In front of Jack was an old staff member who worked at his family's mansion. He wasn't only the family driver, but, also the butler. The Frost family treated their staff like family. Some has been around since Jack's father was born.
"Mr. Bergman?" Jack narrowed his eyes to remember the familiar face. Bergman took off his driver's cap and smiled at him.
It's been years since he last seen Jack, the last time he saw him was the day he dropped him off at this very same airport. Now his old tender-loving eyes was glad to see him once again. But, was he the same little boy who enjoyed playing pranks and listening to his war stories?
"Come along master Jack, we have a long drive back to Arendelle." Bergman grabbed Jack's belongings.
"Oh I can handle it," Jack didn't want the man to hurt himself. "Oh don't worry, I'm still able to carry an elephant." Bergman chuckled while opening the car's trunk, storing Jack's belongings.
Then Bergman opened one of the side doors of the car. Jack opened the other door and pretended to place his backpack inside. Bergman didn't say anything. He casually sat inside the driver's seat and turned on the car.
"C'mon," Jack quietly whispered to Anna. The girl happily hopped inside the back seat of the car. "Okay put on your seatbelt and behave until we get home, alright?" Jack spoke softly. Anna nodded, zipping her mouth shut.
"Alright, ready," Jack smiled awkwardly while sitting on the passenger seat. Bergman nodded. Before driving off Bergman checked his rearview mirror. He spotted a little girl quietly sitting at the back. Apparently, Bergman was very calm over the strange phenomenon. He wanted to say something, but, couldn't. The engine roared and the car was off to Arendelle.
Driving to Arendelle was somehow a long drive. Jack sometime took the time to check on Anna. Bergman assumed he was looking back at the disappearing landscape.
Jack quietly asked, "You okay?" Anna nodded. "Oh don't worry Jack, I'm still capable of driving for long hours." Bergman chuckled while keeping his hands on the wheel. "You know back when I was your age, I used to delivery a dozen boxes of bread back in Oslo. It was a small bakery owned by a war veteran. And you know what that old war hero used to tell me everyday?"
"Gaining strength is like practicing how to ride a bike. Learn it. Achieve it. Show nobility." Jack said it with confidence.
"You know it?" Bergman was shock. Jack chuckled, "You enjoyed telling me and Sophia that story when we were small."
Bergman smiled cheerfully. "He still remembers." He reflected.
Jack gazed through his window, admiring the rolling countryside. He remembered how Bergman preferred to drive down long country roads than taking polluted highways. The Norwegian landscape caused Jack to reminisce the days he used to go out and play with his friends.
The flower bulbs on the trees was ready to bloom. Spring was coming. Jack and his friends were joyfully playing hide and go seek in Kristoff's backyard. Kristoff's parents owned a large acre of land to raise reindeers for living. A forest stood behind the nearby stables and barn. Those were their favorite hiding spots.
"Okay Hans you're it," Hiccup informed him. Hans rolled his eyes, "Why me? Isn't it Kristoff's turn?" He pointed at a small blonde haired boy who wore his favorite reindeer shirt and knitted beanie cap.
"Kristoff already had his turn," Six year old Anna was hugging her shy friend. Kristoff blushed over the warm hug. Anna's contagious friendly giggle couldn't be resisted. The sweet brown eyes of Kristoff was locked onto Anna's charming blue eyes. Hans pouted whenever he saw her giving more attention to Kristoff than him.
"Well the gang's all here," Jack met up with his friends underneath a large tree with its roots popping out of the ground which was easy to climb on.
"You mean, you're finally here. You're late Jack." Elsa was sitting on a large tree branch. "Be happy I'm at least here Els," An eight year old Jack smiling at her. Elsa giggled.
"So are we going to play or not?" Hans asked impatiently. "Oyy calm down princess, we'll play soon." Merida chuckled. She was a seven year old with outrageous curly orange hair that was out of place. Her eyes matched her blue archery t-shirt. Merida's dream was to become an olympian in archery.
"Hold on a second, we're still waiting on Rapunzel." Jack informed his friends.
