The mysterious man idly walks back and forth across the glossy black floor. His long hair drifts behind him in the air as he paces back and forth with his hands behind his back. Surrounded by white nothingness he doesn't have anything else to do. But he's always been very patient after all, it'll only be a matter of time before the door fully materializes anyway.
He turns his head toward said door off in the distance. The only object in this plane of existence. It's only noticeable feature is that its form is extremely blurry and phases in out of visibility, struggling to manifest.
'The girl has only had a fraction of my power for a day and the gateway has already started appearing. Perhaps this will work itself out a lot quicker than I thought,' He thought to himself.
The thoughts were not constrained to his own mind however, as they audibly echoed around him, bouncing off of the floor and shooting off into the distant nothingness. As he moves toward the door, the only sound he makes is the swishing of the floor length robes, not even his feet hitting the ground make any noise. How fitting considering he's practically a ghost as it is.
But not for long.
Even this close, the doors curved archway looks like a photo out of focus. An underwater image moving and indecisive whether it should exist or not. The man reaches a single spindly hand out to where the doorknob should be, its vapor cool and almost pulsating at his fingertips.
Overall, very promising that it's forming this early. The man almost felt like patting himself on the back for such a magically inclined choice of human. The hardest part should be over fairly soon. That being the waiting in the barren void. The only thing that ever happens here in the deep recesses of the mind is that all the scenery turns from white to black every night. It was actually rather soothing to him, like clockwork. The system working as it should be.
But when that door finally solidifies, the unconscious mindscape of that girl will most likely be a far more hectic environment. A temporary stay, but one that he plans to get past as quickly as possible. He has work to do after all. The realms have become such a mess since he left, and of course he has to be the one to clean it up again. Everyone has far outstayed their welcome. He simply cannot let such chaos run rampant on earth any longer.
The cycle must begin anew.
"But why can't we come? We are her parents; he is a wanted criminal. Do you see where we're coming from here?"
"What about just one of us? What if only one of us went with you guys?"
Laura and Neil have been trying to negotiate with Mother Nature all morning. It was evident that they did vote in favor of their daughter's plan, only in hopes that it would secretly fail, and from then on, she would stay as far away from the icy spirit as possible. More or less indulging her this once so she could get it out of her system. And as soon as Mother Nature arrived in the late mid-morning, the first thing she had to deal with on arrival was their plight for their daughters' supervision.
Scott and Carol, along with her parents, both walked her down to the teleportation point to send her off. That morning she was given a brief rundown on instant teleportation technology. She was told that every magical place on earth has two points of entry, the human entry point and the magical realms entrance. The big hole at the top of the dome here at the pole was their mortal world entrance. Only magical beings and those with special clearance can cross the threshold for those. Bernard said it was a precaution as old as the realms themselves, to protect fae kind from human intervention.
And then there is the teleporter, which supposedly connects to a whole bunch of other teleporters that go to all kinds of magical places. Connecting all those magical realms to each other. The teleporter even has its own building, right behind the workshop. And it was A LOT bigger than what Lucy was imagining. She was told that the teleporters had to be big enough to accommodate the average sized dragon (the largest folklore species) for accessibility reasons.
But she didn't think it was going to be as big as an AIRPLANE HANGER!
The large metal building housing the teleporter was decked out in all the usual Christmas themed decor of greens and reds, with tinsel and gold and such. But it was just as, if not more industrial than the main workshop floor. The huge hanger doors were opened up to the rest of the north pole beyond it. And it was bustling with activity, mostly various elven citizens hauling large amounts of stock and cargo from horse drawn wagons from in and out of the pole. The building also contained a fair amount of clunky machinery on the surrounding walls. Supposedly all of it being used to maintain the teleporter.
The thing itself was a massive flat disk raised off of the ground a few steps. With an appropriately candy cane striped arch going over the diameter, aligned with a large blue crystal at the center of the disk. The half circle from the arch brightly glowing in swirling red, green and gold magic. A film from where elves and cargo transport were disappearing into it, and reappearing from it again.
A single aisle ramp jumping off from the disk was separated down the center into going out and coming in lanes. The ground disk was sporting multiple smaller crystals lining the circle in alternating green and red color. The image of a sleigh was etched into the metal amidst the circular designs around it.
Clad in her blue puffer coat, white snow boots and black extra thick fleece lined leggings, all Lucy could do was just wait around until Mother Nature was less occupied. Fiddling around with her staff, she bounces up and down in place, unable to keep still when she was about to walk into the greater magical world! As she waits, she stars striking up enthusiastic conversation with her aunt and uncle.
"Have you guys ever been through the teleporter before?"
"We have actually," Scott begins, "Usually all of the council meetings are in Mother Nature's place. When they're actually scheduled to happen, and don't take anyone by surprise."
"Where does Mother Nature live? You have to tell me in all the ways exactly how cool her house is!"
"Well first off, she doesn't live in a house. It's all outside, covered in more plants than you thought existed. But she's got this huge tree, so massive you can't even see the top of it!"
Lucy gasps at the idea, "Sick! Have you ever been to Mother Nature's place, Aunt Carol?"
Carol took a break from the cup of morning cocoa she was cradling to indulge the exuberant teen.
"No, I haven't personally. But me and Scott have both been to Father Times tower for new year's. It's an open tower that goes up into infinity! It's where the entire magical world is invited for the new year's celebration. Right, honey?" she punctuates with another sip of her drink.
