Chapter Text
Darkness. That was the first thing she remembered.
It was dark, it was cold…
…And she was scared.
Trini regained consciousness slowly, bits and pieces fitting irregularly into place as she started to stir. Her awareness was gradually returning, creeping back in from the edges of her mind, and all she could feel was cold.
It was so cold.
Why was it cold?
Her body was rising slowly and weightlessly, and just as she was about to try something drastic like moving, she broke through some kind of barrier – a layer of ice? – and gasped, breathless as she felt air hit her skin for the first time.
The night was still, and then information came to her in a rush; her hair was dry even though she was pretty sure she had just been underwater, and it was long, brown, hanging loosely around her face. She wasn’t on the ground – she was actually floating effortlessly in midair. Her clothes were scratchy but fit well, and she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She didn’t know where she was, or even who she was, but everything was too dim, too quiet and too loud, too strange. Something was missing. Something – someone? Someone was missing, someone was…
Trini’s hands began to shake.
She was scared, and she could feel her breath starting to come quicker as her frantic eyes darted around, creating white puffs of air in front of her as her chest tightened and her throat started to close up.
But then… then she saw the moon. It was so big, and so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away.
And when that happened, she found that she wasn’t scared anymore.
The light from the moon beamed down on her, watching over her, and Trini could feel herself calming down. Her bare feet gently touched down on the cracked ice below her before she realized she was floating downwards, and she felt it smooth itself out under her toes, saw a ripple of silver expand outwards from the corner of her eye.
Still breathing heavily, she looked down at herself, turning her hands over and pulling at her clothes before her gaze was drawn back to the moon. She reflexively took a step backwards to get a better look, and let out a little gasp when she slipped, throwing her arms out for balance. She shifted on her feet and then blinked in surprise at the swirls of ice that appeared in her wake, spiraling musically outwards.
She paused to think, and then experimentally hopped the last few feet to the edge of the frozen pond. Watching the ice spread with a growing sense of wonder, she didn’t notice how close the snow bank border was and flailed when she tripped on it. Her hand hit the tree trunk next to her, steadying her, but then, just like the surface of the frozen pond, a spiral of silver magic burst outwards at the touch.
Tentatively, she reached out and poked the tree, and she gasped when patterns of ice bloomed from her fingertips, crawling up the bark. A disbelieving smile spread across her face as she watched it crackle and grow, and she quickly poked another one, a single laugh escaping her lips as the same thing happened. She bounced excitedly on her feet, watching it with wide eyes, and that was when she belatedly realized that it had started to snow.
The snowflakes were falling lightly, catching on her eyelashes and settling in her hair, and Trini paused to look up again, watching as the moonlight made them sparkle. A feeling started to swell up inside of her, and after a moment’s hesitation she gave in to the urge to glide back onto the frozen surface of the pond, gaining speed and watching what could only be magic appearing behind her all the way. She ran and slid in loops, trailing snowflakes and frost and delicate ice patterns across the surface of the pond as her laughter echoed through the empty forest.
As she skidded on a turn, she laughed and instinctively threw her arms out for balance. But then her breath was knocked out of her as a cold wind suddenly picked her up and hurled her straight into the air, and she shrieked. Tumbling head over heels, she tried to pull her arms in, but as she moved to wrap them around herself her direction abruptly changed to follow the movement.
It only took one more jarring turn to figure out that she could control it, and then she laughed elatedly again, all terror gone. She carefully lifted one arm up and lost her breath when she was jerked immediately in a different direction.
Taking note, she threw both arms out wildly and was buffeted up by the steady wind, leveling off high above the tree line and hovering in the night sky. The stars were shining above her and the air was crisp and cool, blowing through her hair. She could feel her cloak billowing in the wind, could see the light of the moon, could feel the laughter and cheer growing in her like it was a physical thing, and then she looked down.
The pond was completely frosted over, intricate designs in the ice visible from all the way up here, and for a moment, it seemed like everything was infinite.
She was abruptly reminded of the fact that it was not when it was made very apparent that she didn’t actually have control over her newfound ability to fly. The wind thinned out and then disappeared, and that was when she started falling. Of course, she landed face first into a tree and smacked into what felt like every branch on the way down, and she groaned when she bellyflopped onto a particularly wide one, her descent effectively halted.
Still, she could feel the elation in her entire body, so happy she felt like she would burst. She pushed herself up and shook her head to clear it, and then she hopped to her feet, staying crouched on the branch and beaming down at her own hands when the ice magic spread across it at her touch.
