"Jack, can you come here a moment?" Emily asked as he was looking for a book to read in the library. "Elaina, you too."

They both walked over to her with curious and concerned glances to one another. "Is everything alright, Emily?" Jack asked carefully as they finally made it to where Emily was sitting.

"Yes." She answered with a small smile. "It has been exactly a hundred years since you joined me, and you have trained, you have struggled, you have endured, you have learned, and you have grown. You have become an excellent General to your spirits that have sworn allegiance to you. You've even helped around the castle with cleaning, cooking, and organizing...I think it's time the two of you left the Domain, and started seeing the world for yourself."

"Really!?" Jack and Elaina chorused together.

"Yes, really, but there is one condition for you, Elaina, and I must apologize."

"What is it?"

"Sandy...the one you saw as your Father...he lived, and he is known as the Guardian of Dreams for the children of the world. You must stay invisible or part of the air. You will understand why should the three of you meet, but with that being said, you will also know when the appropriate time to reveal yourself will be. Do you understand?"

"H-He lives?"

"Yes, but do you understand what I said?"

"I-I do. It'll hurt, but I'll stay invisible and part of the air while outside of the Domain. Thank you for telling me, Emily."

"You are very welcome. Now, before you go..." Emily got up from her chair and gently tapped the top of Jack's staff, causing it to glow briefly. "There, now you will always have a way back. Just tap it against anything with ice or snow, and you'll be able to teleport right next to the castle in the Domain."

"Thank you, Emily. Does it work on getting us out as well?"

"Just tap it once against any surface beneath your feet and you will instantly be teleported to your pond. Mine you, it only works from getting in and out of the Domain. You'll have to fly to see everything else."

Jack nodded his head and tapped the crook of his staff against the floor of the library, and within the blink of an eye he was back at the pond he came out of. "Wow, she wasn't kidding."

"A hundred years of getting to know my sister and cooking with her, and you thought she was kidding?" Elaina asked as she crossed her arms.

"No, you're right, but you have to become a part of the air now."

She rolled her eyes and did as she was asked. 'Fly with me, Jack!'

'Anytime, Wind.' He chuckled out in his mind as they both lifted into the air. 'Wow! There's so much more up here! The village looks so different!'

'Of course it looks different, Jack. It's been a hundred years. Now, come on, let's go see what we can learn together.'

'I can hardly see with how dark it is.'

'Let me help you.' She whispered and Jack could feel her hand being gently placed over his eyes, giving him a feeling of warmth and safety. When her hand was removed, his vision didn't exactly become brighter, but where it was dark, he could see it as clearly as if the moon were shining down on it. 'Better?'

'Yes! Thank you!' He laughed out with pure mirth as he flew into the nighttime sky. They flew for about two hours when they both suddenly noticed golden strands of sand flying around. 'Is that...'

'That's...that's dream sand! My Father is here! Let's go find him, Jack! I'll stay quiet and invisible, I promise! I just want to see him!'

'You got it, Elaina.' Jack followed the dream sand further and further and then higher and higher. Then, he found him. He flew up to him and gently tapped him on the shoulder, seemingly startling him. "H-Hi." Jack said as Sandy turned around to face him.

'H-He looks the same as I last saw him.'

"Who are you?" Sandy said with his symbols. "Never mind, there's no way you can understand my symbols after just meeting me..." Sandy rolled his eyes and turned around.

"Well, that wasn't very nice. I do in fact understand you. I can hear your inner voice as clearly as I can hear my own voice speaking to you."

'YOU CAN HEAR HIS INNER VOICE!? Not even Mother or I could do that!'

Sandy whipped around with widened eyes as he stared at Jack in complete shock. "You can hear my inner voice!?"

"YES!" Jack laughed out. "I can hear you as you show your symbols."

"Hmm..." Sandy hummed with a mischievous smirk, and he could see that Elaina was right, because they shared the same smirk. 'What about now?' He heard Sandy think WITHOUT symbols, causing him to smile.

"Yes, even then." Jack nodded his head.

"Wow! Very very few people are able to do that with me. Well..." Sandy held out his hand with a stunned smile as he floated on his dream sand cloud. "...my name is Sandman, but most everyone calls me Sandy."

"Jack Frost." Jack answered as he shook Sandy's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. So, what is it you do, Jack Frost?"

"You can just call me Jack. The other spirits do."

"Others?" Sandy asked as he continued to deliver dreams with a risen brow. "I haven't seen you before. I'd remember that hair for certain." He snorted in his mind.

"Ah, well, after the moon told me my name, Mother Nature took me in as one of her spirits. I'm a Winter spirit."

"A Winter spirit?" Sandy hummed. "What kind? Seasonal or Elemental?"