"Yeah basically. Every magical being in existence is invited to a huge rager thrown in his tower. Just because it goes on forever and is the only place big enough to contain such a crowd," Scott finishes the sentiment as Carol shares some of her drink with him, "Ah! That's good stuff. But we don't go every year, just because the new year's party can get more than a little rowdy."
Lucy had (metaphorically) stars in her eyes as her uncle explained the concept of giant trees and stretching time towers. More eager than when she first got there, she took to rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Wait wait wait! You're telling me that Father Time is the one out here throwing ragers? Is Father Time getting down?" she asks with a wide smile and a sarcastic look.
Both Carol and Scott heartily laugh at this notion.
"Lucy, I am thankful every day that he is not 'getting down' at these kinds of things. I think my eyes would fall out of my head if I saw that, and at that point I would NOT want them back," Scott replies with a wink.
Lucy chuckled at her uncle's remark, "Have you guys been anywhere else? Where is anywhere else? Uncle Scott you gotta tell me where all the places are!"
"Sorry to burst your bubble kid, but we haven't been anywhere else besides those three places. All of our business is here at the pole, and we get all of our stock delivered so there's really no need to go anywhere else," he explains.
"Maybe if I can convince her, Mother Nature will let me take a little detour on the way," Lucy says with her own playful wink.
"I wouldn't push your luck kid. Don't ride that fifty fifty split more than you should. Antarctica should be far enough for now," Scott cautioned.
"What? It's only the other side of the globe! That's barely even a day trip, so much time left in the day for activities!" the girl avidly announced with arms wide open for emphasis.
It was then that Laura and Neil had finally conceded to Mother Nature's will, and defeatedly returned to the group to send Lucy off.
"Well sweetie, looks like it'll just be you and Mother Nature for this one," Neil said.
"Oh darn! Only Mother Nature? The personification of the entire world's ecosystem? And I thought I was going to get someone powerful and cool!" she responds with heavy sarcasm.
Neil can't help but smile at the girl as he rustles her hair, much to her own protest.
"Lucy we are serious alright? You do exactly what Mother Nature says, and don't go anywhere without her, ok?" Laura fusses over her daughter's coat and tries fixing her newly disturbed bangs.
"I promise mom, I will only follow her around like the most lost puppy in the world."
Lucy reassured as her mother planted a firm kiss on her forehead. She brought all four family members in for a group hug as her send off. Her parents were the longest to linger in the embrace, before Lucy eventually pulled away.
"We won't be gone too long! I want a plate of cookies for when I get back! See you guys!"
She waved wildly with her free hand towards the four adults as she excitedly darted off toward Mother Nature who was waiting at the base of the shallow ramp.
"Are you ready?" Mother Nature asks with a warm smile.
"Yes! I can't wait to see what goes on behind the curtain!"
Picking up on her infectious enthusiasm, the legend puts a hand on Lucy's back and leads her to the oncoming side of the ramp, "Then let's go!"
The pair walk up the ramp (with a few polite nods from some of the elves towards Mother Nature) during a lull with out-going travelers. Mother Nature takes this time to walk slower and try to debrief Lucy as much as possible before crossing the threshold.
"Have you ever teleported before, Lucy?" she asks.
"I actually have!" she explains as she tries to contain her excitement, "Just twice though with Bernard. He used a little crystal thing to teleport me and my parents here."
"Ah, the manual way. Well, this will be a lot less of an assault on the senses. These streamlined teleporters will feel like walking through jelly. And when we get to the other side, we're going to be standing in what's called The New Haven Continental Bypass. It's basically the equivalent of Grand Central Station, and it's going to be our layover before entering Antarctica."
As Lucy listened to the explanation, the pair were suddenly faced with the colorful magic entrance. With mouth agape but hesitant to walk through, Lucy turned to Mother Nature for direction.
"It's alright. It'll feel a little funny at first, but it's just like walking through congealed water," the legend reassured.
The woman led by example and placed her own hand wrist deep through the gateway. Lucy took note and mimicked Mother Nature's actions, sticking her own hand through. And she was right. It did feel like putting her hand in a very loose slime, but just without all the stickiness and unpleasantness that usually comes with slime.
Mother Nature took hold of Lucy's staff arm and gave another reassuring look before leading her through the wall of magic. Disappearing out of view from her immediate family watching from the sidelines.
The best way Lucy could describe walking through the gateway was like if your whole body was being compressed by a big water mattress. It felt like thick liquid being rolled over you as you walked. And without any lingering feelings of dampness or stickiness to boot! Definitely not as disorienting as "the manual way" to teleport, but still equally as strange. With her eyes firmly shut, she could only feel the sensation of the teleporter release from her as an indicator that they had made it to the other side.
Once out of the archway of magic Mother Nature leaned in closer to her ear.
"You can open your eyes now."
And when she did, the girls' eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open in awe at the place they ended up walking into. This was The New Haven Continental Bypass.
The pair were slowly meandering down the incoming lane, opening to a sight of beautiful chaos.
They were walking into a very large and open leveled building. Stretching down a fair bit longways but even further upwards for about another 5 floors. An entirely glass arched ceiling far above them giving light to the station. Brick walls and light tiled floors, along with the many dark metal columns were engraved or had built in decor of swirling organic arches and shapes. At regular intervals were semicircle cut outs along the walls, each holding their own huge teleporters in the concave spaces. Giant hand lettered signs of different foreign place names hung above these alcoves, indicating where they lead to.
Nestled between the imposing alcoves were various shops and kiosks living the walls, selling everything from food to the long open ground floor was interrupted by large, magically propelled platforms that served as elevators or escalators to the four other floors above them. The whole place feels like the equivalent of a huge airport.
