Memories of a Lonely Spirit

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Characters from RotG, or HtTYD. I only own my OC's, and the plot.

If Jack Frost knew anything about loneliness, it was that no one deserved to experience the sickening and painful feeling that it was. It was darkness. Not just void of light, but pitch black with dread. Dread and misery. It was the emptiness felt in your chest that nothing but companionship could ever fill. It was knowing that, in fact, no one in the world gave a damn about your existence. It was depression, and learning how to mask it. This particular boy had endured this particular feeling his entire life. Well, his entire life as Jack Frost. Three hundred years.

The first time Jackson Overland laid eyes on the wiry frame of Hiccup Haddock III, was surly not coincidentally the first time he had felt his hardened heart skip. The sullen feeling of leaving his home, his family, and his friends, had disappeared the moment he stepped into Berk. Seeing a small teenage boy stumbling around with two large buckets of water, easily twice his weight had caused his heart to go into hyper drive. But he was Jack Frost now. The silly little fishbone, his one true love, was gone.

The winter spirit let out a long sigh as he tightrope walked across the power lines, his shepherd-like staff balanced on his shoulders and outstretched arms. Stars shone above his head, beautiful jewels laid against the black of the night, refusing to be washed out by the city lights seen from afar. Now wasn't exactly the time to be dwelling in the past, he decided. What was it now? Over 300 years? The boy chuckled sadly to himself, sitting down on the nearest rooftop and dangling his legs over the side.

               Yet... Why shouldn't he dwell on the subject? Jack pondered the thought for a moment. It had been two hundred years of denying the unknown pain in his chest, and he had only just discovered why he felt this way, (Other than the fact that no one could freaking see him, nor even believed in him,) so why not? He lay down and brought a colorful cylinder out of his pocket, slowly raising a hand to open it for one sweet, nearly faded memory. He sighed once again, watching the assortment of colorful patterned diamonds dance across his vision.

 

***

 

"Hey, Jackson!!"

The teen lifted his head to the sound of his name, only to receive a face full of snow. He glared in the direction of the corporate, but his expression softened when he spotted the small freckled brunette, not five feet away. The guilty boy looked towards the sky, quickly raising his hands behind his head and side stepping in the opposite direction.  Jackson smirked at the amusing scene, and carefully bent down to pick up two fistfuls of snow. Hiccup had his back turned, facing the recently arrived Night Fury (of which Jackson insisted wanted him dead, but Hiccup denied this,) so the mischievous boy tiptoed closer and closer, until-

*SPLASH*

Of course Hiccup had known Jackson would try to pull a counter attack, so he took it upon himself to drench the older male with a bucket of water. The younger leaned against Toothless, hand over his mouth to try and sustain the uncontrollable chuckles daring to erupt.

"Oops." Hiccup smirked, as Jackson held out his arms to shake them slowly, showing how much water had soaked into his shirt. He glared at the small Viking walking towards him, and held the expression as said boy reached over to brush of some of the frost starting to form on Jackson's clothes. "Didn't see you there, Overland."

"You little sh-" His words were muffled by the feeling of soft lips pressed against his. Without a complaint, he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist, and savored the warmth that was Hiccup.

 

***

 

Jack's eyes slowly opened, releasing a stream of tears down his pale face. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly, clenching the container in his hands. Slowly, he glanced up at the full moon in the sky and a sad smile crept onto his lips.

"Hey Manny.." his voice cracked, much to his embarrassment, but he continued, "You know that saying, 'It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?' Well, Sometimes... I completely disagree. I almost liked it better when I had this cavity in my heart, and never knew what it was. I had always thought it was just my sadness of being unseen. But..." He chuckled softly and shook his head, "When I opened that tooth capsule the second time.. I remembered him.."

"Geeze, what a drama queen. You are aware that you look pretty loony talking to yourself like that, Frost."

Jack jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden second voice, half expecting the Man in the Moon to finally be answering one of his long ramblings. Unfortunately, something a little more irritating had appeared instead. He rolled his eyes dramatically, and turned to face his unexpected company. What appeared to be a teenage girl, sat cross legged on the same roof as Jack, not two feet behind him. She was dressed in a graphic t-shirt along with a pair of baggy camo pants, and her combat boots seemed dirtied and worn. Piercings dotted her slightly tanned face, giving her a, 'Don't F**k with me,' vibe. How had he not heard her coming?

