Chapter 1
Where is Safe?
It had been early spring when Jack had left the village. The cold air had been warming up as the days passed. The landscape was changing from the barren greys and browns of winter into the greens of life as trees regrew the leaves lost in Fall, and grassy meadows started to sprout waves of flowers. Although the green touched all the lower lands, it didn't reach the higher elevations of the northern mountain range, a place naturally held in winter's grip while the other seasons took hold everywhere else.
Jack had managed to stave off the needs of his body for the most part, but he had still lost much of his body weight. Though he looked slim before, he was now almost unhealthily thin. He had managed to avoid the worst of the weather by finding an abandoned hunting cabin, but it had stopped being an option after the last serious storm had blown a tree over, collapsing the roof. Jack was just grateful he hadn't been in it when it happened, but his one regret was that there was a lot of stuff he could've used in there. Like shoes. Jack had also gone through a slight growth spurt, but more so in his feet, and with it his shoes had become too small. They had been worn down by the elements anyway, so they had fallen apart not too long ago. The clothes he had on still fit him well enough thanks to his mom's careful thinking ahead when she purchased them the year before as a summer gift. Jack Frost had weathered the hardest part of living alone quite well, truth be told. Since he couldn't feel cold, the risk of exposure was nonexistent, as he had come to rely on his powers to steady the weather around him to keep from losing his way or becoming one of the lives claimed by the mountains.
The snow and ice were one thing, but the mountains held so many dangers that he had only learned about when his dad had taken a turn in telling him bedtime stories. The wolves were real enough as they become less afraid of approaching humans for food when their source became scarce in the freezing months. Jack had learned then that his curse was his best chance of staying alive, but the shock of hurting the animals had made it that much clearer that he had no place among living things. Sure, it was in his own defense, but he had never been exposed to hunting or any other aspect of the need to survive while shut in his house. It was not the last time he would see something that reminded him just how dangerous his powers could be.
Jack had gotten to where his hunger was so great that his body would start to ache with the need for sustenance and would come to the point of sneaking around travelers' campsites to get whatever they hadn't eaten at meals after they had settled in for the night. Later, he had come across what he'd believed was an old campground for ice harvesters and he'd been hoping that they'd left some supplies behind by mistake in their haste to get to their destination, whether it was to the icy lakes where they plied their trade or back down to the villages below for selling it. What he found sent him running away screaming in horror, the poor men of the camp had been out here on a night when a storm blew through, and they looked like they had just gone to sleep and failed to wake up. Jack remembered all the nights he woke up from nightmares with the help of his parents, their breath steamy in the cold air he'd caused and the ice all about his bedsheets. What if it had been too late, what if he'd slept through the bad dream and so had his family? To wake up to silence, walk into his family's bedrooms and find a scene like that? The campground would haunt him both awake and asleep for weeks and even after the thought of it dimmed, the memory was burned into his mind forever more. He promised himself that he would never let people get that close to him again.
The experiences weren't all bad, thankfully. Jack had no fear of getting lost. After the old cabin had been ruined, he just wandered with no real destination. His travels had brought him close to other settlements, which he then put to his back and avoided. He'd come across a curious trade post and barn in which he spent the night every now and again. Also, he had found a place with steaming vents that he soon left behind. He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched, and when you have become accustomed to being the watcher from the shadows, it's unnerving to say the least. The good things he came to love brought him a sense of peace and awe. The stars in the night sky were so many and each of them so bright, he could never have hoped to see so much of the night sky from the windows of his house. He had read books about the constellations and the stories behind them, and he'd tried to identify them all, but with so many others sharing the great expanse, he could only every pick out the most obvious ones. The moon was so close that he could easily see the face smiling down, and he would joke that it was covered in freckles.
