Here's chapter two of Let Me In, Elsa. Excuse any errors you might spot.
I don't own anything you recognize.
I stepped back, startled. The person in front of me was floating in midair, on the other side of my balcony fence. He looked about my age, perhaps a year older, with snowy silver hair that hung in his forehead. His face was boyish, with low eyebrows and a mischievous smirk that made me want to instinctively back up and make a shield. He gripped a curved wooden staff in his hand, and he swirled around in the air above me before dropping down on the icy balcony next to me.
I was at loss for words. He was the first person I had seen in months, and considering the fact that he appeared out of the air, it shocked me even more. My eyes were wide, and he looked at me curiously. He wore a blue hoodie, covered with frost at the edges, and tattered brown pants. He was barefoot too, but he walked easily on the ice with no signs of shivering.
"Queen Elsa of Arendelle, eh?" he asked me, and his tone was warm and casual, like we were old friends having a nice talk of catching up. "It's been a while. Say, why aren't you at Arendelle anyway?"
I blinked once. "I was forced to flee." My voice was weak and quiet, and the boy turned to look at me. He struck his cane against the ground, leaning on it easily and crossing one foot over the other. His dark, navy blue eyes glittered with humor, and he gave me a crooked smile.
"A powerful queen, forced to run away from her own home? Well, what kind of justice is that?" He stood up straighter and carried his cane around. He walked to the fence, examining the glitters in the ice, running his fingers along the engravings. I opened my mouth in surprise.
"Arendelle wasn't my home," I managed to say. "This is my home. I live here. I made this castle. It is the only spot in the world where I can really be myself."
"Wait." He turned, looking at me, respect and amazement shining in his eyes. "You made this? Well, I heard rumors about ya, Queen Elsa, but I didn't know they were this fabulous! Look at the structure! How symmetrically these columns are positioned! You made this?"
He turned and walked briskly past me, pushing through the wide frosty doors. I was surprised that anybody would have the indecency to just walk into someone's private dwelling like that without asking permission, and after I got over my shock, I quickly walked after him.
He was standing in the middle of the room, looking up at the high ceiling and the chandelier hanging from the center. I ran up to him, following him loosely as he explored around the room. "Who are you?" I demanded. "You can't just walk into somebody's house like this and look around like it's a museum."
"Sorry, Queen Elsa," he murmured, placing his hand on the cool ice wall. "It's very tempting. Who knew you could put your ice powers to such use? Hey, maybe you can make ice sculptures and earn money off that! Start a company! How cool would that be?"
"What?" I blinked, and shook my head. "Who- who are you?"
He paused, before swiveling around on the heels of his feet. He gave me another crooked smile and bowed. "I beg your pardon for my impoliteness, Queen Elsa. I should've introduced myself better. As said before, I am Jack Frost. You know. That man with the ice powers. We're just like twins, actually!" He switched along thoughts like he was jumping from car to car, and it was hard to keep up.
"Okay. Is there a reason you're here… Sir Frost?" I asked politely, leaning slightly.
"Oh, please. Call me Jack. Jack Frost if you must keep the cordial rules. But not Sir Frost. Who the hell calls me Sir Frost?" Jack shook his head, his silver hair dusting around slightly. He skipped around my main room, laughing and twirling.
"My, my Queen Elsa! This is a very fun palace you got here!"
"Elsa," I corrected, almost cutting him off. I stood motionless in my spot on the floor, watching Jack tumble around on the smooth floor like a gleeful child. I linked my hands together in front of me. "My name is just Elsa. I am no longer Queen of Arendelle. I'm sure the throne has been bestowed to Hans."
"Alright, Just Elsa," Jack said. He looked back at me, before running up to me. He stood in front of me, and I instinctively stepped back. He was a few inches taller than me, and he looked down at me with the same smile as before. He seemed to at ease, so positive, that I felt like an alien near to him. "Nice to meet ya."
"The feeling is mutual," I said slowly. Then I cleared my throat, regaining my posture. "Jack Frost, if I may ask, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Jack seemed at loss for words, squinting his eyes as he tried to remember. "What am I here for… what am I…? Oh! Yes! I have a message for you, Queen- I mean, Just Elsa."
