I'm back, and I bring another chapter with me! This one was probably the most difficult to write so far, just because of the amount of dialogue in it, but I'm still really pleased with the way it turned out, and I hope you will be too. Without further ado, I'll let you start reading!

-E


For a moment, I froze. I had completely forgotten about the bruise on my face, and for a moment I considered lying about its origins. But if I really wanted to create a relationship between Jack and myself, I knew that I'd have to be honest.

"Hans," I murmured, not able to look Jack in the eye. "He hit me earlier today because he noticed that you have feelings for me. He was mad when I told him that you and your family were still invited to the wedding."

If Jack had looked angry today when he had faced off with Hans by the fountain, that was nothing compared to the fury his expression now held. He was livid, even murderous.

"I have half a mind right now to fly back to the castle and freeze him where he stands for doing this to you," Jack snarled through clenched teeth. "No man should ever, ever, hit a girl, no matter how angry he might be. That… I don't have the words to tell you how much I want to make him pay for that."

"Don't do anything that will get you arrested," I warned. His breathing was still intense, and it looked like he was fighting against his conscience. Hesitantly, I took his hand, hoping that it would calm him down. "We need to talk about the wedding. I refuse to go through with it… but I don't know how to get out of it. If I just suddenly say that the wedding is cancelled, Hans will most likely get physical again. And Anna wouldn't understand. No one would. They would probably force me to marry him."

Jack's eyebrows scrunched together, as if working out some difficult problem in his head. Suddenly, his face lit up like a thousand lanterns that had all been lit at once. "You could be a runaway bride," he said, a sneaky little grin adorning his face. When he saw me slowly shaking my head, he launched into an explanation. "Think about it. No one is going to let you have a relationship with a commoner are they?" I had no choice but to answer no. "Well, this way you won't have to deal with Hans, and we could start a relationship together. You wouldn't have to worry about hiding your powers anymore; you could use them freely around me. You wouldn't have all the responsibilities that come with ruling a kingdom. And Rebekka would love having you around; she already refers to you as being like an older sister."

"We couldn't come back," I whispered. "If I run off with you, Hans will stop at nothing to get me back. Your house will be the first place they'll look. We can't put Rebekka and Heidi in danger by coming straight here. We'd have to leave Arendelle far behind." Even though I could feel the truth behind my words, it still hurt me to say them. Arendelle was all I had ever known, and I could scarcely imagine living anywhere else. And leaving would mean leaving Anna behind, losing Anna… again….

"I can't leave Anna," I wailed suddenly, tears already budding in my eyes at the thought. "She's all I have left, and I can't leave and suddenly dump all the responsibilities of being queen on her. What if she was forced to marry Hans instead of me? I can't do that to her, I can't put her in that kind of danger! She's my sister!" My words were becoming increasingly more hysterical the longer I spoke.

Jack enveloped me in his arms while I sobbed into his shoulder. Losing Anna, putting her under the pressure of marrying Hans, was something that I couldn't do. I would sacrifice myself and my happiness if it meant preserving hers. Yet the thought of a lifetime married to Hans, without Jack, was unbearable.

"We don't have to make any plans just yet," Jack reminded me after I had somewhat calmed down. "We still have three days. We'll come up with something, don't worry. I'm not going to let you marry that pathetic excuse for a man." I nodded, and with that, Jack gently picked me up and flew me back to the palace. I was so disoriented I even forgot to be afraid, and before I knew it I was set onto my bed.

"I'll be back tomorrow," Jack promised, hugging me. A crazy thought came to me, and before I lost my nerve, I tentatively pressed my lips to his, and it felt just as right as it had the last time we kissed.

When we broke apart, Jack was shot me a grin, and then left. He jumped out of my window and didn't reappear in the sky, but I knew it was because the sky was already starting to lighten (I had been with him for hours and hadn't realized it), and he couldn't take the chance of flying so high at the risk of being seen.

"Elsa?" a shocked voice said from the doorway. Whipping my head around, I saw Anna standing there, two mugs of hot chocolate in her hand, and I knew that she had seen the whole thing.

"Anna!" I gasped, trying my hardest not to look guilty (and probably failing miserably). "This-this isn't what it looks like," I defended. Even to my own ears, the words sounded excruciatingly weak.

"It looked like you were just kissing Jack Frost, Rebekka's older brother!" Anna rightfully accused. "I may not know him well, but no one else looks like him. How did you even get to know him in the first place? And what about Hans? You were going to marry him, fall in love and be King and Queen together?" Anna sounded more confused than angry, and I knew I could no longer hide the truth from her.

I relaxed my somewhat stiff posture, and gestured for Anna to join me. She set the mugs down on my vanity and jumped onto the bed, plopping herself down in front of me. "Do you see this bruise?" I asked, pointing it out on my face. As expected, Anna let out an enormous gasp.

"Elsa, what happened?" she wailed.

