A Frozen Heart
"Momma, Poppa!" Elsa shouted, clutching her sister's petite body to her own tiny one. "You're okay, Anna! I've got you!" She spun her head to look behind her as she heard something crash against the two massive oak doors to the ballroom; a thick layer of ice had spread across the door. Briefly, Elsa considered trying to remove it, but she would not leave her sister, not now. Fortunately, it was not long until the ice cracked jaggedly down the center where the doors parted.
"Elsa, what have you done?This is getting out of hand!" Elsa's Father admonished as her parents burst into the room, rushing toward her. Fearfully, Elsa looked up at them, her eyes pleading for help.
"It was an accident. I'm sorry, Anna." She lowered her head again, resting it gently on Anna's shoulder. Her Mother stooped down, scooping Anna out of Elsa's arms and into her own. She gasped as she felt Anna's skin on her own.
"She's ice cold!" Her Mother and Father locked eyes for a brief moment. When her Father spoke, his words were quick and determined.
"I know where we have to go."
"No! We'll protect her." Elsa's Father glanced between the troll and his wife, trying to reassure the both of them, though the troll's features looked doubtful. "She can learn to control it, I'm sure." His warm arm wrapped around Elsa's shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. "Till then we'll lock the gates, we'll reduce the staff, we will limit her contact with people and keep her powers hidden from everyone...including Anna."
"The gloves will help." Elsa's Father explained while slipping the snow-white gloves over her small, pale hands. "See, conceal it." Her Father said, beginning the ritual her Father and she had taken to saying anytime she felt like she was losing control.
"Don't feel it." Elsa continued, looking timidly up into her Father's eyes.
"Don't let it show." They both chorused, bringing their shared saying to its finish.
"I'm scared! It's getting stronger!" Elsa shouted, holding her open hands out before her, palms up, as if the twin set of hands were a pair of weapons of which she had not the knowledge or power to control...maybe they were.
"Getting upset only makes it worse, calm down." Her Father cautioned as her Mother scooted closer to her husband's side. Elsa noticed even that small movement; she had seen it a thousand times throughout her childhood whenever a guard or ambassador would begin to get angry and troublesome or the few times that Anna and Elsa had had mishaps with their horses and fallen. However slight, Elsa knew it to be what it was...an act of fear. Elsa's Father, the king reached out to take her hand in a comforting gesture.
"No!" Elsa practically screamed, jerking her hands back and out of his reach. "Don't touch me! Please, I don't wanna hurt you."
Elsa laid on her right side snuggled in her bed, her face pressed against the soft pillow and one of her gloved hands resting sullenly next to her face. Even at the young age of twelve, she looked like a goddess, sleeping so serenely with her white-blonde hair fanned out behind her. She slept there throughout the entirety of the night, completely still save the slow, steady rise and fall of her shoulders caused by her gentle breathing, like a tranquil swan steadily flapping its wings to a seemingly unheard rhythm. The sun rose, shining through the glass of her closed bedroom window. She woke to the sun caressing her pale cheeks with its warm, golden beams as she blinked her wintry blue eyes open. Easily, she scooted into a seated position, pushing the blue blankets away from her small form then stood. Adhering to her usual daily routine, she retrieved her hairbrush and began to brush any sort of tangles from her long, silky hair. After she had finished this task she began to braid her hair. As she was tossing her completed braid behind her she heard a knock on the door. Her hair still swung slightly, hanging to approximately the middle of her back.
"Yes?" Elsa asked; even her timid voice echoed about the room.
"Breakfast, princess." Elsa recognized the voice as the maid's, though she had presupposed it would be so.
