Author's Notes:
Muchos gracias for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I feel like this story is failing hardcore and my writing blows chunks. Lulz. At least it's just a fanfiction and not a legit story... This will be short because I'm really tired. I've written over 50k words just in two weeks since this has been published. I think it's finally catching up to me.
Follia Della Rovina & Kuhlare12 - I make the worst puns in existence. I'm pretty sure Elsa is just about as sick of them as you are. ;D
hydro0228 - It'll end on a happy note for the most part, but... Ah. I can't give that away yet. I hate stories that end entirely on happily ever after. It just isn't realistic to me.
Crimson Gamma - Nooo, I haven't read that, either...! I like to compare myself to Carlos from Magic School Bus. He is my spirit animal.
Dissemination - I've never seen Men In Black 3, but I'll assume that's about right. The best I can compare it to would be like Evan from The Butterfly Effect or even Donnie from Donnie Darko. But yes. I know that there won't be a way to cover up every plot hole, but there's the gist of it. As for Elsa and Bunny getting all medicated and fixed up like pros, that's Wolverine/Dreamworks/Disney/Man In The Moon magic, my friend. ;) Sorry if it seems stupid as hell. I'm trying not to make this super cliche, but it is a fanfiction. Some things can't be helped. I wasn't going to add Chronos' capture into a chapter, but if that's a request, I could do it? YOU'VE INTIMIDATED ME NOW... I'M SCARED TO WRITE... I'M NERVOUS...
LDrops - Wowowow, thank you, deary. That means a lot. And yes, we were discussing Chronos... If you wanted to draw him, I would probably cry in appreciation, but by no means do I expect it.
sfox88 - Sorry if you're unhappy with the fanfiction, bro. I'm trying the best I can. Can't make everyone happy, I guess; I'm glad you liked Summer Shudder though.
The New Patron Saints And Angels
Chapter XII
The Russian Palace was a majestic residence that Jack had been attempting to memorize for three hundred years, and now that he had been made the pledge as a guardian, he couldn't believe his fortune that most of the North Pole was at his disposal. He felt a great mischievous wave of impulse to go on his own adventure and discover all of North's secrets on his own now that the Guardian of Wonder was missing in action, but decided it would have to wait - at least until he managed to persuade the Snow Queen to retire for the evening. But somehow - as he lured her limping figure up another round staircase and into another corridor made of red carpet while holding her tea - he could see that she was truly just as stubborn as he was. A thought that was albeit admirable, but just as equally irritating.
The first stop they made was towards one of the main lavatory on the floor. Jack made sure to show her how everything worked, nearly toppling over with laughter as her eyes surged around the running water with fascination, asking curious questions on how everything worked. The winter spirit tried to explain it to her as best as he was capable without chortling, but he couldn't escape feeling amused by how much culture shock she must have been going through at the prospect of plumbing. There was a great part of him that nearly teased her about it, but stopped upon the realization that she would grow embarrassed by an effort to knowingly mock her about a new generation that she didn't know the thing slightest about. And therefore, Jack was quick to suggest that she rested again once she had stopped marveling over the way the sink and the shower worked.
Finally, the pair entered one of the bedrooms. Jack flicked on the light as soon as they entered - another thing that Elsa seemed fascinated and confused by - but she didn't make any further inquiries if she'd had any. It was a room that evidently hadn't been occupied in quite some time; leaving only a bed, an ancient wardrobe, and a square window, which displayed a great view of the outside of the North Pole, despite that there wasn't much to see. Jack could smell a stench of moth balls upon entering, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he began guiding Elsa towards the red and green satin bed. He nearly rolled his eyes at the fact that even the guest room was clashed horribly with Christmas colors, but didn't say anything outright when Elsa finally settled down. He brought one of the pillows under her injured leg, resting it there while bringing the blanket from the elves to cover her. Elsa seemed begrudged to be forced to lay down, but she was civil; saying thank you to his every move in gratitude. And finally, he brought the tea back into her waiting hands with a smug smile.
