Chapter One

Elsa's POV

They were right. They were all right. I was a monster, and now that my secret was discovered, there was no home in Arendelle for me anymore. That horrid sequence of events leading up to me losing control will continue to replay in my mind in an incessant nightmare. Anna's face broke my heart. It pains me to let my mind wander as far as thinking what would have happened had my powers hurt her in some way. I would not be able to live with myself.

A sharp gust of icy wind stole away my cape after I unclipped it. It was choking me, and I needed to breathe. My powers were stimulated and I was itching to release. I peered down at my naked right hand, where my glove had been lost back in Arendelle. Anger, frustration, and sadness built up inside me. I could feel the tears stinging the backs of my eyes, but I fought them with every muscle in my body. I slipped off my left hand's glove and let the wintery breeze take it away, far away from me. It was purposeless now.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see," I stammered to myself. I was one big disappointment; to my parents, to Anna, to my kingdom. I did not deserve to be queen of such a kingdom. I had let them all down. I wondered how everyone was taking the fact that their queen, their beloved queen, was secretly a monster all these years. I betrayed them.

I had spent all my life trying to be something I was not, trying to tame my powers and hold back. I could not live that way anymore. As long as I knew Anna and the rest of the kingdom was safe from my magic, I knew it was time. It was time to be myself.

I felt my power tingling at the tips of my fingers. In a brisk rush of hysteria, I let go. I let it all go. And wow, it felt amazing. The things I could create, all the beautiful icy miracles I was creating. Who knew my magic could be this graceful and magnificent?

Jack's POV

The air was colder than usual, but nothing I could not handle. As I glided through the night sky, I let myself escape, alone with my thoughts. This was how each night usually went. I was always alone, with no recollection of interaction with anyone but myself. This was the only life I knew. I tried to be content with it, but there was always that burning question in the back of my mind – who was I before I was this magical being? Before I was Jack Frost?

As I flew, I noticed something. I had never seen this place before. I was high in the sky, but I managed to make out a colossal castle, and I heard the boisterous chatter of a worried and frightened kingdom. I saw torches lit and flames dancing. What could be happening on this most peaceful of nights?

I knew I shouldn't have, but I wanted to know more. I slowly descended to the level of the people, and tuned in to their conversations. I caught snippets of each conversation.

"Monster," I heard one older man holler, torch in hand.

"She betrayed us all, she deceived us all," others were blaring.

There was a young woman with reddish auburn hair and an elegant emerald gown who appeared to be the only silent one in the kingdom. She was sitting by herself while people were rushing up to her, asking what they should do. I assumed this girl was the princess or queen, or in some position of power otherwise these villagers would not be going to her for help.

She looked severely hurt and confused. I wished I could speak to her, and get some real answers, but alas, nobody here was capable of seeing me. Nobody here really believed in 'Jack Frost'. I was just weather to them.

After realizing I would get no real conclusion from these broken and frantic conversations, I took to the skies once again, trying to shake the image of the girl's worried expression from my mind. There was nothing I could do, I told myself. People work things out, it's my job to just sit back and watch, and make a snow storm every now and again.

Yet it looked like the snow part was already covered, which I did not understand. I didn't create any major storms, but there was definitely one brewing over this kingdom. The winds were picking up and my vision was becoming blurry, which was never a problem when it was my magic. It left me wondering – how was this phenomenon happening? I was the only person on Earth that controlled the cold weather.

I escaped to the mountaintops for the night. I needed rest from flying, and the noise of the kingdom would have kept me awake. I had to be alone, and these desolate mountains suited my needs nicely.

As I settled in an abandoned bear cave, laying my staff down onto the cold, hard ground and leaning against the wall, I heard something. A voice. What person in their right mind would be up here in this type of weather? Perhaps it was the wind, I figured. I proceeded to shut my eyes and block out the distant hollers from the kingdom below.

Yet the voice was slowly getting louder, and I knew I would not get a wink of sleep without knowing what it was. So, I stood, making sure to grab my staff for safety, and creeped to the edge of the cave. I saw nothing but a raging blizzard in front of me. Peering through the snow, I saw a figure with a billowing cape. In the blink of an eye, I watched the cape whip away. Fascinated, I wanted to get a closer look.

Leaning against a large evergreen, I gazed at the mysterious character making his or her way up the mountain. I concluded it was a girl because of the gown she was wearing that was whipping and snapping in the wind. I wanted to help her, I wanted to dull down the storm so she could safely return to her home, but as I got a closer look, I realized something. She seemed… happy. It was her voice I had heard in the cave, and as I listened to the words she say, I knew she was in no way distressed or in need of my help. She sounded like she could handle herself, so I thought maybe I should just return to the cave and forget about this strange kingdom and its strange people.

