A Guardian's Story: Part 2 (Jack Frost x Cupid)

(part 2)

Nobody had visited my castle for centuries, and I certainly wasn't expecting anyone now; but the cherub wouldn't lie to me.  For a moment I wasn't sure what to do, or whether to be annoyed or not; but before I could sort anything out at all, the group walked right into the library and my heart leapt for joy in spite of itself.

"Cupid!" a female voice squealed and in the blink of an eye the colorful spirit darted up to collide with me in a midair hug.

"Tooth!" I chuckled, squeezing her delicate frame lightly, "It's been a long time."

"Way too long," she agreed and we both started laughing as the air around us filled with the chirping and fluttering of our excitable minions reuniting.

The bright fairy girls were the cousins of my fair-feathered cupid boys, and I had been the one to introduce Tooth to the fairies and suggest that she enlist their help instead of doing all the work by herself.  That was over four hundred years ago, and I hadn't visited her palace since.  Now, I regretted allowing myself to become so busy and reclusive that I had neglected our friendship.  There weren't very many other female guardians, and now that she was here, I realized how much I missed being around other girls.

Suddenly the bright golden glitter of another spirit caught my eye over Tooth's shoulder and I grinned even wider.  The sandman was hovering on a magic carpet made of dream dust, and patiently awaiting my greeting with that endearing smile of his.

"Sandy, what a wonderful surprise," I said warmly as we embraced, "How's it going with the children?"

I glided back to see his response which was communicated through pictures in the shifting sands above his head.  It seemed he had experienced some trouble with Pitch Black, but all was well now.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," I responded, "And thanks for all the favors lately."

His pictures told me that it was no trouble and I was welcome to ask him for help any time.  Before Sandy turned his attentions solely to children, he used to manage the dreams of everyone, regardless of age.  Dreams are a handy tool in the love business, because they can plant inspirations or provide warnings.  I used to collaborate with Sandy all the time, giving him suggestions for dreams when a man or woman needed some romantic guidance in the right direction.  Ever since he became a Guardian of Childhood, though, I feared my dream requests for older people would be an unwelcome distraction.  I only wrote to him asking for favors anymore when it was a big case and all my other options had failed.  Unfortunately, that situation had arisen a lot in the past few decades.

"Hey!" a heavily-accented voice boomed from below, "Bring it down to ground, you three.  Not all of us can fly, you know?"

"North!" I glided down, right into his massive bear hug, "It's so good to see you again."

"Ohoho, Cupid," he laughed as he swung me back and forth, "You should not be such a stranger.  Is not good for you to spend so much time cooped up alone with books."

"I know, I know," I admitted apologetically, and he freed me from his grip, "I really do miss our winter walks.  Can I make it up to you by lending you a particular book I know you enjoy?"

North sighed a happy, thoughtful sigh, "Perhaps I will borrow it again, since you offer."

I smiled and nodded, more than pleased to lend him one of my priceless novels.  After all, it was his own book – a thick, heavy volume with one of the most beautiful covers in the whole library.  The love story of Nicholas St. North and his dear wife was one that I personally worked very hard on and had always been proud of.  When the moon chose him to become a spirit and eventually a guardian, I was one of his strongest supporters.

Christmas became a time of year full of love and the perfect time for romances to begin, so I was always crossing paths with North as I rushed around the earth firing arrows like crazy.  Eventually he talked me into taking one day off with him to just walk around, admiring the beauty of the season and appreciating the results of our hard work.  It was a wondrous and inspiring tradition, but then that was always his favorite thing – awe and wonder.  I loved our winter walks.  Eventually, though, we both allowed ourselves to believe that we'd become too busy to take a day off anymore, and the tradition died.  I was still very fond of North and I knew he was fond of me, as much as he complained about my lack of entertaining hobbies and disinterest in games or toys, contrary to my young exterior.  In fact, he was the very last visitor I had received to my castle a couple hundred years ago.  He had come to see his book again, and I happily retrieved it before going back to work while he sat in the garden and read.  At the end of the day, he returned it with tears in his eyes and we said goodbye.  Now I felt bad for not keeping in touch since then.

"Cupid, you know Bunny, right?" North stepped aside and I noticed the unmistakable figure of the Easter Bunny standing in the doorway, tall enough that his ears barely cleared the doorframe.

We had bumped into each other a couple times over the centuries, during the rare occasions when I attended a wedding or two to lift my mood.  He was there because he enjoyed the atmosphere of hope and new beginnings, especially if it was during winter, his least favorite season and the time when he needed a mood lifter also.  Unfortunately, I had never really gotten to know him that well.

"Welcome, Bunnymund," I extended my hand to shake his paw.

"Cupid," he returned and bowed his head in greeting.

"And our newest member, Jack Frost," North added, sweeping his hand back to gesture to the doorway, but frowned when he saw that Bunny was the only one there, "Jack?  Jack!!"

"Jack Frost is a guardian?" I muttered in confusion.

I had never actually met the guy, but I'd formed a pretty unflattering image of him in my head.  When the moon told me he'd chosen a winter spirit, I pictured an older person with a cold personality and meddlesome desires, like Pitch.  Then rumors got around that this new spirit was rude, troublesome, and a bit of a loner.  Definitely like Pitch, I'd decided, and never bothered to seek him out.  The idea of a spirit like that becoming a Guardian of Childhood just didn't make sense to me.

"Jack?!!" North rumbled again.

"What?  Geez!  I'm here!" an indignant voice called from the hallway, followed by the sound of running feet and the entrance of a pale young man with striking blue eyes, white hair, and an impish smirk, "Did you see the staircase back there?  That banister was made for sliding down!"

After giving the youth a disapproving glare, North rolled his eyes and looked apologetically back at me, "Cupid, meet Jack Frost."

I was stunned.  He was not at all what I had imagined, and frankly it was a pleasant surprise.  Spirits with such a youthful appearance were rare, and most of us did not remain so human-looking.  Noticing my reaction, Tooth gave me a knowing smile that was so big, she tried to contain it by biting down on her lower lip.

"Nice place you got here," Jack stepped forward and stuck out his hand, but the look on his face was less hospitable.  I got the feeling he was sizing me up.

"Thank you.  It's nice to finally meet you," I shook his hand, which was cold as ice, "You look younger than I expected."

"Pffh," he scoffed, "You're one to talk.  I was eighteen when I was chosen.  You can't be any older than me."

"I was seventeen," I informed him with an impatient look, "But I'm still your elder, kid, so don't get too cocky."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Bunny laughed sarcastically and North joined in with a more appreciative chuckle.

Jack rolled his eyes, "You old people are no fun."

"Who you call 'old?'" North gave an indignant huff.

"And who are you calling 'people?'" Bunny demanded.

But Jack ignored them as he strolled over to look at the nearest wall full of books.  I watched him warily as he hopped from one shelf to the next, balancing on the edge of the wood with just his toes and the end of his staff, and pulled out random books to flip through the pages.

"Anyway, we did not come to just say 'hello,' Cupid," North drew my attention back to the immediate group, and crossed his tattooed arms in front of his chest.

"No, I didn't think so," I could feel the mood become more serious, "Why did you come?"