Alaia Skyhawk: Here it is guys! Now, a word of warning to anyone who has clicked on this without reading Secrets of Frost and Moon...

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THAT STORY!

Seriously, I cannot stress that enough, because the opening mini-arc of this collection fic contains massive MASSIVE spoilers for the ending of Secrets of Frost and Moon. As in you will literally ruin the climactic ending scene of that fic if you read this one.

So go read it now! SHOO SHOO! (Makes shooing gestures)

For the rest of you, WELCOME! I hope you enjoy the ride :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.

~(-)~

Chapter 1: Before I Leave This World

The village had the thinnest covering of snow, which sparked in the morning light and was a bright contrast to the garlands on the porches. She could see that through the gap in the shutters, during the brief span of time that her daughter-in-law, Clarisse, had propped her upright to eat what little she could of the breakfast that had been made for her. It was almost too much effort now, to eat, to move, even to keep breathing. Every beat of her heart felt laboured, yet it persisted by her stubborn refusal to go. She would not leave, not yet...

Not until she'd seen her brother come home, one last time.

Emily glanced around the cabin with her old eyes, sight blurred a little by age and weakness. She held no fear for that which was rapidly closing in, the ending that was the fate of all mortal lives. There was no regret, save that for the grief she knew her family would feel. Especially for Jack, her lonely lonely brother. Her greatest fear was that he would be lost without his sister, his first believer. She had to make sure he'd be fine once she was gone.

"Thomas..."

Her son, sat at the fireplace mending one of Clarisse's spindles, set it aside and hastened over.

"Yes, Mother?"

Emily reached a frail hand out to him, which he clasped as he sat in the chair by the bed.

"Everything is ready? You'll all remember to watch over him? Make sure he knows he will always have his family?"

It was a question she'd asked often during these past few weeks, and Thomas nodded while holding back tears.

"It's a promise, and one we'll always keep. We will never let the belief or memory of our Uncle Jack fade away."

Emily let out a small breathy sigh, smiling at the reassurance.

"And my letter? The one for the bright future."

Her son reached with a hand to gently brush a strand of greying hair off her face.

"Safe, where it never be lost or damaged. We'll make sure he gets it, when the right day comes."

Emily closed her eyes, part of her wishing she could have been there when that day came.

"You should go outside now. He'll be here soon. Make sure he plays with the children, and doesn't rush here to me."

"I will."

He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving her side. The sound of the door following shortly after. Only then did Emily open her eyes again, to gaze at the fingers of light that came through the shutters. It was the bright sort of light that only showed itself when there was snow on the ground. Dazzling and pure, chasing away shadows and fear.

She let it soothe her as she waited, and listened. It gilt the edge of her smile when she heard the cheering of the children that heralded Jack's arrival. Thomas and Clarisse returned to the cabin shortly after that, to idle at minor tasks inside it, all the while tense as they waited.

Emily slipped into a light doze now, only waking when she heard the angry shout of her dearest brother.

"She's dying? She's been ill for that long, and none of you told me?!"

"...Jack, don't shout at my son."

The words were barely above a whisper, as loud as she could manage, but he heard them. She didn't reprimand Jack when he shoved past Thomas and into the house, to where Clarrise sat in a chair beside her.

Clarrise got up and went out the door with Thomas, closing it behind her. Jack barely seemed to notice it, if at all. His attention was entirely set upon his sister.

"E-Emily..."

Emily smiled at him weakly, and pointed to the chair. He really did look like a lost boy in those ragged trousers of his.

"Sit down, Jack. Don't stand there like a boy who's lost his shoes and only just noticed."

His breath caught in his throat, even as a smile tugged at his mouth. Her joke had made him smile, but she could see he was still hurting inside. He sat down in the chair, not a scrap of frost on his clothing. Clearly he was determined not to not chill the air, but his hand clasping hers was reassuringly cool. Was it odd? That she saw a cool hand as being more reassuring than a warm one?

"I'm home."

A tear welled up from the corner of one of his eyes, running down his cheek. She wanted so much to reach out and brush it aside, but that was beyond the strength left in her. Instead she squeezed his hand, in part to comfort him and in part to steady herself. As much as she'd prepared for this, now that it was happening it was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

"Don't be angry at the family, they only kept it from you because I told them to. I told them to tend me in this house, so you would not see me bedridden when you collected the letters from my home. I told them not to tell you, so that you could smile and laugh at the stories in those letters, without my illness casting a shadow over you. I told them to hide that I was ill, so that the knowledge I was dying, wouldn't spoil the Festival of First Snow."

Jack's lower lip trembled.

"You hid it, because you didn't want me to be unhappy?"

Emily nodded, still smiling.

