Neither of the two moved, both pairs of feet frozen on the pond. There they stood, staring at each other. Observing one another. Both were too startled to speak, yet all their unspoken words swarmed their mind, suffocating their thoughts.
She first thought he was a peasant boy, one who had wandered far from his village. But the nearest one was at least fifty miles away, much too far for a walk. She then thought that perhaps he worked for Agatha, and was going to ask him so- until the soft wind blew and ruffled his hair.
White hair, she thought. His hair is white.
Such an unusual white as well. It wasn't a white blonde like her own hair, which shined like pale gold in sunlight, but a pure, clean white. Not quite like the bright shade of clean white glove, yet not quite like the creamy color of ivory. It was a soft white…sort of like…sort of like…
Like snow, she mused.
He had been studying her after he noticed her from across the pond. It was the crack of the branch she had stepped on that alerted him that he was not alone. He watched her as she raised her face to the sky, gazing at the moon.
To him, she was quite beautiful. And he had seen many pretty girls. When you're constantly traveling, you tend to come across a few lovely women, especially ones with blazing features, whether it was sharp cheekbones, or well-endowed curves. She had a delicate look about her, but gave off an aura of strength and authority.
She swayed, and he took a step towards her, snapping a twig beneath his bare foot.
She looked up quickly to find the source of the noise. Then her eyes landed on him. At first he was confused at what she was staring at. Then, when her gaze locked on to his, it was as if his body had turned into a block of ice. He lost all feeling when the realization slowly dawned on him that she was staring at him.
Seeing him.
Looking at him.
"Hello," she spoke softly.
Was she…was she speaking to him? He didn't think it could be possible, after all, how long had it been since someone had seen him? In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time…
"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" said young woman, sounding slightly annoyed.
He waited a moment, then slowly nodded his head. Had she been talking? He hadn't noticed. Honestly, the only thing he was aware of was her eyes, watching him. Ice blue, he noted.
"I asked if you worked for Agatha. You know- back at the estate?" she was slowly walking towards him.
He simply stood there, still dumbfounded. She…she's speaking to me, he thought. She can see me. He decided that it all must be a cruel dream, and he nodded again, wishing for it to never end.
She smiled. "Oh, that's good. At least you aren't a… a complete stranger. Aren't you cold?" The girl started removing her cloak.
"I'm fine," he finally spoke. And lied as well! Was he fine? He wasn't sure… She knit her brows, and he reassured her. "I'm…yeah…alright. The cold…it never…never really bothered me anyway." She laughed at that, and he became confused. Was that funny? At this point, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. There was someone who could see him no less than an arm's length away, and she was talking to him. It was too much for one night, even if it was just a dream.
He clenched his staff. "Umm...are you…ah…looking at me, uh…miss?" he said as articulately as he could.
She tried to hide her smile as best she could. "I'm sorry," she said, clearly amused. "Am I not supposed to?"
"You're also speaking to me. And…you're seeing me."
"Correct, and correct." She raised an impeccably manicure brow, unsure of where the conversation was leading. "I'm also breathing, standing on this pond, and think you're quite unusual." She smiled as she said the last part.
Cheeky, wasn't she? Well, dream or not, he was going to have fun.
"Uh...sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I don't mean to sound weird, or anything. Must be the cold air getting to me."
"That's okay. Sure you don't want my cloak? Your sweater's got frost on it." She once again began to unclasp her cloak, but he refused once more.
"I'm completely fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, miss."
"Really?"
He rolled his eyes. He couldn't help himself. "Why wouldn't I be?"
She stared at him questioningly. "Well," she began. "First of all, you're barefoot on a frozen pond. Surely you must be cold-"
"Like I said, I'm fine."
"Secondly, your hair is white-"
"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked incredulously.
"Why- well, I don't know!"
"You know, it's terribly rude to comment on others appearances-"
"I was not-"
"You were."
She ran her slender fingers through her wispy bangs disbelievingly, and he smirked. He then noticed her attire. She was dressed in a cream nightgown which danced around her ankles in the light breeze. Her deep purple cloak floated quietly behind her, the gentle flapping of the fabric the only noise in the frosty night.
"I'm Elsa," the young woman said. "What's your name?"
"Jack," he replied. "At your beck and call, madam." He bowed outrageously dramatically.
She almost laughed out loud. No one had ever teased her like this! Not even Anna had ever treated her this way.
"You're very bold, Jack."
"Indeed." He gave her a lopsided grin. "May I escort you back to wherever you came from, Miss Elsa?" He offered her his arm.
She considered him for a moment, bare feet and all, then took his arm, still hesitant. "We came from the same place. I'm currently staying with Agatha in the castle."
She saw Jack's eyes widen when her arm came in contact with his. "You're real," he breathed.
Elsa tensed, and the boy hurriedly apologized. "Sorry if that was weird...it's just..." Jack quickly regained his composure. "It's just been so long since I've had the pleasure to escort such a lovely woman." The boy tilted his head to the side, grinning broadly.
She rolled her eyes. For the past year, she had been constantly having to deal with suitors visiting from other kingdoms. Anna greatly enjoyed having them at the palace, eager to find someone whose company would please the queen. But Elsa had waved them all away, their petty attempts at flattery getting no where with her.