"Jesus Pends!" He scowled, making the girl giggle childishly, "There are other ways to get people's attention other than, say, scaring them half to death."

"Well lucky for me, you're not a person, and you can't exactly die." She sighed and stretched out a pair of elegant eagle wings from her back. "You're a Guardian." Her face turned to one of disgust at the word. Jack rolled his eyes again.

"Thanks for reminding me." He walked over and sat down, shoving her arm playfully. She smiled and locked her eyes with his.

"But seriously. I came to make sure you were okay. Tooth said something about-"

"Yeah I'm fine." He answered all too quickly, avoiding the girl's gaze by examining the box he still held. "Just been thinking about..." He trailed off and hung his head. Penda looked over sympathetically.

"Maybe you shouldn't keep opening that thing if it makes you feel like this twenty-four seven."

"But I have to." Jack whispered, "Now it hurts not to remember. Not to know everything about what we were before."

"Well.." Penda pursed her lips. "We all have the will to love. Before you met that boy, you didn't believe that. You thought that you were an exception. Yet you had just enough in you, that when you saw him, everything was instantaneously better, right?"

"Right." The winter spirit murmured.

"So why isn't that enough? I'll tell you why. We are given the freedom to love, but it always, always, comes with a consequence." Jack scoffed in response to the statement.

"Leave it to you to find a connection with freedom among all of this. Self-centered, much?"

"Hey, freedom has everything to do with love." The girl smiled brightly, "That's why Cupid and I are best friends."

"What!?'" Jack put a hand over his heart. Penda shoved his arm forcefully and smirked.

"Oh shut up. Fine. Second best friend." She giggled at his over dramatically joyed expression. Her's turned serious again. "It'll all turn out. Okay?"

The boy smiled sadly. "Kay. Thanks. Miss Independence."

"What's with the miss?"

"Just seems weird to call you by your full name without making fun of it."

"Fair enough." She shrugged. They both stood, and Jack reached over to pull her in for a tight hug.

"But really, thanks." He muttered into her long black hair.

"Don't mention it, squirt." Penda pulled away and ruffled his hair. "How 'bout we go visit Jamie and the others tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sure!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. Jack's smile grew as he remembered the awesome kids he had met not that long ago. Him and Pends visited them occasionally, but tried to keep it quiet from North and the other Guardians. Heaven knows what rules they were breaking. Then again, what do you expect when you see a guardian of fun along with a spirit of freedom?

* * *'

Love is unfair. Love is unnecessary, heartbreaking, terrible and cruel. Love is all horrid things crushed and packed into one belief. The question is though, is it worth the pain? Because buried beneath all the hate and gore, is something so overwhelmingly beautiful that most can't even comprehend it's magnificence. It's striking gold after years of digging and sifting, it's that one small yet bright glow amongst the blackest of skies, it's finding that feeling inside your self that you were sure could never exist so strongly. It was there, and it was sickeningly gorgeous.

Jack didn't know whether to feel fortunate or less for the blessing, (and/or curse,) that had been bestowed upon his fragile heart. He knew it was the right thing to do, opening that container, but... was the right thing the best thing?

He tossed all of these sappy, (though emotionally effective,) thoughts into the back of his mind, dreading the moment they would be brought back, but anticipating the moments soon to come.

"Guys, it's Jack!!" The small Bennet boy's face lit up at the sight of the winter spirit approaching. 

His friends surrounded him, eyes bright and smiles priceless. Jack landed swiftly, immediately running his staff along the ground, creating snowballs in it's wake. As the battle began, he spotted Pends not too far way, giving Sophie a ride a couple of feet up.Signaling her in, they both quickly joined in on Jamie's team.

After an hour or so, the snow war turned into a snowman competition. Jamie, Sophie, and Jack started to roll out the bottom, the middle, and the top.Once they got the main shape, conversation began as they worked on the details.

"It's so cool that your actually a guardian now, Jack!" Jamie exclaimed as he searched for any sticks that would resemble arms at any extent, "What do you like, do, exactly?"