He paused, looking up to stare at the snowflakes that were falling in the room. This unexpected visit had my nerves restless, and made a light snow start in the room we were standing in. He held his hand out, watching a few snowflakes land and dance across on his palm, before tumbling down to the floor.
"What would that message be?" I asked formally.
"Complaint from the villages around from a long way's away!" Jack called, turning to look back at me. He stared at me with wide eyes, his eyebrows up in exclamation. "As far as Arendelle itself and beyond! It appears earlier you've been traveling west, to here, but while you were on your trip you brought winter wherever you went! And it stayed! Did you know that?"
I watched as he caught more snowflakes. "Yes, I was aware of that," I said indifferently, trying very hard not to mention one could just easily look out a window and conclude that.
"Ah, well, maybe you're used to the cold," Jack said. "I know I am. But the people of the villages are certainly not. They're complaining endlessly. You're killing the crops and the families are growing cold and hungry!"
I closed my mouth before I could say something snarky. Then, I sighed silently. "I am aware of that as well, Jack Frost." He made a face as I still kept calling him Jack Frost, and not the typical Jack. "If that is all you wanted to alert me of, then you can take your exit."
Jack shook his head, tapping the end of his cane against the ground. "Nah, that isn't all, Just Elsa. You see, your eternal winter kind of is affecting the land more than you're aware of. Seriously. You're making families die, Just Elsa. Doesn't that make you a little worried?"
"Perhaps," I admitted, but inside, I was biting myself for killing other families of people. I had already caused Anna's death. Who else did I need to destroy? Innocent bystanders, who were just trying to live? Who could be next?
"Well, it's only come to my attention because I care about these people of this land. They are not happy with this eternal winter you've caused, as pretty as it is…" He snatched a random snowflake out of the air, and laughed. "…and I've just come to ask you to, you know…"
"I do not," I replied emotionlessly.
"You know…" Jack repeated. "Stop it."
I paused, thinking about what he said, before I almost scowled. "Stop it?" I asked, my voice hardening in anger. "You want me to stop this eternal winter?"
"Alright, maybe we shouldn't be so blasé with the word eternal," Jack said, using a soothing voice. He could sense my eruption of emotion. "It has been going on for a little longer than a year, not forever. So, I wouldn't say eternal. More like… dormant winter."
"Whichever word we use for this lasting winter," I amended, "I cannot fix it."
Jack paused, looking at me again in the eyes. "You can't?"
"You think I would've already tried?" I questioned. "How long has this cold season been going on? A little over a year, you said? I feel horrible, knowing I had caused Anna's death." At this, he crinkled his eyebrows in confusion, but I continued. "I would not like to cause anymore! But I can't control this." I waved my hand in the air, and snow started to fall harder.
"Hey, hey," Jack said. "Easy, easy. Clearly… your feelings control this weather." He looked around at the ceiling, and blinked his eyes hard as snowflakes fell in them. "Calm down, Just Elsa. Nobody's trying to pressure you or anything. Calm…"
He reached out and took my bare hand in his, something that I knew was meant to be a soothing gesture, but I ripped it away so fast we both stumbled. I regained my balance, holding my hands to my chest, shrinking back away from Jack.
"Don't touch me," I said hoarsely. Jack straightened, looking at me with his wide eyes.
"Why?" he asked. He reached out to me, but I veered away like his skin was poisonous. I didn't want to hurt him accidently, freezing him like I froze Anna. His blue eyes were filled with concern and curiosity, but I sank back.
He waited for an answer. I only looked at my hands again.
"I could… freeze you," I whispered slowly. "Just, don't come near me. Okay? Don't…"
Jack stared at me for a long, steely moment. Then, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out… a laugh.
His laughter echoed through the entire castle. His laugh was warm and melodious; it made me want to smile with him. The snowfall decreased dramatically at Jack's giggle, and he flashed me a flawless smile that showed his white teeth.
