Author's Note: Snowy Monday, Guest: YES, WE SHALL ATTACK AT DAWN, AHAHAHA! XD I'LL ALSO BRING POPCORN AND SNACKS. WE SHALL STORM PITCH'S LAIR WITH THE GUARDIANS TONIGHT. HE HAS NIGHTMARES, BUT WE HAVE A FANDOM. TOGETHER WE SHALL COME OUT VICTORIOUS! (I cannot tell you how hard a laughed when I read you guys' reviews XD).
Violence and war plans aside...WELCOME back to "The Winter Child" everyone! =D The week has finally reached its end and oh my dear Manny, I am SO tired. XD I have an college presentation that I wanted to start working on (I'm in an early college course for those of you who don't know. =3 I'm still in high school, haha XD) but I was so whipped that I pushed it to next week. XD Luckily, it isn't due until the week after, hehe. X)
With spring break just around the corner, I'm doing my best to stay ahead in my work and pass mah classes. =') Once again, we have PSAT testing coming up, and I have an AP Bio exam in May (which I am most definitely not looking forward to). I'm hoping to spend sometime studying...but for this weekend, I think I'm just going to chill out, haha. X)
Oh, and just to update you all, things are going better with my parents. =D I actually talked to my dad about it a while ago, and he reassured me that things would be fine. =) Things aren't 100% better yet, but there's definitely been improvement, and I'm glad. ^u^ Hopefully everything returns to normal soon enough. =D
Man, I just realized that most of this author's note is life updates, but hey, I haven't done this in a while. XD It's better than me not having anything to say. OuO Back to the actually fanfic, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter...but I don't hate it. So it's still going up 'ere. XD
And also, I am not very knowledgable when it comes to cooking, so everything mentioned here is my best guess. XD I hope you guys enjoy this chapter regardless! =D
~ XLVIII ~
Chaotic Cooking
He wanted to be more independent
So he offered to cook for everyone
But soon did Jack discover
That making dinner for all
Was just as hard as cooking for one
...
Jack was twelve years old, and with aging came the longing for independence. For as long as Jack could remember, North had done everything for him. When he was little he carried him around, fed him, and washed him. He even did so in his early child years. Of course, as Jack began to grow older, North allowed him to do more things on his own like bathing himself, picking clothes to wear, and taking care of his own room. But these were little tasks to Jack; he wanted to do something that not everyone else his age got to do. And something that he had never quite done before.
And what was this thing, you ask? Well, it was quite simple. Jack wanted to cook, not just for himself, but for the Guardians.
"You want to make dinner for us tomorrow?" North asked, surprised. From the doorway of the study, Jack nodded. "I'm not so sure, moy mal'chik."
"Come on, North. I'll be careful, I promise!" Jack begged. "And besides, I'm almost thirteen. Shouldn't I be doing this stuff by myself by now?"
"You should," agreed North, standing up from his desk and walking over to the boy. "But I'm not sure you're ready to handle the task of cooking."
"I've watched you do it every single day of my life. How hard could it possibly be?"
North chuckled. "Not all things are as simple as they seem, Jack."
"Well, cooking does," said Jack. "Just grab a bunch of ingredients, cut them up, and mix them together to make a meal. Easy."
North knew that arguing with Jack was fruitless; the boy was stubborn, and when he had his mind set on something then by Moon, he was going to do it. Besides, Jack was reasonably responsible. North was sure that he wouldn't hurt himself, if not on accident.
"Alright, moy mal'chik. I will let you make dinner," said North.
"Yes!" Jack cheered. He ran up to North and squeezed him in a hug. "You're the best, North!"
North laughed and ruffled his hair. "Just be careful with stove and oven, okay? I don't want you burning yourself."
"I will, I will," Jack said somewhat dismissively. He grabbed a pencil and notebook from a table nearby and started scribbling down supper ideas. "I wonder if Bunny will be okay if I use eggs…" he murmured as he walked out the door. North watched him leave, an amused smile on his face. He was thoroughly looking forward to what his boy would make tomorrow night.