The last thing was a castle. After he had made his way to the southern side of the mountains, he spotted the fjord, like a great river flowing out to sea, and at the center of its mouth was a town. It was the largest he'd ever seen- granted though they had been few- but though the town itself was a surprise, the castle lining the shoreside edge of the island picked at a memory of his favorite stories. Only Kings and Queens lived within such places, and the elegance of their lives knew no equal. They indulged in lavish parties and lifestyles where no one went hungry or suffered. He loved to go look at the castle up close for a glimpse at all the beautiful artistry put into making it. But after seeing the frozen Ice-harvesters and his sister's fall, he nipped that feeling in the bud as quickly as it had appeared.
Nicholas was busying himself at the mill working twice as hard as the other men around him, in the hopes of earning enough money to keep his Emily and Sophie well, while he went on his next search for their son. The ground was littered with the many leaves and colors of fall which promised that winter was well on its way, and if he didn't hurry, he would be forced to remain home until the spring when the weather would be once again favorable. But this also meant that work would pick back up and he'd have little excuse to come back to work or miss the ample opportunity to begin earning again. His work had not gone unnoticed by the other men, and he could feel their eyes on him judging every move he made. He was the one who hid a monster within their midst and the fact that it so happened to be his first born had turned every person he had thought a friend into a likely enemy at his door.
Emily was sitting at a bench outside the schoolhouse for her daughter to finish her day's lessons. She had been awake for only a few hours, and she still felt like she'd had too little sleep. Her routine was simple enough after all: get up in time to get her daughter out of bed, eat breakfast and then off to school. Her husband understood how she was feeling and forgave her lack of energy towards getting any sort of housework done. She felt guilty about it certainly, but in the moment she would try to pick herself up and get things done she'd spot something of her son's and would feel the world darken again.
"Mama?"
Emily opened her eyes, not having realized that she'd shut them. Sophie was beside her with a hand on hers and looking up at her. Standing beside her was her teacher Mrs. Groa, a gentle person, but a stern teacher when it came to the task of educating the young and spirited people of their village. She had a look of concern on her face that Emily came to know related to something Sophie had done to displease her.
"Good evening, Teacher Groa. How was your day? Did Sophie behave herself?" Emily gave a mild smirk when Sophie's gaze sank to the ground in guilt. The older woman frowned a little. "I'm afraid not, Mrs. Overland. Sophie gave one of her fellow classmates a bloody nose earlier during their recess time and bit another on the arm, neither of whom would give me a direct answer for why Sophie would feel compelled to do such a thing." The six- year-old barely raised her head before lowering it again, having met the teacher's cross expression. Emily shook her head. Her daughter was every bit her father's daughter, having a rounder face, and broader shoulders, as well as his quick temper when agitated. Another thing that changed since her son's disappearance was how quickly Sophie found trouble with the other children of the village. Of course, it didn't help that all of them had come to teasing her about her 'monstrous' brother, whom Sophie so loved, and was quick to defend.
"I'm sorry, I will have a word with her when we get home." Emily took hold of Sophie's hand and after a curt goodbye turned for home. Sophie continued to walk with her chin down and eyes on her feet. So, instead of waiting for the little girl to explain herself, Emily went first. " Do you want to tell me why you hurt those kids?" Sophie just mumbled in mild anger, "They were saying Jack was bad and calling him bad names. They called me a witch because I'm his sister." Emily gave a small frown but didn't want to tell Sophie she was wrong for standing up for Jack. It was more then she had done while she had her boy cooped up with excuse after excuse as to why none of her friends and neighbors couldn't come visit with them or why he hadn't come out or gone to school like a normal boy should. She felt proud that her little girl was so quick to try and right these wrongs among her peers when Emily and Nicholas could not.
"Who were they, the kids you hurt?" She, of course, had to know so that she could go apologize to their parents for what her little girl did, but more than that, she was curious to know who would make Sophie that angry. Sophie's face reddened a bit, "It was Kasper and Tommy." These were the names of Sophie's closest friends. She felt her mom give her hand a light squeeze and looked up to see her looking down at her with hurt in her eyes. "Well, you don't have to be their friend anymore, I'm sure you'll find better ones."
