Escaping Darkness

Jack was in his element. It was cold enough that mortals had to bundle up in thick jackets and cover as much exposed skin as possible. The snow was 5 inches deep in this small Alsace town south of Strasbourg, and perfect for the snowballs sailing through the air. Laughter rang out with a few taunts thrown in. Aria would have understood, but it was unlikely the Spring Season would show up here.

“I’m surprised you aren’t joining the kids in their fun, Frostbite.” Okay, so maybe not as unlikely as he thought. Jack looked over his shoulder and paused. There Aria stood, hands in the pockets of her purple jacket. That wasn’t what made Jack pause though. No, it was the night wear the blonde was wearing under her jacket that made Jack do a double-take. Even her feet were only covered by house slippers.

“Are you wearing your pajamas?” Jack asked incredulously. It didn’t matter if humans could see them or not, almost no spirit left their home looking like that, if they wore any clothes in the first place.

“Hm?” Aria mused absentmindedly before glancing down at her outfit. “Yeah, so?”

“Okay, let me rephrase the question: Why are you wearing your pajamas? You’re in the middle of a public park, for Christ’s sake!” Jack gestured at the park surrounding them. Admittedly, none of the kids there could see either spirit, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any local spirits passing by that could. Honestly, did this girl seriously have no sense of dignity? Or was she so confident in herself that she didn’t believe in what other’s thought of her?

“It’s tradition,” Aria stated like that was a perfectly reasonable answer.

Clearly the former then. Jack could easily imagine blonde wearing one of those embarrassing Christmas sweaters and giving the same excuse with a completely straight face.

Apparently Jack’s thoughts were written on his face, as Aria sighed. Her hands started fiddling with a strand of her hair while her eyes drifted away from Jack. “It’s just- Well, no one in my family ever had to work on Christmas when I was a kid, so we spent Christmas Eve at my tante’s place. In the morning, all the kids would rush to the tree in our pajamas, and we didn’t really allow the adults time to change before we started tearing into the presents. So it just became a tradition to wear our night clothes during Christmas day.”

Jack’s eyes went wide at the explanation. It was the first time since the ball either of them had mentioned their mortal lives in an attempt not to accidently set the other off. Bringing up that sort of topic made the spring nymph look vulnerable. Combined with her hair fiddling, she could almost pass as one of the kids running around them. Jack took a deep breath and thought back to his first life, channeling his inner older brother vibe.

“I’m surprised you were able to keep up your tradition for so long,” Jack commented, offering the younger spirit a gentle smile when she finally looked at him. Aria stood there for a second before a small smile appeared on her face as well.

“Yeah, well, Lily was the one who watched over me before I became a Season, and she understood what it meant. Ju just gave up after a while, since none of the other Guardians seemed to mind. North even gave me a whole collection of seasonal pajamas too.”

Both spirits chuckled at that. Bunny was not exaggerating at all when he said the Christmas Guardian had obsessive tendencies, that was for sure. Jack then thought of what Aria had said. “Why would the other Guardians mind? I mean, it’s not like they saw you, right?”

Aria paused for a few seconds smacking her forehead. The frost spirit barely heard her mutter, “No wonder Phil sent us to get you two.” Jack raised an eyebrow, which did not go unnoticed the spring seasonal and she sighed. “Jack, you know how many European and New World based spirits celebrate Christmas?”

“Yeah, since a lot of them were Christian or at least celebrated the holiday while they were still alive.”

“Well, North is originally from Russia. He is also Papa Noël, a prominent figure on Christmas. Do you think he wouldn’t try to drag the other Guardians into his celebrations?”

Jack was speechless. This was the first time he was hearing about this. He assumed that North took the day off after his rounds were over, like Bunny did after Easter. Of course Jack already had gifts set aside for everyone. He had spent months of stress to not be caught off guard. He just thought he’d be able to get away with giving each of the Guardian’s their gifts separately, but now he had to do so in front of the rest of the group. Great.

“So you’re telling me there is a Guardian Christmas get-together today? And no one bothered to tell me?” Jack muttered under his breath, turning his eyes back on the children. He heard another sigh from Aria, and a faint crunch of snow before the Spring seasonal sat next to him.

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure they all just forgot to tell you. Tooth and Sandy never stop working, Bunny was balancing our training with his Easter planning, and this is North’s busy season. Also, they have been doing it for centuries, so they don’t bother reminding each other. If the thought to tell you Ochieng crossed their minds, they probably thought that North would tell you, since it is his party,” Aria reasoned. “I honestly did the latter, thinking that North had learned after the last two times the Guardians forgot to tell someone.”

“The last two times?”

Aria giggled at his reaction. “Do you really think he acted differently about Ju and I when we first became Guardians?”

Jack conceded. “So, how did you find out?”

