Chapter 2: Intervention
The Council of Legendary Figures sat on the plush chairs and couches in Santa's office. Easter Bunny was picking on Cupid today; Tooth Fairy (aka, the Molinator), watched from the sofa, glad that he wasn't in Cupid's sandals. Santa was deep in discussion with Mother Nature and Father Time, a worried look on his face. Carol sat nearby, paying rapt attention as she bounced almost one-year-old baby Claus on her knee, Sandman passed out beside her. Santa may have called the meeting, but Carol was the one who had pushed him to do it. Mrs. Claus was all about results, after all. Both of them were concerned about their new found friend, and they were not alone, they had learnt, once Santa had gotten into contact with the Council.
Bernard walked into the office space, clearing his throat. The conversation stopped; everyone turned to watch as Bernard led Jack to the spot between Mother Nature and Santa, sliding into the back of the room behind Santa's desk as Jack begrudgingly took his seat.
"Jack, how lovely to see you," Mother Nature began, breaking the silence. "Though I wish it was under better circumstances."
"As do all of us," Father Time said.
"Eh, most of us," Easter Bunny murmured under his breath.
Under normal circumstances, Jack would've had a snappy retort ready ASAP. Now, he just stayed quiet. He had no reply. When he didn't take Easter Bunny's bait, the others looked at him, slightly concerned.
"You feeling okay pal?" Tooth asked.
"I'm fine. I'll admit I am just…kind of going through the motions. Drifting along, if you will. Like an iceberg."
"Didn't an iceberg sink the Titanic?" Bunny asked, trying to bait Jack again.
"Actually yes, that's pretty accurate," Jack mused. "I was just drifting along minding my own business when a ship so rudely crashed right into me."
The HMS Powerless had hit him really hard, too, he thought, glancing surreptitiously at his not-so-frosty hands.
Unsure about how to reply to Jack's...questionable comparison, and even more shocked that Jack hadn't called EB and overgrown fluff ball or some such similar insult, the Council remained quiet. All of them silently agreed; Jack didn't sound very good. His demeanour spoke to this as well; not as tall, not as confident. Very downtrodden. His hair? A mess. His suit? Not as crisp as usual. Top form? It was like Jack had never heard the phrase.
"Okay. Thank you for that, Jack." Mother Nature said, looking concerned. "Now that we're all here, let's begin, shall we? I hereby call this emergency council meeting to session, to discuss the only issue at hand here. The warming conditions of the North Pole and lack of response from Council Member Jack Frost."
"What's going on, Jack?" Santa began.
"I don't know," he said with a helpless shrug. Which was half the truth, at least. He knew the what, but not the why.
"I know that this year has been challenging," Mother Nature began. "And please know, we are here for you."
"Speak for yourself!" EB said.
"Shush, Easter," Mother Nature chided, before turning back to Jack. "Jack, you need to tell us why this is happening. We might be able to help! If you don't tell us, and the North Pole continues to warm..."
"The Deliquesce will happen, Frost," Father Time said, looking very far away.
Mother Nature nodded sadly in agreement. "The Pole would be exposed," she continued, soft yet sternly. "Elfsburg and the Workshop would be destroyed by the outpouring of uncontrolled magic. And you know as well as I do that it won't stop with the Pole. It will travel all along the ether, spreading to the rest of the world, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake."
"I'm sorry, what?" Santa interrupted. The North Pole destroyed? And then the WORLD? Well that was news to him.
"If you don't offer an explanation, Jack, well..."
"The worst will be assumed," Father Time finished for Mother Nature.
"The worst being I've gone back to my evil ways? Melting the North Pole to destroy all of Christmas on purpose? And then the World? Would you guys really believe that, after the year we've had?"
The reaction was mixed. Mother Nature hesitated, looking torn; Cupid, Easter Bunny, and Tooth all shared a look and a few shrugs, collectively nodding and humming in agreement. Father Time was still staring off into the potential futures. Sandman's check was pressed to his fist; he looked sad, but thoughtful. Santa was absolutely speechless, which would have been funny under regular circumstances, Jack thought, as he watched his fellow Legendary Figures so easily believe that he had gone back to his frozen ways.
"Really? After all the work I've put in this year to show that I've changed, to make up for the things I've done?"
"Jack…with you not telling us…well, that's what it looks like," Tooth Fairy said.
