair was in a state of disarray, though Jack thought it suited him, with streaks of light green among the deep black strands. He was wearing a simple dark green button up shirt and black pants. A dark leather strap held a sword strapped to his back. He, like Jack, was barefoot.
The other male was looking up to the sky, expression caught somewhere between trying to be stern and amused. Jack watched him, knowing the guy was not able to see him but wondering what he was doing out here and who, or what, he was yelling at.
The wind once again swirled around him, though this time is didn't pick him up. Instead, it ruffled his hair slightly as it went past. The young man continued to speak to, seemingly, nothing. "Leave the poor guy alone wind. Not everyone likes being tossed into the air without warning."
Jack blinked, quickly looking around him but he didn't see anyone else here. Who was he talking about? Unless….
"Sorry about that. Wind is a bit of a show-off sometimes." The teen said with a laugh. The wind clearly didn't appreciate the sentiment, quickly knocking the guy off his feet. He wasn't fazed though, laughing harder as he got back up. "Alright, alright! I'm sorry but you know you are."
Jack continued to silently watch. He was almost certain the guy was talking to him but…
The green-eyed male looked at him, actually looked at him, with a frown this time. He walked towards him until he was standing almost directly in front of him. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you?"
"I…Are you talking to me?" Jack asked, cautiously hopeful now.
The dark-haired teen raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "Yeah….?"
Jack scrambled to his feet. "You can see me?!"
The other boy took a stumbling step back, somewhat alarmed, and more than a little concerned now. "Well, yeah? Who else would I be talking to? Are you sure you're alright?"
Jack cheered. Someone saw him! Finally! Though he quickly tried to calm down when he saw his new companion's bewildered stare. "Sorry. I didn't think you'd be able to see me."
"Huh? Why wouldn't I be able to see you? I…..oh!" The kid snapped his fingers, finally realising what was going on. "Right! Sorry. I thought Mother Nature would have explained everything already. It's only the humans that can't see you. Other spirits can though. Oh, I'm Harry Hallows by the way. Spirit of Autumn at your service!" Harry grinned and gave an over-exaggerated bow.
Jack laughed, copying the bow with a grin. "Hi, I'm Jack Frost."
Harry beamed. "Jack Frost huh? Well, seems you got a better deal in the name department than Old Man Winter at least. Then again, I'm not sure 'Old Man Winter' was his actual name. Not that he'd ever would have told anyone otherwise…." Harry trailed off for a few seconds before snapping back to attention. "Right, sorry. Well, I was just flying by when I saw you. Thought I'd introduce myself at least. I better get going. Autumns on the way in the southern hemisphere and I'm sure you already got the message that Mother Nature isn't fond of 'slackers'" the kid groused, nose scrunched up in distaste.
Jack stuttered in alarm as Harry turned to leave. No! He-He can't just leave me here! What am I supposed to do? Who are Old Man Winter and Mother Nature? I….
The image of that kid running right through him filled his mind.
I don't want to be alone again!
Harry leapt into the air, the wind catching him with ease. Snapping out of his inner turmoil, Jack quickly ran after the autumn spirit as he began to fly away. He jumped, trying to copy Harry and fly like he did before but nothing happened. "Wait! Please don't go!"
For a split-second Jack was worried Harry hadn't heard him. His fear was quickly squashed though as the teen swung around mid-air and quickly flew back towards him. "Is something wrong?"
Jack skidded to a halt and stared at the other spirit. What question to ask first? "I-Sorry. I just don't understand what's going on. What am I supposed to do? Where do I go? Why can 'spirits' see me but the people in the village couldn't? What are spirits? Who's Mother Nature? I…"
"Wait, hold up! Did you just say, 'Who's Mother Nature?'" Harry cut in, shocked.
Jack nodded, confused. Why was that such a shock?
Harry gaped at him, gobsmacked. "I…She's the Spirit of Nature. You know, the big boss? The one who made you a spirit?" Harry tried. When Jack just stared at him, blank faced, he tried again. "Pale skin, long wavy black hair, green dress, really tall, stern and intimidating, probably hasn't smiled once in the last century? None of that rings any bells?"
Jack shook his head.
Harry ran a hand through his hair, puffing out a breath in thought. "Jack, what's the last thing you can remember? Like, before you woke up as Jack Frost?"
That…..was a good question. Jack frowned, thinking back as far as he could. "I….don't know? I don't remember anything before waking up in the lake."
Harry blinked. "That's weird…Wait?!" His eyes suddenly widened, staring at Jack in wonder. "Jack, what do you remember then? The first thing!"
