(advent) December 3

Sorry, guys.  Cold is kicking my butt, and I forgot I didn’t have this cued up to go!

Wednesday, December 3

Molly was rolling out dough in her kitchen when Schrodinger came in. I’m sorry, he said contritely, coming over next to her and laying his head against her calf. I was a brat yesterday.

She dusted off her hands and then knelt down to hug him. “No, you weren’t,” she said firmly. “Jack was a rude, obnoxious twit, and you were smart to not deal with him. But if you don’t mind my asking, why were you so angry? Have you met Jack before?”

No, Schrodinger said. But every CrossCat knows who Jack Frost is, and we all despise him.

“But why?”

Because he caused the needless deaths of his guards, by not being where he was supposed to be. Schrodinger leaned against her. The Snow Queen asked for six of the bravest CrossCats to guard him in the final battle, and they died for him. He didn’t even have the courtesy to be sorry for their sacrifice.

“That sounds like him,” Molly said, hugging him again. “I’m so sorry.”

As am I, Schrodinger said. Do you really think the Snow Queen might die if she doesn’t forgive him?

“I don’t know,” Molly admitted. “I think we need to talk to Old Man Winter about it tomorrow.” She looked at him. “But you look like you have something else on your mind.”

I’m going to go see the Librarian today, Schrodinger said simply. She’ll know the truth of what is going on, and what we need to do. And she needs to know that Jack is back, in any case.

“Be careful, and tell the Librarian I said hi,” Molly told him, hugging him again.

I will. Schrodinger snuggled up against her for a moment longer, and then went out of the kitchen.

He nodded to DC at the register as he went by, and shouldered open the front door to CrossWinds Books. The clouds had parted and the sky was blue, but a warm wind, smelling of the sea and wet grass, ruffled his fur as he hurried down the street. He was looking for a specific spot, and when he found it, Schrodinger gathered himself together and leaped onto the Road.

The air blurred around him as his paws touched the cool surface of the Road, and Schrodinger breathed in the magic swirling around him. After orienting himself, he set off, heading back to the place he’d called home for many years.

It was odd, he reflected, but the Den, while it would always hold a special place in his heart, was no longer home. When he’d been younger, Schrodinger had always assumed he would go out, explore the various realms, and then come back to the Den to assume a role within his family. But now, after meeting Molly and Drew and the rest of his friends in Carter’s Cove, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Which was why he had to find out if what Molly and Drew had told him was true. Not that he doubted them, or Pavel – it was Jack himself that he doubted. The Librarian would know the truth.

His sensitive nose caught the first whiff of a smell he remembered from his earliest days: a mixture of forest leaves, rich loam, and clean rain falling from a brilliant sky. Schrodinger hurried forward to the turnoff to the Den, nearly falling over his own paws in his haste.

It was cool in the forest as he came off the Road, but not cold – it very rarely got cold. The pocket realm that the CrossCats lived in had no real name, at least not one that they used – it was simply home, dotted with various Dens and teeming with life. He could feel the air vibrating with the heartbeats of various things that flew through the sky or ran along the ground, and the sounds of all sorts of birds and insects hummed and sang around him.

There was what looked like a game trail heading down to the Den opening from the Road, evidence of how many CrossCats came and went. Given that the Librarian lived in this particular Den, it wasn’t surprising.

Stop! Who goes there?

The voice in his head was squeakily ferocious, and Schrodinger wasn’t surprised to see a ball of fluff come streaking out of the woods as he came into the clearing in front of the Den’s opening, attempting to puff itself up to appear bigger than the mouthful it was. Tiny ears were laid back and the cub bared its teeth. Strangers! Strangers aren’t allowed here!

Don’t be ridiculous, Nika, came an amused voice, richer and deeper than the kitten’s. He’s not a stranger.

Schrodinger sat back and watched as his older sister came out of the depths of the forest, carrying a fat hare in her mouth. Four other kittens tumbled after her, all of them fur and whiskers and curiosity. Hail the conquering hero? he said. Or was this a hunting lesson?

Hardly, Lis said, dropping the hare and coming over to rub cheeks with him. These kittens aren’t ready for a hunting lesson yet. I can barely get them to walk without falling over. She looked fondly at her litter. Welcome home, brother.

It’s good to be back, Schrodinger said.

It’s been a while, she noted. Will you be staying this time?

He shook his head. I don’t belong here anymore.

