Here is chapter 3, hope you enjoy!

Please review!

Neither Frozen nor Rise of the Guardians belongs to me.


As Toothiana had predicted, Jack had flown straight to Elsa's Ice Castle. It had fallen into partial disrepair, some of the floors getting thinner and most of the edges of the structure were slightly rounded instead of crisp and sharp like they had been upon their creation. But the cold weather on the North Mountain was enough to keep the castle preserved even after all this time, and for that Jack was eternally grateful. He doubted he had the ability to rebuild something of this magnitude even if he tried.

He landed silently in front of the icy staircase leading to the front door. The snow guardian that once stood watch, affectionately named Marshmallow, had long ago become nothing but a pile of snow after Elsa's magic had worn off. The staircase itself held a few cracks now as a result of the weight of snow that sometimes fell on it, never enough to completely destroy it but plenty to damage it to the point that anyone unable to hover or fly would likely fall through.

He laid a gently hand on the banister, curls of frost dancing up and around the ice, creating a merger of two forms of ice magic. Jack flew slowly up the staircase, his hand not leaving the banister. The final monument to his snow angel deserved to be beautiful. She'd always loved the designs he was able to create, and would always get frustrated that she was only able to make snowflakes while he was able to make intricate patterns and swirling designs with his frost.

That was what Jack liked most about their powers, they both controlled ice and snow, yet different aspects of it. She could make the most elaborate and beautiful ice sculptures with the flick of the wrist, while he couldn't make anything like those to save his life, but his snow was magic, bringing fun to anyone who touched it. He'd attempted to make a sculpture of her one time, but try as he might his power just wouldn't cooperate. So he'd settled for frosted effigies, almost like paintings, which now decorated the interior of the ice castle. Jack let out a sigh of relief seeing his pictures unharmed when he pushed open the heavy ice doors of the castle.

The walls of the main hall were filled with his images, most of Elsa, some of Annika when she was a child; one or two of them had both Elsa and him. But the centerpiece of the room was right in the center 'hanging' above the icy fountain in the middle of the two staircases. This was the one that had taken him the longest to make and the one that made him feel the guiltiest.

It was all three of them, his whole family. He'd tried to make an official royal portrait, like the one that had been painted when Annika was born, but that had quickly changed as his mind wandered while making it. They still sat together, Elsa on her throne, Jack standing at her side and a three year old Annika on Elsa's lap, but instead of the calm regal smiles they were supposed to have, all three of them were laughing joyously. Annika writhed in Elsa's lap as her parents tickled her, a massive grin on her face.

Jack sighed and floated back from the painting. His feet touched the cold floor and he looked up to see how his artwork looked, gasping in surprise seeing what he had made. He stared at the picture, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He could hear Annika's delighted peals and Elsa's bell like laughter ringing in his ears. Laughter he would never hear again.

Seeing the picture brought back the same gut wrenching feeling deep inside him. He couldn't handle it after what he had learned about Annika's letters. But he knew he would regret ruining or destroying it. Instead he decided to take a page out of Elsa's book. Long ago she'd taught him one of her favorite skills, creating fabric from ice and frost.

It was one of the few, non-naturally occurring things he was able to do with ice, the rest of his magic could be made by Mother Nature herself. Sure he wasn't nearly as good as Elsa was, he couldn't make complete outfits in seconds like she could, but with a little focus he was able to craft fabric. So that's what he did, much like when the rulers were mourned and their portraits covered, he would do the same to the portrait he had created.

Jack sat down on the floor and set his staff beside him. He grabbed the end of the staff and tapped his hand once on the bottom. He and Elsa had figured out, that by doing so he could focus his power in himself instead of his staff, but only for a short time. Jack then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, putting his fingertips together; slowly he pulled them apart, releasing a little bit of power to form a single icy thread.

That was the start, repeating the process over and over, the threads multiplying each time until he had a small sheer square of pale blue frosted fabric. After the initial creation of the fabric square, it got easier for him. He focused a bit more power and the fabric began to grow, the pattern repeating itself until he had a large piece of fabric about the size of a blanket. Next came the embellishments, a completely optional thing, but his favorite part.

Droplets of ice formed beading around the swirl designs frosted on, dainty shimmering snowflakes layered over each other to acts as sequins, and a thin layer of frost over the entire thing made it sparkle in the sunlight reflecting through the castle. Jack looked over his work before nodding in satisfaction and flying up to carefully drape the fabric over the portrait.

He backed away and sighed sadly, he could just make out Annika's face through the cover. But that gave him an idea, a finishing touch on the memorial he had created. A bouquet of her favorite frost flowers.

"Papa Papa!" Annika called to Jack as she ran down the hall towards him as fast as her legs could carry her. Jack felt a grin come to his face and swept her up in his arms when she got close enough. "What are you doing? I thought you had lessons?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, expecting to hear that she had escaped because she was bored.

"Mama said she has lots of important meetings today so I don't have them!" Annika cheered. Jack laughed and said "Well in that case, I suppose we should start our own lessons hm?" Annika frowned a little "But papa" She whined, having hoped to get out of boring lessons for the day. "Now when did I ever say what the lessons would be in?" He winked with a mischievous smile, moving her to his back.

"Hold on tight." He said before flying out a nearby window, Annika's joyous laughter in his ears. They flew all around the village and the castle, even once stopping by one of the windows of the meeting room Elsa was in to try and make her smile.

"Now gently blow on the window." Jack said quietly as Annika did as he instructed, thin frost spreading across the glass. She smiled and carefully wrote 'Hi mama!' with her finger, but since she didn't really understand how it worked, her message appeared backwards to Elsa. The Queen barely stifled her giggle at her daughter's antics, trying to refocus on what the ambassador was saying.

Jack and Annika flew to the forest just outside the village and started to practice making snowballs, well Annika practiced while trying to dodge the ones Jack threw at her. Eventually she got tired and fell back in the snow, snuggling into it as if it were a cozy blanket. Jack lay down next to her and made snow fall above them so she could try and catch snowflakes on her tongue.

"Papa will you make a pretty thing for me?" Annika asked, looking at Jack. Jack, assuming she was talking about the extremely detailed snowflakes Elsa could make said "I thought you said that Mama was better at making those?" Annika shook her head indignantly "No not those pretty things, the ones you make!" Jack smirked a little in understanding and sat up a little. "You mean these?" He teased, easily creating a rose make of ice and frost in his hands. Annika's eyes lit up as did her smile.

Jack carefully slid the rose into her hair and kissed her nose. "We need to think of a better name for those. Can't have your Mama and I getting confused can we?" He chuckled. Annika bit her lip thoughtfully "How about we call your pretty things frost flowers?" He ruffled her hair a bit and said "I was thinking the same thing."

Annika moved closer to snuggle next to her father, watching the snow fall down on them. "I want to have frost flowers when I get married. Mama told me that you made her some pretty ones when you got married." Jack smiled and kissed her forehead. "I did and I would be honored to make some just for you when you get married some day."

"I'm sorry I broke that promise Annika." Jack muttered quietly to himself. "Hopefully this can make up for it." Jack waved his hands together and made a bouquet of frost flowers, keeping them together with a band of ice. He found one of the many ice vases still in the castle and quickly repaired the few cracks in it before setting it on the railing above the covered portrait. He set the bouquet in the vase and backed away once more, taking in all of his work.

It was much better but still not perfect. He picked up his staff and tapped it carefully on the ground creating a single frost flower that seemed to grow from the icy floor. "One down, a whole room to go." He said quietly before setting to work filling the great hall of the Ice Palace.