A/N: I'd been suffering from writer's block for several days when I went to see Frozen. Coincidentally, the next day I watched the Rise of The Guardians for the millionth time with my brother. And perhaps unfortunately, I ended up writing this. It'll be a one-shot for as long as I desire it to be, whether that be forever or a week. Tell me if you think it requires another chapter!
- Thos x
"Tell him I don't want to see him. Tell him to leave me alone."
This was the Snow Queen's desperate, heartbroken plea as she laced her fingers together and pushed them down into her lap, brutally ashamed of the silent tears trickling down her pure skin.
"Elsa, you gotta face up to him sometime..." the Queen's younger sister softly reasoned with her.
"No, I don't," she sharply replied, only to wince at her own abrasive tone. Ungraciously, she drew the back of her hand across the bottom of her nose. She was aware of footsteps behind her as her sister drew closer.
"Anna. Go and tell him to leave."
The Queen's urgent tone made the said girl freeze in her spot, less than two feet from her lonely side.
"Elsa, if you'd just let me -"
"Did you hear me?"
Elsa turned her head away from the window she was looking out of, halfway to turning her head around another 90° and making eye contact with Anna.
"Did you hear what I said?" she repeated.
Silence passed. Anna stood behind her Queen, who had both hands laid softly across her stomach.
"Yes," was her curt reply. Seconds later, she had left Elsa's master bedroom and was making her way down the stretch of hallway in their palace, still singed from her sister's words.
Elsa, sitting on the window ledge, allowed herself fall to pieces.
The moment Anna pushed through the wooden doors of the back entrance to the palace, the brave young Guardian immediately tore his vision from the miniature snowstorm he had created on the ground and looked up.
The moment he saw her face, sorrowful and morose, he crumpled.
"She... She said..."
Anna got that far as she slid down the concrete steps, then as she stood in front of him, all words fell from her.
He looked to the ground as his mini-snowstorm died away. The broken princess watched the tears form in his eyes, then allowed herself to cry.
"Jack, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Anna reached forward to hug Jack, but he turned away from her.
"It's okay," he whispered after a while, icy tears glittering on the pavement below him. Plenty more were to follow.
"She... She wants you g-gone."
She straightened up, attempting to swallow her tears. She was unsuccessful.
"Okay."
He turned a little, then paused. He wondered about hiding his tears. Pointless, he decided. He could hide nothing from Anna.
"But you can't leave..." she whispered as he turned to properly face her. "You can't..."
"She wants me gone," he stated evenly, still unable to meet Anna's gaze. "You said it yourself. I've brought this war on and it's my duty to end it. She wants me to leave, so I go." Slowly, he lifted his head up and faced her. The moment their eyes met, they both filled up with tears.
Anna flew into Jack and hugged him tight. Jack wrapped his arms around her after a minute and hugged her equally as tight, burying his head into the silk of her dress and crying on her shoulder.
"Four years," she whispered to him, placing a hand on the back of his head. "Four years, you were very nearly my brother and now you have to go."
There was no doubt about the utter regret in her voice.
Jack slowly pulled away and shrugged, trying for a broken and tearful smile.
"I've brought this on myself," he told her. "I put myself first and didn't try hard enough to make her feel like she was special. Maybe that's why she never said yes when I asked her to be my wife... But how could I ever compete with... him?"
The bitter edge to his last question made Anna start. She stepped forward and placed two fingers underneath his chin, lifting his head up so he was forced to look at her.
"No. No, no, don't ever say that again, okay? Elsa didn't love Hans. She chose you over Hans. She chose you, Jack!"
"Yeah, only then to banish me from Arendelle," he muttered, gently pulling her fingers off his chin.
"She hasn't banished you, she just..."
Her voice tailed away. What was the point in finishing her sentence? It wouldn't change anything.
Jack smiled a little.
"Look after her," he murmured. He turned away and began to walk. Anna caught hold of his arm.
"Jack, wait! You're not really going, are you?" she asked. It was beginning to sink in, and it felt like someone had punched her in the stomach and torn her muscles open. She felt sick.
For four years, she'd laughed at his jokes and ignored his whining; she'd ruffled his hair and ducked when he tried to return it; she'd refereed endless ice-blasting matches between Jack and her sister. He'd been like a brother - no, he was her brother. And now he had to leave.
Things hadn't been right between Elsa and Jack for a while. Jack was becoming distant and uninterested; Elsa had become irritated and snide. When they did find the time between Elsa's Queen duties and Jack's Guardian jobs to be together, it was always the same. Elsa would shoot some scathing remark at him, Jack would pretend he couldn't hear her. He'd never show any affection, nor would she. It was a vicious circle, and it just so happened that this time, Elsa had overstepped the mark and Jack had retaliated by screaming every little flaw she had at her. Anna had been powerless and distraught. There was nothing she could do.
Jack shrugged slightly.
"I dunno. I'm going... I'm gonna clear my head for a while."
Anna frowned. There were new, fresh tears in her eyes that she couldn't shift.
"Hey, it's okay," he told her softly, gently pulling at a loose strand of hair on her head. "Tell Elsa... Well, tell her what you like, I guess. But tell Kristoff and the kids I say bye, and that I'll write a lot. Promise."
Anna's brow melted and tears escaped from her eyes.
"Ava and Ivan will be so sad..."
"Hey, Shh, it's okay. It's okay. Give Rapunzel and Eugene and everyone over in Corona a hug from me as well, yeah? And as for you..."
He couldn't help but let himself cry now, as he stood tall and kissed Anna very softly on the forehead.
"Well, you look after yourself, okay?"
Several moments later he was gone, and Anna felt lost. She ran inside the palace and collapsed on the cold marble floor, sobbing for what felt like hours.
He was gone.
He was really, really gone.
She hated him for leaving. She hated Elsa for making him leave. She hated herself from not forcing him to stay.
She managed to make it upstairs without falling to pieces, and when she found Elsa's room, her sorrow turned to anger.
She shoved open the door like it was paper and, with a face of thunder, faced her tearful sister, who was still sitting at the window.
"He's gone! Are you happy now, Elsa? He's gone!"
As soon as she'd said those words she regretted them. Elsa's skin tone resembled the 'moments from death' shade.
"Anna... Anna..." her voice was high and panicked, her eyes wide. Elsa attempted to walk over to her sister but faltered in her step, trembling.
Anna ran over to her sister's side, helping her to the bed.
"What is it?" she dared to ask.
And she really wished she hadn't.
Because her answer winded Anna in three seconds flat.
"I... Anna, I... I think I'm pregnant..."
