Chapter 4

The Deal

Jack had been on this earth for over three hundred years and yet he had never once heard about the Miser Brothers. Yes, of course he heard about Mother Nature and all the wonders that she possessed but there was never a mention of other supernatural beings that could manipulate the natural world.

Jack was taking a leap of faith here. Now that he knew of their existence he still had to find out where they lived. Even among centuries of roaming he had never come across anything that would have looked like a home that would house beings of their magnitude. North's workshop, Bunnymund's warren, Tooth's palace and even Pitch's lair were only four that he could recall vividly, though once he heard rumors of where those places were located it wouldn't take long to get there, and even learn to return to when he wanted. But rumors of these guys? Never. It was like they were the people nobody talked about in group settings, or part of those history books that were never gone over. North had apparently been reluctant to tell Jack about their existence perhaps because they weren't what you would call, "normal" yet neither was he at one point. Jack remembered quite well that the guardians rarely, if ever, paid much attention to him until he became a guardian. Although North and the gang were considered a rather "elite" group it still made Jack wonder why they tended to exclude others. But then again, he couldn't question their ways that much. Man in Moon was very wise, and Sandy had shown him only the wisest and most special of those could be accepted and titled a true guardian.

But even if the Miser Brothers had nothing worthy about them, Jack wasn't about to let this opportunity to speak to them pass by. There were only a few more days left until December, and whether they acted like pathetic babies or a bunch of scheming old men he was still going to see them, one way or another. Besides, he could take care of himself. As cringe worthy as North made these guys sound, if there was one kind of person Jack was able to understand, it was outcasts and tricksters. After all he was one not too long ago; he knew the kind of life that led.

The cold air of the northern hemisphere was still relentless as Jack traveled. Even as he flew among the borders of the pole Jack could feel the cold air bite him like a bunch bee stings, although this feeling was not of concern to him, more rather he enjoyed it above anything else. Even among the chilled air, the snow that would have usually fallen to the ground at this point was still twirling and hovering among the clouds with him. At certain points Jack was unable to see past this compacted white dust spinning all around him, though when it got too bad he would simply part the air to give way to a path in which the wind would carry him further. Sometimes he wondered if he could ask one of the guardians, maybe, where these Miser Brothers lived, but upon immediately remembering and realizing how reluctant they were to even tell him about their existence made him have second thoughts. He had to strive forward and do this on his own.

"Where would I live if I wanted to stay out of sight?" Jack mumbled to himself as his mind wandered off to different ideas. It was one thing hiding from humans; that was easy. The guardians had remained stationary in their homes for a long time, and humans hadn't discovered them yet, however it was easy for him to run across them too. Perhaps these guys weren't in a singular place, more rather like he did, were constantly moving. But if that was the case, how on earth would he find them?

Jack was getting frustrated again, though he wouldn't let this frustration erupt. The white haired boy was used to struggle and not getting exactly what he wanted when he wanted it. Persistence and determination had become one of his most powerful traits, just after fun itself, so even here and now he wasn't going to let his hopes dwindle. He had a lead now, and that was all that mattered.

Even past the twirling white wind and dancing snowflakes Jack knew he was onto something. It was that feeling that although you had no idea where you were going initially, you could get past it regardless. It was a confident feeling, and from this Jack was sure he would run across this place sooner or later. Even if he had no idea what it was he would have to know when he found it; something as strange and new as this had to be obvious.

And by the Man in the Moon was it obvious.

As the air swept and continued carrying white dust around him Jack could see something. Out beyond and half way submerged into the clouds, sticking up from among the icy ocean and into the sky was an ice castle. The sight seemed so unreal at first Jack had to blink a couple times. From where he was the castle looked like it was neither built upon the ocean or sky born, and its appearance from out of nowhere, and easily for that matter, was even more of a shock.