"Hans did it," I murmured, which elicited an even louder gasp from Anna. "Right after dinner, he said he didn't want the Frost's coming to the wedding. I argued with him about it, so he hit me. I knew, after that moment, that I couldn't marry him. I wouldn't be able to be an effective ruler of Arendelle if I was being beaten into submission."

"But what about Jack?" Anna inquired. "How does he fit into all of this?"

Here, I hesitated. I finally had a chance to tell Anna about my powers, to open up to her after thirteen years of staying silent. But as I tried to find the words to tell her, the scene flashed in my mind once again: striking her head, almost taking her life. I couldn't risk that happening ever again. "I met him at the ball when Hans arrived," I heard myself saying. "He seemed like a great person, but I didn't really get to know him until I went to visit Heidi that first time. Um, you didn't know it, but we got along so well, and I felt something for him that I didn't feel for Hans. We met secretly, and though he expressed wishes to pursue a romantic relationship, I knew that I did have a duty to Arendelle to marry Hans. But when Hans hit me tonight, I knew I couldn't go through with it, and it gave me the courage to try a relationship with Jack."

"Oh, Elsa, I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Anna said playfully. "I'd support you through anything, and we'll come up with a plan to cancel the wedding. Actually, I've kind of been doing the same thing." I raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "You remember Kristoff? We've sort of been meeting every day, and I really like him. Like, like him.

"You were never in an arranged marriage though Anna," I said softly. "You can still be with Kristoff."

"I know that, but what I don't understand is why you can't have the same thing," Anna told me, a somewhat sad look in her eye. "Elsa, you've given up so much because you love Arendelle, and you want to be all that you can for Arendelle. But this time, you have to think about yourself for once. We will find a way for you and Jack to be together, I promise."

"Jack wants me to run away with him at the wedding, but I can't drop everything and put the pressure of being queen on you," I muttered so quietly I wasn't even sure Anna heard the words. But judging from the way her face lit up, she most certainly had.

"Elsa, that's the answer!" Anna exclaimed. I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off before I could utter a single word. "Look, you need to be with Jack, and running away from Hans will let you do that. Hans will get angry and try to look for you, but if you guys manage to evade him, he'll eventually have to give up trying. Once that happens, you two can come back and you can live happily ever after. And I know you don't want to force me to be queen, but I know that Rapunzel, Kai, and Gerda will help me. And Kristoff won't let them force me to marry Hans, especially if I tell him that Hans is abusive. I'll take care of everything until you and Jack get back, I promise."

"You'd really do that for me?" I asked, close to tears. I couldn't believe Anna was willing to take on so much responsibility, just for the sake of my happiness. I couldn't have been blessed with a sister more wonderful than Anna.

"Of course, Elsa. You deserve it," Anna said, giving me a hug. "But anyway, I came in here because I knew that you were uncomfortable today. Of course, I didn't exactly realize why until now, but I still think some hot chocolate would be good for you. I know it's earlier than we usually wake up, but I couldn't sleep and I figured you couldn't either."

I took the steaming mug from her gratefully, taking small sips of the delicious drink, and my sister and I just talked about anything and everything (with the exception of my power). We must have sat there for hours, and I relished these last few moments with my sister. Who knew when we were going to get another opportunity like this?

"Do you think we should tell Rapunzel and Eugene about Jack?" Anna asked somewhere in the middle of our conversation.

"I think we're going to have to," I sighed. "There's no way to hide the bruise on my face, so no doubt they will ask questions about its origin. I don't particularly want to lie, and if we're going to pull this off, we'll need their help. But don't tell any of the servants, not even Kai and Gerda, until after I've left. They'll try and do anything to stop me from leaving." Though Kai and Gerda were almost substitute parents for Anna and I, I knew that this was one thing they could not know. I loved them dearly, but they would try and make me stay. Rapunzel, however, would understand that I needed to be free of Hans and chase my own destiny.

By mid-morning, Rapunzel came into my room, wondering where Anna and I were. We told her everything about Jack, Hans, and what I was planning to do, and she was in full support of our plans. "You need to focus on love, not who other people tell you to marry," she kept reminding me. I didn't even try to protest that I wasn't in love with Jack yet, because I knew both my sister and my cousin would brush off those arguments like they were nothing.

We discussed certain strategies to help me actually leave the place with Hans and give Jack and I enough of a head start before Hans starting chasing us. We came up with a plan, and I was thrilled by what we had done.

We stayed in my room for the better part of the day. Gerda came in once or twice to bring us meals, and when she questioned about my bruise, I simply told her that I had tripped the previous night and had accidentally hit my face on a chair, and that it wasn't anything serious. I wasn't sure if she would believe my lie, but thankfully she didn't question me.

The only time the three of us left is when we had to look at the chapel, which had been decorated for the wedding (which, after today, would be in two days). It was the same area where my coronation had taken place, but this time gigantic white flowers were covering the walls, with a few purple ones thrown in for color. A white and purple arch had been placed in front of the altar, where Hans and I were going to stand. Hans was there as well, but Anna and Rapunzel firmly placed themselves on either side of me, so he didn't try anything. I did see him look at my bruise with a particularly vindictive pleasure however, and that only increased my belief that I was doing the right thing by leaving.

