[Ash]: 102.Jack Frost.12

Regina, Kristine, and Gina rushed through the forest and stopped quite suddenly. “There it is,” Gina yelled and they walked through the brush to Grandmother’s cottage.

Grandmother was out sitting on a wicker chair with a young bear cub fast asleep in her arms. Her kind, elderly face looked up and she made a shushing noise. The girl approached quietly and looked down at the young cub.

“Let me set him down and well go inside.” Grandmother said as she carefully stood up and laid the cub in the chair. “Come, come girls.”

“Grandmother,” Kristine said when they were inside the cottage with the door closed. “Marylin asked up to get a paralyzing potion, will you teach us how to make one?”

“You know, when her mother asked her to make one, she can to me only for the last ingredient.” Grandmother said putting a kettle over the fire. “But then again she had the Dryads help her.”

The door burst open and Marylin rushed inside, “Grandmother! Oh… girls you’re alive!” She scooped the girls up into her arms and began to kiss them.

“You can come in, too, Gareth.” Grandmother said loudly. “I know you’re outside.”

“Hello, Grandmother.” Gareth bowed and Grandmother smiled warmly. “So, have the centaur herds stop their fooling yet?”

“Well, the herds have agreed not to leave the woods, but they still dispute like children.” Grandmother lost her smile and sat down. “What was the interruption for?”

“Strigori have been seen in the woods. They’ve killed many fawns already.” Gareth said quietly to Grandmother. Marylin took the children across the room and gave them a toy to play with. Gareth looked back, “they are in the form of werewolves and have been killing everything in their path, heading for….” He looked back once more, “heading for the Eternal Glade.”
Grandmother looked over at the girls and sighed. “Once more, must I protect my flock it seems.”

There came a tapping on the window and Klaus the owl flew in and landed on a table next to Grandmother. “Great One, I bring glorious news from the King of Winter! He is being…”

“Worse off,” Gareth said ignoring the bird, “is that we believe that they are some how connected with Shyna.”

“Jack Frost…” The bird tried to interject.

“We must tell Mistress Cassandra!” Gareth said quickly.

“Klaus…” Grandmother looked at him, “good thing you’re here, will you tell Cassandra that I wish to speak with her.”

“Great One! Please listen! Marylin needs to become full tomorrow night. Mistress Cassandra is to be wed!”

“Mother? To be wed? To who?” Marylin asked setting down the girls and walking over to the bird. “You must be wrong; mother didn’t tell me anything of this.”

“Tis true! She and the King of Winter are to be joined to night!” Klaus said happily flapping his wings a little. “I always knew that they would make a perfect couple!”

“No! She would never marry that horrible man! She told me what he did to that village that lies under the snow. He killed them all! He’s a murder.” Marylin yelled.

“Marylin…” Gareth said, “Why don’t you go talk to him… I’m sure that it wasn’t all true, Mistress Cassandra was probably mistaken.”

“My mother does not mistake!” Marylin yelled.

“There will be no yelling in my house.” Grandmother said quietly.

Everything went silent and Marylin and Gareth lowered their heads. “Yes Grandmother.”

“He is right, Gareth will you go with her on a quick visit?” Grandmother stretched out her hand and placed a small jewel in his skin on the back of his wrist. “No less then a day, it’s all I can give you.”

“I understand, Grandmother.” Gareth nodded and took Marylin’s hand, “we have to be quick.”

Marylin looked at Grandmother and at the children and nodded. She walked out the door and stopped, Gareth besides her. “Do you remember that spell book I originally cam here with?”

“The one that belonged to your other grandmother?” He said quietly.

“It had a name in the beginning, underneath the cover.” She said shakily staring over at the tip of what she knew to be the mountain of Winter. “It was Shyna Frost.”

“So, what if you were related to her far, far back?” Gareth said. “It’s not like your completely evil.”

“But I’m wondering about Jack Frost, he must be a nephew or something of hers that took over when she died, and did what she never could.”

“What was that?” Gareth asked as Marylin began walking.

“To kill everything you love, even your family.”


Jack sat on the Blood covered throne and looked at the woman who he was to be married to and sighed. “Why did I ever agree to marry you?”

“Because your foolish, and won’t admit that you’ve had a thing for me since I snapped you out of that rut you were in after the slaughter.”

“Don’t call it that… It only makes me feel worse.” Jack stared at her. “So do I have to make you a throne now too?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d rather like to grow my own, ice is cold to me.” Cassandra walked up beside him and grew a large chair out of vines and adorned it with roses of all colors. She looked at him and bent closer. “What’s really rattling around in your head?”

“I was going to marry Elizabeth… do you remember her? I can’t only her name. Is that horrible?”

“No, it’s called time, and as it passes we forget the things we loved. Like your daughter forgot you,” Cassandra bent forward and kissed his forehead. “Time tears us away from everything, you can’t freeze time.”

“Go get dressed.” Jack said softly, he turned his gaze away to the door and tried to imagine what Marylin Rose looked like, but you can’t imagine when you can’t remember, so he just waited.

Cassandra stepped off the stairs and went to what were to be her chambers. Jack waited till the door shut and he called the snow guard Frosty in. Frosty materialized and smiled. “Frosty, find me Silverback and Deep Fang. I need to have a word with them.”

“Yes sir.” Frosty said. “Congratulations on the wedding.”

“Word spreads fast doesn’t it?” Jack smiled and sent Frosty off.


Frosty found himself at the edge of the barren lands. The wolf pack was near and he put two of his large snowy fingers to his opening of a mouth and whistled. Within seconds, the large pack of wolves were standing by him.

“Uncle Frosty!” The pups yelled as they went up to him. “Are you going to play with us?”

“Sorry, young one, I need Silverback and Deep Fang.” Frosty said loudly.

“What is it?” Silverback said walking out front, a head or two bigger than all the rest.

“Wait for me!” Deep Fang ran out from behind the trees and stood next to her father. “What’s going on?”

“Your audience is requested with the King of Winter.”

“Take us.” Silverback said quickly and Frosty engulfed them and then they were there, in front of Jack. He was staring at the door yet again. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Jack Frost.”

“Silverback, Deep Fang, I need your assistance. I need my grandmother’s book.”

Silverback stepped forward. “What book? You mean her book?”

“It’s in the woods lady’s cabin. I need it as soon as possible.”

“We can get it in twenty minutes…” Deep Fang added, “If we can come to the wedding.”

Jack laughed and smiled whole heartily, “of course you can come, invite the whole pack if you want.”


Silverback and Deep Fang made their way very quickly to Cassandra’s cabin, maybe even five minutes. “I didn’t know you could run that fast.”

“Well, I have to keep up with the boys!” Deep Fang sad happily. “What’s this book look like?”

“It’s large, should be deep red, and have silver…”

“Found it!” Deep Fang jumped up on the book shelf and hooked the binding of the book with her teeth. It fell off the shelf and the rest of the books came with it. “Opps…”

“Well, get it and let’s go.” Silverback said quickly, “someone’s coming.”

The wolves grabbed the book and ran for it leaving the door open and books everywhere. “Hey, do you think they’re going to have deer?”

Silver back looked at his daughter and shook his head, book heavy in his mouth and they raced down the hill toward the ice castle.