AN: Katherine the Fabulous, you guessed it! I was gonna have Jack and Elsa freeze you until this chapter got posted so you didn't run off to tell anyone, but then I was like, "Eeeeh...she's not really the type who would do that, I guess I can leave her be, at least for now."
So just be aware that you got lucky this time, girlfriend! If you were anybody else, you might've been frozen in a block of ice!
And in other news, the plot thickens!...Sort of. I've been meaning to try and bring in some tension with the whole Jack/Elsa/Makenzie dynamic thing going on, but I just couldn't find a way to do, and then I finally did in this chapter, and then I couldn't bring myself to advance it, so I let it sort of fall through the cracks right after being introduced, and you'll know exactly where it happens and what I mean by that when you get to it, trust me. AAAAnd there's one other thing I wanna talk about, but I'll do it at the end because it kinda-sorta gives away part of this chapter. Nothing major or anything, but still.
UUUUmmm...Oh! I got a review (I think it was Katherine's, but don't quote me on that) referring to the Gold Tsarevna as "whatever her name is," and I just wanted to clear that up. Her name is pronounced vas-ill-is-a. One of the Baba Yaga stories from Russian myth is called Vasilisa the Beautiful, and the heroine of that story is, of course, named Vasilisa, and it's actually a rather common Russian name, apparently, so that's what made me pick it for the Gold Tsarevna. Also, if anyone would like to read the original Underground Kingdom story, let me know, and I'll be happy to link you to where I read it.
Also, last thing, who watched the season premiere of Once Upon a Time last night, how AMAZING was it?! *spastic fangirl mode, mostly over the Frozen aspects of it*
I DISCLAIM!
Toothiana sighed. She was hovering in the air positioned as if she were sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, chin resting in her hand and Baby Tooth perched on her shoulder imitating the pose. Bunny was leaning against the side of the sleigh with his arms crossed starting to doze out of boredom, Sandy was laying belly-down on his cloud using his finger to make swirling patterns of sand in the air in front of himself, and North was, once again, pacing around with a look on his face that managed to be both thoughtful and disgruntled at the same time. Anichka was nowhere to be seen, having made herself scarce shortly after sending Jack, Elsa, and Makenzie off to who-knew-where. Every now and then, however, her voice would come out of thin air and say something in Russian, to which North would sometimes reply, but most often ignore.
"They've been gone an awful long time," Tooth said distractedly, "I hope they're alright."
"I'm sure they're fine," Bunny replied in a half-mumble. "Like Jack said, he and Elsa are a coupla pissed off parents, and that's the kind you really don't wanna mess with, 'specially when they can freeze you solid."
"Oh, well sor-ee for being worried about my friends," Tooth retorted.
"Ay, ay, ay, will you all shut up already?" Anichka said as she materialized near the tree. "They are fine, trust me. I can sense that the first ring is no longer with the Copper Tsarevna, and unless there is somebody else who wants the rings, which I very much doubt, I would be willing to bet it is them that have it. As long as they have that ring, I will sense if anything happens to the one holding onto it. And you! What is all this pacing nonsense, why won't you stop that, it is highly annoying!"
"I need to get in contact with Ivan," North said, though he said it in a way that suggested he wasn't really replying to Anichka so much as he was thinking out loud. Anichka scowled. "Now you listen to me, old man," she said, "you are forbidden from contacting anyone, you hear? No outside help, and that means no contacting your friends, either!"
"Oh, now that just ain't right, mate," Bunny said, seeming to wake up suddenly.
"The rules are the rules," Anichka said, "and the rules clearly state no contact and no outside help. End of story. Now—"
Tooth let out a shriek suddenly, making everyone flinch as they covered their ears, or, in Bunny's case, grabbed them. "Lucia!" Tooth cried, her eyes wide and lit up with something akin to exhilaration. Sandy displayed several question marks over his head at once with a look on his face that suggested he was not asking, but demanding to know what was going on.
"She's alive!" Tooth said joyfully. "I know because her tooth just came out! You know, that lateral incisor that she's been wiggling around with her tongue for the past few weeks trying to get it loose enough to do that wiggle-wiggle-twist-pull trick of theirs! And if she's alive, that must mean the twins are, too! And that means that there's still hope! Jack and Elsa and Makenzie just have to keep going and not give up, and if they move fast enough, then there's still a chance we can save Klaus and the girls!"