"And your morally repugnant liquid, your highness." He added, lifting one of his eyebrows. Elsa chuckled humorlessly, but drank from it deeply. Her azure eyes closed some, staring sideways at the scene outside of the window, but they quickly jumped back at him again; just as alert and weary as they had been.
"Can I do anything to help? To find the Guardian of Time?" Elsa asked intently, keeping her gaze trained on him. Jack sighed deeply in response, sitting down beside her. The last thing he thought that she should be worrying about was finding Chronos, of all people, since it wasn't her fault that he had managed to escape. But he rested his staff down to lounge against the side of the bed regardless, folding one leg underneath him as he sat down beside her weakened frame.
"North and Tooth are looking for him as we speak." Jack promised, attempting to sound as earnest and consoling as he could. "We'll find him though, I can promise you that."
"But he could be anywhere, couldn't he...?" The disheartenment in her voice was not difficult to spot, and it caused Jack to shake his head again in utter disbelief that she could be so uncertain about where the situation was headed.
"Stop being so pessimistic! Would it hurt to look at the bright side?" He shot her a crooked grin, awaiting for a small smile in return. Yet doubtlessly, Elsa no longer had a smile to give as she placed her tea beside her, staring away from him again.
"I'm sorry, I'm just..." She paused, pursing her lips in careful thought - like she might have been trying to convey how she felt in those few words alone. Truthfully, Jack didn't know how she felt. Especially since he had never been the sole provider for a kingdom, but he wanted to try, at least. And finally, after a few seconds of silence, Elsa continued; her gaze not turning to look at him once, despite that he saw her fingers were beginning to clasp the blanket around her. "Very worried and scared that Arendelle won't be there when I get back. And Sven and Olaf, I can't imagine what has happened to them..."
"Who are Sven and Olaf?" Jack's question came out his mouth carelessly, feeling his eyebrows shoot up the span of his forehead at such bizarre names.
"Sven is Kristoff's reindeer." Elsa explained shortly. "Olaf is... A snowman."
"A snowman? You're worried about a snowman?" The amusement in Jack's voice was difficult to hide after that, nearly laughing at the idea of the Queen of Arendelle, of all people, growing nervous about what Pitch could do to an inanimate body of snow. But at the sound of his second question, the corner of Elsa's mouth dragged into a little smile. Her hands clasped together in front of her, rubbing the inside of her palm before she responded again.
"Well, he's not just an ordinary snowman."
Jack exhaled, wondering how to soothe her. Even if he didn't understand what she meant about Olaf not being an "ordinary snowman", he didn't want to press issues about what could be going on in Arendelle. Instead he rearranged his legs on the mattress, crossing them from underneath him as he faced her.
"Just have some faith. Everything will work out just fine..." Despite that he felt like he was repeating promises that he didn't know how to keep, he wanted Elsa to believe him. Her mouth tugged downwards into a frown again at the sentiments, causing Jack to rustle the back of his hair with frustration - seeing that nothing could probably change her mind. It made him wonder, who was truly the one who was obstinate now?
Jack then strived to change the topic by gesturing around the room with the tilt of his head, making another additional effort to smile at her encouragingly. "Anyway, you can stay in here... If you need anything, I'm sure the Yetis will come around."
Elsa blinked at the new word, turning to offer him a confused expression. "The Yetis?"
Jack chuckled again at her lack of knowledge, despite that it couldn't be helped on her behalf. "Yeah, they make the toys... Kinda look like snowy Chewbaccas."
"Chewbaccas?" She sounded frantic now, like she needed to know what Chewbaccas were as soon as possible when her eyes widened on him. Jack had great difficulty covering up his laugh into a cough.
"... Cinderella, you have got to get with the times." He told her comically, attempting to keep his mouth from forming another amused grin as not to deter her. "You'll meet some of them shortly. If you ever want to come down to North's workshop with me, that is."
The corner of her lips gave a feeble jerk, stare resting down one the hands in her lap. She seemed to give it consideration, but nothing more than that before she reflected softly. "Maybe..."
