It was another afternoon at the queen's office. Elsa had just finished her daily duties with a little bit of assistance from Anna. She leaned back on her armchair, sighing. "I thought there'd be no end to it."
Elsa was dressed in a long-sleeved blouse of white and light brown long skirt. There was a black ribbon tied around the collar of her shirt. She bound her hair in her usual bun. Meanwhile, Anna was wearing an overall green dress over a white short-sleeved shirt. Her hair tied in a side ponytail.
"Yet you always do your job meticulously." Anna chuckled. She set down a tea set and poured a cup of tea for her sister. "Teach me how to be so perfect, O Great One."
Receiving the cup with a giggle, she answered. "For starters, don't skip your lessons."
"I never skip any lessons!"
"Oh, really now? So I've misheard Gerda saying that you didn't show up to your foreign language lesson?"
"Well, I was learning how to lay low you know. A great poet once said 'It's very important to take time to rest'."
"Does this poet go by the name 'Anna of Arendelle'?"
"Precisely!"
Elsa shook her head, but she couldn't hide the grin that had split her face. "What on earth did mother crave when she was big with you?"
"Oh don't say that. You know you love me, sis."
"Touché to Kristoff for being able to keep up with you."
"Now you're just being mean! Anyway speaking of counterparts, what have you and Jack been up to?"
Elsa was surprised at the sudden change of topic and the tiny cup of tea almost fell from her hand. Being the infamous Ice Queen however, she managed to maintain her composure. "What do you mean?"
"Since you have decided he is no longer an enemy, I just thought, you know, there's going to be some progress between you and him."
"Anna, we just had that conversation last evening! What do you expect to happen?"
"Like I said: Progress. Perhaps a possible suitor?"
"We've been through this. I told you. I don't see him under that light. He's fun to be around, yes, but that's as far as it goes."
Anna shrugged. "People can change. As for Jack, I'm sure he at least cares about you, doing what he's doing now."
Elsa raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'doing what he's doing'?"
"Oh, you're intrigued!" Anna teased. In that moment, Elsa thought her sister's expression was so annoying.
"No! I'm not!" Elsa crossed her arms and glared at her. Only belatedly did she notice that she was denying her too strongly for her argument to be true. She cleared her throat and repeated herself in more somber and dignified manner. "I'm not intrigued. I'm just…" Her voice trailed off. She was about to say 'curious', but what difference would that be? She just realized that she had said 'no' out of embarrassment. Anna's teasing hit the mark closer than anyone would expect of Elsa.
"Don't pout, sis. Here, let me put you out of your misery ." Anna was oblivious that her sister was busy with her own thoughts. "Your dear knight asked Kristoff to teach him how to ride during dinner, last evening. He said because of him, someone had to walk and he didn't want to be a burden to her in the future. I wonder who that would be." She shot Elsa a knowing cursory glance.
"Oh," was all that Elsa would mutter. She busied herself by glancing towards the window in the attempt to hide the flush that threatened to creep on her cheeks. She was worried that she would reduce into a blubbering fool even worse than she currently was. Just the mention of Jack could trigger the effect that he had so often caused her.
"So, if you want, we can head down the orchard for a ride."
"Why would I want that?"
"I'd like to tease you again by saying 'because you care for him', but honestly it's because I know there's going to be an interesting sight to see. I remember the first time I was learning how to ride, it didn't end well." A mischievous grin spread across her face, and she was especially thrilled when Elsa's matched her own.
…
Kristoff had rejected the notion of teaching him, saying that while he knew how to ride a reindeer, he had no experience withhorses. Jack had waved the protest away insisting there would be no big difference. Apparently, he was wrong.
His black long sleeved v-necked shirt matted with dirt. His blue trousers also suffered the same fate. He had fallen off the horse that he borrowed from the royal stables countless times. He wondered if the dun stallion had something against him. He should think so. Every time Jack attempted to mount, the horse wouldn't stay still and once mounted, the stallion would see to it that Jack would be off him the next second.
"Are you completely sure I just have to ‒ as you delicately put it ‒ 'hop on'?" Jack cried to Kristoff after once more he fell flat on his back. His steed pranced about him arrogantly as if taunting him.