"Yeah! And to the untrained eye, it looks like you're still plotting to take down Santa. I mean look! You have motive, you have opportunity—you've been living here this past year! I mean, if it was me—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on now, EB," Santa interrupted, finding his voice again. "Jack is—"
"HEY! Santa is my closest friend! I don't want to "take him down" or whatever," Jack interrupted, air quotes included. "He's been my biggest supporter! Him and the lovely Carol, of course. Really, you've been an absolute sweetheart, Mrs. C—"
"Jack, let's focus," Santa said, holding up his hand, Carol softly smiling beside him.
"I'm just saying! He could be playing the long game," Bunny continued, his fur starting to puff up a bit. "Maybe at this point we should consider that!"
"I would never!" Jack said loudly, looking aghast. More looks were shared between Council members. "Okay, fine, not since last year. But even before the thaw, I'd never do this," Jack said, ferociously gesturing towards the doors of the office, "willingly!"
And although they were snug in the Workshop, not a window in sight and quite far from the main doors, everyone knew what Jack meant when he gestured to the room door. Even at his most frozen, he wouldn't have willingly let the North Pole warm up.
"Key words being not since last year," Bunny said, front paws outstretched in a see? I told ya so! Kind of gesture.
"Uh, yeah, because I don't know if you noticed, you overgrown hairball, I thawed a year ago!" Jack yelled a bit, gesturing to himself. "You think I'd willingly wear white? Do you know how hard it is to keep this suit clean? I have spent the last year living up North, trying to make up the teeniest tiniest bit, you know, for all of the not-so-great things I've done in the past!"
"Casing the joint! Giving yourself ample time to plot your next move."
"Playing elf! Helping Santa, trying my best to be the best sprite I could possibly be!"
"Maybe you should tone it down a notch, EB?" Tooth Fairy suggested, grimacing.
"We're all thinking it, I'm just saying it!"
"Okay first of all, you don't speak for me, Easter, alright? Secondly, we know Jack has a history of sabotage and general scheming, but come on. The sprite has been playing elf! You know how sprites are! That's degrading enough as is!"
"Thank you, Cupid!" Jack said, trying to ignore the insult, as true as it was. Most sprites did not like being called elves. Acting like one? And a Kringle elf, no less? Yikes.
"Exactly!" Easter said, jumping up, his fur very frizzy now. "His grand plan was defeated in minutes last year! He hit rock bottom and now, he's being forced to play elf! That's more than enough time for resentment to simmer—"
"Ya know, Easter, you're just as bad as the other gods! You're completely twisting the words I said to fit your weird "Jack's still evil" narrative. Just like my Mother with my wife," he added with an annoyed sigh.
"Cupid is right! I betcha Jack's still evil and this is his big ol' plan for vengeance!"
"Wow. And here I was thinking that those ears were more than just a statement piece. That went right over your head, huh EB?" Cupid finished with a huff, Tooth Fairy hiding a chuckle. "Ignored up there, ignored down here, can't a god catch a break?!"
"Apparently not," Tooth Fairy said, much to Cupid's distaste.
"You know what I think?" Jack shouted. "I think you're still bitter about the Easter of '64!"
"Here we go again," Sandman said, stifling a yawn, Cupid and TF both rolling their eyes.
"You sent a blizzard with whiteout conditions to North America! You crushed ALL THE EGGS, and don't get me started on the hail in Berlin—"
"Not all the eggs! I kept the chocolate eggs safe!"
"Yeah, for yourself! You're so lucky us Easter buns can adapt easily, or I woulda—"
"Enough." Mother Nature said.
Jack growled, crossing his arms. Easter Bunny dropped his paws, his ears folding back.
"Jack. Cupid is right. Easter Bunny does not speak for all of us," she said sternly, with a very well levelled I'm not mad, just disappointed look in EB's general direction. "We want to help you, we really do. We know there's something more to this. It's not just here, in the Pole. The world seems to be taking a bit of a hit this winter, too. You and I both know this year was supposed to be a mild winter for the Northern hemisphere. But instead of light snow, it's wet and rainy. I know you wouldn't willingly let it be green after November if you can avoid it, so please Jack, tell us what's wrong. We just want to help."
There was silence, everyone looking at Jack.
"C'mon, Jack. As a friend. Just tell us," Santa begged.