"Thank you." She responded, politely. As was tradition, the maid set the tray of food down and left it just outside the door for Elsa to get. In this way, there was no chance of physical contact between the two which was safer for the both of them. Elsa stepped tentatively towards the door and pressed her ear against the wall, listening for sounds of movement outside. She heard nothing. The door knob creaked ever so quietly as she turned it to the left and pulled the door open just enough to pull the breakfast tray inside her room then shut it quickly. Just as the doorclicked shut, she heard footsteps down the hallway. Her breath caught as she thought of the close call, then she focused on the footsteps. Many a time had she listened to footsteps in an attempt to discover who was walking down the hallway. When she had been unsure she had tiptoed to the door and peeked underneath it. Through the small crack at the bottom she had not been able to see much more than the boots of the passerby, but this alone was almost always the only bit of information she needed. Beside her parents, Anna and herself, the only other people in the castle were their cook, maid and butler. She recognized the heavy steps of their butler. She placed the tray on a small table set into the corner of the room, carefully so as not to disturb any of its contents. After sliding into the chair, she began to eat, hardly tasting the food; her thoughts were somewhere else entirely. While she unconsciously ate, she thought of her parents and Anna and what they might be talking about at the long table in the Dining Hall. It was customary for her parents' breakfast and dinner to be served in the Dining Hall. Their lunch, however was to be left outside Elsa's bedroom door as her meals always were and her parents always shared that meal with her. She tried to picture her family in her mind as she picked up a slice of strawberry and placed it in her mouth, laughing with one another around the table, her Father's deep laughter, her Mother's always-polite chuckle and Anna's contagious giggle...Anna. Tears gathered at the rims of Elsa's eyes as she thought of her younger sister. She missed her terribly and it broke her heart every time Anna would knock on her door, begging Elsa to open the door for her. Once, Anna had put her eye up to the keyhole, trying to peer through it; it had been like plunging a knife into Elsa's heart. All she wanted was to build a snowman. Her hand shaking, she had placed it on the doorknob. She turned it a fraction of an inch.
"How can I see her after what I did? She doesn't know who I am. She doesn't. She can't." Elsa had repeated to herself multiple times as she deliberated over what to do. "Go away, Anna!" As soon as the words had left her lips she realized she had said them too harshly, but she had said them in a desperate attempt to keep herself from opening the door. It had worked. Anna had left.
"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Elsa whispered to herself as a tear spilled over the lid of her right eye. She finished her meal in silence, save the occasional sound of a tear falling and splashing against her skirt, then pulled a book off her nightstand. She sat in a high-backed chair, trying to let herself be enveloped by the story and to forget her life here for the moment. She sunk down into it, raising the book and pressing it against her knees to keep it steady. A soft, warm breeze blew in from her open window. She sat up instantly as if her spine had been suddenly replaced with a metal rod. She had never opened the window! She relaxed a little; the wind must have blown it open. She sat up suddenly again. It had been locked! She had locked it the night before during a storm just so that the strong winds couldn't blow the windows open. Warily, she took a few steps toward the window, clutching the book with both hands and pressing it against her stomach. All was still, completely still and quiet. Elsa reached the window and as speedily as possible pushed it shut and bolted it. She stood there for a moment, one hand pressed against the window pane, the other still holding the bolt, breathing heavily. A small chuckle was barely audible just behind her. She spun, hurling the book in the direction the laughter had come from. Seated, with his feet propped up on the table, was a boy that looked no older than seventeen at the most. His thick, white hair stuck out towards the left and he held a long curved wooden staff in his right hand. It was the staff he used to swat the book right out of the air without so much as a blink of a bright, blue eye.
"What are you doing here?" Elsa shouted, backing away from him and pressing herself against the window. "Get out, right now, or I'll call my parents!"
"Hey, hey hold up!" The boy said, his voice was higher pitched than her Father's and filled with an indescribable and attitudinal energy. He nimbly jumped up from the chair and stepped a bit forward in her direction. "I'm just here to-"
"I don't care what you're here for! Just go!" She ordered him, holding her hands out toward him in a defensive gesture. Though cautious, she didn't actually want to hurt him. A knock on the door interrupted their quarrel and they both fell silent.