Before I could, however, I saw a glittery shard of ice shoot from this stranger's fingertips, and I fell back into the snow in awe and shock. What had I just witnessed?

Regaining my feet, I stared once more.

My eyes must have been deceiving me. This woman was bending and controlling ice, creating beautiful shapes and figures with no staff or form of magic control other than her hands. This magic was extremely powerful and I did not understand it at all. My curiosity was at an all time high, as I began realizing that this woman was the one that created this storm. The blizzard was reflecting her emotions, and I could see that she was feeling… powerful.

Something went wrong, though. The storm dimmed down, and it was now just a light snowfall. This was when my breath was completely taken away. Her ivory hair, her magnificent, full lips, and most of all, her sparkling cerulean eyes. Never had I seen a woman with such beauty. I did not understand this beauty, I did not understand this girl. And I longed to, desperately.

I followed her to a clearing in the snowy woods, where she collapsed abruptly to the ground and began sobbing heavily. I came up behind her, wishing I could comfort her in some way. It broke my heart that she would never be able to see me, she would never knew who I was, and I could never get the answers I craved from her.

Gently, I placed my hand on her back, fully aware she could not feel what didn't exist, and I didn't exist. It felt better for me, though, to know that at least I was there, even though she didn't know it. Suddenly, she shot up, and whirled around, her eyes widening. I did not know what to think. I lost myself in those eyes of hers, and before I knew what was happening, she spoke.

Elsa's POV

Who was this stranger who had the nerve to touch me, to follow me? I longed to know. He had a beautiful pair of sapphire eyes straining with curiosity and bewilderment beneath a set of ivory brows. I was in awe, but reminded stern to know what I needed to know.

"Who are you?" I interrogated. He looked around for a moment, then pointed to himself.

"Me? Are you talking to me?" The stranger asked. Surely he was a little slow in the head. Who else would be up on this mountain in the middle of my blizzard?

"Yes, you. Who else would I be talking to?" I snapped. I was trying hard to contain my powers from unleashing upon this stranger who was toying with my frail patience.

"My name is Jack," the man informed me. I nodded solemnly.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked at the exact same moment he said "what is your name?" Unsure whether I should respond or wait for his response, I acted quickly and replied.

"My name is Elsa," I exclaimed, omitting the 'queen' title, because I was hardly a queen.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated. Jack looked at a loss for words.

"I could ask you the same thing," he suddenly replied smoothly. Still, he looked confused and dazzled all at the same time.

"You should get back to safety, it's wild here in the mountain," I warned him.

"You know, Elsa, you really should not be telling me what to do considering you're in the exact same position I am," Jack answered.

"Same position, huh?" I was getting irritated by this stranger's apparently large ego and smooth tongue.

"So your entire kingdom just discovered you have secret magical powers that control ice and snow and they've shamed you into escaping into the mountains where you will most likely live for the rest of your life?" I spit out without thinking. Jack's brilliant eyes widened, then a sympathetic expression painted itself across his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he sputtered. I shook my head, refusing to listen to his words.

"I don't need sympathy. I just need to be alone," I was cold and unfeeling, but I needed to be. I turned to abandon Jack in the middle of the clearing so I could be alone with my thoughts, before I felt his cool yet somehow soothing touch on my forearm. I flinched.

"Wait," he whispered. I turned, eyeing his hand on my wrist as he dropped it shyly.

"You're not alone," he stammered. I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Yes I am. There is nobody like me, and it's time I realized that and stopped trying to be something I'm not," I snapped. Before I could get any other cruel words out of my mouth, I watched as Jack lifted his strange staff and willed the snow and ice beneath our feet to leap into the air and formed a wispy pair of people, dancing through the air. It was very beautiful, and I was completely bewildered.

"You're not alone," he repeated after the people disappeared. I didn't want them to go, I wanted to marvel at them forever.

I was speechless. My mouth gaped and I probably looked like an idiot, but Jack didn't seem to care. He actually seemed to understand. I felt his hand on my hand again, but this time I didn't flinch at his touch.

"I want to know more about you," he cooed. I desired to know more about him, too. This mysterious stranger with the ability to control ice and snow just as I could. It was more than anything I could have ever imagined, and it felt like a dream.

Before I could say anything, Jack pulled me closer to him. I immediately pushed him away. I did not want to get close to him.

"No, trust me," he said. This time, I allowed him to put his arm around me, and soon we were launched into the air. I felt the air become much clearer and crisper.

"Woah!" I hollered, grasping onto Jack for dear life. He did not do much, he just held me there and let me see Arendelle from the sky's point of view. It was beautiful, but it was at this moment that I saw all the angry and frightened people of my kingdom, and I turned away in pain.

Jack took off through the air, and before I knew it, we arrived at the entrance of a cave carved into the face of the mountain.