In her excitement, she zipped over to Sandy and swept him into a twirling mid-air dance. North and Bunny both perked up considerably, and Anichka rolled her eyes at them all. Let them have their moment, she thought, what's the point of telling them that their friends are on a pointless mission? Why tell them it can't be done when they'll find out for themselves soon enough? Yes, better to let them celebrate while they can since there will be no celebration later. Hmph. If they knew about Vasilisa, they would not be this way. Funny how that works...
"Great, now we're turning silver!"
"Oh, please, at least your hair still looks the same!"
"Jack, Makenzie, can we please just focus here?!"
Olga had led them to a tunnel with a faint white light in it and told them that it led to the next of the three Kingdoms. After she'd wished them luck and left them, Jack had cracked some stupid joke about how usually you were supposed to head away from the white light at the end of the tunnel, and after rolling their eyes and groaning, the girls had begun the trek towards the light with Jack following behind saying, "What, too corny?" and then proceeding to make puns about the joke dying and him having killed it, the girls continuing to groan at the punniness the entire time until finally, they had emerged from the tunnel and Jack had at last fallen silent as they looked at their new surroundings.
They were standing in a gigantic cave, the roof appearing to be miles above their heads, and a ray of bright moonlight was shining down on a forest of silver birch from the roof of the cave. And, just as they had turned copper in the last one, they were turning silver in this Kingdom, though, as Makenzie had noted, Jack's hair looked exactly the same as it normally did, though perhaps a bit shinier.
They walked until they came out of the forest and found a palace at the edge of a shimmering silver sea. Soft silvery sand covered the cave floor, glittering stalactites hung down from the ceiling of the cave, and the only sounds were the sighing of the wind and the waves breaking on the shore. A woman who very much resembled Olga, save for the fact that she was silver rather than copper, came riding towards them on a white mare. They met her halfway, and after bringing the horse to a halt, she dismounted and smiled at them, bowing her head courteously.
"Welcome to the Silver Kingdom, Your Majesties," she said to Jack and Elsa. "I've been expecting you. My sister Olga contacted me to let me know you and your friend were coming. My name is Katya, and I am the second Tsarevna you seek. My condolences on the loss of your children. I hope you get them back safely."
"Thank you," Elsa said.
"I will give you my ring," Katya said, "but first, there is something you must know about my older sister, Vasilisa. I think perhaps you best come inside. I will have food and drink brought so that you may restore your energy while we talk."
The trio followed Katya inside the palace, and she led them into a dining room. After instructing a servant to see that food was brought, she motioned for her guests to be seated, then sat down herself at the head of the table. She made small talk with them, asking where Makenzie was from and about their friends and about the rest of Jack and Elsa's family. When the food and drink was delivered, it was all silver, just like everything else, but Katya assured them that it tasted just like any other food they would find back home, and after Jack tested this and told the girls that it did indeed taste just like normal food, they all began eating, Makenzie and the two Guardians trying to be polite by waiting for Katya to be the one to bring up the subject of her sister, though inside, they were all growing increasingly impatient.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Katya put her silverware down and, in a very ladylike fashion, wiped her mouth with her napkin.
"Tsarevna?" Makenzie asked when she noticed this.
"Vasilisa," Katya said, "is very different from Olga and I. She is...bitter. Her heart once was gold like her kingdom, though in the metaphorical rather than literal sense. She was kind. Compassionate. A kind and loving soul. You could place your trust in her, and it was not difficult to earn her trust in return. But...she was also naive in some ways. She sometimes trusted too easily, for she wanted to believe that all creatures...all men...had goodness in them, even if it was deep down. She wanted to believe that people could change, if only they tried hard enough. And then she met...Then she met the Kovaleski boy."
"Wait," Elsa said. "Jack, isn't that what North said Yelizaveta and Matvei's last name was?"
"Holy crap, you're right, princess. So that must mean that—"
"She loved him," Makenzie said suddenly, "didn't she?"
There was a long pause.
