Where Do We Go From Here||An Invitation Leads to Home
Chapter Summary: An invitation arrives at a Guardian meeting and Jack gets dragged home. Part 1 of the Winter Prince arc. Contains whatever parts of the book-canon I know and feel like using.
Chapter Rating: K+? just because it's the average rating and every chapter tends to have a minor cuss in it.
Disclaimer: You guys know I don't own RotG, but did you know I don't own Winter Prince? It's the work of the-guardian-of-fun on tumblr, who is the first one to come up with the idea. If you trace it back, it all stems from them. I just used the image as inspiration, Google "Winter Prince Jack Frost" and look for one on him lounging on a throne, or that style, or search for them on tumblr. There's a slashpairing between him and Jokul too, but that's just headcanon or something. WORD VOMIT.
And I don't own any of the songs I used in part.
Jack tipped his chair back on two legs. "Noooorth," he whined. "Is the meeting over yet?"
North, sitting tall and proper with his hands on the table in front of him, looked at the boy disapprovingly. "No, Jack, we still have things to discuss." He went back to his conversation with Aster.
Jack groaned dramatically and let his chair go back down on four legs with an obnoxious thud. He folded his arms behind his head and propped his feet up on the table, shifting often and basically just trying to get the meeting to stop or someone to pay attention to him. "La-da-dee-da, da-dee-da-da-dum-da-dee-dum-da-dee-dum," he sang, loud and off-key, not even sure of what song it was or what the rest of the words were but absolutely positive that was how the first line went. "La-da-dee-da, da-dee-da-da-dum-da-dee-dum-da-dee-dum." Then he transitioned into another random song a few kids had been singing as they exited a movie theater. "And I can't, wait to see, what my buddies all think of me, just imagine how much cooler I'll be, in summer!" His voice crescendo-ed, making elves cover their large ears and cringe, distinctly remembering there was more but he swapped songs again, quickly bored as he leaned his chair back again. "I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy's eyes, listen as the crowd would sing, now the old king is dead, long live the king. One minute I held the key, next the walls were closed on me, and I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand." He loved Coldplay, especially that song, but he forgot the remaining words and moved on. "I'm feelin' like I keep on talking, I'm repeating, myself my words lost all meaning I keep talking I repeat myse-e-e-e-elf." That was the only Downtown Fiction song he liked, it was the only good one. Fall Out Boy scrolled through his head. "Are all the good times getting gone? They come and go and go and come and go, oh yeah I've got a lot of friends who are stars, but some are just black holes," He decided to finish with some All Time Low. He knew Aster hated it, so he belted it out at the top of his lung in his cracking voice, bothered that no one had reacted to his singing yet. "Long live, the reckless and the brave, I don't think I wanna be saved, my song has not been sung, so long live us!"
"Your song has been sung, now shut up!" Aster roared, standing and planting his forepaws on the table. Jack jumped and fell out of his seat, chair falling backwards with a bang.
"Whoa there, kangaroo," Jack chuckled through a wince as he felt along the back of his head for a bump. "I didn't realize my singing was that bad."
"Ooh, what's that?" Tooth exclaimed, breaking away from her fairies. Sandy looked angry, as if he had been trying to get everyone's attention for the past few minutes.
There were five floating, regal-looking letters hovering just inside the window left open for the three flying Guardians. Once they were noticed, they each zoomed over to their respective Guardian, bobbing about their heads. Jack's was especially aggressive, jamming the stiff cardstock corners into his temples and soft spots on his face, scarily close to his eyes. "Ow! Quit that! Stop it, seriously, what's your problem?" It smacked his face like a backhanded-slap and unfolded itself in front of him. It was in a foreign language, but the strange snowflake-shaped symbols rearranged themselves, floating off the page until he could read it, oddly enough. When he did finish reading it, however, he was both scared and angry. "Oh, to hell with that! Ouch, get off me! Knock it off, you glorified paper airplane!" The letter grew angry and gave him a papercut across the nose that quickly frosted over. "Fine, but I'm not happy about it."
The letter folded itself again and flew out the window with Jack in tow. It wasn't his wind tugging him along but someone else's who had made it cold to accommodate for his needs. "Sorry guys!" Jack yelled back, not sounding very sorry at all. "I have to go!"