Once more, Jack's fingers found his hair. As the Guardian of Fun, he had always endeavored to make others feel better, but Queen Elsa was proving to be impossible on that spectrum. The thought made him wonder what he would have done when he had been a human, but knew that he had no knowledge of that period in his life. And therefore, he leaped from the bed and faced her with his hands on his waist.
"Are you hungry? I can go and get you something." Offering her an ecstatic grin, Elsa's eyes slowly looked to blink at him.
"I don't think I can eat anything right now." She answered gently, raising an eyebrow at him. But even that wasn't enough to make Jack reconsider.
"Nonsense, I'll go and make you something right now." He insisted, clasping his hand around his staff to firmly rest in his hand. It had been his intention to leave before she could make another word of protest, but she beat him to it.
"Jack, really, you don't have to." Elsa tried to say, voice fading slightly. Jack looked up to shoot her a glance of disapproval.
"I know, but I want to. Okay?"
Elsa frowned, eyebrows knitting together sternly. "Don't you feel tired after what happened today?"
Jack nearly laughed aloud, but again was reminded that she didn't know very much about anything that centered the universe that he was accustomed to. So instead, he waved his hand dismissively and gave her a very plain answer. "Nah. I'm a spirit, Elsa."
It took the young queen a few seconds to take the new information in. She sucked in a deep breath, as if thinking hard about her next question before releasing it. "So you can't sleep?"
"I can sleep, sure. But I don't need it." Jack shrugged his shoulders, rolling his staff over his shoulder with a grin. "Sorta like how you don't feel cold, right?"
"I suppose..." The connection seemed to make it easier for Elsa to grasp and her eyes eventually wandered back up to his. "But you can't feel cold now either, can you?"
He hadn't precisely thought about how their mutual components until now, but it was a factor that made him fill with high spirits. Never before had he met someone who shared even the slightest powers to his own, but the thought was oddly comforting and strangely coincidental all at once.
"Nope. I guess we're the same, like that." He winked at her, before spinning around on his heel to glide out the door in search of something for her to eat. Just as he reached the doorway, he paused to throw her another friendly pledge. "I'll be back soon."
And he could have sworn - out of the corner of his eye when he turned down the hallway - that he had seen Elsa smiling fully amongst herself. Perhaps at the realization that for once, she knew that there was someone like her, even if she had known him all along.
The kitchen in the Russian Palace was in an utter state of disaster when Jack arrived downstairs in search of food. It was very apparent that North's elves were working tirelessly to deliver Christmas that year, and for the first few minutes, Jack couldn't find anything normal to consume beyond frosted cookies and candy. Ergo, he had never needed food on his own, and therefore knew how to cook very little. But he tried to the best of his abilities to compile something that was edible, even if not on the standards of a queen (despite not knowing what queens consumed on a daily basis). And eventually, Jack had proudly assembled a tray of breakfast, something that Jamie had taught him to do in their spare time when his mother was away from the Bennett household. But when Jack returned to the guest room - beaming at the sight of Elsa, sitting up on the bed with her leg propped up - his mouth fell open in awe at what she was wearing.
A blue nightgown - modest for the ideal of a queen - but sleek and shiny, made entirely out of ice. Her long, white-blond hair spilled down her pale shoulder blades from its confined elegant braid. And for the briefest second, Jack had forgotten what breathing was.
"What the...? Where did you get that?" He asked naively, sounding astonished while stepping carefully into the room. Tray still held out in front of him, he stared at the nightgown with great admiration and wonder, nearly choking from envy when she answered.
"I made it." Her slender fingers ran through the top of her hair and through the ashy-blonde strands, staring back at him absentmindedly.
"Out of ice?"
"No, I found it in North's wardrobe while you weren't looking..." Elsa's voice was sarcastic now, lips making the effort to smirk when she looked up at him fully. "Yes, out of ice, Jack."
"Thanks for the mental image. I'll be sure to share that with Bunny later..." Jack reflected, snorting lightly at the sound of her teasing him in return again. At least that was something that he could count on... But it didn't end his fascination with how she made her own clothing out of ice. "How? I mean, how did you do it?"