"Princess? Are you all right?" The maid questioned from the other side of the door. Elsa's eyes met the boy's; he stared at her intensely, though somehow a trace of playfulness still shone in his icy blue eyes. Slowly, he raised his finger to his lips. She pondered how to deal with this situation. This wasn't safe, of that she was sure. After all, her powers were fickle and uncontrollable and at any time she could accidentally hurt him. She didn't want to do that, but the look in his eyes compelled her to think twice before she called for help. By his white hair, his frosty eyes, his thin lips, even his posture Elsa could feel that he wanted to be her friend, to help her understand the blissful merriment he knew so well.
"Princess?"
"I'm fine." She answered, her eyes never leaving his. "Everything's fine."
"Yes, mam." They both listened to the maid's footsteps echo in the hallway as she walked away. Their gazes held steady until the sound faded away.
"That's better. I'm Jack." He said, plainly as he sat on the foot of her bed and motioned for her to sit beside him. Elsa did not move other than to fold her hands neatly in front of her.
"Okay." He said, chuckling. "So, why do I never see you playing outside with your sister anymore?" Elsa tilted her head slightly to the left. It had been four years since the accident. Had he been watching her that long?
"I-I'm," she stuttered, "I'm not allowed to go outside my room."
"And why is that?" He winked at her, obviously knowing the answer.
Her face flushed red as she realized he knew who and what she really was and she turned away from him to face the window. She stared at her feet, knowing that it was her duty to end their relationship and to end it soon if she did not want to end up hurting him somehow. "I'm sorry but...I think you should go." She watched the reflection of his face in the glass, watching for his reaction. He looked confused.
"What? Why?"
She spun to face him, her thick braid whipping around and coming to rest on her shoulder. "You know what I am!" she cried, "What I could do to you!" She pulled her hands close to her body, fingers curled inwards.
He exhaled slowly. "Elsa, I'm not afraid of you."
This forced her to pause. Even her own Mother was afraid of her to some degree. "You-You're not?"
"No, I'm not." He assured her. "And how about going to play outside with me?" He smiled at her as if he hadn't realized there was any distinction between the two subjects. Elsa had not realized just how much time had passed until another knock rang against the thick door.
"Your lunch, Princess. Your parents will be here soon."
Elsa's eyes widened and she ran to the window to open it. "They can't find you here! You have to leave!" She turned back to him, but he wasn't there.
"After lunch then?" He asked on the window sill behind her.
She chuckled, a sound she had not made for quite some time. "After lunch." She agreed smiling.
Throughout the entirety of the midday meal Elsa was preoccupied, partly eager but partly frightened of what would come after lunch was finished. Elsa being obviously lost in thought, her parents were content to merely eat their meal with her and gave up all attempts at conversation. She hoped and prayed all throughout the meal that everything would be fine and her powers would stay under her control. Finally, the three of them had cleared their plates and her Father and Mother rose to leave.
"Elsa, is everything all right?" Her Mother asked, gently, then a little more forcefully when Elsa failed to hear her.
"Yes!" Elsa replied. "Everything's fine." Her Mother nodded, pleased with her answer then her parents left the room. Elsa shut the door and locked it behind them so that if anyone tried to come in while she was gone they would see she had locked the door and think that she did not want to see anyone. She anxiously waited for something, anything to happen. Nothing did, and so she began to pace apprehensively about the room. Where was he? Hadn't he said that-
"You coming, or what?" Jack called from her window.
"Jack!" Elsa cried and raced to him. She closed her eyes, concentrating on keeping her powers under control as he wrapped his arm around her slender waist and pulled her out of her room. They jumped, his arm still around her, from the window and landed in the soft, white snow that glowed softly below them. He rolled over, propping himself up on his elbow, laughing and looking at her. "What should we do first?" They were on a small bit of land behind the castle. Her parents would never see them playing back here. Elsa slowly sat up, sliding her knees underneath her and sitting on her calves.
"Do you..." The words caught in her throat as the memories of her younger sister flooded through her mind like a tidal wave. "Do you want to build a snowman?"
