Come back, Jack!

Chapter 1

Merida ran. The sky was slightly red and beautiful and the sun was starting to set. The weather was warm and yet refreshing. The absolute opposite of her homeland, Scotland.
She picked up a dandelion and blew with all her might. Only a single little one was left. She gave another short puff and it was gone. She giggled and then started following the dandelions blowing away in the strong breeze.
She ran up the hill, through the trees. She stumbled once, but got up quickly to not lose sight of those dandelions. There were only a few left though, now.
When she got to the top of the hill, she stopped. There was a boy standing there. Brown hair and tall. He was older than her, she could see that.
"Hello."
He turned around. Merida knew he was, what her mother would call, handsome or admirable.
"Oh, hello, little girl." He smiled at her and his hazel eyes lit up. He had a great smile.
"I'm not that little, I'm nearly five." Merida explained to him.
"Oh, of course you are." His smile grew wider. "Did you blow those dandelions just now?", he asked.
"Yes. I nearly got all of them in one blow." she told him.
"That's impressing. Where do you come from then? You speak with an accent."
"I'm from Scotland. That's far away." Merida said, proudly.
"I believe it is."
Suddenly Merida heard a voice. "Merida! Come here, princess, it's going to get dark soon!", her mother called.
Merida turned back to the nice boy. "I have to go."
"It was very charming meeting you, Princess Merida." He smirked. Of course he would not know that she truly was the Scottish princess.
As she looked at him once more, she noticed the last dandelion circling close to his head and felt warm in her tummy. Then she turned and ran towards her mother's calls.

Many months passed by. It was winter now in Scotland. Merida had turned five just the other day. On the 21st of December, Merida leaned onto the windowsill in her bedroom and looked out into the cold night, where a snowstorm was blowing fiercely through the landscape.
Bu t she was inside, safe and warm. Warm…she thought of the trip they had made months ago. She did not know what the land was called, for she was too young, but she knew she had enjoyed it. Then she thought of that boy and their short encounter. They had not met after that, even though she had looked over and over for him.
Merida sighed. He was much too old to become her friend anyhow. She sighed.
"Two little dickybirds
Stood on a hill,
One named Merida,
The other named…" She thought for a moment.
"…Bill.
Run away, Merida, run away, Bill!
Come back, says the princess, come back, Bill!" She whispers that last line very softly and looks sad for a moment.
Right then, something passes the window by. Merida's red, curly head shoots up, but all she can see is snow. Then she sees it. The hand mark on her window glass. Amazing, she could have sworn it was not there a few seconds ago.
For a brief moment, she stays still, watching the window. Then she gets up and prepares for bed.
Her dreams are full of ice and snow and Bill. But he has white hair and crystal blue eyes now. And as he reaches out to touch the dandelion, everything around them freezes. He looks at her and it looks to her like he is mouthing. "Help me!" And then, as quick as a flash, he is gone.

The years go by fast and change Merida into a healthy, lively young woman, barely seventeen. Merida is outspoken and amusing and no one can help noticing how beautiful she is. Her body has fully developed and her face is soft, but demanding and her eyes are a light blue grayish colour. Some of the servants have fallen in love with her, but she doesn't even seem to notice. She has stayed young in many ways and is not interested in anything romantic. Only in living.
Merida spends most her days riding and hunting. She is good with the bow and she uses it every day. Today is no different. She attaches the three squirrels to her belt and makes her way towards the shack that the witch owns. Ever since the incident with her mother, she hasn't been around much. Merida often comes here to enjoy time to herself. She climbs up onto the roof and sits there, glancing up at the sky. It is truly beautiful here, at home. She stretches and detaches the bow and the arrows from her back. Just as she wants to put them next to her, she jerks back and yells.
The boy, obviously startled, tumbles backwards off the roof. Merida gathers herself up and lurks over the edge, only to jump right back, yelling even louder. He is flying! In the air, flying!
"Hey, hey, calm down!", the boy tells her.