Then it hit her. What was she doing? She had just assured her daughter that something better was in her future, the same kind of assurance she had given her son. That he'd get to be outside to enjoy the sun, be around more people, to play with other children like Sophie could. Assurances that came to mean nothing now that everyone around them was treating them like they had the plague. The reminder of her son being kept away from everyone for his own safety was painful to think about. It kept bringing her back to everything she could imagine doing differently, if she were faced with her past self. It was all she could do at this time, just think about the ridiculous "maybes" and "what ifs" and "what I should have done." Looking up at the path home, she saw all the other families doing what they could to seemingly not notice her and Sophie. Heat rose in her face. Of course, her Sophie could do better than these people. And with that emotion swirling around in her head, she turned her beaten trudge into a stoic march to her front door.
Emily waited in silence with her daughter, knowing Nicholas was going to be back from work before dark. Nicholas would be packing up soon to prepare for his next departure into the wilds to look for Jack. Something both parents held hope for. To find him and have him back in their arms once more. It was a strange feeling, but Emily and Sophie both shared it. They just knew that Jack was alive out there somewhere, and Emily knew that he needed her.
Jack was sitting with his head in his knees. It was just after nightfall and he had taken refuge under some low hanging trees near the base of the most peculiar mountain in all the northern range, doing his best not to think of the terrible ache in his stomach which was making it too hard for him to fall asleep. It had been three days since he'd gotten a wink of sleep, and the foraging he'd done brought him very little sustenance. He was wishing he could still use the old cabin. There was snow on the ground, but it was crunchy under his feet, old snow that was probably left over from the last fall due to the cold. His mom would always comment about how glad she was to have a warm hearth and how well it kept the cold at bay. Jack never fully understood this since he never felt cold, what was it like, why does the body tremble? Jack trembled, not because he was cold, but because he was afraid.
He was tired, in so many ways he was tired. Tired from lack of sleep, tired from lack of food, and so very tired of being so afraid All. The. Time. Jack was about to close his eyes and hoped he'd have no dreams for the little time he allowed himself to sleep, when a last glimpse at the snow around his feet drew him back to full alertness. It was shimmering.
Up in the sky, the lights of blue and green eerily danced like streamers across the starscape. The sky was awake, like that night with Sophie and everything became…. this. He thought back to his family, of Mom, always there while his dad worked and how she'd read him stories and made the best birthday cakes. Of Dad, who held him after the nightmares were too great, his broad arms keeping him close and assuring Jack that everything was okay, and of Sophie, little Sophie so quick to run to him with the biggest grin and hugs and never once asked why her brother's skin felt different from everyone else's. He thought of them in those glimmering lights and all the restraints fell away, letting the tears come and his chest to tighten.
Jack Frost bawled in a low mournful wail. Free of the barriers he had in place, his emotions flowed and he didn't stop, not for what seemed like a good long time, and the tears seemed to wash away the fatigue he'd been feeling all those many weeks. Jack felt a sort of calm come in after the sadness had run its course, and for once, he was glad he'd been able to express his feelings in such a natural way.
He looked at the ground and realized that there were giant frost patterns at his feet and snow was once again falling in large gentle snowflakes all around him. He held a hand to catch one and looked down at the little piece of fluffy ice. It's so light…. And with a small grin he gave it a puff and watched it blow away. He looked back to the snow all around him and the idea crossed his mind. Snow doesn't hurt snow.