Three years passed, Jack and Elsa remaining side by side and their relationship blossomed into a deep friendship. Elsa, however, did ensure that she was wearing gloves at all times and that there was never any contact with her bare skin. She still feared the possibility of hurting him greatly and she would not allow that to happen, no matter what that took. Never did her parents or the staff suspect a thing. She hid it from them well as she knew that they would not approve of her leaving the castle and they would surely take steps to stop her from doing so. Throughout the years she heard whisperings here and there of how much her parents worried for her. They fretted on how she possessed no friends and how that would effect, not only her childhood, but also her ruling of the kingdom whenever she came of age. Soon the sun rose on the wintry day of her fifteenth birthday. Her parents were there not long after she woke to wish her a happy day filled with merriment. Their words, however, were plainly spoken with sorrow. After all, what fun could she have cooped up in this stuffy castle and moreover enclosed in this room alone? Or so they thought. Before long she began to put on the show. She clutched at her stomach and groaned lightly.
"Elsa, are you all right?" Her Father asked, a concerned expression on his face.
"I-I don't feel too well. I'm afraid I didn't sleep well last night either."
"Are you sick?" Her mother asked. Instinctively, her mother reached to place her hand on her forehead but then, realizing her error, she lowered her hand to her side once again.
"I'm not sure. I'm very tired though; I think I'll sleep some more, if you don't mind."
"Of course not." Her parents chorused and, with goodnight wishes, they left her. A smile spread across her face as she locked the door behind them and she bounded to her wardrobe. Throwing open the doors, she quickly changed from her nightclothes into a pale blue dress with violet accents. Her fingers fumbled with the strings that laced up the back, periodically glancing at the window. A lifetime seemed to have passed before she finished, then she changed her gloves from those she wore at night to those she wore during the daytime. Finally, she snatched a short length of white fur from inside her closet and wrapped it around her pale shoulders. Running to the window, she flung it open. The snow stretched out for miles before her like a field of wooly sheep that went on into eternity or an innumerable amount of clouds strategically placed so that one might walk on them. The sun's beams shown down, crisp and bright on her face. She giggled. Nothing could ruin this day, she thought as she searched the white expanse for who she knew would be coming soon. Surely, he had remembered it was her birthday, hadn't he? He must have. Jack was probably only playing one of those practical jokes he was notorious for. She sat down on the sill, staring out at the gleaming snow beyond. He would come, of this she was certain. The smile refused to leave Elsa's face as she waited for him, thinking of the day before her. Presently, she felt a pair of hands being placed on her shoulders. She twisted her head to look behind her. Jack stood mere inches away, smiling down at her. She often wondered how he did such things.
"Oh, Jack!"
"You coming or what?" He said, reminding them both of the day they had first met. He didn't wait for a response but wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. They landed once again in the puffy, white snow, chuckling.
"Come on." She cried, shaking the snow off her dress and racing away from the castle. They both giggled as he chased after her. They came to a forest thick with trees and she slowed to a stop, hiding behind one.
"Elsa?" Jack called when he reached the forest. A faint smile spread her lips as she stooped to the ground and began to pack a hand full of snow into a dense ball. Quickly, she popped out from behind the tree and threw it at him, laughing. The snowball hit him squarely in the chest and for a moment he was stunned.
"Why you-" He said chuckling and bent to gather ammunition of his own. Elsa squealed as one came flying at her, missing her by a narrow margin. For what must have been the next three hours or so they chased each other around the forest, scattering snowballs everywhere as they very rarely hit their target. They both ran around a tree to dodge the other's snowball and ended up colliding with each other on the other side. Jack fell backwards, Elsa forwards. They laid in the snow there laughing for quite some time, Elsa's gloved hand resting on Jack's chest. The snow crackled and rustled beneath them as they turned to lay on their sides. Elsa's breath caught as she looked into Jack's eyes. They sparkled; they were the characterization of winter itself. Nothing but silence drifted between them for a long while. Finally, Jack spoke, "Elsa," he said, taking her gloved hand into his own. "Why won't you take your gloves off?"
"Jack," She said wanting to pull away but hesitant to, "We've been through this. I don't want to hurt you."
"I told you years ago, I'm not afraid."
