Where am I?' I said, but it sounded more like a thought as it echoed the strange area. The field I was in was covered in the same grass in my room, and there were even strange looking flowers that glowed that I'd never seen before. I looked up and noticed there were two moons and I could see another planet that was colored a mixture of gold and purple. 'Alright...definitely a dream...' As soon as I said it was a dream, I heard people talking. I walked over towards the sound, but as soon as I made it to a very large oak tree, there was someone there, and if I'm going to be honest, he kind of looked like the Easter Bunny, but he was taller. He also had fur as white as snow, almost whiter than my hair, and on his arms as well as his forehead he had silver snowflakes for markings in his fur. 'Hello?'
Once I spoke, he opened his eyes and smiled at me, and to my great surprise, his eyes were very similar to my own. "You've kept me waiting!" His voice was somewhat familiar, but it wasn't at the same time. It was like I was supposed to know it as sure as I know myself, but I couldn't place it.
"Kept you waiting?"
"Yeah, I've been waiting for one hundred years inside your soul."
"Um...I'm sorry?"
"Not your fault." He shrugged with a friendly smile.
"So...why were you waiting? And..." I looked up and around me. "...where are we?"
"This is a different planet. It doesn't exist anymore, unfortunately, but it was once a joyful, fun, wondrous, and beautiful planet."
"Okay...I should've been able to guess different planet by seeing TWO moons, but why were you waiting?"
"That..." He breathed in with a thoughtful look that seemed to make him look a bit older than he seemed, and he seemed to be twenty years old. "...is a good question."
"And I take it you can't answer."
"That I can't."
"Okay...then can you tell me who you are?"
"My name is..." I watched his mouth form words, but there was no sound, and I couldn't read his lips for the name. It was almost as if I was prevented from being able to tell what he said.
"Say that again?"
"My name is..." And it happened again. Apparently able to tell I couldn't hear his name he chuckled through his nose, and looked down to the floor with a slight grin. "You can't hear my name can you?"
"No, I can't."
"Then you truly don't know who I am."
"If I did, I wouldn't have asked for your name."
"Hmm...well, you'll have to call me something. What about...well...since I'm technically in your dreams...how about Conscience?"
"Really, that's the name you wanna go with?"
"As good a name as any at this point."
"Alright, Conscience, why am I here?"
"Another good question I can't answer."
"How do you know what questions you can or can't answer?"
"Because, I'm part of you. I know what you can or can't know yet."
"Why can't I know?"
"Because it's safer that way, and certain things need to happen before you know. So, how are your children?"
"You know about my children!?"
"Of course I do! I'm a part of you."
"Right...and why does a part of me look like the Easter Bunny...just taller...and white as snow?"
"Another question I can't answer." He told me with a knowing smirk.
"Are there any questions you CAN answer?"
"I've answered a few already."
"Okay, fine." I rolled my eyes at him and he smirked at me. "Can you tell me why I'm seeing you now, and not in the beginning?"
"Ah, that I CAN answer! You see, I'm a part of you, and therefore as you become more yourself, the more I am you."
"You're not making any sense."
"Let's just say I'm one half of a whole and you are the other half. Actually, that's very accurate. Now, the older and older you get, the more you become yourself and comfortable around others, and the half of me that was...starts to become a half that IS. One day, we will be whole, and then you will know everything."
"Did...did the Man in the Moon send you to me?"
The rabbit in front of me chuckled low with a wide smile and mirthful eyes. "In a way...but before you ask, no...I can't tell you what he has planned for you, because not even I know that yet. Now, I do think it's time for you to wake up."
oOoOoOoOoOo
At his words, I felt reality slip into focus and onto my senses. "Father!" I heard a deep and joyous voice next to me.
"Father, wake up." Another voice called out in a much softer tone, but there was excitement in it.
I groaned as I slowly stretched. Once I was done stretching I sat up and looked at everyone in the room. "Okay...what are you all doing in my room?" I asked with a groggy voice as I looked at the smiling faces of my nine children.
"It's your birthday!" Bram laughed out joyously.
"Okay..." I grinned at them as I narrowed my eyes in a mischievous manner. "...but you all haven't gathered together in my room before for my birthday. What's going on?"
"Father...you're one hundred years old today!" Bram answered as he rolled his eyes. "It's January 1st, 1812."
'I've been waiting for one hundred years.' The voice from my dream repeated, but I shook it off. "Nah, couldn't be! I'm still ninety-nine!"
"HA! Perhaps yesterday!" Abungu bellowed. "But today, Father, you are one hundred years old!"
"Okay, so what happens when a spirit turns one hundred years old around here?"
"Lots of things!" Isla piped up with excitement.
"Yeah!" Adara started. "They'll be games..."
"...and food! Lots of food!" Mesi continued for Adara, as usual.
"Oh, and there will be colorful decorations!" Flora shouted happily as she bounced onto my bed. She was then followed by the others and I found myself wrong. The bed isn't big enough for five of me. It's big enough for ten...comfortably.
"There will be music!" Summer added.
"And dancing!" Autumn mentioned as she briefly mimicked dancing with a partner while sitting next to Summer on my bed.
"Oh! And Mother always gets the first dance with the birthday spirit!" Nimbus cheered, and I knew he was hinting at a repeat of 1732.
