Alaia Skyhawk: Here's the next chapter guys. And contrary to how it starts out, the party etc won't be the main part of this chapter. I've done too many parties recently, and I don't want things to get repetitive. I can always cover the party in Moments of Frost and Moon, if someone asks for it once I start taking requests for that ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.
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Chapter 123: Constels
This time when Jack awoke, to the cold embrace of the pile of snow into which his sleeping self had been placed and the chimes of his perpetual clock, a small part of him wondered if it had all been a dream. His visit to Lumeris, and everything that had happened there, but the whimsy of his sleeping mind. At this moment it felt as though he'd never been away, and that perhaps those events were too good to be true. Yet it was the simplest yet most profound of the things he'd discovered there that proved it no flight of fancy.
'Listening' to Ether, to the sounds of Earth's Winter and the parts of its Spring that he could make out. Touching those parts, to be sure he truly sensed them, before then and only then sitting up to break through his covering of snow.
Jack glided up out of his 'bed' and whisked it smooth as he always did, letting out a small sigh of contentment as he then proceeded to the room's sole chair and the small ice mirror set by it. He used the mirror for a quick glance at Santoff Claussen, seeing there the beginnings of party preparations. A folded note had also been left on the table where the mirror stood, which he picked up and read.
A Welcome Home party has been planned by Ombric, Katherine, and your fellow Guardians for tomorrow afternoon, Siberian time. However a formal dinner will take place in my Sanctuary this evening, by Burgess time, to introduce Tsar Lunar's new assistant to myself, my father, and to Earth's other Spirits of the Seasons. As I know your clock will have woken you, I would like you to know that you are invited. Although if you are too tired or busy to attend, then that is fine. The meal will be over before midday reaches Santoff Claussen, and you may wish to take Seyd with you and introduce him to the other Guardians.
Regards
Emily Jane
Jack raised his eyebrows at the message, mulling it over to himself.
"Formal dinner then a party. Sure, I can do both."
He put the note back on the table and set off for his Hall of Mirrors to do the first of his daily duties. He'd have time for that and for a few laps around the world for some face-to-face re-aquaintance with Earth's weather.
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In the Sanctuary of Nature, things were rather less 'routine' on this particular day. Indeed, they'd been outside of routine during the entire six weeks of Jack's absence from the planet. Early Southern Winter was now in progress, and while the Lieutenants of Winter had handled things just fine they had still required some discrete monitoring and a small amount of guidance on what weather needed to be shaped.
Mother Nature sighed softly to herself, a small part of her relieved that Jack had now returned. In all the decades since he and his fellow Spirits of the Seasons had begun working in tandem for the Seasonal Transitions, she herself had needed to pay little heed to the weather in general. Instead she'd been freed to focus fully on the Balance of Nature itself, and on her own projects such as the artificial habitats she'd used to keep certain animals and other creatures from going extinct. Suddenly having to pay attention to Winter again, had been rather jarring.
"It's strange how easy it is not to fully appreciate what someone does for you, until they're not there anymore."
Her quiet words drew the attention of the man in the next room of the cottage. Her father coming to peer through the doorway.
Kosmotis read her expression immediately, and smiled softly.
"I noticed the increase in my own required work, with Jack's absence, and I'm certain Sanderson did as well." He sighed. "However it seems that with the decrease again in my normal duties, I will be seeing to new duties in their place."
His daughter rose from her seat and headed to his side, taking hold of his hands in support.
"None of those candidates have ever met Pitch Black, and have only heard stories of him. There's no need to feel uncertain, or worry that they will fear you. Just show them who Kosmotis is, and how good an Immortal he is."
Kosmotis sighed again.
"We will see, but first I must make a favourable impression with Tsar Lunar's new aide. Part of me wonders what Nightlight thinks of that addition."
Mother Nature smiled with teasing humour.
"Nightlight is a Legend, who relies greatly on Tsar Lunar's belief to maintain his power. While his naturally small number of believers meant he suffered no real discomfort during the Tsar's absence, it remains a fact that he cannot serve as a messenger or representative to other worlds. Not without a dedicated escort, in which case the escort themselves might as well fulfil the role."
She paused a moment, no sombre. "It also remains to be seen, if or not Nightlight will go with Tsar Lunar when he eventually leaves for good. Before the Fall, Nightlight served for centuries as the friend and protector of children born into Constellation Lunanoff, and companion to them as they grew up and eventually went on to have a child of their own who he would then move on to. But since waking up here on the Earth over four hundred years ago, his experiences have changed him. He's not the innocent and ageless youth he once was. He's a veteran of conflict who has faced down the Nightmare King. He has also become deeply connected to Santoff Claussen, the home of most of his believers. Leaving them would likely hurt him far more than watching Tsar Lunar go."
Kosmotis nodded at that, then made himself straighten up.
"He will follow his heart and trust in it, as I myself must do." He managed another small smile. "Which I suppose means trusting that I won't be rejected by those candidates or the new aide."
His daughter kissed him on the cheek, smiling in return.
"I will meet you in the gazebo, at the Garden of the Seasons. It will just be us, the aide, and the Spirits of the Seasons attending. You will have plenty of support."
