Celebration

The party was a blast! I could not remember a time when I was so happy before, not even in my human life. I spent time with the "Guardians" and got to know each of them. I learned that the four of them were Chosen by Manny to guard the children of the world. So when it came to spirits, these guys were known as the Big Four. They were the top dogs. And somehow, that made me feel a little insignificant. The Guardians were important to the world; they held the lives of children everywhere in the palm of their hands.

Other than learning what a Guardian was, I also learned something very important: believers. The reason no one could see or hear me was because they did not believe in Cupid. A confusing topic considering Cupid was both my name and my title. People believed in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny. Thus the Guardians could be seen. People did not, however, believe in me. Though it had been centuries, Valentine's Day was still spreading. Those who did celebrate unfortunately did not believe there was a woman who made them fall in love with just her arrows.

I asked the Australian E. Aster Bunnymund, who informed me of all this, "How long will it be until people do see me?" I sat upon a guard rail, a cup of milk in hand, as I admired the business around me. As a child, I was told that Santa's helpers, the elves, made the toys. I was sadly mistaken. The elves, it turns out, were a rambunctious lot; no taller than my calf, wearing red and a bell on their pointed hood. They made the cookies and played music and set up decorations. Or they just ran around, making a mess of things. It was yetis who made the toys; yetis that were over 6 feet tall, covered in soft-looking fur. The large creatures were interesting to watch.

Bunnymund leaned against a beam across from me, arms folded across his chest. He shifted at my question. "Well, there's no way to tell, mate," he said, bringing my attention from the yetis to the Pooka. "It all depends on your popularity and how the legends of Cupid spread."

My smile slipped from my face. "So…there is the possibility of – never being believed in?" I asked as my heart sank.

Toothiana flew over to me and touched my shoulder. "Now, now, Cupid! While it's possible, it's improbable. You're Cupid for goodness sake! A holiday! Of course you're going to be believed in."

Tooth had a way of bringing my hopes up. I smiled once more and kicked my feet. "Just stick with us, Lovey," Bunny said. "If you never get believers, we'll always be there for ya."

With a warm heart, we went on about the party. A few hours in, the Russian Nicholas St. North led us back to where we first met. He sat me before the warm fireplace and announced that it was time for gifts. I blinked, surprised. "Presents?" I asked. "Oh, North, that is very kind, but I do not need any-"

"Bah! I insist, Cupid!" he boomed, slapping my shoulder. "We apologize we could not celebrate on your birthday, so consider this your official party."

Though I tried to contend that I did not need any presents, the Guardians did not listen. From North I received a hand-held mirror made of ice. It was cold to hold, but not unbearably so. I admired the present raptly, taking in my reflection, fingers gliding along the intricate designs on the handle and back. "It is beautiful, North," I gasped, "thank you." The man was glad I liked it and pointed out that it was no ordinary mirror. While North had constructed the mirror, Manny added his own touch to it. All I had to do was say a person's name while thinking about them, and the mirror would show them to me.

When I turned to North, mouth agape, eyes incredulous, he laughed. "Go on, try it!" he encouraged.

I cleared my throat, thinking about who I wanted to see. Finally, I had it. "Show me the Man in the Moon, please," I told the mirror.

Not even two seconds later, my image rippled and the edges glowed. Then the rippling stopped and the glow died down and instead of my own reflection, I was looking at a man. He was small and round, wore a gold suit. His head was nearly bald except for a white strand of hair that stood up from his scalp shaped like a question mark. He smiled warmly and waved to me. "Hello, Cupid," he said. "I do hope you enjoy this gift."

I let out a gasp and nearly dropped the delicate object. From a skylight above us, the full moon shone brightly as if to confirm that I was indeed speaking to the real Man in the Moon. I was awe-struck! I had always thought that Manny was just the moon. I had no idea that was really a human man! "This is-this is amazing!" I stuttered. "I cannot believe it is truly you, Manny- err, MiM- err Man in the Moon or sir! I mean-!"