"An ice castle?" Jack chuckled to himself, "Why didn't I think of that?" He seemed to sneer directly after his comment, realizing that although he could make crummy looking snowmen and paintings of frost on car windshields he didn't think he could make a castle of those proportions, at least to where it looked perfect like the one he was looking at. It's a possibility he could if he tried, though since he never considered it before the idea seemed like such a feat compared to what he was used to. Snow Miser apparently was talented in winter magic much like Jack was, though Jack couldn't help but wonder why, even with all that power, he still couldn't push those cold waves enough to reach South City. He was going to know now at least.

"Well, there's no turning back." Jack took a deep breath as the wind continued to carry him towards the castles entrance, "I just gotta tell him straight forward what's up, not a big deal."

As he grew closer to the castle and then ultimately landed before the large entryway it was dawning on Jack just how cold this place was, and it seemed to be radiating with power. With this guys help, it would be no problem at all making it snow wherever he wanted. It was like finding a diamond in the ruff, and for the first time since he set off to find this guy Jack had never been so happy. North had to have been wrong about this guy, after all, with his abilities and Jack's own combined white Christmases from the past would pale in comparison to the fun he would unleash onto the world this season.

As if Jack's appearance had been foreseen, a large drawbridge opened, revealing the entrance to the castle itself. Upon the newly opened doorway he could hear chimes and hums of song, a rather warm and laid back feeling compared to what he had anticipated. Even as he ventured into the castle that welcoming feeling of a good host was drenched in the place; it almost was like the castle was not only made of the ice that Snow Miser created but he had put a little bit of himself in it as well.

"I could live in a place like this." Jack smiled, allowing himself to draw his eyes from the direct path before him and to the walls and ceiling, taking in every structure and every formation of ice that constructed the building. His reflection, although distorted among the ice crystals, were still crisp and vibrant with color. Despite even the clouds from the snowstorm outside the ice here seemed to soak in what sun it could, spreading reflection upon reflection and sometimes, upon the right location, showcasing the floors below and to his sides, revealing the sky among him and the ocean below much like windows that peered out and beyond.

"Welcome, welcome!" A loud and rather jolly voice exclaimed, drawing Jack from his stare at admiration of the castle and to the space in front of him. He hadn't realized he had made it to a throne room, where among many rather complicated looking devices was Snow Miser.

"Oh, hey!" Jack, although trying to come back just as casually, was caught off guard. Even if Snow Miser had greeted him more calmly, Jack would have still been taken aback by his appearance. He wasn't exactly scary, but he wasn't really what you would call welcoming either. Snow Miser was extremely tall, even surpassing North in height and seemed larger in an aspect of proportion as well. He was thin, and his skin was a chilled blue; even taking the entire master of winter to another level his hair was literally ice itself, and upon his long nose was more ice that fell from his nostrils. If there was a walking pun of a "chill dude" Snow Miser was it.

"I've been expecting you, Jack Frost." Snow Miser continued, "Glad you made it."

"Yeah..." Jack responded, "It feels like I made it a little too easy. How did you know I was coming?"

"A little snowflake told me you wanted to speak with me." Snow said, "So, speak up boy don't be afraid to tell me what the matter is. After all, this is quite an honor to meet Jack Frost himself. You've done the whole snow and frost making duties wonders and by all honesty it's your tweaks that have helped me make these past snowstorms within the last three hundred years so much better."

"Wait- really?" Jack rose a brow and smiled upon Snow's flattery, "I try, at least."

"Remember that blizzard on Easter Sunday? 1968? Brilliant, and hilarious might I add. Everyone from the Easter Bunny and the people thought snow was going to thaw that day, but boy where they wrong."

"Heh, yeah..." Jack retained his grin, all the while growing more comfortable with Snow Miser's blunt kindness, "I couldn't help it, winter doesn't last too long so I figured it needed one last extra push."

"You're darn right they needed it!" Snow laughed, "By that time I usually have to heed to warmer weather, though I don't think there is anything wrong with a longer winter. If I could have it my way it would be winter all year long. I would never want to know a day that's over forty degrees."

"Yeah, that would be nice." Jack's voice drifted off, again taken aback by this stranger's ability to take a first meeting and make it seem like they knew each other for years. This guy's charisma and welcoming attitude wasn't something Jack was used too, at least not upon immediately meeting someone. North was like that to an extent when he first met him but Snow was on a different level than that. The mere presence of Snow Miser was like spotlight itself and because of that Jack was beginning to feel out of place, though he wouldn't let these feelings run him off just yet.

