Chapter 10: Dawn is Breaking

Jack felt as if it was in slow motion. The blast. The fall. Jack could feel the wind against his face as he fell through the air. Pitch was falling just above him. Pitch exploded into black smoke. Jack felt a smile come across his face. Pitch had been defeated.

"Good job Leif," Jack whispered into the night.

Jack continued to fall through the air. Then it came quite suddenly, his staff seemed to act as if it had a mind of its own. The staff started to work as if Jack was working it except he wasn't. The staff caused Jack to hang there in mid-air. Jack was confused. What was going on? Slowly Jack fell through the air as if the staff was guiding him to the ground. Jack landed on the ground carefully. Jack lay there for what seemed an age. His vision was groggy and he couldn't see much. Jack closed his eyes and everything went black.

Elsa watched in horror as Jack was blasted off the tower.

"Jack," she shouted in horror as Jack disappeared from view.

She and the others raced to the edge and looked down but they couldn't see anything. Jack had gone and Elsa didn't know what to make of it. Elsa collapsed and held her face in her hands as tears came to her eyes. What had befallen her beloved?

"Papa," Leif whispered still leaning over the edge.

Elsa cried. She didn't know what had happened to Jack. Jack was immortal, yes, but does that mean he was protected from something as powerful as Leif's ice blast or a fall from a tower? Elsa didn't know. She didn't have an intense working knowledge on Jack's immortality. Elsa couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Anna crouched down next to her and held her while Elsa cried.

"He's going to be fine," Anna whispered into Elsa's ear.

Elsa wasn't listening. Soon she felt strong hands take control and she realised that Kristoff had picked her up and was carrying her down the spiral staircase of the tower. Elsa didn't do anything. She didn't even move. She was still in too much shock. She didn't know what to do. Kristoff placed Elsa on her bed where Elsa lay shaking with her face stained with tears. Elsa didn't even hear what Anna and Kristoff were saying but she nodded anyway. They quickly left the room.

Elsa then felt a body climb into bed with her and snuggle into her. It was Leif. She could feel the familiar feel of his soft skin on her. Elsa rolled over and pulled Leif into for a hug.

"Is Papa okay?" Leif asked.

"I hope so," Elsa said stroking her son's hair.

"He is, I know," Leif said. "He's not a Guardian for nothing."

Elsa smiled. "Very true."

Anna couldn't bear to look at her sister's broken self. Anna knew that Jack must not be dead. He was an immortal after all but she didn't know what had befallen him and that scared not only Elsa but everyone else. Kristoff carried Elsa to her bed where she remained shaking and crying. They didn't know what affect Leif's ice blast did to Jack. Leif was a powerful being after all. He once defeated and caused Pitch to hover somewhere between life and death as if he was in some kind of limbo. If Leif could do that to Pitch, what could he do to Jack? Jack hadn't got the full blast of it, Pitch had. So was there a chance that Jack was fine and that they soon will find him flying over the place looking for Elsa? Anna really, really hoped that was the case.

"We're gonna go find Jack," Anna said to Elsa.

Elsa nodded but Anna had a feeling that Elsa wasn't listening to a single word that any of them were saying. Anna sighed and tugged on Kristoff's arm who followed her out of the room.

"Is she going to be okay?" Kristoff asked her as they walked down the corridor together.

"When we find Jack and he's okay, she will be," Anna answered as they raced down the stairs.

They threw open the doors and headed out into the courtyard. Anna looked up. From here, she could see the tower that Jack had fallen down. Anna hurried around looking for Jack. She and Kristoff searched but they couldn't find anything. Then they saw something. It was a figure laying on the ground only a hundred metres away. Anna and Kristoff raced towards the figure and slowly the figure revealed himself to be Jack. Anna felt relief course through her. She and Kristoff slowed down when they were near him.

Jack was unconscious but Anna noticed he had a smile on his face. Kristoff knelt next to Jack and felt for a pulse. Anna felt tense rise within her as Kristoff didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"That's a pulse," he said. "He's alive."

Anna nodded. She felt happiness flow through her but that was short lived. They both noticed a hole in Jack's chest filled with ice from the blast that Leif had done. Anna's mouth went very dry. Jack was the Winter Spirit, so would the ice hurt him? Anna didn't know. Kristoff, carefully and slowly, picked Jack up and hoisted him up. They turned to leave but they stopped. Anna felt something warm come across the back of her neck. She turned around and she could see the sun come out. The black cloud that had engulfed them for so long had finally lifted. They could see the sun.

"Guess Pitch is finally gone," Kristoff said.

"Yeah," Anna said smiling up at the sun. "Leif did it, again."

Anna and Kristoff walked back towards the castle with smiles on their faces. They headed back into the castle and headed up the steps. They came into Elsa's room where they found her with Leif in her arms. They both leapt to their feet as they came in.

"Is he-?" Elsa asked, her voice trailing off as if she couldn't dare to ask the question.

"No," Kristoff answered.