…
When you're doing something for the first time, excitement overwhelms you. You can't wait until the moment arrives that you get to do something that you've never done before. You can't stop thinking about it; the very thought of it makes you fidget with anticipation. This is the situation Jack was currently in as he waited by the window for the other Guardians to arrive.
Jack had chosen this day to cook since North, Tooth, Sandy, and Aster would all be present. They had a Guardian meeting schedule that day, and while North was originally going to prepare a meal for supper, Jack had volunteered to do so. The boy had been up late last night planning what he was going to make. North eventually had to make him go to bed, for he would've stayed up passed midnight if he was left undisturbed.
Jack didn't know what the Guardians were going to discuss during this meeting. And, frankly, he didn't want to know. When he was little, he'd always try to eavesdrop on their discussions. He was usually caught by Aster, who could hear him through the doors of the study. The Guardians' work fascinated Jack, and he even claimed that he wanted to become a Guardian when he was little. But that was when he had been six. In his childish mind, going on daring adventures and fighting off evil seemed like the perfect way to spend his time. But now that Jack was older—and more aware—he didn't think he wanted to get involved in the precarious work that North, Tooth, Sandy, and Aster were involved in.
He still supported them—and, frankly, who wouldn't?—The four had done beyond amazing things for their village and those who lived in it. But after the scarring encounter, he had with the Fearlings and Nightmares in the woods, he didn't want to hear anything about Pitch. The thought of him stirred old nightmares that he had had in his youth and reminded him of his first meeting with him when he was eight. Add on the near-death experience he had in the woods…Jack shook his head. The thoughts were just too frightening to bear.
It had been a month since he and Aster had gotten lost, but nightmares of the Fearling encounter replayed in Jack's mind from time to time. He tried not to think about it too much, but it still snuck into his head. Perhaps cooking would help him distract him from such thoughts.
Outside, Tooth, Aster, and Sandy finally came into view. Jack grinned. "Noooorth! They're here!" he shouted.
"I'm one room over, moy mal'chik. There's no need to yell," North said as he emerged from the study.
Jack shrugged. "It just feels more satisfying."
North smirked, and he opened the door, inviting Tooth, Sandy, and Aster inside. Though Norsurberian was known to receive the coldest of winters, it was an oddly warm November day. Icicles still hung from the roofs, glittering like glass. Light snow showers appear here and there, some caused by Nature, and other conjured by Jack. He offered to make it snow enough so that he and the other children wouldn't have to go to school, but not only was he incapable of doing so yet, North had told him not to.
Aster shook the snow out of his ears and huffed. "Crikey. This has to be the first time that it's winter in Santoff Claussen and it's actually warm."
"I'm sure we've had a few other days like this," said Tooth, slipping off her light coat. "I think it's quite nice actually."
Sandy nodded in agreement.
"I personally think we should get more snow. And lower temperatures" said Jack, walking into the entryway from the living room. He slung his staff on his shoulder. "What's winter without the snow and cold?"
"Spring," Aster replied. "The superior season."
Jack glared at Aster, and the Pooka returned his look with a smirk. The two had an ongoing argument about which season was better. It was like a direct mirror of Aster and North's usual "Christmas is better than Easter" argument. The two would go on for hours, giving various reasons why their favorite season was best. North, Tooth, and Sandy would watch the two from, either munching on biscuits or drinking tea. Watching a grown Pooka argue with a twelve-year-old boy is more amusing than one would think.
Baby Tooth, who had requested to join Toothiana on her way to North's, happily buzzed up to Jack and chirped happily. The snow sprite grinned, allowing the young fairy to perch on his shoulder. It had been a while since Jack had last seen her since he was busy with schoolwork. Luckily, it was the weekend, so Jack didn't have any assignments to worry about at the moment.
Once Tooth, Sandy, and Ater removed their coats, Jack pushed them and North toward the study. "Now you guys go have your meeting while I make dinner."