"Oi! Get back here!" Aster made a grab for the kid's ankle and missed. "You're a Guardian, you can't go flying off whenever you want!"
"I'll see you at the party!" he called, his voice getting quieter and quieter the farther he got.
Aster turned away and read his letter again. "Blasted irresponsible Frostbite. He'd better be there for the semi-centennial Spirit Ball and the Coronation of a Royal Spirit."
"Mother! Can you stop sending me the vindictive letters for once and just give me a normal one next time? This one gave me a papercut!" The frustrated teen made a furious snatch for the annoying letter but it flew out of the way and landed on the shoulder of a pretty woman who couldn't be much older than Jack and had her back to him as she knelt on the soft dirt, pushing seeds in one-by-one and gently nudging the soil back over them, lining them up in neat, straight rows. They were in a lovely garden, beautiful to look at and the scents were heavenly. Some had mistaken it for Eden, but it was far from it; the two were just standing in the Spring Quarter. Jack was sweating from the gentle sunlight and warm breezes. "And can we take this to Winter Quadrant?"
The woman stood, dusting off her hands and green dress. "Of course, Jackson." Her voice was low for a woman's and very soft, sounding like the sounds of nature had melded with her vocal cords. "Walk with me."
He let his feet touch the ground and padded along the ground with her, their feet making little-to-no sound. The barefoot woman turned to look at him, her hand reaching out to ease into his chilly palm and curl her fingers around his. He smiled peacefully at her, thinking she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And it was true. She had long black hair, not straight but not curly, and not quite wavy either. It was messy now, braided intricately and pinned up in a way that would have made others look crazy but just added to her whimsical charm, the laurel wreath woven in making her look sprite-like (though if you said that to her face she would strangle you with poison ivy and rose vines). Her eyes were a forest green that could change at any time depending on her mood, and her dress was green leaves sewn together that flattered her petite figure. She was shorter than the teen but commanded attention when she entered a room, unlike him. But Jack didn't care about that, it would have been weird. He just thought she was pretty, and impulsively leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Love you, Mother."
She didn't acknowledge it except for a smile to match his. "Love you too, Jackson." Her Winter-Child was still young enough to want to stay around her and hold hands but didn't follow her like a lost puppy anymore, unlike his older siblings who went out into the world and scorned them for being so childlike. The youngest physically but only a few centuries older than Jack, forever-six Lily Fleur was Jack's sister who clung to him tightly whenever he was around.
"Mama!" a little-girl voice called, ringing through the garden. "Is Jack-Jack here yet?"
Jack allowed himself a grin and answered. "Is that my little Blossom I hear?"
The voice squealed and footsteps pattered on the dirt, finally accompanied by a burst of wind that propelled a young girl straight into Jack's arms. Mother Nature dropped his hand and watched her youngest children interact, her heart swelling with pride.
"Jackie!"
"Blossom!" Jack imitated playfully, rubbing his nose against hers. "I missed you! Why don't you come see me?"
"Mama said you were busy with Guardian stuff!"
"That's no excuse not to visit," he winked and settled her onto his hip, watching her nose frost over from the contact with his. It quickly melted into her skin and she giggled.
"Cold!"
"I'm cold, Blossom." He stroked her hair softly as they continued to follow to the Winter Quadrant.
"No you're not, Jackie! You have a warm heart!" Lily laid her head against his chest. "I can feel it! It's still colder then mine or June's, but it's warmer than it was last time!"
Jack's steps faltered but he kept the smile on his face. "Is that so?" They entered the Summer Quadrant, having to follow the path of the seasons to get to each Q. Summer and Winter were Quadrants, Autumn and Spring were Quarters. "You got your charm bracelet?"
His older-yet-younger sister shook her wrist, making the charms jingle. "Yep! Hey, do you think Santa will bring me a present this year since you're friends now?"
Jack's heart almost stopped. "Of course he will." His hand patted her back while the other clenched. "You know, if you ever want to see me, just start spring early in Burgess. You could interrupt in the middle of a Guardian meeting and I would come play with you. I will always make time for you, Blossom."
Mother took Lily out of Jack's arms, mindful of the little pink rose-petal dress her daughter wore. "If anyone gives you a hard time, or even mildly upsets you, come get me okay? At the party and any other time. You won't be a tattle-tale," she said, seeing the question in Lily's eyes and answering it. "Especially if it's June or Vuli."