And on top of all its usual grandeur, the entire place was decorated to the nines for Christmas. The two isles down the center of the main hall were divided by a series of large Christmas trees. Heavy with their own jeweled colored ornaments and golden stars. The iron hand railings on all the floors were wrapped with strands of garland with their own small lights in-between the needles. Floating lights of gold, silver, green and red were suspended in midair above the masses, highlighting the myriad of bows, bells and all other forms of Christmas cheer given physical form.
By Mother Nature's hand, Lucy was ushered off of the platform and to the nearest lining wall of the main hall, specifically reserved for foot traffic. Her head switched in every direction as she openly stared at the most outstanding thing about this place. Its people.
It was crawling with magical beings of all shapes and forms. The hooves of satyrs clacked on the tile floor, as did the heavier clomps of a handful of centaurs as they meandered through. Swaths of fairies flew above the crowd's heads in a trail of sparkle as they went. Dwarves, elves, goblins and gnomes walked together in groups or pairs. Making idle chatter about the traffic that day or the weather in their realm. And even cyclops, orcs, griffins and nymphs carried on their businesses towering over the heads of the smaller fae in their travels as well.
Mother Nature garnered many pleasantries as she corralled Lucy along towards their destination. The teen however was lost in wonderland, mindlessly wandering deeper into the main hall. She was mute with astonishment of the strange supernatural people around her. Only broken from her stupor when a strong wind and a loud roar violently caught her attention. She instinctively ducked her head under her arms and crouched closer towards the ground in anticipation. Only to find that once she looked back up to see what the wind was, it was none other than a full-grown dragon. Barely taking flight as it climbed the open-air levels of the building. Moving comfortably through the halls.
She looks back to Mother Nature with a wide smile of disbelief.
"THAT WAS A DRAGON!" she ran up to the legend pointing to the empty space where the creature once was.
"Welcome to The Bypass," Mother Nature responded with an equally big grin. "This is how all magical being's travel from point A to B. Which means there's a lot of foot and wing traffic. So much so that we have upcoming plans to remodel the place in a few decades."
Following almost in front of Mother Nature to their destination, Lucy could barely construct cohesive words about the environment and stared speechlessly at the various different things that kept catching her eye. Until Lucy gasped and ran up right beside the legend to point out the new discovery.
"That's a Unicorn!" she exclaimed while grabbing onto Mother Nature's arm, "You didn't tell me there were gonna be unicorns here! I had such a unicorn phase when I was kid. No Lisa Frank merch item was safe!"
Mother Nature looked over to where Lucy was gesturing, and a single white pelted unicorn was trotting in the designated cargo lane of the main hall. A good chunk of the center of the floor was exclusively for carts, carriages and the occasional construction vehicle. And the unicorn in question sparkled and shimmered as it pulled its own cart full of items.
"This place is great!" Lucy exclaimed, bouncing with excitement as she walked, "Can I look around here some more after the meeting?"
Mother Natures smiled fondly at the girl, "I'm afraid that's not up to me, you'll have to ask your parents about that."
Lucy pulled a cartoonish frown.
"But there's not much here anyways besides teleport platforms. The realms are where all the fun is," Mother Nature explains.
"Ok so what is a realm exactly? And you keep saying them in multiples, so how many of them are there?" Lucy inquires looking around the ground floor at the different platform alcoves.
"A realm is essentially a city. Because magical societies form in chunks, each 'chunk' gets its own city domains. And each city gets its own little pocket dimension that we provide for them away from human interference. Right now, there are thirty-five different realms," Mother Nature explained as the pair neared the end of the first floor.
Lucy craned her neck upwards to the other floors, "What happens when you need to make another teleporter?"
"Then the ones with Craftsmen magic are contracted to build a new alcove and hook up a new teleporter. Like tacking on a new addition to a house."
Mother Nature steadies Lucy as the girl nearly falls over while trying to look up farther than she can muster.
"They're notoriously fast at that kind of thing," she punctuates the sentence with a smile.
At the end of their walk they ended up facing a small kiosk center as their check in point. Operated by a disheveled looking goblin in uniform.
"Morning Rusty," the legend greeted the attendant, "We're just here to visit Jack. Shouldn't take too long."
And she was about to walk away, not needing any more than a quick brief on her presence when the goblin piped up.
"Credentials ma'am?"
Mother Nature turned back to the kiosk, "Credentials? Whatever for?"
"East side third floor just radioed saying there's been a Mother Nature look alike, trying to get into some of the classified areas. Just making sure," Rusty replied in a tired voice.
Mother Nature rolled her eyes and sighed at the notion and walked back over to the desk.
"You know how The Shapeshifter can be," Rusty said apologetically with one hand under his chin.
"Oh, trust me, I know." Mother Nature gathers a small collection of magic in her hands and forms the head of a Hellebore flower in her palms. The legend places the flower onto the desk acting as her "credentials".
"Here's to hoping I won't have to deal with two troublemakers in one day," she winks as she makes her way back to the side of the help center.
"You have a nice day ma'am," Rusty calls after her.
"You are too Rusty, thank you!"
Lucy looks over to the goblin at the desk and gives him her own very enthusiastic wave before following her chaperone. Which brought the pair to a single glowing doorway, a little out of the way from the rest of the commotion and placed on a random wall. A note of its very new and supposedly temporary nature. Its arch was made out of never melting ice, and the barrier swirled and glowed with blue, white and purple magic. The same as the rest of the teleporters do.
Both women just stare at the entry way for a moment. For Mother Nature this part never gets any easier. And for Lucy, she has no idea what to expect. Both are a little afraid to cross the threshold for very different reasons.