The Den isn’t for everyone. She licked his fur. But it will always be here for you, should you need it. Then she went and picked up the hare, herding the kittens before her.

And I appreciate that. Schrodinger followed her into the Den. Do you know if the Librarian is here?

She’s in the Library. Lis stopped and looked back at him. Staying for dinner?

Yes, I can do that.

She nodded again and then went off towards the kitchen, shooing the kittens in front of her. Nika, who had been watching Schrodinger with skeptical eyes, nearly plowed into a wall and then into his sister as he tried to walk while still staring the older CrossCat down. Schrodinger chuckled and went down another familiar hall, heading for the Library.

Although it was underground, the Den wasn’t a nasty cold hole, but a finely finished tunnel system, with smooth walls and floors. Mage lights, created long ago by one of his ancestors, lit the entire area with a warm amber glow, and the walls were hung every so often with tapestries that had been created throughout the years. Although CrossCats had no thumbs, they did have a lot of magic, and Schrodinger realized that Molly would be very, very surprised to see where he had come from.

The door to the Library was open, but he paused respectfully and nosed the silver bell that hung on the outside wall. The delicate chimes rang through the air, letting the Librarian know someone was looking for her.

Although she had probably already known. He felt the familiar touch of her mind and heard, Come in, Schrodinger.

He padded through the doorway and bowed formally, student greeting teacher, to the large black and silver CrossCat who sat behind her desk. Don’t be ridiculous, child, she told him, warmth and amusement lacing through her voice as she got up and came around to him. They rubbed cheeks, and she wrapped her tail around his face briefly. What brings you back here, Schrodinger? Is everything okay in the Cove? You are troubled.

I should have known I couldn’t hide it from you, he said ruefully. I need help, and knowledge.

That’s what I’m here for, the Librarian told him, sitting back on her haunches and looking at him with her deep blue eyes. What is happening?

Jack Frost came to our house yesterday, Schrodinger said, and watched as her eyes widened in surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t been expecting that. Then again, neither had he. He wants Molly’s help to get the Snow Queen to lift his banishment.

Does he now? And why now?

Schrodinger sighed. Molly said that Pavel said it was because the Snow Queen is dying. And that if she doesn’t lift it, she’ll die, and that would be horrible for the Cove. And there’s no snow in the Cove this year, Librarian. None at all. It’s warm and wet, and yet all around us is snow. What is going on?

Rather than answering him right away, the Librarian got up and walked into the stacks. The Library was a huge room in the middle of the Den, well-protected, that housed all of the written and spoken knowledge collected by CrossCats since the beginning of the Clans. Schrodinger followed her, not speaking, as she walked towards the back of the room, back to some of the earliest histories. Then, to his surprise, she walked past them and through a door he’d never seen before.

Librarian? he said hesitantly.

Follow me, she said, and he did so. I have been expecting this, sadly.

You have?

Yes. She didn’t say anything more, but led him down a long and winding corridor that went into the bowels of the Den, ending in a small stone room that held a single bookcase and low table in it. Selecting one of the books from the case, the Librarian began to flip through it, motioning Schrodinger to join her with the tip of her tail. Come here and look at this.

The book was made of parchment, and had a subtle scent of ice and snow as the Librarian’s paw turned the pages. What is this?

It’s a history of Carter’s Cove, she told him.

Why do you have this? Schrodinger asked, startled. I didn’t know that you knew that much about the Cove.

My dear kitten, I know much of the Cove, the Librarian told him fondly. It’s a very important hub, not just because of the Gates, but because of what it holds.

And what is that?

The Snow Queen’s heart, the Librarian told him. The center of her magic. And from what you are telling me, it’s time for her to take it up again. But she can’t without Jack.

Why not, Librarian? Schrodinger asked her. Why did she banish Jack? Why didn’t she avenge the CrossCats who were killed? Why is her heart in Carter’s Cove? And why does she need him to take it back? It’s her heart, isn’t it?

The Librarian sighed, and shook her head. It’s not that easy, Schrodinger. But then again, love never is.

Does the Snow Queen love Jack Frost? Schrodinger asked.

She did, once. They were very happy together, and they created the Cove together, the Librarian said.

So what happened?