"As family," Mother Nature ventured.
"I…I can't bring myself to tell you, I just…" he shrugged, despondent. He was having the hardest time admitting what was happening to him despite knowing that he needed to tell the truth—that he needed help. Knowing that if he didn't tell, everyone would turn their backs on him? All the hard work he put in, for nothing? He sighed.
"Then you know as well as I do that we will have no choice but to suspend you, Jack." Mother Nature said solemnly.
"We should've done it last year!"
"Shut your maw, Bunny, would ya?" Cupid warned. "The guy's obviously having a bit of a time."
"Has this entire Council gone cuckoo bananas? You're all treating him like a kit, but he's not. Jack's not telling us jack because it's another one of his plots, I'm tellin' ya! Not to mention, comparing himself to the iceberg that sunk the titanic? We all know how that went! Am I the only person who sees this? I'm not even a person! I'm a BUNNY!"
"I have had just about enough of you," Jack said, standing up straight and glaring at the Easter Bunny. "This is getting so tiring, do you know that? All I've done since thawing is bend over backwards to make up for everything I've done! I've been trying to better myself, you know, to figure out what that means for me! Sure, helping Santa is a small blip on the list of Things Jack Can Do To Make Up For Things He Did, and I know it won't make up for EVERYTHING I've done—"
"Like forcing the Escape Clause."
"Or the pocket watch incident?"
"Frostmas."
"Easter of '64…"
"The Day of Darkness!"
"Okay, yes, thank you, I know what I've done, and I know that a lot of it has been pretty bad. I was a bad guy! I'm humble enough to admit that, at least. I was jealous, and I wrecked a lot of things and destroyed a lot of relationships and hurt a lot of people—" Jack cut off briefly, inhaling deeply, before continuing undaunted. "But I have worked so hard, all year, to start fresh and make up for what I've done, to prove to everyone that yes, I have changed, and I can't be suspended, I—"
"Why not Jack?" Santa said, hitting the desk and standing up. He had heard enough; as rude as EB was being, Santa was starting to think that maybe—just maybe—he was onto something. And he hated that he thought that. Not after the year they had shared. It was time to get to the bottom of this, and he'd make sure they did. "Why not. With the threat of the Deliquesce looming above us, literally, and you not giving us a reason to the warm weather here, that's all we have left to think!" Santa said, exasperated.
"But it's not! You wanna know why this is happening?!" Jack said angrily, standing his ground.
"Yes! That's all we want, Jack! We've seen you change! I've seen you change! Deep down I know that there is something more to this than what EB's saying. So what is it Jack? Why is this happening?"
"I lack the frost, okay?" Jack snapped. Everyone stopped, staring at Jack in shock. "My powers refuse to work properly, if at all. I can't even freeze dry my hair, as if this white suit is enough! I look ancient! I can't frost the window sills, I can't even make a decent snowball; at this point, I'm surprised I can still use basic magic! But that's nothing compared to a whole entire season's worth of magic! I feel about as useless as a mortal and I didn't want to tell anyone because what am I without my powers? How can I be Jack Frost when I lack the Frost?"
The whole council sat, stunned into silence. Jack shook his head. He had hit his lowest point and could feel the heat behind his eyes signifying tears. Great. He pinched the top of his nose, turning away.
"Oh, Jack…" Mother Nature began, moving closer to him. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"I don't know. I guess—it was—" Jack exhaled, nostrils flaring. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's embarrassing! I'm one of the most powerful figures on this Council, you know, and not having said powers? So embarrassing."
"Hey now," Tooth Fairy said.
"Nah, he's got a point," Cupid replied with a shrug.
"Says the literal god," Tooth Fairy shot back.
"Apparently only when it's convenient for you guys!"
"Oh, Jack. You could've shared with us. We wouldn't have judged you," Carol said.
"Have you met half of this council?" Jack asked, annoyed.
"That's fair," Easter Bunny said, patting down his fur.
"Pride," Sandman said. "It's one of your major flaws."
"Your Achilles heel," Cupid clarified.
"Okay, we don't need to rub it in, guys. Really." Jack said, crossing his arms.
"If we're all done with the pity party here, mind if I just? Circle back a second?" Santa said, his hands pressed flat together in front of his face as he gathered his thoughts. "Jack's powers are gone," he began, bringing his hands down.