Elsa began to rearrange herself nonchalantly on the mattress again, wincing some when her leg came in contact with the pillow. "Same way that you produce ice out of your staff, I'd imagine..."
"Can you show me how?" Jack questioned, thoroughly excited by the prospect of a new challenge towards his ice persona.
Elsa considered him, lips pursing together smoothly before she opened her mouth again. Her fingers came up to cover herself in the blanket. "Maybe... I don't know, I've never taught anyone before."
"Alright." Jack grinned ecstatically, about to make way for her instruction immediately. Until he realized, of course, that he still carried the tray of breakfast with him... Coughing lightly, he instead straightened out his posture and came closer to her; gesturing at it with a nod of his head. "Well, I brought this for you - "
"What is it?" Elsa interjected curiously, craning her head up to get a better look.
"Eggs... Bacon... Toast..." Jack felt himself grow embarrassed the longer that he narrated the items on the plate - a feature that was in itself - causing him to backtrack when Elsa began to smile knowingly at him with amusement. That, of course, caused Jack to grow slightly defensive. "Okay, okay! It's all that I know how to make. Just eat it, alright?"
"I told you I'm not hungry." Elsa explained quietly; her voice was soft, as if she was hoping not to offend him. She seemed to acknowledge that she had made him feel belittled, however; causing her to bow her head in appreciation. "But thank you very much for the consideration, Jack. You are very kind."
"Whatever, fine..." Jack sighed, feeling himself deadpan. He turned around with humiliation to place the tray on top of the antique wardrobe - snatching the bacon off of the plate - before turning back to the young queen again. "Just show me how you make clothes out of ice, I want to learn."
Returning back to sit at the corner of the bed again, Elsa studied him thoroughly. She looked pleasantly entertained by his enthusiasm and didn't make any objection towards his request. Jack swore that she even appeared somewhat elated herself, perhaps at the thought that there was someone who could learn from her. But instead of commenting on the matter, Jack simply waited for her guidance while casting her a wide, boyish grin; chewing at the bacon that she had forfeited to him.
"Okay..." Elsa started precisely, picking up her hands. She nodded towards him, frost beginning to form between her hands and making threads and patterns of ice as she demonstrated. "Put your hands together like this..."
It must have been an hour of Elsa attempting to teach him how to conform ice into a web of fabric, but in the end, Jack only managed to form nothing more than a poor excuse of slush that didn't melt upon physical contact. The young queen had requested smaller items of clothing for him to try, like socks and scarves. She showed him many different methods of the technique - even shaping a glove around his hand, to see how it felt when it was made - but the most Jack had managed to fuse was a stringent of sleet that was nothing near the impeccable nightgown that she had contrived over her body. Eventually, Jack gave up by laying his back on the foot of the bed with the realization of defeat. He pressed his hands over his eyes, not even wanting to look at her since he had failed so miserably.
"Ugh, I'll never get this down... Way too complicated for me." He muttered indignantly, only peeking up between his fingers when Elsa's voice returned. She sounded encouraging, like she had throughout the concentrated period of time when he had done nothing but produce failure.
"No, no... Actually, this one looks okay." She smiled warmly at him, holding up one of the pairs of socks that had sort of held together. But with just one jerking movement, the collaboration was gone. And again, Jack concealed his hands over his face to hide his deep shame. "You just need to focus more on the fabric aspect, and not so much... Slush. I know it isn't easy. It took me years to get this down."
It took Jack several seconds to regain his confidence before he finally perked his head up to look at her, interested in the life she had lived in Arendelle and one that he had likely known beforehand.
"While you were locked away for thirteen years?" He rested his arm over the top of his forehead, casting her a considerate glance with a breath of a laugh. "I'll bet that was boring..."
"It was far less boring than it was terrifying." Elsa responded simply, leaning her head back on the pillows now that he had stopped prodding her about learning her garment technique.
Jack felt his eyebrows lift involuntarily, staring hard at her from the foot of the bed. "Terrifying? Why's that?"