"Jack Frost," I said sternly. I was fighting a smile on my face, even though I had no idea what he was laughing about. "Jack Frost! In what world do you find this funny? I kill people with my touch. I don't want to hurt anybody. You find it funny?"
Jack paused, the laughter cutting off quickly. "You killed people with your touch? Who? Was it that girl you just mentioned, Anna?"
His questions were back, and I stepped away again. The way he talked, it could go from an easy sentence to questions that made me feel like the walls were pressing close and suffocating me, cutting off the oxygen. I didn't say anything, and Jack quickly papered over it.
"Okay, so, I was laughing because you can't actually freeze me. I'm Jack Frost. I'm magical. I have powers like yours too, Just Elsa. You're not the only one." For demonstration, he held out his palm, but not to take my hand. He moved his fingers a little and shining snowflakes showered above them, dancing and swirling in their own small winds. I gasped, leaning close to look better. He performed a mini lights show, before closing his hand into a fist, and the snow faded into mist.
"See?" Jack murmured. "Beauty within ice, ain't it?"
I realized we were standing close, and the sudden proximity made me step back again, my back nearing the wall. Jack sighed, before shaking his head as if to clear our conversation back to the start. He tapped his cane on the ground again, looking at me.
"Anyway, so… you can't stop this lasting winter?" he asked me. He walked back out to the balcony like he owned the palace with me, and I hesitantly followed. He leaned his cane on the wall and walked to the fence, where he rested his hands on it and looked out at the mountains below. Light winds whooshed through, and snow fell around us in a happy swirl.
"I fear not," I said quietly. I looked at my palms and then back up at Jack. My first visitor in months. It was a sight to take in. I decided I might as well enjoy his company before he made his departure, considering I couldn't give him the answer he had come for.
"How did you get here?" I asked him, trying to start conversation. I forced myself to walk next to him and stand at the railing with him, and he glanced at me. I didn't dare to peek back, only looking at the horizon and not him to make it easier on myself.
"What do you mean?" he asked finally, facing back forward.
"When I ran from Arendelle, I alerted no one. There were only a few people who witnessed me run. A man named Kristoff, who is an acquaintance, I supposed you could call it, some kingdom guards, and a vile thief named Hans. I was the Queen of Arendelle, but I ran away, so my sister would've been next in line. Yet she no longer lives, but Hans was her husband… somewhat."
"Somewhat?" Jack questioned, a humorous touch in his voice.
"Many events had happened at that time," I said quietly. "My point is, Hans had pretty much connected himself to the family, even if in the end he wasn't really a true husband to my sister. When I ran, there was no choice but for the throne to fall into his hands. I'm not sure if he told anyone what really happened, or what cover story he created, but I highly doubt he told where I had gone, because nobody ever knew. I didn't even know where I was going myself."
"Did you… plan any of this?" He waved his hand around to the castle, to the winds, to me.
"No," I said softly. "All I know is that the life of Arendelle is left behind, so I can cause no more damage to those innocent people."
"Well, going back to your question, Just Elsa." I rolled my eyes, looking away to do so. "I knew absolutely nothing about you and the events that had happened at the time. In fact, I probably would never even have heard of the queen who had ice powers if it wasn't because you caused so much turbulence."
"Turbulence?" I echoed.
He nodded, his silver hair gleaming in the light. "I take care of the people in this land. As long as a majority of the people are safe in this country, I had no business whatsoever. I was alerted of a heavy snowfall near the town of Arendelle and the northern mountains range, but it didn't concern me too much since it was only in those two small sections."
He laughed, going back to pick up his staff before walking back to where he stood. We both stared at the beautiful mountains jutting out of the earth, the sun fresh off the horizon.
"It wasn't until later, when I'm guessing you started running, that I focused my attention on you. When you ran, you still caused snow, except you didn't run back north. You ran west, spreading your winter season even further around. And you didn't just go west. You went a little south, a little east, all over the place, but you were mainly heading in the west direction. And everywhere you went, within hundreds of miles radius, you brought heavy winter. Not just light snow and frost. Crazy winds and hail that killed people's food, froze the lakes and blew the candles out. That's when I started getting attracted to this because you were hurting my people."