"Yer lettin' Frosty cook, North?" Aster asked, surprised.
"I thought it would be good learning experience," North said.
"You can't come out until I'm done, okay?" said Jack as the Guardians entered the study. "I'll come get you when I'm done."
"Oh, so now he's lockin' us up," Aster jested. Tooth and Sandy smiled.
"It seems so," said North. He turned to Jack. "What if we need something?"
"You'll have to ask either me or Baby Tooth to get it for you," said Jack. "But I don't think it'll take me that long to whip something up." He started to close the door. "I'll see you guys when I'm finished!"
And with that, Jack closed the study door. He stayed for a moment or two, listening as Aster and Tooth remarked how amusing Jack was being. The snow sprite smirked, and turned on his heel, walking into the kitchen with Baby Tooth sitting on his shoulder.
"Alright, Baby Tooth. We have two hours to make dinner, and it has to be good," said Jack. Baby Tooth fluttered off from his shoulder and watched as he set his staff against the wall. "But first, we need to get into gear."
Jack rummaged through the closet and pulled out an apron and chef's hat. He had seen North wear them a few times when he cooked, but they had gotten small, so he didn't wear them anymore. The snow sprite put on the long cloth and tall hat, feeling quite professional as he dawned the headpiece. Baby Tooth gave him an affirming nod, and the two reentered the kitchen.
From the list he made the previous night, Jack decided that he'd make some meat, soup, and salad for the main meal. The dessert he'd back would be vanilla cake, a flavor, which he thought, was definitely superior.
Now, North did have a cookbook stored in a nearby cabinet, but Jack had watched North cook for years; he was sure he could make a meal on his own (well, with Baby Tooth's help of course).
The two went straight to work; they didn't want to waste any time. Jack pulled out all the ingredients needed for the meal, and Baby Tooth searched the cabinets for the spices. Jack washed the steak in the sink and placed it on a cutting board once he was done. Baby Tooth gestured to all the spices she had found in the cabinets. There was quite a plethora of them.
There were so many containers, so many shakers, that Jack didn't know which one to use. Or what any of them were, for that matter. Jack's hand hovered over the spices. "Uhhh…Which one do you think we should use, Baby Tooth?"
The little fairy eyed the collection of spices and pointed at a container that held a red spice, basil leaves, and green spice. She didn't know what any of them would do to the steak, but she assumed that they would make it taste right.
Jack sprinkled them on top of the meat and placed it in a pan. He turned on the stove to let it cook, then pulled out a pot for the soup. It didn't take too long to put together but certainly wasn't easy. Jack settled on making a vegetable stew (without carrots, of course), but he didn't cut the vegetables enough, resulting in large chunks of celery, corn, tomatoes, and onions. He thought that once it started boiling, the vegetables would shrink. But his result wasn't what he had hoped.
As he was adding salt to the soup, he accidentally dropped the shaker. Baby Tooth helped him pick out vegetables for the salad, but Jack couldn't cut these properly either. While he didn't cut himself during the process, he was close to doing so on numerous occasions. Thankfully, Baby Tooth had sharp eyes.
The fairy and snow sprite moved on to the cake. "Baking a cake can't be too hard…right?" said Jack. But, just to be safe, he pulled out the cookbook, for if everything else didn't turn out well, at least the cake could be decent.
Jack and Baby Tooth followed the recipe, line by line. Cracking the eggs wasn't much of a problem. The measurements, however, were. Jack and Baby Tooth estimated the ingredient amounts, but when it came to the baking soda, Jack wanted to go over the limit. Baby Tooth chirped at him.
"I know it says we're not supposed to, but we want this to be a big cake, don't we?" said Jack, dumping more of the soda into the batter. Baby Tooth watched him nervously. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
If only Jack knew the chemical components of baking soda. For if he did, he would know that adding too much of it would cause a cake to collapse in on itself…which is exactly what occurred. Baby Tooth deadpanned, and Jack cringed.
"I know, I know…you warned me, and I didn't listen," said Jack. "But it should still taste good… right?"
