Fragile Moon

Chapter 4: A Most Wonderful Time

Author: Yep, yet another chapter has come up. I'm glad I'm getting a steady stream of chapter progression as I go along, it might actually let me finish this fan fiction if I keep going like this!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Rise of the Guardians or Guardians of Childhood. The only thing I do own is this story and the Ocs that come with it.

Jamie Bennett was excited. Christmas was only a few days away, and he was going to have the opportunity to catch Santa Claus in the act of giving presents this year. Sure, he already knew that the jolly man existed, but it didn't make it any less fun trying to catch him on Christmas Eve night. Besides, it was a tradition that he had been doing ever since he could remember so why not?

"Looks like someone's excited," commented a voice from his window, causing the young boy to look over and see his favorite Guardian, Jack Frost, sitting in the window.

"Jack!" he exclaimed, going over to where the spirit was sitting. "What are you doing here?" he asked him.

"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by, maybe make it snow a little," Jack replied. "Hey, you wanna go play?" he asked

"Sure!" Jamie exclaimed before he left his room to go downstairs and get his coat. Jack couldn't help but chuckle; at least there was one person to get his spirits up when he was having a shitty day; or week, in this case. He still wasn't quite sure as to why he cared about Jamie a lot or even why he was just naturally drawn to him. All he knew was that the kid saved his butt more than once and Jack owed it to him and his friends for their part in defeating Pitch in the final moments, as well as bringing back Sandy.

"At least I know who to go to if Pitch comes back," Jack said to himself before he made his way down and outside Jamie's door. It didn't take long at all for the boy to get dressed and soon he was running out the door with his mom calling out for him to be back by dinner time.

"Okay mom!" he cried before running out and being beside Jack. "So what kind of game are we going to do today?" he asked him.

"Hm... well I was thinking of another sled ride through town would be a good way to start off," he said, gaining enthusiasm from the young boy. It was almost the same thing to what happened eight months ago, though this time the boy could see him along with other children in the world.

"Okay! Can we have my friends come too?!" the child asked

"I don't see why not! The more the merrier!" Jack said with a laugh. It made the child happy as both he and Jack went to his friends so that they could all go sledding together. Though Monty was rather scared about the idea and made poor excuses as to why he couldn't go, and both Claude and Caleb said they were busy with being with their parents on errands. But Cupcake and Pippa were still able to come along so it wasn't all for nothing. "Alright, are you all ready?" Jack asked them once they were all on their sleds. "On your mark... get set... GO!" he cried before his magic kicked in and they all went sliding across the ice. It swirled through the town on both the sidewalk and on the streets. But despite the danger, he made sure that they were all safe as he flew by their sides while still making sure they were going really fast.

The ride didn't last more than five minutes and with the kids laughing almost the whole way they were gasping for breath when it was all over. But the smile on their faces made Jack all the happier, which caused the children to be happy in return. They loved Jack, probably even more than they loved the other Guardians for the sheer fact that they could hang out with him daily and they knew he'd always be there for them. Even during the summer and spring he'd come and visit once in a while though he'd quickly have to leave to watch over other children. He was their patron Guardian, the one they were connected to the most if only because of how he often hung out with them.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Jamie exclaimed as he, dizzily, got up from landing on the ground with the other two girls following him.

"It was pretty fun" Pippa said in agreement while smiling as Cupcake agreed with a nod.

"Good, now... what else should we do? Any ideas?" Jack asked, floating around the children.

"How about we build snow men?" Pippa asked.

"Or... or maybe some igloos?" Jamie asked, who got positive feedback on the idea.

"That sounds fun," Cupcake agreed

"That settles it then, let's build some igloos," Jack declared with a bright smile. It didn't take all that much effort for him to make the snow for the igloos and as he watched the kids make them, he couldn't help but be envious. They were having such a simple life and yet he was having to be a Guardian and going all over the place. Of course he couldn't say that he hated it or wished that he hadn't become one. He loved being a Guardian and messing with people, especially the college students and adults since they couldn't see him AND they usually became enraged. It was quite the sight actually. But, in the end, he was sure that maybe he missed his life before he died and that maybe he would have liked to turn back time and play with his sister and their friends.

Of course with how he had been treated lately by Death, or Nyx as he was told a day or so ago, it was part of the reason he became envious and, soon, furious. She had no right to do such a thing to him, he already proved himself to the Man in the Moon by defeating Pitch! Surely he did not have to prove to a little brat that he was worthy of her recognition and respect.