The small man chuckled and held up a hand. "Please, my dear girl. My name is Tsar Lunar. But you may call me Manny, preferably."

I awkwardly saluted, unable to contain my grin. "Yes, sir, Manny, sir," I said breathlessly and then began to laugh. The Guardians around me exchanged smiles. North squeezed my shoulder comfortingly and held out his hand to take the mirror. Manny's image remained. He watched on as the rest of my gifts were presented to me.

Bunny was next. He was a bit shy to hand me the red heart-shaped box, tied together with a silky pink ribbon. "I know it may not be much, Lovey," he said as I took the box excitedly. "But I made 'em myself."

I gave him a smile and unwrapped the gift carefully as to not ruin its beauty. Inside the box were assorted chocolates. The smell of them wafted to my nose and I almost drooled. "Ooh," I breathed, picking one up to examine it. I could not believe that the Pooka had made them himself.

"Bunny makes the best chocolate in the universe," North informed me.

I eagerly popped the small chocolate into my mouth. The taste and sensation was indescribable! After one taste, I could not get enough! I had never tasted anything like that in my life. It was flavorful and delicious and mouth-watering and agh! I immediately went for more chocolate, each with a different taste than the last. "My goodness, Bunny!" I exclaimed with a mouthful of chocolate. "This is the best thing I have ever tasted in my life! Thank you!"

The Pooka grinned and rolled his eyes. "Ah, it was nothin', mate," he said. "You just let me know whenever you want more." When he pointed out there were two layers of chocolate, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Because I did not want to eat them all right there, I had to control myself, so I put the box back together regretfully and set it on my lap.

Next was Sandy's present. The silent man came over to me and handed me an hourglass. The designs on it were beautiful, but what was most captivating was the sand inside. It was dreamsand. It sparkled and glowed like fireflies, entrancing me. Amidst my trance, I noticed there was a button on the top of the hourglass. I looked to Sandy questioningly and he nodded excitedly. Carefully, I pressed the blue button. It opened apart and a holographic image appeared. They were numbers. It had the date and exact time, counting down the seconds. The blue numbers sparkled like dreamsand. When I dared to touch it curiously, it was as though the numbers were wisps of smoke.

No longer would I ever forget what year or time it was. "Wow," I exhaled, watching time tick away. The sand inside the hourglass never filled or ran out. "Sandy, this is amazing! I needed something like this. Thank you so much!"

Sandy nodded and pictures appeared over his head rapidly. It looked like a clock, then an old man with a staff, then of Sandy, then shaking hands, and I could not keep up with the rest. I glanced at the other Guardians for help. North laughed once more and explained: "He says that Father Time helped him create this for you."

My jaw dropped again. "Father Time?" I asked, looking to Sandy. The Sandman nodded, smiling.

"His name is Ombric Shalazar," North continued. "Perhaps one day you may meet him, and Mother Goose Katherine."

I did not know what to say. There were others like us, ones that were not Guardians. I was already desperate to meet them. But there would be time for that later. My fourth and final gift was from Toothiana. Her gift was something that I would treasure for the rest of my life.

It was my memories.

When she first handed me the long, gilded container, I was not sure what to make of it. On the face of it was a picture of me when I was a child: long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, same hairstyle as I had now. I furrowed my brow, turning the beautiful vessel curiously. Inside it, something clinked against the walls. I looked up at Tooth. "This is so beautiful, Tooth," I said honestly. I tapped the flat, decorated top of the container with a perfectly manicured nail, curious as to know what was inside.

Tooth drifted down to the ground and sat on her knees in front of me. She took my hand in hers and pressed my fingers against the lid. And then, as if by magic, there was a white flash and the world began to disappear around me. My life as a child flashed before my eyes:

My father showed me how to shoot a bow for the first time. "Good job, Cupid!" he said encouragingly. He lifted me into his arms and hugged me tightly.

Aelia and I met Domitus. I hid shyly behind my friend. "I am Aelia and this is my friend Cupid," she introduced us.

I climbed a tree faster than Domitus could keep up with me. "You are going to get hurt! Would you please slow down, Cupid?" he called after me.