"I couldn't control my powers." Her voice sounded thick with exhaustion now, looking up at him from the slant of the headboard. But her voice was quiet and reflective, staring abstractedly away from him and in favor of her hands. "My parents thought the best solution would be keeping everyone out, afraid that I might hurt someone."
"Did you hurt someone?" Somehow, he couldn't imagine that she would have ever harmed someone on purpose. But Elsa didn't give him many details when her answer came, only one that sounded far away and very concise.
"Only Anna..."
Again, Jack's curiosity was piqued, but he decided not to go down that route of inquiries in fear of prying on a touchy subject judging by the resentment and sigh in her voice. So instead, he mulled over what he might have known about her when he was Jack Overland.
"Did I know about your powers?"
"Briefly." Elsa paused to consider him, expression flattening before she continued. "But I never told you about them."
Jack laughed loudly, sitting up from the mattress. "Why not? I thought we were friends."
The young queen seemed to freeze on spot at the mention, gaze averting as she brought a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"We were friends..." Her voice was tentative, hardly more than a bare whisper. "You were my only friend."
Even if Chronos had mentioned the possibility before, Jack didn't know why he suddenly felt a great weight of guilt press down in the middle of his stomach. He wanted to ask how it was possible that someone of Elsa's status as a queen could possibly only have one friend. But when he reminded himself that she had been isolated for thirteen years, the idea no longer seemed far-fetched nor implausible. So instead, Jack focused on being a spirit of solace for her; knowing that was what she needed, even if she would never admit it. He started by leaning his leg up from underneath him and resting his chin on his knee to meet her at eye level. And finally, after a few seconds of analyzing at the gentle slopes of her jaw and the contours of her angular face, Jack's voice came out reassuringly.
"But you're still my friend, Elsa."
He could have sworn that her breathing had faded from her momentarily. But if it had, she quickly covered it up by looking up at him and giving him something that he didn't know that he needed from her previously: a genuine smile of elation.
"Thank you, Jack..." The gratitude that covered her tone whole made Jack feel ultimately fulfilled, unable to prevent his natural boyish grin from spreading over his mouth. He wanted to respond to her, but Elsa had separate intentions of her own when the next question came from her lips.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you..." Her voice faded, until she finally rested her hands in front of her and continued. "Become a guardian, exactly?"
"I don't really know." Jack exhaled honestly, shrugging his shoulders. It was his turn to peer out the window now, gazing down at the heavy snowfall from outside of the Russian Palace before he finally collected an answer that she might be satisfied by. "Man in the Moon picked me after I died. I guess he saw some good in me..."
"But you were good... For the most part." Elsa murmured, becoming teasing again when Jack turned his head towards her to find that she was still smiling. "Besides sneaking into the castle during my coronation ball by using someone else's name, anyway."
"Ha! I did that?!" Jack asked, laughing heartily at the tale. It definitely didn't sound like anything that he wouldn't have done... In any lifetime, guardian or not. "Sounds like me. At least it was someone else's name, and not someone Elsa's..."
"Hilarious, Jack." Elsa rolled her eyes, rearranging her head on the pillows. But even if she tried to hide her smile, Jack could see that it was still there.
"I hope I was troublesome as I am now, otherwise I'll be disappointed." He waggled his eyebrows playfully, resting his chin on his knee to look fully at her. If she had any stories about what he had done when he had been a human, he wanted to hear them.
"Oh yes, you were." Elsa chuckled softly, but it was cut short by a wave of somber emotions when her lips crushed together. "But you were the only one who ever treated me like an equal. And that's something I never had the chance to say thank you for."
"You can thank me now, I'm right here, remember?"
"But you don't remember." Her articulation was growing more weary now. Jack suspected that she was finally allowing herself to accept the fact that she was clearly drained from the catastrophic events of the day. But when he tried to tell remind her that she should sleep, her questions resumed.
"Why did Man in the Moon take your memories?"