"But I am!" Elsa explained, standing. "I'm afraid! Jack, don't you see-" A loud crash of thunder interposed. The storm seemed to come out of nowhere, dark clouds forming rapidly above and thick drops of rain falling from the sky towards them. Within seconds the two of them were drenched. Elsa's hair, which had come undone from its braid hours ago began to cling to the side of her face.
"I should go." Elsa glanced up at the storm above.
Jack's eyes had never left her's. "Trust me, Elsa." He whispered, but somehow Elsa heard what he said over the booming storm. He slowly reached for her hand again, heavy raindrops pelting the both of them. Their eyes remained locked to the other's as he took her left hand in his. She trembled gently as he ever so softly tugged on the glove and pulled it from her hand. She stood like a statue as he repeated the action with her right hand than folded both her hands in his. He let her hands fall but slipped his left hand through her arm and around her waist. With his right, he lifted her head slightly. She closed her eyes and warmth blossomed within her as he kissed her lightly on her forehead. Never had she felt so alive. Every one of her nerves were awake and could sense anything. She felt every individual raindrop as it splashed against her skin. He pulled his hands back and cupped them together.
"I told you to trust me." Jack said, raising his hand to expose what was in the other one. A thick block of ice in the perfect shape of a heart rested, cupped inside his palm. Elsa gasped. A laugh that sounded almost like it had been trapped escaped her lips. Tears began to stream from her eyes, sliding it's way down her face. All this time she had felt so alone. Like she was the only one with this curse. But she no longer thought of it as a curse. It was a blessing, something that Jack and she uniquely shared. Why had he not told her before? She realized then that, though she had not known it, he had been telling her all along. He had wanted her to trust him...and she had. Suddenly, reality came crashing back to her. They had been out most of the day. Surely, it was almost dinner time. She had to get back to the castle. This apparently dawned on Jack as well.
"You've got to go." He said, closing her hand over the heart made from ice. She tingled at his contact with her. "I'll come to your room after dinner."
She nodded then turned and raced toward the castle. Her mind could think of only one thing as her feet pounded against the wet snow: her love for Jack. Elsa reached her window and did not hesitate for a moment. She inhaled. Then, as she exhaled, her power rippled through her. A pillar of ice raised beneath her, carrying her up to her window. In seconds she had stepped off the pillar and into her room and closed the window behind her. When she turned around, what she saw made her heart skip a beat: her mother sat at the table in the corner of the room, staring at her with a wide-eyed expression. Elsa looked down at herself; she was drenched from head to toe and droplets of rainwater dripped from her onto the brightly polished floor.
"Elsa!" Her Mother shouted, rising from the chair and rushing to her. Though it was obvious she was angry, her first concern was for her daughter's welfare and she began to pull off the wet clothes. Thirteen-year-old Anna stood in the frame of Elsa's open bedroom door, peering in. Elsa's Mother glanced down, noticing that Elsa wore no gloves.
"Go to your room, Anna. Everything's fine." Fear was in her eyes. Elsa knew that her Mother feared that if, for some reason, Elsa should lose control of her powers, Anna would be hurt. Elsa's sister did not move.
"I said go!" Her Mother shouted, speaking more forcefully than Elsa had ever heard her speak before. Anna gasped and quickly scuttled away. Her Mother raced into the bathroom to retrieve a towel and gave it to Elsa.
"Dry yourself off and get into some dry clothes, while I go tell your Father to call the guards off their search." She shut the door behind her as she left. Elsa stared down at the floor. She chastised herself as she placed the crystalline heart in the nightstand by her bed. What had she done? Her Father had had his men searching for her. Anxiety burned through her like a thick, gushing wave of lava. What would her parents do? Would they forbid her from seeing Jack again? No, they couldn't. She would sneak out anyway. She loved him and she would not be separated from him. She would find a way to be with him no matter what it took. But what if they moved her to a room without a window? How would she get out? She would find a way, no matter what the cost. Her door swinging open interrupted her foreboding thoughts. Her parents stepped through the doorway almost eerily silent.
"Please sit down, Elsa." Her Father said firmly, motioning to the foot of her bed. She readily complied.