From her new vantage point perched in the tree, she could see the lights of a village in the distance, and she only took a second to think about it before her excitement expanded and she took off with ease, letting the wind carry her towards it.
The flight was exhilarating, though her landing was less than grateful and left her sprawled in the snow. Jumping to her feet, she was too ecstatic to care, already brushing herself off and smiling at the people milling about. There were cheerful fires burning throughout the streets, lighting the way, and people moved from house to house, chatting quietly. Nobody was really responding to her, but she was flying too high to care. Somebody would want to share this with her when they saw what she could do.
And then that train of thought died when a person passed right through her.
They walked directly into her, and instead of feeling the collision, all Trini felt was empty. She paled, the smile immediately dying on her lips, and panic gripped her so tightly she couldn’t move. It was like her heart stopped beating, like her stomach turned itself inside out, everything becoming both dulled and hypersensitive all at the same time. It was like her insides were being torn apart, like something was shriveling up her soul, and it hurt.
Trini was left with her hand pressed against her chest as the sensation slowly faded, disappearing with the body of the person who had walked right through her, but her reprieve didn’t last as suddenly it seemed as if every person in the village was making to pass right though her.
They couldn’t see her. It was like she wasn’t even there.
Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to keep control of herself, blindly picking a direction and scrambling away with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She gritted her teeth, pushing through the crowd and stumbling when she couldn’t physically make contact with them, her hands passing through empty air, and she finally managed to get away and take cover behind one of the stone buildings. Sinking down to the ground and curling into herself, she clutched at her chest and pressed herself into the solid wall at her back, heedless of the snow covering the ground.
Her heartbeat was thudding loudly in her ears, and she took a shuddering breath and swiped at her eyes, hands shaking as she slowly lifted her gaze to the sky. The sense of peace and wonder was gone now, thoroughly crushed by what had just happened, and all she could do was stare at the moon and try not to cry.
She wasn’t sure if she succeeded, but it didn’t matter anyways – there was no one around to see it.
Her name was Trini, and she was Jack Frost.
How did she know that? The Moon told her so.
But that was all he ever told her.
And that, was a long, long time ago.
— — 300 years later — —
A burst of cold air blows through the busy streets, past the people and cars and buildings, and nobody pays it any mind as it goes, whipping up snowflakes and winter air. Laughing freely, Trini spreads her arms out and lets the wind carry her upwards towards the sky, spiraling wildly and letting the exhilaration leak into her heart. She blows through the city, in and out of the unsuspecting masses of peoples’ lives, and it’s only when she spots a wide open park that she expertly tilts her arms and alters her flight.
Landing gracefully on the wide branch of a bare oak tree, she crouches down and props her elbows up on her knees, surveying the new area around her. There’s a group of children chasing each other around below her, and Trini softens, blinking a few errant snowflakes out of her eyes.
She tilts her head and considers them as she shuffles backwards so she can lean against the sturdy tree trunk, wondering why this has caught her attention. Humming, she swings her legs down to hang on either side of the branch and adjusts her frosty beanie with one hand as she gets comfortable.
Something tugs at her chest, something warm and fuzzy and painful, and she blinks. It’s an old feeling, one that she thinks she should recognize, and she furrows her brow. Her eyes sweep over the children as she tries to puzzle it out, wondering why the scene is so familiar, but soon it slips away and all she’s left feeling is the familiar emptiness again.
She easily refocuses on the children again to distract herself, something she’s gotten quite apt at over the centuries, and when she sees that they’ve moved on to lying around, she smiles softly.
With the wind blowing encouragement around her, she brings her feet up onto the branch and lifts one hand to brush her hair out of her face, ignoring the snowflakes that always find a way into it. She idly waves the fingers of her hand as she props her elbow up on her bent knee and leans her head against her perpetually cold knuckles. The air sparkles silver, magic forming in front of her, and she feels herself calming as she watches the smattering of snowflakes materialize.
Taking a deep breath, she brings her hand closer to her face and then blows the amassed snowflakes in the direction of the gathered group of children. They float down elegantly, dancing in the wind and landing above their heads, and Trini glances upwards when snow starts falling from the sky and follows suit, thick and fluffy and enough to leave a nice layer on the ground.
The answering gasps of wonder bring a bigger smile to her face, and Trini leans forward to see the children jumping to their feet and shrieking in excitement with their hands up.
She just brought them a snow day.
The wind carries the sounds of the happiness up to her, and Trini smiles softly, watching as they play. She stays in the tree, but continues to use her magic to create the ideal conditions for them.
