Very few had survived the Golden Age of the Universe, fewer still remembered what came before. Before the light of the Lunar Tsars or even the darkness they banished, there were beings of incredible power.

The children of Asgard knew the stories, and worshiped the beings. But even they did not remember them, they had been born long after the Golden Age and the Rise of Pitch Black.

In truth there was only one that remembered the time before the Tsars, other than the beings themselves.

And Sanderson Mansnoozie had no intention of letting anyone else know of such ancient power.

For the beings themselves were not wholly sentient, and while some chose vessels in which to invest their power others remained aloof. There were a surprising number of these most ancient of beings, there were the four Winds that traveled the universe that the Asgardians called Yggdrasil. There were the Primordials, Life and Death and Time. But there were three others, that resided apart from them, that were not ruled by Life nor Death or Time and traveled the Universe as they saw fit not having to rely on the presence of the Winds.

They were the Drakes, Fire and Earth and Ice...they made the fabric from which the Universe was made.

Over the aeons that had passed, from before the dawn of time and the passing of the Golden Age, the Three Drakes had searched for souls that could carry them. Fire found her match first, a spirited princess from before the Golden Age. Earth found her match next a kind hearted soul of girl torn from her family before reuniting. Ice kept looking, though he never gave up, unwilling to settle with 'this will do'.

Ice watched as his sisters grew and changed with the souls they had called home, and when they could they urged him to find a home soon.

It was not until long after the Golden Age and the last reminders of the great civilisation had fled to a small blue planet. Long after it had produced life and millions of years after it had become a civilisation in its own right that Ice found a soul.

His sister's had followed him, watching and waiting as he found the poor colonial boy, living in a small town in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet called Earth.

Ice watched as the child's soul grew until he was no longer a child, but a young man. It was then that disaster struck, or very nearly, the young man came close to death in saving the life of his sister. It was then that the Drake of Ice fitted itself to the soul of Jackson Overland.

It was the trauma that wiped the memory, but although Jack could not remember his life before the lake, he could remember everything that was the Drake and the ice that now traveled in his veins. He knew what he was and knew that in this world he must keep it to himself. It had been a wonderful surprise when the four winds found him and took him to his sisters. But they had their own duties and lives to attend to and they left, leaving him with the Winds and the soul of the young man the last of Lunar Tsars had dubbed Jack Frost.

None of the other Spirit's of Earth liked Jack, though Jack was certain they didn't know what he was, they disliked the fact that a young upstart Spirit of Winter could ride the Four Winds and claim their friendship.

It was not until one night when Jack was chasing the streams of golden sand that the Ice Drake met the only living soul who could recognise him for what he was.

It had only been two years since Jack had come out of his lake, and while the spirits he came across disliked him and the humans who walked through him torn at his heart he still knew who he was, what he was. And when he met the Sandman face to face, he knew not only did this glowing little star know what he was, but that he could trust him.

Three centuries had passed since Jackson Overland became Jack Frost the Ice Drake and the Spirit of Winter.

His reputation with the other spirits hadn't improved though he and Sandy had quickly become fast friends. Though Sandy had work to do, and Jack could not bother him too much.

If anyone had been paying attention, they would have said that for an Ice Spirit he wasn't nearly bitter enough or damaged emotionally enough for someone who had just spent the last 3 centuries alone. That is only because Jack knows what and who he is, and he knows how to act to show other people what they expect to see. He had to be careful in this world he had grown so attached too.

He hadn't tried leaving, though he knew he could, fly away and join his sisters in some far off galaxy. But he still had answers he had to find here, there was a time - the part of him that was the Drake assured him - that he had a family. And he wanted to exhaust all the adventure and fun of this world before moving on.

The battle with Pitch did not last long, barely three days in fact. When Jack had seen his best friend consumed by black sand he had shown only a fragment of his power in his anger. Still, he worried for years after if it had been too much. He had his memories now, both of the Drake and of Jackson Overland. He was a Guardian of Children and the Bringer of Joy.

And for a time he was content to live with his new family, the Guardians became his closest allies and the people he went to when in doubt. He still did not tell them of the Drake, Sandy agreed with him. Tooth was a gossip when she was at any social event, not intentionally but things had a habit of slipping past, North was more subtle but still he was far too trusting of other Spirits. Bunny, of all the Guardians, Jack felt would keep his confidence best. Bunny too was a relic of the Golden Age.

Centuries passed turning into millennia, and the Winds brought news of his Sisters and the other realms, they spoke of Asgard and Jotunheim. A forest far beyond Yggdrasils borders.

But Pitch Black had been stirring in his lair, and Jack could not abandon the Oath he took so easily.

And Pitch had been planning.

Unlike the Guardians who had so readily brushed off Jacks sanity and sporadic shows of power, Pitch had been left with little else to dwell on for 5000 years. The Earth hadn't changed as much as one would expect in that time and Jack had gained believers even in adults. The Asgardians had started to visit the Earth again, and if any other Spirit had been present when Odin and his two sons Thor and Loki had encountered Jack, they would have been wary. For Odin did not show that much respect even too Bunnymund or Sanderson, beings far older than himself.