With that. he got to his feet and took another good look at his pearly white hands. He'd been doing the utmost best to not use his powers unless he absolutely needed them, like that time with the wolf and those times he'd used them to emit light for walking after dark, and when he would steady the weather around him just enough to help him navigate through the mountains. He looked back up towards the northern lights again and there came that same feeling from that night, there was no one around, not even his little sister. Snow doesn't hurt snow he reiterated, giving one of his hands a flick
A small spritz of snowflakes leapt from his fingers and scattered. Jack watched for a moment and did it again with the other hand, getting the same response. Jack smirked before looking at the trees beside him. Trees come back to life in spring even after a harsh winter. He then tapped the tree with his finger and watched as the frost pattern of a fern sprouted and spread across its trunk. He stared at it in awe and his smirk began to creep up as he tapped another tree. The frost pattern sprang up and spread much the same way. leaving him feeling a little giddy and wanting to do more.
Jack ran through the trees with his hands out wide allowing his fingers to brush up against more trees and shrubs. As he passed, his bare feet released frost patterns which sprang up with every step. Jack came to a pond and the moment his feet touched the water's edge, it held firm as solid ice spread across the surface and touched all the banks. He was laughing now and running over the surface in large circles like he was wearing ice skates and looking back at what his powers had left in his wake. A beautiful picture of crisscrossing patterns like those of flowers and leaves had overtaken the ice and were still expanding as he went. At one point, he forgot to focus on his feet and slipped, falling on his side and stomach. Sure, it hurt, but the hurt was fleeting compared to the fun he was finally allowing himself to have. After he managed to get back to his feet, he looked around to see that his powers had bled out to the surrounding area, making it seem like winter was in and that it was the first night of its cold grip. Any other time this might have happened, Jack would have run home and locked himself in his room until he was sure he was back in control again. But Jack had barely ever been outside and never away from his house, and this wasn't out of control, was it? He'd wanted this and he was making it happen. His grin grew even broader, as he laughed.
Jack set his sights on the mountain and all the snow covering it. Snow can't hurt snow…. and people don't climb the higher mountains buried in it. He began his trek up towards the peak, letting his powers pulse and flow from his hands and feet as he went.
Sophie had stayed up long enough to see her dad come in the door and Nicholas was able to sit in on Emily's story time. It had been an interest tale about a little girl left in the woods by her family. The girl had made a friend in one of the forest monsters dressed in clothing as if it were a man and he promised her that her family was coming to get her. She had come to trust him and believe his lies and he came to love the little girl. In the end, she had returned to her family, but she could never forget the monster who had been so human.
The next morning Nicholas left just after breakfast, kissing his wife and baby girl goodbye, and setting off for the last place he had been when he'd had to stop and turn back. "Be safe love, I know you'll find him, but…. Just be careful." Emily gave him one last kiss on the cheek before letting him go. Sophie was holding onto her father's leg as if her dad would vanish or float away. Nicholas bent down and took his little girl into his arms and hoisted her up. There was hope in her eyes that her brother would be coming home but also sadness that her father had to go. "Be a good girl for your mom while I'm gone alright? I'm counting on you to help your mom stay brave until then." Sophie gave a nod before Nicholas nuzzled her cheek with his scruffy beard making her giggle as he set her back on the ground. He gave one last hug to Emily and started off down the road out of the village.
An old friend from the mill spotted him and wished him safe travels and Nicholas couldn't help but stop to look back at the man for a moment to scrutinize his true intent behind the gesture. Was he genuine in his desire to see Nicholas safe return? What Nicholas saw in the man's eyes was not encouraging for the man. He was relieved that Nicholas had not found his boy, at least that's how Nicholas could interpret it, and that he was certain he demon child would never be found. Nicholas turned back to the path ahead and scowled, he would find Jack and once he was back home safe and sound no one would be able to harm him because Nicholas wouldn't let them.