"Not to mention..." Bram trailed off with a mischievous smile. "...she gives the birthday spirit a kiss."
"Sh-She WHAT!?" I shouted in shock as I felt my cheeks go impossibly red and warm.
"Okay, my bad, that was a joke! Please don't freeze me to the floor." He laughed out as he held his stomach.
"Just for today I won't freeze anyone. However, tomorrow is a different story." I grinned at him. "What else is there? So far we have music, dancing, games, food, and spending time with one another."
"Oh! How could we forget! You get to invite one spirit that doesn't live in the domain."
"I get to invite one spirit to my birthday? Any spirit?"
"Yes!" They all cheered with slight laughter in their voices.
"How do I invite them? How will they know they're invited?"
"As soon as you say the words, 'I, Jack Frost, invite you...whoever you want to attend...to my one hundredth birthday in Mother Nature's domain.' They will have an invitation appear right before them, and you should know almost instantly if they accept the request or not."
"Well...does it matter what variation of their name that I use?"
"As long as you know who it is in your mind and heart, no, it shouldn't matter." Isla answered.
"How will I know they if accepted it?"
"One of two things will happen..." Nimbus started with a confident smile. "...One, you will have a return letter appear in front of you saying they accept, or two, they will know to press the bottom of the letter and appear in front of you."
"A-And it can be anyone?"
"Anyone." They answered together.
"Alright...I'm guessing you're gonna stay in here until I invite them, huh?"
"Oh, we can go, but we wanted to be the first people you saw today."
"Thank you. That means a lot. I love all of you, but I think I want to do the invitation in private and after I get dressed."
"Alright, we'll see you downstairs then." Abungu said and made his way for the door, followed by everyone else. Flora was the last to leave, if a bit reluctantly, and she closed the door shut behind her.
I walked over to my dresser, and I grabbed a simple blue colonial shirt with sleeves that stopped at my elbows, a pair of brown pants, and after I got dressed, I clutched my staff tightly to try and clam my nerves, but it didn't work. So, I tried to breathe in, then out, then I repeated that one more time just in case before saying anything. Once I felt a bit more relaxed I loosened the grip on my staff and looked at the foot of my bed. "I, Jack Frost, invite you, Sandman, to my one hundredth birthday in Mother Nature's domain."
After about five minutes, I started to think he wasn't going to show, but then a bright golden tornado looking thing made of sand appeared in my room, and Sandy appeared, but he was facing my bed, and looking around in what seemed to be shock. "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE!? More importantly...HOW am I here!?" His voice almost sounded panicked and confused.
"Uh...Sandy?"
He slowly turned to face me, and his eyes widened when he saw me, and he took another look around the room. "Jack...is this...is this your room!?"
"Yeah, sorry...um...wait...how did you get here?"
"You sent me an invitation..." He drawled off in a whisper as he continued to look around. "...I received one from Mother Nature before, but it wasn't for a birthday...but...um...I knew to press the bottom of the invitation...did Mother Nature say anything to you about this room?"
"Just that she knew the person that had my door and room once. She said that we were kindred spirits."
"I should say so." He laughed out as he continued to look around the room.
"I take it...you've been in this room too? Not as mine, but as the other person's?"
"Yes, I have. Too many times to count, but that's not a discussion for now. Right now...I'm curious." He told me as he summoned a dream cloud and floated up to meet me eye to eye. "Any spirit out of the entire world, and you chose me, why?"
"I'll tell you, if you tell me how long it took you to accept the invitation?"
"Oh, as soon as I saw that it was from you, I didn't hesitate to accept it, but I had to make sure dreams would be delivered. So, now I'm here."
"Huh...alright...well...I invited you, because...I like you the most out of the other spirits. The other spirits that don't belong to Mother Nature...they're...well...let's just say they don't think too highly of me and my existing. Especially the Easter Bunny."
"You've met Bunny? And he was unkind?"
"Yeah...but I guess that's what happens when you're a winter spirit and The Guardian of Hope thinks you're a danger to children just because you're a winter spirit, and winter does nothing but kill, hurt, make ill, and keep children inside...yeah, he gave me a whole riot act..." As I trailed off, I noticed the look of horror in Sandy's eyes. "What?"
"He truly said those things to you?"
"And then some, but it doesn't bother me too much...what really bothered me was when he said that the children will never believe in me...that hurt...a lot." Before I could say anything else, Sandy was wrapping his arms around me and he started to cry. I wrapped my arms around him in a worried manner. "Sandy?"
"I'm sorry he said that to you! He never should've said any of those things, especially the last one! I'll deal with him after this! I promise!"
At that, I pushed him away and placed him down onto the grass. "No."
"No?"
"No." I repeated. "What good will it do? I can't change how he feels about me. Not by getting back at him at least. Besides, what he said about winter is true. I know that. However, I also know the better side of winter. It can be magnificent, beautiful, pure, glowing, fun, joyful, a reason for people to get together and snuggle or cuddle, and it leads way for spring."
"But what he said about you never getting believed in..." He shook his head in massive disappointment. "...it should've never been said."
"Maybe not, but it was still said. Do you still believe I'll get believed in someday?"
"I believe you will, Jack. I believe you'll get believed in by children, and at the very least I believe in you and everything you are and everything you do. I believe in your good, fierce, and stubborn heart."