Hans impatiently sat on a tree root, crossing his arms. Hiccup saw Hans's pouting. "Awh does Hans have another wedgie again?" He busted out laughing.
Everyone joined in the fun. Hans began to blush. "At least he doesn't have an atomic wedgie!" Merida jokingly showing a gesture of her arms showcasing an invisible atomic bomb explosion.
Jack saw Hans feeling a bit embarrassed, he walked over and placed his hand on his shoulder. Hans looked up at him. Even though, they were the same age, Jack was older than him and reclaimed to be the leader of group. Jack made sure his friends was treated respectfully.
"Hey don't worry, they're just taking their sillies out," Jack smiled at him.
"Alright guys, that's enough. Don't make Hans feel bad. He's just too excited to play today." Jack defended him. "I think Rapunzel is here." He pointed at a ten year old girl with very long golden hair running toward them.
"Sorry I'm late," Rapunzel apologized. "Oh Kristoff you're mom baked us a carrot cake." She glanced over at little Kristoff. He was smiling ear to ear. "So when we're done playing, she'll give us each a slice." Rapunzel said while taking out a brush from her little purple purse. She went on brushing her glorious veil.
"Do you have to brush that thing every minute?" Merida asked annoyingly. "Yes. I want to keep it healthy and straight. Not like your's silly," Rapunzel giggled. Merida wasn't offended, but, she's tired of repeatedly why her hair was the way it is. "I can't help it. It poofy orange monster!"
"Are we going to talk about hair or are we going to play?" Hiccup groaned. He was busy drawing on his pocket size sketchbook. Kristoff and Anna glanced over and saw him designing a mechanical dragon.
"Everyone huddle up!" Jack commanded his friends like a naturally born leader. "Okay, someone catch me!" Elsa jumped off from the tree branch. Jack caught her with his arms which helped Elsa land safely on the ground. The two faces was inches apart. They stared at each other's blue eyes.
Jack and Elsa was blushing. But, Elsa was the first to break away from their gaze. "That was fun! Thanks Frosty." Elsa ruffled Jack's hair. Frosty was Jack's nickname which he earned from when he first met Elsa.
"Jack are you coming?" Elsa asked him. Jack was staring out of space for moment, he didn't know he was busy looking at his best friend in a goofy way. "Huh? Yeah I'm coming." Jack woke up.
When everyone was all together, Elsa reminded everyone about the rules of hide and go seek. She asked if the gang knew the song that the player who was it, had to sing. The gang understood. In a minute, they began to play. Hans closed eyes with his hands covering them and began to countdown from 100. The rest of the gang went and hide.
Inside the small barn, where Kristoff's parents stored farming supplies and other equipments to maintain their reindeer farm, Jack was strolling peacefully around the place. He was confident that Hans won't find him there. But, little that Jack knew, someone else was using this place as their hiding place too.
"Achoo…" Someone sneezed from behind where Jack stood. "Uh, bless you?" Jack said kindly.
"Thank you."
Jack turned around and found a pair of blue sneakers sneaking behind a curtain that hung over an opened doorway. Jack pulled the curtains aside and saw Elsa standing there with a smile on her face.
"Hey you found me, but, you're not it." Elsa giggled. The sound of Elsa laughing was like hearing a soft sweet song from the voice of angel. Jack couldn't resisted but smile at her young beauty.
The two was quietly walking around and chatting about their favorite video games. But, the conversation quickly ended when they heard their friends coming inside. Hans and the rest stood at the center of the place. "Where are they?" Hans said curiously.
"C'mon we need to get out of here," Elsa grabbed Jack's hand. Jack looked down and blushed. "There should be another exit around here," Elsa told Jack while slowly walking away.
"There is, c'mon follow me," Instead of Elsa dragging Jack away, Jack was the one taking Elsa to somewhere else safe to hide. The two quietly snuck out from the back door. The sound of the very old door echoed throughout barn. It certainly caught the gang's attention.
"They're escaping!" Hiccup shouted. "C'mon!" Hans ordered his friends to follow him back to the yard. "When did we switch from hide and seek to bounty hunting?" Merida asked.