"What's wrong, Jack?" asked Jamie's voice that brought Jack back to the real world.

"Oh nothin' kiddo... just about someone who gets under my skin," he told him

"Like an annoying sibling?" the naive child asked.

"Kind of like that, but more of a pain in the butt who has no respect for me" he told him. Jamie was a bit surprised that there was someone who wouldn't respect Jack

"How can anyone have no respect for you? You're so cool and-and amazing!" Jamie cried.

"I know! And she's serious to boot. If you ask me she needs a few good snowballs to the face so she can cool down" Jack said with a laugh. He thought again of his conversation with Tooth and how it would be a great idea to prank Death and try to make her relax a little. But it also made him wonder why she mentioned Bunny and how he was going to be upset by it. Though she could have very well meant someone else since she did tend to ramble about nonsense and could have been easily confused by her own words.

"Ha! Looks like I win Jamie," said Pippa as she showed off her moderate dome igloo with a prideful smile.

"Darn it!" Jamie huffed, realizing that his talk with Jack had distracted him and that she won the contest, probably putting him in last place too since Cupcake was nearly done with hers. "Oh well, I'll be sure to beat you guys next time!" he told her with a positive attitude.

"I'm sure you will kiddo" Jack said with a chuckle before he started to float in the air "But as much as I hate to leave you all, I've got work to do" he told them. The children whined

"Aw, but you just got here Jack!" Jamie told him

"I know I know, but being a Guardian means that you all can't hog all of the fun for yourselves, you need to share with others. Besides I'm making sure you all have a good white Christmas this year," Jack explained.

"You'll come back soon... right?" the boy questioned.

"Of course! This IS my home after all" Jack told him with a wink "Now you kids go have your fun!" he cried before he flew off with the wind carrying him to wherever he had to go to next. Though as he lifted off, he still couldn't get the conversation with Tooth out of his mind, it was almost as if they were hiding something. That or it was just a misunderstanding and Nyx was just a serious killjoy as he always thought she was. But there was only one way to find out

"Hey Wind! Take me to Tooth's Palace!" he cried, causing the wind to blow profusely; enough so to carry the young man to Tooth's home: Punjam Hy Loo.

For Nicholas St. North, or North for short, it was that time of year again, where he would make the final preparations for Christmas before getting into his attire and giving presents to all the children of the world in one night. To him it was the most important night of the year and he believed that everyone agreed on that aspect, even Bunny. Yes, the Pooka often stated that Easter was just as important, but the Russian always thought it was just Bunny's pride that he kept saying that for and nothing else. Though even with such an attitude that he would willingly gloat in one's face about how great his holiday was he was still a kind man at heart; a kind man who was full of wonder.

"Sleigh in good condition, yes?" he asked as he walked towards the red transportation that he so often used. The yeti next to him uttered in a strange language but it was nothing short of a piece of cake for him to understand. "Good! Then we are ready to go!" he exclaimed, very excited about the joy and wonder he was about to put into the world once again. This day, this Christmas Eve, was always what made the real magic happen, and he prepared for it throughout the year.

So without any delay at all, the Guardian of Wonder went on his journey that he made one night every year. It was the same thing and nothing short of the man's excitement when the children wake up and are overjoyed at the presents that were given to them. To know the kind of wonder they will have made North smile all the more as he rode to one of the last houses on that night. It was, of course, Jamie Benett whom was one of the last ones; the very child who was the Last Light of belief in the world when Pitch attacked.

When North entered the home he saw the young boy sleeping on the couch near the Christmas tree. He had a flashlight next to him, causing the large man to chuckle softly. Even if the boy already knew of his existence and even knew what he looked like, it seemed like he still wanted to play the little game of catching Santa. Well, he was going to be disappointed! But it was fun to think that there was still the tradition of the boy trying to catch him and failing even if they somewhat knew each other.

North quietly chuckled to himself before he quickly put out all of the presents for Jamie and his family and making sure that he ate all the cookie and milk before leaving after putting a candy cane in Jamie's hand. It was a little jester to show that he was there and that the child had failed, once again, to catch him in his line of work.

With that small detour out of the way North packed up and went to his sleigh, ready to go back home and get a good night's rest before making new ideas for next year. But as he lifted up into the air it didn't take long before a wind most foul caught up in his nose with a horrendous stench. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one who smelled it since his reindeer were getting agitated and becoming disorderly.