"I understand that you snuck out of the castle today, after lying to your Mother and I about being ill. There is simply no-"
"Father, I can explain-"
"There's no need, Elsa. This behavior must stop. There can be no negotiation." He was conspicuously calm.
"But, Father-" Elsa interrupted.
"You're supposed to be learning control!" His tranquility was replaced with an anger burning hot enough to melt the strongest of metals into liquid in seconds. "Who do you suppose is to rule the country when your Mother and I are gone?"
Elsa lowered her gaze to rest on the floor, her hair still slightly damp. As she did, her eyes flicked over the window and she spotted the face of Jack through the opaque glass. Concern marked his features as she gave a quick and barely noticeable shake of her head.
Her Father exhaled, calming himself. "This ends now." He commanded firmly but gently.
"Yes, Father."
"Dear," her Mother began, "maybe we can provide some time for her to play outside. After all, she doesn't have any friends to play with the least we could do-"
A wave of emotion swept through Elsa at her Mother's words. She was sick and tired of being the one that everyone pitied but never did anything about. Finally, she could not stand it any longer. "I have a friend!" She screamed, the words bursting forth from her lips. Her parents simply stared at her with wide eyes as if she had sworn. "I have a friend." She repeated more calmly.
"Who is it?" Her Mother queried, staring at her.
"His...his name is Jack."
"Where-" Her Mother began but her Father interrupted.
"It's late. Why don't we discuss this further in the morning."
"Certainly." Her Mother acquiesced. "Goodnight, Elsa."
"Goodnight." Elsa mumbled. As her parents left she looked to the window once again; Jack's face was nowhere to be found. Unable to hold them back any longer, tears began to spill over her eyelids. Why was this happening? Why was it happening now after she had discovered just how close Jack and her were? It wasn't fair. Now in her nightclothes, she threw herself onto her bed, entirely numb. Her tears spilled freely onto her pillow as she tried to will herself to sleep but her head was filled with too many thoughts of her Father, her Mother...and Jack, and so she tossed and turned until she was finally able to uneasily drift away to sleep. A handful of days passed, during the earlier part of it Elsa's parents had questioned her often about the friend she had so adamantly declared she possessed and she had told them about him, about everything they had done together, the fun they had had. She told them everything save the moment they had shared in the forest. That was too personal. Later, however, Elsa's Mother reported that Anna had been plagued with terrible nightmares every night and so Elsa was left alone for much of the time. For a week's time, Elsa did not see Jack. She had multiple incidences with her powers during this time. Her heart ached to see him, to feel his arm around her waist, or his long, thin hand on her cheek, but, in spite of her missing him, he did not come. Elsa had heard whisperings between the maid and the butler from inside her room. They spoke of how her Mother and Father feared for her, feared that she was not well. It infuriated Elsa. They didn't think Jack was real. They thought that she had made him up because she was lonely. She had been lonely, but he had come for her. He had come to save her. Anna's nightmares began to lessen until they finally stopped entirely and, as it had before, this caused Elsa's parents to become more attentive to her. One day Elsa woke with a start to a knocking on her door.
"Who is it?" Elsa asked, sitting up.
"It's me, Elsa." It was her Mother's voice.
"Come in."
Her Mother walked in, clothed in a plum colored dress with a full skirt, her crown resting sullenly on top of her head.
"Elsa, dear," Her Mother began, obviously agitated, "Your Father and I are leaving tomorrow morning."
"What? Why?" Elsa started.
"We have to attend a celebration. I know this sounds unimportant but it would make relations..." Her Mother pondered her words, "strained if we did not attend. Your Father and I considered taking you and your sister with us but, we decided that it would be best to leave the two of you here. But you and I need to discuss something before I leave."
Elsa's heart quickened, she had guessed where this was all going.
Her Mother went on, "About this friend you made, Elsa-"
Elsa interjected, "No, Mother, I know what you're going to say. He's real. I know he is. I'm not insane."
