"Come on, Elsa! Hurry up!" the dark haired boy called out behind him, running ahead. The blond girl tried to run faster, but it was difficult in her ball gown.
"Jack, slow down!" Elsa finally said, coming to a stop. Jack ran back to her, slightly out of breath.
"Do I win Your Majesty?"
Elsa nodded. "If I ever become Queen, I won't wear such a ridiculous dress."
"Why did you say if?" Elsa looked at her best friend. Jack's bangs almost hid his brown eyes, sparkling with mischief and adventure.
"Because in order for me to become Queen, something has to happen to my parents, and I don't want anything bad to happen to them."
Jack seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I think you would be a great Queen, Elsa."
Elsa smiled. "Thanks, Jack." She looked around the garden. The ball her parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle, were holding continued inside the palace. Elsa wondered her parents even noticed her absence. It was only because of Jack that she was not dying of boredom this very minute. Who knew that her first ball would be such a bore? Her dress was not helping much.
"I need to get out of this dress. Don't look!"
"I'm not." Jack turned his back while Elsa ducked behind some bushes. She carefully peeled off the pink monstrosity, revealing a pale blue under dress that thankfully her mother had allowed her to wear. Elsa kicked the mess of ribbons and ruffles under the bush and, as an afterthought, kicked her shoes off as well.
"Let's do this!" Jack exclaimed once Elsa re-entered the garden, jumping around like the excited child he was. She smiled and rubbed her palms together, causing bits of blue light to jump out and turn to white, fluffy snow.
"You ready?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Jack nodded as she let her powers free, turning the summer garden into a winter wonderland.
"This is awesome!" he shouted, running around. He stopped when he saw her looking at her hands with something close to fear. "What's wrong, Elsa?" he asked, stopping in front of her.
She clenched her fists and said, "Before the ball tonight, my father told me to not freeze anything. His exact words were 'Conceal your powers, Elsa. Don't feel them. Remember that, Elsa. Conceal, don't feel.' Now, I've done the exact opposite of that."
"And look at how much fun we're having! You shouldn't hide your talents, Elsa. You should embrace them and let it go!" Jack fell back into a mound of snow and pulled Elsa down with him. They fell on top of each other, giggling like crazy. Elsa pushed herself up with a devious smirk on her face.
"Oh, Ja-ack," she sang, holding her hands behind her back. He barely had time to look up before she threw a snowball at his face. "You're going down, Elsa!" he shouted, forming his own ammunition. The two eight-year-olds played in the snow, having fun and laughing, until a thorny rose bush caught Elsa's dress. Together, they pulled on the dress until it came loose with a loud RIP!
"Oh-no," Elsa moaned, studying the ragged tear that ended just above her knee.
"It doesn't look that bad," Jack said, "It actually looks better this way."
"Elsa! Where are you? It's time to go to bed now," The king of Arendelle called out, entering the frozen garden. He stopped, taking in the sight of snow mounds, icicles, and finally, Jack and Elsa covered in snow from top to bottom.
"Elsa, what did I tell you about your powers?" the king said, making his way towards the children, careful not to slip on ice. Snowflakes started to fall around Elsa as she stepped closer to Jack.
"Papa, I-"
"It's my fault, Your Majesty." Jack exclaimed, "Please don't be mad at her. It was my idea to play with her powers." Elsa stared at him in disbelief. What was he doing? The king looked at Jack for a long time with a stern face, and then shook his head, smiling.
"I'm not mad at either of you," he said, bending down to their level, "I'm just glad both of you are alright. Now, it's time for bed. Jack, your mother is looking for you. She needs you in the kitchen right away."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jack ran towards the kitchen, grinning at Elsa as he turned a corner. Elsa gathered her ball gown and started toward the palace.
"Elsa."
Somewhat expecting this, she turned around slowly. "I'm sorry, Papa," she said, keeping her head down. She heard Papa sigh, and then felt him pat her head softly. "Just be careful next time. Okay?" Elsa nodded, letting Papa lead the way back to the palace.
The Queen was waiting in the front hall for them. "Elsa!" she exclaimed, looking over her eldest daughter, "Are you all right? What happened to your dress?" Elsa blushed. "It got stuck in the thorns. I'm sorry, Mama."
"It's alright, sweetie," the Queen said, giving her a hug, "There's nothing to be sorry for. Go wash up and head to bed."
"Good night, Mama. Good night, Papa." Elsa said, running up the stairs to her bedroom, which she shared with Anna, her five-year-old sister, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Elsa quickly changed into a blue nightgown, tucking the torn dress into the back of her drawer. Tucking herself in, she thought about Jack and his family. He had a mother, who came to work for the royal family almost a year ago, after her husband died from a freak sledding accident. Jack also had a little sister, who was only one year old when they came to the palace. They had a few cousins somewhere, but Elsa couldn't remember where exactly. She closed her eyes, dreaming of mountain adventures with her best friend, Jackson North, unaware of the glowing lights dancing in the sky.
Okay, this is my first story on here, so I need to know how it is. I can't promise regular updates, but I'll see what I can do. Please review and tell me if it's good/bad/eh.