Unfortunately, Pitch had witnessed it, and he had many books in his library to study from.

And in one book, dusty and tucked away in the back, Pitch found a story of the beings born before time.

A story of beings that were older than the Winds and were not ruled by Life and Death, beings that were not fully sentient yet could chose to become so by residing their power in the soul of a lesser being. Once the soul was chosen, it would age only as it chose to, it could not die, and most importantly it could not be corrupted.

Pitch Black was smart, or rather the man he had once been was smart, for if he had not let his lust for power and vengeance rule him then he would have been wise enough to steer clear of a certain Spirit of Winter.

The plan was set perfectly, the Guardians trapped. Bait for the Ice Drake, of course Pitch could not help but rub salt in the wounds of the already despairing Guardians.

"Oh this is priceless! Knowing that your precious little Frost has all the power he needs to save you and that he won't lift a finger to use it."

By this point all the Guardians were scared and confused. Only Sandy understood Pitch's jabs.

How had he found out? What was he planning?

Of course had any of them been paying more attention to their surroundings, the woodlands in the far north of Canada, they may have noticed a tell tale flash of blue, brown and white flicker between the trees.

And Pitch's words reached Jack's ears, he knew that Pitch knew, but he was wrong. Pitch had crossed a line, attacked his family of 5000 years! His sister's where the only ones he would do more for. While in the eyes of the Drake 5000 years was the blink of an eye it still mattered.

Pitch was wrong, for them, he would use every power at his disposal.

As Jack quietly stowed away the staff he had never really needed, he thought, Pitch had been wrong last time too.

You can kill Fear, you just have to know how.

Silently Jack sent a message to his sister's it would not take long for the message to reach them, and time obeyed them not the other way around.

Jack waited and watched.

"So what's the plan, Pitch? If Jack is as powerful as you make him out to be, you honestly think you can hurt him?"

Bunny was desperately trying to keep the King of Fear occupied, what the others couldn't see his sensitive ears had picked up.

"Oh, I know I can't hurt him, not physically at least." Pitch gloated, "But I can make him watch as I kill you, his family, and he won't lift a finger to help you."

"What makes you so sure?!"

Come on Jack! What are you doing!?

"Tell me Bunny? What do you know of the Primordials?"

Bunny was taken aback by the question, enough that Pitch now had his full attention, he was no longer listening for the soft crackle of frost on dry grass.

The other's came, and not just his sister's, but Life and Death and Time followed in their wake. They knew their purpose here, for it had been a part of the summons Jack had sent.

The three siblings slowly and carefully made their way around the clearing that Pitch had made the site of his trap until he was covered on all sides.

Slowly the three most ancient and powerful beings in the universe edged forwards.

Pitch was still talking:

"You see Bunnymund, the Primordials come in three groups. The Four Winds who travel the spaces between realms, the Keepers: Life, Death and Time…but then, oh then, you have the Drakes. The first beings, never fully sentient until they take a vessel and meld their power to the soul of the chosen. In all the stories only Fire and Earth ever took vessels...until I had an epiphany. Your precious little Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter that nobody likes, is the Ice Drake! The eldest of the Three and the most powerful being in all of creation. Born before Time! Before Life and Death!"

Jack took this opportunity to step out of the tree line, into Pitch's line of sight. He spared a quick glance at Sandy, with only the whisper of a nod alerting the Fallen Star of his intentions.

"Ah, Jack! Just the person I wanted to see. Tell me how do you think you friends look?"

Jack glanced at the Guardians, Bunny, Tooth and North looked like they were inclined to disbelieve Pitch's story. At least until he looked closer, Bunny, the Doubting Thomas of the Guardians believed it, or at least suspected the truth. Jack nodded, confirming the unasked question.

With no answer forthcoming Pitch's confident smirk morphed into a scowl.

"They all look a little tense, don't you think? I can fix that!"

But as Pitch gathered his shadows and sand to kill the first of Guardians, Fire and Earth joined Ice, the eldest and their brother in the clearing.

Whatever plan Pitch thought he had died long before he did.

For the first time since Jack had appeared Pitch took the care to look at his face, and what he saw made his blood run cold. What he saw made him think of times long past, when he was a great General of the Golden Age and the stories of the Primordials still rang with truth. Fire: Known for her temper was easily angered, but it burnt out quickly and was often considered the least friendly of the Drakes. Earth: Quiet and Kind and the the youngest of the Three she was known for being shy and slow to anger.

Ice: The eldest of the Drakes and considered the Gentlest and most Joyful, patience and understanding were his greatest gifts, but beware for his loyalty knows no bounds and Winter protects that which cannot protect itself.

