Enchanted Forest

"C'mon Killian, keep up!"

Jack raced his best friend to the lake, ready to spend hours playing around on the frozen surface. It was the first real snowfall of the season, and Jack wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. He loved the cold weather, though Killian was never that fond of it.

"Jack, why can't we just go on the ships and play pirates like we always do?" Killian asked, trying his best to catch up with Jack. "Besides, what are we going to do on a frozen lake?" The only reason he was even here was because Jack was his best friend, and best friends did everything together. Yet Jack was more than his best friend; he was a second brother.

"We needed to do something different for a change," Jack answered, his eyes searching for the lake that he knew would be close. "We can be pirates another day. We may never get another chance like this."

The two boys finally made it to their destination after going through a thick brush. It was more beautiful than Jack remembered. The ice was perfectly clear and solid, and Jack could see his reflection looking back at him as he stood over it. Killian stood next to him, catching his breath as he stared down at his own reflection. They stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in everything around them. Jack turned to his best friend, a smile spreading across his face.

"Ready to go out on the ice Killian?"

Killian stood on the hard ice, feeling anxiety about what he was doing. He knew that if Liam were here, he would surely tell him off, but Liam was with their father on the ships. Besides, Killian couldn't let Jack know that he was slightly terrified at the fact that they were standing on a frozen lake where at any second the ice could crack and both boys would surely fall to their death. Jack would never let him live it down if he did.

"Can you go any farther Killian, or would you rather turn around?" Jack called, almost twenty feet away from his friend. He had a smug smile on his face, taunting Killian to come farther out.

"Come off it Jack, I'm fine where I'm at," Killian answered, trying to keep his anxiety out of his voice. "I have nothing to prove to you anyway, I can beat you any day on a ship." Jack laughed loudly, and Killian couldn't help but laugh with him. For some reason they couldn't stop laughing, even though there was nothing particularly funny about their situation. They were just two friends out on a frozen lake, trying to one up each other and prove that they were fearless.

"Alright Killian, just turn back, I promise I won't make fun of you if you do," Jack said, finally able to get out a sentence after all of the laughing. "But that doesn't mean I won't tell Liam you were out here with me. I'm sure he'll want to hear about it."

"I'm not afraid of my brother, I'm already taller than him and I'm only 13," Killian said, already taking a few steps backwards. "Plus I'm a much better fighter than he is." All Jack could do was shake his head and giggle, knowing full well that even though Killian was taller than his older brother, he definitely couldn't beat him in a fight. But Jack didn't want to hurt Killian's ego any further.

Killian turned around and began to make his way slowly across the ice, careful to take light steps. All he wanted to do was get back to solid ground and make his way home. He never really liked the cold weather, but he would put up with it for Jack. Maybe he would be able to convince Jack to go home early and bribe him with the promise of hot chocolate. These thoughts ran through Killian's head as he walked, and for the first time since he stepped out onto the ice, he wasn't scared. But then the ice cracked. And Killian fell through.

"Killian!"

Jack saw his best friend fall below the ice, and immediately he began to scramble his way towards him. His mind was buzzing with an infinite amount of thoughts and fears, but one stood out from all the rest. He needed to save Killian. There was no other option. He had to do whatever it took to save him.

He came upon the place where the ice had cracked, and took careful steps around the hole to see if he could spot Killian. Jack saw a flash of black hair about 10 feet below the surface, struggling to make it to the top. Killian was sure to be panicking, which would make it harder to swim to the top. He knew Killian was one of the best swimmers in their village—he practically lived for the sea—but swimming in icy water was a whole different beast to conquer.

"Killian, just hold your breath, I'm coming to get you!" Jack yelled, though he was sure that his best friend couldn't hear him. He knew that the only way to save Killian would be to jump in the water and pull him out, though he was sure that doing so would be certain death for him. But Jack didn't care about that; he only cared about saving Killian. That was the only thing that mattered. Jack threw off his shoes and cloak, rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, and dove into the icy trap to retrieve his friend.