"Not quite gone," Jack said. "I'd know if they were gone gone. I just...can't seem to use them."
"Okay." Santa said, bringing his hands back up in front of his face. "Jack can't use his powers right now," he said, hands going down once again. "They're all but gone. And because of that, a thing called the Deliquesce is happening, which I thought was just the Dome being a little watery and the Pole getting a little toasty, but apparently, if left unchecked, could lead to the destruction of this entire establishment, and then the world? So once again, Christmas is being threatened? Why is it always Christmas!" Santa asked, bewildered. Carol patted his thigh, giving him a supportive smile.
"It's complicated," Bernard spoke up.
"You see, Santa," Cupid began, "Jack's important to your operation here. Sure, you may have controls for the icy walls, but structurally? Only Jack Frost can keep them frozen, safe and temperate. Layman's terms," Cupid added, Bernard nodding in agreement.
"If his powers have shorted, the winter magic in the Dome doesn't have its usual magical stamina keeping it up. And because of that, the Christmas magic starts overflowing, and the North Pole starts warming," Mother Nature said. "The magic within the Dome leaks out, and because Christmas magic runs incredibly hot, everything here starts to warm up as well."
Santa was bewildered. "We have got to find a way to fix this. Mother Nature, can't you do anything?"
Mother Nature shook her head. "I've told you before, I can't interfere with other council member's powers. And if I'm being totally honest, I especially can't interfere with Jack's."
"Why not?"
"We both deal with nature, for starters," Jack began with a sigh. "So our powers clash. Balance is important, blah blah blah. And family especially can't interfere with each other's powers. It's a sprite thing," Jack said, thoughtfully. "We can teach and train each other, but we can't give each other our powers or take them away or force them to show up. Our powers are an intrinsic part of us, unique to each individual. So, no, others can't directly interfere with them; basically, it's a me problem. And technically Mother Nature is my grandmother. Technically," Jack added.
"Wait, what?" Santa said, processing. "Mother Nature, when you said family, I thought you meant like, you know. In the workplace spirit? Like, we're all one big family here! We all love each other!" Santa said, pumping his arms side to side.
"I mean of course, I consider you all my family. In the found family sense, not quite the workplace family sense. That sentiment has always seemed so...hollow to me in workplace settings," she said with distaste. "And I'm a bit fonder of you all than a workplace family mentality would suggest. That being said, it is quite literal with Jack," Mother Nature said, Jack nodding in agreement.
"I know, we don't look it. Mom's adopted," Jack added with a shrug. "And I aged a lot better than dear old gran."
Mother Nature, who knew damn well that she looked far younger and better, rolled her eyes. "You keep telling yourself that, Jack."
"I will," Jack said with certainty, also acutely aware of how good the matriarch looked.
"Oh! You two have got me thinking," Easter Bunny said, jumping up. "What about the Legate Law?"
"The what in the what now?" Santa asked.
"The Legate Law," Jack said, blanching. The traces of old Jack that had begun to resurface once he spilled the proverbial beans dissipated instantly. "It's...it's a thing we've had in place for nearly fifteen hundred years," Jack said, growing paler by the minute.
"It's like this, Santa," Bernard began, stepping forward. "If something happens to you, we have the Clause. It guarantees that there will always be a Santa. The Legate Law is like that, but for the Legendary Figures. Each and every one of them has a kind of second in command, called a Legate, to step in to take over should anything happen to them."
"Oh! You mean Legate! You're all saying it like Leg-ate, I thought it was something totally different."
"No, that's exactly what it is," Mother Nature said. "We just all really didn't like the way Leg-it sounded."
"Or the religious connotations it has in some places," Sandman added.
"See, us Romans had it right with Legatus," Cupid noted. "That's where my vote was, I thought Legatus was, mwah!" he said, with a chef's kiss.
"Legatus somehow managed to sound worse then Leg-it," Tooth Fairy replied, to much grumbling from the god of love. "But Leg-ate? Rolls off of the tongue much nicer!"
"Oh absolutely!"
"Completely!"
"Legates are kind of like me, to you," Bernard added, trying to help Santa understand. "But on a deeper and more personal level. When the clause is enacted, I step in to see the new Santa through the transition. But once that's done, I step back. After all, I couldn't deliver the gifts for you and become Santa. I'm just an elf. But, if you had a Legate, they would be able to do that."
