"Hello? Is anybody home?" Jack echoed through the halls. After spending several months at Santoff Claussen, he returned to the Arendelle kingdom hoping nothing had happened in his absence. "Anna? Are you there?" Jack started to worry. It was usually Anna calling out to him but now the tables have turned. He feared for the worst.
"Boo!" the cheeky girl surprised. The excited princess tackled Jack to the ground. "That's what you get for leaving for so long!" Anna pouted, sitting on his chest. She crossed her arms and had an angry expression but tried to hide her smile. She was incredibly happy that he came back.
"Hah, yeah, sorry about that. I had to check on something with a… friend." Jack still had trouble calling the violent wizard a friend.
"Yeah, sure, 'friend' says the imaginary friend. Who were you talking to, the Easter Bunny?" Anna giggled with a doubtful look.
"Well… not exactly the Easter Bunny but he's a friend also."
"Wait, you know the Easter Bunny?" she gasped. Her eyes were glowing with a look of excitement and shock.
"I was supposed to come back sooner but I got a bit beat up and had to rest for a while. Speaking of which, could you get off of me? I'm still kind of hurt." Jack grunted, slightly in pain.
"Oh! Right, sorry about that." The flustered princess lifted herself off of the winter spirit. Jack got up from the floor and back to his feet, dusting himself off.
"Much better! Now then, how—" He was interrupted by Anna's hands covering his mouth.
"Since you were a bad imaginary friend and ran off. You have to pay me back." Anna smiled mischievously. "So according to the rules of being a bad imaginary friend, you have to do what I say!" She grinned. Jack took her hands off his mouth.
"What rules? I've never heard this before." He looked at her in doubt, flying into the air and observing the princess.
"The rules of imaginary friends, duh! Everyone knows that! You probably never heard of it because you were too busy talking with the Easter Bunny or something!" she giggled again, pacing back and forth looking up at the bewildered guardian.
"Hmm, I still don't believe you but I'll bite. What do you wanna do?" Jack looked to the princess with curiosity.
"Yay! I mean, uh… yes, of course. Now, I want you to fly me around Arendelle." The princess smiled. Her eyes glowed bright at the thought.
"Sounds like fun! Why not?" Jack laughed, calling forth a wind and lifting Anna off the ground. The princess yelped then covered her mouth.
"Wait, wait, wait! I want you to carry me!" She shouted, trying to keep her balance in the air.
"Why do you want me to carry you? You seem totally fine on your own." The devious boy chuckled.
"For punishment!" She cried out again, smiling and freaking out at the same time.
"Fine. Now hold still." Jack flew over to the princess and caught her in his arms. "Better?" Jack smirked, looking at the princess. Her cheeks were bright red. She tried to cover her face with her hair.
"Y… y… yes… better…" she softly spoke, still covering her face. Jack looked at her and let out a single laugh.
"Good! Because, if I'm carrying you, we gotta go fast!" A gust of wind blew open the doors of Arendelle castle and Jack shot out of the room. The princess shrieked in excitement. She wrapped her arms around his neck in fright. This was her first time being so high in the air. A large smile overcame her face as she looked over the kingdom of Arendelle for the first time. Her eyes were filled with wonder. She had been confined to the walls of the castle for so long she never had the opportunity to see how magnificent her kingdom was. It was truly an astounding sight to behold.
"This… this is amazing." She gasped.
"Welcome to my world." Jack looked down at the kingdom. He had a moment of clarity. Had he not saved Arendelle, he might have never been able to see something so beautiful. Then he noticed Anna pulling him tighter. He looked over to the princess. Her face couldn't hide the sheer excitement she was feeling. Jack smiled again. He was incredibly happy to have saved the princess when he did.
"Jack, this is absolutely amazing. Thank you. I'd like to head back home now." The princess yawned, closing her eyes and nuzzling her head into Jack's neck. Jack blushed slightly and smiled.
"Aye, aye captain." he chuckled, returning to the gates of Arendelle.
As Jack flew his way through the castle with Anna still wrapped around his neck, he turned the corner to see a few servants standing in front of Elsa's room. The door was open.
"Psst, Anna, wake up." Jack whispered, shaking the princess awake. "Can't carry you any further, got a few people here. Would be a little weird if you somehow floated to your room while asleep."
Anna blinked her eyes repeatedly trying to wake up. Jack set her down on her feet. "Where are we— I mean them?" she said tiredly, wiping the little drool on her lips.
"Just down the hall, I think they're talking to Elsa."
"Elsa?!" Anna cried. She then covered her mouth. She was now wide awake. She took a quick glance around the corner to see what was going on. She watched the servants and what appeared to be a bishop talking with her sister. As she observed the interaction, she wondered to herself what the commotion was. Was it about their parents? Was Elsa in trouble or was she needed? She kept thinking of what was going on. Before she could finish thinking, she heard the door close and the servants walking over in her direction. She jolted back around the corner.