"Oh, Elsa." Her Mother stepped closer to her. "No one is saying that. You know," It was obvious that her Mother wanted to put an arm around her or something to show some affection, but her Mother knew it was not safe, so she simply continued speaking, "As children, whenever we're lonely, sometimes we like to pretend that there's someone that is with us all the time." She tried to force a smile onto her face. "So that we're never alone. Do you understand, dear?" Elsa did not respond. "But, there comes a time in everyone's life when they have to let go of those childhood fantasies and face the real world."
Elsa looked up at her, tears welling in her eyes as she shook her head slowly.
"You think I made him up." She had already known it to be true but now it was undeniable. Pain shown clearly in Elsa's eyes as she spoke. "He's real, Mother. He is and he loves me."
Her Mother's eyebrows drew together in an expression of sorrow but determination. "Elsa, your Father and I love you very much, but you've got to stop pretending. You're fifteen years old and it's time you began fully understanding and readying yourself to take the throne."
"No!" Elsa shouted, turning and walking away from her. "I won't forget him! I didn't make him up!" She wrung her hands and clenched them together at her stomach as her voice rose. "And I don't care if you don't believe me! You can say I'm sick, lonely or insane and it won't change anything!"
"Does he age?" Her Mother practically shouted, the question full of emotion, and it hit Elsa like a sledgehammer to the stomach. She repeated her question when Elsa only stared at her, her eyes wide with concern. "Answer me, Elsa." Her Mother's voice was stern and commanding such as it had never been before.
Elsa's hands trembled, but the fight in her was gone. "No." She answered in a whisper. Through the entirety of the three years she had known him she had grown and changed greatly, he had not.
"Elsa," Her Mother spoke slowly, "he is not real. I expect you to have given up these delusions by the time your Father and I leave on our boat tomorrow."
Elsa sunk slowly to the floor as her Mother shut the door behind her. She screamed in frustration and pounded a fist against the floor. Weeping, she tried to recall all of the memories she had shared with Jack. Had there been anything that would prove he was real? Had she really made the whole thing up? Was she truly mad? She heard a tap on her window. He was there, just outside her window. She struggled to inhale as she sobbed. Quickly, she raced to the window and unbolted it. She threw it open. He dropped just inside. "Oh, Jack!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Hey, hey, wait up. What's wrong?" Jack asked, holding her steady with an arm around her waist. She didn't want to tell him. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to do anything, only stay here in his arms where she was happy and safe. He pushed her away from him so that he could see her face.
"Jack," She stammered, unable to speak through the tears, "Jack, their telling me I made you up! Their telling me you're not real! When you didn't come for so long, I started to worry. Oh, please, Jack, you've got to help me!" She threw herself against him again, her head resting just above his heart. She listened to the steady rhythm beating inside his chest, focusing on it and excluding all else from her mind and heart. Jack's eyes were filled with fear. He slowly sat down on the floor and pulled her tighter into his embrace. Hours passed as she wept, as he held her tightly against him. Slowly, Elsa's sobs quieted and her eyes shut as she felt the steady rise and fall of his chest. She woke in the same position, the even heartbeat still keeping its' rhythm next to her head.
"What time is it?" She asked Jack, not wanting to move from his arms.
"I'm not sure. Late. Go back to sleep, Elsa. I'll stay with you tonight."
Elsa nodded softly and settled against him to fall asleep again.
"Elsa, Elsa!" She heard Jack calling along with the feeling of someone gently shaking her shoulder. She woke up and looked around. Sure enough, he had stayed with her that night and had held her as the sun descended till it rose again.
"Jack, what is it?" Elsa asked, lethargically.
"You're parents are leaving. They want you to see them off downstairs. Your maid has already knocked twice."
"I don't want to separate." Elsa admitted quietly.
He laid a slender hand against her cheek. "I know. But we've got to. I love you."
Elsa could feel her heart beating as she spoke, "I love you too, Jack."
Elsa stood up just as the door began to open. The maid stepped in.
"I'm sorry, princess, but your Mother asked me to come and fetch you." Elsa shook with fear. What would her parents say? What would they do, when the maid told them? Elsa looked behind her at Jack poised to jump on the window sill. He was turned away from them and had not noticed the maid's entrance. The maid stayed silent. She didn't see him. She didn't see him! Jack jumped from her window. She hadn't seen him.