"Then that's all I need as far as belief goes...and then some."
"Hmm...well..."
"Hey, can I ask you something before we go downstairs?"
"I don't see why not, birthday boy." He tried to tease, but I wasn't in the mood for it at the moment.
"This may sound ridiculous, but did Bunny always look like Bunny, or was he once human like some of the other spirits?"
"No, he was born the way he was...why do you ask?"
"No reason...just a strange dream I had."
"Do you want to tell me about it? I'm the best person to be able to help."
"Well...never mind...it's too strange."
"Jack, you can't afford to be distracted today. There are those that care about you getting ready for a very important day for you. They deserve your undivided attention. Let me help, please?"
"Well...first...could you...um...tell me what the person looked like that shared this room?"
"Why do you want to know that?" He questioned as he gave me a skeptical eyebrow.
"Because I think he may have been in my dream."
"Y-You think he what!?"
"It's why I asked if Bunny was always Bunny...there was someone that looked like him in my dream, but not at the same time."
"Jack...I need you to tell me what he looked like."
"Okay..." I told him with my own skeptical expression. "...He looked like Bunny, but he was taller, which is weird, because Bunny is a GIANT rabbit...but instead of gray fur, his fur was whiter than my hair, and he had silver snowflakes on his arms and forehead."
"That's...but...I mean...you're the right age for it now, but he..."
"Right age for what?"
"Well...if a spirit has a kindred spirit in someone else, they can often times share dreams and interact with one another. It's like dream walking, but on a much more personal level, because the soul is involved. Once a spirit turns one hundred years old, that's when the kindred spirit dreams start...but...it doesn't make sense..."
"Why not?"
"The one you spoke of...there is a good reason he looks similar to Bunny. He is what is called a Pooka."
"And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he's from a different planet and that planet just so happens to have two moons?"
"I...yes...that is very true...um...anyway...he had a um...the kindred spirit you apparently share..." At his last two words he gestured to the whole room with a risen brow. "...he was once Bunny's little brother."
"Bunny had a family?"
"Yes...he is the last though, because of Pitch."
"Oh...okay...but why is it impossible that I had a conversation with my kindred spirit?"
"Y-You had a c-conversation!?"
"Yeah..."
"W-Wow...um...well...it's impossible because...well...like I said, Bunny is the last. His little brother died. The only way you would be able to dream and even carry a conversation with your kindred spirit...is if they were alive or if a part of them was...alive...somewhere..." His eyes widened as he slowly finished the sentence. "A part of him must be alive somewhere..."
"That's good, right?"
"Yes and no. If he survived it wasn't as a Pooka, because Bunny went back to his burrow and found his brother dead. There were no wounds...just dead. He likely died from fright...but sometimes...Pooka can be reincarnated. Whoever Bunny's little brother was reincarnated to...wouldn't remember being a Pooka, but the soul can still reach out to it's kindred spirit."
"Whoa...can you um...explain a Kindred spirit to me?"
"Right, of course! A kindred spirit can mean different things. It can mean one's soulmate...either in the platonic sense or romantic sense, or it can be a sort of similar but vastly different situation like..."
"Like two halves of a whole?"
"Exactly! Wait...HE told you that...didn't he?"
"He did." I told him as I rested my head against the crook of my staff. "Oh...this is a lot to take in..."
"I know, but listen...if you dream of him again, listen to what he has to say, because anything Kindred spirits say to one another in the dream world is the truth. In the dream world you CANNOT lie."
"What about keeping secrets."
"That shouldn't be possible."
"Huh...because I asked him some questions and he said he couldn't answer them yet."
"Strange...but...I'm sure you'll figure it out. Now...I do think we need to get downstairs."
"RIGHT!"
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Ah the birthday boy decides to join his party!" Bram cried out and started looking around. "So where's your special guest...who is it?"
"I would like to know as well." Emily agreed with a curious smile. I looked at the door and knocked on it, telling Sandy to come in. He came in with a wide grin and immediately heard Emily get up from her chair. "Jack...may I ask why you chose a Guardian?"
"You must be mistaken, he's not a Guardian." I told her with a bright smile, but then she scowled at me.
"Yes he is and you...!"
Sandy flew up on a sand cloud to get in between me and Emily, tapping his foot as he crossed his arms. "Not today, I'm not...and you, Emily, just broke your promise to me that you made seven centuries ago."
"I...I what?"
"You promised me that whenever I'm here I am not treated as a Guardian. I am treated as you once knew me...before I became a Guardian. I will ALWAYS be a Guardian, and that will never change, but you know that even North, Bunny, and Tooth require breaks or they run themselves into the ground. It's why they have their helpers. North has his elves and yeti, Bunny has his Googies and Golemns, Tooth has her fairies, and what do I have?"
"Nothing." She sighed out in what seemed to be shame.
"That's correct, and you know for a FACT that when I come here...Manny takes over for me while I'm gone, but that's only when I come here, and that's not often AT ALL! Now...you called me a Guardian not once, but almost twice, and you broke your promise."
"I...I'm sorry, Sandy." At her apology my eyes went wide and I lightly jumped back a bit.
"I know you, child. There's a 'but' at the end of that."
