Chapter 1
Elsa
The wind whipped about her, screaming and howling. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, but she felt nothing. Everything was going according to plan.
"Elric? Lord Elric?"
The insistent voice finally registered, and she quickly glanced towards the source. Snow flakes whirled about, obscuring her eyesight and blurring the approaching figure. His gray cloak finally came into focus, and she sighed.
"What is it, Olaf?"
The perpetually cheerful boy smiled, his dark eyes twinkling. "Well, I think your lordship will be glad to know our troops are advancing accordingly, and that our scouts have reported back with positive results."
She sighed. "Olaf, I thought I told you before. Drop the formalities when it's just you and me."
His pale hair flopped over his eyes. Distracted, he blew at it in vain.
"Olaf."
He stopped abruptly and smiled innocently. "Sure, sure. I'll try, Elsa."
With a grin, he turned away and started running.
"Hey! Don't call me that anymore!" She took a step towards him, then stopped and scowled. She doubted he would ever stop. After all, it had been a habit to address her as Elsa, for some 16 years before it became necessary otherwise.
A puff of breath swirled in front of her face as she sighed. She would never get used to being called Elric, or Lord Elric especially. But it was necessary, she supposed, if they wanted to win the war. Troops didn't respond well to a female leader, so she had disguised herself. No one except a few of her advisers and close friends knew the truth. Most of them didn't agree or support the idea, but went along with it anyways. They trusted Elsa.
She gazed at the village in the distance, some half-day's journey away, and flipped her hood back up.
She turned back to the narrow, icy road and started walking. The snow crunched underfoot.
Jack
His horse was being difficult.
It would not listen to him, no matter what approach he took with it. After an hour of getting nowhere, he decided the others could wait for a day while he rested and thought things through. Besides, there was a famous hot springs in the village he had always wanted to try out.
He got off his horse and led him by foot, which proved much easier going. They made it to the outskirts by sunset, and continued until they reached an inn to Jack's liking. It was quiet, ideal in that he would not be recognized as easily, and it was also in the vicinity of the hot springs... Close enough that he could easily walk there to bathe in the evening.
As he sat down to eat, he looked out the window and wondered. Was he getting any closer? It hardly seemed so. His council went on and on about this lead being top notch and that lead being next best... He wanted to scream in frustration. The other armies were closing in on him. Jack was running out of time, and no one seemed to understand. If he didn't come into possession of the item, everything would fall apart. His kingdom, his army, his achievements... Everything he had would cease to exist. All because of those stupid Arendelles and Pitch and... He ran a hand through his hair. Why couldn't they just butt out and let him get what he deserved?
The inn door slammed open, making him glance up. A great crowd of people shuffled in, their clothes heavy with snow and their faces flushed from the cold. One by one they shook themselves off and drew down their hoods. A big group, Jack mused, but nothing special. He went back to his tasteless soup, annoyed that the inn would no longer be quiet. He continued his thoughts, wondering how difficult and morally incorrect it would be to massacre a town such as this.
He smiled. Obviously not too hard, as his army had done so with quite a few small, insignificant villages. But the morality? He frowned. Well, all of his council had wanted it. So what was so bad about it?
He raised his hand to order more food, and grinned at the serving woman who came by. She was sweet, Jack thought.
And irrelevant, Jack thought.
He had already forgotten her face by the time she turned around.
Elsa
"Are you certain it's a good idea?"
"Yes, Anna, I'll be fine."
"But, but- What if one of the soldiers decides to take a bath and wants to go to the hot springs and then he finds you and he recognizes your face and then-"
Elsa put a finger on her sister's lips to quiet her onslaught of words. "Like I said, don't worry. No one will be there this late at night."
"But-"
"And if there is someone, there'll be so much steam and mist I can hide as soon as I hear them. Okay?"
She smiled, and Anna relaxed. "But..."
"But nothing. I highly doubt any of the men in our army is deep enough to have the desire to bathe underneath the stars."
They laughed, and Elsa was finally permitted to go. "I'll be back before you know it, so go to sleep sweet Anna."
"Yeah, yeah big sis." The redhead stuck out her tongue before turning to go back to her tent. "Be careful."
"I will." The tent flap closed, and Elsa started to pack her soap and set of clothes. She pulled up her hood. Then she set out.
The hike towards the springs was quiet and relaxing. The path led her through some wooded area, which made the going a bit difficult in the poor night lighting. But soon she had arrived, and the stars above her twinkled as she laid her things out at the edge. Steam rose from the springs, the moon shone down, and the crickets chirped. As she undressed, she was glad they had stopped at this village. The springs were magnificent and charming, utterly relaxing as she eased herself in. She was glad no one else was around.
She leaned back against the edge, and closed her eyes. It had been a good day.
