Chapter 1
"Mommy! Daddy!" Elsa's shriek echoed through the palace. When her parents found the four year-old, she was kneeling in the center of the ballroom. Her father, a few steps ahead of her mother, ran into the room and promptly slid across the floor toward his daughter. Elsa's mother stopped in the doorway uncertainly, watching her husband slide across the floor on the layer of ice swirling around the floor. Silver, white, and blue ice curled away from Elsa. Elsa for her part had a mixture of awe and terror on her young face.
"Look what I did!" Elsa said in excitement. Her father had stopped sliding and was on his knees next to Elsa. He grabbed for her hands.
"You're freezing, Elsa."
"No, I'm not cold. I feel great. The cold doesn't bother me!" Elsa's excitement drained as she asked, "Why can I do this?"
"We don't know, Elsa," her mother said, carefully picking her way across the room. The temperature dropped with every step. In the Queen's arms Elsa's baby sister, Anna, started crying. Elsa stood quickly and ran to her mother and sister.
Looking in wonder at the sniffling baby, Elsa raised her hand. She sent a small puff of glowing white sparkles into the air. Anna stared wide-eyes at the glowing snow. Elsa sent up another puff. Anna reached out her tiny hand, her sniffles gone. Elsa drew a small flower in the air with another puff of ice. Anna grabbed at it, and finding it cold, squeaked. Elsa made another. This time Anna laughed. She squealed in delight, and Elsa laughed too. In fact, all four were smiling and laughing as Elsa shot little sparkles into the air. Elsa giggled.
"Elsa, we don't know why you have these powers," her father said.
"But, we don't care," her mother finished. "You are a very special girl, Elsa, and we love you." Once again, picking their way across the ice, the royal family walked out of the ballroom.
"But you are going to have to figure out how to use your powers." Elsa's father scooped her up, once they were in the hallway. She stared with wide-eyes at him. "You can't keep icing things when you aren't paying attention." Elsa nodded seriously.
"I can help with that." A voice came from beside her, and Elsa turned her head quickly to look. A boy was standing in the hallway. She could have sworn he hadn't been there a second ago. He had silvery hair, even fairer than Elsa's was, shocking blue eyes, and a mischievous smile. He wore a blue and silver coat, ragged brown pants, and no shoes. He also held a staff with ice wound around like ivy in his his hands, casually, as if he didn't even remember it was there.
"Who are you?" Elsa asked.
"What!" Elsa's father looked at her in concerned surprise. Elsa just kept staring at the boy.
"Jack Frost," the boy grinned.
"Where did you come from?" Elsa asked. Now, both her parents had stopped walking and were staring in concern.
"Elsa, sweetheart, who are you talking to?" Elsa's mother asked.
Elsa looked away from Jack Frost and looked in confusion at her parents. "That boy, he's standing right there. Jack Frost, he's here!"
"Jack Frost?" her father asked.
"Where?" her mother asked simultaneously. Elsa pounded her father's shoulders until he put her down. She pointed at Jack. Both the King and Queen stared down the hallway, without seeing anything.
"Mommy, you read the story about him last night! He's right there!"
"They can't see me, Elsa," Jack said seriously.
"Why not?"
"Elsa, who are you talking to?"
"They don't believe in me. But you do."
"So I can see you, because I believe, and they can't because they don't?" Elsa asked. Jack nodded.
As if sensing her mother's confusion and worry, Anna started crying again. Elsa turned away from Jack again, distracted.
"I saw what you did in there, Elsa, for Anna. Do it again. This time I want you to just make a flower, but don't draw it. Think of what a flower would look like, and make one," Jack said pointing to the baby. Elsa walked to Anna, reached out her hand, and inside was a perfect ice daisy. She put it in Anna's hand. Anna's attention was on the flower, and she stopped crying.
"Come on, let's go," Elsa determinedly walked down the hallway. Her family watched for a shocked second and then followed. Jack smiled proudly after them and jumped out the window before Elsa had the chance to look back.
"Elsa, who were you talking to?"
"Jack Frost, he's my imaginary friend."