"What's going on?" Jack asked.
"No idea, but they're heading this way!" she said frantically. "What do I do? What do I do?!"
"How should I know? Uh, I don't know. Act… princessly!" Jack exclaimed.
"Princessly… Princessly! Right!" Anna regained her composure, standing confidently with a look of calmness. "How do I look?"
"Goofy." he smirked.
"Shush!" She glared, smirking back at the young man. She proceeded to walk around the corner to meet the group of people walking her way.
"Ah, Princess Anna, how are you today?" one of the servants asked.
"I'm doing well, thank you. Um, may I ask what you were speaking to Elsa about?"
"Yes, princess, I would love to. However, I have a meeting to attend to. One of the maids can explain what is happening. All good news, I assure you." The bishop smiled, bowing to the princess. Anna returned the gesture. The other servants escorted the bishop around Anna and down the hall.
"Alright, Gerda, what's happening?" Anna smiled in delight.
"Oh, princess, it's so wonderful! Elsa will be coronated as the new ruler of Arendelle after her 21st birthday!" the old maid smiled.
"Oh. My. God! Really! That's great!" Anna cheered, holding the maids hand and dancing with glee. "Elsa's gonna be a queen!"
"Oh, yes dear, it's truly magnificent. Now, if you would excuse me, I have to continue with the cleanup." Gerda smiled at the happy princess. She bowed her head and continued down the hall. As Jack watched the maid walk down the steps, he flew over to the giddy princess still dancing.
"So, Anna, what's going on?" Jack smiled, clearly it was good news.
"Jack! It's amazing! Elsa's gonna be queen!"
"Really?! That awesome!"
"I know!" Anna shrieked, grabbing onto Jack's hands and spinning around. Today was truly a magnificent day for the princess to be alive.
"Oh man! I have to talk with Elsa! We have to celebrate!" Anna cheered, looking to the winter spirit for confirmation.
"I absolutely agree, but are you sure she'll come out?" Jack asked.
"Oh sure, it's not every day you're called to be queen, you know?" Anna assured, skipping towards Elsa's room. As she stood in front of the door, she was ready to knock on it. However, she paused for a moment and frowned. Sadness started filling her eyes as her arms slowly lowered to her side.
"Anna, what's wrong?" Jack asked in concern. "Aren't you gonna knock?"
"I am… I will… but…" the princess paused. "It hurts every time I knock and don't get a reply." Anna was quivering.
"Hey, hey, I'm sure it'll be okay. Come on, she's going to be a queen!" Jack smiled, looking over to Anna. Anna smiled back.
"You're right. It's time for celebration!" She grinned. She started knocking at the door. "Elsa! Elsa, I heard the good news! We should celebrate!"
No response. The room was quiet. Anna looked increasingly more depressed. She put her hand to her chest and started knocking again.
"Come on, Elsa. We can have dinner and walk around the town a bit. Enjoy the scenery! It'll be great." Anna cheered again, looking at Jack and back to the door.
"Anna, please go away. I don't want to celebrate." Elsa's voice spoke softly through the door. Anna was distressed.
"What? Isn't it a good thing? You're going to be queen." Anna forced a smile.
"It's not!" Elsa shouted. Anna was taken aback by the response.
"What do you mean 'it's not'?" the princess started looking depressed. Jack put his hand on her shoulder for comfort. Anna grasped his pullover.
"This just means that everyone's accepted our parents' death. How can I be happy? I'm stealing this from them! How can I possibly celebrate?" Elsa cried out from the other side of the room. Anna knelt to the ground. Her heart was aching. She knelt there with tears forming from her eyes. All her grief she thought she had put aside was coming back at her like a storm. Worst of all, she hadn't even thought about how Elsa must have felt when their parents died. She didn't have someone to cheer her up or keep her happy.
"Elsa… I—"
"Anna… please… please just go." Elsa whispered. It was clear that she was also crying on the other side. Anna was quiet. She couldn't move. Her knees were weak and she was in shambles. The day of the funeral was now fresh in her mind.
"Anna, I think we should head back." Jack crouched over to broken girl. She didn't reply. She couldn't move. She sat there, shaking. All she could think of was her parents. "Alright, I think it's time to get some rest." Jack affirmed. He lifted the princess in his arms and started walking over to her room. Anna wrapped her arm around him, burying her face in his chest. She was clutching to him for dear life.
"Alright, Anna, we're here. Time to sleep." Jack spoke softly, laying the princess onto her bed. She refused to let go of his neck. "Come on, Anna, I kinda need my neck. It's the thing keeping my head on my body." He chuckled. Suddenly, her hands were on his face and he was pulled into a kiss.
Jack's mind went into overdrive. He wasn't sure what was happening. In a matter of seconds, he was recalling all the events that happened in the past months of being with the princesses.
Princess, flying, snow, time, hitting, bear, pain, laughing, maids, butler, Anna… Elsa! Jack finally pulled himself away from the kiss. He was panting for air, attempting to regain his composure.