I looked at my hands again, cursing myself silently in my head.
Jack continued. "At first, I had no idea what was going on. There are other places around the world that needed my attention, but the trouble here grew and blew up so quickly that when I managed to finally get here, it was insane chaos. I hit a few villages, seeing poor families shivering in barely any clothes, searching the trash bins for food, and even came across some people lying dead in the streets, frozen. I asked around to each town, and I found out you had pillaged each and every village, taking their supplies by force with your ice powers. I learned you were the Queen of Arendelle, the wicked witch with nature's coldest element on your side. A majority of the people hated you for it, and those who didn't hold anger were just confused by what was happening."
"Oh my goodness." Hearing Jack describe what damage I had left behind made me want to sob. But I swallowed thickly, gripping the railing of ice, and nodded. "Continue."
Jack looked at me, and kept his eyes on me. "I don't hold anything against you, Just Elsa. I only came because I had learned you were affecting the healthy lifestyles of these people. I like the people in this land. They mean much to me. So when there is a problem, I try to come in and help solve it. I studied your route, asking the villagers questions, and pieced together you at least were heading west. I didn't know any special location in the west. All there was were small cities like the ones you had robbed. But I figured I could attempt to make you stop this winter, because it's killing people."
"How did you know where I was exactly?" I questioned, my heart feeling numb.
"I can fly," Jack said simply. "You saw just a few minutes ago. Plus, I have winter powers, just like you. My staff here is magical, and without it, I'm actually just a kid with freaky hair. Flying is a very good time-saver, and so is being immune to this kind of weather. Plus, whenever I got hungry or even tired, I could just stop by a town and the people invited me in, as shaky as they were. I was Jack Frost. They knew I protected this land, so they gave me what they could."
"The mountain range is huge," I said. "How could you have found me so fast?"
"Like I said, flying. Plus, your ice castle is huge, Just Elsa. It's hard to miss, especially when you're soaring above all the trees and mountains. The weather seemed different around this area too, and I think that gave me a big clue." He was still looking at me. I felt uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice hushed. "You wasted a long journey only to go return with nothing."
"Are you sure you can't stop this?" Jack asked. "I mean, it's a very big wintery chaos, yeah. But look around. You created this. You should have the power to destroy it too."
"I can't," I said, anguished for a moment. "The harder I try to keep it in, it only erupts louder later. I don't know how to keep it in, to calm it down. It eventually just stirs back up and explodes. You shouldn't even be here. I could hurt you."
"I explained, Just Elsa. I'm not affected by ice or snow or anything. I do it myself." He aimed his staff out into the air, and a snow storm erupted. I gasped as a blizzard of winds, mist and hail whooshed out, going into the air and swirling around with insane energy. Then it all collided together, before exploding into a magnificent shower of sparkles. A light breeze carried it all away, and I watched as Jack's show dissipated into the distance.
I looked at him, making myself look at his eyes. "I feel like my powers could overcome yours, if it ever comes to a case like that. Your powers don't rely on your emotions. You just flick your staff in any direction you want, and an equal amount of cold will appear. For me, it's all about feeling. I'll make snowstorms, whether I have a staff or not. It's only if my mood or emotions are in control, and if I lose them just for a second, I can kill a whole town."
Thinking about it made my chest ache, and as if on cue, a thousand little icicles shot up from beneath our feet. I was fine, with my shoes protecting me, but he was barefoot. Jack jumped slightly in surprise, before he waved his hand and the icicles were banished back away.
I stared at him. "You also have the power to destroy winter," I realized, looking at the ground where the icicles no longer remained. Jack shook his head, sighing.
"No, more like I created and added a little to the rest of the balcony floor so it covered the icicles. They're tiny, so you wouldn't notice. I can't destroy whatever I make either, but I can stop it, or let the sun melt it away. You… you just make, make, make winter, not giving the sun a chance to even try." He whistled, like it was an impressive achievement, and I shook my head.
