I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of their Characters, or the songs I use, the things you don't recognize however are mine and Swtorchef's
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(50 Years Later)
Adapting to this new life was hard, learning how to control my powers, getting scarlet and onyx, my red and black skeleton dolls, to do what I wanted was only easy if I was in danger, and I was running on instinct and adrenaline. After that night….. it had taken a week for my leg to fully heal. I'd gone from village to village hoping, praying, that someone would see me. No one ever did.
They all passed through me, and I could feel my heart sink a little more each time. I was wandering again, I'd done that a lot over the last 50 years, and scarlet and onyx where always comforting but they couldn't talk to me, not in the traditional sense, and could only make these littler chirping sounds. I was alone. I stopped, blinking back tears, for I knew crying would change nothing, it never had.
I glanced around, it was late fall, the trees had once again turned into a mosaic of color and the wind floated along the crisp smells of autumn through the air. It was beautiful and I smiled slightly as the sunlight shined warmly on my face. I took a deep breath, feeling comfort in the closeness of my dolls and continued forward.
There was a river running through the meadow and deep into the trees, and I followed it. The soft sounds of sobs broke through the fall air and I stopped cocking my head to hear more clearly. It was a little girl, I turned and walked toward the noise. As the bright forest broke into a clearing I stopped. It was a graveyard. And scattered throughout where pockets of people, families, all crouching at the gravesites placing flowers, or other mementoes. My heart twinged with sympathy.
I surveyed the groups, and one little girl caught my eye. She was alone, crying, off in a more secluded part of the graveyard. I walked forward and stood behind her. Reading the words carved into the stone I felt tears fill my eyes once more. 'Here lies Richard Sawyer. Beloved Friend and Father.' I glanced down at the sobbing child she could be no more than six.
"Papa!" she sobbed out and clutched onto the grave for dear life. Scarlet was tugging at my arm and I glanced at it. It was trying to pull me toward the entrance of the fenced off graveyard. I followed curiously. When I reached it scarlet and onyx became still and I cocked my head, closing my eyes. I furrowed my eyebrows. There was something here, a vail or wall. I reached out and felt for it. It was there, so faint most people could probably walk by and never notice. But I wasn't most people.
"Onyx, Scarlet. I'm not quite sure what to do. Please help me understand how to help." In a flash they were scarves again. They began to move, wrapping themselves partially around my arms lifting them and moving them slowly in a pattern. It felt….familiar, and right. I couldn't place why but I knew it. I started moving my hands in an ascending motion moving them in a circular form.
The vibration I felt from when I felt the hellhound years ago came back but this time words popped into my head, and I sang them out without a care. Why not, it wasn't like anyone could hear me.
Remember me
Though I have to say goodbye
Remember me
Don't let it make you cry
For even if I'm far away
I hold you in my heart
I sing a secret song to you
Each night we are apart
Remember me
Though I have to travel far
Remember me
Each time you hear a sad guitar
Know that I'm with you
The only way that I can be
Until you're in my arms again
Remember me
I squinted as the unseen wall seemed to open and I froze as groups of people walked through. I could see through them, they were spirits. The spirit of a man, maybe 30, walked forward smiling sadly. He walked through me, and I closed my eyes sadly as I felt the burning sting of tears filling my eyes. It seemed even the dead couldn't see me. The man walked back toward the little girl. He crouched down and placed his hand on her head. Almost ruffling her hair. Her sobs stopped and she raised her head almost looking right at him. He smiled and but a hand to his heart, the little girl did the same and she giggled.
"Papa" she whispered excitedly. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him. I smiled, even if none of them living or dead could see me I was helping. I glanced around and saw the other spirits reaching out to their loved ones. The little girl lit a lantern and set it by her father's grave. Others started to do the same. I smiled. I didn't know how long the spirits could stay on this side of the vail but I would do my best to help ease the suffering of the leaving.
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(25 years later)
My eyes sparkled at the spectacle around me. Lanterns and decorations filled the village, winter had come early to this area of the world. And a thick sheet of snow littered on the ground. I glanced up at a moon filled sky glaring slightly at him, he still wouldn't talk to me after 75 years of wandering he left me on my own and confused. I shook my head to dislodge such thoughts.