Vuli Chenji was the eldest of the four siblings, a Swahili man in his early twenties. He was the least pleasant and most nasty of the four, always picking on Jack because he was Winter and destroyed Autumn and Lily because she was so small and sweet and didn't know how to defend herself. June Summers was the second-oldest and by far the most aggressive. The teen was somewhere in the fifteen to nineteen age group and fought with everyone, but she protected Lily fiercely, and if anyone other than her or Vuli bothered her little siblings she would personally find them and beat them into submission. The two distanced themselves from the others, partially because they were almost millennia old and were independent, partially because they didn't want to bother their family members more than jokingly, as had happened the last time they had all stayed together as a family. There was a fragile family-dynamic between the five, one no one wanted to break for fear of damaging it beyond repair. It was further strained by Jack having a Father, and one who laid claim to him only recently too, Man in Moon, instead of just Mother like the other three children who had no paternal figure. Mother had a father, but she had avoided him like the plague for a long time now. Unfortunately, she would have to invite him to the ball, which she was not going to enjoy.
The two youngsters weren't sure if she was talking to Jack or Lily, so Lily replied for the both of them. "Okay, Mama." She wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her tightly.
Jack was a little shaken up. Mother had never offered him protection before, insisting he fight his own battles, but it felt nice to have that luxury even if he would probably never use it. That was why he had spent the last 300 years alone. He didn't want to get pushed away, nor did he want to get others hurt, so he isolated himself. Mother had told him she cared for him, but he was old enough to fend for himself and she didn't want to smother him, and so had only checked in on him every decade, like clockwork.
They had really only grown close the past ten years or so, increasing the frequency of their visits to every other Sunday after the battle with Pitch. Jack got close to Lily and even wormed his way into June's heart a little. Mother enjoyed spending time with her kids and felt like a mother, something she had never thought she could have, and she enjoyed it immensely.
Once they crossed over into Autumn Quarter, Lily drew a cloak of violets around her small frame and walked on her own. She didn't react well with Autumn, being so similar yet different than Spring, and needed double-strength charms. She was rather cold-blooded, adapting to her surroundings slightly, but always had trouble going through Autumn, too used to transitioning into Summer rather than Winter. Jack held her hand and he made the area very cold, speeding up Autumn and making Winter come faster. His Blossom was used to the cold, having to come in during the worst to warm it up (and she was always hanging around Jack), and she felt more at home in it than that awkward position between Hot and Cold (which was much different than Cold and Hot).
"What did you want me to come for right now, Mother?" Jack tilted his head to the side slightly. "I would've been by next week."
Mother continued walking, not bothered by the cold, headed towards the middle of the Circle of Seasons where her palace was located. "Follow, Jackson. Everyone is coming."
"Please tell me this isn't another one of those disasters you call a 'family dinner'?" Jack's face was schooled into an expression of mock-horror. Lily giggled and tried to copy him.
"No," Mother said, rolling her eyes at her son's antics. "Although we will likely have many of these 'disasters' during your stay."
"During my stay? Exactly how long are you planning on keeping me here?"
"Until the Spirit Ball," was her prim answer. The laurel wreath on her head slowly turned golden and her green dress fell away leaf-by-leaf (Jack averted his eyes, though he didn't need to; but it's not like he knew that) to show a golden dress in a similar style. Strips of gold laced their way up her calves like ballet ribbons and flowed upwards to circle her biceps in deceptively delicate-looking bands. Her feet were still bare, and that was when Jack noticed the same had happened to Lily, her violet cape turning brass along with her clothes. The rose flower crown in her pale blond hair turned to flexible brass and she got the same arm-and-leg ribbons as Mother.
Jack looked down at himself to see his clothes weren't even the same style anymore, let alone the same color. He was in a platinum v-neck t-shirt and silver jeans, the grooves in his staff filled with liquid metal that frosted but didn't harden. His feet were still bare, thankfully, and he had platinum armbands. He groaned at the wardrobe change as they walked up the Winter Entrance steps, Lily and Mother almost gliding regally but Jack tripping over himself as he studied his new outfit.
"Um, Mother? What's with the precious-metal clothing?"
"It's what happens this time of the century-"
"Wait, so this is the spirit version of the whole time-of-the-month thing?"