Jack scratched his head in wonder, dazed by the answer himself. It had been something that he had never known for certain and a circumstance that he had stopped caring about long ago. But he wanted to give her a ready explanation, especially since there had been a part of his life that had included her. At least he could be honest and he knew that she would understand.
"Again, that's not something that I know for certain." Jack scooted himself backwards until his back hit the wall. He wavered with consideration on his own theories before finally delivering an excuse that he deemed somewhat worthy. "But Chronos said it was because of him. I guess he went a little crazy after he became a guardian... It makes sense, but I don't trust the guy. I'm the only one who doesn't have their human memories."
"None of them at all?"
"None." Jack shook his head, fiddling with one of the strings on his hoodie for the sake of staring at anything other than the Snow Queen. "I mean, I saw some of them... Little images of my sister and my mother, from my baby teeth. Tooth has them in storage, since she's the Guardian of Memories and all. She has some of yours too, I'll bet..."
A pause emitted through the air, but Jack didn't dare to look up at Elsa again. At least not until she resumed her questions regarding his guardianship and when he had died.
"Didn't you try to come back to Arendelle to find out who you were?" There was a tone of hurt there, like she might have been suspecting that he hadn't even tried. In which case, Jack aimed to clarify any doubts that she must have collected.
"Sure, all of the time..." He wrapped the string around his forefinger, attempting to recollect the one scene when he had followed Elsa herself through the kingdom and into the castle. But it was so long ago and most of it was nothing more than a faded image. "I even saw you, once. But you couldn't see me... No one could."
"You visited me?" Elsa propped her head up to look at him, as if to tell if he was lying or not. Jack chuckled, allowing the string to flatten back against his chest.
"Yeah... But only once." Jack dared to sneak a glance at Elsa, acknowledging the new remorseful mask that took over her features. And again, he tried to sound inspiriting in any way that he could. "Don't worry about it though, I'm not offended. No one could see me, most people still can't. And I didn't even really know who you were..."
Elsa cleared her throat quietly, turning her head back to the window. "Well, at least you had the other guardians..."
"Nope, I didn't have them, either. I didn't even take my oath as a guardian until last year..."
"Then what did you do? Where did you go?"
"Everywhere." Jack grinned sheepishly, making an additional effort to shrug his shoulders. "I delivered winter, that's what I do now."
"But no one could see you?" Elsa hunched her spine up against the headboard, eyes narrowing at the thought that he could have been alone for three hundred years without anyone believing him. "No one?"
"No one." The confirmation reminded him wholly of living day by day without even a sliver of knowledge to what his existence was made of. Wandering aimlessly with no purpose... But that wasn't something that he wanted to convey with Elsa, even if there was something that told him she already knew without him saying so outright. But he resumed the train of thought as he tucked his arms around his legs.
"I was alone for three hundred years for the most part. Until I met this kid named Jamie... You'd love him, I'll have to introduce you."
The thought of Jamie brought a very intuitive grin to jerk at the corners of Jack's mouth, fascinating idly what his young friend could have been up to at that very moment. He was probably wondering why Jack had disappeared so abruptly and without word, which had Jack making the mental note to visit him as soon as he could. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear Elsa's voice, barely more than a murmur as she struggled to stay conscious against the comfort of the bed. But when she did, Jack smiled gently at her.
"I'd like that." She remarked admirably, squinting up to peer at him. "And you can fly, right?"
"Yeah. When your leg gets better, we could go somewhere, if you want." Jack mentioned mellowly. Elsa shifted onto her side, exhaling deeply as she turned to look at him when he leaned over to tuck the blankets over her frame. "But for now, just sleep, Elsa. I'll be here when you wake up..."
"Can you promise that?" Her eyes widened sharply, as if she might reprimand him if he suddenly disappeared without word. But it only caused Jack to laugh and nod reassuringly, using his fingertips to brush the stray hair away from her eyes.
"Yeah, I promise. I'll be here."
Elsa is 110% done with my puns.
More Jelsa to come. I'm trying very hard to make their relationship more realistic/believable. Grahhfuehffwh... *jumps ship from fanfiction*
don't kill me please.