"That's how it goes with Sven. Right, Sven?" Kristoff faced the reindeer that was munching on a carrot. He was leaning on the body of the said reindeer. For once, he didn't wear his usual ice harvester suit and opted for a plain dust-brown shirt dark breeches.
The reindeer lifted his head up and nodded. Making a voice that was supposed to be Sven's, Kristoff said, "Right you are, Kristoff."
Jack sat up with a groan. "There's must be missing information to that instruction."
"Maybe you're missing an audience to laugh at you," replied a voice. Both males turned at the source and beheld the two royalties on their horses not far from them. The voice came from Anna who had clearly witnessed Jack's recent fall and grinning madly about it. The queen beside her tried her best to conceal a fit of giggle from escaping her lips. The pair had changed into clothes suited for riding. Anna was wearing a white blouse paired with light brown riding pants while Elsa chose a set of grey riding garments.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Jack said as he stood and bowed, sarcasm thick in his voice.
"We don't want to miss the entertainment." Anna simply said. She led her white Norwegian Fjord to walk toward Kristoff, dismounted and gave her lover a quick peck on the cheek. A faint blush crept on his cheek as he let out a gruff breath to hide his bashfulness.
"'We'?" Jack shot a cursory glance toward Elsa. His eyes crinkled with mirth and a playful smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Something about the queen taking part in a wicked sense of humor amused him. He hadn't expected it of her.
Elsa followed his train of thoughts. She was torn between being bashful or glaring at him. What she was doing was so unlike her and she noticed that too. In the end, she settled with clearing her throat and muttered, "Don't mind us. Just go on with your training."
"As Her Majesty commands," Jack swept a deep bow, "this humble subject of yours shan't deprive her of her entertainment much longer."
Before Elsa could form any response, Jack turned around and took his stallion by the reins. Patting the horse to calm it down, he whispered to him in a calm and soothing voice, urging him to let Jack get on him. What Jack didn't notice was his mount was tapping the ground restlessly. Oblivious to this, Jack began to mount. As expected, his stallion launched in a dead run before he could even rest his haunches on the saddle. Jack was flailing about, shouting incoherently for him to stop and tugging at the reins as hard as he could. One tug had irritated the stallion. He halted abruptly and reared, throwing Jack off his back and into a pile of leaves.
The three audiences bawled. Anna laughed so hard that she began to hiccup. Kristoff was bending over double while trying to stay on his feet by holding on to Sven. Elsa wiped away the tears that swelled in her eyes, all the while trying to control her laughter. However, she was the first to recover, remembering her ettiquette. That, and the fact that Jack hadn't gotten up since his tumble.
"He's not getting up," Elsa whispered with concern. She began counting to five.
One… No sign of the white haired man sitting up.
Two… Kristoff stopped laughing. The same realization had dawned upon him.
Three… Anna's laughter died down as she noticed that her two companions had turned grim.
Four… Still no sign of the white haired man sitting up.
Five… Elsa became deathly pale.
She spurred her mare. It galloped to where Jack had fallen. Dismounting, she quickly scrambled to where the knight lay down motionless. To her gladness, his chest was still rising and falling. She let out a deep breath she didn't realized she was holding, but she couldn't relax yet. Elsa lifted his head, checking for concussion. She saw nothing, but the fact that Jack wasn't stirring worried her.
"Anna, call for the medic!" shouted Elsa. "Kristoff, come over here and help me lift him up!"
Before the two of them could do her bidding, her arm that she used as a support gave away because of a strong pull. Elsa yelped as she was crashing down to the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw the man she was worrying over seconds ago grinning triumphantly.
"Got you," he whispered only for her ears.
Elsa lay stunned for a second before fury, embarrassment and relief washed over her like a tide. She decided to channel the first one. "You!"
"My dear queen, I hoped you didn't hit your head and forget all about me. It is I, Jack Frost." Jack sat up, his grin didn't disappear.
"To think I was worried about you!"
"Well, you were laughing at this poor man's misfortune. I reckoned I should teach you a lesson."
"I…" Elsa stammered. She couldn't come up with anything in her defense.
"I must say though," Jack continued, "your concerned expression is really something."
"What a sight it must be." Elsa scoffed.
"Indeed. It was so beautiful that I'll take another tumble just to see it again."
