Love set in Ice
Chapter Three
"Wait, Anna knew who you were?", Bunny asked incredulously as Jack smirked at him, "How?"
"Well I didn't quite know myself. I was baffled really, I mean I would have known if she had seen me. I watched over her for a long time after her parents had died."
"Then how?"
"Anna, how do you know who I am?", Jack asked confusedly as he stared into the girl's white hair.
Anna gave a short laugh, "Well I always knew who you were Jack Frost, you famous, a story book character just like my sister! But I always heard Elsa as I was growing up talking to a Jack. She would used to always play with him and laugh with him but I never actually believed that he- you were actually a real person in her room. But then when Elsa went mad and used her powers, I was like what if Jack was a real person too. Cause come on it wasn't the weirdest thing I'd seen all day. But oh Jack You are re-", Anna winced and fell into Kristoff's arms. Her hair was nearly totally white.
"What happened to her", he asked shakily already fearful for the answer.
"Elsa struck her", Kristoff explained as he carried Anna quickly over to Sven, "She has ice in her heart."
Jack staggered backwards, "But unless someone performs an act of true love she's gonna-", the words died on Jack's lips just like Anna would soon.
"That's why we must get her back to Hans so he can kiss her". Now Jack was completely confused, how was Hans, the pompous bastard who probably had Elsa, the true love of Anna and how come she didn't notice that Kristoff was so blatantly in love with her.
"You must leave now Kristoff", Jack said, bidding Sven on his way.
Kristoff shook his head, "But Jack what about your head? You need help."
Jack frowned, remembering his injury, "I'll be fine Kristoff. Just please get Anna safe."
Kristoff nodded and started to make his way down to Arandelle as fast as he could. Jack just sat by a tree, trying to regain as much energy as he could so that his body would start to heal itself. He tried to formulate a plan in his head. He needed to find Elsa before it was too late. They were going to kill her. They were going to kill the one person in his whole long life who had seen him for who he truly was. And they were definitely not going to get away with that. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only twenty minutes, Jack had finally gained enough energy to fly down to Arandelle. It wasn't a lot of energy but it was enough.
Jack grabbed his staff and flew quickly and with purpose to Arandelle. He tried to ignore the freezing bodies huddled together for warmth and the barren forests which had been cut down for fire wood, as he made his way to the dining hall of the castle. He peered through the window and saw Hans sitting alone at the head of the table. Jack sent a gust of air to open all the windows and leapt onto the long wooden table. He quickly walked up towards a freezing Hans, his staff directed at the lonesome Prince.
"Where is Elsa?"
Han's head flew up, his eyes darting around as he remembered the power Jack had shown earlier, "I- she."
"I will ask you one more time. Where is Queen Elsa?", Jack's voice was low, but his whisper was carried with the wind.
"She- She's in the dungeon", Hans confessed, "I couldn't let them just kill her. She doesn't deserve to die, you know that Jack."
Jack wanted to kill Hans there and then. He had imprisoned his Elsa and he was going to pay for it, "Bring me to her."
Hans just nodded as he led Jack down the empty corridors covered in icicles and cobwebs. They reached a large stone door with a circular rock before it. "It's quite ingenious Jack", Hans was saying, "The rock has to be lifted for fifteen seconds in order for the door to be opened. This gives enough time for the guards to come down if they sense an intruder. Pick it up now Jack."
"Why not you?"
"I'm not doing in my back for your dirty work Jack Frost. Now if you want your girlfriend free pick up the stone."
Jack sighed and placed his staff gingerly on the ground in front of him and picked up the stone.
"One. Two. Three", Jack closed his eyes as the combined weight of the rock and the pain in his head made him uncontrollably dizzy. He suddenly opened his eyes as he heard Hans scuffle. The Prince of the Southern Isles stood in front of the spirit of Winter holding the spirits source of power in his hands.
Hans laughed, "Legend says that you are rendered useless without your staff Jack Frost." Jack launched out at Hans. "Ah ah, not if you ever want to see your little Elsa ever again." Hans opened the door and pushed Jack down a long corridor to a single lone cell. The door was covered in ice and was frozen shut.
"No", both Hans and Jack exclaimed at the same time. Hans pushed the door open to find an empty cell with a large hole blasted in the side.
Jack tried to run out through the hole but was pushed to the wall by Hans, "You think I'm just going to let you run off to your slut Jack Frost", Jack tried to push Hans off him but it was too late as Hans grabbed Jack's already injured head and slammed it into the icy stone wall, "She will die just like her sister". Jack fell to the ground as Hans snapped his staff in half and left him alone in the frozen cell.