"Both, actually." Jack admitted, but apparently that was the wrong answer, because Sandy was so stunned his dream sand cloud faltered, and he had to conjure another one. "Sandy?" He asked once Sandy was eye level with him, staring at him with wide eyes.

"YOU'RE BOTH!?"

"Yeah. I'm both a Seasonal and an Elemental."

"B-But that would make you the...I mean...she had three already, but she was missing one, and I know that the Snow Queen refused, but if you're both she would've HAD to..." Sandy frantically ran a hand through his spiky hair before he let out a silent attempt at a calming breath. "Let me ask you this, and I want you to know that you are allowed to answer yes or no. I know this because I have been told so by Mother Nature herself...Are you the General of Winter?"

"Yes." Jack smiled as he furrowed his brow. "Why is that so shocking?"

"Well for one, you're obviously young, for two..."

"No, I'm really not." Jack chuckled out as he decided to use Elaina's gentle hold to sit on the middle of his staff like it was a bench. 'You alright, Elaina?' He asked carefully.

'Jack, I'm a thousand times stronger than any normal spirit. Emily has told you this. I can hold you as easily as you can hold a snowflake.'

'Just checking.' He hummed lightly.

"Then how old are you? Fly with me, and tell me." Sandy requested as he flew off to the west with Jack and Elaina following. Although, he still didn't know about Elaina being there.

"I'm a hundred years old. Well, Mother Nature says I'm SPIRITUALLY one Hundred years old. Today's my birthday actually. This was her birthday present to me I guess. This is the first time I've ever been out of the Domain. I know next to nothing about the world other than what I've read in books in her library, and believe me, there's a lot!"

"Wow...I'm not even gonna ask about your other ages, but um...the other reasons I was so shocked...well...have you been made aware of what being the General of Winter basically means?"

"Yes, I've been told in detail by the Snow Queen. I'm basically the King of Winter. I've been told I'm the embodiment of it."

"Right, well, that's not all." Sandy grinned as he came to a stop and started delivering more dreams with his many tendrils of Sand. "Think of Mother Nature as Queen of the world, okay? She hates this analogy, but it's fun to tease her every now and then with it...anyway, think of her as Queen of the world...and her Generals are the Kings and Queen that rule just under her. You are the second highest in command for Winter. You are the King of Winter, that much is certain, but being that means that your level of power is on par with Mother Nature's in the Winter aspect of things. You see, the Kings and Queen that rule just beneath her are more than Generals or Nature Nobility, they are EXTENSIONS of Mother Nature's power. To be the General, means that you are her most trusted spirit. So, with all of that...you are the General of Winter, the King of Winter, the Embodiment of Winter, Mother Nature's first in command for Winter, the Second in command for all of Winter and its' spirits, and you are her most trusted Winter spirit. So, try to understand my shock when I see a young looking spirit like you claiming to be both a seasonal and an Elemental. There are only three others like that."

"Ah, I see now...but I became the General of Winter the day the moon gave me my name."

"Yeah..." Sandy furrowed his brow as he slightly adjusted the direction his dream strands. "...that's another thing. Are you sure the Man in the Moon gave you your name?"

"Absolutely. It was a kind and gentle voice, but it almost seemed apologetic when he told me my name was Jack Frost. I haven't heard from him since though."

"Strange...well..." Sandy shrugged with a slight tilt of his head while the Sand returned to the dream cloud. "...then I have to ask, what caused you to come all the way up here and visit me?" He asked as he turned to face Jack, who was again sitting on his staff like it was a bench, swinging his legs back and forth.

"I saw the dream sand, and wanted to see where it led. I'm glad it led to you."

"Are you now?" Sandy blinked at him a couple times. "Why is that?"

"Well, I think I made a new friend. Unless...of course...you don't want to be friends. That's fine..."

"NO! It's fine! Believe me! It's more than fine! I would be a fool not to accept the friendship of someone who can hear my inner voice!"

Jack did a back flip with his staff in hand as he let out an overjoyed laugh. "YES! I've made a new friend!" He shouted with pure delight lighting up his features. 'And it just so happens to be the man you consider to be a Father to you, Elaina. Do you know what this means? You'll be able to see him more often now!'

'THANK YOU, JACK!' He heard her sob out with pure gratefulness in her tone.

"So did I." Sandy smiled. "Here, let's see what you conjure." Sandy grinned as he allowed a dream sand tendril to float in front of Jack.

"Y-You mean it? I can touch it? I thought if it gets in my eyes I'll fall asleep."

"It won't get in your eyes, don't worry." Sandy chuckled as he glanced down at the dream sand before looking back up at Jack. "Go ahead. It won't bite."