She blushed despite herself. She averted her gaze and convinced herself that his words were nothing more than another attempt to throw her off her guard. However, she made a mistake by stealing a quick glance toward Jack. Jack was still grinning but his eyes were soft. It dawned on her then that she was wrong and it made her breath hitched and once more. She was at a loss for words.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I guess it was rude of me, doing what I did. Will you forgive me?" Jack said, breaking the silence. It seemed he had mistakenly assumed her silence as wrath.
It was perhaps his pleading eyes or the sincerity in his voice or a combination of both that had made her melt instantly, her anger and embarrassment forgotten. "You're not in the wrong. I was," she admitted. "You were working hard to improve yourself and I had no right to make fun of your attempts."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I won't be able to resist the urge myself if I was in your place. Besides, it was worth it, knowing how deeply you cared for me." A coy grin returned to his visage. "Pardon me, you've got a leaf on your hair." Jack reached for it, stroking her hair in the process. Elsa felt the place he touched burned and there was a flutter in her stomach. Jack discarded the stray leaf, but his gaze quickly returned to hers and he held it there. They were lost in each other's eyes until Anna decided to clear her throat and ruined the moment.
Almost instantaneously, they flipped their heads toward her. "I see we no longer have need of the medic." Her lips curved in a knowing smile. "Kristoff, let's go and accompany Olaf with whatever he's doing. I don't think our presence is welcomed here." Anna hooked her arm around her lover's and led him and her horse leaving the orchard.
"But Jack still needs—" Kristoff muttered his complaint.
"We're leaving!" Anna said with a tone of finality.
It took so long for Elsa to recover that the last thing she saw was their distant figures and Anna waving them goodbye. Elsa was no fool. She knew what Anna was trying to do. Jack too was anything but dense. She knew that Jack had caught on, evident by the mirthful chuckle he let out. That made her dread the situation. She didn't want Jack to think that she had any inclination toward him other than as a companion.
"Anna misunderstood." Elsa explained. "She thinks that there's more between us than friendship."
"Is that so?"
Elsa thought she heard a twinge of disappointment in his voice, but decided it was just her imagination. Jack stood up and offered her a hand. Taking his hand, she stood up, murmuring her gratitude, and she asked, "Since your teacher is taken away, do you want me to help you?"
Jack glanced toward the dun stallion. "I'd rather not. It seems horse-riding is outside my talent scope."
"That's because you've chosen the wrong steed." Elsa walked over to the dun stallion and calmed it down. Miraculously, he heeded her. "His name is Spirit," she said, rubbing his muzzle. "He was my late father's steed. Since his death, he has never taken another rider. Only Anna and I have had a chance to ride him."
She remembered during her self-imposed exile when her father had snuck her out at the break of dawn to teach her how to ride. He had let her mount Spirit, his trusty steed. Spirit had been reluctant to receive such an amateur rider, but by Adgar's urging, he had let Elsa practice with him. Elsa had also glimpsed once or twice the sight of Adgar leading Spirit by the reins with Anna mounted on him.
Elsa took the reins her own Norwegian Fjord and handed it over to Jack. "Ride her. Winter is much less proud than Spirit is."
Jack held out his hands refusal. "I wouldn't dream of riding your mount, Your Majesty."
"You have to start learning and the first rule of learning is 'obey the mentor'."
Jack smiled in defeat and accepted the reins. He carefully mounted her and expected the worst. True to Elsa's words, however, the Norwegian Fjord simply accepted her new rider with a snort. Jack gasped in disbelief and turned to look at Elsa with an expression akin to a child that had accomplished something big. His smile was so contagious that Elsa found herself smiling too. She leapt on Spirit – missing the worried look that Jack shot her – and urged Spirit to stand beside Winter.
"Now just nudge her gently on the ribs. Go on." Elsa instructed. Jack did and Winter started to walk. A childlike laughter escaped from his lips. It was as if he just achieved another milestone. Elsa brought Spirit to walk beside Winter. "Watch your balance. You don't want to fall. Pull on the reins to stop."
As if just to test if it was true, Jack pulled on the reins gently. Winter stopped on her tracks. "I did it." Laughter bubbled in his throat. "I actually did it!"