"Okay, okay..." Snow cleared his throat after he finished his laugh, taking a turn from his standing position and walking up towards his throne chair, where he sat down confidently and positioned himself to comfort before continuing, "Now come on in here and tell me what you want from me. I-cy you have many questions. Ha!" His pun almost steered him back into laughter but he managed to control himself.

Slowly, Jack listened to Snow and walked further into the throne room. Upon his closer inspection of the place he saw a handful of miniature selves of Snow Miser, who acted like little henchmen as they ran around and tidied up the place as they could. Jack only looked away from them once he made it before Snow Miser and the throne chair, lowering his head slightly at first as he attempted to gather his thoughts. It only took a moment or two to finally come out with his question.

"I was wondering, if you could possibly help me?" As Jack talked his confidence was rising with thoughts of Elisa and South City. He wanted so desperately for her wish to come true that it had become his own, "I was wondering if you could allow it to snow somewhere."

"Well sure! Where do you want it?" Snow responded. Upon his loud queue a couple of his henchmen rushed over to the rightmost side of the throne chair and up against the wall, where a funny looking contraption began to light up upon Snow's voice. It looked like this device was a large channel for Snow Miser's power, much like Jack's staff only on a larger level to spread his magic over the entire north at once. This was made obvious to Jack due to the presence it had; missing it in a room would have been impossible. Along with being large it looked very complex. Sitting among its metal and inside were a bunch of cranks and mechanisms that seemed to breathe as if it were alive. Even standing from a distance and looking at it Jack could feel the potential in the devise. If the simple awareness of Snow Miser's voice talking about it was enough to start it up somewhat, Jack couldn't wait to see how it unleashed winter magic throughout the globe at full force.

"South City." Jack answered with continued sureness, "I need you to make it cold enough so it can snow in South City."

"WHAT?!" Snow Miser's response spilled out of him like a hundred screeching cats; even his eyes twirled momentarily from shock upon the mention of South City, "Hold it! Hold it! That's a nooooo can do, Frosty. If you don't already know, the southern territories are under the control of my step-brother Heat Miser."

Jack looked up at Snow with wide eyes and a fallen jaw. The blunt and absolute "no" answer he was given might as well have been a punch in the stomach at this point. By all honesty this shocked Jack more than all the bad news from the last few days combined. The one being that could help make Elisa's wish come true, just straight up told him no.

"Look!" Jack huffed, "It's obvious you have the ability to make it snow wherever you want. I mean, just look at this place! And you said it yourself, you want to see a good winter too, right? Just- work with me here!" Frustration was falling out of Jack at this point. There was no controlling it now; all his bunt up frustration was flying out of his mouth and Snow was that last straw that seemed to take the hit.

"Whoa, slow down, Frosty!" Snow said as he lifted his hands in the air as if surrendering, "I'm just telling you the complexity of what you just asked me. Going against my brother in an outright attack on his territory would cause balance to go out of whack. I can't do that alone."

"Then let me help you!" Jack insisted loudly, "Maybe there is something I can do to talk with your brother? Anything!"

"Keep your snow compacted, Frosty, sheesh." Snow responded, "Why would you want it to snow there anyway? You've done a great job helping me in my territories as it is."

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" Jack spewed. He felt like he wanted to thrash his arms around at this point.

"Well last time someone asked me for this they were more chill about it." A smile came and went from Snow's expression as he spoke, "You seem almost angry. That's not very, you know, chill of you considering you're Jack Frost."

"I promised a girl that I'd make it snow for her." Jack's answer was serious and blunt but this only caused Snow Miser to fall back and heave with an uproar of laughter. For a long time neither one could speak; Jack for one because he was dumbfounded by Snow Miser's reaction and Snow only because he couldn't talk from laughing so hard.

