Chapter 1

Elsa

The day was finally here, the day that I would have to give away my baby sister Anna. It seemed like only yesterday that my mother was placing her gently on my lap and I was feeling like the proudest person on the planet. Now, she was all grown up and marrying a man who loved her with all his heart and soul. I knew she would be happy, but I couldn't help feeling just a little heartbroken that she wasn't that same little girl who reveled in my snowflakes and ice-covered floors.

Today would be one of the happiest days of my sister's life, but I wasn't too thrilled about it. Don't get me wrong, I loved Kristoff, there couldn't have been a better man for Anna, but as her big sister it disheartened me a little to know that in the end it would be me who gave her away forever.

I sat there in my room alone, when suddenly my eye caught a glimpse of a familiar childhood friend, The Story of Jack Frost. This one little book had gotten me through so many painful times in my life. By reading about Jack's adventures as a guardian over the children of the world and also dealing with his power to control ice and snow just like me, I really felt like I wasn't alone in this world. It now lay buried at the bottom of my bookshelf under years of poetry and philosophy.

I knelt down and pulled it from under the pile. It's was exactly as I had remembered. Faded and worn from years of continuous reading and it's pages yellowed from age. I took my treasure back over to the window seat where I had been prior to my discovery. I opened the book gingerly, as to do no more harm to its frayed cover than had already been inflicted, and began to read.

As I read, I began to feel sad. It was a strange feeling to have while holding the one thing that could cheer me up as a child. I knew that it was silly to be so upset by a story for children, but I couldn't help it. The further I read, the deeper the sorrow sank into the pit of my stomach. It was no longer sadness from giving away my little sister, but rather sadness that the hero I was reading about could never be real. He would never know the joy of laughing with his sister, or building a snowman. He was fictional and therefore, could no longer help me.

"Oh how I wish you were real Jack Frost," I said quietly to no one.

Suddenly I heard a voice seeming to come from right behind me, "Who told you I wasn't?" I jumped a bit at the unexpected sound and turned swiftly to see a young man standing behind me. His appearance struck me in a way that no one's ever had. He was truly beautiful. His hair was snow white and his eyes a bright, icy blue. His face was frozen somewhere between a boy and a man, perfectly proportioned so that it held just the right amount of mature sensuality.

I stood as a statue for what seemed like forever, as did he. He never made the slightest advance toward me, but rather spoke in that gentle voice, "It's alright. I know this is strange, but if you'll just give me a minute to explain, it'll all make sense."

Most people would have scoffed at his attempt to be cordial as he slowly lowered himself into a bow, but I thought it was rather sweet. He was after all just as new to meeting the people whose rooms he randomly entered as I was to meeting strangers who randomly entered my room. Suddenly remembering my queenly decorum, I stood up straight and tall, angling my chin toward the ceiling and spoke in as calm a voice as I could muster.

"You have one minute to explain yourself before I call for one of my guards."

"A guard won't help you in this case. They would only think you were insane." He motioned slowly to the book that I was still holding in a death grip, "May I?" I handed him the book, confused. I just didn't understand how a children's book was going to help him explain the situation. "Have you read this?" He asked holding up the book. I nodded and he turned it back to examine the cover. "The answers to every question that is running through your mind right now are between these covers, written on these pages," he replied, gently opening the book. Inside, he found the inscription that my father had written just before he gave it to me,

My Dearest Elsa,

I know that what you are facing is to be a hard road, but remember to always hold your head up high and fight on. I believe in you my dearest. You are stronger than you will ever know and braver than I could ever tell you. Your mother and I realize how hard it will be for you to keep your secret, especially from Anna, and so we are giving you this book in the hopes that the adventures inside will give you the strength to do what is right, the bravery to correct what is wrong, and the wisdom to know the difference. We hope that you will find comfort in Jack's story and know that you are not alone. It may seem like just a story right now, but trust me Elsa when I say that there is more in our world than we know of, including magic. We love you Elsa, don't ever forget that.

With love and tenderness,

Your Father

P.S.

Remember, conceal, don't feel, don't let it show. I love you my darling and I will until the end of time.

I watched patiently as he read the letter. When he had finished, I waited for him to speak. Finally, when I couldn't bear the silence any longer, I spoke up.

"Are you going to tell me how you got in here and what you want?" It was hard not to lose my decorum when someone like him was standing in front of me, but somehow I managed. He muttered something incomprehensible to himself. "What did you say?"

He raised his head slowly and a tear rolled down his cheek. "He believed in me." I knew instantly what he meant. My father was nothing if not open-minded. There wasn't much he didn't believe in. "No one believes in me." As he spoke, my heart sank. I couldn't be certain who he was, but I certainly had empathy toward him. Only mine was the exact opposite. All my life, I had been surrounded by people who believed in me, but I only saw myself as someone who could only fail them. I stepped closer toward him and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. His body shook with each sob as he cried. We sank to the floor.

"Who are you?" I asked gently."

"Do you recognize me, Elsa?" I shook my head slowly. "I'm the one who was always there when you felt like you were all alone. Don't you remember all those times when Anna would knock on your door wanting to build a snowman and you would cry because you wanted to open the door, but you were afraid of hurting her? Do you remember what I would say to you?"

