Frost and Darkness

Chapter eight; A new friendship

"So how was the first day?" Kayden taps his hand on the counter to get my attention. I shrug. "Going well enough..." I dry off a few glasses and place them in the cabinet. "Just don't scare the hell out of my wizards, will you?" He frowns. I look at him and it takes me a while to understand what he means. "He was already drunk." I defend myself. Kayden nods. "True. But some say your eyes turned red and your voice went dark." I look down. "He threatened me. I got pissed." Kayden looks at me, his eyes seem to pierce through my soul. "What's with your eye?" It turns gold? Kayden steps back slight. "What is your connection to Zeref?" My eyes widen. I feel my heart racing. "H-how..?" I stumble backwards against the cabinet. "Ancient Eye. It allows me to see someone's past." Kayden keeps his eyes locked on me. "I... He took care of me after I lost my parents..." I slide to the cabinet that holds my bow. Kayden slams a flaming fist on the counter. "Hands off that bow!" I pull back my hand. "I just... I'm not like him! I ran away from him!" Kayden nodded. "I saw that. But according to the clothing in my vision, it was longer than ten years ago." I remain silent. "You tell people you're nineteen." He presses. "It's easier. Would you believe me when I say I'm more than four hundred years old?" I mumble. The man leaves no emotion. "I promise you that I have nothing to do with that man." I say as I take my vest, bow and quiver and walk toward the door. "Where are you going?" Kayden's voice sounds commanding. "Home." I answer. I don't feel like being around him for now.

As I walk I can put my thoughts aligned. At least... I'm trying, but Kayden's eyes are burned into my memory. Okami trots next to me and seems not to care about what just happened. She just keeps dancing around. I ignore it for now. She will get tired eventually. Her age doesn't allow her to keep this up very long. Shit, I hope Kayden tells no one. He looked right through me. I really don't need another manhunt... I should go back and tell him to keep quiet about it... No, not now. I first have to calm down and I'm pretty sure that Kayden needs to think this over as well. It would be best for me to just go home and form a solid explanation on why I am not Zeref. Dammit, I really don't feel like reliving my entire past... Past. If he has seen my past, he should have seen that I got as far away from that jerk as I could...

I have been strolling through town for at least an hour before I realize that I feel a cold breeze. Sometimes a shadow passes over when no one is around and Okami dances after it each time. "Alright. Come out!" I shout eventually. A chuckle follows and Jack makes his landing right in front of me, balancing on his staff. "Are you alright?" He asks as he catches my expression and drops off his weapon. "Yeah, I, uh... I had some trouble at work." I shrug and Jack smiles. "You work now?" I nod. Actually it's quite funny. "Yeah. Day one and I already got in trouble." Jack kneels to cuddle with Okami. "What did you do?" I wave it off. "Nothing really. I nearly got into a bar fight, that's all." Okami nuzzles Jack's hand and sniffs his hair. Once she decides that it smells nice, she tries to eat it. "She really likes you." I say, somewhat proud. "Does she?" He tries to get his hair away from the wolf, but she keeps pulling him down by his vest. "Yeah." I catch myself smiling as I pull the canine toward me. "Where were you headed?" Jack asks as he gets up. "Home." I answer, my gaze locked on my furry friend, so the spirit doesn't catch my smile. "And can you stop that?" I add. "Why?" Jack ask, skipping as we continue the way. "It's annoying." I get back to my regular mood. "Mood killer..." I raise my brows at the boy and he smirks. I snatch his staff and run toward the woods. "Who's a mood killer?" I ask over my shoulder as I run. "Hey! Give that back!" Jack laughs and sprints after me, followed by the white wolf. Apparently he can't fly without it. "Jayden! Get back here!" He's still pretty fast. But I'm faster. I have my agility as an advantage. I can leap over roots and small bushes and chimney between trees at a hare's speed. I leap up into a tree and wait for the boy and the wolf to catch up. Okami sniffs around, but lost my trail since I jumped. Jack follows up and halts beside her, leaning his hands on his upper legs. "Geez, he's fast..." He pants. "Where is he, Okami? Can you smell him?" The wolf sniffs the air and turns a few rounds. Then she lays down, giving up on my trail. "I guess you don't." Jack looks around and eventually up onto the tree branches. "What do you think that I can do with this thing?" I smirk as he looks my way. I sit on a branch with my back against the trunk, one leg hanging down the side of it and my other foot on the wood for balance. "Oh, come on, I need that." Jack looks at me with begging eyes. "What for?" I ask. I'm seriously interested in this. "Making snow days and flying." He answers. "Plus, if I lose it and it breaks... I die." He seems to know this from experience. I drop down and look him in the eye. "Are you serious right now?" The boy nods. "It got way too close once. I don't like it to happen again." I give him back the staff. "I'm sorry." Jack shakes his head. "It's okay." He says. He looks around and notices an old wall with bushes and trees growing all over it. "What is this place?" He asks as he walks toward a crenel with a little waterfall pouring out. "The Great Northern Wall. It used to surround the city of Aeron." I reply, tracing my fingers along the stone. "A last line of defense." Jack blinked in confusion. I had already told him that I was old, but I never got very personal. "It didn't hold." Jack looks at me and I shake my head, still caressing the wall. "The fire started from within." My voice turns softer with every detail. Jack's eyes widen. "You lived here!" I turn to him, but avoid his gaze. "Yeah" I correct him. "But I vanished along with my city." I pause for a moment and continue. I tell him everything that had happened four hundred years ago. But not the part about my status. And certainly not about Zeref. No one can know about that. I just hope Kayden thinks so too.