"Shall we go a few rounds around the orchard?" She offered. Jack nodded.
Elsa gave Jack pointers as they rode to which Jack immediately tried. For a commoner, Elsa noted that Jack was quite quick on the uptake, but then again she remembered not to judge someone by his or her status.
"I just remembered I haven't thanked you for saving me yesterday. It's very ungrateful of me. I'm sorry," said Elsa.
"It's my pleasure, Your Majesty. Anyone in their right mind would do the same." He smiled at her before adding, "Oh, and apology not accepted and while we're on the topic, I must apologize for addressing you without your proper title. It was very rude of me."
"You're pardoned," she said, not meeting his eyes. As her mind relived the memory, a flush crept on her cheeks. She didn't want to admit that his voice calling her name had been her anchor. "So how's your training with Sir Edmund?" Elsa tried to divert the topic.
"It's going well," he answered. If he noticed her attempt, he didn't show it. "I've finally found a proper weapon – since you loathe admitting my staff is one – that fits my fighting style. Just before noon, we went to the blacksmith to have one made."
"Which blacksmith?"
"The one in the lower district."
"Ah, 'Nicholas North's Armors and Weaponry'. I asked him to make ours too and I've never chosen any other smith since. The quality was impeccable and the price reasonable. You will not be disappointed."
"That's what Bunn—" Jack stopped short and smirked to himself, "sorry, I meant Aster, said too. His apprentice is the one making mine so I'm just going to hold my breath and cross my fingers hoping for the best."
"I scarcely believe that North will let any weapon get out of his shop without it being in the best form, whether made by his hands or not."
"I'll trust you on your words then, Your Majesty, and I swear you'll be the first witness to the sword's quality." Jack threw her a lopsided grin, which she thought by now she would be used to seeing, but no. The fuzzy feeling in her chest returned. It was not the first time she thought about the odd effect Jack was causing her.
She knew she didn't treat Jack the way she supposed to treat any other of her subjects, yet it was as if she couldn't help herself. The many encounters she had had with him were laden with emotions and revelations about this mysterious man that had appeared in her throne room and challenged her, and it irked her that she found a part of herself wanting to know more.
Before she could stop that 'part' of her, it showed its tail in the form of a question. "So, how's your family? How come you didn't bring them to the castle?" At once, she regretted asking it. Not because of how embarrassingly and eagerly curious the question sounded, but because of how the question affected him. Suddenly, Jack clamped his mouth shut and became gloomy and deathly pale, paler than he already was. He unconsciously pulled on his mount's reins and stopped. Elsa began to feel guilty. She stopped her own mount and spoke in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was a sensitive topic."
After a long dreadful silence, Jack seemed to manage to still himself and replied, "It's alright. I just rather not talk about them." He uttered the words with a great sense of sadness that Elsa didn't dare to ask again. She even made a mental note never to ask again. She couldn't help but to feel disappointed however, and that disappointment confused her. Why must she be upset if Jack didn't want to impart with an information of himself?
"Your Majesty? Are you coming?" So busy with her own thoughts, Elsa didn't realize that Jack had urged Winter to continue their stroll. She quickly nudged Spirit ribs, perhaps a little too hard because Spirit snorted begrudgingly before pressing on. "Has anyone told you that you are a great teacher, Your Majesty?"
The change of atmosphere and topic was so unexpected that Elsa flustered. "Y-you think so?"
"At least better than what Kristoff passed as 'teaching'. Do you know how we began our lesson? Let me tell you. 'Okay Jack, let's start by getting you a reindeer.'" He made an impression of Kristoff that made a squeak escaped from Elsa's lips as she tried to hold her laughter. "'But I'm not trying to learn how to ride a reindeer! I'm trying to learn how to ride a horse!' I said. 'Right then, I guess we should go to the stables and get you one.' And I swear he sounded disappointed. I bet he thought about going into the woods to find a reindeer family, grabbing a young buck, and teaching me about all sorts of reindeer care. No, don't look at me like that. I'm telling the truth." Elsa was staring at him wide-eyed, although her lips were quivering. He continued. "Then, we went to the stables and chose Spirit. He saddled and reined him himself without giving me any pointers at all, then, we came here and he said to me and I swear this is the only thing he said: 'Well, hop on'."