"Whoa!" North cried, but it did little good as the animals made a beeline for land and went roughly on the snowy hill. The landing caused North to tumble to the bottom of the sleigh as it landed in a small German town and off course from getting home. He mumbled something in Russian before standing up and looking around. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that he had crashed into the middle of a German graveyard. Even though Christmas was cheerful as it was there was no denying that landing in a graveyard filled with beautiful snow still had the eeriness that came with the cold silence of a place filled with the dead.

Even the reindeer were fidgeting and restless, calling in distress of the situation and ready to pull out once again, if only to get away from that place. "Yes yes, we get going now," North said to them, trying to calm their nerves as he situated himself and gathered the reigns "Hee ya!" he called as he made a cracking sound to shove them off. But as he tried to get the sleigh off the ground it got caught on something and it dropped again, making North sigh. He should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy; it seemed that there was always something that came up at the last minute that prevented him to get back home when he wanted to.

Before he could make a move the foul smell came around again, the smell, he swore, smelt almost like rotten flesh and decay. "Otvratitel'no! That smell!" he exclaimed as he looked around, seeing the shadows shift every so often in the light of the moon. Despite the odor in the air North still knew that he had to get the sleigh unstuck from whatever was keeping it from moving.

Down and around North got to the back of his vehicle and lifted it up as much of he could. Thankfully it didn't take that much effort though the jolly man couldn't help but be curious as to what was sticking out of the ground. So, he removed the snow from the mound and saw that there was a single mound that was sticking out of the earth at the back of the cemetery. "Interesting..." he murmured as he looked curiously at the old burial that was even older than he was. As an adventurer in his glory-filled youth, North could not pass this opportunity to explore this ancient burial place. So, he dug.

It didn't take all that long till North felt something hard in the burial site. "What's this?" he asked himself curiously as he started to wipe the dirt away to find a wooden box that had been contained within the burial site. It was surrounded by bone fragments and part of a skull along with just pieces of degraded objects that are barely recognizable due to deterioration. But North did not take any heed to the nearly destroyed artifacts; he was more interested in what may lay within the box he found. "Interesting!" he said to himself, feeling the wonder stir up within him, the adventurous spirit he once had back in his youth! Yes, he felt like he was the Bandit King once again!

But he could not open it there; his reindeer were already getting restless and were eager to get on home. So North picked the box up, covered the mound once again, and then got into his sleigh; patting the box next to him before he made his way home. There he'd dismiss any of the Yetis or Elves trying to get his attention and went into his office, finally able to have time for himself.

"This should be good~" he said to himself as he started to find a way to open the box before him. You could almost see him like a child opening their Christmas gift, the excitement in his eyes never left for a second. Even when he finally opened the box he was hesitant, not wanting to fully open it and lose his sense of wonder and excitement. But his curiosity was too much and without much of a second thought after that moment he ripped the top of the box open.

The moment he did a wind blew heavily, bringing along with that foul stench that seemed to be haunting him ever since he went over the German town. North paid no heed, though, and just blew the air away and took a look inside. Frankly there wasn't much that he found. Just and old torn robe, some rope and a very rusted dagger that seemed to have belonged to whoever was buried there. "That... very anti-climactic" North said to himself as he picked through the items, none of which really stood out except maybe a simple wooden pendent. "Quaint..." he commented with a small nod before dropping it into the box that triggered a little critter to emerge from the folds of clothing.

Seeing the spider surprised North since he didn't expect it to suddenly come out like that. But then again it wasn't unusual since spiders often took home in objects like boxes or cans in order to live and raise future children. Despite them being pests the Russian did not attempt to kill the creature, mostly because before he could even try it had scurried off into some part of his office, probably being startled by the light. It didn't matter, considering how cold it was around the place; it probably was going to die anyway.

"Dinkle!" North yelled, causing several elves to come into place "Fetch me some cookies" he ordered, causing the elves to clumsily run into themselves before they went off to get North his favorite food. He decided that once he had some food in his belly he was going to get into his night garments and get some sleep, he did have a long night after all.

Author: Well I have to say this chapter is a bit shorter than what I, and perhaps you, are used to. But this is mostly filler anyway so I don't see much of a big deal out of it. Besides the next chapter will have a bit of juicy information that will help the plot along owo Also for those who loved my Curse of the Snake Demons fan fiction I have finally gotten my ass in gear a little bit with the first chapter of it. Considering I have like... three papers to do along with exams coming up I'll be a little constricted though. But I should be able to make some time for it owo!