I didn't even have to think. "Let's have some fun instead. Jack?"

"You DO remember! You believe again! I missed you!" He pulled me tightly into a hug. It was true, I did remember all those times we had spent together, but they seemed like only a dream. It wasn't possible that a fictional character that I had dreamed of all my childhood could've been real the whole time. When I didn't return the hug, he pulled away and just looked at me. "You do remember me, don't you?"

"I remember; it's just…" I could see the sadness cloud his eyes. It seemed like he was expecting me to feel more than just the friendship I remembered.

"I know, it's impossible right?" He stood slowly and picked up his staff from the floor which I hadn't seen him drop.

"I was just going to say that my memories seem more like dreams. I remember them the way you would remember a perfect dream." He turned back to me and smiled so brightly that I was sure the sun couldn't compare to its shine.

As he moved to come back to where he had been sitting, there was a knock at the door.

"Elsa?" It was Anna!

"It's ok," Jack placed his hand gently on my chin, "She can't see or hear me. She doesn't believe like you."

"Elsa? Is everything alright?"

"Yes Anna, come in!" She stepped through the door and I finally saw her as what she truly was, a beautiful woman. Oh Anna, you look absolutely gorgeous!" I took her hands into mine as she entered further into my room.

"Elsa, I'm not even dressed yet. How can I be beautiful?"

"You're always beautiful to me, you're my little sister. Now let's get you dressed for your wedding." She stepped back from me and I looked at her for a moment. Suddenly I knew just what to do.

I set right to work and when I was finished, Anna looked like a bride. I had crafted a gown from ice and snow that couldn't have been trumped by any made of fabric (if I do say so myself). It was an A-line gown with draping that began at her hips and icicles that dangled from a snowflake placed strategically at the center of the draping. Around the bottom of the gown were sparkling ice crystals. At it's bust, a sweetheart neckline accompanied by off-shoulder long sleeves that ended in a point that laid perfectly on the top of her dainty little hands. Her veil was a delicate draping of sheer ice and crystals and from its base, hung the same icicles which adorned her gown. It laid gracefully down her back and fanned out in a magnificent train. On her head, I had crafted a crown of snowflakes and ice crystals which glittered with her every move.

She looked down at her gown and gasped. "Oh Elsa, it's beautiful! Thank you!"

"You're my sister, nothing but the best on your wedding day."

"But Elsa, this is the kind of dress you would wear. You're the queen."

"Not today. Today, you're the queen and I am merely another jealous onlooker who is fortunate enough to get to celebrate your love for Kristoff and his love for you." I held out my arms and she ran into them. I held for what seemed like forever until she finally pulled away.

"I should probably let you get dressed. I'll see you at the chapel doors."

"I'll be the one in blue." She smiled and left my room.

"I remember moments like that." I had forgotten that Jack was there and jumped a little at his voice. He didn't appear to notice as he continued to speak. "I had moments like that all the time with my little sister."

"You had a little sister?"

"I still have her, she just can't see me. I go to window every night hoping she'll see me, but she never does."

"That must be awful," I replied sadly. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to see and talk to Anna only to have her not even know I'm there. I don't think I could deal with it."

"Yeah, well, it's hard but maybe someday she'll see a snowflake or an icicle and think of me. Maybe then she'll believe in me." He sat there beside me on my bed and stared away from me at the crook in his staff. Suddenly his head snapped back to me. "It looks like your powers are stronger than ever now. That dress was beautiful."

"Thank you. My power is strong, but I can control it now." The wedding bells began to toll, "The wedding!" I exclaimed as I jumped off the bed. "I'd better get dressed!"

Unlike with Anna's dress, I had been planning mine for months. Within moments, I was finished with the most beautiful gown I had ever worn. True enough, it was no competition for Anna's wedding gown, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was a simple gown. It was light and airy at the bottom with a small train in the back. All across the front torso were delicate ice crystals in an intricate pattern that went from side to side. It had one shoulder strap and in the back, the ice crystals continued their dance in two separate movements; one up to the top of the strap, the other continuing around my back at my waist. This left a small area of exposed flesh that would have made most queens (including my mother) very uncomfortable, but to me, it made me feel alive.

"Wow," Jack replied, still sitting on the bed, "you look beautiful."

"Thank you," I replied, lowering my head to hide the fact that I was beginning to blush. All decorum was out the window now. Even though I was a queen, I was still a twenty-two year old girl and Jack was very attractive and sweet. I brought my eyes back up to meet his to see that his radiant smile was back, so I returned it shyly. "Promise me you won't leave until I get back?"

"What would it matter where I went? No one can see me remember? I'll be right there at the ceremony." I smiled brightly and he lowered his head toward me. He placed a gentle, lingering kiss on my cheek. "I'll be the one in the back row holding a frozen staff." I giggled and left the room.

I wasn't sure how he was going to get into the chapel, but I didn't care as long as he was there. I felt something in that small moment when he kissed my cheek that I hadn't ever felt before. It was in that moment that I knew why Anna had believed that she was truly in love with Hans, but I knew that this was different. In that one moment, I had fallen in love with someone that earlier this morning I had believed to be fictional. I was in love with Jack Frost.