"Used to compliments, are we?"
She huffed. "Unfortunately." Elsa noticed that he had strayed off the path to the castle and was simply wandering off on his own accord. "You're going the wrong way," she pointed out.
"Forgive me, I'm distracted by your blinding beauty, Miss Elsa. Would you be so kind as to lead the way?"
The queen rolled her eyes once more and did just that.
"So what were you doing walking around alone at night?" Jack asked the girl.
"I could ask the same of you," Elsa replied.
"Touché ," he replied. "But, I asked you first."
"Just needed to clear my mind about some things. And yourself?"
Jack smirked. "Personal reasons."
Elsa snorted, the sound quite unladylike. "You can tell me you find me attractive, but not why you were lurking around a pond at night?"
"Lurking?"
Elsa shrugged.
"And who said I thought you were attractive?" Jack smiled. "I said you were beautiful, not that I'm interested."
She didn't look amused.
"What I mean to say is that for all I know, you could be some insane psychopath underneath that pretty porcelain skin of yours. You never know what a person could be hiding," Jack said. "So, any secrets worth my time, Lady Elsa?"
"Lady Elsa?" She laughed incredulously.
"Well judging by that very expensive-looking cloak, you must have some sort of noble blood," said Jack, gesturing to the burgundy cape trailing behind her.
She raised her chin like a true royal. "How do you know I didn't steal it?"
Jack burst out laughing. "Look at you, with your chin stuck up like that. Think you're superior, do you? I'll call you Princess, then." Jack grinned. "As for the cloak, you're too proper to have stolen it. Wouldn't want to forfeit all the rules of propriety and lower yourself to thievery, eh Princess?" Jack swung his staff as the pair walked along.
Not to be bested by a boy, Elsa asked, "Are you very old, Jack?"
The question about his age made him uneasy. "No," he said warily. "Why do you ask?"
"You've got white hair and a cane."
The pair walked laughing all the way to the estate, cracking jokes and making fun of one another. They giggled as they made fruitless attempts at trying to stifle their laughter.
"Jack. J-Jack," said the queen between giggles. "Jack- shhh! We'll wake the whole castle. Jack."
The young boy was clutching his stomach with his free arm - the other was still linked with Elsa's- trying to contain his laughter. On his face was biggest smile Elsa had ever seen. When had Elsa ever laughed like this? She was careless and free, and she was laughing at night alone with a boy she had just met, and the boy had white hair and was barefoot and she had never done something so insane and improper and it was absolutely exhilarating. The last time she felt like this was when- well, when she ran away from home.
Home.
Her smile faded, her giggles subsiding. She had almost forgotten. Anna, Arendelle, and all her work had been shoved to the back of her mind while she had been having fun with Jack. Elsa felt a small pang of guilt like a blow to her stomach. Looking back at Jack, her guilt was swept away by his smile. What was she doing? Laughing with someone who didn't even know-
Oh.
Oh.
Elsa slowly realized that Jack didn't know who she was. That she was a queen.
That she had ice powers.
Back in Arendelle, everyone knew about the queen's gift. After she had thawed Arendelle from the winter she created, everyone praised her powers. Everyone had befriended her, and she them, but it had left her a little empty inside, because deep down, she felt like they didn't love her for her, but for her ability. Wasn't that the most interesting thing about her? How many times had she heard her suitors compliment her on her magic? More times than she'd like, she realized. But Jack… He had no idea. And he likes me, doesn't he? Elsa thought. Not because of any special powers I have, but for me.
"Princess?" Jack asked, his laughter slowly dying down. "We're here."
Elsa was roused out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh. Yes, it seems we are." The two were standing in front of the main doors, the scent of roses floating through the air.
"I'll leave you here, Elsa." Jack said, looking around cautiously. "Um...servants...servants go through the back." He untangled his arm from hers and stepped away.
"I'm sure Agatha won't mind if you go through the front," said Elsa. "Just be quiet and we'll-"
"Princess, I don't think that's such a good ide-"
"No, it's alright-"
Jack noticed one of the door handles turning. He looked at Elsa apologetically. "I have to go."
The door swung open. "Elsa?"
The queen saw Agatha staring confusedly at her, the old woman's arm supporting her against the doorframe. Agatha wrapped her beige robe tighter around her. "Elsa, may I ask what you were doing outside at this hour? It's freezing."
Elsa said hastily, "I'm so sorry, Agatha, if we woke you up. I-"
"We, Elsa?" asked Agatha.
"Well, yes," began Elsa, turning around. "I was with…"
But Jack was long gone.
A/N: Well, well, well. I'm so sorry it's almost been two months since I wrote another chapter! I swear it won't be like that anymore. I've already started writing the third chapter, so don't worry. Also, you'll find out next chapter why Jack was so antsy about hanging around and going through the front door. Please note that I am planning to make the chapters gradually longer. My goal is about 5,000 words per chapter. If I cant make that, it'll probably be around 3,000 or 4,000.
So there it is guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any comments or concerns? Please let me know. Your feedback is all I have guys. Keep me strong.(Btw, this chapter also doubles as a gift for mah homeboi Brian- Happy Early Birthday!)
Please review!