Gahhh, I'm so sorry about being so late, guys! Between my 18th birthday, Easter, college registration, friends' parties, and teachers trying to fit in as many projects as they can before the end of the year, I've had like NO time to write up until now. I hope you'll forgive my lateness :( We'll get started in just a second, but first, reviews!
Thanks so much to the lone reviewer of the last chapter, Loftcat27! Glad you like it :) As for the rest of you, thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to review and tell me what you think! I'll never know if I need improvement if you don't say so! Still, love you all :)
And with that, on with the chapter!
Chapter 12: The Tour Begins
The next day, upon receiving permission from her father, Cynthia kept her promise to grant Jack and Simon a tour of New Iskald in exchange for a few stories about the Guardians of Childhood before they left. Though her nervousness around Jack swiftly faded with each short tale he told, the girl still seemed a bit wary of Simon due to his being a human and possibly, based on Jack's observations of her eyes flicking to and quickly away from the archer's tied-off sleeve, also having something to do with his lack of a left arm.
Simon, too, seemed to have noticed Cynthia's nerves, likely being used to standing at the receiving end of awkward furtive stares. Several times before, Jack had witnessed Simon question people that looked at him strangely, teasing them in a pseudo-innocent and mockingly clueless tone until their faces were flushed and their voices were reduced to mere mumbles. It was Simon's personal belief that adults should know better than to look down upon or judge an amputee such as himself for injuries beyond his control (Which is perhaps part of the reason he was so quick to believe me when I told him that snow sprites were simply misjudged, Jack privately thought). With children that hadn't learned as much, however, the young man was usually more gentle, not attempting to utilize the usual snark.
Simon had knelt down to her level and calmly asked if his empty sleeve bothered her. It had taken some coaxing, but Cynthia finally confessed that she had overheard part of Jack and Simon's conversation, in which the young men made reference to the fact that it had been Jack's magic that had taken his left arm from him. She had evidently been worried that the archer would attempt to take revenge against Jack himself and the rest of the snow sprites, as she had been told by her peers that humans were prone to do so.
To his credit, Simon was rather patient with the girl, even as he admitted that he had indeed once tried to take Jack's life in an effort to avenge his missing limb.
"I have a bad habit of...acting on my impulses," he had said, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly. "It's true; I once believed that snow sprites were demons just as most others did, and when one took my arm from me...well, I figured that it was solid confirmation of the rumors. And later...I'll never deny the fact that I was an arrow's length away from killing Jack in revenge."
Though Cynthia had drawn in a sharp breath at this point in what was either shock or fear, Simon had continued without hesitation. "But then, he did something that surprised me. He began talking to me." The archer smiled slightly. "I must admit, I hadn't expected him to be so...normal."
Jack tried not to be offended by this.
"Oh, come on, stop pouting, as abnormal as your face is, it isn't what I was referring to" Simon had said, rolling his eyes at Jack's dull expression, which actually elicited a slight amused grin from Cynthia. "What I meant was," the red-haired man continued. "He told me his name, the name of his home, the names of his family members...it made me realize something. He wasn't some heartless demon with no affection for anyone, as many would have assumed at that time. He was just a person, a child, even, who had lost everything due to my kind's gullibility. After that...the animosity I had been told to harbor for six years faded into nothing. I no longer bear any will towards innocent sprites, and...I've even made a sort of friend of the very boy that took my arm in the first place. The incident had been unintentional, of course, and had been done in accidental self-defense. Either way...I suppose I evened the score when I attempted to kill him, so we no longer wish to antagonize one another."
Simon's last few statements had caused Jack to pause for a moment and reflect. He supposed that, by this point, despite their claim that they would only ever be acquaintances after their first proper meeting, they had, somewhere along the line, become friends. They still were not particularly close, but they talked whenever they saw each other and kept up a friendly sort of banter that outsiders might find baffling, especially when their confusingly rocky history was brought up. It was not a conventional friendship by any means, but it was certainly preferable to remaining enemies.