"Yes," Katya said finally as she lowered her head. "It was when we were all mortal—me, my sisters, and Matvei and Veta. All of us. Veta was always bitter from the start. Nobody, not even Matvei, really knew why. She was always full of hate and contempt. She hated the idea of them being together and was always on Matvei's back about it, but he always told Vasilisa that it didn't matter what Veta thought, or anyone else. He would tell her that nothing mattered except their love. He and Veta became immortal before my sisters and I did, and he trusted us, so he gave each of us our rings and told us to protect them, because in doing so, we were protecting him, because, you see, the chest holding the emerald heart cannot be opened without the rings. And in Vasilisa's case, he not only gave her the ring, he used it to propose to her. She said yes. He put us here in the Underground Kingdom and gave Olga the Copper Kingdom, me the Silver, and Vasilisa the Gold. He told us there were spells over the Underground Kingdom, spells that would make us immortal so that we could always guard the rings and so that he and Vasilisa could be together forever. He told us that he would not always be able to stay with us here, but he would come to be with us—with Vasiilsa—as often as he possibly could so that we did not grow lonely."
"But that's not how it turned out," Jack said, "was it?"
"No," Katya said. "No, it wasn't. He kept giving excuses for why the wedding had to be put off. 'Just a little bit longer,' he would say, 'then we will have the most magnificent wedding the world has ever seen, I promise.' Over time, his visits began to grow less and less frequent until finally, one day, he stopped coming altogether. Olga and I tried many times to convince Vasilisa that he wasn't coming back, but to this very day, she stubbornly clings to the belief that he will return one day and they will get married, just like he said they would. And it is for that reason that none of us can ever leave. You see, the spells that we are under, they...
"Put quite simply, we cannot return to the world above unless it is with a man, and it must be to marry that man. But Olga and I cannot be taken as anyone's bride unless and until Vasilisa has been. Because she is the oldest, she must be the first of us to marry, and only after someone takes her as their bride can I be taken, and it is only after I have been taken that Olga can. If it does not happen in order from oldest to youngest, it does not happen at all. And because Vasilisa stubbornly believes that Matvei will one day return for her, she refuses to marry any man besides him. It is for that reason that I fear we will be trapped down here forever. Olga and I can barely even recall what the sky looks like, it has been so long since we've seen it."
"Why are you telling us all this?" Elsa asked.
Katya sighed heavily. "Because I fear that if Vasilisa finds out why you want her ring—Actually, no, I take that back. I doubt she will be at all willing to give it to you. Remember, it was given to her as an engagement ring, and in her mind, it has remained so. So you must be careful and tread lightly, you understand? Now, come. I will show you the way to the tunnel that leads to the Gold Kingdom."
"We can't just leave knowing you're trapped here," Jack said. Katya smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry," she said, "the spell will be broken and we will be able to leave once Matvei's heart has been destroyed and he is defeated. If you truly wish to help Olga and I, then the best thing you can do is leave and do exactly what you originally intended to do. But I thank you for your concern, Jack Frost. Here, take my ring. Now, come, let us go to the tunnels so that you may continue on your journey."
The next tunnel they walked through was just as dark as the first two, though it didn't really seem to have a glow, unlike the others. However, after a while, they could see a golden glow up ahead. Soon after that, the tunnel ended, and they emerged into a cave even bigger than the previous two. Everything seemed to be bathed in a pure golden light, and for a moment, they all thought it was the sun, but when they looked up, they realized that while there was a bit of warmth, there was no sun anywhere in sight. (Looking back on it later, they would all agree that it was actually more reminiscent of the sunlight reflecting on water rather than of the sun itself.)
"Oh boy," Makenzie said, "here we go again." Jack and Elsa didn't even have to ask what she meant, by that point already expecting and having resigned themselves to turn gold while in the third and final kingdom. Just as they had done twice previously, they walked until the woods ended and they found a palace. On the golden sands in front of this palace stood a woman who bore a resemblance to Olga and Katya, but who, while they were copper and silver, respectively, was gold, just as expected. "Ah," the woman said, "the King and Queen of Winter themselves grace me with their presence. How charming."
"Are you Vasilisa?" Jack asked.