That one Jack could answer. It's not like he has a lot of memories to go through. He's only existed for less than thirty minutes. "Darkness….that's the first thing I remember." His eyes glazed over, thinking back on those terrifying few seconds. "It was dark. It was cold. And I was scared."
Harry looked at him sympathetically, waiting patiently for him to continue.
"But then….then I saw the moon. It was so big and it was so bright!" A smile stretched over his face, thinking about those first glimpses of light. "It seemed to…chase the darkness away. And when it did…I wasn't scared anymore. I was standing on the ice and this voice said, "You are Jack Frost". It was…"
"The moon…" Harry whispered in awe. Jack watched his new…..friend? He looked like someone had just told him they had discovered the secret to existence. Jack wasn't sure what it was he said that had stunned his new-found friend so much, but he decided to wait and see what Harry would say.
"You weren't picked by Mother Nature. You were created by The Man in the Moon…" Harry whispered in disbelief. "Like me…"
Jack didn't know who The Man in the Moon was exactly or why that seemed to be a big deal but something about the statement felt right. "Yeah, I guess so?"
Harry looked between him and the lake, still stupefied by the revelation "Wow, I thought I was the only one…I-I mean I was until now but….wow!"
It was Jack's turn to feel slightly weirded out now. "Why is that important?"
Harry shook his head, finally snapping out of his shock. "Sorry, uh. Right, you haven't been told how this all works then. You must have a LOT of questions. I sure know I did. Come on, I've gotta show you something."
The autumn spirit quickly turned and leapt into the air again. Jack tried to follow once more but nothing happened. Harry grinned. "Sorry Jack, flights kinda my thing. Hey Wind, mind helping him out? Gently this time."
Like before, Jack felt his feet be knocked out from under him by the burst of air. Before he knew it, they were soaring through the sky high above the trees. Jack felt pretty unsteady at first but Wind seemed to eventually manage to hold him up with ease. The young spirit beamed as he looked around him. He was so new to this world, but he thought flying might be his favourite thing about it so far.
"Okay, first things first. You are the new Spirit of Winter. Old Man Winter, your predecessor, passed away yesterday so now you've got the job." Harry began as the lake disappeared from sight. They landed in a grove of trees not too far from the village. Jack wasn't sure how he knew it, but he instantly recognised the trees as oaks.
He had guessed that he might be the Spirit of Winter. It made sense after all. He had made those ice patterns on the lake and apparently Harry, who was the Spirit of Autumn, had also been created by 'The Man in the Moon'. He wanted to ask more about what that meant for him but decided to let Harry talk and save any questions of the end.
Harry sat down on a low tree branch and tilted his head in thought as he examined the new spirit in front of him. "Okay, bear with me a little here. Its usually Mother Nature who handles this stuff. So, to answer your questions from before…The Man in the Moon is one of the most powerful beings in our world. Like the name suggests, he lives on the moon and is one of few powerful enough to not only grant people he deems worthy with the power to become spirits, but he can also create brand new ones. That's how you and I are here. Most of the others in our world were once human or another kind of creature before they became spirits. They were granted this power because someone chose them, whether it be The Man in the Moon, Mother Nature or someone else. We're different. We were just…made I guess."
Jack was amazed. He looked back towards the moon, half expecting the celestial being to speak once more. He wasn't sure what it was but something about Harry's explanation didn't sit right with him. It wasn't that he thought the guy was lying but he just felt like there was more to the story. Why create a new spirit when he could've just made a new one out of an existing person? Surely that would have been easier? Then again, maybe not. He really had no idea just how much power The Man in the Moon wielded. One thing was for sure though, he was glad he'd met Harry. By the sounds of it, he might just be the only other spirit to have never had a past life. The only other spirit who could understand how confusing this all was.
Harry followed his gaze, expression turning solemn as his eyes landed on the moon. "If you were thinking of asking him why he made you, why we're different, let me know if he ever decides to answer. Two centuries and I still haven't gotten one."
The younger teen's eyes widened. Two centuries?
Harry gave him a hollow smile before going back to the previous conversation. "Okay, now onto the topic of seasonals. There are four seasons and one spirit for each season. I am Autumn, you are Winter. The other two are Cyrus Solaris, he's the Summer spirit, and Mae Laverna, she's Spring. Each season is connected pretty closely with an element. Yours is water. Well, the frozen kind anyway. Mine is wind. Spring gets earth; rocks, plants, dirt, etcetera. Summer, of course, has fire. With me so far?"
Jack hummed. "Four seasons, four spirits. Us two, Cyrus and Mae. Everyone has their own powers relating to their season and element. That correct?"
