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The day Jack Frost got on a ship for islands full of fortune and fairies, if the rumours held true, was both the worst and most freeing day of his life.
He stood on a dock with rain hammering down all around them, drenched all the way through his cloak and his tunic to his very bones. His sister stood in front of him, small and scared with tears so big falling down her cheeks that not even the rain could hide them. They’d said goodbye, he’d said appropriately nice things in an attempt to comfort her, but she’d always been the last person to believe him, normally because she was the first to see through the lies.
“You won’t come back,” she sobbed.
Jack felt like he had an anvil in his stomach, slowly pulling him further and further down into the ground. He knew she was right. “You can come and visit me, when you’re older.” he soothed.
“But how will I find you?” Emma cried.
“You’ll sail across the ocean and you’ll hear people talking about the legendary Jack Frost and then you’ll be able to find me.” Jack said.
A bell rang on the ship.
“I have to go or the ship will leave without me.” Jack said. His heart ached.
“I’ll come and find you.” Emma said. “I will.”
“I’ll see you then.” Jack got on the ship. He went straight to his cabin; he couldn’t stand to stay on deck and watch his tiny sister cry for him, because of him. He was free of a wretched country and a wretched family, at long last, but he still felt wretched himself.
He took a deep breath and hoped that Emma would stick by her words and come and find him one day.
-
One day, many years later, when Jack was king of one of the islands he had sailed to and just as legendary as he had promised Emma he would become, a captive was brought to his court. A messenger sent ahead told him that she was the only survivor from a sunken pirate ship who hadn’t drowned or been shot, so Jack prepared himself for the trial.
His kingdom was a far cry from the one he had grown up in. They lived in the ground, in enormous tunnel systems that ran through the whole island and not all of them were human. Fairies of all shapes and sizes flew alongside humans and the island contained what felt like every shade of every colour in perfect, energetic vibrancy, quite literally hundreds of miles from the dull greys, blacks and browns Jack had grown up in. The weather was warm, the sun was tender and caressing, the rain was gentle and sporadic instead of relentless. There was dancing and singing and feasting and Jack had a thrown and a crown all of his own.
It was more than he ever could have dreamed of.
On his way to the court room, he went to see if Tooth was ready.
He didn’t knock on the door before walking in, to the outrage of her handmaidens, who squawked at him and started shooing him out of the room.
“Hey, hey, I only came to see if the queen was ready!” Jack said defensively, putting his hands in the air.
“I’m not!” Tooth said simply from where she was sprawled out across her bed in a nightdress. “Are we doing anything interesting today?”
“We’re trying a pirate.”
“He can stay.” Tooth told her handmaidens as she sat up with a yawn. Jack sat down next to her and Tooth turned to show him her nightdress. “It’s new. What do you think of it?”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “It’s a bit see-through.”
“I’m trying to get the fairy prince to notice me.” Tooth said wistfully. “It’s not going very well. Do you think this might work?”
“Are you thinking of the second fairy prince of the first one? Because the first one disapproves of us not being together.”
“Does he?” Tooth asked, disgruntled. “He’s a snot ball, then. We’re not bound to each other or anything.”
“I think it will work on the second prince.”
“Wonderful. I’ll go and see him tonight. Where’s my dress?”
The ruling situation on the island was a little unusual. After his arrival there, Jack had accidentally found himself taking part in a contest to become the new ruler. The last one had died two days before he got there. He was declared the winner by the high priest before he managed to work out what was going on and was told he had to run the island along with the daughter of the late king, Toothiana. Tradition dictated that they got married, but after Jack told her he had never had any interest in sex or romance, she was very happy to stay single and rule together platonicaly. They did a pretty good job at it together.
After Tooth was dressed, they went to the court room, settled themselves on their thrones and waited for the prisoner to be brought in.
Jack nearly fell off his throne when he saw her. “Emma?”
“I told you I’d find you.” Emma said.
“Let her go.” Jack ordered the guards. He stood up and walked towards her, staring at her. “How did you get here? What have you done? What are you doing?”
“I left the country, same as you did. And I hear you travelled on a pirate ship, too.”
“A stowaway.” Jack smiled. “I was legendary enough for you to find me?”
Emma nodded. “I tried not to do anything too terrible.”
“Were you involved in piracy on the ship?” Tooth asked her.
Emma shook her head. “I was just one of the carpenters.”
“She’s my sister.” Jack said, turning to Tooth. “I can vouch for her.”
“What will you do here?” Tooth asked Emma. “If we pardon you.”
Emma looked at Jack. “Do you need someone who will fight for you? A lionheart?”
“She can stay.” Tooth said.
“I told you that I’d come for you.” Emma said.
Jack hugged her. “You did. My lionheart.”