"I am," the woman replied, "and I know why you have come. You cannot have it."
"We were told to expect as much," Elsa said, "but we were also told you might let us have it if we pass a test."
There was a pause.
"I might," Vasilisa said finally. "However, only one of you gets to perform it, and I get to pick which one and what the task is."
"Of course," Jack said. "That seems fair. It's your ring, after all, and we are in your kingdom. Just tell us who needs to do what."
Vasilisa was silent for several moments as she studied them thoughtfully. Then she smiled and pointed at Makenzie. "You," she said, "must come clean, as they say."
"Come clean? About what?"
"You know exactly what."
Makenzie's eyes went wide as she stiffened suddenly. Jack looked back and forth between the Tsarevna and his friend for a moment, a confused frown on his face. "'Kenzie," he said, "what is she talking about? What does she mean?"
"I shouldn't have come!" Makenzie cried suddenly, turning her face away from them.
"What are you talking about?" Elsa demanded. "Do you have any idea how much—"
"I don't belong here!" Makenzie interrupted. "I'm not Guardian material! And even if I was, I can't bear it! Seeing you and Jack, it's been almost too much for me! I'm in love with your husband, Elsa, okay?! There, I said it! I've been in love with him for over three hundred years, and I've spent most of that time thinking he was dead! Do you have any idea what that's like?! Fairy godmothers are supposed to bring people happiness, but how the hell am I supposed to make other people happy when I can't even make myself happy?! I hate you, I hate both of you, but I hate myself even more, and I hate myself because I hate you, but I can't make it stop, I can't help it! You're so damn happy together, and all I want is to be happy like you are, but I can't be because the man I've loved for more than three centuries is married to somebody else, and it's too much for me to take, I can't handle it! You see now?! The only reason I agreed to stick around and help you guys in the first place is because Jack wanted me to! If he hadn't asked me not to, I would've taken off back at North's workshop, that would've been the last you'd have seen of me! I can't do this anymore! I have to go home, I don't belong with you, I...I..."
And then she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.
"I...Makenzie...I already knew you love him," Elsa said gently, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Makenzie let out another sob, then sniffled as she looked up at the queen, her eyes still full of tears. "Y-You did?" she asked. Elsa nodded, and Makenzie frowned at her. "But...how?"
"I'm the Guardian of Love, what do you expect?" Elsa replied. "And besides, even if I wasn't, it's not that hard to tell. I mean, I've seen the way you look at him. It's the same way my sister looks at her husband. It's...It's the same way I look at him."
"And now," Vasilisa said, "it is his turn to confess."
Elsa blinked and turned to her husband. "Jack, what is she talking about?" she asked. Jack was looking down at the ground. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and let it out slowly.
"I...I loved her, too," he said finally. Elsa blinked. "But—But not anymore!" Jack said quickly when he saw the look on her face. "I mean...I did, once, a long time ago, but not anymore, I swear. Come on, princess, you know I've only got eyes for you."
"Wait, so you're saying you don't love me?" Makenzie said.
"What? No! No, that's not what I'm saying at all! I still love you! Of course I still love you! But I—Not like I used to, you know? Girls, come on, don't—Makenzie, you're my best friend, you always have been, three hundred years of not seeing each other isn't going to change that, nothing is. And Elsa, you're everything to me, you know that, don't you? I wouldn't have married you if I didn't love you as much as I did, we wouldn't be on this crazy mission because we wouldn't even have kids in the first place, you know that! Princess, you're what my universe centers around, you're what keeps my world in orbit, you are my sun, my stars, my mo—Well, okay, maybe not my moon, that doesn't really work given that we are what we are because of the moon, but that's not the point! The point is that I love you. Both of you. More than you'll ever know, more than I can ever say or put into words. I just...I love you both in different ways."
There was a pause.
"Hm," Vasilisa said, "I suppose that will do. Now kiss."
"Wait, what?" they all chorused.
"You heard me," Vasilisa replied, "kiss. If you love that woman so much, then prove it. Kiss her with all your heart and soul. Or do you even have a soul, seeing how you are a dead thing?"