Every cell in Jack's body screamed as his body was attacked by the chillness of the water. He almost passed out from its effect, but the will to save Killian kept him awake. His eyes scanned his surroundings until he found Killian, who was still trying to swim to the top, yet his movements were much slower than before. By now the water had already begun to penetrate Killian's lungs, causing him to start drowning. He only had a short time before he would be dead. And Jack couldn't let that happen.

Swimming as fast as he could and trying to beat off the coldness that ate at his whole body, Jack made his way towards Killian. He tried to move as fast as he could, yet it always felt like his best friend was out of reach. The darkness of the water terrified him, but he had to keep going.

After what felt like eternity and more, Jack finally reached Killian, who was barely above a level of unconsciousness. He grabbed Killian's shirt in his hands and started to swim upward, his legs screaming for relief. Every muscle in his body was on the verge of shutting down from the exertion, but the need to survive propelled Jack upwards. He was getting closer to the surface, they were going to make it. They were going to live.

Jack's head broke the surface of the lake, his lungs gratefully filling up with much needed oxygen. He pulled Killian up with him, hoping that the fresh air would wake him up. But his best friend wasn't moving, and his dead weight was going to drag them under if they didn't get to dry ground.

Swimming with one arm, Jack made it to the edge of the broken ice, hoping that it would be strong enough to support them both until they could make it back to the shore. He pulled himself up along with Killian, never letting go in fear that his best friend would slip under the surface forever. Getting as far away from the edge as possible, Jack fell lay down on the ice, Killian right next to him. He was beyond exhausted, but he had to make sure that Killian was okay. No doubt some water had reached his lungs, and Jack had to get it out. He leaned over his best friend, laying his head over his chest to see if he could hear any heartbeat. The faintest of sounds reached his ears, bringing a small sense of relief to Jack. Even if he was just barely holding on, Killian was at least alive.

"Killian, wake up!" Jack shouted, shaking his friend as he did so. "C'mon, you gotta wake up!" He could feel the tears building up, but he prevented them from falling. Killian had to wake up. Jack couldn't lose his best friend—he wouldn't allow it.

Killian remained motionless for what felt like an eternity for Jack. Yet after a few minutes, Jack heard a cough. If it hadn't been completely quiet around him, he wouldn't had heard it. He turned to Killian, praying that he would make another sound.

Don't give up on me Killian, we've come too far…

All of the sudden, an arsenal of coughs erupted from Killian, water coming out of his mouth. His eyes popped open, panic evident in his stare. Jack grabbed Killian and helped him sit up, hoping that it would help him. He pounded his fist on his best friend's back, helping to get the water out.

"Killian, can you talk?" Jack asked him, his voice flooding with relief that his friend had finally woken up. "Are you alright?"

It took a few seconds, but finally Killian was able to croak out three words.

"I hate ice."

He turned to Jack—his savior—and began to laugh uncontrollably, not giving any mind to the fact that he had almost died and that his lungs were still . Jack looked at him in disbelief, but eventually joined in with the laughter. For several minutes they couldn't stop, and the only sound on the frozen lake was of two best friends laughing.

"Wow Killian, only we could laugh about almost dying," Jack said, finally catching his breath. "We have a sick sense of humor."

"That's why we're best friends Jack," Killian said, his voice barely over a whisper, trying to regain its strength.

"Well I think we better get back home before we get pneumonia, though I'm sure we'll have to deal with Liam when we get back," Jack said, helping Killian to his feet. Killian was still weak from their ordeal, so Jack let Killian lean his weight against him as they walked together. They took careful steps as they made their way to dry ground, both praying that no more ice would break as they made their way. When they finally reached the shore, they both let out a sigh of relief that they didn't realize they had been holding.

The best friends were finally back in safety's arms, and they couldn't be more grateful.