"You're telling me you're doing this to impress a girl? Hahahaha!" He stopped to laugh again, throwing his head back and pounding his right fist on the arm of his chair. After a deep breath and a sniffle he sat up from his throne and started walking down towards the winter spirit, twiddling with his hands rather excitedly as he did so, "A forbidden love, would you look at this story unfolding. And a girl from South City too. What does she look like, how old is she?"

"What's it to you?" Jack sneered.

"Oh come on, I just wanna know the juicy stuff. After all if I'm going to help you I wanna know all the details."

"Wait- you'll help me?" Jack's irritation dissipated the moment Snow said that. Hope was now filtering through this once hopeless situation.

"Yeah, yeah I'll help ya, Frosty." Snow responded as he waved his hand dismissively at him, "Now go on, I'm serious!"

"Well.." Jack had to step back and prepare himself. Snow's sudden interest in what was going on was a huge transition from before. While everyone else either didn't know what Jack was feeling or pushed it aside as if kicking something under a rug, Snow was genuinely willing to hear Jack's thoughts. "Her name is Elisa." A smile snuck itself around Jack's lips as he set his head lightly on the side of his staff, "She's got this long brown hair and brown eyes that glisten as she stands under Christmas lights. She's kind and wise... so much for her age. She's a college student but I think her work and struggles are getting in the way of her having fun-"

"Hold up!" Snow Miser cut him off, and jumped down the last step to land right in front of Jack, "You're telling me she's in college? Isn't she a little old for you?"

"What do you mean?" Jack was ripped from his description of Elisa too soon so that caused his voice to crack.

"You're perpetually seventeen years old. Clearly she's too old for you." Attempting to be casual Snow lifted his hands upward and outward to inspect his nails, though this attempt to be poise was shattered as he chuckled and grinned toothily, "She needs a man, don't you think?"

"Would you quit it!" Jack was flustered at this point, "I may look seventeen but I've been around for a long time. Three hundred years to be exact. Don't talk to me about her being too old for me. Besides she's only nineteen, twenty tops."

"Sure, sure..." Snow continued to chuckle to himself even after his hand lowered and was brought to Jack's shoulder, where he then shook him lightly and continued smiling. Snow's extremely tall stature made Jack look insignificant compared to him, so this light shake might as well have been a tremor in Jack's respect, "Ooo, Elisa is a pretty name. I'm guessing that's short of Elisabeth or something? And she's from the south and wants snow? You gotta introduce me to this dame sometime. Okay! Yeah, I'll help you Jack, but there is something I need for you to do first."

"What do you want me to do?" Jack said, blinking up at Snow Miser as if preparing for another shake.

"Well, like I said, my step-brother is going to be a huge factor in this. Outright sending a cold front down to South City with a blind eye will result in nothing but chaos. I also don't want to try and compromise with the Fire Ape, because last time that happened we had to get Mother involved." Snow's teeth clenched together as he cringed, though quickly came back to his trail of thought, "Heat Miser won't see you coming, so I need you to find his lair and destroy his machine that conducts his power, or at least break it enough to where it stops working for a while. It looks much like my machine over there. It's the device that channels our energy and casts it out into the world. Without that device Heat Miser's abilities will be limited, much like yours."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Jack barked.

"I'm just jesting with you, Frosty, chill out. Now do we have a deal? You gotta do what I ask and I'll make it snow for you. It'll be a piece of ice cream cake."

"All right, let's do this." Jack nodded. He could feel hope rising in himself again like a symphony crescendo. The path of disappointment he had been walking for what is seemed like the longest time was finally breaking, and the horizon was just now peering from behind that dark canvas of shades. This was it, this was finally happening. Jack felt his confidence return as his head rose up high; even the blue hue in his iris started to mimic the glow of the ice castle around him as he stepped forward, ready to take on whatever might be thrown at him. "This Heat Miser..." Jack began, "Where do I find his lair?"

. . . . . . .

Of all places it had to be a volcano.