"Well.." Jack scratched the back of his neck. " Basically I now have a limit on school days per city. Which blows. Plus it's pretty tiring considering I have certain deadlines concerning when and where it needs to be cold and/or snow, but," he shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips, "I'm not exactly one to follow the rules, am I?"

Jamie giggled in response and shook his head. A few minutes later, he instructed his younger sister to go into the house and search the fridge for something to help sculpt the face. 

"Oh!!" The older Bennet exclaimed, a bright smile filling his features, "I forgot to tell you! My cousin is coming this week!!" Jack grinned warmly at the boy's excitement. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!!" Jamie bounced a little, clearly excited for this mysterious cousin of his to show up. "His name is Sebastian, and he's moving here to stay with us until he can afford to be completely on his own. He's traveling all the way from Norway!!" his heart skipped slightly, but Jack chuckled, packing the snow around the snowman's middle.

"Is that so? Where exactly in Norway?"

"This little old town called Berk." And at that, Jack froze, turning to stare wide-eyed at the boy.

"...Berk?" He squeaked. Jamie raised a brow.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it was called. Why?"

"Uh.." Jack cleared his throat, "No reason. Just an old friend that used to live there." He smiled reassuringly as Sophie rushed out with a few assorted fruits and vegetables. "Right!" He clapped his hands together, "Let's do this!"

 

* * *

 

The long fun-filled day had ended with Penda, Cupcake and Pippa winning the contest, (along with a series over exaggerated complaints from Jack,) and parents calling in their children for the night.The two spirits flew in a comfortable silence through the crimson sky. The only interruption would be the sudden portal developing straight down the direct path of flight. Attempting to stop short and avoid the speeding sleigh, Jack's collar ended up getting snatched by a yeti. Once, thrown onto one of the seats along with his companion, (Of which had a heck of a time scolding the yetis about damaging her proudly worn wings,) and they had soon arrived at the pole. North welcomed them into his large castle, leading them towards his decently sized, (and decorated,) office.

"Welcome, children!" His voice boomed across the room in his strong Russian accent. 

"Don't kid yourself, North." Penda tucked her wings under her jacket, hiding them completely, "We all know who's the elder here." 

"Ah, but not so much in appearance, da?"

"Yeah yeah." She rolled her eyes as Jack chuckled at the oddly structured conversation, and picked up one of the Russian's frozen knick-knacks. "Now explain why I was kidnapped."

"HAH! Kidnapped? Not so much. Jack was brought here for hearing, we thought you might get worried if you were left behind in middle of sky." A mumbled, 'duh' was heard before Jack raised a brow at the older Guardian.

 

"Hearing? For what?"

North crossed his large tattooed arms and glanced down at the youngest of the three. "Do I need to remind you of incident in loopdy-loops?"

"Everyone here is loopdy-loop." Penda grumbled, mocking a Russian accent as she took a seat in North's enormous chair. The other two ignored her.

"Ohh Yeah.." Jack rubbed the back of his neck and directed his gaze to the floor, "Heh.. Sorry 'bout that one.. I was just.. Having a little.. Fun?"

"This excuse is not acceptable, Jack." North stated, an adoring smile planted on his jolly face, "Not this time. Now must I gather Yetis, or will you clean up mess without question?"

"Well," The winter spirit sighed. "I wouldn't want to see Phil's reaction to this. Alright. I'll get started."

"Great news!" North turned to face the door, ushering them out of his office. "Oh, and Jack?" The boy turned to face him, "You must complete task by self. No help." With a annoyed groan from Jack and a chuckle from both the man and Penda, Jack set off to reconstruct his mess.

* * *

 

A cold chill ran through Berk, making Sebastian shiver under his thick layer of clothing. Thank the Gods he was moving out of this forsaken place. Don't get me wrong, He had grown up here, this was his hometown, and he had so many memories. Though it sucked that most of them were just as bad as the weather.

For the majority of his childhood, Sebastian lived with his great uncle in a run-down apartment built above their shop. Working there had provided him with enough money to finally move out, because he seriously needed to get out of this old, depressing small town. There was something that didn't feel right here, and when he heard that his other aunt, Stephanie Bennett, had moved to Burgess some time ago, he felt drawn to the place instantly. 