"Wait, child?" I asked quickly
"I'm older than her by eighteen years, so yeah...child." He huffed out while still glaring at Emily. "Answer me, Emily."
"And...that's twice you've used her name..."
"I trusted him with my name a VERY long time ago...and he usually uses it when he's upset with me, but only in my domain." She turned back to face Sandy and sighed. "I apologize, but may I ask why you accepted his invitation? And Jack...why did you invite Sandy?"
"I invited him because he's the only spirit outside of your domain that's nice to me. He listens to me, plays with me, races me, talks to me, and he treats me like I'm more than..." I looked at my 'children' and remembered their words to me when we agreed to be a family and I couldn't help the wide smile that came across my face. "He treats me like I'm more than my powers and name. You know..." I looked at him and noticed his slightly stunned expression as his body still face Emily, but his head had turned towards me. "...you actually kind of remind me of what a fun, weird, and patient uncle would be like."
At my words, Emily's shame immediately vanished as she snorted, covering her face as she looked at Sandy with highly amused eyes. Then, her snort turned into a fit of giggles which soon turned into a fit of laughter, and in all that while, Sandy was looking at me dumbfounded. "You...got her to laugh."
"He does that more than you think." Nimbus told him honestly. "Mother had changed for the better since Jack arrived."
"Oh...it's true. I have." She sighed out as she calmed her laughter and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh...Jack...if you only knew how hilarious that was. Okay..." She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself, but she was still grinning with heavy amusement. "Sandy, why did you accept his invitation?"
"Because of many reasons. He also listens to me for one, and not just my voice either, but he has taken the time to try and learn the symbols despite being able to hear me. He listens to me vent, he listens to my advice when he asks me advice, he listens to me when I say something isn't a good idea, or when he needs to figure it out for himself. Two, he's patient. When he asks me a question, he waits for me to get done with delivering dreams before I answer him. He sometimes waits for me to arrive in Burgess before he comes to speak with me, and sometimes he'll just sit on my dream cloud. Three, and Jack...don't take this wrong...but...he's childish. He's emotionally and mentally twenty, yet he's able to still have such a hold on a childish side. Four, he's headstrong, but always willing to learn from either his mistakes or someone else's. All of that together...hmm...and when you involve the fact that I've come to trust him and the fact that I enjoy his company..." He rubbed the bottom of his chin as he looked back at me. "I guess he's...well...no...I know that he's become like a second best friend to me. Bunny being the first, obviously...but yeah. So...I took it as accepting my beat friend's invitation to his birthday, and I'm glad I did."
"Well...thank you, Sandy." I told him with an honest smile as my fingers lightly curled around the bottom crook of my staff.
"You're very welcome, Jack, and thank YOU for your kind words earlier."
"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, Mother, will you show Jack and HIS guest some mercy?" Nimbus questioned with a quirked brow.
"Yes, of course. I apologize to you both. It was just unexpected."
"That's alright." I told her honestly. "So what's first?"
"Food!" Mesi shouted.
"Then cake..." Adara added.
"Oh! Don't forget the presents!" Flora squealed in excitement.
"After that, there will be music and dancing." Bram commented with a small knowing smile.
"And anytime during all of the music and the dancing, there will be games we can all play either inside or outside. If we want to use our powers it has to be inside." Isla explained carefully.
"Well then...let's eat!" I told them as we made our way to the table. Emily had decided to sit on my left this time and Sandy sat on my right.
After we ate, and thoroughly enjoyed the cake, it was time for presents. "Open mine, Jack!" Flora bounced up and down as she held what looked to be a small hat box.
"Alright." I chuckled low as I took the box wrapped in green wrapping paper with a yellow ribbon. I took off the ribbon and started tearing into the paper. Once it was all on the floor in a designated pile, I opened the box and smiled widely at what I saw. "My, what's this?" I asked as I pulled out what looked like an Aster flower crown mixed in with snowdrops, and it was seemingly encased in silver, or she had it made that way somehow.
"It's a crown! You said your favorite flower was an Aster, and your door has a snowdrop! Put it on!"
I glanced at Emily first and she was leaned forward looking at Sandy with a questioning look. I then looked to where Sandy was sitting and he was doing the same thing. Chalking it down to them communicating through telepathy, because apparently they could do that, I cleared my throat and looked at the both of them again, getting their attention. I got up from the table and moved a little ways away from it, and gently placed the, definitely made of silver, crown on my head. "Alright, how do I look?"
"You look like a prince!" Autumn jumped in delight. "Doesn't he Mother?"
"I believe he does." She hummed and nodded her head. Then, she turned to face Sandy who was looking at me with widened eyes. "What do you think, Sandy?"
"I would have to agree."
"And for those NOT fluent in Sandy...he said he agrees." I told the others as I started to take my crown off.
"No!" I heard Abungu shout merrily. "Leave it on, Jack. It suits you."
"It does, doesn't it." Nimbus chuckled in agreement.
"Prince Jack, General of Winter, and close friend to the one and only Guardian of Dream, the Sandman." Bram stated with a dramatic flail of his arms.
"Well, I guess I'll leave it on then. Alright, who's next?"
"Open mine, Jack." Abungu said as he walked over to my seat and handed me a long rectangle wrapped in brown wrapping paper and had a green ribbon that was clearly made from vines.
