Over the next few days, Jack and Elsa spent most of ther time trudging along in the snow, marching on their way to a never ending winter.
Sometimes, they would stop for food and water, at others they would stop for snowball fights, and – very rarely – they would stop to talk.
On one of these occasions, Jack had decided to have fun and tease Elsa about the young man who had left her so upset in the mountains. "So, what's with you and blondy?"
He had not expected her to stop walking so suddenly, but had been happy for the rest as he was no longer used to walking (riding the wind was so much faster!). The wind stopped blowing, and the snow stopped falling as she suddenly looked sad and far away.
"Who?" she said, in a manner that seemed to say that she had not realized who it was that Jack was thinking of.
"The icebreaker", he said, more hesitant. "The man you met in the mountains just before I joined you on your travels.
"I don't even know his name" she replied, and he could see that she was being honest.
Jack looked at her surprised. Had this young man not been trying to find a way to save her sister ? Did she not know the people around her, stuck as she was in her lonely snow castle?
"Let's rest here for tonight, your highness," he said, with a mischievous smile, riding the wind again just to be a little above her.
Jack enjoyed watching Elsa make castles – every time, it was as if she had just discovered the freedom of her powers, and was no longer thinking of the weight she carried with them – the weight of a life. He decided to watch her this time too.
She was more hesitant, unsure, and so he decided to speak to her that night, and tell her a tale of family, mischief and loss.
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"You already know I'm an orphan Elsa, what are your parents like?" he asked as they rested that evening.
"They're dead" she said, and the castle iced up a little more. "They died 4 years ago". She looked devastated and torn – as if she thought she had failed them, and Jack decided it was time to tell his story.
"I'm sorry. Mine were kind, gentle, fun-loving people, you know. Back then I was just a mischievous little boy, but they always had to scold me for something" He couldn't help the nostalgia from slipping into his tone. "I also had a little sister – she looked up to me, I think. She was good, and kind, but we would always play together. I miss that."
His eyes misted over for a moment, as he thought back on his happiest moments, and he did not see Elsa's eyes mist over as well for a moment before she asked "What happened?".
"I was foolish. We lived in that village where I met you, and my sister and I went ice skating. The pond was usually solid enough, but my sister ended up standing on a thin area. She was going to fall through…" He grit his teeth before continuing "I pulled her out of the way thanks to a stick I found lying around, but ended up slipping in myself."
"Didn't you already have your powers back then?" He was no longer looking at her, but her tone was gentle and soothing. He hadn't revealed that he had started out normal until now, and it was a pretty huge admission.
"No, I didn't, but for some reason, I didn't die either. It's like I was stuck under the ice, floating, unmoving, but aware. My parents and sister couldn't take the grief, and left town to seek their fortune elsewhere, and I was finally able to leave the pond much later, when the ice melted." The blue of the ice around him, and the presence of someone he trusted and who knew what it was like helped him stay calm as he turned around to look at Elsa.
"Did you ever go look for them when spring came?" she seemed curious and hopeful.
"I never found them."