"Yup! Next thing to know, your staff." Jack looked down at the shepherd's crook currently leaning against the rock he was sitting on. "That's your conduit so make sure it doesn't get lost or broken. Gonna be a real bad day for you if it does."
Jack picked up the staff, watching as the frost patterns shifted around the wood. "My conduit?"
Harry nodded, reaching behind him to draw the sword strapped to his back. "Yep. This is mine." Jack studied the sword curiously. The blade was long, about an arms' length, and looked very sharp. He was no expert but felt pretty certain it was made of pure silver. The hilt was intricately designed and adorned with rubies, orange diamonds and yellow citrine. "Elemental magic is powerful. Real powerful. Every seasonal therefore has an object they can use to channel that magic. In my case, that doubles as my weapon. Don't need to use it for that too often thankfully but it's still useful."
Jack privately agreed. He didn't think he liked the idea of hurting someone either. Self-defence was one thing but killing someone? Jack fidgeted uncomfortably at the thought. If Harry noticed his discomfort, he chose not to address it, continuing with the impromptu lesson. "You can do some stuff without a conduit but not anything too powerful so be careful." Jack nodded, reaching up to adjust the collar of his shirt. Harry jumped slightly at the sight. "That reminds me, the crystals!"
He reached up to his neck and pulled out a similar necklace to the one Jack found at the lake. It was almost identical in appearance, except the stone was yellow in colour, with swirls of darker amber shifting under the surface. "This is an elemental crystal. There are five in existence. One for each season and then Mother Nature's one, which of course has all the seasons' powers. This is the source of your abilities. Bet you already noticed the staff doesn't work without it? You can live without the staff but this? This is extremely important; you need to keep it on you at all times. You can take yours off right now if you want to see the difference."
Jack did just that and right away felt the energy leak from his veins. It felt wrong, made him feel weak.
"As soon as you take it off, you can't access your powers. Go without it for too long…." Harry trailed off but the meaning behind the ominous words was crystal clear. Jack quickly put the crystal back on and decided to follow Harry's example, tucking it under his shirt to keep it hidden.
Harry nodded in approval. "Mother Nature's a bit paranoid. One of her biggest rules is no one, no one, except nature spirits are allowed to know about the crystals and trust me when I say, you don't want to tick of Mother Nature."
Jack grimaced. The more he heard about this 'Mother Nature' the less he was looking forward to meeting her. He hoped Cyrus and Mae were more like Harry. Speaking of, he waited but Harry seemed to have run out of things to say. Jack blinked in surprise. That's it? "Why did we come here exactly? Why couldn't we stay at the lake?" Start off simple he mused. He was still trying to sort through everything he'd just heard. Only been here for less than an hour and I'm already overwhelmed….
Harry lunged to his feet so fast Jack almost fell of the rock. "Right! Thanks for reminding me!" He placed a hand on the trunk of one of the oaks. "Mother Nature's realm can be accessed only by her invitation or by nature spirits, like you and me. All you need to do is place your hand on any oak tree, like these, and think about wanting to visit. You'll feel a portal open but won't see it. They're invisible. Then, just walk into the tree. And no, not trying to trick you. You can test it yourself. Nature's realm is huge. Most of the nature spirits live there. Personally, it's not for me but to each one's own and all that. If you want to visit Mother Nature's home herself though you need to be invited in by her. No exceptions."
Jack was curious and seriously considered taking Harry's advice to check the place out. However, he decided it could wait for now.
Harry leapt down from the tree. Jack followed suit, sliding off the boulder so he was face to face with the other spirit. "So, that's about it really. You're in charge of winter. Creating snowfalls, making sure blizzards don't get out of hand, etcetera. You'll know instinctively where you need to be and what you need to do, part of the whole nature spirit deal. Well, welcome to the team. I better go now. Nice to meet you, Jack."
They'd began walking while Harry talked but Jack immediately stopped as Harry once again waved goodbye, preparing to leave. He felt a mix of loneliness and sadness wash over him. Did I say something wrong? Why does he want to leave? Jack had really started to think they could be friends. Granted, most of what they had talked about had just been a sharing of need-to-know information but still, Harry seemed friendly enough and he thought that they could get along. Maybe I was wrong?
Hallows seemed to have noticed his downtrodden expression, twisting around to face him again, head tilted in confusion. "Everything alright? Did I forget something else? This isn't my usual job so I'm not quite sure what else I might have left out…"
Jack shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just….do you have to go already? I thought we could hang out? I don't really know, well, anywhere on Earth. Maybe you could show me some of the places? Or, maybe we could play a game or something!" Jack grinned at the thought. Games had really only just came to mind but he had a feeling those were another thing he could add to his list of thing's he liked.
