"As a Head Seasonal, you are in charge of preserving the balance of this world. Snow should not be present when it is supposed to be the height of summer, a heat front should not be present when flowers are supposed to be blooming, and leaves should not be turning brown and falling when plants are supposed to be awakening from their hibernation."

The two elemental spirits exited the castle and entered Mother Nature's vast garden. Flowers blossomed in an array of colors and sizes as the winds gently blew pasted them. Walking past the garden of flowers were a variety of trees that had withstood the test of time. Several of the trees were covered in vines, with the surface of the trunk being cracked and easily chipped, but they refused to fall. They stood tall with their bright green leaves, shielding them from the harsh rays of the sun.

"No one season is more important than the other. You must all work in harmony to ensure another ice age does not happen."

The ice age. Truly a horrible time, young prince. The leaves around him spoke in a hushed whisper.

So many unnecessary deaths.

A difficult time for Old Man Winters. There is only so much a spirit can do without another spirit to confide in.

But he is in a better place now.

Yes, yes indeed. He is happy.

He has found what he has been searching for.

Jack looked at the leaves, a small frown on his features. Old Man Winters had been a cruel, heartless spirit in his time. So many had died. But if he had been alone for over a millennia and by the time Mother crashed on Earth, it was already too late to break through his frozen heart.

If I had been in his shoes, would I be any different? Would I have distanced myself too? Would I have allowed myself to be consumed with hatred, loneliness, and despair until it crushed me? Just like the General? The thought scared him, but it also gave him hope.

He couldn't help Old Man Winters. He had faded away. Unseeable to even his own kind. But that didn't mean he couldn't help the poor general. When the time was right, he wanted to find him, to make him laugh, to remind him of what joy and happiness were.

"Is any of this making any sense, Jack?" The Winter Seasonal blinked as he turned his gaze away from the whispering leaves above him to the woman in front of him. Thankfully, the leaves had been kind enough to repeat what the Spirit of Nature had been trying to explain to him for the past twenty minutes.

He smiled brightly at her. "Makes sense so far, but how would I know where and when I'm supposed to be spreading winter?"

Greenish-golden eyes twinkled in relief. "Well," she said matter-of-factly, "once you form your spiritual connection to Winter, you will have the ability to sense the changing patterns and currents. For any major pattern changes that will need your immediate attention, you will get a formal communication from me."

"I see," he said slowly, trying to understand her words. "I think I'm following along so far, but what if winter rejects me." He hesitated for a moment, gazing up at the trees as the strange voices whispered to him once more. "I mean Winter hasn't had a Seasonal in forever. What if it doesn't want one? What if it rejects me? What if I make the same mistakes as Old Man Winters?"

Ah, so that's what it was. Emily Jane wasn't all that surprised by her uncle's concerns. She had expected them. Jack was not accustomed, nor knowledgeable yet of the rules of the seasons. It would be a lot to take in if she told him everything now.

He wouldn't be so doubtful, so lost, if he hadn't lost his memories. The childish voice of her inner doubts entered her mind, turning darker and more hateful with each passing second. You could have prevented this! But you chose to spare their lives at the workshop. She knew the truth of those words. By trapping the Guardians at the workshop instead of ending their lives or reenforcing the shield to prevent them from entering the village, she had only doomed them all.

Jackson's death was her fault.

Susanna becoming the Snow Queen, starting her on the path of vengeance, was her fault.

Little Flee's loneliness and heartache were her faults.

Her father's losing control of the Fearlings and the emptiness he now fault was her fault.

All. Her. Fault.

Mother Nature closed her eyes as she was overcome with emotions. Thankfully Jack was not paying attention to her. Pushing her conflicted emotions aside for now, she focused on the winter spirit in front of her.

Taking a deep calm breath, she finally thought over his questions. "I wouldn't worry about them too much." Jack glanced at her with a tilt of his head.

"Really?"

She nodded. "You see Jack, just like the other seasons, Winter is very unpredictable. It is because they are so unpredictable is why they need a shepherd to guide them across the world, to keep them calm and focused on the task at hand. And the winter entity has been without a shepherd for a very long time."

His knuckles turned white as he tightened his grasp around the handle of his shepherd's crook. "A shepherd huh?" Something about his words made her feel uneasy, but he addressed her once more before she could formulate a question of her own. "What happens when they don't have a shepherd to guide them?"

"Disaster." Her features tightened with a grimace. Those were times she could never forget. "Earthquakes would shake the crust of the earth. Volcanos would erupt. Wildfires and draughts would destroy all plant life. Massive tornados, hurricanes, and cyclones would tear through the land. And Tsunami and blizzards would flood and freeze the land the humans inhabit."

"But wouldn't…," Jack hesitated, fear withholding the words he wanted to say."

"Everyone has a part to play in the balance, Jack. Just like your siblings, the spirits, and elementals, your part is to help guide winter, to preserve the balance. Without it, all life will end."

