After the beautiful ice queen returned inside, Jack hovered by the base of the steps for a moment before setting himself down. He ascended the ice steps, his eyes wide with amazement at the detail and elegance of the palace.
He made it to the top and paused by the large double doors. He looked up and saw the woman through the distorted lens of the ice. She was running down the flight of stairs, laughing in delight as she spun around and took in the sight of her palace. Before she could look down and see him, Jack hopped off the stairs and flew away. Something about the way she strutted confidently through the halls made him uncharacteristically shy, and he wanted to wait until a better time to introduce himself to the beautiful woman with the powers of ice and snow—the ones just like his.
That evening, after she'd finished exploring her castle, he decided to do some exploring of his own. He landed on the balcony and walked inside, admiring the feeling of the smooth ice against his bare feet. The detailing of the ice was incredible. Fractal patterns spiraled within the ice, and when he glanced up, his eyes widened at the enormous ice chandelier above him.
"Who are you?" A woman's voice demanded from behind him. He turned around and saw the beautiful ice queen standing regally in the center of the doorway.
"Who are you?" He asked, looking around the palace.
"This is my home. I believe that gives me the right to know who my intruder is before he begins asking questions of me." She said coolly, staring down at him. Who was she to speak that way, he wondered. He squinted at her and frowned. No…it couldn't be her. It couldn't be the timid, restrained queen he'd seen just the day before. And yet, the longer he stared, the more he recognized her ice blue eyes and platinum blonde hair.
"I'm Jack Frost." He said, straightening up as he leaned casually on his staff and gave her a charming smile. "And you are?"
"Que—Elsa, Elsa of Arendelle." She replied. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"I think a better question would be how did this palace appear." Jack pointed out, and Elsa pursed her lips slightly before saying, "I created it. If you're not going to answer my questions, you may leave. Follow the staircase out."
"That hardly seems fair." Jack protested, but Elsa shook her head.
"It would be better for both of us if you left." She said, turning and walking out onto the balcony. Jack followed her, glancing up at the Man in the Moon before looking at Elsa with a half smile and murmuring, "Beautiful."
"What?" She asked guardedly.
"Your palace. It's amazing." He said, and she felt her cheeks warm as she turned her gaze away from him and said in a dignified voice, "Thank you. You may admire it from afar."
"Why are you so insistent on being alone?" Jack asked, leaning casually on the railing.
"Why are you so insistent on staying?" Elsa countered.
"Because you can see me." Jack said, and Elsa sighed tiredly.
"Of course I can see you. You're practically demanding to be seen." She said, but he shook his head and said, "No, I mean, not many people can see me."
"You're not making any sense." She snapped.
"Here, look." He said, reaching out and taking her hand. But instead of passing through her, he found his hand resting on top of hers. Her cheeks reddened, and he smiled charmingly before saying, "Sorry, that doesn't normally happen. I usually pass right through people."
"Then I'd suggest you return to doing that and leave me be." She said, pulling her hand away and turning to go back inside.
"No, wait, I—" He started, but the ice doors slammed behind her, leaving him alone on the balcony. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She turned to tell him off, but as she did, he climbed up onto the railing and jumped. She gasped, running back out onto the balcony and peering over the edge as she screamed, "Jack!"
"Yes?" He asked from behind her, and she turned to see him standing in midair, leaning against an invisible wall with a devilishly charming smile on his face.
"How are you doing that?" She demanded.
"You sounded worried." He said as he stepped down onto the ice. She harrumphed slightly before turning back to go inside, but he grabbed her hand before she could slam the door in his face again.
"Wait, sorry, here, let me show you." He said, and she hesitantly turned around, hope daring to glisten in her eyes. He opened his palm and created a miniature snowstorm in it, and her eyes widened in amazement. She opened her own palm over his and the snow condensed into a snowball that spun in midair. Jack smiled at her, and she smiled shyly back, noticing for the first time his clear, ice blue eyes and his warm smile.
"You're like me?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, we're two of a kind." He said with a sincere smile.