"Why don't we do that? Why doesn't Santa have a Legate?"
"I've been asking that for years," Jack mumbled.
"And we've been telling you for years, Jack. Because the Clause was established a couple of decades shy of the Legate Law, we already had a system in place should anything happen to Santa. He didn't need a Legate," Bernard said.
"And all of you have a Legate?"
The Council nodded.
"My daughter, Hedone," Cupid said with a fond chuckle. "But don't call her by her name! She goes by Dite."
"Like Aphrodite?"
"Yeah, chose it especially to piss off her grandmater. She's a chip off the old block," Cupid said with a proud grin.
"Just like my kit, Blossom! Youngest kit to ever win the title during combat! Of course, she has tons of siblings now, but when she originally won? She was the baby!"
"That's terrifying," Santa said. "Even you, Sandy? And you, Molinator?"
They both nodded.
"Father Time? Mother Nature? Surely the two of you don't need Legates. I mean, you two are like the top dogs! Most powerful! Large and in charge!"
The pair shared a look and a laugh. "Even we weren't exempt from the Law," Mother Nature said.
"Indeed. Over in the Timeless Realm, we're very prepared. I have my apprentices, Day and Night; and they have their three trainees, each."
"Why I was a Legate once, myself," Mother Nature added.
"You were?"
"It was well before we put the law into place, but yes, I sure was. Mother Gaia was the first Mother Nature. Back when she was around, I was just Tara, her protégé. When she dissolved her system of balance and absconded to Rosehaven, I became Mother Nature."
"So do you have a Legate?"
"Why yes. Spring, of course."
"Spring? Like the season?"
"My Aunt Spring," Jack, who had been oddly quiet since the Legate Law was explained, clarified.
"Your Aunt—you have an Aunt?"
"Well yes. Three actually. Aunt Spring, Aunt Summer and Aunt Autumn."
"The Seasons? Are your Aunts?"
"Uh, yeah. Obviously."
"No Aunt Winter?"
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you're Aunt Winter."
"What? No! Do I look like an Aunt to you? It's rhetorical, by the way, nobody answer that," Jack added when he heard a couple of guffaws and snickers from the Cupid TF corner.
"I have four daughters, Santa," Mother Nature explained.
"And Jack's your grandson...which means that daughter number four, presumably Aunt Winter, is actually...Mom Winter?"
"Yeah, duh! What, you think I just popped out of an icicle somewhere?"
"Well, yeah! I mean, I scared a guy off of my roof, he deflated, and I became Santa. I just assumed, you know, it was the same for you guys! Hang on a sec, hang on. The Seasons. They're people?"
"Yes they are," Mother Nature said. "Legendary Figures in the traditional sense, before humans identified the eight of us."
"So we've got seasons, we've got deputies, parents even...so there's more legendary people than the eight of us?"
Nearly every council member nodded.
"We thought you knew that," Sandman said, awake and alert.
"I…didn't."
"Did we not have the Crystal Springs briefing?" Mother Nature asked.
Father Time hummed, looking into the past. "It appears that somewhere in this timeline, it got forgotten. Not surprising since despite being one of the best Santas, you have a penchant for trouble."
"Of course," Mother Nature said, sighing. "Generally, Santa, when a Santa has stuck around for longer than five years, we have a special session just to discuss magibeans."
"Magibeans?"
"Mhmm," Mother Nature said. "Short for magical beings. It's the catch all term for myths, legends, spirits, folk creatures, and so on. And we make sure to tell the Santa about Crystal Springs. It's often referred to among the Council as the Crystal Springs briefing."
"Crystal Springs?"
"It's a magical continent that exists just a little northwest from here, in the arctic sea. A good chunk of the magical population resides there. Santa, there's an entire continent of figures just like us. We're not alone."
"It's a very valuable resource for magihumans such as yourself," Sandman added.
"And it is full of magical people, oh boy!" Cupid said.
"There's nymphs, gnomes, faeries, leprechauns—" Tooth began listing them, tapping each finger as he mentioned another magical creature.
"Eugh, the leprechauns…" Easter Bunny murmured.