"Okay..." I told him as I tapped the ribbon and it snapped immediately. After removing the wrapping paper I found in my hands a hand carved rectangular box that had a carving of all of us. It had Emily on the far left side, me on the far right, and The Nine in the middle. From left to right it was Emily, Abungu, Adara, Mesi, Isla, Flora, Autumn, Summer, Nimbus, Bram, and then me. "How long did it take you to carve this out?" I asked him as I showed Emily.
"This is impressive, Abungu." Emily told him as she used her finger to trace the incredibly accurate carvings of us, and I marveled at the paint he applied. I also noticed the outfits that were worn.
"These are the outfits you all wore when I met you all a hundred years ago."
"I knew you would catch on." Abungu grinned proudly. "Open the box, Jack."
I did as he asked, and a bright smile was immediately brought to my face. In neatly carved slots, were intricately made carving tools. "I've been needing a new set for years, but I didn't..."
"I told him." Summer admitted, and I sent him an eye roll accompanied with a small smirk.
"Of course you did. Thank you, very much, Abungu. I'll treat them kindly."
"You carve, Jack?" I heard Sandy ask.
"Yeah, mostly during quiet days, or when one of them just want company, but no words. I either read, or I carve."
"Huh...you learn something new everyday."
"Yup, now who's next?" I asked as I carefully put the box on the table.
"Oh! Mine!" Mesi jumped up and down and handed me was seemed to be a tall but wide vile. I could still hold it with one hand, but just in case, I held it with two.
"What's in it?" I asked as I slowly undid the wrapping.
"It's a special kind of water that I had Flora and Adara help me make."
"Okay, now I'm a bit worried." I chuckled as I uncorked it and smelled it. "Huh...it smells like...lemon and...mint."
"That's because I helped make it smell good!" Flora chimed in proudly.
"Well, thank you, but what is it for?"
"We thought you might not want to drink Beet Pineapple juice for a hangover cure anymore, so we created our own for you."
I grinned wickedly as I turned my head to give a mischievous and evil glare to Nimbus. "HA! You can no longer poison me with beet juice!"
"Hold up! Jack...you drink?"
"Does he!?" Nimbus bellowed out a laugh. "Trust me, Sandy, he is not someone you want to challenge to a drinking competition."
"Not unless you want to lose." Emily mentioned with a slight snicker.
"You too!?" The look on his face was priceless an amazing. His jaw was completely dropped as he stared at Emily, gobsmacked by her words.
"You know I drink, Sandy. Rarely, but you know that I do."
"Yeah, but...did he beat you in a drinking competition?"
"Yes. It was a drinking competition between the eleven of us. The winner got to ask for anything they wanted, and the loser had to face BOTH me and Jack in a sparring match. Imagine my surprise when the loser was me. The sparring match that happened the next day was particularly interesting, because we had to agree on a two on two battle. Jack chose Nimbus, and I chose Isla. We lost the sparring match too."
"Wait...if he was the winner, what did he ask for?"
"That we all take at least twelve hours off from work and have a snowball fight in the training yard. He said he would play judge while we split up into teams of five. It was the best day off I ever had."
"Mother Nature won the snowball fight." I told him with a proud smile.
"So...you really drink?"
"Yes, I just don't do it often. Once a year...MAYBE."
"Oh, but when he does..." Bram laughed out in pure amusement. "...he makes sure he'll feel it the next day, and he makes sure he has fun. The stakes are always high when he suggests a drinking competition, and no one has ever refused a competition he's suggested."
"However, the time he didn't suggest one, and I found you and Nimbus in his room..." Emily drawled out with an amused smirk.
"Mother! You said you would never speak of that again!" Nimbus shouted as an embarrassed shade of red crept up on his features.
She placed a hand over her heart and feigned shock. "Why, I never!"
"It was funny though." I told him. "C'mon, let her tell it!"
"Fine." He grumbled as he crossed his arms.
"Good!" She chuckled out and looked at Sandy who seemed to still be completely baffled by everything he just heard. "So, it was most of my spirits gathered together for New Year's and it was the year 1800, and Abungu started in on Jack about asking what his New Year's promise was. He didn't have one yet, so we all shared our ideas until he settled on Summer's idea of spending more time with each other, and after that, any idea we agreed was a good idea, we drank to. I tended to my other spirits while Nimbus and Bram...because their the closest to Jack out of The Nine here..."
"Wait...and...the rest of you are okay with Jack being closest with Bram and Nimbus?" I told them what he said and they all smiled at him. I translated the question to the others, and they all softly smiled.
"Why would we not be?" Abungu asked as he put a piece of cheese in his mouth. "The three of them are inseparable. It used to be Nimbus and I attached to the hip, but since Jack arrived, he started spending more time with both of them equally, and then Nimbus grew a bit more attached to Bram, and then they both grew attached to Jack. Whenever something happens around the castle it's usually the three of them at the center of it all."
"Like what?" Sandy asked with an amused smile.
"Well, sometimes it's good." Mesi answered. "Sometimes they'll rush to the kitchen before Mother has the chance to, and they cook so she doesn't have to, or they'll help clean the dining hall, or they'll try and get Mother to not feel as stressed...little things like that."