Elric's Army had quickly marched across some 100 miles since leaving Arendelle and was headed towards Weselton. They were searching for clues regarding the Elixir, and had come up empty handed thus far. No one had concrete leads, and her army had been on a goose hunt for the past 3 months. If they did not have success by the time they came upon Weselton, they would likely have no choice but to declare war on the city to gain access to their supplies. The Elixir was the key to everything; every kingdom was out searching for it. But so far, no one had come close to it.
A branch cracked, and Elsa's eyes snapped open. Her heart started pounding; what if Anna was right? What if this had been a stupid idea? She looked around frantically-there was nowhere to hide. The only entry was the path that noises were coming from. The steam wasn't thick enough to conceal her...
The edge of a foot became visible, and Elsa made a quick decision. She sucked in a deep breath, then dove down.
Air bubbles escaped as time ticked by. She couldn't hold it any longer. She broke the surface, a tiny gasp escaping her as she looked around. Ah. So, it was all her imagination? There was no one she could see, no evidence of anyone-
"So, what were ya doin' down there?"
The male voice startled her, and she screamed. Where?! Where was- Oh.
There. There he was.
She sputtered angrily, forgetting for a moment that he might be a soldier in her army, that she had been stupid, that he was a guy.
"Oh shut up!" She pointed and glared murderously at the figure sitting on the rock. "I didn't think you were watching and I didn't think you would be weird enough to stare and-"
His low chuckle made her blush and realize something.
Water dripped from her hands, her chin, and... her chest. Elsa couldn't see him, but could he see her?! She cursed, and ducked underwater so that only her head wasn't submerged. She had forgotten how naked she was.
"How much did you see?"
"Don't worry, I couldn't see anything." But his voice was full of laughter, and she knew he was lying.
"Ugh..." This was horrifying. Wait- the sudden realization hit her. Who was he?
A splash sounded, and her heartbeat picked up again. What was he doing? Why was he coming in? She must have said it aloud, because he laughed again.
"Why, because I came her to take a bath, as you did."
More splashing, closer and closer...
The steam parted, and she could see him.
She blushed even more. Because...
Because he was beautiful in a way no man should be.
His chest, obviously muscled, was pale and blurred by the little steam remaining. His face was pretty, his eyes a startling blue, his hair (if possible) even lighter than hers. And his smile... was teasing.
She would have recognized him, right? She would have known if a guy like him was a soldier in her army... So that left, local? Traveler? There were lots of travelers in this village. But why was he here so late?
The silence stretched out between them. Neither moved.
"Sooooo" he drawled. "I lied."
"About?" her voice was strained.
"I did see you." The tips of his cheeks flushed pink. He grinned, and his eyes laughed. "I could see you naked from the rocks over there."
Her eyes widened in horror. "And you looked ?!"
Now he really did laugh. "Beautiful, who wouldn't?"
She sputtered again, realizing a beat too late that he had called her beautiful.
He grinned, and reached out a hand. "I'm Jack."
She swallowed, and debated her options. She could A) run and never look back B) scream for nonexistant help C) charm him so well she could escape (she snorted at the chances of that) or D) shake his hand, and hope this went well.
Making sure to keep one arm covering her chest, she lifted the other to shake the offered hand. "I'm Elsa."
His lips quirked, as if something were funny.
"What?" She glanced down to see if he could see her chest, then around her in confusion. "What's funny?"
Now he laughed again. "No, no. Just..."
She stared at him, waiting.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
Her eyes narrowed.
His lips twitched, and he scratched his head. "God, I never thought I'd say that. That's really lame, huh?"
His hand moved to cover his mouth as he looked away, and she noticed again his flushed cheeks. She gave an involuntary giggle. He was surprisingly... adorable.
"So where are you from, Jack?"
"Too far away a place that you would know, I'm sure. And you, Elsa?"
"I'd say the same. What brings you here?"
"To the hot springs? Why, to bathe whilst gazing at the stars!" He gave her a cheeky grin. "Why else would we be here?"
She smiled. "Well said. I never thought..."
He quirked an eyebrow.
"Never mind." She laughed. "Well as much as I enjoy your company, I doubt it's a good idea to continue my bath. It was nice meeting you, Jack."
She turned to leave, gathering her soaps and clothes, and was about to get out when a hand gripped her arm.
"Wait!" She turned back around, shielding her front with her clothes.
"Where are you going? Please, tell me that. I'd like to meet you again."
"With clothes on?"
"Yes, yes! Just, where?"
She paused, wondering. "Too far away a place that you would know, I'm sure." A grin spread across her face, as she repeated the words he had spoken to her.
His eyes, for once, were utterly serious. "Elsa."
She swallowed, enthralled.
"Weselton," she whispered. "We're heading for Weselton."
His hand released her, and she stepped away. He didn't say anything as she retreated, and the only noise was the splashing of the water as she moved to get out. She was almost at the trail when he spoke at last.
"I'll look for you, Elsa."
She paused, and looked behind her.
"And I, you, Jack."
And then she slid into the darkness of the trail, out of his sight.
Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading. Check my account page if you have questions regarding my previous story.