"-I just wish I had encouraged you to come to the semi-centennial parties more," Mother finished without missing a beat. "And I wish I had gotten a chance to educate you like your siblings. There are so many things I wish I could have changed."
"Nah, it's fine." Jack put a hand on Mother Nature's shoulder. "Look at me now! I still come visit every other week, and nobody even bats an eye! What if you had raised me like Vuli and June and I didn't come back anymore? You would be alone with my little Blossom."
"It did work out nicely in the end, didn't it." Mother was still not satisfied though and expressed this as they made their way through the ice-halls to the earth-halls, getting closer and closer to the heart of her palace, a giant tree. "But I could have saved you all that sorrow, all that confusion and anguish. I could have protected you. I should have seen through your façade during my visits, but I blinded myself to your pain and suffering, tricking myself into believing you were fine because I could not stand to have failed one of my children."
"It's fine, Mother. Really." He grasped her hand, eliciting a smile from her, and he kissed her cheek again. "I love you unconditionally. It's what children do for their parents."
Lily skipped ahead. "I'll let the others know Jack-Jack is here!" She shed her brass cloak and it flew back to hang on a random peg on the wall.
Mother Nature engulfed Jack in a hug, and he stooped a little (he was taller than her), allowing her to sway them back and forth soothingly. She grasped the sides of his head and pulled him down so their foreheads and noses were touching. "Jack, you know I love you, right?" She used his nickname, the one he always asked her to call him by.
He smiled, blue eyes locked onto green-turned-blue ones. "Of course. I love you too, Mom."
Mother Nature beamed at the word 'Mom' and pulled his head down lower, planting a kiss on his forehead and resting her thumbs on either side of the spot. "Then, Jack Frost, will you become a Prince of Nature and the Head of Winter?"
"I will."
Mother's blue eyes glowed slightly as Jack's did likewise, and her thumbs followed suit. "I, Seraphina, Mother Nature, proclaim Jack Frost as the Winter Prince and King of Frost." Yes, the wording was different, but in her court she insinuated him as both. She and he knew his title, there was no need for specifics (that and she was making it up as she went along, trying to seem formal). With her thumbs she traced a glowing blue design down the sides of his face starting at the center of his forehead, in his trademark frost pattern with her own personal tweaks. There were great swirling curls and loops, beautiful marks framing his features. When she pulled away from his face, she placed her hands on his shoulders and straightened him to his full height. He looked quite regal with the marks of royalty decorating his face, and as he grew into his role and accepted it they would grow and extend on their own, but they faded into his pale skin for now. "Jack, my son, let us eat." The young woman's voice was stiff and fussy, making both of the immature Spirits want to burst out laughing, but Jack played along, responding in the same way.
"Yes, lets."
Note: Mother Nature and Jack are not involved romantically, it's just the way the two touch-deprived Spirits interact, cherishing every second of positive physical contact they get with someone else. They are feared and hated and isolated apart from all but a few, so to have someone else who loves you and comes to see you as often as possible, it seems too good to be true, and they confirm it isn't a dream by holding hands among other chaste signs of affection. It is NOT an intimate relationship. She is literally his mother (in immortal terms) and therefore would be incest (lets save that for The Mortal Instruments). By all means, shipshipship (it would be cute if I didn't make them related), but it will not be in this.
Idk the canon, so Mother Nature will be 18-20.
I'm going by Jack movie-canon with book-canon attitude, so he is 17 with (mostly) the mindset of about an immature 14 year old.
A/N:
I cranked this out in a couple of hours (yay me! I was on a roll today, I had no block on this. I just got the idea and went with it after doing Jokul Frosti research which led to tumblr and some drawings I did NOT want to see but then to Winter Prince, hence the disclaimer), and there WILL be another part of this!
Most of this book will be arcs/twoshots. The arcs are all related unless I specify they aren't in the same verse, 'kay? The first 2 are unrelated to each other and are in different 'verses than the rest.
I hope you like my portrayal of MN! There will be something later about her dad being Pitch, Jack's grandfather is Pitch, etc etc etc, but it will be much later (or the same arc, I'm not really sure :3 like I said, plot=foreign concept)
Anyway, this is Cat Lunanoff, signing off! *mock salute* R&R please!