“Well, Ju said she found out when a yeti woke her up on her first Christmas as a Guardian to make sure she made it to the party. I don’t know the exact details, but you can probably guess that she was not happy,” Aria recounted, recalling Ju fuming about that a few times.

Jack couldn’t help but feel his mood lighten at that and he laughed. “That sounds like an understatement if I ever heard one.”

Aria shot the frost sprite a grin that just read, ‘You have no idea’. Her expression softened into a fond smile as she reminisced about her first party. “For me, I got up on Christmas morning myself, wanting to enjoy some warmth from the Yule Log. Sadly, on the way to the fireplace, I nearly ran over Bunny and Sandy who got there early. They laughed it off and explained to me what was going on. I wasn’t the happiest about being told last minute, but unlike Ju, I was used to having a celebrations like it, so I wasn’t too upset.”

Jack sniggered at that. He could just imagine Bunny’s face when Aria, dressed in her PJ’s, rushing down the hallway and nearly bowling him over just to sit by the burning log in the fireplace.

“So you ready go?” Aria asked, standing up. She brushed a little snow off herself before turning back to the frost sprite and offering a hand. Jack took it and rose to his feet. He kicked his staff up into his hand as he did so.

“You want me to warp us up to the North Pole?”

Aria thought about it for a minute, before mischievous smile formed on her face. Jack wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but he could have sworn he saw a tail flicking back and forth behind the spring sprite. That must have been his imagination though. “Nah, I wanna check on Ju and Ochieng, make sure they are saving their couple moments for under the mistletoe.”

Those words hadn’t even left her mouth for a second before Jack felt himself being blown apart into small papery pieces before being reassembled in a much warmer climate. Looking around, he noticed he was over a near flat ocean. The water occasionally rose and fell, warping the reflection of the sky above. However, no other spirits aside from Aria were to be found.

“I thought you said we were going to meet up with Ochieng and Ju?” the frost elf asked, floating just above the ocean surface that the nymph was standing on.

“Hm? Oh, we are, it’s just I can’t warp into Summer Territory, so I just decided to go to the border and have Ochieng come here.”

“And how do you plan to do that, exactly?” Jack asked, apprehensive of what the normally friendly Spring spirit had in mind.

In response, Aria simply looked up at the sky. The frost sprite followed her gaze and found what looked to be a slowly forming spring storm. “I’m pretty sure that’ll bring him here, since it’s so close to the border.”

“A storm, how… creative. And here I thought you were trying to be subtle,” a sarcastic voice called from behind the two. They turned to see Ochieng and Ju standing on the waves with Ju glaring daggers at the spring nymph.

“It got you here, didn’t it?” Aria replied, waving her hand. The storm dissipated swiftly, no longer held together by whatever forces Aria was using. “And besides, since when has subtlety been my strong point?”

Ju continued her attempts to drill holes into Aria’s skull with her eyes before giving up with a sigh. “Whatever,” she muttered.

“Anyways, now that we’re all here, shouldn’t we be getting to that Guardian Christmas Party?” Jack asked, glancing up to look for the sun. He didn’t know when the party was to start, but he had a feeling that it would probably be soon.

“Um, just before we go, Aria, may I ask you a question?” Ochieng inquired up. Aria cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, which the summer spirit took as an invitation to continue. “I do not mean to offend you, but why are you wearing your night clothes?”

Aria simply repeated what she had told Jack earlier, “It’s tradition for me to not change out of my pajamas on Christmas.” Ochieng looked completely confused, but Ju told him to not think about it too much. “As for the party, I think we have just enough time to get there the fun way,” Aria stated, her signature smile back on her face.

Jack perked up at the mention of fun. Both Juhua and Ochieng also showed some signs of interest. “‘Fun way,’ huh? What’s the fun way?” Jack couldn’t help asking.

Aria’s grin widened and eyes seemed to become sharper before a hand shot out, tapping Jack’s upper arm. Before the frost spirit could even react, Aria was out of sight, leaving behind an echo of what sounded distinctly like “Tag! Frostbite’s it!” indicating which direction the nymph ran off.

Jack stood there for a second, processing what had just happened before rocketing after Aria. “I won’t be for long, Sparks!”

Juhua and Ochieng just stood there, watching the two Seasons chase after each other up among the clouds. “Should we not follow after them?” Ochieng asked.

“We probably should, but…” Juhua sighed, her voice trailing off as she watched Aria drop several feet to avoid being tagged.

“I understand,” Ochieng replied with a gentle smile, hoping to quell some of the brunette’s unease. Ju responded with a look of relief. “If I may be so bold, my lady, may I carry you to the North Pole?” Ochieng asked, moving closer to her. Ju blushed before wrapping her arms around his neck gratefully, mumbling apologies as the African spirit bent forward and lifted her up. The Chinese spirit secure, Ochieng took a couple of steps before following after the more energetic Seasons.