Aelia and Domitus sat beside me as I cried over my father's grave. It was night and we had been there all day. Aelia's hand left my shoulder. "I am sorry, Cupid," she whispered.

"You are in a lot of trouble, Cupid!" the man scolded as he shook his fist in the air. There was a broken vase on the floor by his feet. Domitus, Aelia, and I laughed and kept running.

Aelia stood in my alleyway, hand-in-hand with Domitus. "We are running away from my father. Please come with us, Cupid," she begged.

I plopped down on my new bed in the home that Domitus acquired for me. "Thank you so much, Domitus!" I exclaimed. "It was no problem, Cupid, really," he said smiling.

And then the present came rushing back in an instant. I gasped and panted heavily as if I was holding my breath the whole time. Tears came to my eyes and I clasped my hand over my mouth in shock. Though I was slightly disappointed that it did not show my last moments with my friends, I did not mention it. I was barely twenty years old when I died, and I still looked it. My years of being a child was over. Those scenes before me were the most important years of my child life.

I looked up at Tooth, at a loss for words. She held my hand in hers and smiled sadly. "Much like how you collect Feelings, I collect teeth," she explained softly. "When people need to remember what's important, it's my job to bring back the most important memories of childhood stored in the lost teeth."

I swallowed hard. "And those were my memories," I stated.

The Tooth Fairy nodded. "I thought they might come in handy if you're ever feeling down." She smiled warmly. Though I did not cry, I wanted to. I lunged forward and hugged Tooth tightly. The fairy held me close. The Guardians exchanged looks and smiled softly.

It really was the best day of my life.

...After gifts were given, we celebrated more until the sun came up. North agreed to hold onto the presents until it was time for me to go. At sunrise, the content Guardians informed me that they all had to go. Tooth had shirked off her duties too long and had to return to the world to collect the lost teeth of children. Sandy also had to bring sweet dreams to the darker part of the world. Bunny did not want to leave, but he said that he had to go back to his Warren to paint eggs and keep them company. I was confused at the idea, but he said that he would show me all around his Warren another time.

Once everyone had left, it was just North and I. He said that while he should really get back to work, he was not done spending time with me. So, he took me around on a tour of his workshop. I met many yetis and got a glimpse at the fascinating toys they were working on. Once he had shown me all that the yetis did, he brought me to a special room. This room was full of weapons of different sorts – mostly different types of swords. They were interesting and deadly-looking.

North explained to me that before he was Santa Claus, he was the greatest thief in all of Russia, and he still is the greatest swordsman in the world. "I can teach you how to swordfight one day, if you'd like," he offered, but I declined. I told him that bows and arrows were more my forte. At that, he had a wonderful idea. The large man led me over to a wall where the yetis' weapons were held. They had odd swords as well, but what he wanted to show me was their bow and arrows.

The bow they would use was much taller than I was, as well as the arrows and quiver. The design on each was intriguingly different. Because of their size, I had to struggle to lift them. As I did my best to string an arrow, North set up a target at the far end of the room. After finally getting the arrow in place, I pulled back with all my might and fired. The force of the projectile sent me falling back on my butt.

North laughed loudly, holding onto his round belly. After his fit of laughter was over, he came over to me and offered me a hand. Now on my feet, I looked at the target and was surprised to see that I actually hit the bulls-eye. North picked up the bow and arrows and set them in their rightful place. "Wow. I did not expect that to work," I said, folding my arms and tilting my head.

"Ah, these bows have a mountain-to-mountain accuracy," he said flippantly. "You are a very skilled archer, Cupid. It does not surprise me that you made it." He patted my back harshly and then led me out to his office. I followed after him, keeping out of the way of the busy yetis.

North's office was beautiful. The snow and ice blended together with the architecture of the room. Toys, books, and other strange objects littered the room. To the left there was a fireplace; at the far end of the room was a large window and window seat; at the center of the room was a table where ice sculptures were crafted and carved out. I examined each book and knick-knack on his shelves. "Your entire workshop is incredible, North," I said dreamily. "Better than I ever imagined."