Jack blacked in and out of consciousness for the next couple of minutes as he tried to get his eyes to focus. He held his broken staff in his hands, "Come on", he pleaded, "Please fix please. She needs me". Suddenly, as if held together by ice, the broken staff became one again. Jack felt the rush of energy surge from his fingertips through the body and to his head. It would heal itself in no time, especially now that he was powerful again.
Jack leapt from the cell to the icy Fjord. The icy was starting to crack and Jack could sort of make out Kristoff atop of Sven galloping at speed towards what looked like a freezing Anna. Jack was about to race towards Anna and bring her closer to Kristoff before she froze over, when he saw her. Jack saw Elsa talking to Hans and then falling to the ground.
"The bastard", Jack thought and created an icy path on which he could travel quickly over the Fjord. Jack passed through the blizzard and caught words of the two's conversation, "sister... dead, Jack... long gone. Ice- Heart"
Jack watched as Hans extended his sword and prepared to bring it down on Elsa's neck. Jack was too far away. Elsa was going to die. Suddenly Jack fell backwards as he watched Anna sacrifice herself for Elsa before turning completely to ice. He finally reached Elsa, who had her arms around her sister's Frozen body. All of Arandelle, even the howling winds fell silent a the queen embraced her dead sister. Suddenly, Anna's cloak started to regain colour and her skin returned to its usual peachy tint.
Elsa staggered back shocked, "Wha-? Anna?"
Anna opened her eyes and smiled at Elsa, relieved, "Oh, Elsa."
The two sisters embraced
Elsa stared at Anna, "...You sacrificed yourself for me?"
Anna smiled weakly at her, "I love you."
Jack finally grasped what was happening, gave a big smile and exclaimed, "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."
Elsa seemed taken aback at his presence as if forgetting their earlier engagement, "J- Jack. Love...will thaw... Love... Of course." Anna looked confused but Elsa looked confident, she looked warmly at Jack, "Love."
Elsa lifted her arms, and the ground beneath them shook and started to crack. The ice and snow all around Arandelle started to break away and rise higher and higher into the air. Beneath their feet the bow of a ship thawed and rose from under the sea giving the group a place to stand now that their icy ground had returned to its ocean blue state. Jack and Kristoff watched as the entire Fjord melted around them and the other boats, here since the day of the coronation, righted themselves. Villagers, for the first time in days pushed open the shutters on their windows and allowed the air to enter their homes and their bodies. Elsa grabbed Jack's hand and together, in one final wave, they drew all of the snow up into a giant snowflake in the sky. They then waved it away, leaving only a warm summer day.
Jack turned to Elsa, his eyes full of pride, "Elsa that was amazing, you were amazing".
Elsa blushed bright red before bringing one hand up to Jack's cheek, "You came back Jack. After all this time I thought you had left me but you came back."
Jack brought his forehead to hear and closed his eyes, "I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving you", he whispered so that only she could hear, " I thought I could get over you easily, but I was so wrong Els. I could never get over you, I will never get over you . You're my best friend, the girl I love. You're my person Elsa."
"Oh Jack", Elsa whispered, "You're my person too", and what that Elsa brought Jack in for a long sweet kiss. After two long years neither of their feelings had changed a bit, if only increased.
The Guardians smiled to themselves as Jack's eyes brightened over the reunion of him with Elsa. in all the years that they had known Jack, they had never seen him so calm, so happy. He looked as if a dreadful weight was starting to lift off his shoulders.
"Elsa returned to her throne with the joy and respect of all of her subjects. They adored her and her powers. See, she seemed well more in control of it now that it wasn't a secret anymore. I guess it wasn't the impending doom she expected it to be. They welcomed me too. You should have seen them. They raised me up high like a king. But then again I was like one, you know, I was going out with the Queen." Jack laughed, "People couldn't believe that the Jack Frost was there alive in person. Some people claimed to have always seen me. Even some of the palace staff would tell anyone they could get their hands on that they had known me for years as I tutored the eldest princess."
"We were so happy. Me and Elsa. We were together and surrounded by friends. Anna and Kristoff got married almost immediately and to many people's surprise Elsa didn't complain. Well she had known him for more than a day. It was only when Anna was expecting her first child when I properly started thinking about Elsa's and I's future.
The palace was in full swing, everyone was trying to get everything ready in time for the newest royal baby. Arrangements were being made for an amazing nursery for Anna's child and people were hurrying about trying to clean the ballrooms in time for the party. Jack and Elsa were sitting in their favourite spot in the castle, the only place where they could be truly alone, away from all the servants and messengers and noble people wanting this and that from the queen.