"Princess, is everything all right?"
She hadn't seen him. Elsa said nothing but only trembled as the maid helped her swiftly change out of her nightclothes to see her parents off. Her mind was entirely elsewhere as she was led down the stairs where her parents waited for her. Her feet fell heavily on the oaken stairs. Had she truly gone mad? She must have. The maid hadn't seen him! She reached the bottom of the staircase and made an awkward curtsy to her parents.
"Do you have to go?" Her voice quivered with uncertainty. She did not want to be left alone, not when she could not even trust herself.
"You'll be fine, Elsa." Her Father assured her and, with no more conversation, her Father and Mother left the castle. She clumsily ascended the stairs once again, leaning heavily against the wall as she made her way back to her room. Her bedroom door seemed strangely quiet when she shut it, as if the entire world had been muted in some way. Why had she not seen him? Her feet unable to hold her any longer, she fell forward onto her bed. Why was she suddenly so tired? She had just woken up, and yet she felt exhausted as if her energy had been siphoned from her. She fell asleep on her bed, lying at a strange angle with her feet dangling off the edge. Two days passed, she woke up, she slept, she woke up again, all else was but a blur to her...until the loud knock crashed against her door. She said nothing.
"Princess," It was the maid. Her voice was cracked and strained as if she had been crying, "it's your parents."
"No." Elsa whispered, entirely inaudible.
"There's been an accident. The boat was lost at sea." The maid sobbed.
It felt like a massive ball made out of solid lead had been placed on Elsa's stomach. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe.
"Please, leave." She gasped.
"Princess, if there's anything-"
"Go!" Elsa screamed. Her body shook and trembled violently. Her heart was beating quickly, too quickly. A frigid cold spread throughout her body, starting from her heart and quickly moving outwards. Her palms were almost forced open from the untold energy pulsating inside of her. She screamed again as a blast of icy energy shot out from her. Snow covered the room and icy shards blasted out all around her, lodging themselves in the furniture and the walls. It was as if a blizzard had taken hold of the room. The furniture was tossed about in wintry blasts of ice, the windows broken by the glacial winds. Nothing was left intact.
Elsa sat, her back pressed against the door amidst the chaos of her room. Everyone else was attending the funeral. She couldn't. It would be too much of a risk to herself and to her people. Her people. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to rule a country, of this she was certain. Her Mother had tried to warn her, tried to ready her for what lied ahead, but she had ignored her like a fool. She was right all along. She had been lonely. She had been scared. She had needed a friend. So she had created one. She had grown up. She had needed someone to love her, and so he had. How could she have been so foolish? She sat with her hands holding her elbows and her knees folded against herself as if she might fall apart at any second unless she held herself together.
Jack nimbly climbed up the castle wall to Elsa's window and peered in through one of the broken window panes. He gasped, the room was in complete disarray. He spotted Elsa, sitting by the door. He couldn't tell if she was weeping or not, but unbearable sadness was etched in every one of her features. He lowered himself down to look through another pane. Her eyebrows were pushed together in concentration. He knew that she was trying to control the power inside of her. He slipped through the window that hung slightly ajar.
"Elsa," he whispered as he took gentle steps toward her. She closed her eyes and did not reply. He knelt down in front of her and took her face gently in his hands and tilted it upwards.
Elsa felt a wave of pain ripple through her and she slowly pressed her eyes shut as she tilted her head upwards, resting it against the sturdy door.
"Elsa," he called again. She didn't make a sound. His eyes widened with understanding and a tear slid down his cheek as realization overtook him. She had been told he did not exist, that she had imagined the whole thing. She did not believe. Jack called her name again. More tears began to flow when she did not answer him. "I love you, Elsa. If you love me, please, please say something." His words caught in his throat as he pleaded. "Elsa, please." He begged through sobs. He closed his eyes and leaned forward slowly, cupping her face in his hands and gently pressed his lips against hers, knowing that she would never feel them.