"He did not!" Elsa squealed mimicking the tone of gossiping merchant-wives that she had often seen at the streets.
Jack seemed to understand her jest because he grinned knowingly at her. "On my honor, most benevolent queen, I swear that he did. No pointers, no know-how. I began to think that he truly did not know how to ride a horse after my third fall and his third urging of 'How hard is it to just hop on?',and after the fifth, thank my lucky stars I found the proper way myself. That was after I tried quite literally to 'hop on'."
Imagining Jack pouncing on Spirit finally burst the bubbles she had been struggling to keep down and she guffawed. "That's…very… Oh my…" She tried to say in between her laughter. She was clenching her stomach, tears threatening to spill in the corner of her eyes.
"Un-knightly, I know. I was frustrated. I admit it wasn't my brightest moments." Jack shook his head in a mock solemnity.
"I should've arrived sooner! What a show I've missed!"
"Now, now, shall I pretense unconsciousness again so that you will stop laughing over this poor man's dignity, my queen?"
That managed to stop Elsa from her fit of laughter. Glaring at him incredulously, she said. "That's a low blow if I've ever heard one."
"All's fair in war," he grinned smugly before adding in a low whisper, "And love."
Elsa was stunned on her saddle. Before her face could turn into a darker shade of pink, she said, "We should return. It's getting late."
"Right after you, Your Majesty."
Elsa began to think that every time Jack did walk behind her was to save her from the misery of having him watch her blush uncontrollably, to which she was both glad and embarrassed for.
I think this time it has been more than a month since my last update? Sorry if I shocked anyone when suddenly this story went up in updated section. I just did a little refurbishing. So sorry. I think future updates should be faster than this for the reason I'm going to enclose in my profile page (I don't want to bother anyone with a long A/N). Feel free to check it out. Heads up though it's just a banter that I feel the need to talk about. You might also notice the change in the pen name. The reason for that too will be included in my profile page. With that being said, onward to the task I miss doing the most. Replying reviews:
Furiyan: I guess this is a bit unnecessary since we talked via PM already however, thank you for missing it. I hope this chapter full of fluff is to your liking XD. I don't know who Fandral is. I'll look him up on wikiped later. I love writing Dani too. Good luck on your own story. Looking forward for your update.
JohnTitor: Thank you and since you're here for Jelsa, I hope this one make your heart's flutter :P. Ever since I saw RotG, I always thought a blacksmith would suit him well. Perhaps it was due to his build.
MitchyTheBraveShadowHuntress: Me too! And writing this chapter makes me all fluffy and fluttery. Hope you like it :)
IceCrystal: There you go. I hope you enjoy it.
Trapid: I hope you didn't hyperventilate. Since we can't get in touch via mail, I'm just conjuring up her image through your description of her. Glad you found her to your liking.
DarkTempest: The appearance of the villain will still take a bit of time. For now, let's enjoy the Jelsa fluffy ride ;). Tooth will soon appear too in few chapters to come.
Nlresda123: Thank you for missing it and I've finally updated again. Sorry I took so long.
NightshadeLily: There you go, a chapter full of Jelsa fluff, I guess. Thanks for the dress idea. I will definitely use it. Coincidentally it fits a plot point I'm coming up with.
BloodJewel: Tooth will be out soon. I'm planning to put all the RotG casts in one place soon. Dani is an OC requested by Trapid cos she/he (sorry Trapid) won a little quiz I made earlier in the story.
Guest: Dani is an OC requested by Trapid cos she/he won a little quiz I made earlier in the story. Sorry for the confusion.
HornedGoddess: What time did you finish reading the whole story? (o.O) Glad you liked it though. As to whether Jack has power or not. We'll see ;)
Pam Elric: Thank you for clicking the link then. It's always nice to have a new reader. Hope you enjoy the new update.
XxoiIioxX: I PM'ed you already but I'll reply here as well. I just did a little refurbishing. Sorry for the surprises. I hope this update will make it up to you.
Thank you for everyone who had reviewed this story. As cliche as it sound and even though I often said it, I'm going to say it again from the bottom of mu heart. Without all of you, I won't have the motivation to continue this fic. Thank you for being so supportive. See you in the next chapter.