"Yes, but there are also the mischievous things." Adara chuckled low and sent me an amused glare. "Like all the times Jack has pranked Mother in the kitchen."
"You...pranked...Mother Nature!?" He asked me with a shocked expression.
"Yes, many times, and they keep getting more and more creative." Emily explained with a small smile.
"You are a brave one, Jack." He chuckled out lightly.
"Why, thank you. Now, Mother Nature will you continue the story?"
"Oh! Yes! So, Bram and Nimbus took him up to his room, and they didn't come out. Now, Jack has a funny habit when he drinks. He starts to take off his clothes."
Before Sandy could ask, I just simply shrugged my shoulders with an innocent smile. "Alcohol makes me warm."
"Whatever..." She rolled her eyes. "...anyway, so...Jack went to bed shirtless. What I found the next day was more amusing than words can say. I found the three of them in the same bed, neither of them wearing tops of any kind. Jack woke up and I told him my amusement, and he reached over and whacked Bram on the back of the head asking why he wasn't wearing a shirt...and then Nimbus woke up and saw me, and tried to tell me that it wasn't what it looked like. Oh, it was all so amusing, because I know them very well. I know it would never be what it looked like, but both Bram and Nimbus were flustered and Jack seemed to just want to go back to sleep. Alright...now I think we've done enough sharing...who's next to give Jack his present?"
"This one is from both of us." Summer said as he and Autumn came towards my seat with a maple leaf.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"Yes, it's the biggest Maple leaf we could find, and together we casted a spell on it to keep it in it's transition from Summer to Fall."
"Oh, but I meant that as a joke." I told them with a gentle but appreciative smile as I carefully took the leaf from them. "Will it..."
"No, it won't break easily. It'll stay like that forever."
"Thank you!" I told them as I carefully set the leaf next to the box and the vile. "Okay, so who's next?"
"Oh, well you know how you said that sometimes you get cold the higher up you go?" Adara questioned. with excitement in her tone.
"Yeah...it get's nearly colder than my snow the higher up I go." She then handed me a thin rectangular box that wasn't wrapped.
"I'm sorry it wasn't wrapped, I just finished it two hours ago."
I opened the box and in it was a beautiful necklace. The chain was white, and sturdy, but the small pendent was incredible. It was a snowflake, but the colors actually physically swirled on the inside similar to a fire. "Wow, this is incredible!"
"Thank you! Mother helped with enchanting it."
I put it on and I instantly felt warm, but not overly so like when I would drink alcohol. It was a comfortable warmth that almost seemed to be just right for what would've been a normal body temperature at the moment, but it wasn't having a negative affect on me. "Does this regulate my body temp or something?"
"No, it just makes your body the necessary amount of warmth it needs depending on how hot or cold a room is. That's why there's also a snowflake, because if it gets to hot, then it'll cool you down. So...yeah...it does regulate..."
"That's brilliant! Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
"Mine next, Jack!" Isla called out. She leaned across the table and handed me a medium sized pouch made of a purple velvety material, and it was surprisingly heavy. She also had a second pouch to go with it, but it was bigger than the first one. "Don't open it, because I don't want it to get everywhere, but in that pouch is one seed for every flower on earth."
"Wow! I'm guessing...for my room?"
"YES!" She cheered. "I was hoping you would understand. I just thought it was interesting that your room floor was pure earth.
"Thank you! I will plant some of them when I get up to my room later."
"Okay." She nodded her head.
"Alright, now who..."
"Us!" Nimbus said excitedly, as he and Bram made their way towards me. "Sorry...we didn't wrap it...but we didn't really know how. You know how terrible at wrapping we are." They both held out a sleeve of what looked to be a blue jacket of some sort. It had a large pocket on the from that seemed like I could place my hands inside, and it had a hood on the back. "I got the idea from one of Bram's coats. It looked like this, but I thought, you know...you could use some warmth in the skies, kind of like Adara's present..."
"I love it!" I told him as I quickly leapt up and I put it on. As soon as I got my head through, after putting my arms through, I noticed that the shoulders and collar of it were starting to frost, but not in the normal way my frost usually spreads.
I looked up at them with a questioning look and they both smiled at each other and then at me. "It looks good on you!" Bram stated with pride.
"Thank you, but why is my frost moving differently on it?"
"Oh! Right...we almost forgot. Well, that coat is storm proof. It doesn't matter what kind of storm either. When you wear this coat you will still be able to see perfectly fine during the storms. It'll keep you warm or cool depending...and not even lightning can strike you down. Now, the reason why your frost moves in a different way, is because I used lightning storm magic on the fabric."
"Alright...how is it also from you, Bram?" I asked as I looked at him.
"Because I put in a little bit of magic that I learned as a human. The pockets should be able to hold anything no matter how fast and hard you're flying. Also, when you DO fly, you'll be able to fly a little faster and smoother, and the wind will glide along your body like it does mine when I fly as a bird, and you won't have to worry about messing up your clothes because of the wind."
"This is amazing, and with the necklace, it all feels so comfortable. Thank you! Now, with that, the only other person left would be Mother Nature. You didn't get me anything...did you?" I asked her with a curious brow.
"Actually, yes, I did." She smiled at me. "Come here." I did as she asked and she stood from her chair. She then placed the palm of her hand on my chest, and almost immediately there was a bright glowing white light that came from my chest, but then it went away. "Hold out the palm of your hand, and look inside yourself...and think of a name. Once you have it, say it, and you'll see my gift to you."
