The Lord of the Northern Wind (1/5) - J2 AU
Title: Lord of the Northern Wind
Author: Morvith
Genre: Romance/Supernatural
Summary: No one hails the Northern wind, until one day a little boy did... J2 retelling of the Russian fairytale “Father Frost.”
Main Characters: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nothing in this fiction belongs to me, not even the basic plot.
Warnings: child abuse, attempted murder, character death
Author's note: many thanks to yohkobennington for her invaluable help.
Lord of the Northern Wind
Prologue
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a poor farmer and his wife. For years and years they had prayed the Lord to be blessed with children, and at last they had a son on Midsummer day.
They named the baby Jared and they loved him with all their heart. Truly, even if their land was poor and work was hard, they couldn't have been happier.
Alas, all their happiness wasn't meant to last! In autumn, the farmer's wife suddenly fell ill and died, leaving her husband heartbroken and alone. All winter long he mourned her, taking care of their son as best as he could, but as spring drew nearer he realized he couldn't go on on his own: Jared was too young to accompany him in the fields or stay home alone all day.
Still with a heavy heart, the farmer decided to marry again, if he could find a woman who'd have him. With this idea in mind he set out for the nearest village, which wasn't very near at all.
As luck would have it, in that village lived a family with many daughters and very little to give them as dowry. The eldest daughter heard of the poor farmer's search and immediately told her father to invite him to their house.
When the farmer heard, he was overjoyed: “God bless you a thousand times over, dear girl! For the kindness you showed me and my poor boy, I swear to be patient and kind and always treat you with the utmost respect.”
“You are a rare man and any woman would be lucky to have you,” said she. “For my part, I swear I'll love and protect your son as though he were my
own.”
They were soon married and the farmer took her to his home. It was a little frightening, living there in the middle of the fields, all alone but for her new husband and the baby, and at first she missed her sisters and her village, but soon she grew used to having her own house. She found Jared a sweet and gentle child and came to love him easily.
The three of them lived together in good harmony: the farmer would work in the fields, his new wife would look after the house and Jared would play, grow and learn. After four years, the farmer had to take Jared aside and tell him than soon he would have a brother or a sister.
The baby, a boy they called Adric, arrived next spring. Jared, like most children, was happy to have a brother but disappointed to discover he wouldn't make a decent playmate any time soon.
But after the new baby was born, his stepmother found that everyday she loved Adric more and more and Jared less and less. As the boys grew, she found it easy to excuse her son when he shirked his chores or threw tantrums, and easier still to punish Jared for the smallest infraction.
For many years she struggled with her own heart, constantly trying to be fair and mindful of her promise, but then, when Jared was 11 and Adric 7, the farmer went to join his first wife in the grave.
After the funeral was over and the neighbors had left, the young widow burst into tears. “Ah, poor me!” she sobbed. “Whatever shall I do now without my husband?”
“Don't be afraid, mama,” said Jared, hugging her tightly. “I'm the man of the house now and I'll always take care of you and my little brother, I promise.”
These words were meant to reassure her, but she felt only ice in her heart and cursed the cruel fates that condemned her to spend what little was left of her youth in sweat and toil, all for another woman's son. Her first instinct was to push Jared away, but she remembered her promise and buried her anger deep in her heart.
( Part I)