Jack held his staff tightly, allowing Elaina to gently hold him while he let out a hesitant hand. Once he touched the dream sand, it erupted into a dolphin that seemed to swim and out of the dream sand, causing him to bust out a hearty laugh as it swam around him and eventually started to swim backwards on it's tail. "That's amazing!" Jack said as the dream sand faded back into the dream cloud.

"No, what's amazing is that you were able to conjure that large of a dream." Sandy mentioned as he looked at his hands in awe. "I've done that for the other Generals, but their dreams stayed the normal or average size I usually see. They don't usually take a size that big unless I purposefully do it, but I didn't."

'Elaina, did you have something to do with that?' Jack asked quickly as he looked at the baffled expression on Sandy's face.

'Actually, no. That was all you. You must have some light magic too!'

'I have light magic?'

'It's the only way.'

Jack shook his head and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm not gonna complain about it. It was fun!"

"I'm glad you think so. You know, conjuring a dolphin means that you're able to experience trust in an emotional way. Not just in an instinctive or logical way. You see a person and feel you can trust them so you do. It also represents playfulness, a positive outlook on things or a strive to be positive. All in all, a good dream."

"Your the Sandman, is there such thing as a bad dream with you?"

"No, but the other Winter spirits I have allowed to touch my dream sand...they didn't have AS nice representations. Still nice and good, just not as positive."

"Ah, okay, gotcha. So...I told you how old I am Sandy, how old are you?" Jack asked carefully while mentally communicating with Elaina. 'Perhaps this way, you can get a range of just how far in the future you were really sent.'

'Good idea.'

"I am just a little over six billion years old."

"YIKES! You're ancient!"

Sandy snorted out a laugh as he shook his head, flying away from the village he just finished with. "Tell me something I don't know, Jack. I've seen more than most, and have lived through it all."

"I can't even begin to understand that. How did you stay sane?"

'WOW! I WAS SENT FAR INTO THE FUTURE!' Elaina breathed out in shock while Sandy and Jack continued their conversation.

"Well, it was never easy." Sandy admitted as they flew closer to another village. "For the longest time I was on my own, and I tried my best to have fun with everything, to dream big, to care, and continue to grant the wishes I could and deliver dreams, taking joy in what I did. Then, when I came to Earth...it was even more difficult. However, I had friends then, and it started to feel like a family. So, that helped a great deal. Considering I lost my own family."

'Elaina, is now the time to reveal yourself?'

'N-No...as much as I want to believe it is...it isn't. However, I want you to keep going. Keep talking. I'm enjoying this more than words can say.'

"You had your own family?"

"Yes." He answered with a reminiscently joyful smile. "I had a wife who I loved, and a daughter that I adored. Although, she wasn't originally my daughter...we weren't blood, but I loved her as my own, and those were some of the happiest years of my long life."

"Do your other friends no this?"

"No, actually, but I feel it in my heart that you're meant to know, and this may sound foolish...but I feel it in my heart like you're meant to be my best friend."

"I'm okay with that!" Jack laughed out with widened eyes. 'Is that alright with you, Elaina?'

'I'm perfectly fine with it!' She shouted with an overjoyed tone.

"Good..." Sandy let out a sigh of relief. "...didn't know how that was going to go saying that after just meeting you."

"Fine by me...say...what was she like?"

"My wife?"

"Well, yes her too, I guess, but what was your daughter like?"

"Hmm...well, my wife was beautiful. She had the most beautiful sapphire colored eyes you'd ever seen, and she had long golden hair that hung in ringlets at her shoulders." At Sandy's words, Jack remembered how strikingly beautiful Elaina's eyes were, and they were just as blue as Sandy described. "She was caring, patient, witty, and stubborn as a mule. Once she set her mind to something, she was going to do it."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman."

"Oh, she was. Now, my daughter...she was as beautiful as her Mother. She had her eyes, and she had hair black as ebony. The way the moonlight would hit it made her look every bit the princess everyone knew she was. She was remarkable with her magic. She could control dream sand like I can, and did so with startling ease. She could also control forces of darkness and either use them for good, mischief, or she held them back from hurting anyone. Oh, and you would've liked her. She LOVED to do Winter magic and Light magic. She was a force of both Light and Dark, which was unheard of, but she was always good. However..." Sandy let out a soft chuckle as he finished with another village, and made his way to another with Jack and Elaina following close behind. "...she was quite the mischievous child. She would help me prank her Mother, she would use her winter magic for pranks and sometimes even her dark magic. She was kind, mischievous, gracious, troublesome at times, patient, understanding, intelligent, and just as stubborn as her Mother."

'I am NOT stubborn.'

'It's not very lady like to lie, Elaina.' Jack chuckled lightly. "Was she now?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Sandy smiled as he shook his head.