"Anna! What was that?!" Jack shouted in a high pitched voice.
"It's just… I just… I… You've been there for me for so long. Like an angel, you were here when I was at my lowest. I… You're always here when I needed you, J… Jack." The princess stuttered. Her eyes were still red. "Jack, I love you…" Her eyes looked up to Jack, both in fear and sadness.
"Anna… I… I mean… I don't know! You're like… like… you're like a sister to me. I want to protect you. But I… this can't be… I can't, Anna. It's…" Jack couldn't find the words. "Anna, I'm sorry." Jack's eyes were filled with guilt. He wanted to cheer her up, share her pain, but he couldn't share her love.
"Heh… sister… okay. Jack, I'm sorry. I… it wasn't meant to be anyways. You're just my imagination… My crazy, real, amazing imaginary… friend…" Anna paused, turning away from Jack. "I'm fine now, Jack. Please leave."
"Anna…"
"Please… leave." Anna mumbled. She buried her face in her pillow to hide the tears. Jack couldn't say a word. He didn't know any words to say to the distraught princess. He slowly walked to the door of her room and then looked over to the princess.
"Goodnight, Anna." Jack spoke comfortingly. He did get a reply. All he heard was her cries muffled by the pillow. Begrudgingly, he left her room and closed the door behind him. As he walked away, he could hear Anna sobbing louder.
Jack made his way to Elsa's room looking at the doorknob. He needed to know why he rejected Anna. When Anna kissed him, why did Elsa appear in his mind? He slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Luckily, she didn't hear the doorknob turning; she could only hear her own cries. Jack slowly made his way to her bedside and looked at the beautiful blonde figure. He stood there quietly. He slowly reached out to her hands. Before he could reach her, she turned her head to him. Jack froze in place.
"H… h… hello?" the blonde princess whimpered. Jack's eyes were wide open. Could she see him? His face lit up with a smile.
"Um… hi." Jack stammered. He watched Elsa slowly get up from her bed, looking right at him. "Yo… you…. You can see me?" Jack spoke, almost giddy. Elsa stood up from her bed. She was almost at eye level to Jack.
"Hello?" Elsa questioned.
"Uh, hey. I'm Ja—" He was interrupted. Elsa walked right through him. Jack clutched at his chest, panting heavily. He felt like the life was sucked right out of him.
"Is anyone there?" Elsa asked, looking around her room. She couldn't see anything. Jack was on the ground breathing heavily, clutching to her bedside. He felt empty. Though it wasn't easy, he eventually got use to people walking through him. However, this was one moment where he didn't want it to happen. He wished it wouldn't happen. It was one of those things he never ever wanted to happen. He turned his head to see Elsa closing the door to her room.
"Oh… right. Sorry about not closing it." He chuckled solemnly. She couldn't see him before so why would she be able to see him now? Then he recalled it, the frosted window. He flew over to the window and turned to the princess. He tapped on the glass. Elsa jolted her head to the sound.
Hey princess. Jack wrote on the window.
He smiled, looking over to the slightly perplexed girl. She walked over to it and frosted the letters. Jack watched her in amazement. He had never realized it was her frosting the window.
Hi there
You seem sad. You okay?
Jack watched the princess pause for a second, wiping the tears from her eyes. This was the first time he was talking with Elsa from the other side.
No I'm not. Elsa paused for a moment. I'm going to be a queen
Maybe you need a king?
Suddenly, Jack blushed. He stumbled back against the wall. Why did I say that?! He thought to himself. He kept thinking of how stupid he was for thinking that, for writing that. Then he looked over to Elsa. She was blushing bright red. It looked like he wasn't the only one embarrassed by the response. He watched her frost the window and start writing something.
Maybe I do
Jack gasped. He wasn't sure he was reading that correctly. He looked at the message and back to Elsa. She was even brighter red, wiping the last of her tears from her face. She had a tiny smile as she looked down at her feet. Jack was ecstatic. She finally opened up to him. Only a little but it was enough. He wanted to protect that. He wanted to protect her. He thought back to what Ombric said. The winter would return to devastate Arendelle. He needed to find a solution. He had to find a way to save Arendelle, permanently. With complete confidence, he flew over to her.
Then let me help. Jack wrote. He was thinking of a way to convince her he was real. He paused for a second. He looked at his hands and then at hers. Open your hands
The confused princess looked at the message then opened them. Jack materialized an ice crystal flower in her palm. Her eyes were wide open and she covered her mouth. This wasn't her power, this wasn't her doing. How could it be here? She looked back to the frosted glass and saw another message being written.
I'll be back. When I am, believe in me. Believe in Jack Frost
Jack looked at the princess, a smile plastered on his face as he watched the princess sit by her window sill with the crystal flower. As he was about to leave the room, he looked back over to Elsa. His face almost split in half at the message she wrote.
See you soon Jack.