'If the bastard didn't want to talk to me then I didn't want to talk to him'
Most of the decorations of the last several days had already been taken down due to the weather but the lanterns still hung on strings throughout the village. Local villages all over this continent had taken to celebrating the few days with which I could bring the souls back through the vail. They never saw their ancestors but they felt their presence and that lifted their spirts to know they were still there with them. I turned away smiling wryly, jumping up onto the limb of the nearest tree.
Years of travel and exercise had strengthened my body and enabled me to jump great lengths. I felt like the ninja's the Japanese stories told of leaping unseen from tree to tree. The snow made it slippery but I didn't care. Winter was one of my favorite seasons, after fall of course. The snow seemed so pure and so comforting.
A cracking sound caught my ear, and I slowed my frantic leaping until I stopped and changed direction headed straight toward the nearby lake. I stopped on the tree nearest to the lake and looked down. The ice was breaking. I blinked as a young man floats out of the water, bathed in the intense moonlight. Thin, pale, barefoot, his tousled hair frosted white. He frantically scrabbled as he floated in midair until he glanced at the moon and stilled, instantly calming down. He slowly floated back down onto the ice as the hole closed up underneath him. I cocked my head observing the odd boy.
He looked around, confused, then turned toward the moonlight as it dimed a bit. The boy carefully walked across the ice until he hit something with his feet. He looked down, and at his feet was a wooden staff. His face lite with confusion he bent to pick it up. Almost immediately the staff began to glow a cold blue in his hands. We both flinched back in shock. He almost dropped it as the base of the staff came in contact with the ground. Frost shot out and spread across the ice. He was visibly confused. He reached out and touched a few trees with his staff sending frost up their trunks. Then with a cry of delight he swung the staff again, more confident, as he began to run across the frozen pond. Another swing, and a gust of wind swirled him high up into the air. I gaped as he floated for a moment only to fall back down to the earth and into the trees. I winced in sympathy as he grabbed hold of a tree branch and pulled himself up to see the small town off in the distance.
With a whoop of joy, he launched himself off the branch and flew toward the town. I quickly ran the tree limbs after him not wanting to lose the curious boy. As he landed ungracefully and he stood up, still elated, and brushed himself off. As he made his way into town, the villagers where still warming their hands by campfires. The boy didn't seem to recognize anyone.
"Hello. Hello. Good evening, ma'am. Ma'am?" the boy tried to call out to a passing woman but she continued on oblivious to him and I went cold. He….couldn't be like me….could he? Not that I wouldn't wish my lonely existence on anyone but still. The young man crouched down in front of a little boy who was running straight at him and tried again. "Oh, ah, excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" The kid never stopped just ran right through him. The boy jerked back with a cry and seemed to despair as passersby kept passing through him. He backed away into a tree and crumpled to the ground sobbing I hopped silently to the ground beside him, watching from the shadows before I got up the courage to stand and walk into the light.
"I know how you feel," I whispered not even sure if he could hear me, "you never really get used to it." His head jerked up and looked right at me. My breath caught in my throat. His frosty blue eyes locked onto my silver ones. He blinked back tears.
"You….you can see me right, can …..can hear me?" his voice wavered with despair and desperation. He was talking to me. Tears came to my eyes in relief. I reached out slowly almost afraid to try.
He reached out and grasped my hand, he was cold but I didn't care. I pulled him into a hug and his shaking arms locked around me as we held each other. Content to welcome another who could see and touch us. I wasn't alone anymore. I pulled back and smiled and held out my hand.
"I'm Aria, Aria Calaca. And sorry for the familiarity, I haven't met someone who could see me in the last 75 years."
He grasped my hand tightly and shook giving me a sympathetic look. "I'm Jack Frost! 75 years? I was freaking out at the last three seconds of it, how'd you survive that?"
I shrugged, "Don't really know, I kind of focused on helping the living by letting the dead give them peace." He nodded clutching his staff to his chest
"So….what do I do now?" he asked quietly.
I smiled encouragingly and once again held out my hand. "Well you can stick with me, I can personally tell you being alone kind of sucks! I travel around quite a lot I could show you all kinds of stuff that the reclusive bastard moon man won't answer."
He grinned and grasp my hand, "You say that like I'm gonna let you out of my sight. No way Aria, I'm not letting the only person who can see and hear me get away that easily! You are so stuck with me!"
I smiled, nodded and pulled on his hand, my new friend, I still didn't want to let go, I hadn't touched anyone in 75 years. The feeling was almost foreign.
"Don't worry Jack I have a feeling that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"