Chapter Text
Chapter 1
A New Guardian
Chaos ensued within the North Pole not because Christmas was a few months away. Nor was the commotion for Easter Sunday. Which had just ended as it was nearing May. No this was different—
“Tooth we can’t start unless everyone is here, we’re waiting on—“
“Frostbite, is it just me or has his powers been more…” Bunnymund began only to cast his gaze over to Sandy, when a mini hurricane appeared above his head. “Hectic, thanks Sandy.”
As if to prove his point one of the windows blew open. A gust of frigid air engulfed the entirety of the factory. The breeze increased in intensity, causing a whirl wind to form. As quickly as it appeared it crashed into a few boxes in the corner. In the middle of the boxes was the Spirit of Winter, who began to manifest into existence, looking dazed. He groaned, pushing himself up only to stumble forward. Feeling like his legs weren’t there but they were as he looked down at them to make sure.
He sighed a breath of relief when Bunnymund was quick by his side, stabilizing his footing. His hand shook as he gripped onto a furred arm. His expression grimacing into one of discomfort. The warmth felt foreign against his skin.
“Oh Jack are you okay?” Tooth asked worriedly, her wings beat behind her rapidly as a nervous tic.
“I-I’m fine, I’m grateful to Jamie and his friends. Now more than ever the existence of Jack Frost is being wide spread amongst kids and up till their teens. I knew I was strong before but now—“ Jack praised, flinching when North hollered out. The octave of his voice sits in such a lower range and normally carries that it was enough to tip the already overstimulated guardian off the edge. He covered his ears tightly with his hands, wincing in pain.
Bunnymund didn’t make a big deal out of it as he pulls his friend closer, into a much needed embrace. He rest his paws softly against the other’s much smaller hands, keeping a gentle pressure. He let out a pleased hum when that seemed to soothe the smaller being.
“It will take time to get used to. I apologize for interrupting my friend but…” North hummed sincerely, pausing to gesture to his belly. Tapping on it a few times. “The gut is never wrong.”
Bunnymund shook his head and scoffed, however he wasn’t annoyed since a fond grin settled on his features. “Aight, out with it mate.”
North turned his attention upwards to the Man In The Moon. Just like five years ago, the same moonlight shone on the floor. They all watched with baited breath, expecting to see Pitch’s shadow like before. When the silhouette confirmed it was him, the guardians all visibly stiffened. No one had seen or sensed the Nightmare King for five years. As time went on only more questions arose when the crystal revealed a new guardian.
Jack Frost couldn’t place it but the new guardian looked familiar. It was like his heart knew before his mind did. It weighed heavy in his heart, knowing if his hunch was right, he had to make sure. No facial features but the silhouette alone was enough to get the guardian thinking. Especially the bow and locks of curly hair, it felt nostalgic.
He expected his friends to know who this was but when he was met with bewildered faces matching his own, he raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t know?”
“Frostbite we don’t typically reach out to other spirits unless told by Manny and or they were chosen,” Bunnymund explained.
“There are spirits who remain hidden and those like yourself who desire to be seen. The ones who keep to themselves are a bit trickier to find. Especially ones who have holidays surrounding them but are never seen,” North beamed with wonder, smirking when that earned an intrigued glint in Jack’s eyes.
“You have Nicholas and E. Aster who reside over Christmas and Easter. It’s a lot easier for kids to believe when there is a holiday associated with an entity. Then you have me I’m associated with milestones. Kids naturally lose teeth and to help ease the fear of that. I help make it fun. Parents help a lot with this, having them participate even if they don’t truly believe in us.” Tooth smiled warmly as she continued. “Then there’s entities like you and Sandy who don’t necessarily need children to believe in them. Both of you are strong enough on your own. Sandy is powered by dreams and you are winter itself. Though having kids believe in you is an added boost of power.”
Realization finally clicked in the other guardian with the way he got out of Bunnymund’s embrace. Only to fly around the moonlight displaying the new guardian. “So kids can believe in a holiday but not the name of the spirit belonging to it. It gives them power but not a lot I’m guessing,” Jack ponders, tilting his staff to hover over the hint of a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He had never been more sure, his heart knew the truth. It had to be her, when was the last time he checked up on her. Flashes of long forgotten memories plagued his mind. He knew there were some memories he had forgotten. He shook his head to focus. “We’re looking for Cupid,” he stated.