The gang saw Jack and Elsa running away, heading towards the woods. "There they go!" Rapunzel shouted. Who knew the gang was capable of running so fast like cheetahs? Jack turned around and saw the gang right behind them.
"Oh no!" Jack shouted. Just when Jack turned around to see where he was going, Hiccup and Kristoff was right in front of them. Then Jack looked to his sides and found he was surrounded. Elsa too. The two friends stood back to back. "I guess we lost," Elsa said, disappointingly. Hans went on singing,
"Where is my friend?
1...2..3...4...5...6...7…
Where is my friend?"
"Yeah yeah, were here, here…" Jack rolled his eyes. "My friends here!" Hans and the others sung happily. Jack and Elsa laughed at them.
"Dog pile!" Hiccup was truly sugar high, the boy went on tackling Jack to the ground. The rest of gang went along with the fun. The sound of their laughters echoed throughout the yard and into the woods.
Jack finally woke up from his trip from dreamland. "Ah you're awake. Good. Look up ahead, my boy," Bergman smiled while removing one hand from the wheel, pointing at church bell tower that overlook a town and fjord. "Welcome home."
The car exited out of the busy highway and onto a narrow two lane street that looked over the fjord. Jack looked back and saw Anna napping on the back seat. He wanted to wake her up, but, it looked like she was deep inside dream land.
"Isn't Arendelle beautiful?" Bergman asked him. Jack turned around and saw the sleepy summer town came into view. The car drove to a street with colorful historical buildings with shades of light salmon pink, mustard yellow, snow white colored bricks. Down below, was small businesses of shops and family restaurants. Above the businesses was either offices or apartments. The architecture reminded Jack of New York.
"Doesn't seem like much of New York," Bergman stated. "Not really," Jack responded. From the narrow streets, the local businesses, and the view of a large body of water, it somewhat reminded him of the city. There was a touch of modernism. A few of large buildings towered over the homes and business. But nothing compare to those giant skyscrapers in New York.
"I bet you still remember that building," Bergman pointed at the largest building that had a spectacular view of the fjord. Jack looked up and saw a post-modern corporate business building. It was decorated with rooftop gardens and solar panels that was disguised from outdoor umbrellas and other outdoor equipments. The materials used to develop the products are far-advanced than other companies around the world.
Jack remembered the place like it was somewhat another home that he used to visit. Its vast amount of glass windows for every floor. The opened glass entrance looked like crystallized blocks stacked among each other. The main building was the centerpiece of this small corporate center. It emerged from the ground to the sky, without a flat rooftop.
Despite the solar panels decorating around the place, there was some eco-friendly machinery generating power for the company and the town. Water from fjord flowed through the hydroelectric turbines, waves crashing back and forth, causing the blades to turn; generating energy. There was a wind energy farm, three towns away from Arendelle which shared the energy with nearby villages and towns. The company focused on providing clean energy among the nearby communities as well team up with the locals to make their lives more energy efficient.
Such as, teaming up with local farmers to procedure cleaner energy to keep their society and crops safe from harmful chemicals.
The founder of the company was once a farmer who noticed how nature functioned. Eventually, he was inspired to model a business that focused on obtaining the gifts from nature and incorporated it with society's daily lives. Jack knew the story about the penniless farmer who worked until his last breath to build his dream. He was simply his great-grandfather.
"Now now Jackson, I hope you won't break this one. You made me replaced two already." A tall slender man with platinum blonde hair that resembled like a blanket of fresh snow, stood over a six year old Jack who was playfully swiveling around his father's computer chair. Whenever Jack visited his father's work, he accidentally broke a furniture or item. But, his father was patience and kind man who believed in objects as objects while family wasn't replaceable.
"I won't daddy," Jack giggled. "Weee…" Jack twirled around like he was in those carnival rides that spun you around. Jack's father took control of the chair and faced it where he could see his son. Jack saw his father's face, but, couldn't hold back the laughter. His father's serious face was replaced with a jolly smile with soft loving eyes.