She stepped away from him and left the cottage, leaving him to finish getting ready. She had considered creating a temporary and far more grand place for the meal, but realised that while Seyd would likely be comfortable in the setting, she and her fellow immortals would feel rather awkward.
No, she would hold the formal meal in the gazebo. The setting was striking enough to make an impact on the guest, but familiar to the rest of those who would be attending.
Her arrival in the garden was met with respectful nods from the fairies who had set up the table and chairs. The food had been prepared by some of the most esteemed chefs from Solaris, sampling a variety of cultural styles, and imported to the Sanctuary in spelled boxes that kept everything at the exact temperatures they were to be served at. The tea that was to be served was her own blend, from plants she'd grown in the Sanctuary since long-ago becoming partial to varieties that had been lost or passed over by the outside world.
She cast a critical eye over the furniture and dinnerware within the gazebo, finding no fault and not expecting any. The fairies that lived under her protection, while cheerful of demeanour among themselves, were an exacting lot when tasked with things. They'd fuss for several hours if that was what it took to get something perfect, although rarely did it take more than a few minutes before everything was 'just so'.
Indeed a handful of them fluttered over in silent query as to her satisfaction with the preparations, and she answered with a smile.
"Perfect as always. Thank you."
Their pleased expressions were the response, before they darted off to the little glade just beyond the garden's edge, where the labelled boxes of food were laid out ready and waiting on a large table.
Mother Nature now began to stroll around the garden, passing through patches of each Season and admiring the beauty of every one.
It didn't seem long at all, before one of the fairies came to inform her that the Spirits of the Seasons had all arrived and were presently waiting in their respective Glades. At that same moment Kosmotis also arrived at the garden and stood waiting at the gazebo's steps. Resplendent in his silver and grey robes.
Mother Nature sighed to herself.
"Time to begin, I guess."
She waved an arm as she reached the gazebo, conjuring the vine-gate through which the new aide would arrive. It linked to the same room at the World Council, where the resident mirror to the Moon Clipper was located. And by the promptness of the figure's emergence through the gate, he'd been waiting and ready within that room.
Seyd paused after stepping through, the gate vanishing behind him to leave an unimpeded view of the Garden of the Seasons. His surprise and awe as he looked around him, genuine to the point of sheltered innocence. In the Silver Allegiance, magic like this had become rare to the point of being practically unseen. Sanctuaries of Nature had fallen back into the normal flow of seasons, and the few that had remained accessible after the Fall would have been poor shadows of their former selves to anyone who visited them. This young man had walked into a living example of that which had been just a wistful dream and memory to the Silver Allegiance.
Mother Nature approached him, smiling in greeting.
"Welcome to Earth's Sanctuary of Nature. I am this world's Mother Nature, Emily Jane Pitchner. It is a pleasure to meet you, Seyd L'aldess."
Seyd blinked when he heard her name and recognised it, but recovered quickly and executed a polite bow.
"The pleasure is mine, Lady Pitchner."
Mother Nature now gestured towards Kosmotis.
"And this is my father, Kosmotis Pitchner. The Earth's Steward of Natural Fear."
Only Kosmotis was aware of the momentary jolt of alarm that Seyd felt in response to the name, and of its slight dimming as the aide regarded and assessed him. It then diminished further to a flicker of nervousness, as he came to stand beside his daughter.
Kosmotis now made an assessment of his own before he spoke, also aware of the edge of fear-linked shame the aide felt at responding with fear despite all previous assurances from others.
"There is no need to feel shame in your reaction to my presence. It took me several years to overcome the prejudice among my fellow immortals here on this world, and even now a small number remain uncertain of me. The shadow of the Nightmare King was not easily cast off, and lingers somewhat even now. I know and accept that it will take time for the scars of the past, to fade."
He held out his hand, making no mention that his own nervousness was by far greater than Seyd's. Waiting with baited breath for the man's reaction to the greeting.
Seyd took hold of the offered hand and shook it, before making another bow of respect.
"I am honoured to meet the great General, who did so much to protect the Golden Allegiance. Before my departure from Lumeris, Lord Wyatt spoke to me of the battle you fought within the Nightmare King, and of how your efforts were instrumental in enabling his defeat. You didn't give up, no matter how terrible it was."
Kosmotis bowed his head, closing his eyes. Relieved at the reaction, but also feeling unworthy of the praise.
"My heart may not have given up, my love for my daughter held too tightly to lose, but my mind was not so stalwart. I am no hero to be praised. Not when my first words as Pitch's grip on me began to falter, were to beg my own daughter for death."
Mother Nature placed a hand on his in support, shaking her head.
"If any other had suffered what you did, they would beg the same. What matters is that, once freed, you chose to live." She turned back to Seyd, after gesturing to a nearby fairy to fetch the Spirits of the Seasons. "Forgive us this unpleasant subject. You're here as a guest."
He followed her and Kosmotis into the gazebo, seating himself in the chair opposite those in which she and her father sat. The other four chairs were clearly marked with the symbols for seasons.