That seemed to take all the guardians aback as a slew of questions came from each of them.
“How can you be so sure? There hasn’t even been sightings from us or even the other spirits,” Bunnymund challenged skeptically.
“Are you sure?” Toothiana expressed unsurely, fidgeting with her hands as her wings flapped behind her. “But with the bow and arrows I can understand why Jack would think so—“
“It’s not a theory, I can’t explain it but—“
“You feel it in your gut,” North bubbled, clasping a firm yet welcoming hand on Jack’s shoulder when he got close enough.
Sandy looked at each of his friends before grabbing an elf and shaking them by their hat. When he got their attention, numerous symbols manifested above his head.
“Sandy’s right, where do we even begin to look?” Jack looked defeated and let out a long exhale. It may take months before they even find her.
“Aye we’ll find Cupid, don’t worry Frostbite,” Bunnymund reassured, flashing a cheeky grin.
Jack snorted and shook his head. “Thanks Kangaroo.”
“Anytime.”
The search for Cupid had made the Winter Spirit restless. From countless dead ends to wild goose chases leading to nothing, he was losing hope. Until the sunset of Halloween, where the tides shifted.
Oftentimes when Jack felt frustrated he would go for a relaxing fly by across different towns to states and countries. The belief in him had caused his powers to reach a new potential. He had found he could manifest where there was snow present. It had made helping the other guardians with their holidays and protecting Sandy’s dreams and the tooth fairies, much easier.
He flew aimlessly with no destination, it was therapeutic and often quieted his mind when it got too loud. From the meeting six months ago he couldn’t help his curiosity, was there a spirit for Halloween? Even if there was, wouldn't they have been seen preparing for their Holiday like North and Bunnymund do?
Just when he didn’t think there was any glimpse to the end of his search, he saw a wisp of red out of the corner of his eye. His mind stilled as his breath hitched, hovering in place. Where did she go…
His eyes frantically scanned around different clouds as he flew by sporadically. His heart felt a bittersweet tinge of ache. As if his body moved out of instinct he snapped himself forward to a cloud, behind it was… her.
A slim being with white fabric draped acrossed her sun-kissed skin. Freckles painted her body like the stars illuminating the night sky. Crimson ruby red curly hair cascaded over her shoulders like a mesmerizing pool of blood. She looked… breathtaking.
Jack’s eyes couldn’t even track how at light speed his back was pinned against a cloud. A foot pressed against his chest and the handle of the bow pressed firmly on his throat. Swirling arrows with glowing golden tips floated above her head. Almost like an adorned crown made of light.
He didn’t know what he expected her to look like after all this time. Though it suited her well, she didn’t look like what humanity thought Cupid would be.
She was dressed more like a huntress, her dress was mostly white with almost embroidered like designs across the material with gold accented trims on the edges of the clothing. At her arms she wore golden leather bracers designed for archery. There was the signature dark blue cloak that was engrained in his memories but this time it was cut off halfway at her waist, the ends were slightly tattered almost like they endured fire damage. Around her ankles and up to her calf were vine-like golden wrappings. To complete her heavenly look she had prodigious white wings that were translucent, illuminating the darkness around them with a orangish glow. Like a flame casting its raging fire.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”
“You can try, Red,” the Spirit of Winter hummed.
Cupid cocked her bow as if it were second nature. Tilting the stranger’s chin with her arrow. Her fingers relaxed, releasing the tension of the string. She rolled her eyes, only to scoff when her hood was pulled over her face. She watched the way the other reappeared from the scattered snow flakes blown by the wind. “What a frustrating trick.”
“I’m not here to fight. I just want to talk.”
“Really? You’ve been searching for me for months. When I want nothing to do with ya and your fellow guardians.”
Jack’s eyes widen as he shook his head. He wasn’t expecting her to figure out their plan. But it wasn’t like they were hiding it. “How about you humor me. Give me five—“ that’s when he saw a blur zip across. Lightning struck, illuminating the night sky just as the sun fully set, with a vibrant purple. If he was alive his heart would’ve skipped a beat. For a second he could’ve sworn it did.