Until Lucy gatherers a deep breath and takes mother nature's hand into her own.
"Come on. The ice aint getting any colder," the girl says to her.
Mother Nature decided not to tell her at this moment, but when Lucy looked up to face her, she felt much more at ease. She could tell that the girl was emitting some type of magical aura she wasn't aware of yet. And her small smile held some kind of reassuring energy, she felt herself balancing out and the obstacle in front of her shrank ever so slightly. Enough to be conquerable.
She squeezed Lucy's hand back as she took a deep breath of her own, "Alright. Let's do it then."
Mother Nature brought the girl's hand to the magic barrier, Lucy's palm pressing up against its solid surface. The legend's own hand glows its usual bright green color as she places her own darker palm on top of Lucy's knuckles. And after taking their hands away, Lucy's indented hand print remained on the magical surface. Mother Nature leaned down to the print and faintly whispered an incantation in an alien tongue to grant Lucy access to the makeshift prison. Once permission was given the surface of the barrier glowed from top to bottom, and it was ready to let the girl pass.
Hand in hand they both walked into the magic doorway and entered the freezing tundra.
'It's another one of those days isn't it…' Jack thought to himself as he paced back and forth.
With his hands behind his back, he was circling on the edge of an icy outcropping overlooking the expanse of the arctic sea. He's discovered that these days he tends to swing widely back and forth between restlessly manic and hugely miserable. He can't stand the days where there's truly nothing left to do with himself. When he gets fidgety, it at least gives him something to distract himself with. For a time being. He's found that keeping himself in motion and doing nothing is better than staying stationary and doing nothing.
He had managed to lose the vest and suit jacket today and only had the white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, suspenders down by his sides. In addition to looking far more cold than usual, his under eyes were darker, he looked weathered and disheveled. Ironically, looking like someone who had finished a great deal of physical work. When in actuality there was no one else on earth close to doing as much nothing as he had been doing for the past seven years.
He stops in his pacing session, racking his brain back and forth whether or not he really needs to be writing anything down right now. One of the only physical objects he has in his possession here and of course he has a complicated relationship with it. But ultimately he sighs in defeat, and caves to his own decision without much of a fight. I mean really why even ask that anymore? As if he has anything better to do.
Jack raises one hand with his palm to the air, and in a flourish of blue magic a black notebook and pen materialized in his grip. In the beginning he would opt to make himself a chair or even a desk to write on, all out of ice of course. But this was not one of those times.
Taking a seat on the icy ground, the book he opens is as much of a mess as he was. It was a haphazardly, barely organized record of his own thoughts for the past 6 years in exile. It would've been all seven, but only then did either council head think of giving him at least one personal possession. Until the first year came and went and for new years Father Time briefly visited with a gift from Mother Nature, a notebook and pen.
He was handed the gifts and immediately complained that they were the most useless things to him while he was here. Honestly a little insulted that Mother Nature would think he needed something like this. Especially after what she just did to him? With his wounds still healing? The absolute nerve! He did not appreciate what he perceived as a pity gift born from guilt. He was a man of action, and he swore he was never going to start writing his own 'feelings' in a dumb book. It was simply too beneath him.
But it wasn't until Father Time left, and he spent some more time on his own that he realized just how alone he was. There was nobody to talk to except for the rotation of staff attendants that were to drop off his meals everyday. As hospitable as he tried to make himself seem, not one of them ever wanted to stay and chat. And for some reason nobody else wanted to visit the one and only, formerly legendary, Jack Frost.
He shudders at the thought of the word formerly.
But, after a while the initial stint of foolishness for writing down his thoughts eroded away when he exhausted all other activities. It wasn't until a year and seven months in did he start trying to actually use the book for its intended purpose. He found that the echo both in and outside of his head eventually became far too loud. The paper doesn't seem to echo, so he writes.
Sitting on the edge of the cliff face he flips to the latest clean page to start scribbling down a note, taking up two lines in size:
Re Request for Music Player: ANY!
He thinks back to the first two years of his punishment, and just how many items he asked for to make his indefinite stay more comfortable. But it was clear from the beginning that the book and pen was all the leeway he was going to receive from Father Time, who seemed to be the only one to visit with any consistency. Which means no music player. And granted he is a fine singer, one of the best, if he does say so himself. But anybody would get tired of going acapella eventually.
What he needs is the instrumentals. The back up chorus.
But he makes the note anyway, reasoning that it's been long enough that surely by now such a reasonable request would be granted.
'Wouldn't it? Hopefully. Maybe. Maybe not? Probably?,' he debates to himself.
That's been happening a lot these days too. Over the course of his banishment he's become unsure. Of anything. Everything. He's found himself to be more and more uncertain in his own judgments and thoughts.
And how could he not? He managed to get everything he ever wanted! He got the coat, he got the holiday, and all of the fame and prestige that came with it. He finally got what he always wanted, he finally found Greatness. At least he thought he did. Only midway through his "term" as Santa Claus did the shine start to wear off. The Greatness didn't feel like his. By magically binding biological laws he looked like Santa for sure, but he never actually obtained any of his powers. At the time he reasoned that this must be the root issue. Maybe Jack Frost isn't fitting into a Santa shaped hole. So he decided to flip the script and bring Christmas to him! Really make it his own. With the North Pole Resort up and running the admiration and praise didn't just continue, it grew exponentially.
But it was all for nothing.