Jackson!" he called out over the great expanses. Nicholas had traveled a few days to get to the location where he had been hoping to take up his search anew. Every place he'd searched thus far showed no evidence his son had been in in the vicinity. He had been to all the areas that promised the best chance for survival, Although each of these places had someone- hunters, woodsmen, and other people- who could have spotted his boy traveling through, none of them had seen anyone of his son's description. Nicholas had gone through cycles of hope to despair and back to hope during his months' long search for his son, and now he was far beyond familiar lands that he'd hunted and had to leave signs on his trail to keep from becoming lost himself. He'd hoped that these signs would help Jack to know his father was out there as well and that if Nicholas didn't find him then he would use these same signs to find his way home.
It was the night of the fifth day out in this area, when he finally got to the scene that showed the gods had answered his prayers. The northern lights had been flowing across the sky when he'd found himself at the foot of the great North Mountain. Even though the area was deep in the mountains, you'd expect snow year-round but what the mill worker saw could not have been caused by any natural force he could think of.
A bird house made of ice.
The little sculpture was reminiscent of a gift he and his son had made for his wife for a birthday when Jack was a little boy. Jack had always wanted to use his powers to make things for them and he had always been told he couldn't. He knelt and took up the piece in his hands. The detail and dimensions were almost perfect, further proving that it could only have been his Jack. He still loves his art. Nicholas ran his hand over the frozen object and felt a slight burn in his eye, as a tear came down his cheek. His boy was alive!
A frost- patterned snowflake on the surface of the snow drew his attention back to the ground. The shape was like glass but the way it seemed to have a fading light to it, like the wick of a candle after one has snuffed out the flame, further stirred the man's eagerness to find the cause of its existence. The slight glowing symbol was not alone but part of a long line of icy shapes in the snow. Thanks to this dimming light Nicholas was certain he could follow the trail to its source, as one direction seemed to be brighter and likely the direction his boy had gone. All hope and excitement welled up within him as he ran towards the great mountain, thoughts of making up for lost opportunities and just at the idea of seeing his boy alive again erased any fatigue he had been feeling and added to his now adrenaline-fueled endurance.
"JACKSON!"
Okay, before was fun, but this was… incredible! As he had made his way up the mountainside, and at no particularly hurried pace, Jack had continued to throw his magic about in different ways. What started out with simple shapes, a snowball here, a snowman there, had evolved and become much more intricate and he was now well past the seasonal era of his imagination. From Teacups and the birdhouse to spruce trees complete with leaves and birds in the branches, Jack was nearly convinced that there was little to nothing his powers couldn't shape and the grin, on his face had come with him all the way.
As he turned back to see how far he'd come, he was met with the distant mountains that, at this altitude looked smaller than his hands. The forests below were more like moss at his feet, and just at the edge of the land stood the brightest lights outside the stars themselves. The fjord protecting the castle town of Arendelle. It was so high up that he could only see the castle with any real detail. These mountains were their own kind of kingdom with their own set of rules, and Jack felt like he was welcomed to be a part of that! He turned back to his goal, and with a hop, skip, and a jump, he was almost to the top!
A drop off came into view just below the peak at which Jack stopped a moment to investigate. It was deep, so far down that the clouds were preventing him from seeing the bottom and there wasn't a way to get around it. But the Peak was soooo close he could practically touch it…. He could practically touch it! Jack's face lit up at the ideas swirling in his mind and he took a few steps back. Now it was time to really get creative. Arendelle had its castle, right? So why couldn't he take a shot at one? It felt like every part of his being was screaming YES, Keep going! And without further contemplation, Jack shot his arms towards the wide expanse and watched as snow took the shape of a few steps, and banisters appeared. He felt no disappointment at the unfinished product; in fact, his emotions rose even higher as the feeling of magic pulsing within roared like a storm that was capable of so much more. Jack had come to put a lot of faith in his powers before this night when he used them for protection, and now he was ready to take his first leap of faith and bet his life on it. He placed his foot on the first step and watched the snow swirl away to reveal ice, like the time at the pond, running over water many other times that year. And like those many times before, his ice stayed firm under his feet. Placing both hands on the banisters, he rushed ahead with a laugh as he watched the rest of the staircase form as he moved along. Its image was sharp in his mind and what he saw there was appearing just as he imagined it! Jack stopped over the middle of the drop off and looked over the side of the stairs. I'm standing over the great abyss with only my mind to keep me from falling! The feeling was surreal, Jack couldn't stop his elated giggling and feeling a little faint at the exhilarating rush of what he was doing. Nothing was getting in his way now!.