Kristoff placed Jack on the bed. Everyone grouped around the bed. The Guardians came into the room and they too grouped around the bed. Jack groaned and soon he came round. Elsa's face broke into relief.

"Jack," she whispered.

"Hey," he said smiling but Anna knew that speaking was costing him a lot of energy.

"I thought…I thought you were dead," Elsa said with more tears coming to her eyes.

"Nah," Jack grinned but then groaned in pain. "It takes a lot more than that to get rid of me."

Elsa let out a small laugh.

"What do we do?" Anna asked in a hush voice.

"There is only one thing you can do," North said.

They all looked up at him.

"You have to remove the ice," North finished.

"Remove the…" Elsa looked down at Jack. She could see the ice sticking out Jack's chest.

"You will have to do it Elsa," North continued. "You are the only one who can."

"Only one…" Elsa whispered still not taking her eyes off Jack. "Okay."

Elsa positioned herself next to Jack. She gulped. She steadied herself and she placed her hands, palms facing down, hovering over Jack's chest. She looked at North and she nodded. North turned to Jack.

"Now this may be painful," he said to Jack.

"Bring on the pain," Jack smiled.

North matched his smile before his eyes flickered back onto Elsa. They both made eye contact before North nodded. Elsa took in a deep breath and started.

Jack was prepared for some pain but as Elsa began to remove the ice, he never expected pain like this. It was intense pain. It was pain beyond pain. He howled in pain and he started to twist and turn in agony. Leif's ice powers were a lot stronger than he thought that if his ice powers could hurt him, the Winter Spirit.

"I'm sorry Jack," Elsa cried.

Suddenly the pain ended. Jack realised that Elsa had stopped what she was doing. He could see that she couldn't bear to hurt him.

"Don't stop," Jack groaned. "Please you have to keep going."

"You're sure?" she said.

Jack nodded and so did Elsa. Elsa then repositioned herself and started again. The pain was just as bad as before but Elsa kept going. Jack could see that Elsa was crying as she did it. Then the pain started to die down. It was going away. Soon Elsa collapsed on the floor in exhausted, panting hard. Jack sat up straight. He moved his fingers across his chest. The ice had gone. Elsa had done it. Anna headed over to her sister and helped her back to her feet. She grinned when she saw Jack looking healthy and up.

Elsa then flew at Jack and Jack felt her lips on his. It felt so good to feel them again. They broke apart moments later grinning. Leif then raced at his parents and Jack picked him up and both of them hugged him.

"We're gonna be okay," Jack whispered to his family.

"I know," Leif said.

"Sorry to break up the family reunion but get a load of this," Anna said interrupting them.

Anna then threw open the balcony doors and Jack was surprised to see what he was seeing. The blackness that had covered Arendelle was gone. He could see people mingling outside and they were pointing up at the sky as if they also couldn't believe it.

"Pitch is gone," Jack smiled.

"He must be," Elsa said with a huge grin on her face.

Anna looked over at her sister as she walked out onto the balcony to stand next to her. Elsa was grinning up at the sunlit sky. Anna grinned too. Elsa was no longer that shell that he had become when Pitch's fear had taken over. Anna had missed Elsa's smile. She hadn't seen it in a month. Pitch's fear really had done a number on her but it looked like Elsa's old self was returning. Pitch's fear had gone and in the process, finally set Elsa free.

They looked out at Arendelle and they all felt the fear lift from them and was replaced by the warm happy feelings that they had been feeling before the whole mess had started. Jack slid off the bed and came to stand next to them with his arm around Elsa. Elsa placed her head on Jack's shoulder.

"Is it really over?" Leif asked.

"Yes," Jack said picking him up. "Pitch is gone, you did it."

"I did?"

"Yes," Jack said giving him a huge hug.

Down in Arendelle, people were throwing open their windows and doors. They couldn't believe what was going on. They headed out into the square and looked up at the sun which had suddenly reappeared in the sky. They didn't know what was going on but they didn't question it. They no longer felt fear consuming them, controlling every move they made. Except they felt happiness again. The emotion seemed to foreign but so great at the same time. It all felt like a dream.

The people of Arendelle cheered and raced out to greet their friends and family. Everyone was hugging each other and bouncing up and down. They couldn't be happier.

In a jail cell a long way away, was a man with red hair and sideburns. He was leaning against the wall. He had been in the jail cell for a long, long time. He wanted to get out of it but he knew his brothers would never let him out. Soon he heard feet coming down the dudgeon steps. One of his brothers came into view.

"What are you doing here?" the man hissed at his brother.

"Freeing you," the brother said grabbing a pair of keys that were hanging on a hook.

"Why?"

"Because I need you."

"Why?" the man asked.

The brother didn't respond straight away. He headed over to the man's cell and unlocked it. The brother stared down at the man.

"I need your help," he said.

"With what?" The man stood up and faced his older brother.

"In taking over Arendelle. I believe you are quite familiar with this task."

The man felt a grin wash over his face.

"Let's do it then."

A/N: Another cliff-hanger? Dun, dun, dunnn. So I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review =)