Even with everything he ever wanted, his personal value skyrocketing, none of it felt quite. Right. There was something within him that was not satisfied, a pit that wasn't being filled. And only now in his sub zero banishment is he considering that, maybe it wasn't what he wanted? But that can't be right because he was one of the biggest names in both the human and magical world! He mattered so much, how could that not be it!? If his goals that he's been working toward for thousands of years isn't the key to importance, then what on earth is?
These kinds of tough questions he has no answers for has made his stay slowly become more and more uncomfortable. With every year that's passed he grows more and more fed up being his only company. The visage of all the ice around him has lost its luster. This place is like one of those high grade, soundproof rooms. The ones where if you step inside you can only hear the nauseating sound of your own heart beating. The sickening noise of your own blood pumping through your veins. That's what this is like. He has no choice but to be so retrospective when there's nothing else to do other than think.
Which is what the journal has turned into, a dumping ground. It's filled with half finished thoughts, petty revenge plans and scribbled out truths that he didn't want to face. As well as dedications to some very important people that he hasn't thought about in a very long time. Those are the passages that he hates most, the ones that were quickly ripped from their binding and thrown into the wind. At least then he didn't have to look at them.
He resents the idea that he was given this thing in the first place, he hates how often he just stares at the cover waiting for it to do something. He hates how well it works. How right now it's his only companion. The only thing in any radius around him that will hear him out.
What a fucking joke
He used to be legendary! He used to think he could be somebody. Somebody better than legendary. He desperately wants to believe he still can! But looking behind him at the empty ice, and looking ahead at the open sea. He is surrounded by nothingness.
His hand wavers as he chokes the grip on the pen.
Nothing.
NOTHING!
He abruptly turns to the beginning of the book to scratch something onto the back of the front cover:
BURN THIS! ASAP!
He underlines this note three times, before closing the book somehow looking more tired than when he first sat down. It's been more difficult as of late to write anything cohesive. His thoughts have reached a new level of complexity that's difficult to scribe. Jack willed the book away in a cloud of cold magic before putting his head in his hands, taking in a deep and shaky breath. As if doing so was the key to putting his head back on straight again.
Jack looked out into the watery horizon. He's thought a lot about what he's going to do once he's back on the outside. He hasn't found any way to break out of the barrier forcefully, and he's earned many a bruise in his multitude of attempts to prove it. All kinds of convoluted, half baked revenge plans floated through his mind. None of them quite as showstopping as he would like for his grand reentrance into the world.
He stands up from his spot on the ground and walks over to the edge of the frozen cliff. The cold arctic wind of his own making, blowing past him. He walks dangerously close to the end of the precipice when the tips of his shoes bump into a hard invisible surface. He smacks his forehead on the invisible wall, fully learning on it with all of his dead weight. Looking down directly into the choppy waters below.
Jack is uncertain if he would find drowning more enjoyable than staying here.
He's afraid that he's not directly opposed to the idea of finding out.
Just as he was about to travel down this more depressing spiral, a small and pleasant chime went off in his ears. Nothing more than a meaningless jingle, like a doorbell, clear as day. It's a part of the magical prison enchantment, the chime only goes off when someone has come through the door. So wherever he is on the continent he'll know when someone comes to visit.
(Luckily the 'higher ups' tweaked the spell so that it's nothing more than a vague buzzing feeling in his head whenever the staff enter. Very very grateful that he has been spared from a fate of constant chimes in isolation.)
Jack takes a deep controlled breath and pulls himself off of the barrier, straightening his posture and dusting off his clothes. He knows he looks like a train-wreck. And he has half a mind to try and fix himself up properly. But the idea of someone being here at all is too promising to not attend to it right away.
"Let's do it," he breathes, pulling together his usual, egregiously polite persona before heading off to see who the unusual company is.
Once the pair entered the domain of the south pole, Lucy was more than a little stunned when the sheer cold came crashing into her face. She's known cold before, but not -45 degrees cold. The girl immediately began shivering as she took in the landscape in front of her.
From where the doorway was, it looked out onto a white expanse of flat ice in all directions. With very few icy outcroppings off in the far distance, clouds of fine snow blew past in a white shroud. The place looks more like a broad desert than anything else. Empty and without Jack. Oh Dear. Lucy looked up at Mother Nature for direction on what to do next without Jack being here.
The council head remained resolute as ever as she scanned the horizon, very much used to the unrelenting subzero temperatures. If she was cold, she certainly didn't show it. A pillar of stable greenery in the expanse of the white death.
"Don't worry Lucy, he's here. And he already knows we're here too. It won't take too long for him to come to us," the legend reassured.
Only now did she look down and see that Lucy was trembling with a fierce shiver. Her features were already red but gave back a small smile silently calling out to her 'I'm perfectly fine and not cold in the slightest!'
"Oh! Lucy, I am so sorry! I completely forgot to give you this!"
With a flick of her wrist, Mother Nature produced a necklace out of a ribbon of green magic. A simple string was tied around the neck of a small glass bottle, containing an even smaller but very bright orange flame that shimmered in the daylight. Once the necklace was placed around Lucy's neck, the effect was instantaneous as the cold around her fully dissipated. She felt a comforting warmth encompass her in full and let out a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding in.
"Ahhh, thank you. What is it, exactly?" she asked, rubbing the remaining cold off of her shoulders.
"It's a heat enchantment. Genuine Dragons fire," she said with a grin, knowing this would catch her interest.
"Really!?"
"Yep. That should keep you plenty warm while we're here."
Lucy stared at the little vial of heat in her hands, trying to wrap her head around the idea that a whole dragon made this! Possibly the same dragon she almost encountered at the bypass! She secretly hopes that she can keep it by the end of the day. But she didn't have long to dwell on this idea however as the man of the hour finally arrived.
