Author's Note: So I started writing a proper chapter and got about halfway through when I decided I couldn't finish. I'll work on the rest later, I promise. It's just that Sick Jack took over the whole thing and it was turning into more of a thing than I thought and I really just wanted to go to Mother Nature and.. ugh! So I wrote you guys an Interlude instead, featuring Mother Nature. I'm actually super busy this weekend, so consider this tiny little non-chapter my apology and I'll post a real chapter either Saturday or Monday.
The chapter title hints at what's coming up, as well as Mother Nature's brooding. I apologize profusely if she's out of character. The Wiki said she had dark hair, so I went with that. I'll describe her palace in more detail later, when Jack and Lillian visit. Yes, I wanted to set up some drama, as you can probably tell. I hope I'm not ruining it with this chapter, but I wanted to hint at what was coming up.
Now.. Reviews!
CrossoverJunkie gave me advice on Mother Nature and suggested I take elements from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics and have something like The Endless in fic. I'm really uncertain about this, since I know NOTHING about any of this, and it sounds kinda weird to me. I'll have to research this a lot more before I decide one way or the other. For now I'll stick with what's going on plot-wise. If I throw this in, it probably won't happen until later. Oh, and yes. I assumed you were a guy, but I don't mind if you're female. But don't get mad if I accidentally refer to you as a "he" at some point. :)
The Skeleton Girl thought Jack and Lillian should sneak out to go to the Seasonal Meeting, suggesting that they could have had an argument with Pitch and that he would find their invitations, and then go crash the party. Mother Nature would probably be shocked and accidentally call him "Father" or "Dad" and then the chapter would end on a total cliffhanger. This idea clashes with the plot I had in mind. I won't end the chapter that way, since I already have an ending in mind for the chapter, but I will borrow the sneaking out part. With the way things are going with Jack in the actual chapter, he's going to HAVE to sneak out! Would Pitch go crash the meeting though? I'm undecided on that. But thank you for your suggestion!
Cupcake thinks that Jack and Lillian should be late to the meeting and something humorous should happen with some of the other spirits. I admit, I am considering them sneaking out, AND being late. It would make sense, even if it isn't very nice to either Jack or Lillian, since everyone else would already be there and glaring at them.
Brenne is wondering about Mother Nature's lack of action in protecting Jack or helping him when other spirits/sprites have been mean to him. We'll see what she has to say when I post up the actual chapter!
On with the story! Or.. in this case, on with the interlude!
Interlude 2: His Only Daughter
Mother Nature sat in her palace, which was surrounded by lush greenery. Tall columns flanked the entrance, but it was impossible to tell what color they originally were, as they were covered with vines and flowers. In fact, the whole palace was covered with plants from a variety of the seasons.
The inside was just as colorful as the outside, with various murals adorning the walls, depicting various natural phenomena and seasons. In the heart of the palace was Mother Nature's throne and it was there that she sat, thinking about the Meeting of the Seasonals which was to take place in only a few short days.
She looked thoughtful as she brushed her dark hair out of her face. She looked a lot like her father, Pitch Black with her dark hair and dark eyes. While her father's were golden, her eyes were a much darker brownish color*. She drummed her fingers as various small spirits flitted about, gathering there before their respective Seasonals arrived.
A small frown appeared as she watched the activity in her throne room. The lesser Seasonal Spirits and Sprites usually arrived before the main Seasonals. Sometimes there would be bickering between the different Seasonals, and it was always entertaining to see them interact with one another.
However, this time she could only see a few Summer and Fall Seasonals. The Winter Sprites appeared to have vanished a few years before Jack Frost was born, but there should have been plenty of Spring Spirits and Sprites around.
Mother Nature drummed her fingers on the arm rest of her throne as she thought of all the strange things that have been happening recently, and also of the disturbing rumors she had heard.
Her frown deepened as she thought of the new Spring Spirit. She had considered watching over this Spirit, as she could do so unseen, but the Spirit was always around that area (or so she heard, she hadn't yet checked for herself) and she tried to avoid that area as much as she could.
No, she did not want to run into her Father.
She felt a surge of anger as she thought of the young spirit, and then Pitch. She had also heard rumors of Jack Frost hanging around Pitch.
Her eyes darkened as clouds gathered around her palace. There was a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning as a storm seemed to be gathering, the weather mirroring her rapidly darkening mood.
She had sworn to be neutral in matters concerning the Guardians and Pitch. But when it came to Pitch Black and other spirits..
She couldn't help but be a little possessive.
Some of the spirits squealed with fright as the lightning crackled ominously. Mother Nature sat stoically on her throne as she thought about her duties to her Seasonals versus her ties to Pitch.
"For good or ill," she murmured to herself, "he is my Father."
*I suck at descriptions and realized that sentence was awful. And short. So I added onto it and made up her eye color as I don't remember if it was mentioned what color eyes she had. So there. This is AU after all.
Author's Note: Ugh, it's so short. But I figured it's better than nothing, right? Also.. dun dun duuuun. If you've googled Mother Nature and looked at the Wiki article about her, then you can probably figure out where I got the inspiration for her behavior. Even though things took place so LONG ago, I figure her feelings on this matter probably haven't changed much. Not to mention I bet she and Pitch still have a lot of unresolved issues. Although I'm not sure how much she keeps tabs on Pitch, but the Wiki says she can get reports from weather phenomena, so I'm guessing this is how she gets her info about him. That, and other spirits. I'm guessing she doesn't care much if MiM helped him out and probably doesn't think he's capable of being redeemed, as sad as that is. There definitely needs to be a family reunion at some point.
Oh yes.. Muwhaha.
I mean.. ignore the maniacal laughter. I'll use my postponement of the chapter to plot the plot some more.
If you have more suggestions, feel free to send them my way! The next chapter is still featuring Sick Jack (whiny and cute all rolled into one!) with Pitch and the Guardians getting involved, mentions of the odd weather (darn you global warming!) and then.. the Meeting! And all the drama that will bring. To make up for the shortness, I'll make the next chapter extra long.
And lastly, thanks to all the follows, faves and reviews. I love checking my email and seeing all the Child of Spring spam from the faves. :) Speaking of which, we are now at 114 followers, 109 favorites and a whopping 214 reviews! I think CrossoverJunkie was actually the 200th reviewer! Go you!