"There's no need to apologise. Under the circumstances, it was a subject that could not be avoided." He looked now to Kosmotis. "And no matter how you may say you are unworthy of praise, Tsar Lunar has spoken too highly of you for me not to give it."
Kosmotis bowed his head again and sighed.
"He is a great man, and a credit to his parents."
The sound of footsteps now reached them, and Seyd turned in his seat to look. Along four paths that entered the garden from behind him, came four individuals of which only one was familiar.
Jack, who had swapped the shirt under his cloak for his blue hoodie, waved to the aide and grinned.
"Hi there, Seyd." He and the others reached the gazebo, and Jack glanced to the sides at them. "Everyone, this is Seyd L'aldess, Tsar Lunar's new aide and messenger from the Allegiance."
The other three immortals offered smiles in greeting of their own, and all proceeded to their chairs as Mother Nature introduced them.
She indicated Jack first.
"I can see you already know Jack, our Spirit of Winter. Beside him on your right is Oisin Leaffall, our Spirit of Autumn. To your left is Ariko Blossomsinger, our Spirit of Spring, and beside her is Achieng Sunblessed, our Spirit of Summer."
Seyd couldn't help but look a bit awed, and inclined his head respectfully.
"It is an honour to meet you all. I have looked forward to it, especially since learning from Tsar Lunar that all four of you are Constels just as your Mother Nature is."
Jack coughed lightly into his hand, trying not to laugh as his three peers stared blinking at Seyd in surprise.
"Um, they didn't know that. I only found it out myself, when Tsar Lunar told Wyatt and Jakub on the Moon Clipper six weeks ago."
Seyd immediately looked awkward.
"Ah, my apologies. I wasn't aware it was meant to remain secret."
Mother Nature shook her head.
"It was never kept as a deliberate secret from them, but rather there was no real need for them to know. Knowing it wouldn't have changed their duties." She glanced at Ariko and the others. "The real reason you were chosen and instated centuries apart, instead of at two-year intervals as per Allegiance tradition, was because I had to wait for suitable Constels. All four of you displayed exceptional affinity for the forces of your seasons, even before you became immortals."
She glanced first at Ariko. "You were renowned in your home village, for your ability to know when the last frost had passed and it would be safe to plant the crops. And your ability to say exactly when the first blossoms would open on the sacred cherry trees around your village shrine."
Next was Achieng. "You were also known to your village, for your ability to sense the summer wildfires even before they had started. And for how you became stronger beneath the full glare and heat of the sun, when others would have wilted or sought shelter in the shade. That's why they called you Sunblessed."
Oisin regarded her now, thoughtful as she spoke. "You were known for never being caught in winter's first snows, able as you were to sense Autumn's passing. You would stay home while other woodsmen mocked you, only for them to return a short while later in the teeth of an early blizzard. At other times they would lay bets as to when the last leaves would be gone from the tree at the heart of your small village, challenging you to do the same... You always won, your predictions exactly right."
She now turned to Jack, who looked rather smug considering he was the first of the four to learn they were Constels. "You weren't remarked on as much, your own intuitions about winter storms rarely voiced. Instead you would carry extra firewood into your family's cabin as storms approached, making sure that others saw you do it and be prompted to do the same. The only real thing ever noted about you, being that you would revel in the chill air on bright winter days, when others would have wrapped up tight and kept inside as much as possible."
Mother Nature now addressed them all. "Tsar Lunar watched all four of you for me, using his senses to confirm you were Constels and turning you into Legends when the time came. So that I could then link you to the Seasons and show you how to link your Lieutenants in as well. For your ability to turn other immortals into Lieutenants, is what defines you as being a Constel just as I am."
As the other three mused over this revelation, Jack grinned across the table at Ariko.
"We all have the ability to learn to sense the other Seasons and their forces, and even use them. If all four of us learn it, it'll make the Seasonal Transitions even easier."
Ariko directed a small frown at him.
"And what makes you so sure we could learn? We've never dealt with anything but our own Season."
Jack had a breeze bring a small seed to him, smiling to himself. He then closed his eyes and chuckled, the moment before most of his hair turned brown, just as his eyes were when he opened them again. He then held up the seed.
"If you don't try, you'll never know."
He looked at the seed and frowned in concentration, fumbling with unfamiliar forces but trusting intuition. The seed sprouted in his grasp, roots twining round his hand as stems and leaves reached upwards. Once the plant was a few inches tall, buds opened in a scattering of yellow flowers.
He laughed in triumph, not resisting when Mother Nature gently took the plant from him and handed it to a nearby fairy to be planted somewhere. By then Jack was chuckling for another reason... the expression of utter shock on Ariko's face, and the similar expressions from Achieng and Oisin.
Moments later Ariko launched into a barrage of questions about how and when Jack had learnt to do that, which he answered quite happily as the first platters of food were brought to the table. Seyd, Mother Nature, and Kosmotis remained silent for the most part, listening with interest to the four Spirits of the Seasons. What better way for the aide to get to know the four, than to see how they interacted with each other?
And from the way Seyd sat listening with his head casually propped on one hand, small smile on his face, he thought the same thing.
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Alaia Skyhawk: There you go, I hope you enjoyed it ^_^