Seasons Guardians AU



Seasons Guardians is a popular AU (Alternate Universe) within the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fandom. In the AU, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup have all been chosen to work alongside Jack Frost as the guardians of the seasons. Because it is not canon, ideas for this AU are shown through fanfiction, fanart, and other fan-made works.

About the AU
In the early stages of the crossover, fans were looking for ways that the four characters could possibly cross paths. If the events in the Rise of the Guardians movie occured in the year the film was released (which would have been 2012), and Jack had been an immortal spirit for 300 years, the year of his death would have been 1712. Hiccup, however, would have lived much before this time because the Viking era lasted from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. The time period in which Rapunzel and Merida would have lived is less clear, though a brief mention of Vikings in Brave would mean that Merida's story probably happened around the same time as Hiccup's (700-800 A.D.) and Tangled probably occured during the 19th century. That would have made it possible for Jack to have met Rapunzel, but what about Merida and Hiccup?

Fans decided that the only way these characters could have met is if they were all immortal. This idea was built upon, and fans realized that Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup all had qualities that could have made them guardians too. As it is explained in Rise of the Guardians, the Man in the Moon chooses guardians based on whatever they could bring to the world ("their center" as North puts it). There are many possibilities, but the three characters all have certain attributes that could have been considered as their "centers". Merida, for example, have courage and bravery, Rapunzel has creativity and kindness, Hiccup has change and intelligence, so on and so forth. Fans also realized that they could all be associated with a particular season that corresponds with their personalities and stories. What better way for them to become a team than to be the personifications of the four seasons? With that, the Seasons Guardians AU was born.

Featured Characters
Jack Frost - Quite self-explanatory, Jack is always portrayed as the Guardian of Winter. Before becoming a guardian, Jack lived a relatively carefree life bringing his season to countries all of the world. With his magical staff, he had the incredible powers of frost and snow manipulation. He's shown as a bit of a mischief-maker, as he often uses his gift to inconvenience others. However, he has a soft spot in his heart for children, and even though most cannot see him, he still partakes in snowball fights and other activities, and loves to grant them the occasional snow day. Winter is also directly associated with death (i.e. plants shed their leaves and die during this season), and Jack Frost is the only guardian who died in canon while ice skating with his little sister on a lake that was not safe.

Rapunzel - Rapunzel is usually known as the Guardian of Spring, because this season is associated with new life and Rapunzel gave herself a new life when she left her tower. The warmth of the spring could also be reflected in the warmth of her heart. While bringing her season to the world, Rapunzel loves to see the happiness on everyone's faces as the first signs of spring arrive. She loves to bring the baby animals out of hibernation, and craft the beautiful, colorful flowers that bloom. In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel is already associated with flowers because she came from a tiny drop of sun that blossomed into a magical golden lily. Spring also represents renewel or resurrection, and Rapunzel has the ability to heal people with hair.

Merida - Often portrayed as the Guardian of Summer, Merida has a strong temper much like the season she represents. Her wild hair has the power to burn like fire, allowing her to bring heat wherever she goes. In the film, Brave, she drinks from the "Fire Falls", already associating her with warmth and flames. One of Merida's favorite things about her season is the excitement it brings children when their long-awaited summer vacation finally arrives. Always having had a desire to be in control of her own fate, her season represents freedom and independence. During Brave, Merida is told she has until the next sunrise to find a way to turn her mother back into her human state, and she barely makes it in time, another example of her connection to heat and the sun.

Hiccup - Hiccup is most often referred to as the Guardian of Autumn. Autumn is a season of great change (the color of the leaves change, the temperature changes, etc.) and Hiccup was the bringer of change to his Viking village when he introduced the concept of dragon training. Autumn is also associated with wisdom, and Hiccup is shown to be very intelligent. The season also represents evolution, and Hiccup had to evolve from a somewhat stubborn, sarcastic young teen into the hero of the island, and matured during the course of the film. His powers generally consist of the ability to change the color of the leaves and make them fall.