[Ash]: 102.Jack Frost.13

“Jack! Jack!” Cassandra yelled as she re-entered the throne room in he silk white gown. She stopped and saw two large wolves and put a hand behind her back and summoned a bit of fire to her finger tips.

To Cassandra’s surprise, the wolves bowed to her. “Hello woods lady and future Queen.” Silverback walked closer to her. “I have never had the honor of addressing you, and I must say that King Jack has chosen a very lovely woman to be married with.”

“Um… thank you. My name’s…”

“Mistress Cassandra, right.” Deep Fang said smiling.

Silverback snapped at her and she backed away. He turned back to Cassandra, “I’m sorry, my daughter is very young and ignorant to manners which she will be taught. Please forgive her.” Silverback bowed deeply and Deep fang followed his lead.

“It’s perfectly alright, I raised four children myself, of course none of them were my own.” Cassandra looked about. “Do you know where Jack is? I need to speak with him.”

“If I am told correctly, he is preparing the wedding and calling a person to wed you.” Silverback said. “Now, if you would excuse us while we gather the rest of our pack, King Jack has invited us to your wedding.” The wolves bowed and left her presence.

Cassandra turned around and saw a fireball wiz past her head. “You can be so dangerous at times, Sister.”

Before Cassandra stood a young woman with bright red hair and a large green coat. “Your going to live here big sister? In all this cold?”

“You get used to it, Fyra.” They embraced for a minute and pulled back. “You look as young as ever. So how is the witch of summer?”

“Cold, I got word from the King of Winter, and was asked to marry you to. Anyway, Grandmother sent word that we need to be here tomorrow night.”

“Yes, I’m passing down my title to Marylin.”

“Is that the girl you told me about?” Fyra asked and looked behind Cassandra.


Marylin ran hand in hand with Gareth and arrived at the cottage about sunset. “Come in, we may need that book.” She dropped his hand then fell to her knees staring at the mess of the cabin.

“Marylin… we don’t have time to spend here.” Gareth started shuffling the books around. “It’s not here.”

“What to do you mean it’s not here.”

“The book isn’t here.” He scrambled to look through them once again.

Marylin collapsed on the ground fast asleep. Gareth shook her gently, “Marylin? Marylin.”

Gareth slowly picked her up and began to walk outside, the wolf tracks were visible in the mud. He ran as fast as he could carrying her and made his way to the edge of the forest, where the ice trees start, a dangerous place for all people.

He took a step and felt a thunderous shake in the ground. “ ‘Ey, wha’ ‘ou do wit’ Mary’in?”

“Mountain? Is that you?” Gareth asked remembering what happened the last time Marylin was with him out here. “Listen, can you carry us to the ice castle.”

“Wha’ ‘rung wit’ Mary’in?” Mountain asked, his giant ogre form bending down.

“She’s asleep, but we really need to get to that castle and quickly, her mother’s out there.”

“Awrigh’, eis will he’p ‘oos.” Mountain picked Gareth up with one hand and held Marylin carefully with the other. “’Et on me shoul’er!”

Gareth climbed on Mountains enormous shoulder and sat down, grabbing the cloth he had there as Mountain took off running as fast as he could and breaking many of the ice trees. He made great time, covering the ice trees in just a matter of second, but hand to slow down drastically on the way down the side of the cliff.

Once Mountain made it down, he checked on Marylin and began to run again, stopping a few hundred meters from the ice castle. “I ain’t no fuder… ‘ood ‘uck!”

Mountain set Gareth down carefully and then let Marylin slip off his hand and into Gareth’s arms. He waved goodbye and left the only male Dryad to run and slip on the ice as he made his was to the castle then walked up the stairs.

The door was slightly open as two wolves ran past him, not even pay attention, on yelling at the other. Gareth stepped in on a conversation.

“Is that the girl you told me about?” Frya looked over and saw him and took a step back. “Murderer!”

Cassandra turned around and saw Marylin.

“Murderer! You killed her!” Frya yelled hysterically. “MURDERER!”

“Frya stop!” Cassandra screamed trying to get her sister under control.

“What is the meaning of this!” Jack yelled entering the room. Large ice spike flew up everywhere and the snow came to cause a white out. It died down and Jack was standing in the middle of the room. “Well?”

“Marylin passed out when we saw the cabin in ruins… I don’t know what’s wrong with her.” Gareth said quietly.

“This way.” Jack said and began to walk into his room, “Cassandra!” He snapped quickly and she began to walk slowly turning back every now and then until she and jack were in a separate room. “What’s happening to her?”

“I’m not sure, I only deal in earthen matters, we’d have to ask my mother or father.” She said quietly, she let a tear roll down her cheek and bit hard on her lip to keep from crying.

“You know, that what ever is causing it is making her die.” Jack said softly looking down at the floor, “and if that boy doesn’t get out of my lands within the day, he too will being to die.”

“Jack,” she began to cry. For the first time in 400 years Jack felt an emotion that had long been hidden away. Empathy. He felt pain because Cassandra was in pain, and he was sadden as well. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her, “Oh, Jack!”

Cassandra collapsed in his arms and began to cry. He did his best to keep his head out of the way and began to remember things. He remembered that beneath the snow, he used to live in a warm valley, he had a beautiful wife named Rose, she was tall with sun-kissed hair and a tan complextion. She was wise and artistic. She was perfect, and she only loved him.

“Is that woman out there Rose?” Jack asked quietly. “Is that my wife Rose?”

“No, Jack that’s your daughter, Marylin, you remember Marylin right?” Jack stopped and took a quick breath in, that was his daughter, which he had been forbbidden to see.

“What will happen now that I saw her, I thought I would never see her again.” Jack felt a warm tear roll down his cheek.

“No, you would never see your daughter again, that girl out there is my daughter.”

Jack slowly walked Cassandra over to a brass chair held her hand tight to try and get her to stop crying. “I see. You mean she forgot.”

“My daughter…” Cassandra shrieked hysterically and buried her face in Jack’s shoulder. “You must help her, freeze her…”

“Cassandra…” For the first time, Jack understood why he always felt a coldness; he was missing the growth of his only child. He remembered her when she was little. He heard something echo through the ice, something only he could here, a beat. “I don’t think she’s dead or dying… I think she’s just in a really deep sleep.”

“Is she? Really?” Cassandra said looking up at him. She had tears everywhere on her cheeks. “Why though…”

“I don’t know, we’ll have to see.” Jack let Cassandra fall back on him and keep crying. He just stared across the room at the old book hidden to everyone but him behind a sheet of ice.