Elsa blinked, her elegant brows knitting together in confusion. "You mean…there…there are others? Beyond the Great Waters?" Jack nodded eagerly, pulling her toward the window he careened through moments before. It was still open, framing her kingdom in an ordinary winter morning. Whiteness covered roofs; a pale sun glinted off stubborn frost frozen thinly along the salted streets. Her people bustled about in their winter gear, carrying various wares, while merchants barraged those passing by with entreaties. Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezed her sideways companionably.
"You got it!" He made a dramatic sweeping motion towards the kingdom outside. "Weselton, Corona, DunBroch, Berk…those are just a few in the immediate area. But there are thousands of new places and things out there to see beyond the Waters. Especially technology-wise. Queeny, you'll be blown away." His voice dripped with enthusiasm. She broke her gaze away from the winter outside to meet his, blue eyes the size of saucers. If what Jack said were true, the impact on Arendelle and the surrounding nations could be enormous. Though for good or for ill, she wasn't quite sure. Did she want to know about these peoples? She ducked out of his hold with grace.
"Well," started the queen, "It-it does sound interesting, but—" Jack held up a pale hand, its thumb balancing his crook with ease.
"But we can't go yet. You're too heavy to carry or guide across the Waters, so you'll have to learn to fly first. It'll be a treat—after we're finished with your 'tutoring'." He sneered slightly at the word. "I'll be your tour guide." At this reveal he smiled, plopping casually on the window bench, crook rested on his knees. Elsa frowned.
"You think I'm heavy?" Jack's smile capsized.
"Is that really all you got from that?"
"I suppose that answers the question," said the queen coolly, frown deepening. He got up.
"Whoa whoa—anything's heavy when you're carrying it for 1000—"
"Is that why you carry a staff?" He shook his head, eyes squinting in disbelief.
"Don't give me that; it's not the same at all!" A pale finger pointed in Elsa's direction, its owner's visage an odd mixture of sarcasm, frustration, and concern. It was rather funny. Elsa hid a smile behind contemplative fingers. "Now you're the one being ludicrous. Look, I need this to—" He stopped, his odd expression subsiding into blankness.
"You need it to what?" Jack blinked, a sudden white grin on his face.
"That's it! That's what you need! A conductor. Like my staff!" He tapped it against the ice-covered floor decisively, patterned frost splaying anew across its surface. Elsa's expression grew puzzled.
"What do you—"
"Tell me. How'd you get your powers? You don't have memory loss by any chance, do you?" His dark brows rose eagerly. Did he want her to have memory loss? Anna's face flashed across her mind.
"No, and I've had them since birth. They seem to get…stronger with age."
"Oh." Jack's enthusiasm dropped noticeably for a moment, then rekindled. "Well, maybe that doesn't matter. Listen, this staff helps me to channel my powers. I used to think it was the source, but that wasn't true. It's more like a conductor." He had her interest now.
"So…so you think that's all I need? A conductor?" Her heart palpitated in her chest. This could be the perfect medium between the two options already presented to her: learn complete control with Jack for who knows how long or give her powers to the Gray Man after a few lessons. This new option certainly seemed like a happy compromise.
"That's right!" Jack jumped up on the window's bench, crouching to her level. "Did your parents….find anything at your birth? A staff similar to mine, for example." The queen shook her head.
"No. As I'm told, nothing was out of the ordinary. Besides the bits of snow that appeared when I sneezed." Jack nodded, considering.
"Hmm. Well maybe…maybe it can be any old stick. Maybe we just have to find it!" He jumped down, righting himself.
"Possibly…"
"Yes! I'm sure of it. I'd be in pretty sad shape without this." He rolled his staff across his elbow and flung it around, catching it skillfully in his palm. "It's no wonder you're having difficulties. It's out there; it has to be." Despite herself, Jack's enthusiasm was rubbing off on Elsa. What if…what if he was right?
"Well, where would it be, then?" He grinned.
"If you're looking for a book, go to the library." He gestured outside.
"You…you mean…the forest?" Elsa looked toward the edge of her kingdom, where the trees hugged its edges with naked, snowy branches. He made it seem so obvious.
"You got it!" Elsa smiled wide, and for a moment Jack's expression changed to something she didn't understand. He coughed, turning away from her briefly. "Well, let's go!" He pointed to the window with his staff.
"Yes," agreed the queen. "Um…I do have a request, however. If you don't mind." Jack paused.
"Which is…?"
"We need to go somewhere where I won't be discovered. Somewhere even the icemen don't go. I…don't go out often. I'd rather not have to explain myself." She looked down for a moment, then into Jack's eyes. They had that odd expression in them again. He blinked, offering her a slight, toothless smile.
"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged. How about the wood at the edge of that mountain? Looked pretty desolate from up top." The mountain to which he referred was obvious enough; people stayed away from it because of avalanches, but that shouldn't be a problem for the two of them. She nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Mr. Frost. Let's go then: to the mountain's edge."