"Oh, thank you," he said proudly. I picked up a strange toy and examined it. It looked like a small gourd – smooth, painted to look like North. I had not seen something like it before. "That is called a matryoshka," he elucidated, gently taking it from me. I watched curiously as he pulled it apart, revealing a smaller figure beneath it. And another after that! And another and another until there was the smallest figure inside. It looked like a little baby, wrapped in all red with large blue eyes. "It is my center."

"'Center'?" I asked, looking up at him.

North nodded. "It is what I was born for," he said softly. "I live to create wonder for the world, Cupid."

I sat on the desk and observed the matryoshka. "It like it. 'Wonder.' It is all that you are." North and I exchanged a moment of silence and smiles. Finally he collected his toy together and set it back on the shelf. He pulled on a large red coat, trimmed with black fur, then a furry cap.

"Come!" he proclaimed. "I have one more thing to show you." I hopped off the desk and followed after him. Once again, we passed by the center of the entire workshop where there was a huge globe. Lights shined like dreamsand over each continent.

Furrowing my brow in interest, I flew up to it for the first time. It spun slowly as if it was the real Earth. "Are you all right, Cupid?" North called over to me. I flew all around the globe, examining the bright lights that littered the spherical structure.

"I am fine," I called back. "What is this thing, North? Why is this globe here glowing?" I glided down beside North who stopped to gaze at the globe. He informed me that the globe showed all of Earth. And each of the lights on it was a child who believed in the Guardians. All I could say was "Oh…" We continued to stare at it for a while before I spoke up again. "North, do you ever think that I will be a Guardian?"

He took a moment to think about it before sheepishly replying, "Well, there is no way to tell, Cupid. That is all up to Manny. I would rather not tell you yes and have it be wrong. So, all I can say is that time will tell."

Again with time and waiting. I was growing to be a very impatient person. Perhaps that Ombric Shalazar fellow would be able to help me one day. For now, I put my own worries aside and followed North.

We stepped into a circular contraption, which glided down the wall, bringing us to the lower levels of the workshop. The room was made of snow all around; yetis and elves rushed around hurriedly. To our left, two large doors swung open. Out of them came bucking and thrashing reindeer! Just like in the legends!

"Manny says that it is about time for you to get back to your duty," North explained as the reindeer came forward, pulling a large red sleigh along behind them. "So, I figured I would save this place for last." Once the sleigh was completely out, he went over to it and sat in the drivers' seat. In front of him was a globe, sparkling just like the one we had just seen. "Come, Cupid! Hop in. I shall take you to your next assignment."

Just in time, a name and location appeared in my head. I happily jumped into the back of the sleigh. Travelling through the air without my wings! Wow! What an experience! I got comfortable and told North where to go. He cracked the reigns and the reindeer took off sprinting. I jerked back and held onto the seat, laughing joyously. The yetis and elves waved goodbye and I waved back. We zoomed through tunnels, around loop-di-loops, until we finally came to the exit. The chilly morning air greeted us as the reindeer pulled us upward and into the sky.

As we went higher and higher, I let out a whoop of excitement. My hair whipped around my face until we caught air and seemed to drift gently, the reindeer pulling us along safely. I fixed my pink hair behind my ears and gazed around. I had never flown without using my wings before. It was surprisingly calming and beautiful.

"I put all of your presents inside your sack," North called over his shoulder.

"Thank you!" I shouted, clutching my bag closer to me. I looked inside and noticed that all the items fit among the vials of Feelings. The bag of course did not feel any heavier. I sighed happily and leaned back against the seats behind me. I planned to enjoy this time before I had to go back to my old ways of rushing around.

A/N: The whole idea about Ombric being Father Time just came to me a few days ago after I finished the first and second book, and I was totally blown away. And then I found out that the Wiki for Rise of the Guardians says the same thing… Whoops! Oh, well! I stand firm that I completely believe that Ombric is Father Time!

Welp! Thanks for reading! I'll see ya next time! -Eri