A very strong wind kicked up just in front of the pair. The gust itself had no temperature for Lucy, but was forceful just the same. The wind and snow and blue magic and sparkle all gathered into a single human shaped spot a good ten feet away from them. Until it all solidified and when cleared away became the one and only Jack Frost.
All three stood in silence for a second as they all tried to prepare themselves for the next hardest part. Jack seemed to pay Lucy no mind as his attention was squarely on Mother Nature. Surprised that she was here at all.
But Lucy was trained onto Jack, not quite comprehending in full that he was fully real and physically standing in front of her. His presence seemed almost ghost-like. After seven whole years, she didn't think she would have a sparing thought about him, let alone seeing him again at all. She thought the Escape Clause Incident would remain a strange, distant memory. She's not nearly as nervous as she anticipated she was going to be once she got to this point however. Any chance that fear had to creep in was promptly shut and replaced with brazen curiosity.
Lucy could have sworn he was taller.
Both forces of nature failed to notice the redheads changing eye color as they continued with their staring contest. At this moment, Lucy's core vision was activated involuntarily. She could see green and blue wavelengths bouncing back and forth from one spirit to the other from their respective cores. One broken, both out of sync with themselves. But unconsciously calling out to one another. Lucy is relieved and encouraged by the fact that her half-baked, mostly magical sensed theory was right.
The missing piece.
With her core vision on, she watched the essences of the two spirits closely as they started their conversation (taking note in her head that if he agrees, Jack needs to teach her about seeing things on command first).
"Mother Nature," Jack courteously greets the legend as put his hands in his pockets and starts kicking around a spare chunk of ice on the ground.
"Jack. How have you been keeping?" Mother Nature asks rather dryly.
"Oh! So now we care about how Jack's doing huh?" he gives a hard kick to punctuate the sentiment, "You know how it is. I've just been chilling out."
He thought he would've been glad to see anyone here at all. But since its Mother Nature company he'll be keeping, the bitterness flows as naturally as breathing.
"Shoulder's been a little stiff today, but otherwise it's healed rather nicely. If you were wondering." he prods with a drip of venom in his tone, "How's the leg?"
Mother Nature stiffens at the question. The scared visage of her torn up leg hidden under her skirt of foliage. Of course, he goes right for the weak spot.
"Just fine, thank you," she enunciated. "But pleasantries aside, we've come here on business. Someone has a proposition for you."
Lucy takes the cue and walks over to Jack. The unbridled curiosity still outweighs any apprehension as the girl takes note to herself of his core violently jerking in random directions in great unease. Switching the staff into her nondominant hand, she holds out the other for an introductory handshake.
"Hello Jack! I believe we've already met once before. Lucy Miller," she musters a professional smile with her gloved hand outstretched.
Jack makes a note to himself about the staff in the redhead's possession as she reaches out. He doesn't know what it is but keeps that one in the back pocket for now. Ever polite, Jack does not hesitate in reciprocating the handshake with a false smile. He scrutinizes Lucy's appearance as he does so.
Jack snaps a couple times in the air with his off hand, "Lucy…Lucy…Lucy Miller? No, not ringing a bell."
Lucy face falls, "Christmas eve? 2006? The Escape Clause? I gave you a hug when you got arrested?"
How could he forget about that? The whole exchange was so utterly embarrassing for him that he was just glad they were all in an alcove far enough away from the public eye. He would be lying if he said he hadn't given another thought about the exchange since he started his sentence. But the only conclusion he could come to about it was it was just, strange. The only thing he understood about it was that he didn't understand her motives in the slightest.
But covering up his knowledge about the girl, Jack looks off into the distance making ho's and hums, feigning ignorance. He narrows his eyes at the horizon in "deep thought".
"You froze my parents and locked me in a closet with their comatose bodies?" Lucy prods, staring at him incredulously. Is he being serious?
Suddenly Jack's eyes light up, punctuated with a snapped finger pointing to Lucy.
"Ohhh! Right right right, I remember now. You're that annoying little redhead from Christmas eve. I got it, don't even worry," he exclaimed with a well-meaning smile.
Ever a gracious host, in a swirl of cold blue magic at his hand, Jack summons three chairs made entirely of ice for everyone, "Please, stay a while why don't you."
He quickly takes one for himself, crossing one leg over the other. He gestures for the women to sit, and Lucy takes one of the two directly in front of him. Mother Nature does not sit.
"So!" he claps his hands together, "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a rare visit."
"A certain situation has recently made itself known. The Lunar magic field has come out of dormancy. And it has chosen a new human host," Mother Nature states very matter-of-factly. Trying to combat Jacks rather condescending tone he's been using thus far.
"Really?" Jack interjects before Lucy could explain further, "I thought that old thing was going to be dead in the water for the rest of time."
"Well unfortunately it isn't. It came out of dormancy yesterday, and now I'm the new host of Balance Magic," Lucy finishes the sentiment.
She briefly looks up to Mother Nature for confirmation that the information she gave was correct, the legend nods in approval.
"As if it wasn't obvious already," Jack leans back further in the chair, "The moon shaped staff gives the whole thing away. Far too obvious, in my professional opinion."
Lucy shoots him an unimpressed face as she crosses her arms, "And icicles for hair is your idea of keeping it real subtle?"
"It's called natural ability. It'd be a crime not to use what you were given," he shoots a pointed look at Mother Nature to punctuate the sentiment. "But it's not as if I would want to tamper with diamonds anyway."