He didn’t realize he had left Cupid alone. Nor how fast he was flowing through the air currents. Desperately trying to find the blur. Even if his memories were scattered. His soul knew. Knew this had to be… that’s when he saw a nightfury shapeshift into a brunette man, looking to be in his early twenties. Landing ontop of a house.
He grabbed a ghost decoration that had flipped and got stuck on the roof edge, fixing it so it could swing again. With a wave of his hand lights that were off turned back on.
Jack was in awe watching this spirit work. He took a mental note how he watched him shapeshift so freely. Turning into a bat and into a snake as he moved across a porch that didn’t have any decorations. He blinked and the house was TP’D. The guardian almost laughed seeing a few teenagers walk past who snickered. He almost lost this spirit completely. Who was fixing decorations that fell over. Messing with houses that didn’t bother decorating. Bringing back life to pumpkins that were rotting or got smashed in. And when he heard him laugh, a memory flashed across his mind.
“Jaaaccck that’s not fair!”
“Aw come on little Viking. Best two out of three!”
“Hiccup come inside,” barked his father.
The little boy turned to look back at his friend. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here waiting.”
Why did I lie to you…
“Hiccup.”
Jack was taken aback when the figure appeared out of no where infront of him. Tilting his head as he floated around him. The pumpkin mask obscuring his face. Before he could register what just happened he was gone. Until Jack realized his staff, Twinetender, was missing.
“Hey!” Jack wasn’t upset he was intrigued. When he saw Hiccup reappear on another house. Moving the stick across his shoulders and tilting it towards Jack. He knew he was taunting him.
The game was on.
Jack gave chase as the two were lock in a game of keep away. When he thought he had gotten close enough the Spirit of Halloween would vanish and reappear in a puff of smoke a great distance away. Even when Hiccup was being chased he was still doing his job. Leaping across a railing and waving his hand to refill an empty candy bowl that a kid had taken all the candy from. When Jack had gotten close enough he was about to leap at him but stopped when the other male paused in his tracks.
That’s when he saw what the other found. A little girl lost no more than four. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she looked around. Clutching her black cat plush against her chest.
The spirit crouched down. He inhaled a slow breath and released it. Purple lightning left his lips and sparked across the ground to the kid. The sparks shifted into a black cat.
What surprised Jack was that the little girl could see it. She began following the animal slowly, sniffling as she went. When she cried again it was in tears of joy when the cat ran up to her parents. Who frantically scooped her up and comforted her.
He didn’t even realized that his staff’s handle poked his chest. He smirked and mused, “thanks.” He took Twiner back. “I know this is going to be hard to believe but we’ve met before.”
He backed up when Hiccup leaned down and twisted around Jack in an unsettling way. It was almost like he could hear bones cracking. His black tattered cloak bellowed in the wind.
“I would’ve remembered a pretty face.”
Jack choked on his next words. His cheeks frosted over. “I— y-you—“
“I’m pretty busy snowdrop. I’m Hallow it’s nice to meet you…”
“Jack Frost.”
“Catch you around, Frosty~”
And he was gone. Jack stood there moving his hand to his chest. Clutching the fabric there. He could feel how his heart was aching. How long had it been since he visited. The age of dragons was gone. Had it been that long? Why was there so many fragments of memories he can’t fully remember?
“You saw her?”
Jack nods as he looked up at the other guardians. When he had called a meeting to tell them his findings.
“Sooo?” Tooth asked, her wings flapping in anticipation behind her.
“I was going to talk to her but then—“ Jack paused. Why did he hesitate? He could trust them, they were his family but why couldn’t he bring himself to tell them he met the Spirit of Halloween. He once knew him and now ever since he saw him. It’s the only thing he’s been focused on.
“You got distracted?” Bunnymund asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew his friend all too well. He was hiding something but he knew it was best not to pry it outta him. So he left him be, he’ll tell them when he’s ready.
“Y-Yeah. Sorry,” Jack apologized.
“It’s alright dear friend. Atleast you saw her what can you tell us about her?” North inquired.
“Well for starters she’s feisty.”
And so Jack recollected that night to his fellow guardians. Purposefully leaving out Hiccup who was now called Hallow. Something was telling him to keep this a secret, but why?