He broke off a piece and popped it into his mouth. He grimaced; the confection was very bitter. Jack grabbed a cup of water ad washed down the horrendous sample.
"I don't think North or the others would want to consume that," said Jack. He sighed. "What are we going to make for dessert?"
Baby Tooth pointed at a cookie jar sitting on the counter. Jack frowned.
"We don't have enough time to make cookies," said Jack. "And we used up the last of the eggs for the cake."
Jack sighed. "I really should've followed the instructions, huh?"
Baby Tooth was about to reply when the smell of something sharp and burning struck her nose. The little fairy's eyes widened, and she squeaked loudly as she pointed behind Jack. The snow sprite turned around and his eyes widened. The steak!
"Oh no!" Jack yelped. The entire piece of meat was burning with flames. Quickly, Jack thrust his hands forward and froze it before North and the Guardians could notice. But the smell of something burning was quick to travel. Jack heard the door to the study open, and North's voice ring out.
"Jack? Is everything alright in there?" he asked.
"Um…y-yes!" Jack called. He looked at the charred steak, flattened cake, and heavy vegetable stew. The snow sprite gulped. "Uh…everything's fine!"
"Are ya sure, mate? It smells like somethin' got burnt," Aster said.
"No, no, everything's fine, really!" Jack said. "Now go back inside; the food's almost ready."
Though he couldn't see them, Jack knew that the Guardians were still concerned. The snow sprite heard the door to the study close, and the boy sighed.
"There's no way we're fixing this in time," he said. Baby Tooth twittered sadly. Jack sighed. "Might as well serve what we made."
Jack and Baby Tooth set the table and placed the dishes they had made in the center. They went to the study, and Jack let everyone know that the food was ready. He didn't know how hungry the Guardians were, and he hoped that they weren't too famished. The boy watched as they took their seats at the table. They eyed the food that lay before them. Jack couldn't tell if they were surprised…or disgusted.
This wasn't the meal they had been expecting, but to be frank, the Guardians didn't have any high standards set. This was Jack's first time cooking, so obvious he wouldn't be great at it on his first attempt. None of the food looked too appealing. The steak was half frozen, and the soup was stuffed with vegetables. The salad vegetables were cut too big, and the cake didn't look anything like a cake. But they didn't want the boy to feel bad. Jack had done his best to cook for them. So, they took a bite of each dish. The only dish that tasted right was the salad, but that was just a mix of different vegetables.
Jack was disappointed with himself. "It's terrible, isn't it?"
"No, no, not at all!" Tooth chirped happily. But she, along with Aster, was only eating the salad. They were both vegetarian, so their opinion only applied to vegetable foods.
"You tried your best, moy mal'chik," reassured North.
"But I really wanted to make the perfect meal for you guys," mumbled Jack.
"These things take practice," said North. He placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Keep on practicing, and you will get better."
Jack felt a little better. "Well…at least I didn't ruin the salad," he said. Now that he thought about it, he had sampled every dish except for the steak. The boy picked up a fork and picked up a piece of meat. He ate it off the fork and sucked in a breath.
The snow sprite swallowed thickly, and after downing another cup of water, he gasped, "I think I'll let North do the cooking for now."
The Guardians laughed.
Author's Note: The thing I struggle with the most with this story is sticking to the time period. I'm constantly asking myself "Did this exist in the 1800s?" And when I go and look that thing up, find that it doesn't, but I already wrote out the chapter and everything, I'm like "Well...it is a fictional country." And then I don't change anything. XD
I also have the fair excuse that Santoff Claussen is full of very inventive people, so inventions like the record player, fridges, and other stuff that weren't invented during the 1800s time period were made here, but of course with magic to assist. =) Hopefully I become better at actually sticking to time periods in my future works (especially since my original book series I'm planning, "The Lunarian Chronicles" takes place during the late 1700s-the early 1800s =')).
Anyway, that's all I've got to say. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all have an amazing weekend. =) God bless!
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203