Jack had known prior that Heat Miser would live in a sort of territory that would match his name, much like Snow Miser lived in an ice castle. But when Snow mentioned his step-brother lived in the southern territories, in a mountain on the ocean for some reason the idea of a volcano didn't slip past him. A mountain in the ocean simply brought to mind an island, and like Snow was living the good life in a castle, Jack seemed to believe initially that Heat Miser settled himself in tropical paradise with sand and sun and heck, flamin' hot Cheetos. But an active volcano? If Jack thought that Snow Miser was a little off then surely Heat Miser was the persona of crazy.

Jack was starting to feel something very black and white from these two. Snow Miser brought fun white Christmases while Heat Miser only brought sweat drenched misery. Jack had seen it for himself, so he knew that along with the physical heat people always seemed a little more down. Elisa even, portrayed herself as worn out. In South City, along with the heat that withered plants, hard work and deadlines seemed to follow. South City wasn't a tropical paradise, no. If it wasn't so green the place might as well be a dessert. Right before Thanksgiving it was well in the upper eighties there; Jack couldn't imagine what summers there would be like in comparison. He recalled watching TV with Jamie one time and saw a commercial about a car in a parking lot on a Texas summers day. If the people making that commercial had to use Texas as an example then of course it was bad.

The closer Jack got to Heat Miser's lair the more anxious he got. That dramatic transition to crisp winter air to the possible equivalent of hell was dreadful. For a moment Jack worried that he might not be able to use his magic here at all, though Snow had heavily insisted that this device could be tampered with enough to put a halt to its power. By now, all Jack would have to do is break past this dreaded heat and make it inside, find the machine, stop it and get out. The winter spirit only hoped that Heat Miser wouldn't catch him before he could do any of that.

Very much like arriving in the ice castle before, the sound of hums and chimes could be heard slipping past the cracks in the rock. The only difference was this music was deeper, and very much in full swing unlike his step-brother beforehand. Jack had to take a moment to breathe before he ventured into the volcano itself. It was fairly hard to breathe here, not just of course from the smoke that emerged from inside the earthly structure but because once you stepped foot past the stone and into the halls constructed within the volcano itself the air became thick and unbearable. It was so nerve-wracking that Jack had to come in and out of the entrance a few times to prepare himself; he was so used to the cold from the north pole or Burgess that this kind of heat was exhausting.

"I know South City isn't nearly this bad but, geez." Jack scoffed, "This feels horrific."

Jack managed to take a brave leap and stay in the entryway this time. Jack had to act fast, so before he gave the chance for anyone (or anything) to see him he darted through the hallways. Although this place was difficult to stay in Jack wasn't losing his ability to stay hidden and sneak around. Countless times he had done the same thing while trying to get into North's workshop, so even on his first try he got pretty close before one of the Yetis kicked him out. However, he didn't know how bright Heat Miser's minions were, so he wasn't taking any chances, and for that matter, wasn't going to joke around with this. For once fun and games were finished.

The music seemed to get louder with every step Jack took. The throne room was coming up quick based on the structure of the hallways, and the booming melody seemed to confirm that.

"Whatever I touch, starts to melt in my clutch!" A harsh singing voice accompanied the bizarre yet catchy melody, though the words came out a little devilishly, as if that idea amused whoever sung it. From that Jack got nervous. It had to be Heat Miser himself. With the power of that machine directing his heat and fire magic, Jack wouldn't stand a chance. He would be like all those snowflakes he had created, only to melt and plummet into the drains of South City. This heat magic was powerful, and now that he was in the very bowels of enemy territory, Jack wasn't sure he could do it.

"I couldn't even keep frost on a car windshield long enough before the sun started to melt it." Jack muttered to himself as he clutched his staff, keeping it steadily pointed in front of him as if he were hanging onto his life, "How am I supposed to go against Heat Miser? No! I won't have too. I need to sneak past him while he's singing."

Sneaking past him was one idea, yes. But those odds were pretty much fifty-fifty. Either he sneaked past Heat Miser and took care of that machine or he'd be caught. There were no other choices. He'd have to flip the coin right here and now while Heat Miser was occupied or he'd not have another chance at it.

"All right... in 3...2...1..." Jack counted steadily and then peaked his head around the corner. Sure enough, just like he thought, he had arrived at the throne room. Heat Miser, was indeed here.