Jack swallowed nervously as he returned his attention to the trees. A gust of wind suddenly brushed past them and for a brief moment, Emily Jane would have sworn she heard the whispers of an unfamiliar language.

Hmm? What was that? Gauging his features, the Spirit of Nature noticed his white brows raising ever so slightly, his eyes looking troubled.

"The ice age. That was the start of the unbalance wasn't it?" Jack didn't look at her as he spoke. It was almost as if he was talking to someone she could not see. "It hasn't been the same since he faded away, right? I mean I can feel something is off and if what you are telling me is true then things will only get worse."

"Jack? Who are you talking to." Looking up, she noticed some of the leaves riding the wind that was now swirling around them gently. It couldn't be…

"The voices." He looked at her finally, suddenly realizing that she was still standing there. "I mean… you don't hear them?" He tilted the wooden stick to the tree line, where leaves still hung on their branches.

"The leaves. You can hear the leaves." Hearing her surprise, Jack shifted from foot to foot, his eyes not meeting her gaze. "I guess…Is that bad?"

"No, no, not at all." She shook her head. "It's a wonderful gift actually. No one but Gaia can communicate with the leaves. I can hear them faintly, but I can't understand them."

Now it was Jack's turn to look surprised. "The leaves? Only I can hear them?"

"Yes, the leaves are as old and as wise as this planet. They know and see all." Placing her hand on the tree, she wondered. "What did they tell you?"

Jack leaned a little bit on his staff as he talked. "Well, they were just confirming everything you are telling me."

She nodded. "Anything else?"

He pondered for a moment. "The changing of the seasons and weather patterns. The shifting of the balance. The war between the gods that Autumn was telling me about the other day. Other spirits, like the General—"

"Jack don't ever go near them!" The ground shook violently as she lost sight of her emotions. "Her thoughts shifted back to the lake. The expression on her father's face. The screams of Susanna and Flee. The broken family. The smugness of the rabbit—the guardians.

"Mother! Mother! What's wrong?!" Jack's voice was full of panic as the wind picked up, the leave ruffled, their whispers quickening, and the ugly gray clouds that formed over the fall section of the forest. "Did I say something wrong?" The question came out as barely above a whisper.

Emily Jane blocked out everything as her vision faded behind closed eyelids. "Don't ever go near them. They are dangerous. I can't lose you too." She couldn't hold back the vulnerable tone in her voice. She just got him back she couldn't lose him again... to the guardians. If she had to keep him away from her father until he was strong enough to protect himself then so be it.

"I'll be careful, Mother." She opened her eyes, feeling a cold hand on her arm. "I don't know who I shouldn't be near, but I promise I'll stay away from them."

Mother Nature gave him a slight smile. "Listen, Jack, with the way things are right now, there are spirits that you must stay away from."

"Ok, but…" The question hung in the air for a moment before she gathered the courage to continue.

"Long ago there was a war between non-elemental spirits, Gods. This war was so bad that it almost destroyed not just the balance of the world but all life as well. I lost so many elemental, nature, and seasonal spirits that day… so many lives were lost. After that day, I swore never to get involved in another spirit's war."

Jack didn't say anything, but she could tell he was horrified. "As long as we remain neutral, no one would get hurt, even if it means I've turned a blind eye to those I was once close with. Lady Liberty. Old Man New Year. Madam Valentine. It's been ages since I'd last spoken to any of them."

"There's another war isn't there?" He finally asked when she went silent.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, there are a group of holiday spirits that are currently at war with the Boogieman." My father…

Another war, huh? I wonder what they are fighting about and why? Mother would not say the reason for the fight, just that it was for selfish reasons.

It made him wonder.

Blue orbs gazed at the snowflake-decorated ceiling. His eyes traced along the delicate details as they intertwined along the edges of the molding. It was so beautiful, so memorizing. He could almost fall asleep to it with the little tooth fairy buried in the warm blankets he had given her.

Almost.

Sighing the winter seasonal sat up. Mindful of his two sleeping companions, he left his room and made his way over to the library.

Why are you up, my child? Eira, the North Wind, surrounded him in her gentle breeze.

"I couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about this war mother was telling me about."

"Ah, yes, the Guardians and Pitch Black." Jack blinked as he saw the faint form of the former Fae taking a seat on one of the many sofas in Mother's library. "This war has been going on for far too long. The poor General has already lost so much. Yet they can't seem to see past their own hatred and ignorance."

"Pitch Black? The Guardians?" Jack looked at her in confusion. "What do they have to do with the General?"

The North Wind pounder the question for a moment before the current in front of him changed, revealing faceless images of a long distant past."To understand the present, my Winter Child, you must understand what came before." Jack watched memorized as he saw a figure of a man that looked almost like the General. Surrounding him were wispy creatures. "Let me tell you a story of the great ancient past between the Fearlings and its Great Hero, Kozmotis Pitchiner."