Eventually, she calls the wind back to her and lifts off the branch, making sure to create a few extra fluffy snow piles as she leaves the park and soars down the street. The windows frost over as she flies past them, and she grins at her fleeting reflection. She’s Jack Frost, and though it may not quite be winter anymore, she still has some joy to spread.
Later, when the sun starts to set, people retreat to their houses for the day and the streets of the city slowly empty, leaving Trini by herself with her snowflakes. Loneliness makes its presence known again, leeching in like the cold that never seems to bother her, and Trini shakes her head and focuses on flying. She may be alone, but the children had been happy for the afternoon, and it was because of something she did. It's enough for now, and with one last contented exhale, Trini lets herself land on top of the tallest building in the area, settling on the open rooftop with a slow sigh.
Trini thinks, sometimes, that she was never freed from that frozen pond, that she’s still floating in frigid water somewhere, trapped. It’s been centuries, but she’s come no closer to uncovering why the Man in the Moon did this to her, why he would condemn her to such a lonely fate. It’s no different now – people still can’t see or hear her, and they’ll still walk through her if she isn’t careful, but the memory of that first night, cold and alone, still chills her to the bone.
Closing her eyes and blowing out a breath, Trini tilts her head back against the wall and idly swings her legs over the ledge, reassuring herself that the wind is pushing back just enough to protect her should she fall – given the fact that she can also fly, she isn’t too worried.
The sound of laughter still echoes through her mind from this morning in the park, and Trini mulls over the fact that she’s never had anything like that before. She knows better than to feel sorry for herself, but she’s been spending centuries looking for an answer to why she’s here.
The world is warmer nowadays, better than when Trini woke up alone in a time humanity has deemed the ‘Dark Ages’. Beings had shown up to help protect humankind, Guardians of great power, and the balance of the world is now tilted in favour of goodness, hope and dreams.
Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny. The Tooth Fairy. Sandman. All there to protect the children, and therefore the world.
She’s seen their work, of course, and not for the first time, she considers reaching out to them, or to the other myths and legends like her that humans actually believe in, like the groundhog or the leprechaun. But just as all the other times, she immediately wrinkles her nose at the idea. Given her status as one forgotten and ignored, she isn’t too keen on the pity and derision she’s bound to garner.
Either way, the Guardians do their jobs well, and over the years Trini has only watched from a distance as they chase away fear, keep darkness at bay. All Trini can do is bring ice and snow and cold.
She idly starts to create a block of ice in midair, concentrating on it for a moment before deciding to form it to resemble a tiger. Chipping away at it with her magic, she makes a pleased sound when it’s completed and gently cups her hands around it so she can breathe magic into it. She brings it to life and smiles when the manifestation begins to move, stretching itself out and beginning to pace through the air in front of her.
The night is clear, and the moon is visible, shining high in the sky. As usual, she regards it with a mix of wonder and trepidation, still not sure if she’s bitter about what it’s done, even after all this time.
The wind lightly ruffles her hair, a gentle breeze constant in its stability, and she gives the moon one last look before returning her attention to her tiger. She doesn’t know how much time passes, doesn’t have much need to care, but out of the corner of her eye, she sees a glimmer of light and can already feel her shoulders loosening.
Not a moment later, a whisper of gold dances past her through the air, and Trini tilts her head back and smiles as more follows after it. It’s well and truly nighttime now, and that means the children are asleep.
It’s time for their dreams.
“Right on time, Sandman,” she murmurs, taking in the golden swirls of dreamsand that fly through the air. They soar in every direction, off towards what Trini knows for a fact is the entire world, and she settles back to watch, more relaxed than she’s been all day.
She can just barely see her reflection in her moving tiger ice sculpture, and the dreamsand illuminating her face makes her look… bright. The way she could have been, she supposes. Giving herself half a smile, she shakes her head and waves away the dusting of dreamsand that’s floating around her head, letting it rejoin the masses headed into the houses and off into the distance.
It never fails to amaze her, the way the dreamsand will appear and fill the world. She’s been around for a long time and traveled the entire globe, explored the farthest reaches of the planet, and yet she’s never found anything that even comes close to rivalling the sight of dreamsand lighting up the night sky. Wherever she is, no matter the city, the country, the continent, the Sandman’s dreamsand always finds her come nightfall. She’s even tried chasing it more than a few times, following the trail through the sky, although she’s never known what she was searching for.
A tendril of dreamsand reaches down for her again, swirling above her head for a moment before taking a form almost identical to her tiger and prancing around, and Trini smiles.
An eternity alone never seems so bad when she’s surrounded by dreams.