Jack Frost and the Maiden of Spring went back to the Easter Valley to speak with Mother Nature. They found her sitting just outside of her cottage and looking almost as if she had been expecting the two of them.

"Hello, my dears," she said with a warm smile. "What can I do for you?"

Jack Frost bowed low to her and said, "Dearest Mother Nature, we have come to you because we need your help desperately. You see, we have fallen in love with each other and we wish to be together for always, even though we know and understand that we are polar opposites of each other."

Mother Nature nodded. "Yes, I know all about it," she said.

"You do?" they both said in surprised unison.

"Yes, of course. Because the Summer Maiden and the Autumn Prince were just here and told me all about it. They also said I should punish you both for it."

"Oh, but you won't will you, Mother Nature? You mustn't!" cried the Spring Maiden.

"No, of course I won't," Mother Nature assured them. "Because I know and understand all about love for all kinds. You see, I live to create harmony in the world of nature and I created you both to do the same, and by falling in love with each other you have created more harmony than I could have ever hoped to achieve myself."

"Really?" asked Jack Frost.

"Really," said Mother Nature. "I gave you both hearts and meant for you to follow them and that is all you are guilty of doing. I told this to the Summer Maiden and the Autumn Prince and I also reminded them of the infatuation they are also having with each other. Therefore, you have my blessing to be together forever."

"We thank you most gratefully, dearest Mother Nature," said Jack Frost. "But there still remains the problem with Father Winter. You see, he's ordered me not to see the Spring Maiden anymore."

"Well, then we'll all just have to reason with him, won't we?" Mother Nature stated matter-of-factually.

"But I don't know if he can be reasoned with," Jack Frost said fearfully. "He's become quite a tyrant, you know."

"Well, that is only because he is so old and set in his ways of old that he can't see the beauty in new things, and his heart of ice and snow has never been warmed or melted, unlike yours, Jack Frost."

Jack nodded. "Or broken and then healed," he added.

"Come now, we must speak to him, and whatever happens I won't let him punish either of you," she promised.

So then Jack Frost and the Spring Maiden each took hold of one of her hands as she flew with them up into the clouds to visit with Father Winter.

"Father Winter! Come forth!" Mother Nature called out commandingly.

Father Winter then appeared before them with a gust of wind and snow. He looked irritably at Mother Nature and scowled when he saw Jack Frost and the Spring Maiden together.

"Jack Frost, how dare you disobey me?!" he thundered. "I specifically..."

"Now hold your temper," Mother Nature said commandingly again. "For I have something very important to discuss with you regarding these two."

"Well, what do you want?" asked Father Winter calming down somewhat.

"These two are in love with each other, and I know that is hard for you to comprehend because you have never felt anything like love before. But these two have been fortunate enough to find it in each other and now they wish to be together forever and they likewise deserve to be so."

Father Winter stared at Mother Nature in shock and disbelief. "How can you possibly be taking their side in the matter?! Do you not realize what this could do to the world as we know it? There could be a climate change of disastrous proportions!"

"No, there wouldn't be," Mother Nature said with certainty. "Do you not remember when you and I first joined forces, way back when the Earth was half covered with snow and half covered in desert? We each agreed with each other that the Earth could be so much more beautiful and colorful if we could join each other in harmony and we compromised by letting each other have a bit of the Earth all to ourselves for only heat like in Africa and only for snow like in the North Pole, while all the rest of the world would change four times a year every three months or so and to keep it all in balance we created four spirits for each season and we wanted them to each live in harmony with each other for otherwise there could be a war of the seasons and that is what would cause a disastrous climate change."

Father Winter listened patiently as Mother Nature was speaking and now he said, "Well, you are quite right about that. But you and I created our spirits just to get along with each other with friendship not passion."

"You may think you have done so," replied Mother Nature. "But I knew there would always be a possibility of them being able to fall in love with one or the other. You may have created Jack Frost to be cold on the outside and even on the inside at first, but you didn't make him so that his heart could not be warmed and melted and experience such things as love, and joy, and hope. While I made the Spring Maiden able to melt anything in nature that was cold and that included hearts."

Father Winter stared at her with realization coming into his features slowly and he remained silent as Mother Nature continued speaking.

"I have given them my blessing to be together forever, and now they need yours too. And if you allowed Jack Frost to have a heart in the first place, why would you not want him to follow it is what I would like to know."

Then Father Winter was silent for a time, and then finally he closed his eyes briefly as he exhaled slowly and then said, "I see you are right, Mother Nature. Jack Frost, I would like to apologize for being such a tyrant at first. I give you my blessing to be together with the Spring Maiden."

"Thank you, Father Winter," said Jack Frost bowing low. "We do still get to keep our powers and be seasonal spirits though, don't we?"

"Of course you do," Father Winter assured them. "And you may visit with each other during your respective seasons at any time as long as you do not intentionally intervene with them."

Jack Frost and the Spring Maiden each made their promises.

A few days later Jack Frost and the Spring Maiden met with each other again. They each held shy smiles on their faces. Jack cleared his throat and spoke first.

"My dear Spring Maiden, I believe now has come the time for me to give you this." He took out a a ring with a tiny diamond on it in the shape of a snowflake. "I wish to always be at your side in making the seasons beautiful. Will you do me the honor of being my bride?"

Tears of joy came into her eyes as she exclaimed, "Oh, yes! I love you, Jack Frost! I want always to be by your side in making the seasons beautiful also. So I give this to you." And so saying she took out a ring with a tiny topaz in the shape of a flower on it.

"I love it!" he exclaimed with his ice blue eyes shining with warmth. "I do love flowers," he said as he put the ring onto his finger, "even if they do make me sneeze sometimes."

"And I do love snowflakes," added the Spring Maiden as she put on her ring, "even if they do make me shiver sometimes."

They each chuckled and then kissed with freezing but warm passion. Then a few days later they were married in front of all of their friends in the Easter Valley and lived happily ever after in harmony for eternity.