"The groundhog, a few other sprites, pixies, mermaids, fauns, centaurs...I could keep going but we'd be here for hours, and my rounds are starting soon," Tooth Fairy said. "Hockey season's in full swing so I'm busy, busy, busy tonight! Anyway, the point is, there's a whole load of us, and Crystal Springs is where a lot of them hail from. Some left, of course, throughout the millennia. It's not like we're trapped there."
"They actually have an incredibly efficient government division that specializes in relocation of magibeans all around the world. After all, the human folktales had to come from somewhere," Sandman said, his wink cut off by a yawn. "And during the middle ages, so many magibeans were exploring the world that they had to centralize the process."
"It was centralized so that we could have a record of what citizens went where. This way, if they were ever hurt, or in trouble, we could help them get back to safety. After all, that's why Crystal Springs was given to the magibeans. It's a safe haven for us all, away from mortal interference."
"Mother Nature's practically in charge of the place!" Tooth Fairy added.
"Oh, stop. It's not just me. There's an entire assembly that minds the provinces! And while yes, I'm on the Assembly as well, it's very much a group effort! Not just me. I'm a busy woman, after all. But I do call it home. I think most of us do, do we not?"
"I think it's just you who lives there, Mother Nature," Cupid said.
"No, my place is on the outskirts of the Eastern Mountains," Tooth said.
"The rest of us reside elsewhere," Father Time said. "Or exist outside of the constraints of time."
"Wow." Santa sat back, taking it all in.
"It sounds beautiful," Carol said. "Why the name?"
"At the centre of the continent lies a large series of hot springs and waterways, winding through the mountains. Somewhere within this complex, the source of all magic resides. The magic from the source blesses the springs; the water runs crystal clear, the magic giving the springs healing properties for us magibeans."
"We should visit one day! Wouldn't it be nice Scott? Get away from it all and meet other magical people? Not to mention, the things we could learn from an ancient, magical continent! I bet the Springs would do wonders for your back. And my shoulders."
"Oh they absolutely would," Mother Nature said. "Everyone is welcome, and that of course includes you and your family, Carol. Why, I'd be more than happy to host you at the Garden!"
"Yeah, sounds lovely, but let's get back on track here." Santa said, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone here has a Legate. Including you, Jack?"
Jack nodded.
"And your Legate will have the same powers as you, yeah?"
"Indeed," Father Time said. "All of our Legates do. They need to, in order to take up the title later on. You can't have a Father Time who isn't proficient in Chronokinesis, after all."
"So if we were to call in Jack's Legate, they could fix the Dome?"
"Sort of," Jack said, with a frown. "I'd have to pass the responsibility down to her."
"You'd have to do what now?"
Mother Nature sighed. "The Dome has a guardian. That guardian is in charge of minding it—keeping it solid, sturdy, temperate. You know, the works. It was built by Winter; she was the original guardian. When Jack came of age, she passed the responsibility down to him."
"I fail to see the problem here," Santa said, thoughtfully. "You pass the responsibility over to her, she fixes it, boom bam the Dome is fixed, Christmas is saved, and you can take the time you need to figure out the power shortage! Maybe your Legate could help with that!"
"Let me just explain to you, a thing," Jack began. "I have hurt a lot of people in my time. Like, a lot. And I'm not really ready to face everyone I wronged just yet. There is a chance that my Legate is on that list. Very high up on that list, in fact. And the higher someone is, the less ready to face them I am. And that's why I really don't think this is the best idea—"
"We don't have any others Jack! If you don't have your powers and my home, our home is threatened and you can't stop it, then we gotta do something about it! Isn't this exactly why you all have Legates? Something has happened to you, Jack! Your Legate needs to step in!"
"There's gotta be something else! Mother Nature, maybe-maybe you can help me work through this!"
"Perhaps, but I wouldn't be able to fix the walls which is the unfortunate side effect of your power shortage."
"Just not the Legate Law. Anything but that, please."
"We really don't have a choice here Jack. Surely you see it."
"Really? There's nothing else we can do? Nothing?"
Mother Nature shook her head. "Nothing."
"Father Time? Really? You don't see any other options? None at all?"
"It is time, Frost," he replied, a knowing look on his face. "I know it. And I think you do too."
"I can't. I can't do it, I can't face her yet, I am not ready! Not in the slightest!"
"Jack," Santa said softly, a gentle hand on the sprite's shoulder. "Who exactly is your Legate? Who is she to you?"