"The REASON," Lucy steers the conversation back on topic, "that I'm here is to ask you to teach me how to use magic. Surprisingly enough, I've never had magic before, so I don't really know what I'm doing. And apparently, I am going to be stuck with it either way for another decade. But I figured you could provide some out of the box instruction on this kind of stuff," she explains.
Jack listens to the girl's explanation tentatively, but with a million and one thoughts already running the gambit in his head.
'She wants me to teach her? She came to me for help? We barely know each other, why on earth would she do that? Has my reputation on the outside actually plummeted that low in the past seven years? What is your game, Lucy Miller?'
"Really?" Jack asks, "You need my help do you?"
"Need is probably a strong word," Mother Nature adds walking up beside Lucy, "But she is the one who asked for specifically your guidance on the matter."
'This is definitely too good to be true. I might be giving her too much credit for thinking so far ahead, but there's obviously something more at play here.'
"I'm not surprised you came to me first," he says recrossing his legs, "I can tell that I was your first choice because of my impeccable mastery over my craft. And as we all know, human beings with immense magic power always handle it stunningly."
"More responsible with it then you I would say," Mother Nature snaps back.
Jack only scowls at the remark as she continues.
"In addition to Lucy's instance on the matter, at this time of the year everyone has very tight schedules. You just so happen to be the most available."
"Available? Have you forgotten that I still have a full-time job here?" Jack complains, leaning forward on the edge of his chair, "I still have to make snowy conditions for the entire world from here! And it's not so easy making the world's winter when you can't go anywhere else."
"Exactly. Since you're already far more stationary than usual, the teaching processes should be much more centralized. Far easier to balance instead of having to teach her and traveling around the globe for winter," Mother Nature eloquently stated.
Jack rolls his eyes at the legend as he conjures a snowball in his palm to start fidgeting with, tossing it between his hands.
"Wait wait wait," Lucy interjects, "You're still making winter?"
Jack looks at her like she's the dumbest person alive asking the dumbest question ever asked, "Uh duh! Who else would do it?"
"I don't know. Frosty the snowman?"
Jack gives an incredulous glower at the redhead, "Oh, you wish that were the case, don't you?"
"A little bit yeah," Lucy smirks.
"Well, it's always going to be me. Ya know, the only one in the entire world that has a domain over winter."
"How though? You can't exactly leave."
"Don't I know it," Jack shoots a pointed glare at Mother Nature, "But it goes a little something like this."
Getting up from his seat, the three ice chairs quickly dissipate into a cloud of sparkle and snow. Sending Lucy plummeting through the air where the seat had been and landing ass first into the icy ground. Mother Nature offers to help, but Lucy brushes her hands away as she gets back up to her feet on her own. Both women give Jack their own annoyed glares.
Jack pulls an impish smirk as he redirects his focus onto the fidget snowball. Holding it in one hand, he takes a deep breath in, his skin turning blue in the process. And exhaling a stream of shimmery icy magic onto the ball, clouding it in white smoke. In the process the snowball garnered frost fractals on its surface and changed color to a light blue, matching that of all the other surrounding heaps of ice. And with the finished ball of instructions in hand, Jack took a few steps out of the way of the two ladies and proceeded to chuck the snowball high into the air. Defying the laws of gravity, it continued to soar high into the stratosphere, disappearing into a large cloud.
Jack turns back to his company barely gesturing a bow, "That should be on its way to Canada. Edmonton, Alberta, 5 inches, with a high of 2 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of -14. Feel free to fact check me on that later."
"Huh," Lucy surveyed the patch of sky that ate the snowball, "I thought there would be more fanfare."
"Little girl, if I gave it 100% of the fanfare you would be dead from hypothermia," Jack quickly defends himself.
Lucy thinks for a second about poking more fun at him with a retaliation quip, but then snaps back to the memory of her own parents getting frozen. In less than two minutes both fully grown adults were rendered completely defenseless at his whim. For a second, she almost forgot how capable this guy has the capacity of being. Now suddenly his comeback seemed more like a threat or a promise if anything else.
"Fair point," she takes her staff in both hands, "no need to demonstrate either by the way. I - I get it."
The spirit gives a cold grin at her cowardice.
"Jack, are you willing to teach her or not?" Mother Nature piped up from Lucy's side.
The million-dollar question, you can always count on Mother Nature to steer the ship and keep you on course.
Jack gives a very loud hum as he sticks his hands behind his back and starts pacing back and forth. Overdramatizing the debate with himself.
'So, human girl has magic, and she wants me to teach her how to use it? She's got something else going on in the background and called me out specifically. I don't know how much of a plan she already has, but are there really any downsides to this? I don't recall if the barrier around this place is Moon based, but if it is she could very well be my ticket out of here. But is that it? I'm not losing anything but I'm also not gaining anything either. How much more can I milk this golden opportunity for?'
After another moment of thought Jack gave his answer with a smirk, "Huh. Well, I see that my reputation as a wielder does proceed me after all. And I suppose since you have been such great company thus far, I guess I could lead this undertaking."
Lucy's expression and breath both hitch at the statement. With wide eyes and a growing smile, she could hardly believe it, "Really?"
"If!" Jack continued, "you do something for me in return." Jack pointed to Mother Nature, which caught both her and Lucy by surprise.
"What do you want?" Mother Nature asked in annoyance crossing her arms.
"I can guarantee that I'll take her under my wing and by New Year's she'll be a model magical citizen with full control over her own powers. But ill only take the job if either one of two things happens. Either my holiday proposal goes through, and you get it fully approved, or my legendary position is reinstated."
Both women looked aghast as he continued.