Although Heat Miser was just as worrisome looking as Snow Miser was, this guy seemed to carry himself completely opposite. While Snow Miser was tall and thin, Heat Miser was shorter and wider though this base of height still significant when it came to terms of how big these guys really were. His resting face looked like a scowl, and his hair was a flame with the same crimson shades as the volcanoes lava, while mashed up against his yellow skin was a round red nose. By looking at him it was a bafflement how these two could be related in any form or fashion.

Heat Miser had very much the same kind of minions; they were miniature versions of himself, only instead of working they were dancing to his singing. All around and lining the room were bright flames, which seemed to make cackling noises as the lava from far below smacked the sides of the rocks, sending their flairs upward and showcasing them like an aquarium would showcase fish. Even with this extra heat, Jack managed to push past it. From Heat Miser and his minions distraction Jack began to act, and head straight for the machine that sat, likewise as his brother, at a distance behind the throne chair.

"I'd rather have it eighty, ninety, one-hundred degrees!" Heat Miser's song was still very much in full swing, and so far he or any of the minions didn't seem to notice Jack heading towards the machine.

The closer Jack got to the thing, the more he could feel just how powerful it really was. All that heat and magic that spread throughout the southern hemisphere; the very power that kept his powers at bay and forbid him to bring not even a pinch of frost to South City was here. This was personal now. Jack felt his eyes narrow as he looked at the strange device, focusing with all his might on how exactly he was going to take it out. Although it was indeed the origin to the heat magic that dispersed into the world, he knew it was just as much as a weakness as it was Heat Miser's power. Like his own staff, it could be broken. In itself, it was only a channel, not the actual source of power itself.

"All right..." Jack took a deep breath before he made the last vital step to come face to face and in perfect position to stop the machine, "This is it. There's no turning back now." Aiming his staff at the machine, he unleashed a wave of frost magic at the core of the conduit, causing a sudden wave of ice to overtake it from the inside out, like thousands of rushing ants stampeding out a hole. Once the ice flowed its way through the heart of the machine itself a heave seemed to overtake the volcano, and a gasp followed the flickers of the flames within it. The machine, once glowing red like a hunk of coal, was now rigid and blue, covered in Jack's ice magic as if it had been overtaken and contained. From the change in the volcano itself and the sudden stall of the machine, the music and Heat Miser's singing stopped abruptly.

"Wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Heat gasped once he realized what had happened and that he was not alone. Like his singing voice Heat Miser was very much angry sounding, though now because he had a reason to be be angry this tone escalated ten times fold. The fire that made up his hair hiccupped harshly and then glowed brighter; even his full round face grew a deeper shade of red as his fists bundled up tightly and let out a scream, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"Take it easy," Jack said casually; a bit too calmly for the situation and let lose a smirk, "Obviously you need some time to cool off."

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S COMING TO YOU, KID!" Heat was about to burst from rage at this point like a soda bottle that had been shaken for too long.

"Oh, I know what's coming to me." Jack responded sarcastically, "But seriously, you need to chill out." Snow Miser's jokes had rubbed off on him. Even after he said that Heat Miser continued to boil, giving Jack the heads up that at this point there was no talking to him whatsoever.

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE!" Heat's voice was like an explosion after another. In an instant Heat would then swipe his hands to the side and send a wave of flames towards Jack's direction, though staying accurate to both Snow's and his own predictions, Heat Miser's power had lowered to that of Jack's own; there was no worldwide control in his possession anymore. Without a channel for his power, his control on the south had been lost.

Jack jumped up into the air, missing the line of fire by a hair, and then fell back to the floor though all the while keeping his balance and poise very much proudly. "I'll be taking my leave." Jack said then as he lightly waved at the big guy. He had to struggle to keep from laughing, so with every other second his teeth would part from under his grin and bite his lips. Unable to hide his laughter much longer Jack gathered himself and summoned the wind to carry him. Like a leaf he was picked up and taken back the way he came, disappearing into the halls and out of the volcano all the while hearing Heat Miser spit a series of anger consumed profanities. Even the volcano itself, as Jack made distance, huffed with black smoke.