"How dare you?" Elsa demanded. "How dare you say such a thing about my husband? How dare you accuse him—" She never got to finish because Jack chose that moment to hook his staff around her waist and pull her over to himself, then drop it on the ground as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed his lips against hers, pouring everything he had into it, all his love and passion, everything he'd felt for her ever since the moment they'd first met nearly ten years ago on the balcony of the ice castle.
Makenzie turned her face away from the sight, only looking back at them when she heard them both gulp in air after separating from the lack of oxygen. Vasilisa slipped her ring off. "Here," she said, and tossed it through the air. Jack caught it as it sailed towards him, slipping it onto his right hand along with the other two rings. As he did this, Makenzie noticed his wedding ring—really noticed it for the first time. It was a band of white gold with three snowflakes engraved in it, the middle one with an aquamarine for a center and the ones on either side of it with diamonds. It didn't escape her notice that Elsa's matched; white gold with a snowflake that had an aquamarine center and diamond accents.
She gasped lightly, blinking back to reality as Jack nudged her with his elbow and made a subtle motion in Vasilisa's direction. "You will stay here," the Tsarevna was saying.
She was pointing at Makenzie.
"No!" Jack cried. "You can't do that!"
Vasilisa held her hand out. "Then give me back my ring," she said.
"It's fine, Jack," Makenzie said. "I don't mind. Maybe it'll be better this way. You and Elsa will get your kids back, and I—"
"You'll what? Stay here and suffer for the rest of eternity? No. I don't think so. I won't sacrifice either one of you, you're coming with us."
"No, Jack," she said stubbornly. "We've come this far, and I won't let everything be in vain. I won't let you and Elsa suffer the loss of your children any longer than is absolutely necessary, you know why? Because I can sense how much pain it puts you both through. Don't ask me how, I just can. And I can also sense how much joy it will bring you both to finally have them back, just like I can sense how much joy you bring to her and vice versa. Like I said, I don't know how I can sense these things, I just can, and if—I love you, Jack, and you love Elsa, and I'd rather stay here and let myself suffer than either one of you. Besides, your kids will be expecting both of their parents, not just one, and I'm not about to deprive them of the happiness that will bring. Fairy godmothers are supposed to make people happy, right? And while I admit that it doesn't seem fair for the fairy godmother to have to suffer in order for that to happen, if that's what it takes to be what I'm supposed to be, then that's fine. I'll make whatever sacrifices I have to to be the Fairy Godmother, especially if the people I'm bringing happiness to are you and the ones you care about. If that's what it takes, then I'm okay with that. Don't worry about me, worry about your kids, I'll be fine, honest. After all, I made it on my own for the past three hundred-something years, didn't I? Why should this be any different? In fact, it'll be better, because this time, I'll be making a difference by helping the person I care about more than anything in the world. Like I said, don't worry about me, just worry about getting your kids back. I'll be alright. I promise."
It was clear from the look on his face that Jack was struggling with several emotions all at once, but one thing that stood out was how touched he was. "We'll come back for you," he said finally, his voice thick with emotion. "No matter what happens, however this turns out, I promise, we'll come back for you as soon as we possibly can."
"Jack's right," Elsa said, "after everything you've done to help us, we're not just going to leave you. The minute we're able to—"
"Worry about that later," Makenzie told her. "Right now, just focus on getting back to the others and saving the kids. Now go, get out of here before she changes her mind."
As they turned to leave, Jack looked back over his shoulder and mouthed three words to Makenzie:
Wait for us.
Okay, so that thing I wanted to wait until the end about! It involves Jack and Elsa's wedding rings, and it's actually technically two things. The first thing is that the links to them are already on my profile, but the blue gems are paler than they are in the images you'll be taken to, because it's not the same kind of gem that I used in my description(s). Second, if you have not already read it or were not aware, I posted a one-shot the other day of Jack and Elsa's wedding, and it's called Wintertime Love, so if you're interested, be sure to go and check that out. Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene both make cameos just like they did in Frozen, and Merida (and her wee devils—um, I mean little brothers!) gets mentioned in it, so yeah.
Um...I think that's about it, so...yeah. I'm sick, so I'm about to go work on the next chapter, and again, Katherine, good job, girl, you totally called it! (Also, I love your reviews, yours are always some of my favorites to read.)