Jack wasn't sure what reaction to except at the point. A friendly but firm dismissal, maybe annoyance. What he didn't except though was for the other boy's eyes to go wide and glassy as he trembled. He looked almost on the verge of tears. Jack was flummoxed. What do I do? Harry's quiet voice reached him before he could follow up with anything though. "You….you want to hang out, with me? Like, like friends?"
Jack nodded, smiling slightly in what he hoped was a reassuring way. He wasn't too sure what Harry was suddenly upset about but he wanted to help him out. It was the least he could do after the guy had taken the time to answer his questions.
Harry swayed slightly before leaning on a tree for support. "No one's ever wanted to be my friend before….I….are you sure?"
That…..wasn't what Jack had been expecting. "Why wouldn't anyone want to be your friend?"
Harry looked at him as if he had just sprouted another head. Then, as if just coming to a sobering realisation, he looked to the ground in defeat. "Err, right. I didn't tell you about my other job, did I?"
Jack shook his head, wondering where this was going.
Harry sank to the ground, sitting on the leaf-strewn forest floor. Jack hesitated for only a second before slowly taking a seat on the floor across from the autumn spirit, leaning against a tree himself and waiting patiently for Harry to find his bearings.
The dark-haired teen sucked in a long breath before letting it back out in a puff of mist. He finally looked up at Jack with wary acceptance. "I'm a bit of an unusual case amongst spirits. It's not that odd for some spirits to take on more than one job but they're usually more closely related to each other than mine. I'm both the Spirit of Autumn and Halloween." Harry paused, pulling a bracelet off his wrist that Jack hadn't really noticed before. "I know you probably don't know what that is. When I first woke up everything was pretty confusing. We didn't get the luxury most do of having had a past life before this or all the memories that come with it. Anyway, Halloween is a holiday held at the end of October. It's only celebrated in some European countries right now, but I have a feeling it'll spread one day."
The Halloween spirit began fiddling with the bracelet as he continued speaking. "The holiday was first created to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on and as a time to enjoy the harvests of autumn before the winter rolls in. It's now slowly becoming a time for fun and games as well." Harry smiled fondly, lost in memories of Halloweens past. "The humans have really taken the 'death' part of Halloween and ran with it. A lot of the celebrations nowadays consist of telling scary stories around the campfire about ghosts and monsters, trying to scare each other into thinking the monsters from said stories are real. People have even started dressing up in scary outfits as part of the fun." Harry shuffled slightly so he was more directly facing Jack. "See, that's the thing about Halloween. Death…..its scary and so are tales of ghosts and monsters coming to get you in the middle of the night. But Halloween? It's supposed to be fun, not frightening. There are so many things in this world for people to be scared of, but this is a day to take back control and turn the fear into something enjoyable instead. Or, at least I think it is. Does that make sense? Sorry, I've never had to explain this to someone before." He said sheepishly.
Jack…..thought he understood. When faced with real dangers like illness and starvation, a ghost story probably seemed very silly in comparison. Besides, a holiday dedicated to games and feasts while also paying respects to those you've lost seemed great to him. He didn't really understand why Harry was worried he wouldn't want to be friends with him because of this.
Harry continued with a half-hearted grin. "Well, as I said, when Halloween first started it was more about feasting and honouring the dead. However, when the holiday started spreading and becoming more popular, the focus began drifting more towards the scary and fun. With it came belief, true belief, in some of the spooky tales that were getting around. In a sense, not only were the souls of those who once walked this earth being celebrated but now, brand new spirits were being born."
Jack stared in shock. He'd never heard any of these ghost stories before, but he could imagine that these characters coming to life could be problematic. Harry held up the bracelet so Jack could see it. It was made of brown leather with a disk made from metal, covered in strange symbols Jack didn't understand. "That's where I come in. You see, thanks to the nature of the holiday, the barrier between this life and the next is at its weakest at Halloween. Using this, I can open that barrier and allow souls of those who have passed to come back for a night and visit their loved ones. Mind you, they can't be seen by the people for the most part. Although, some humans seem to have the unusual ability to see them. I can also use this pendant to awaken those Halloween spirits the stories have created. They were created by belief, not a powerful being such as The Man in the Moon. They aren't strong enough to last in the world for long so only on Halloween, when belief is at its strongest, can they awaken. Some of them aren't that eager to play nice so it can take some work keeping everyone in check. They get one night to make themselves seen and play up the spooky part of the holiday. The rules are simple. You can scare but never harm and you must be back by dawn, November 1st." Harry placed the bracelet back on his wrist with a frown. "My role is primarily to keep watch over the souls on Halloween and to protect the living from harm. However, it's not all doom and gloom. Halloween is a time for fun and tricks. Most of my powers surrounding Halloween are simply there to make for a good scare. Fake fire, shadow manipulation, fog generation. Its purely for the fun of giving people a little fright. A prank."