"You're floating! Floating in the air! How are you doing that?", she asks, drawing nearer again, fascinated.
"You can…you can see me. I can't…you…you can really see me, that's wonderful!", he exclaims, stricken.
"Of course, you can see me, can't you? But how are you doing that, how are you…" Before she can finish her sentence, the boy suddenly shoots forward, grabs her and flies high into the air.
"You can see me!!! You can see me, you can see me, you can see me!!!", he shouts, laughing heartily. "But no one can see me, not even children! Why?"
Merida overcomes her state of shock. "You lunatic, put me down!"
So the boy lands puts her down gently. "Tell me, how could you see me?"
"I asked first, how could you fly???", Merida snaps back.
"I am not really sure. The wind carries me with him."
"What?"
"I truly do not know, I swear. All the man in the moon told me was my name."
"Man in the moon? Are you making fun of me?"
"No, I'm not. The man in the moon came down too soon
To inquire the way to Norridge;
The man in the South, he burnt his mouth
With eating cold plum porridge."
"Yes, yes, I know the rhyme.", Merida proclaims, shaking her head. "But that is truly fascinating, you can fly!"
"Shall I give you a ride?", he asks her, smiling.
"Well...well, I...I would actually...hey!" Without waiting for her to finish, he picks her up and swoops into the air. Merida gasps.
"I...I've changed my mind, put me down!"
"Oh, but we've only just started!" He grins and then zooms forward, as fast as the wind can carry him. Merida can feel the wind blowing strongly into her face and suddenly gets a tickling sensation in her stomach.
Suddenly she can hear herself screaming: "Faster, faster!" and laughing.
They spend at least half an hour shooting through the sky and Merida feels free and light and wonderful the whole time. But the sun is beginning to go down and Merida knows she can't stay out in the dark.
So they land, back on the shack and giggling.
"That was magical!", Merida declares. "Absolutely magical!"
"Wasn't it? By the way, what's your name?"
"It's Merida." She decides to leave out the princess part.
"Merida? That's...a really nice name.", he nods.
"And you?"
"I'm Jack." He secretly decides to leave out the Frost part. "So...will I be seeing you again, Miss Merida?"
"If you look hard enough.", she says, smiling.
"It won't be hard spotting you with that!", he replies, taking a lock of her shining red hair into his hand, twisting and turning it.
"Hey, I'm proud of that!", she cries, pulling pack.
"You should be." He draws a little nearer. "It's as wild and untamed as you are."
Merida blushes a little, but soon catches herself again and shrugs.
"I have to go." It is as if the words had echoed deeply into their minds. Something about that very second felt so familiar, and yet strange. Both thought the same, both felt something right then and there, but they did not say anything, though they looked at each other and both knew: They had met before.
Merida leans forward, very close to his face and says: "What are you?"
And he looks to her with great sorrow in his eyes and answers: "I don't know. Does it matter?"
She looks at him a bit longer and then sits back. "No. It doesn't."
The next day they meet again, back at the shack.
"I waited for you a long time. Where do you live?"
"I...er, close."
"I'd love to see it."
"Oh, er...well...okay." Merida reaches out to take his hand, but he backs away.
"Erm, I don't know if that's..."
"Oh nonsense!", she interrupts and grabs his hand.
He looks surprised for a minute and then his eyes turn toward the red-haired girl pulling him along. She sure is different...how is she able to touch him?
"Geez, your hand is freezing, how long have you been waiting?"
"A long time, like I said." She blushes. Did he really...wait that long just to see her?
They walk their way towards the path she came from. "There, that's Angus."
"Wow, he's big!"
"Haha, I know, he's a Clydesdale.", she answers, laughing.
She leaves his side and walks towards her horse. Jack watches her as she pets and strokes the mighty creature.
'She doesn't seem like the shallow type of girl. Maybe she can...accept me.', he thought to himself.
"Penny for your thoughts.", Merida says.
"Erm, I...shall we go then?"