I gave the chapel area my approval, because I honestly didn't care anymore about what the wedding looked like. I wasn't going to be attending long enough to enjoy it anyway. After that, Anna, Rapunzel, and I raced back up to my room, so as not to give Hans any time to try and speak with me. I was determined not to find myself alone with him anymore.

The sky had just darkened when Anna, Rapunzel, and I put the last finishing touches on our plan. Even though I was immersed in our talk, I couldn't help but glance up toward the sky. Jack said he would come tonight, and I wanted that to mean that he would show up the second it became dark enough for him to fly. Even still, I was almost sweating of anticipation. I hadn't told my sister or my cousin anything of Jack's powers yet, because I wasn't sure if Jack wanted me to. I told Anna this morning that Jack had jumped onto the tree that was right by my window and climbed down that, and thankfully she had believed me. But if Jack flew into my window, there would be no way to hide his powers from Anna and Rapunzel.

"Well, Elsa, I guess we'll see you tomorrow," Anna said, standing up and stretching her arms above her head.

"Wait!" I called out. My sister and cousin looked back at my questioningly. "I want you to meet Jack," I said quickly. "He said that he was coming tonight, and I know you've technically met him before, but neither of you have spoken with him. I want you two to have that opportunity."

"Oh, that would be perfect!" Anna squealed. "I need to tell him that he better treat you right, or else I'm going to kick his butt all the way to wherever he came from."

"Whose butt are we kicking?" a voice came from my window. Anna and Rapunzel screamed when they looked toward the sound and saw Jack floating right outside the room.

"How-how is he doing that?" Rapunzel asked, sounding frightened, but almost in an awed sort of way.

"What, Elsa, didn't tell you about my very special talents?" Jack inquired. I shook my head at him, explaining that it wasn't my secret to tell. Jack shrugged. "Based on what you told me last night, I figured that you were going to tell Anna about us, and I don't really care if she knows. Or your cousin, for that matter. I trust your judgment."

"I like him already!" Anna exclaimed. "But Jack, I will be kicking your butt if you don't treat my sister the way she deserves. Don't underestimate me."

"Or me," Rapunzel chimed in. "Or my husband," she added as an afterthought.

"Don't scare him away," I chastised the two lightly. Jack just laughed in response.

"Hey, they're your family, I expected this once they found out," he assured me. "Anyway, to explain how I can fly, I somehow have power over snow, ice, basically all things winter. I can fly because I just ask the wind to take me to a certain place, and then it happens. I couldn't tell you how I got these powers; I was born with them. Just like-" I shook my head furiously, cutting him off. I knew he was about to reveal my secret, but I couldn't have him be the one to tell Anna or Rapunzel. I wasn't even sure if I wanted them to know. I had kept the secret from my sister far too long to come clean now, and I couldn't ever risk hurting her again.

Jack fumbled over his words, trying to correct his mistake. "Just like, um, that, I got my powers," Jack said, snapping his fingers to add extra emphasis to the word 'that'. Anna and Rapunzel looked a bit confused, but shrugged it off. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

After his explanation, Jack came over to sit with us, and we told him about our plan. He was in full support of it, and even gave us a few ideas that would help us pull it off even more smoothly than before. I felt my heart race, knowing that I was going to be spared the awful path I was expected to tread.

Before long, I noticed Anna desperately trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "Anna, you need sleep," I told her gently. I held up a hand before she could protest, like I knew she would. "You were up early this morning, and it's getting late. You need rest. Don't forget, we have to double check every detail of the wedding tomorrow, and the day after we have the rehearsal dinner. We have to make sure that no one suspects anything is amiss. And we all need to be as alert as possible on the actual wedding day." Anna reluctantly nodded, as did Rapunzel.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Elsa," Anna said, giving me a hug. To my surprise, she hugged Jack as well. "Thank you for taking care of my sister," she told him, and then departed with Rapunzel for bed.

"You have a wonderful family Elsa," Jack murmured when the girls were gone.

"I'm so lucky to have Anna," I agreed with him. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her here, supporting me. I think I might just go insane."

"We will, pull this off, you know that right?" Jack asserted suddenly. "I can tell that you're worrying, and you don't need to. With all four of us working together, and Rapunzel said that she was going to get Eugene to help as well, it will easily work out. I promise that it will." With his last words, Jack enveloped me in his arms, and I would have loved to just stay there for hours on end. Despite both of our body temperatures being significantly colder than most people, Jack felt warm and comforting to me.

We stayed that way before I reminded Jack that I, too, needed my rest. He left reluctantly, but not without giving me a kiss first. I fell asleep, peacefully, for the first time in weeks, Jack's lips still lingering on mine.


I hoped you like this chapter! What do you think their plan is? How do you think Hans will react? Leave a review to let me know! Thank you so much for being patient with me; school is taking a toll on my writing time, but I'm nowhere near done yet. Until next time.

-E