It's strange how much I have told him. I barely know him and yet it feels like I've known him for centuries. It was scary to tell him about my past, but somehow he seemed to know. As if I have told him before. It doesn't really matter, though. For the first time in way too long I've made a friend. I don't know if it is because we both have lived for so long or that he just makes me feel at ease. My gut tells me it's okay and so does Okami.

When I get home I take my writing book. It's actually just a bunch of paper files that I have bound together in a leather cover. I have hundreds of written ones. I never read them back. I never send them. I don't use salutation. I don't use closing. It's no use. I take a blank page and write a new letter.

There is much to say about civil life nowadays... People don't trade anymore, I've said that already. But there is more to it. The people have their own mind. They don't just do what they're told anymore. Some even do the exact opposite, like this guild I'm working at. I'm not a member and I'm not sure if I will ever be, but they don't exactly follow the rules. They've made their own. They rarely seem to be in trouble for it, though. I think Kayden has something to do with that... He's a smooth talker.

I've made a friend, though. He's kind. I trust him, which is nice for a change. We talk about a lot of things. He's only a few decades younger than I am. Can you believe that? Me neither. But it's true. I can tell a lie when it's in my face. And Jack is not lying.

I'm not so sure about Kayden. He knows. He looked into my past and he knows. I'm not sure if I can trust him, but he sure as hell doesn't trust me.

I just hope that I can stay here. You would love it here. The view is great and guess what. It's on Regent's Hill. After 400 years I came home. All the more reason why I want to stay. There is just one thing missing...

I miss you.

I get up and let the letter dry. Squid ink takes a while. Sucks that I am left-handed, because I have to stop at every line to prevent my hand from smudging the ink. So between every paragraph I do something else. So now I am ready to put the meat and bread on the hot stone in the fireplace. Okami gets inside after she ate and cuddles up with me.

It's been a few days and Jack and I meet again in the park. This time it's Jack's turn to talk about himself. He tells me that he used to live in a small town with his father, mother and sister. He had always been reckless, playful and according to his stories; a hand full. He would make a mess wherever he'd go and people would yell after him to be careful. Because of his charades everyone in town knew him, but it seems he was loved. "Okay, so how did you become Jack Frost?" I ask him. He frowns. "You really have to bring this up?" His voice sounds darker now. "Sorry... Just curious." I explain. "Ah, well, you told me how you ended up here too, so..." Jack smiles again. "I died." He says bluntly. I almost choked on my drink. "Dude, serious." I laugh. I look at him and realize he means it. "Yeah. I went ice skating with my sister." He speaks slowly, as if he needs to recollect the memories. "The ice cracked beneath her and I pushed her aside." I offer the flask to Jack and he takes a sip. "Ahh, what is this stuff?!" He grimaces. "Sake." I confess. "What?" Jack coughs. "Japanese Rice wine. It's not that strong..." Jack hands me back the flask. "No, but I was expecting water." He laughs. "Anyway. Because I pushed her aside, I ended up on her spot." I plug the flask and reattach it to my belt. "The sudden weight change caused the ice to break under me and I went through." Jack frowns. Recollecting again? "I don't remember much after, but I know that I drowned." He talks about it as if it's a movie he saw somewhere.

We sit and talk for a whilelonger and we have dinner at a café terrace. somewhere. I order more than I caneat so Jack can taste some things too. I wonder when was the last time that heate something of this time. Except from what his friends offer him. Okami getsoffered a bowl of water and a hump of meat. When I ask what I can offer forthat, the waitress tells me that it's okay. "This piece has fallen on theground, so we can't sell it anyway." She laughs. Okami thanks her with a lickon the hand. After dinner we go home and Jack has an appointment on the NorthPole, so he doesn't stay for the night.