'Except I do, don't I Elaina.'

'Shut it, Jack.'

'Tsk tsk...is that any way to speak to your General.' Jack could hear the eye roll from her. "So, you said that you lost them...what happened?"

"Well..." Sandy scratched the back of his head as his sand retreated back into his cloud. "...there was a big battle a long time ago...and you may find this hard to believe, but it was out there, among the stars."

"I don't find that hard to believe at all." Jack stated calmly as he lightly shook his head.

"Truly?" Sandy questioned with a surprised expression. Jack nodded, and his eyes grew a bit wider. "Well then...well, there was a big battle among the stars...it was with my daughter's biological Father, and as I was fighting, I noticed that the Darkness, Fearlings, and Nightmares were attacking where I lived with my wife and daughter. I flew down to check on them, perhaps get them to safety. When I got there, I saw my wife in a room she was often found in..."

'The magic room!' Elaina gasped, but Jack was going to ignore it for now.

"...and when I got there, she was almost completely gone. She was holding on with what she had, and when she saw me, she reached out for me and told me that our daughter was gone. Then, she passed away. I flew throughout our home. I searched for any sign of her, any trace that could lead me to either what may have taken her, or where she may have...where she may have...died. However, I found nothing. So, all I had to assume with what I found of my home...was that she was turned into a fearling."

'A fearling is an awful creature. It's when an innocent gets corrupted by fear and darkness, and it...it changes them.'

'Got it.'

"So, why was your wife where she was?"

"I have no idea. Probably to try and find a way to fight off the darkness. Anyway, enough about me, tell me a little about you? You're an interesting spirit, and certainly a patient and polite one."

'Polite is NOT a word I would use.' Elaina snickered to only Jack.

Jack smirked lightly and nodded his head. "Well, I thank you for your words, but I know some that would disagree. Now, let's see...what have I been told...Oh! I've been told I'm stubborn, carefree, patient, funny, childish...very childish, a bit brash, fierce, snarky...I've also been told I'm kind, a good listener, and when I feel something...I feel it A LOT."

"Like what?"

"Like...friendship." Jack offered, which caused Sandy to smile brightly as he made his way to the next village.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry about what happened to your family, by the way."

"It's not your fault, Jack. Now, come on, tell me more about you. I told you things about me that not even the other Guardians know. Do me the same favor, huh?"

"Sure, let's see...Mother Nature taught me how to cook early on with me being there, but it was mostly because she needed to find something for me to do other than create snowball fights in her Domain, and it kept me from pranking for up to two hours so there was that. I enjoyed it quite a bit actually."

"How is that comparative to what I told you?" Sandy remarked as he continued to fly with a slight smirk on his face.

"Because, as far as Mother Nature is concerned, I hate cooking. However, I actually have fun with it. There are so many different ways to cook things. Although...I can't stay near the heat for too long, so I often had to take a quick break, cool off, and then return to cooking. There's also the fact that I don't see Mother Nature the way her other spirits do."

"Oh? You don't?"

"Nope, can't. I can't call her 'Mother.' I can only bring myself to call her Mother Nature, and she's fine with it, but she's a good friend and excellent sparring partner. We're tied at the moment with a score of two hundred and forty, but no, can't see her like a Mother. I can PROBABLY see her as a sister, but even that's a stretch."

"Wait, back up! You're TIED with MOTHER NATURE in sparring matches!?"

"Yeah, you can ask any of my Winter spirits for confirmation. Why is that so strange? The other Generals were shocked too."

"Because, Jack, she's extremely powerful. She's the Queen of Nature. She holds all the powers of the elements and seasons on her own, and she's a fierce combatant. The fact that you're able to keep up is incredibly...astoundingly impressive."

"Thank you. Now, I could never say anything that compares even close to the family you had, but is that something like what you were hoping to hear?"

"Thank you for your words, and yes it was. I wasn't expecting that. Now, as much as I would like to get to know you more, and for you to know me more...seeing as we're friends now...you should probably go see the world, and besides, it's not much of a friendship if we figure everything out in one night."

"Alright, see ya later then, Sandy."

"Farewell, Jack. Stay out of trouble."

"Nah!" Jack waved a dramatic hand at him. "That's no fun!" He laughed out before allowing Elaina to pull him away to the south. 'Elaina, are you alright?'

'I am. It just hurts that he thinks I was turned into a Fearling.'

'Someday he'll know. Emily said that someday you'll know when the time is right.'

'I hope the both of you are right. I'm just thankful you befriended him. That way I can see him when you do.'

'It wasn't just for you, you know. I wanted him to be my friend.'

'I know. I could tell. Now, let's go see with the South of North America has to offer.'