For the first few thousand miles, the journey continued as it started. Jack and Aria chased each other, diving, speeding, and turning out of the way when their opponent came to close. The two middle Seasons were content to watch. Ochieng moved slightly out of the way each time either the frost sprite or spring nymph came too close. Aria grew a tad bored of staying out in the open and started shooting from cloud to cloud. Jack willingly followed after. With the two energetic puppies out of sight, Ochieng relaxed slightly, though he kept an eye out for both of them.

“So, what is there to expect at this ‘Guardian Christmas Party’, if you do not mind me asking?”

Ju took a moment to collect her thoughts, thinking back on her previous party experiences. “Well, ever since Aria joined, she typically wakes up early to relax by the fireplace before everyone else comes. I mostly help out with feast preparations or relax by the fire. Bunny and Sandy normally show up at the same time to swap tales, which both Aria and I enjoy. Tooth comes a bit later with a little flock of minis. And then North comes back from his trip around the world and that’s when the gift exchange starts. After that, we go to the dining room for food, which usually results in a match between North and Bunny while Tooth scolds both of them about sugar and cavities. Sandy just stays out of it and just drinks as much eggnog as possible. Oh, and ever since the yetis figured out how to work the movie center, North insists on a movie or two after the feast,” Ju explained, a smile crossing her lips as she recalled all the fuss that arose when that new tradition was suggested.

Ochieng glanced down at her, his breath catching in his throat. There weren’t many who’d say the Seasons weren’t easy on the eyes, but Ochieng would be hard pressed to think of any word less than stunning to describe Juhua at that moment. The setting sun highlighted the smile on her face, painting her lips a deeper shade of pink while giving the rest of skin a more golden hue. The glint in her eyes reminded him of coppery garnets. Ochieng felt himself lean in closer, his lips a hair’s breadth away from her perfectly formed ones.

“Watch out!” A very cold but solid body collided with Ochieng, sending him tumbling forward. In the commotion, Ochieng lost his grip on Juhua. The Autumn spirit was thrown from the group and plummeted down towards the glittering and most definitely cold water below. Someone from above called her name, and a purple blur shot past her. A blast of wind pushed against Juhua, fighting gravity’s claim on her. A pair of arms wrapped tightly around her, assisting the wind in keeping Juhua in the air. The Chinese spirit clung to the purple sleeve covering her savior’s arms, eyes wide open as they were about to hit the water.

But the expected splash didn’t come. Instead, the two stopped just twenty feet shy of a peculiar snow drift floating on top of the ocean. A sigh escaped from Juhua’s savior. “Sauf,” Aria muttered, feeling her heart hammering against her chest. She released her hold on the ice below, letting her cushion of snow melt back into the ocean. She glanced down at the snow, glad that they didn’t need it to stop their fall. The Spring spirit’s gaze shifted again towards the hyperventilating bundle clinging to her, and was unable to suppress a shiver of fear of the near tragedy that had just occurred right in front of her. A bone-chilling fear which Aria had felt only once before and hoped never to feel again.

“Ju! Aria!” The two boys called, rocketing towards the female Seasons, stopping just short of running into either of them and starting the mess all over again. Ochieng looked tempted to float over and check Ju over to see if she was all right, but restrained himself, much to Aria’s relief. Jack’s face was a mix of fear, worry and guilt, probably blaming himself for crashing into Ochieng earlier. Aria cringed, realizing that the only happened because she had just dodged out of his way to avoid crashing into the Summer warrior herself.

“We’re both fine, though I don’t think Ju is going to really calm down until we get some solid ground under her feet,” Aria reassured, answering the boys’ unvoiced questions.

Jack nodded before looking around. “Well, the closest one to us is fifteen minutes away, and that’s just the ice shelf that North has his workshop on,” he said. “If you want, I can just warp us the rest of the way.”

“No, it’s alright, I’m fine,” came a shaky reply. The three standing Seasons turned their gazes to Ju, who was still clinging to Aria’s jacket. She had managed to calm down enough to stop hyperventilating.

Both of the boys opened their mouths to protest, but Aria cut them off. “Are you sure, Ju?” Aria asked. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to warp to the North Pole” The Autumn Season gave a small nod. “Alright,” Aria consented, before turning in the direction of the North Pole. Ju’s grip tightened before the Chinese spirit forced it to loosen slightly. Of course, Aria still noticed her friend’s tension. “Do you want Ochieng to carry you the rest of the way?” There was a few seconds pause before a hesitant nod came. Aria sighed again before turning to face the Summer spirit. She placed Ju in his arms, only releasing her when she was certain that Ochieng would not lose the traumatized spirit again.