Pitch remembered only one other saying from his time in the Golden army...a wise man fears three things, the sea in storm, a night with no moon...and the anger of a Gentle man.

Jack and his siblings knew how much damage they had to inflict on Pitch before Death could take him from this place. They also knew that they could only cause such damage in the form that had given them their name…Drake, Drakon, Dragon, it was a word that had entered every language since creation.

Jack slowly began the change, it had been a long time since he had last tried such a transformation, he had only done so once since becoming Jack Frost but his memory was good and his will was strong.

The ice blue light that surrounded him, came from him, grew as he grew. The red and golden lights of his sisters mimicked his own.

Before long the giant forms of the Drake emerged from the light that blinded more than just Pitch. It drew the attention of many Sprites and Spirits, causing them to gather around the clearing, as close as they could get to watch the death of Fear.

Every Sprite and Spirit that came saw the Three Drakes but also Time, Life and Death, they had nothing explained to them, but the chained forms of four of five great Guardians of Childhood told them all they needed to know.

Pitch had crossed a line, he had made the normally gentle and kind Jack Frost truly angry.

Whatever Pitch had said, in the 5000 years since he became a Guardian, other immortals grew to know and understand Jack. He wasn't hated anymore.

Now fully changed, the Drakes waited. It was rare for an Immortal being or any rank to die and it had to be witnessed accordingly.

When the rainbow light of the Bifrost erupted from the sky, and the silhouettes of Odin, Thor and Loki stepped out, joining the others gathered around the clearing they finally opened their jaws.

Pitch was rooted to the spot...he was fear itself and the three beings in all the universe that could destroy him...the part of him that was still smart, that had told him when he set out on this scheme that it was a stupid idea, had just enough time to say ' told you so' before he was engulfed in Fire and Ice and Acid.

And they all burned.

After a little time, Death stepped forward from what was left of the tree line, and the personification of fear itself died.

With no master of evil intent the nightmares returned to their true purpose, to teach caution to children, the shadows stilled and stayed that way, now nothing more than that.

There was no monster lurking in the closet, no demon under the bed.

The Boogeyman was dead.

Silence reigned.

Only the Four Winds moved, twining their way between the onlookers and the Primordials.

Slowly, Fire and Earth moved forward nudging Ice gently with their heads, the eldest sibling returned the gesture as they spread their wings a sped away. Back into their own galaxies and homes. Ice remained.

The gathered crowds, Midgardians and Asgardians alike, stayed. Waiting.

Life, Death and Time also took their leave without a word. Only a nod of acknowledgement towards the towering Drake.

In the end only the loyal North Wind remained. The Ice Drake was it's oldest friend after all.

Slowly the Ice Drake looked up at the sky, the Moon was full that night, and slowly the light that had once encompassed him spread again.

Shrinking now, the light dispersed. Only the three Asgardians were unsurprised by the face of who was revealed.

Jack chose to ignore the muttering that spread out around the clearing. Instead he went over to the still chained Guardians, and with a gentle tap the metal froze and cracked under the strain of the cold. Setting the four Guardians free.

Jack knew what could happen, he knew what he wanted to happen, but in the end he didn't really know anything about the future.

About how his family would react.

Sandy was the first to move, floating over to Jack and wrapping his short arms around the others waist.

Jack had never been more grateful to the other than he was then.

Slowly the others came out of their shock, Bunny followed Sandy and pulled the both of them into a tight hug.

Tooth was quick to follow, snuggling in close, tucking in her bright head to fit under Jack's chin.

North came last gathering all four Guardians into his massive embrace and laughing in his loud booming voice.

Jack could not have stopped his smile, even if he had any inclination to do so, he still had his family. Even as he thought this a cheer went up from the assembled crowd. The whole event had attracted far more of the Spirit world than Jack had first thought...nearly everyone was there, Mother Nature, Groundhog, Leprechaun, not to mention the three Gods of Asgard that took up the cheer enthusiastically.

Everyone now knew precisely what and who Jack was, they also knew that they were protected.

Thor and Loki went to their friends of Midgard after that day and spread the word, Odin returned to the halls of his home and carried the message throughout the Nine Realms.

Earth is protected. And woe betide any who tried to harm it or its inhabitants.

It was not for many aeons, until the last child of Earth had grown and died and the planet itself could no longer support life that Jack left. North had passed of old age centuries ago, with Bunny not far behind.

Death assured Jack that they were still arguing about holidays.

Toothiana had moved on, but the Sister's of Flight still flourished. Dantia, once known as Baby Tooth, ruled them now and moved them with the help of the North wind to a new home.

Jack and Sandy, the last of the Guardians of Childhood found themselves following the call of children far out in the Universe.

But before they left, Jack and Sandy lent a hand to the Man in the Moon to mend his ship. It was not long after their departure that the Moon Clipper followed.

It was Jack's turn to visit his sister's.

Note: this was just a random idea that has been bugging me for a while, i may or may not reuse this sort of AU thingy for later stories.