"Haha, alright. Get on!"
Jack jumps up in one leap and Merida jumps in front of him.
He slowly wraps his arms around her waist. It has been a long time since he last rode a horse.
Merida digs her heels into the horses' back and it starts to trot, then gallop.
Jack clings to her a little tighter. Her read hair is in his face. It smells fresh and pretty and he rests his head on her shoulder. He can't even feel the horse touching the ground. There's only him and this extraordinarily sensational girl with the fiery red hair and the big blue eyes.
Merida's heart is pounding even faster than it usually does on horseback. He is like a helpless little boy in a lot of ways. She can feel herself getting warm, even though his cold breath is breathing onto her neck.
Too soon, the two of them arrive at the castle. He jumps off and looks around. "You're kidding me, right? Please tell me you're the maid." He looks at her silky red dress.
"I'm...I'm Merida. Princess Merida."
He gasps.
"It's only a title!", she cries. "I was scared to tell you, I thought you wouldn't like me after that anymore..." She looks sad. He approaches her, slowly. "I'm really truly..." But he puts his finger on her lips.
"Sorry. I know. So am I."
"Why?"
"I..."
Right that minute, one of the younger stable boys approaches her.
"Hello, Princess Merida, welcome back. How was your ride? I'll unsaddle your horse for you."
"Hey, watch out-!", Merida cries and then she is silent and stares. It looked for a minute like the stable boy would run into Jack, but...but he has...he has run...right through him.
"What is it, princess?", the boy asks.
"Er...it's...just...my friend."
"Your friend? Where?"
"Right here, can't you see him?"
"Jack Frost, pleased to meet you.", Jack says, bowing.
"What are speaking of? There is no one there. Indeed, Merida, you have quite an imagination." The boy turns around again to tend to Angus.
After the boy has left, Merida turns to Jack. "Jack...Frost?"
"Look out! Look out!
Jack Frost is about!
He's after our fingers and toes,
And all through the night,
The happy little sprite
Is working where nobody knows.
He'll climb each tree,
So nimble is he,
His silvery powder he'll shake.
To windows he'll creep
And while we're asleep
Such wonderful pictures he'll make.
Across the grass
He'll merrily pass,
And change all its greenness to white.
Then home he will go
And laugh ho, ho ho!
What fun I have had in the night."
"You...you are Jack Frost." She looks at the long stick he has been carrying around all the time.
"And you're a princess."
"I think your secret is a little bit bigger, don't you agree?"
He is silent. He bites his lip and looks at her. 'She hates me now. She hates me. I've ruined it, she hates me.'
"Prove it."
"What?"
"Prove you're Jack Frost."
Jack looks at her. How does she want him to prove it? Should he turn a stone to ice? Should he let it snow? Suddenly he has an idea.
"I knew it! You're not really...w-what are you doing?"
"Ssh.", he whispers softly and leans forward. As his lips touch hers, she feels his lips as cold as ice. And as he puts his arms around her, she shivers. His arms, his hands...everything about him is coldness itself. Her knees get weak as he backs away.
"I...you really are...Jack Frost.", she gasps.
"How can you see me? Feel me? How? Please tell me."
"I don't know...I...I believed it. I didn't really need proof."
"You know, Merida...I get the feeling we've met before."
"I know, so do I...but when?"
"I can't recall."
They stay silent for a few moments.
"So I am the only one who can see you. And hear you. Mustn't that have been awfully lonely?"
"I...I guess so."
Merida felt sorry for this boy. He had never actually told her about where he came from, if he had family...does Jack Frost have family? Who knows?
She took his hand. "We should...probably leave. As you won't be able to meet my parents anyway..."
"Yes, I suppose you are right.", he replies, throwing her  crooked smile. Then he picks her up and they are off.
She can't help feeling happy soaring through the air like that.
"Where are you going?", she yells against the noise. "The shack is that way!"
"It's a surprise." He smiles at her and her heart skips a beat.