"A name? Like...someone I know?"
"No, you're going to create this name."
"Okay..." I drawled out with a questioning look and as I closed my eyes, I could hear Bram and Nimbus move back to their seats. I breathed in slowly and felt a name in my chest. I opened my eyes with a bright smile and I held out my palm. "Klaina."
My eyes widened as a small woman appeared in the palm of my hand. She had white hair like me, but her's was tied into a pony tail. She also had blue eyes like mine, but just a slight shade darker, and her skin was as pale as mine if not paler. She wore a light blue sweater, black leggings, and she had no shoes like me. I then noticed that she had wings like what most would think a fairies wings would look like. They were smoothly curved, but came to a sharp point in four different directions. Her wings were nearly translucent, but they held the faintest of rainbow coloring. "Hello!"
"She speaks!" I laughed out in delight. "May I ask what you are?"
"Of course!" She said as she flew up to meet my eyes. "I'm your sprite!"
"My what?" I asked as I then looked at Emily.
"Once I believe my generals are powerful enough to handle one or more...I give them the ability to have sprites for allies in their season."
"What do you mean powerful enough?"
"Well, let's just put it this way..." Summer started. "...when Mother gave me my sprites at one hundred years old, the amount of energy it took to say my first sprites name caused me to need to sit for a few hours. I was powerful, and even powerful enough to conjure the sprite, but I had to sit for a while. The same was true for Flora and Autumn. The fact that you're not even a little bit phased...means you're more than powerful enough to have a sprite. It takes a lot of energy to conjure one, and USUALLY needs some practice, but like with all things...you are apparently the exception."
"Summer is right." Emily stated.
"Okay, but...MY sprite? And what's a sprite?" I questioned as Klaina sat patiently and happily in my hand with her legs crossed over one another.
Sandy came up to me and patted my leg. "A sprite is somewhat similar to Tooth's fairies, but there's also a vast difference. Your's will have names, and they can do anything and everything you can do. They can be good companions to have if a season gets to be too much or if you just want to wrap up your day. You should also be able to communicate with them telepathically. There's a bunch of other things, but that's what I can say for right now. I think you should figure out the rest on your own, and before you ask, Flora is the one that told me about sprites."
"Huh..." I said as I looked at the sprite in my hand. "...you seem a bit small to help...but I'm assuming you're still powerful."
"Oh, yes!" She replied in delight. "Like the Sandman said, I can do anything and everything you can do, I can even do it with as much power as you use to do it."
"That's amazing!"
"Thank you, Jack!"
"And you know my name!"
"Of course I do! I'm your sprite!"
"Can I ask you something, and you not take offense?"
"Of course!" She shouted as she stood up in the palm of my hand.
"Are you able to make yourself bigger? Like say...my height?"
She grinned at me flew out of my hand, and in an instant there was a bright blue light and then it was gone. What stood in it's place was the same sprite, but she was my height and though she was slightly thicker than me, she was obviously what I would consider normal size. "I can, in fact. I can do anything you ask of me."
I smiled at her and wrapped my arms around her. I was glad when she happily returned the hug. Once I was done with my hug I let go and looked at her grinning face. "It's good to meet you Klaina, but since it is the beginning of January, would you be terribly upset if I sent you to North America to spread winter? Just snow, nothing too crazy."
"Of course! It's my purpose after all!" She lifted a hand and vanished into thin air.
"Uh...where did she go?"
"She went to North America, like you asked her to." Flora answered with a pleased smile. "Yay! Jack has a sprite now too!"
"Apparently." I heard Sandy hum with a tone of pride and wonder. He then drifted over to my gifts and took the pouch. "Jack, can you ask Isla if she minds if I use this pouch for my present to you?"
"You have a present for me, Sandy? Really?"
"Yes, but I need to know if I can use the pouch first."
"Right...um...Isla, Sandy says he has a present for me, but he needs the spare pouch to give it to me. Is that okay?"
"It's your pouch now. Use it for whatever you wish." She smiled.
When I moved to tell him what she said, he shook his head with a slight chuckle. "Jack, I'm old, not deaf." Then, he held the pouch with one hand, while he held his other hand out.
"No way!" I heard Nimbus whisper in awe as he, along with everyone else including Emily, stood in surprise at whatever Sandy was giving me.
My eyes then caught on to their surprise as they widened greatly from seeing Sandy pour his dream sand into the pouch until it was nearly filled to the brim. He tied the string tight on the pouch and handed it to me. "Happy Birthday, and sweet dreams, Jack."
"I-I...th-thank you." I stuttered out as I slowly and carefully took the sand pouch from him.
"All you have to do is sprinkle just a little. Even a few grains should do. Technically...if you only ever sprinkle a little, which should work, then this pouch will last you about another two hundred years give or take."
"H-How many o-others have you done this for?"
Sandy smiled at me and shook his head. "No one. Not even Mother Nature or the other Guardians. I sprinkle dream sand on them sometimes, but no one has ever been given and TRUSTED with a bag of my dream sand. I assume you'll protect it and only use it if you need to."