When he was younger, he had spent a great deal of time with Stephanie, so they had been pretty close. She comforted him when his parents died, she provided for him, and he'd stayed with her until she moved to be with her fiance', leaving him in the "care" of great uncle Mildew, (although Sebastian was convinced there were a few more 'great's tacked in front of the name.) As soon as the boy had turned twelve, Mildew had started to make Seb work in the shop to pay him rent and food supply. 

So, after a lot of careful planning and saving, the lanky brunette called Steph a few months ahead of time, and was now watching his two large suitcases and one backpack being loaded into the plane's storage area. Mildew merely nodded a farewell before Seb climbed up the stairs and sat down in his empty seat, letting out a long, relieved sigh. He brought out his iPod and headphones, setting the small speakers over his ears and leaning back in his seat. After a few songs, his eyes started to droop shut into a comfortable sleep for the first time in years.

The plane ride dragged on, and after many sodas snacks naps, and a series of sad excuses for movies, they landed in a town not far from Burgess. Stephanie was already there, and gave him a tight hug. He smiled as they hopped into her car, happily listening to her ramble about how tall he had gotten, how grown up he looked, and answered all of her questions. Yes, he'd been eating, No, Mildew didn't leave him on the streets. He had gotten his braces removed when he was twelve, and needed glasses by age thirteen. The questions were simple, but they meant the world to him. No one ever took interest in him, (Why would they, I'm not so interesting, he thought,) so hearing Steph babble enthusiastically plastered a wide grin on the boy's face.

Not to much longer, they arrived at the Bennet's house, only For Seb to get rushed and tackled by the two younger kids. He never did have younger siblings, but Jamie and Soph were the closest things he'd ever had. He mentioned work to pay off rent, but Steph waved a hand and stated that the notion was nonsense. She would only let him pay landowners, not family. Unfamiliar, (but very greatfull,) with the gesture, the teen smiled genuinely, thanked her about a million times within the hour, and settled into the small guest room upstairs.

The next day, Seb discovered just how loud the house could get when you weren't alone. So politely informing his Aunt that he was going to familiarize himself with the town, he grabbed his sketch book in his backpack along with his laptop, and headed out the door. If he remembered correctly, last time he had visited, him and Steph had walked downtown to a coffee shop a few years back. They probably had free wifi. Seb snorted and rolled his eyes at himself. Wasn't that the worry of this generation? Wifi connection? Dear Gods, this is what the world is turning to.

Finally reaching the shop, (after a lot of embarrassing twists and redirection,) he ordered a coffee, sat himself beside a large window, and placed his sketchbook on the table. He flipped through drawings, ranging from landscape to animals and people, but the majority of the sketches, were made up of dragons. The freckled teen did feel a bit childish with the obsession of his, but the creatures drew an interest that he himself could never explain. They were deadly but grace full. Harsh but Noble. Silent yet heard. Listening to his thoughts drift this way caused him to yet again roll his eyes at himself. Hopeless, that's what I am, he decided.

* * *

Penda stormed down the sidewalk, furious. She entered the cafe', an angry vibe following. She went up to the counter and slammed a newspaper down on the glass, (surprisingly nothing broke.) The man working the register barely looked up from his book.

 

"What the hell Jason!" She growled, gaining a few odd looks from the other customers."You selfish b*****d, I want the money back. Now." 

 

He simply shrugged. "No. I earned it. therefor, I keep it."

 

The rage in the girls expression was absolutely unmistakable, snapping the man's cool expression just by a little. She was about to go off about the matter, when she stopped to stare at the figure by the nearest window. "A.. Jason.. I'll get back to you on this.." She ignored his confused expression to take a few steps closer to the window, mentally encouraging the boy by the window to turn around. She prepared for disappointment, because it couldn't be.. It wasn't possible... Then the auburn head turned from the window pane, and Penda's eyes grew wide, not caring about her probably silly looking gaping expression. No. F*****g. Way.

Author's Note

PHEW. *collapses* Sorry about the time jumps, those will probably lessen as the story calms down a bit, (as much as a Hijack story can "Calm Down" at least. Teehee. ANyways. Thanks for reading, Review? Follow? Favorite