"I cannot," I said softly. "I cannot stop this." I looked at the vast, heavy storm swirling below and beyond us, and I bit my lip to stop the overwhelming sense of sadness crashing down on me. Jack looked at me, and I stared back at him.
"You really can't fix this?" he whispered.
"Of course not," I murmured. I turned away quickly, walking briskly back into my castle. Jack followed, but I wish he wouldn't. I stormed into the middle of the room, sighing. Then I swiveled my body fast to look at him. He stopped short and took a step back.
"Maybe I can help," he said. He reached out, but caught himself and pulled his hand back. "Maybe… you and I can work together to figure out how to control this."
"Work… together." The idea seemed bizarre in my mind. I turned my body away, but I looked at him, and he gave me another crooked smile. A few snowflakes fell harder around us. Jack looked up, nodding.
"Yeah. Work together. You know, maybe you can't control this on your own, but I can help! I'll be like your coach! You and I can figure out how to conquer your powers, and save the land!"
"Jack Frost," I said slowly. "I don't work together with anybody. I've tried for years. What makes you think your sudden appearance will help me get it together?"
"I don't know. It's just… you've been alone all those years of trying. Maybe you need someone to help you." He stepped closer, and I stayed still as he gently touched his hand to my shoulder. "Someone who won't run away from you."
I didn't say anything, only stared at the hand on my shoulder. It was pale, with long, slender fingers and nails that were slightly scuffed. The tips of his middle and index finger almost touched my blonde hair in a braid, which fell in front of my left shoulder. It made me want to veer away, but I swallowed my fear. I stared at his hand, then his face.
"I suppose we could give it a try," I said carefully. Jack grinned, and his hand left my shoulder, but I turned to face him quickly.
"Jack Frost," I called. "That doesn't mean that this could work. I still worry I could hurt you in the midst of this… training." Training didn't seem the right word, but I didn't know what else to call this idea. In fact, it seemed very ridiculous, just another way to waste time, but I enjoyed seeing somebody for the first time in months. As casual as Jack Frost seemed to be, I wanted to see him again. Talking to someone was refreshing.
"It's alright, Just Elsa," Jack said. "Don't worry about it. It takes a lot to hurt the amazing Jack Frost." He grabbed his cane and swirled up in the air, and I watched as he laughed and dove through the air. He looked so happy. Happy with the powers he had. Meanwhile, I can barely control if I make a windy breeze or not.
"How are we going to do it?" I called to him. "How are we going to 'work together' for my powers? What do you have in mind?"
"Yeah… I'm not sure about that much." He dropped back down in front of me, and I backed in surprise. He gave me a grin. "We can find that out… tomorrow, you say? I'll drop by again, and we can see what we can do about those ice powers." He held out his hand, and snowflakes dazzled above his palm.
"Tomorrow," I said finally. "Agreed. We will attempt to work together and control my powers."
"Fabulous!" Jack exclaimed. He ran out to the balcony, and I guessed that he was ready to take his leave. I stepped out into the platform with him, and he was already in the air, on the other side of the railing, holding his cane and swinging it around in the air.
"Jack Frost," I yelled to him. "You promise you will show tomorrow morning? At sunrise, same as we had today?" I heard my own voice go desperate at the end, but I had to make sure he was going to arrive. Odd as he was, I didn't want to lose the chance to see someone again.
He looked at me, and he seemed to understand what I was saying. His face softened, and he gave me a gentler smile. "Of course I will, Just Elsa. If I can stop this winter, I'm going to try.."
I couldn't help it. I let myself smile.
"Ah, there it is!" Jack exclaimed, grinning brilliantly. "Plus, there's other things me and you could possibly work on. Like how to have a normal conversation without talking all formal and stuff. And maybe smile a little more. Agreed?"
"What?" I asked, my eyes raising, but then he let out a laugh and I knew he was kidding. Then, he gave me an easy wave, and before I could wave back, Jack Frost disappeared into the winter air.
Please review on what you think! I would like feedback!
~Cynthia