"If you don't want either of those things to happen fine by me," Jack grinned, "But that also means I won't be teaching you anything. And if what you said earlier is correct, with everyone else having difficult availability, your choices are finite indeed."
Both Lucy and Mother Nature are silenced by this proclamation. Mother Nature was more tired and irritated with him for having the audacity to start making demands in banishment. The two girls looked at each other inquisitively, both caught off guard by the fact that he wants to make a deal with both of them simultaneously. They both wonder who's will is stronger in this situation. Who is more eager to take his deal?
….
"...Just give us one moment if you wouldn't mind, Jack!" Lucy exclaims and ushered Mother Nature far enough away from the prisoner to discuss.
"How on earth does he have the ability to make plea deals in exile?" Lucy whisper yells to the legend.
"He doesn't! Or at least he shouldn't!" Mother Nature takes a knee to be closer to Lucy's eye level as they deliberate, "This is honestly so like him. Of course he wants to know what he can get out of it"
"Mother Nature if you don't want to take this deal then you don't have to," Lucy looked downcast. "I don't fully know what it means if either of his demands are met, but it's probably nothing good."
The council head takes curious pity on the girl and places a hand on her shoulder.
"What is your magic saying? What is it telling you about Jack's role in all of this?"
Lucy grips the staff in her hands and looks down at her feet in concentration. She doesn't know what she's concentrating on or where to find the answers that Mother Nature needs. And in the end, she cannot find them. Not now at any rate.
"I - I don't know," she meekly says to the legend, "I don't know what the magic has to say, but I still think he can help. I don't know how, but I think it's possible. But as much as i belive it will help, you do know him better than I do. And if you think that his deal will end up putting people in danger then don't take it. I don't want this arrangement that badly."
Mother Nature thinks on this for a moment, sparingly looking at Lucy's pleading expression. This girl managed to hold her own position in a court of legendary law to even be here in the first place. A strong, yet unrefined, presence of balance says that Jack needs to be involved somehow. She seems to be unsure of a lot of things, except for this. Mother Nature silently debates these conflicting ideas to herself for a moment more, before pulling away from Lucy wordlessly. She fully stands back up and with Lucy in tow, hanging on with anticipation for her decision, goes to give her verdict to the winter spirit.
"Alright Jack, I have come to a conclusion."
Jack and Lucy wait with bated breath as Mother Nature takes a very deliberate dramatic pause, folding her hands together in front of her.
"The item of which of the two scenarios will happen will be up for debate in legendary court. But in exchange for Lucy's honest and proper education of the magical world, consider it done."
Jack and Lucy looked at Mother Nature in awe at the declaration. "Really!?" they both say in unison, giving each other a quick warning glance at the other.
"...Yes. The council will have a lot to discuss on this matter for certain. But I mean it Jack. You have to go above and beyond in this endeavor. If there is even a hint of any funny business happening, consider the deal off. And consider your exile borders constrained to the smallest caliber."
Jack was far too pleased with himself for scoring this arrangement that Mother Nature's threats practically went right over his head. All that mattered in the moment was finally getting some forward momentum. He's making this work for him!
"Absolutely, Mother Nature! You have my word; little orphan Annie here will be in full control of her magic post haste!"
Jack enthusiastically shakes the legends hand with both of his own. Which was quickly and bombastically interrupted by Lucy crashing into Mother Nature for a hug.
"Ahh! Thank you thank you thank you, Mother Nature!"
Because of their massive height difference, Lucy was only really able to barely reach past her hips for the hug. But that has also never stopped her before! Mother Nature leans down to hug back as closely as she can. Lucy herself trying not to jump and wiggle as much in her embrace.
"You're welcome, Lucy," Mother Nature responds kindly.
Jack casts a green eye onto the display in disgust. Something about this display hits him in a deep place he thought he sealed off a lifetime ago. He pushes this feeling back down just as quickly as it tried to resurface.
"Well then. With that out of the way, you should probably be getting back to the pole. With this new arrangement we're going to have to set up a teleporter near your home."
Pulling away from Mother Nature, Lucy's wide and infectious grin landed on Jack. She eagerly bounced over to him and took one of his hands in both of her own and violently shook him with exuberance.
"And thank you Jack! I promise you will not regret this!"
"I'm sure I won't," he says with a knowing look, gently pushing Lucy's grip off of his hand.
He wipes her touch onto his pant legs, but she pays his cold attitude no mind and beams at him, nonetheless.
"Do you think we can start tomorrow? You said yourself you want until New Years and that's not very far away at all. Which I don't mind by the way! But we should probably utilize the amount of time we do have," Lucy buzzed at the man, grinning from ear to ear.
"Fine by me," Jack responded, "the sooner we get to work the better."
"Great! Then you'll see me tomorrow. Afternoon ish."
She cast another hopeful look his way as she bound over to Mother Nature, who has made her way over to the magic doorway. With a gentle hand from the legend, Lucy exists through the protected barrier.
Jack and Mother Nature share a knowing, lingering stare at one another before she leaves as well. Mother Nature looks at him only in pity, and Jack looks back with nothing but resentment. Neither of them muster up the courage for any final words as they part ways yet again.
Jack stares at the place where she once stood, lingering there for a solid minute. His mind already brewing with ideas, and refining some of those half-baked revenge plans. Simmering on the newly allotted opportunity he bought himself. It's been a while since he's had a decent punching bag. After thinking for another moment longer, Jack walks over to the gateway staring it down as though it would move if he looked away. He places a single hand on the swirling membrane of magic. As solid as a concrete wall.
But this enchantment might not be as unbreakable as he first thought.