And of course, it would not do to be at each other's throats while they were both stuck in the same prisoner situation (Jack was well aware that while the New Iskald council was still deciding what to do with them, he would be considered as much of a prisoner as Simon himself was).
Soon enough, Cynthia became more at ease with the archer. Though she still seemed marginally unsure, she readily agreed to take both young men out into the main part of the city, no longer shying away from either of them.
The trio exited out into the dimly lit hallway, which Cynthia then proceeded to guide them down, this time in the opposite direction of where Jack knew that Simon's former cell and the interrogation room were. As they walked, the lighting became gradually brighter, as though whoever had set up the magical lights had decided that the far end of the hall was more important than the one the three had come from.
And once they reached the other side, Jack could see that such an occurrence was for good reason.
The hallway let out into what could only be described as a city made of ice. The houses that lined the far side of the huge underground chamber were not made from brick, stone, or wood, but formed entirely from glistening ice opaque enough to protect the privacy of those inside. On the side of the area where Jack, Simon, and Cynthia now stood, there were not buildings, but instead icy arches standing over hallways like the one they had just exited from, all engraved with the name of some sort of place of business, or any other location that was not a household. They could see many sprites, children, teenagers, and adults alike, constantly moving in and out of these buildings, going about their day. Separating the business and residential sectors was a massive lake in the center of the room, which Jack assumed was their primary water source.
As if reading his thoughts, Cynthia pointed at the lake and told them, "We actually created that lake when we came down here so we could have access to lots of water. We make a lot of ice and snow above it, then use a fire charm to melt it into water we can drink."
Simon blinked in surprise. "Snow sprites can use fire charms?" he asked, head tilted slightly to one side.
"It's dangerous if it goes wrong, but yes," Jack answered. "Technically speaking, we can learn any form of general magic, just as humans can. Though...I will admit that wielding fire as a snow sprite is quite a risk."
"That's why Lily's always the one to do it," Cynthia put in. "She knows a lot of different kinds of magic. She was actually like you!" She pointed at Jack. "Her ice magic took a long time to show itself, so instead of waiting for it, she decided she was going to learn some other magic in the meantime!"
"Wow," Jack commented in slight surprise. "I...admit, I never even thought of trying that. What else can she do?"
"Well, the main thing she does is oversee the fields where we grow crops," Cynthia explained. "It's usually not easy for snow sprites to farm...mostly because of our natural coldness. And then, of course, there's the fact that we're underground. But Lily knows some nature magic and even a sunlight charm, so we've been able to make things work!"
"That's remarkably impressive…" Jack mused. "Do you think you could show us those fields?" Truth be told, he was exceedingly interested in what Cynthia claimed this "Lily" person could do. Sprites were perfectly capable of caring for livestock without hurting the animals, but he had never heard of one being able to grow crops without freezing them over. He supposed it would be possible for someone who knew as many different types of magic as Lily allegedly did, so he wanted to see for himself.
"Sure!" Cynthia replied with a nod. "Right this way!"
The girl led them to one of the hallways to their left, which had an arch above it labeled, "Agriculture." They headed down the hall, which looked similar to the one they had come from before, only it did not possess dimmer and dimmer lighting as they got further down it. Instead, the light seemed to get ever brighter, as though the sun was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.
And in a way, Jack supposed, it was.
The trio soon came to a set of two transparent ice walls that allowed them to see through into a strange sort of underground field that looked like it stretched over a mile back. Many plants that hadn't yet begun to bear fruits or vegetables stood in long rows while artificial sunlight seemed to pour from the ceiling. Kneeling in the center of it all was a young snow sprite woman who looked to be about Simon's age, dressed in a simple, loose shirt and pants, with her long silvery hair in a braid down her back.
"Lily!" Cynthia called out, somehow getting the young woman's attention despite the walls of ice separating them. "We have guests that want to meet you!"