"I-I p-promise! Thank you, Sandy! Thank you so much!" I held tightly to the pouch and wrapped my arms around him.
"You're very welcome, Jack." He whispered as he hugged me back, and then we both let go of the hug.
"Oh! Now it's time for the dancing!" Bram cheered in delight.
"Yes, and you'll never guess who I came across a month ago, and they said they'd be delighted to play for your birthday."
"No way..." I smiled brightly and she looked just behind me. I turned around and saw the druids that played their music for us the first time we danced. I had visited them every now and then, but there wasn't any dancing on my part. One of the visits was when they decided to let me in on the fact that they can leave to be two hundred and fifty, and that's why some of them didn't age normally. "Eratin!"
"Jack!" He smiled at me as he held his arms wide open. I ran to them and gave him a wrap around hug. "It's good to see you!"
"Not as good as it is to see you!" I looked at Sandy who was grinning wildly at my interaction with the druid. "Sandy, this is Eratin, he's a druid! He's a good friend, not as good as you of course, because you're one of my closest friends, but yeah, he's a good friend."
"Wait..." Sandy said as his grin faltered slightly from shock at my words. "...I'm a close friend? Not just a simple friend?"
"Yeah! Of course you're a close friend!" I beamed at him, and everyone else did too.
"Wow...I...didn't know."
"Oh, well now you do." I turned to face Eratin who was giving all of us a soft smile. "Mother Nature says you wanted to play music for my birthday?"
"Of course! You know how much we love to play music and dance." He moved over to where four other druids sat patiently with their instruments. "Besides, you're a good friend to us. It's the least we could do."
"Thank you!" I turned to Emily and smiled. "Are you going to make the other tables disappear so there's room to dance?"
"Right!" She grinned and waved her hand, making the tables disappear in an instant as if they weren't there, leaving plenty of room for dancing.
"Sandy, come sit down with us!" Flora called out, and without saying anything, Sandy floated over to the table and sat down with a questioning look.
"Oh, you're gonna love this!" Nimbus told him with pure wonder and excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, when he and Mother dance...it's something else." Bram commented as he turned all the way around in his chair to look at me and Emily.
"Is it now?" He questioned with widening eyes, but I ignored it for now.
I turned to face her and I straightened my posture. I put my right hand behind my back and held out my hand to her, and then I gave a slight bow. "May I have this dance, my lady?"
She smiled at me as she took my hand, and I stood straighter as I brought my hand to her hip while her other hand gripped her dress. It was a simple light blue dress with fern frost patterns lining the bottom, and it held a sapphire blue sash that wrapped snugly around her waist, and the dress stopped at her knees. I could also tell she was wearing black pants that stopped just below her knees. "You most certainly may." She told me with joyful eyes and a growing smile.
The music started playing, and I immediately recognized it. "Huh, the first song we ever danced to."
"Seems like." She chuckled out.
The song started out slow, just for a bit and we swayed for a bit as she held her hand in mine and as I held her hip while her other hand held her dress, and then the music picked up and so did I. I held her hand tightly as I guided her swiftly to the fast paced beat of the drums, my eyes never leaving her's. I spun us around a few times as I skipped us across the dance floor. We skipped in perfect time with each other while spinning around and moving across the dance floor flawlessly. I then took the time at one point in the song to take her hand and lift it up, twirling her, and then we went back to dancing like we were. I twirled her a few more times at different points in the song, and during all of it, she was smiling and laughing, keeping up with me perfectly. "Well, at least you can keep up with me." I told her with a smug smirk.
"Oh, really?" She chuckled as I spun us around. "If you'll allow me, my good sir, I could lead you in a dance for once, and see if YOU can keep up with ME."
"Sounds exciting. Take the reins whenever you wish, my lady." She smiled at me, and the song slowed to a lovely melody that required slow dancing. She then let go of her dress and placed that hand on my shoulder, while still holding onto my other hand with the other, and she led me through the next song perfectly. She still played the part of the woman, but she did so by her rules and it made my heart pound against my chest wildly and joyfully. We spun around in a slower manner, and she would lift my hand when she wished to twirl, and I would do as she asked. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a wink from Eratin, and a dangerous glint in his eyes for a brief second before the song picked up paced again, and I looked at Emily, who then held a mischievous glance in her eyes as she led us through the fast paced dance.
The sound of her laughter was more music to my ears than the actual music was, and somehow I was able to keep up with her spinning and skipping while I marveled at the smile on her face. Once the song ended, so did our dance. She slowly let go of me and stood in front of me with her hands clasped in front of her. "You may need a little more practice, but perhaps someday, you can keep up with me. I was surprised you followed me as well as you did though." She told my with a sly smirk.
I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I grabbed her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it, keeping my gaze fixed on her. "I'd follow you anywhere...even in a dance." As I tried to hide my blush, I noticed hers had appeared, and I slowly let go of her hand and made my way back to the table. "Alright, who will be my next dance partner!?" I laughed out, and noticed Sandy's surprised gaze, but I'm almost certain it was due to the fact that I kept up with Emily and she was joyously laughing the entire time.
"You two were dancing together perfectly." Sandy told me in a tone that sounded like awe.
"Don't they?" Adara sighed. "It's always so wonderful watching him and Mother dance."
"Alright, alright." I laughed out. "Now really, who's next?"