"Oh you." Jack's father ruffled his son's white hair. "Daddy what's that painting?" Jack pointed at a large oil painting of a pack of wolves running across a wintry landscape. "Oh that's an old painting that was handed down to me." Jack was struck with awe, gazing up at the painting. "Hey did you know there's a story behind this painting?" Jack's father told him.
Jack shook his head. His father went on telling him the tale about a pack of eight wolves roaming freely across the Norwegian landscape. "Why are they seven of them?" Jack interrupted. "You don't see that small one in far corner of the pack?" Jack's father held Jack's small hand, gently, pointing at the small wolf which was painted transparently. It was camouflaged along with the scenery.
"Oh!" Jack now saw it. "You see the pack underneath a tragedy in the family, which nearly tore them apart. But, with love and forgiveness at their side, they were able to overcome the hardship." His father finished the story.
"You see Jack, a pack is always pack. No matter what life throws at you. A pack is always there to protect and care a love one in need. Regardless of the cost, a pack is strong enough to show love than an individual. Put the love of others' first, before your's." Jack's father said while staring down at him.
"Daddy likes using big kid word!" Jack giggled. "Can we go play at the park? I want to play some more football." He asked playfully.
Jack's father sighed with a charming grin on his face. "You'll understand someday." He carried Jack off the chair and lifted him up in the air. The grown man wanted to stare at Jack's face. "Promise me, you'll never forget this story." He asked softly.
"Promise!" Jack shouted with big grin on his face. "Can we go get ice cream then?"
"Ice cream? I thought you wanted to go to the park." His father reminded him. "Yeah after playing football" Jack chuckled. "Whatever makes you happy, my boy" Jack's father hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go.
The sound of Jack's father's laughter echoed throughout his head. He noticed the car was driving up a residential neighborhood. On top of hill was a street of small humble looking homes. Small opened driveways with one to two story houses with pointy rooftops. Some were flat with a touch of post-modern and contemporary architecture.
Before the end of the street, Jack took a quick glance at the dead sign and the street led it up to. At the end was a two story home which was constructed by large shipping containers. It wasn't the only house on that street. There was several homes lined up across among each other. But, according to Jack, that house brought back memories.
He suddenly saw images of three little kids riding their bikes down the street. It was him when he was nine, riding on his old blue bike with his friend, Elsa. Behind the two was Anna in little green bike who enjoyed riding along with them. They looked like they were heading to school, because they were wearing their uniforms. Usually, Jack's parents would give him a ride, but, Bergman assigned to that task, most of the time.
"Come on Bergman!" Young Jack shouted at the car who was following him. "Let's race, who can get to school first," Elsa challenged him. "You're on, queeny" Jack grinned. "I wanna race too!" Anna shouted. In a matter of seconds, the three friends were off, leaving Bergman unaware that they ditched him.
"Remember those days when you and your girl friend always raced to school and left me behind," Bergman snapped Jack back to reality. Jack quirked an eyebrow. "She wasn't my girlfriend, she was…"
"Your best friend. Yes I know how love is Jack," Bergman chuckled. Jack slouched on his seat. "You followed her and she followed you." Bergman chuckled some more. "You two were an unbreakable team…"
"Yeah that was then." Jack said bitterly. Bergman saw the melancholy expression on Jack's face, he wanted to say more, but, it wasn't the time too. Bergman was one of the few who knew what happened to Jack and his friends on that summer afternoon, fourteen years ago.
"Well you two were very protective over little Anna." Jack couldn't believed Bergman brought up that statement. He clenched his teeth and looked away. "She was cheery youngster. Always smiling and dancing around like a fairy." Bergman chuckled. "But it was pity for her to be gone too soon…" The wrinkles on Bergman's face slowly sculpted his sad expression.
"Bergman." Jack hissed. "Can we please stop talking?"
Bergman paused for a moment. He noticed Jack's cheerless expression, Jack was lost into a trance, perhaps preventing himself from thinking back about his past. "As you wish, Master Jack." He said politely.
The rest of way was a silent drive. Bergman drove pass more residential neighborhoods and several businesses that looked over the town and fjord. Then the car took a turn to a private road that led up to a small hill. It traced around a spiral cemented road that led to a large metal opened gate. The car drove into a cobble-stoned paved driveway that could fit up to at least ten cars.