Long ago when the palace was being constructed, there had been a small, hidden sentry post atop the highest tower. It could only be entered after climbing a steep ladder being held at one end. Many years ago though, there had been a particularly harrowing lightning storm and the tower had been hit, half destroying the sentry post and all access to it. Nothing was ever done about this though as Arandelle was quite a peaceful nation and well there was no need for a sentry post. One day when Jack had first been exploring the castle he had found this place and called it his own. Now it was his and Elsa's.
Elsa sat, leaning into Jack's chest as the two watched the sun set beyond the mountains to the west. Jack sighed, he wished moments like these could last forever. Jack, like all those years ago, was at another crossroads but this time one of the options was not leaving Elsa. Seeing Anna and Kristoff and their immanent new arrival had gotten Jack thinking. Jack wanted nothing more than for Elsa to be happy, and he knew that what she wanted the most was for them to be married and for maybe a few new heirs to be running around the castle halls. This idea to Jack was bliss and it lightened his heart when he thought about it. He wanted a family. He wanted a family with Elsa. But then again he was thinking of his immortality. Jack could slowly see Elsa grow older each day and that made his heart heavy but the thought of watching his children, even his grandchildren, growing and dying was unbearable. But he had to do what was right. For Elsa.
"Do you ever think of the future?", Jack asked suddenly, causing Elsa to turn sharply towards him. "We've talked so many times about marriage Elsa and I've told you time and time again about my worries and my doubts."
Elsa looked down, she hated jack's resilience but she knew exactly where he was coming from. "But now I know that I've been stupid. I was putting my needs in front of you Els. I want it as much as you. I want a wife and kids more than anything and it's all standing right in front of me", Elsa took a sharp intake of breath, she hoped this was going where she thought it was, "So Elsa, I've wanted to ask this for so long, since before I left you way back when, Elsa, Snow Queen of Arandelle, will you marry me?"
Elsa didn't reply as jack held out a simple ring in front of her. It was white gold, like a ring made of ice, with a blue diamond set in the middle, as blue as both of their eyes. The ring was simple yet beautiful, Elsa knew that Jack must of put in so much effort to find it. She nodded slowly, as if she hadn't fully yet comprehended the event but suddenly a huge smile grew on her face and she launched herself into Jack's arms, muttering, "Yes, Yes", into his neck as they held each other close.
The whole kingdom was overjoyed at the announcement of Elsa and Jack's engagement, but no more than Anna herself. Anna was so happy that Elsa had found someone like she had found Kristoff. And who was more suited or her sister than the only other known person on Earth who had the same gift as Elsa.
Life in the castle became even more hectic as on top of the arrival of the new prince Petter, there was a royal wedding to be organised. Neither Jack nor Elsa wanted a huge wedding at all, but Anna insisted. She had taken it upon herself to become the royal wedding planner, even only days after birthing a child. "It will be remembered forever", she squealed as she and Elsa, much to Elsa's displeasurement, chose between blue table mats or red table mats. Between the designs and fitting and preparation for the wedding, Elsa and Jack barely got to see each other.
One night, when Elsa had finally gotten away from the power mad Anna and Jack had finally convinced Kristoff to take a night in with Petter, he silently flew up from behind, grabbed Elsa's hand and pulled her out the window. Elsa, after so many years of being with Jack, didn't scream or even flinch at the sudden action but laughed as the two flew far from the castle towards the ice palace Elsa had made so few years ago. Jack was still in his suit.
"I don't know about you", he said landing atop the ice made balcony, "But I never wanted this big white wedding, with tons of guests and presents. I always just pictured me and you, and maybe a priest and nothing else. You were enough Elsa. So I decided, scrap that, how about we just tie the knot on our own , our own way and then just go through with the other ceremony. Because we wouldn't have to worry if that one was right, cause this one will be perfect".
And with that Jack stuck his staff forward and the large iced doors swung inwards. Elsa gasped as the whole room was full of candles, which surprisingly didn't melt the building, and flower petals strewn across the floor. Inside the room were Kristoff, Anna, Petter and even Olaf who was looking very pleased with himself. To one side stood a small, brown haired priest clad in purple. Elsa turned to Jack and he just grinned wildly as her dress turned from its usual icy blue to snow white.
"Marry me Elsa, right here, right now. "
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
"And we just did it, there and then. The priest said the blessing and Olaf gave us the rings. It was perfect", Jack sighed, pulling at a chain beneath his hoodie. The guardians had never noticed it before and when Jack pulled it out to show them, they saw with happy eyes, a small gold wedding band with a snowflake pattern on it. Jack laughed suddenly, "I asked Anna to get the rings for us. She didn't even know about the patterns."
Thanks so much for all of the feedback, it has been unreal! That chapter has just fluffy because I wanted some happiness before the Angst and Depressingness of the next chapter or the one after it. I'm sorry.
Please review! I need some ideas so keep them coming. Thanks again :)