A Tale Of Frost

"They say," a young man said to the warm-clothed-clad children sitting about him, listening to his story, "that when the moon is full and the world is in danger, the Guardians gather at the North Pole to plan the defeat of the things that would do the children harm."

Rapunzel paused in her afternoon stroll around the city to listen too; she loved stories, and had read and listened to as many as she could since coming to live with her parents in the city. She sidled up behind the children and sat, eyes alight with curiosity.

"What kinds of things do the Guardians fight?" one little girl asked,

"Evil witches!" a little boy replied.

"Trolls!" another said.

"Dragons!" cried an older girl.

"No, no, no!" the young man telling the story replied, smiling widely; "Dragons are just misunderstood by most people; they've never had a run in with a Guardian! The Guardians only take care of the things that brave knights and young sweet-eating twins in the forest can't handle. The things that it's bad luck for humans to even say aloud. But you don't have to worry about those; that's what they're here for, after all!"

"Who are the Guardians?" Rapunzel asked, leaning forward slightly.

The storyteller looked slightly surprised to see her there, and many of the children openly stared at their princess, dressed for the cold but beautiful as ever, sitting cross-legged on the ground with them, but Rapunzel just wanted to know.

"Why Santa Claus, for one; the Guardian of Wonder," the storyteller said grandly, having regained his composure, "Then there's the Sandman, Guardian of Dreams. The Tooth Fairy, Guardian of Memories. Then the Easter Bunny, the Guardian of Hope. Oh, and Jack Frost, too. Most people will tell you that he doesn't exist, though," he said conspiratorially, and the children all giggled as if at an inside joke. Rapunzel didn't quite understand, but she smiled regardless.

"So if they don't battle trolls or dragons or witches, who do they defend the children against?"

The storyteller surveyed his audience for a moment before grinning; "Let me tell you, all of you, a tale told long ago, about the Guardians of Childhood, and their greatest Nightmare foe."

By the time the story of the Guardians and the Nightmare King was done, the sun had travelled far enough that it was almost touching the city walls, and the storyteller rose gracefully from his perch on the step.

"I think," he said to the children, "That it's about time you all head home. Your parents will want you all cleaned up for supper, and besides, it's going to snow tonight. We want you all rested for tomorrow's fun!"

"Aw, Jack!" one little boy whined, "Now I'll be too excited about the snow to sleep!"

There was a chorus of agreeing moans and groans, and Jack crouched back down, leaning against the shepherd's crook that he'd picked up on standing; "Well, that's why Sandy's around, now isn't it?"

They laughed and started to stand and go their separate ways, leaving only Rapunzel behind with the storyteller.

"There's not a cloud in the sky," she observed quietly, coming to stand next to him as the children left.

He sent her a sidelong smirk from under his hood; "Trust me," he said, "I know a thing or two about snow. You should probably head back to the castle, princess; it wouldn't do for you to catch a cold."

He bowed slightly, before turning and walking away, disappearing into an alleyway. Rapunzel's nose scrunched up as a faint frown marred her forehead, but she shrugged and headed for the castle, where Eugene was probably wondering where in the world she'd gotten to.

That night, as she sat in her parlour and watched snow gracefully fall from the sky, she wondered again how the young man had known about the snow. Then, like a ghost, a white-haired boy with a shepherd's crook floated along on the wind occasionally gesturing at something with the staff and nodding when the snow fell a little harder or softer there.

"Oh," Rapunzel whispered, leaning slightly closer to the window, "Jack Frost!"

The young Guardian spun to look at her suddenly, as if hearing her say his name. On spotting her, he waved cheekily and came to crouch on the outside window sill.

"What was that?" Eugene asked, coming over to look out the window. Rapunzel frowned when he seemed to look right through Jack, who merely shrugged as if it happened all the time. Perhaps it did.

"Nothing," Rapunzel replied, smiling up at her fiancée, "Just saying how beautiful the snow is."

"It is nice, isn't it," he replied, perching on her chair's armrest.

Jack stood and executed a bow, somehow managing not to hit his head on the glass, before stepping backwards off the sill. Rapunzel watched him float away into the night like a paper lantern before turning to Eugene.

"Have you ever heard of the Guardians of Childhood?"

A/N: I imagine Eugene will now tell her all the stories he's ever heard about the Big Five, thinking she'd heard about the on the street. Silly Eugene.