"Alright!" Lily called back. "Hold on, I'll be there in a moment!" She stood up and began walking towards them, pulling off the gloves she wore and tossing them aside. Lily then entered the area between the two ice walls, closing the first door behind her before exiting fully to meet the three of them.
"So," she said with a slight smile. "You two must be the newcomers I've been hearing all about."
Jack nodded. "That's right," he said. "My name is Jack Frost."
"He's a Guardian of Childhood!" Cynthia added excitedly.
Lily's eyebrows raised as she looked him over with impressed curiosity. "Huh, you don't say...well, guess that explains why Cynthia warmed up to you so easily." She chuckled slightly, then turned to Simon. "And you are?"
There was a silence.
Jack frowned slightly and glanced over at the archer, a dark eyebrow raised. To his surprise, Simon was essentially frozen in place, staring at Lily in what could only be described as awe.
...oh this is too perfect, Jack thought with a smirk. If that isn't the stare of a man whose heart has suddenly been struck with the sight of a beautiful woman...then I don't know what is.
The young Guardian cleared his throat and elbowed Simon, who started suddenly, emerald eyes going wide as he hastily attempted to recover from the awkward silence. "O-Oh, um...my name is Simon! Simon Basil! It's...very nice to meet you!"
Lily seemed a bit taken aback, but nodded slowly all the same. "Er...it's nice to meet you as well." Shaking off the confusion, she gave a slight smile instead. "My name is Lily. Lily Callia. I'm the head of agricultural matters around here, as well as the go-to for some other forms of magic. So...what brings you here today?"
"I'm giving them a tour of the city," Cynthia explained, seemingly oblivious to Simon's embarrassment and Jack's amusement. "And when I told them about what you do, they wanted to come and meet you!"
"And I must say," Jack put in with a smile. "I am quite interested in what else your magical talents may include, as I'm sure my friend Simon is as well." He put a hand on the archer's back, who stiffened considerably and glanced sideways at the younger boy in suspicion. "If it is not too much trouble...could you perhaps join us for the rest of the tour?"
"Jack-" Simon began dangerously, though quiet enough that the others could not here.
"Ooh, yes!" Cynthia agreed with a grin. "Could you, Lily, could you?"
Lily paused for a moment to think, then smiled and nodded. "I suppose I could spare some time to come with you," she said. "And I might be able to help explain some things that Cynthia here might not know. After all, magic's what makes this city run, and I'm something of an expert on that, if I may brag just a bit!" She laughed slightly. "In all seriousness, though, it's certainly not just me that works with magic, but I do a little bit of everything, so I can answer any questions you might have."
"Good to hear!" Jack replied. "Now, Cynthia, Lily...please, lead the way."
As the girls nodded and began to lead the young men back down the hallway, Jack noticed Simon's scowl and gave a smirk, tilting his head and asking innocently, "Yes?"
"You're only doing this so you can tease me, aren't you?" Simon hissed, eyes narrowed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jack replied with a shrug. "I'm legitimately interested in what Miss Callia has to say. Besides…" He winked. "She is rather beautiful, isn't she?"
"...be quiet," Simon mumbled. "You...you know nothing."
"I know that you're a man who's just encountered a woman he finds attractive," Jack chuckled lightly. "That much is obvious."
Simon glared at him. "Plenty of men find plenty of women attractive throughout their lives," he mumbled defensively. "Why are you ridiculing me now?"
Jack snorted slightly. "Mainly because of the, ah...suave way you handled things."
"...I was caught off-guard, okay!? No need to laugh about it!"
The young sprite merely snickered. "Well, it was rather amusing," he pointed out, grinning. "Especially the way you tried to save face after a full ten seconds of silence. But don't worry! I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to talk to her properly on this tour!"
"...what did I do to hurt you?" Simon muttered, looking away.
Jack grinned evilly. "You kept bringing up a certain goddamn book."
That's all for now! Hope you all enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think! I promise I'll try to keep up with updates better in the future! DX See you next time!
'Til then, Sapphire316, out.