The Seasons traveled in silence for the next few minutes, lost their own thoughts. One thing kept bugging Jack though. “Hey, Aria?” Jack called, gaining the Spring spirit’s attention. “You know how you, Ochieng, and I can fly by using the wind? How come Ju didn’t?”

Aria glanced back at Jack before shifting her gaze over to Ju. Her friend had her head bowed, though it was unclear whether it was out of fear or shame. She sighed and tucked her hands into her pockets before flipping over so she was drifting on the wind currents to face the boys.

“Jack, Ochieng, you know how Ju and I originally explained how our control over the other elements depended on our relationship with whom the element originally answered to?” Aria asked, to which they nodded. “Well, that isn’t the full story. Yes, our control depends upon our relationship, but over how much of an element in a given time does not.” That seemed to confuse the boys even more.

“You see, as our relationships with each other continue to grow, so does our control over the elements. What originally was a spark eventually becomes a roaring fire, and one drop of water becomes a tsunami. However, we will eventually reach a point where we don’t have the power to control an element any further, no matter how close our relations with each other are. This is what Ju and I have taken to calling our raw power over an element. The more raw power you have, the more of an element you can use. It isn’t reliant on your relationship with anyone, but rather your own personality, and how well it matches up with an element.” Aria explained, recalling the struggles that lead up to the theory of raw power. Mother Nature later confirmed they were correct. “For example: Ju is very nurturing, and can be stubborn and hard working, as well as passionate and clever. Her personality easily matches up with that of Earth, which is also nurturing and very stubborn but can be patient. Her gentle yet passionate nature complements that of Fire, which is why she has a fair bit of raw power in that element. Her coolheaded demeanor mixed with a mostly go with the flow attitude also attributes to her ability with Water. However, she is unable to let go of her worries so easily, which is important for Wind. As a result, she has a lower level of raw power in that element.” The boys’ eyes lit up with understanding as Aria continued on, though the nymph noticed Ju shift uncomfortably in Ochieng’s arms.

“However, just because one has little raw power in an element does not mean they can’t work on their control over it. After all, how do you think we found out about idea of raw power?” Aria asked in an overly amused tone. The boys shot the nymph a confused look while Ju let out a small chuckle, realizing what Aria was hinting at. “I can tell you from experience that it can be very frustrating learning how to control an element from a person who can move boulders larger than North’s workshop while the biggest you can do is about the size of your own head,” Aria admitted, recalling the days when she first started learning how to manipulate earth. It was a test in Aria’s mostly non-existent patience.

The boys continued to fly as they let what they had just learned sink in. It did make sense in hindsight, and explained why they had some difficulties with certain elements. Still, something was eating at the back of Jack’s mind. “But riding the wind doesn’t take that much power. It’s more like floating on water than moving a boulder. You just have to let go of any fear and trust the wind.”

“It’s not that easy!” Ju retorted, still clinging onto Ochieng but looking really uncomfortable.

Aria dropped back from her position in front of the group to Ochieng’s right, smiling at Ju. “He’s actually right Ju. And even if you don’t want to trust the wind, you can trust us to catch you, can’t you?”

Ju lifted her face to glare at the nymph, who was smiling encouragingly while holding out her hand. “You’re going to sing for the rest of the trip, aren’t you?”

Aria couldn’t help but laugh at the question while the boys shot the girls confused looks. “You know me so well.”

“Well, might as well get it over with, since you are going to do it anyways,” Ju said with a sigh, though she looked a bit more relaxed. Aria smiled before starting to hum a few bars.

"I have a dream. You are there.
High above the clouds somewhere.
Rain is falling from the skies,
but it never touches you;
you're way up high!" Aria sang, doing a little dance in the air as the lyrics spilling from her lips. She even included a flip in the air on the second high, to which Ju just rolled her eyes.

"No more worries, no more fears.
You have made them disappear.
Sadness tried to steal the show,
but now it feels like many years ago." Aria continued, smiling at the group.

"And I, I will be with you every step!
Tonight, I found a friend in you.
And I'll keep you close forever." Aria threw her arm around Ochieng's shoulders, giving him a one armed hug. Jack couldn't help but laugh at how awkward it looked.

"Come fly with me" Aria released Ochieng only to shoot forward and pull Jack into a corkscrew.
"Into a fantasy
where you can be
whoever you want to be,
come fly with me!"

The song went on, with Jack and Ju giving up and joining in. Ochieng did not fight the smile that tugged at his lips as he watched Jack and Aria doing what looked like a dance on the wind.

Admittedly, the song did not succeed in coaxing Juhua out of Ochieng’s protective hold, but the four Seasons were able to laugh the rest of the way to the North Pole. Not a single one of them noticed the shadows stirring on a nearby iceberg.

“Ah, so Jack has made some new friends, has he? And they all produced such delightful fear…”