Jack paused for a moment. His heart skipped a beat. "She was the world to me, when we were younger," he began, flushing a bit. "And none of you tell her I said that, I mean it! If you do I will get my powers back purely out of spite to freeze your mouths shut."
"If she was so important to you," Santa continued carefully, "then why are you so reluctant to see her? What happened?"
A silence so heavy descended, Scott would've needed a very sharp butcher knife to even think about nicking it.
"It's a long story," Sandman said carefully, apparently being in possession of said very large and sharp knife. "Very long. You see, Santa-"
"When I say that she is very high up on that list, I mean she is literally the top of the list," Jack interrupted, through gritted teeth. "I hurt her so badly," he whispered, the words getting caught in his throat. "I can't imagine she'd have forgiven me for that day."
"Yeesh, Jack. How bad was it?"
"Bad bad," Jack replied, preferring not to elaborate. "Fourteen centuries ago, I…" He couldn't even bring himself to finish the thought. He just shook his head, sadly.
"Really? Fourteen hundred years isn't enough time for someone to cool off?"
Everyone in the Council gave Santa a similar look of disbelief, as if to say are you serious?
"Okay clearly, there's something I'm missing here. Jack, who is she?"
"Her name is Jacqueline," Bernard said. "She's—"
"—my sister," Jack interrupted, his voice cracking. "I hurt a lot of people Santa, but it was my little sister that I hurt the most."
"No kidding," Bernard said.
"Hush," Mother Nature chided.
"Jack..." Santa began, trying to phrase his words carefully. "You won't know if she forgives you unless you see her and...talk."
"He's right, Jack. I know you don't want to hear it, but…" Mother Nature trailed off, with a helpless shrug.
"It's time," Father Time repeated, sternly. "You can't keep avoiding it, Jack."
"Jack," Mother Nature said, as empathetic as you could possibly imagine. "It's all we have. It's the only option."
"Yeah. I know," Jack said quietly, sitting back down.
"Good. In that case, I'm putting forward the motion. In order to stall the Deliquesce and hopefully help Council Member Jack Frost regain full use of his powers, we will enact the Legate Law. Legendary Figure Jacqueline Frost will step in for Jack—not take over—until a solution to Jack's loss of power is found. All in favour?"
Santa's hand shot into the air, a huge smile on his face. Cupid, Tooth, and EB followed right after, with Sandman—who was still wide awake—agreeing as well. Realizing there was no other alternative, Jack raised his hand, resigned. With a nod from Father Time, and nobody opposed, Mother Nature slammed the gavel.
"Motion carried."
"Great!" Santa said, standing up. "Thanks so much for coming out guys. I really appreciate it. Both Carol and I do, in fact! We just wanted to help you, Jack. Now, if it's alright with you, I'll send Bernard to fetch Jacqueline so you can have some time to—"
Santa stopped abruptly. The seat beside him was empty. He blinked, closing his eyes very tightly before looking again. His eyes had not deceived him. The chair was empty.
Jack was gone.
A/N-Anyone else not know how to spell Molinator, but giving it their best shot? 😂😂. Anyway, you know how I'm usually like on social media "iF i EvEr sTaRt ReWrItInG cS aGaIn sToP mE" and such? Yeah, I read this chapter again two days ago to check something and went "this is shit. what the fuck." and added 2000 words to it in one evening writing sesh, and probably another 500 while editing it this morning. I should be working on Chapter 16, to get back to Chapter 24 and give you folks FRESH UPDATES but NO, here we are on July 5th (6th at the time of writing this AN, can't publish shit I wrote at 1am without having morning dani look at it first. Good lord, the TYPOS), 2022, and I'm rewriting an old old chapter for the THOUSANDTH TIME.
It's LOADS better now, though. Sassnard stayed, of course. EB is mean again, I was vibing it. Gave the Legends more spice and Cupid more of a god complex, and my lil Legates a lil more love from their Legends (at least, the ones I could slide in there without derailing the conversation too much!) I also thought it might be fun to stab y'all a bit with the Jack and Jacqueline feels. Haha, he loved his little sister and then, well, you all know what happened 😈. I wonder how the emojis will show up once this thing is out of the doc manager and back in the story?
Anyway! Please do review! I love hearing your thoughts and fave moments and predictions and such :D.