Jack nodded thoughtfully. A little fear wasn't such a bad thing. He thought back to mere minutes earlier when the wind had tossed him up into the air. Sure, it had shocked and scared him for a few seconds, but he'd quickly gotten past it. It can be fun to be startled in the right circumstances. "I still don't understand though, why did you think I'd hate you?"
Harry shrugged uneasily. "A lot of people don't understand that there's a big difference between giving someone a little scare and genuine terror. Most spirits tend to associate me with another spirit, one who represents the latter. Pitch Black. He's known as the Nightmare King, a spirit who wants nothing more than the world to be full of terror and suffering. He was a big threat during the Dark Ages but has since fallen to the wayside."
Jack was more than a little curious to know more about this Pitch Black. So far, he got the sense that spirits were created for good. The seasons, who controlled the weather and protected the natural world, and those who watched over holidays, like Harry with Halloween. He hadn't considered the prospect of evil spirits. He felt grateful to whomever had put an end to Pitch's reign though.
"We have some similar abilities, control of shadows and being able to travel through them. But it's the association Halloween has with fear that has most people thinking I'm like Pitch." Harry elaborated, eyes downcast. "I've tried to explain that I'm not like that, that I'd never hurt anyone like he did, but no one was ever willing to listen. After a while I just stopped trying. Better to stay clear of others than risk being attacked, even if its lonely existence."
Jack felt his heart break for his friend. He couldn't imagine how lonely Harry must've been all these years. Being judged unfairly for the actions of another and not even being given a chance to explain himself. Jack could see just how much the other teen was hurting and he was determined to help. He couldn't make others change their ways but there was one thing he could do. "Well, I still want to be your friend."
Harry gaped at him in disbelief. "Jack…you did just hear what I said right?"
Jack shrugged. "Yeah, and what of it? You're cool, funny and so far, the only one who's even tried to take the time to help me. I want to be friends if you want to. Besides, Halloween sounds fun! I love pranks!"
Harry still seemed hesitant, but Jack could see the hope in his emerald eyes. "But most spirits want nothing to do with me. If we hang out, they might turn on you too. Winter already has a rough reputation…."
Jack shrugged again. "If they choose to hate me for who I am friends with then they aren't people I want to know anyway. So, now that that's settled…" Jack stood up, offering a hand to Harry with a grin. "Friends?"
Harry accepted the hand with a tearful smile. Jack pulled him to his feet and before he knew it, he had his arms full with a crying autumn spirit. Jack hugged his friend back, letting him cry away the years of rejection and isolation. Jack was determined more than ever that no matter what, Harry would never be alone again.
The two flew back to the lake, with the help of Wind once more, in time to see a small dreamsand aircraft fly away with three people on board. Jack watched as they disappeared into the clouds. For just a moment, he felt….abandoned. He quickly shook off the strange feeling though. He turned back to Harry with a smile. "So, what should we do first?"
A/N – Well, there you go! Jack and Harry have finally met :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Just to clarify a few things:
Harry, like Jack in the Rise of the Guardians film, doesn't think he was anyone before he became Harry Hallows. Like Jack, he technically died before being revived as a spirit and therefore has no memories of a past life. That's why he tells Jack they were 'created' by the Man in the Moon.
So, I took some liberties when deciding how Halloween would play out in this story. When Harry was first created, the holiday was more closely resembling old harvest festivals. However, it quickly became associated with honouring the dead. When Jack and Harry meet, the holiday is becoming closer to what we recognise as Halloween today but trick or treating hasn't been invented just yet. We'll learn a lot more about Halloween as the story progresses. In a way, Harry is still learning what it is at this point in time too.
If you're wondering why Jack can't fly, it's because control of the wind is a power held by the Autumn Spirit. How Jack gains the ability to fly will be explored later on :)
Also, there are a few changes to canon, both the one established by the movie and Little Prince, that you need to be aware of for this story. I will explain those with the coming chapters as I can't think of any major differences right now.
Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments and, provided answering wouldn't spoil any future chapters, I'll reply asap :)
Next chapter might take a few days. I'll see you all soon :)