Jack made it all the way to the other side without even feeling out of breath and looked at what he had to work with. The peak of the mountain had an edge beside it that was surprisingly level… perfect! The giddy magic user moved to the center of the space already having something in mind…. Like with every great undertaking you start with a strong foundation…. With only a few more glances to be sure, Jack let his power flow unrestrained.
Nicholas had been doing his best to make it up the mountain in all haste, but the snow and ice along the path had made it clear he should be more cautious lest he fall. His boy had created things the entire way and he couldn't help but stop and look at one or two: a ten-men long table complete with table settings of wine glasses, silverware, decorative plates and candlesticks; a sleigh big enough for five. The last one made him jump a bit as it was a snowy bunny that was hopping around! The magic can come to life? Jackson! Just how little he knew of his boy's capabilities was coming out and he was starting to wonder just how he and Emily had managed to keep Jack in. He was almost to the top now; he could see the peak and it was there he was going to find Jack waiting. Was that laughter? It was Jack, Nicholas knew it could be no one else. He had just crested the summit when he came to the newly added stairs connecting the two ledges, but just as he was about to take them up the rumbling began, just what was Jack doing now?
The stairs had been easy enough to get over but what came next stopped him in his tracks. A large platform of ice was rising off the mountainside and columns were taking shape in hexagonal points. Snow and wind were flowing around the entire peak like the eye of a storm. The sleet and streams of magic were accumulating throughout the growing ice taking shape before him. At its center he could see someone moving about, motioning to different spots of the castle as if to signal what would come next, almost like they were dancing. A boy about fifteen or so with white hair, bare feet and pear-like skin was smiling from ear to ear. When Nicholas got a good look at his face, he could see the euphoria in this boy's movements. It couldn't be his Jack, what had happened to his hair and skin? How had he come to look like winter personified?
Even though his eyes were telling him a lot of confusing things, his mind was without doubt, somehow this was his son. He thought back to when Jack was just an infant in their arms and the speculations, they wouldn't give credence to. Had they been cursed? Had the lunar eclipse cast some sort of spell on their unborn child? No, it didn't do to think this way; his boy had never intended harm to anyone; he feared it more than anything. Jack was no monster to frighten children into behaving, or threaten the villagers for just being who he was. This place forming before his eyes was beautiful, a gleaming reflection of the heart shaping it. But what now? After seeing the way Jack looked, how happy he was, how could Nicholas think to deny him this? Jack was the happiest he'd ever gotten to see him. Even on his birthdays when he'd emotionally approached such feelings of elation, both his father and mother had to remind him to keep himself in check. Nicholas watched as the walls closed in around Jack, hiding him from sight and a sad realization came over him.
I can't do this.
The pillars were rising all around him as he willed his creation into reality, the sensations he felt were unlike anything he had experienced before. With the walls growing, the muscles in his arms quivered with an amazing energy. He could feel a surge of electricity starting in the soles of his feet and leap out to the structure to form the second floor as it separated from the ground level. while his hands directed the ceiling to close in high above even that. He felt every shift and molding as if it was still a part of his senses. As the final touches of a chandelier, fountain and matching stairwells sprang from the ceiling and bottom floor, Jack came to an even greater discovery. This place wasn't just a building coming into being, it was like a part of him that had always been waiting deep down was finally being brought out. This felt great, this felt freeing, and above all, this felt right. As the sun came up and its light hit the glacial tower, its brightness refracted from every angle leaving no area of the new castle in darkness. For Jack, this was his new home.
Welcome home me.