There was a deep and abiding sorrow in her tone. She discovered that although he loved her, he didn’t share her love for the others that inhabited the Cove. The Snow Queen has always known that the existence of the spirits depends on the mortals that inhabit their realms. But Jack is arrogant, and despises anyone mortal. And when she saw how he reacted to the death of his guards – well, the line between love and hate is very slender, Schrodinger.

He looked at his teacher, digesting everything she’d said. And her heart? Why does she need Jack to recover it?

What good is a heart without love? the Librarian said. She will need to admit that she needs him, that he needs her, or she’ll die. She shook her head. Or worse. There are worse things than her dying, Schrodinger.

Worse? Schrodinger asked her, and she nodded. What can we do, then, Librarian?

You’ll have to help Jack to realize that it was his arrogance that led her to banish him. More importantly, he’ll have to change, to become the partner the Snow Queen needs. The Librarian closed the book, and then indicated he should take it. Give that to Molly. You and she need to read it, to understand what happened, so you can help him.

Schrodinger wrinkled his nose at that. I don’t like this, he admitted. Jack is–

The only one who can save the Snow Queen, the Librarian said, cutting his complaint off mid-sentence. We all must do things we do not like, kitten. Besides, once you get to know him, and once Molly shreds his attitude, you might get to like him. We all make mistakes, remember.

Schrodinger thought she might be a little too optimistic for that, but he couldn’t argue with her. After all, the Snow Queen must have seen something in him once.

<><>

That night, Molly, Drew and Schrodinger curled up on the couch in front of their fireplace and read the book the Librarian had given them. Although Molly had thought she’d known the history of her hometown, even she was unprepared for what the book told them. Especially since the writer of the book appeared to have a lot of knowledge that had never made it to the regular histories.

<>

We were unprepared for how savagely this Cove would be contested. One would have thought we were hiding jewels or magic beyond imagination, rather than simply a hub for Roads. Then again, perhaps in this realm, such a hub is priceless. Regardless, it was scarcely one year into our settlement before the first attacks came.

Without the help of the Snow Queen and her consort, we would have died at the hands of the raiders who came over the sea and through the Gate, tearing up the Roads with their war machines, bent on erasing our little town from the face of the Earth. They seemed to be everywhere in the fight, shielding our people from harm with their winds and snow, flinging spears of ice in our defense. And when the raiders were finally pushed back, she came among us, teaching us how to use the magic of the Cove to keep ourselves safe, tying us to the land so that we could never be torn away.

In a way, I think that was the undoing. The Snow Queen spent so much of herself here that there was very little left for her consort, who grew more and more angry as he watched her become involved with the town. And when she gave the ultimate gift she could, he became enraged. No one would say what words were exchanged, but there was a major storm that winter, a storm that killed with cold indiscriminately and closed both the Sea and the Land Gate with its fury, a storm that crouched over the Cove for nearly a week before winds chased it out to sea. And after that storm, the consort was never seen again in the Cove. When the Snow Queen finally was able to come back, she was heartbroken to see the devastation, and she laid down a terrible law: that Jack Frost should never again be allowed within her sight, on pain of death itself. And she gave the ultimate gift to the Cove, and promised that she would defend it forever.

<>

“I wonder if she really did give her heart to the Cove,” Molly said, when Drew was done reading. “I mean, it has to be metaphorically, right?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she really did put her heart somewhere here in the Cove.”

Does it really matter? Schrodinger asked. The important thing is that we have to help her survive.

“Which means getting Jack back into her good graces.” Molly looked at the book in Drew’s lap. “I don’t suppose that has any ideas.”

“For making him less of an ass? I doubt it. There really aren’t any textbooks for that.” Drew grinned at her. “But you melted Old Man Winter’s heart. That was a certified miracle – everyone says so. I know you can do this.”

“I didn’t want to strangle Old Man Winter,” she pointed out dryly. “Just not get him to destroy the Cove.”

“Well, it’s kind of the same thing,” Drew said. “Work your magic and melt his heart.”

“If only it was that easy.” She snuggled up next to him, enjoying the feel of his arm around her shoulders. “What do you think, Schrodinger?”

The CrossCat was staring at the fire. I think that we have to find out why Jack despises mortals, he said finally. Old Man Winter thought we weren’t valuable members of the Realms, so we knew we could show him how we were. He sighed gustily. I just wish I knew the truth about why he left the last battle. I think that might be the key.

“Do you think he’d tell us?” Molly asked.

Maybe. Maybe not. Schrodinger put his chin on his paws. I don’t know.

Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.