A small modern-day castle stood on top of hill which had a grand view of the town and fjord. The castle once looked medieval, but, over different generations, the home was reconstructed to meet with times. The Frost family preferred calling it a mansion instead of a castle, because the family had no descendants of royalty.
"Well here we are, Master Jack." Bergman said before leaving the car. He walked around and opened Jack's door. "Welcome back to Frost manor." Bergman offered a soft smile, but, he knew that Jack's mind would be buzzing with haunting memories of this place.
"Thanks, Bergman." Jack got out of the car and went on gathering his belongings. Bergman opened the trunk, taking out Jack's lounge. Jack opened the side door to pick up his backpack in the back. He also gently woke up Anna from her nap.
"Hey sleepy head, were here," Jack said softly. Anna slowly moved around her seat and began to stretch. She accidentally hit him in the face by mistake.
"Ouch!" Jack touched his nose.
"Are you alright, Jack?" Bergman asked him from behind the car. "Yeah I'm alright Bergman." Jack reassured him.
"So sorry," Anna said sadly. "It's alright, we've just arrived in Arendelle and now were at my place." Jack whispered. Anna quickly removed her seatbelt and ran out of the car. Jack grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder, he saw her looking at the place, excitingly.
"I forgot how big this place was!" Anna admired the Frost estate. A arce wide yard that circled around the front and back of the home. There was a fountain at the center of the driveway. The statues, however, wasn't similar to rich homes with Greek and Roman gods looking at you. The figure looked mythical as if they came from a book. There was a old man carrying a large sack over his shoulders. A woman with wings floating above the pedestal. A large slender rabbit stood by the old man. Another man, smaller than the old man, stood proudly in front of the three figures. Who ever they were? They looked courageously over at the property.
"Come along, you must be hungry. Don't worry my wife will fix you up with something." Bergman said kindly. Jack followed him to the front door. Bergman dropped one of the lounges and ringed the doorbell.
"So is everyone still here?" Jack asked curiously. "Well not actually, there is only my wife and me, who looked after your sister." Bergman explained. "Things has changed over years."
Jack avoid eye contact and said nothing. "It's quite alright really. As long we had someone to keep us company than nothing to worry about." Bergman said confidently.
Soon, the door opened slightly, where an elderly lady, near Bergman's age emerged out of the house. She wore summer dress old Norse floral design over it. Her brown hair was tied into a bun. She elegant and reserved at the same time.
"Hello my love, guess who's home?" Bergman smiled. The woman gasped over the sight of Jack standing in front of her, "Jack!" She quickly wrapped her arms around him. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Bergman." Jack patted her back.
"It's been years my boy. Come inside, I just baked krumkakes and finished touching up an almond cake," Mrs. Bergman explained.
The two went inside, carrying some of Jack's stuff. Anna pulled the strap from Jack's bag. "Do you think they will see me?"
"I don't know. One way to find out. Don't worry, after settling we'll start thinking about your wish," Jack smiled down at her. Anna felt glad she was with Jack, he was always big brother toward her.
At the back of their minds, Jack and Anna wanted to know what Arendelle has in store for them.
Short Commentary: Jack and Anna made it to Arendelle. Some things stayed the same, such as, the historic architecture and the scenery. But, Jack doesn't seem to excited or happy of coming back home. He continued on falling into long trips from the past. Regardless if they seem like happy memories, they sadly hurt him deep inside. Also we've learned that Jack is loaded. Rich playboy loaded. But, it's nice that his family grew up from humble beginnings with some hardships to overcome. His family's past will play out an important part to his character development throughout the story.
Updating Schedule: I used to post 1 chapter per weekend. Now it's summer, I plan to at least post 2 chapters per weekend nights. (1 for Friday nights and 1 for Saturday nights)
Writer's Notes: I would like to thank those who took a time to read my story. Thank you for following, reviewing, and your favorites. (Yes, I see you my Guest reviewers. Haha. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!) Once again, THANK YOU! And stay tuned. :D