"I knew this day would have to come eventually, and I could see that even though you knew it too, you did everything you could to ignore and deny it. You hid from those painful thoughts, because you didn't want anyone to worry about you. You didn't want your feelings to affect the happiness of the children... And so, even as you tried to deny this inevitable day, I prepared for it. To make sure it would be as painless for you as possible. That you would not have to stand by and watch me slowly fade away. That instead we would have our chance to say goodbye, but without the time for lingering regrets."

Jack took hold of her hand with both of his now, and she could see the sobs threatening to escape him.

"Why? I could have been here for you. I could have come home early, during Northern Autumn, and been here at your side. You didn't have to do this alone!"

She felt her own tears well up and flow, and she sighed. That was Jack, self-sacrificing and caring to the point he didn't think about himself. But there were more important things in his life, than her. More important things he had to look after.

"Oh, Jack... The Spirit of Winter is here, at the bedside of a mere mortal woman, crying. You have duties, Jack, and while you will always be my brother, I have had to accept that you are part of something far bigger than me... I accepted that truth, and now you need to accept it as well. I've held on with all my heart so I could be here for you. I've held on to the belief of seeing you again, so I could help you get through this. My belief has kept me here until now, but it cannot hold me here forever, and neither can your belief stop this from happening... You have to let me go, Jack."

Jack sat there, the two of them looking at each other in silence, before he let out a shuddering breath and bowed his head, nodding. When he lifted it again, he wore an unsteady smile.

"Ok, but I'm going to be here for you. I'll be here right until the end."

Emily gazed at him, her eyes searching for a sign that he was truly letting go. It wasn't there yet, he didn't want to leave her side.

"Well you can't be here all the time. What about the children? They can't go without the greatest winter playmate ever. You've still got to tell them their first story for this winter. Which one have you chosen?"

Her brother hesitated, but then returned her smile.

"The one about the Himalayan Snow Geese."

Emily's smile widened. This time she'd seen the glimmer of his care for children, slipping past his care for her. That was good. That was what he'd need to hold to, after...

"That's a good one... It's been a few years since you last told that one. None of the current children have heard it."

"I know, that's why I chose it."

Jack was clearly doing his best not to sob or break down in tears, and Emily slipped her hand from his grasp and tucked it back under the warmth of her covers. She then closed her eyes. So so tired.

"Play with the children close to the house tomorrow. I want to hear you tell them their story, and I want to hear them laughing as they play their games with you."

"I will. I promise, they'll laugh and cheer more than you've ever heard before."

He stood up and left the cabin, hesitation evident in the sound of his steps. When Thomas and Clarisse came back inside, only they were witness to Emily's tears and sobbing. They lasted only a minute or so, she knew Jack would settle somewhere that he could glimpse her through the gap in the shutters. So she turned her head away from it so he wouldn't see.

Sleep came after that, as the passing of time between one blink of the eyes and the next. By the light outside it was early afternoon, and there was Jack once again in the chair beside her.

Part of Emily wanted to laugh, and certainly her mirth was evident in her breathy scolding.

"Jackson Overland Frost, you go out there and tell those children their story. Or so help me I will ask Sandy to give you a good talking to."

Jack laughed at that, even if only quietly, before placing a kiss on her forehead as Thomas had done.

He left the cabin, and soon she could hear the village children gathering in the clear area behind it. Their bright questions about the Snow Geese, interspersing with his lively telling of the story. It focused mostly around a Himlalayan Snow Goose called Kailash, who had been raised by the writer of the story, Mother Goose. But it also told much about the other geese and where they lived, high high up among the highest mountains in the world.

Emily smiled softly to herself as she listened, both to the story and to the games and laughter that followed it. The oh so weary feeling growing heavier with every breath. It was becoming harder to open her eyes, although she managed just once more so she could gaze upon her son and his wife. Both were by the hearth, trying to distract themselves with chores and other little tasks. Better now, at this moment when their attention was elsewhere, just as Jack's was.

Emily closed her eyes again, feeling at peace. Her thoughts shifting away from those that had kept her holding on all this time. Now only one thought remained, spoken in a whisper so quiet that no one could have heard it.

"I'm ready to let go... Goodbye, Jack."

Her eyes were already closed, her world already darkened by the edge of the final slumber. Yet now a new and different kind of darkness closed in, but it wasn't fightening. Instead it muffled the world around her like a thick and comforting blanket. Everything fading until even thought was gone...

...Birdsong intruded on her ears, along with the soft hush of a gentle breeze through leaves. The scent of flowers and growing things, mingled with the earthy tones of autumn leaves and the crisp smell of fresh snow. She felt a deep breath enter a chest that no longer felt as if weighted down. And surprised by that she opened her eyes...

...To a vibrant sunlit garden where all seasons dwelt together as one.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: