Hi guys! I think I decided that I would continue from where I left off from last chapter. Although I still found that last chapter was sort of lacking (and I will make a couple of edits there in the near future without changing anything really major), I figured it was better that I move on from there since the original scene I thought of the Jelsa meeting was now really inappropriate for the next events I'm planning to do with the story. Well, as a spoiler, I already decided with how this story is gonna end. And I can't wait to get to that part cause… well… you'll know when the time comes.
And I was so touched with the reviews last chapter! TT_T Most of you guys made really long ones, and I was so happy that most of them were more constructive criticisms than they were flattery. That is like the most awesome thing a reader can do for an aspiring writer! (Hands out billions of free virtual strawberry shortcakes)
Now here's my early treat. I think I'm quite satisfied-ish with this one… but only you can say if it's good or not. Take note this is unbeta'd (I just wrote it last night and finished it this morning) so any mistakes are totally mine.
Disclaimer: I am currently holding the owners of the themes, characters, and stuff that aren't mine hostage in my imaginary basement. A little more prodding and maybe a little help from my imaginary torture devices and everything that I do not own will be mine! *Evil laugh* Bwahahahaha! (Psst! Let's just keep this secret to ourselves, ne? *wink-wink*)
… … …
Chapter 13: Papa's Brown Lock of Hair
Jack blinked. Then he blinked again.
Instead of panicking or worrying or both, like what a normal person would normally feel, he felt ridiculously smug.
His face didn't show it, but the conceited warmth of having been responsible with a gorgeous woman's fainting spell felt like an achievement.
And he also felt sorry for her at the same time. Only then had he noticed the dark circles under her eyes hidden by make-up that proved how tired she was with everything that happened.
He also felt ashamed of enjoying the feeling that she kind of fit perfectly against him within the cradle of his arms.
And perhaps a little embarrassed with how some sort of fuzziness was building up inside him at the feel of her cool breath against the crook of his neck.
And maybe a little dazed about how their current proximity was dangerously too close for his liking.
And maybe mostly angry at himself because of the overall fact that he was enjoying this like a perverted old man, and he shouldn't.
Not to mention there was a child who was observing them both with evident panic written across her face.
"Why did Mama faint again?" Snowflake pouted as she stood beside her father. She reached up a hand to cup Elsa's face, feeling cold sweat trickle from her mother's temple to her little fingertips.
"She's… in shock." Jack told her truthfully, a playful smirk gracing his features as he fixed his hold on Elsa like she was an unconscious bride. "You're Papa's one handsome devil after all."
Snowflake giggled, muffling her sounds with both hands. "Mama always faints in front of pretty people huh?"
Jack raised a brow looking bemused. That was one smart-aleck remark coming from his daughter.
"How old are you again?"
Snowflake counted with her fingers and replied with a grin, "A day and six hours old!"
Jack chuckled. He adjusted Elsa's head on his shoulder so she would seem comfortable. "You mind opening the door for your daddy, Snowflake? I'm gonna need to take your Ma to her room"
The little girl answered with a salute. "Aye, aye, captain!"
… … …
She was drenched in a euphoric wariness of restful darkness… and then, she was like inside another kind of world.
Elsa found herself lost in a peculiar haze of calm and serenity. She smelled mint and ocean and felt a cold comfort wafting through her skin. However, the images she saw were a far cry from the warm (though it was cold) feelings coursing through her body. What she saw before her held colors that were closer to the medium between summer and winter, a far contrast to the cold… a bursting of warm colors.
The season when summer ends. Autumn.
She was watching a blurry scene of a family of three inside some sort of log cabin, close to a hearth. Their faces were foggy, like a bunch of pictures and colors marred and sloshed together by rain, but she could make out the pitches, tones, and depths of voices, the color of skin and hair, and perhaps even the distinguishing tints and textures of the fabric of their clothes. Flickers of firelight cross-faded into the background, emphasizing the moving scenes in her line of vision, making out what perhaps could be the most spectacular dream Elsa ever had.
There was laughter. The sounds belonged to a woman and a girl, possibly a mother and her child, giggling, squealing excitedly, and murmuring sweet nothings to each another. Even in the Snow Queen's daze, she could make out a face of a man hovering above them, glowing like the moonlight with a cocky smile on his face and—
A head of white hair.
He planted a kiss on the red-headed woman's cheek, and ruffled the child's heap of ginger colored hair. A little later, the child spun around in slow motion, her silvery-white dress and her long curly tresses fanning around her face. Her parents clapped in adoration as the child opened her lips and sang:
"The clear sky is all around you… aah… aah…"
Elsa felt her heart stop…. Why had that voice sounded so familiar?
Meanwhile, the child's mother sang in response as she stood and swayed her daughter from side to side.
"Love's shadow will surround you… all through the night"
Her voice? That was Elsa's voice but…
"Star blowing in the twilight…" the daughter sang back.
"Tell me true…" the mother replied.
"Hope whispers and I will follow…" they sang together.
And the ever-glowing man who was silent throughout the scene opened his lips and answered… singing the final lyrics an octave lower with a voice that sounded strangely familiar…
"'Until you… love me too…"
And Elsa opened her eyes.
… … …
"Elsa… fainted?"
"Yeah"
"Oh-my-freaking-no-way-like-KYAAAA-oh-my-goodness-this-is-just-so—"
"You looked better in the suit Jack…. (Sigh)…"
"Wait, how can Elsa's fainting spell be a good thing?! That's the second time since yesterday, Anna!"
"Well yes… I think your sister's had quite a rough week."
"Well, maybe a hug will help?"
Jack shrugged sheepishly at the company standing before him outside Elsa's room. It was already late in the evening and while most of the few remaining guests were already asleep in their rooms, the Duchess of Strabald, the Prince and Princess of Corona, the Queen's little sister, Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer, a Snowman, and a little green chameleon all stayed awake in the hopes of getting their noses into the whole business concerning the getting together of two particular entities of winter.
Eugene had found a silent amusement in knowing about the Snow Queen's reaction to having seen Jack Frost (and he was smart enough to keep silent about it knowing how, even in just a month of Rapunzel's being pregnant, was the victim of his wife's rather unpredictable mood swings). His wife however was more disturbed at how the Winter Spirit had discarded his borrowed fancy suit to return to his rather unfashionable hoodie and trouser ensemble. She shook her head and sighed, believing that said spirit was a waste of good-looks if he chose to keep his appearance as simple as that, especially if the goal was to impress Elsa into making her fall for him.
Anna on the other hand was squealing like a giddy little school girl, the only person who looked 100% satisfied with the events that took place that evening. Her lover, Kristoff, thought otherwise being more concerned about the queen's welfare and health rather than the success of the first step to their matchmaking attempts. Helena shared the same thoughts as the ex-mountain man, although she was more discreet about it for the sake of the general plan.
"Okay, so let me get this straight," Kristoff said with a hand held up to silence his blabbering girlfriend. "Elsa saw you right after Olaf said you sent your regards?"
"Well, yeah. It kind of bothers me how that did the trick." Jack said, placing his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie.
"Yeah, it'd been too easy." Eugene murmured.
It was Helena who spoke this time, "That's because Queen Elsa saw him right after the thing he did with the snow earlier today."
Everyone fell silent and stared at the woman smiling serenely. Jack raised his brows, confirming his earlier suspicion that the queen had indeed seen him during his dramatic escape from the ball.
"Wait, so you're saying that Elsa pretended he couldn't see Jack in the first place?" Anna asked.
"Well, she was denying it right after having seen him with her own two eyes." Eugene stated matter-of-factly. "It's a good thing it didn't upset little Snow much."
"But why would she do that?" Olaf asked while tugging on Anna's skirt.
"I think…" Jack murmured, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "I think she's afraid of me…"
Anna and Rapunzel stared at him incredulously. "Why's that?"
The duchess spoke again, "Remember what I told you about the Snow Maiden when you girls were younger Anna?"
"Uhm, well, yeah. What of it?"
The duchess paused a bit then continued with realization dawning on her ice-grey eyes. "The story of Snow Maiden also tells of a Winter Spirit named Jack Frost who was the child's father. The legends vary, with some stories telling about Jack taking the child when winter ends, and others telling about abducting children even before the solstice ends."
"Hey, I'm not like that!" Jack defended himself. "No one could even see me for the last three hundred years."
"Well we didn't know anything about the real Jack Frost until now." Eugene said as he crossed his arms.
"And the fact that Elsa thinks she's the child's mother might have made her all panicky about the existence of Jack Frost." Kristoff murmured.
"She might have thought you were planning to take Snowflake away." Helena stated.
"Makes sense?" Eugene asked them.
Jack narrowed his eyes at Elsa's door. "No. I'd say it was irrational and ridiculous."
No one countered him on that one. Mostly because they knew he was right.
Anna sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit in exhaustion. "I'm sorry Jack… I should have known Elsa was thinking crazy things again."
Jack threw her a forgiving smile. "Nah…. The queen's just probably too stressed out."
"People talk and think crazy when they don't get enough rest." Rapunzel murmured.
The men nodded solemnly in agreement.
"I'd say she's scared of losing the little girl." Helena said. "We all know the child is a precious little jewel indeed. If I had a daughter like that, I'd be devastated to lose someone like her…"
They all fell silent remembering about the duchess' late daughter. Helena's eyes were momentarily distant… but they no longer held the cloudy grief that she carried upon returning to her beloved Arendelle.
Strangely, Snowflake did resemble a bit of Agatha in a way.
"Snow's inside Elsa's room now, isn't she?" Rapunzel asked, making a sideways glance at Elsa's closed doors.
Jack nodded. "Yeah… I figured I'd give the girls some time alone. I don't want the queen freaking out on me right after she wakes up."
… … …
"Mama?"
Snowflake was beside Elsa the whole time she was unconscious, sitting at the edge of Elsa's duvet with eyes that hovered over her sleeping form like a curious white owl. She would brush the bangs from Elsa's forehead occasionally, sometimes sing to her a bit, and sometimes cuddle with her in her sleeping state. Her Papa had told her not to shake her awake like she wanted to because her Mama looked clearly exhausted. But she couldn't help it. She was just too excited to tell her about everything that happened that day, and how happy she was that her Mama and Papa's silly little game of pretend was finally over.
Oh the things she wanted to do with her parents with the rest of the winter. The thought made her extremely giddy and hyper that nappy time was the last thing on her mind even though Jack had been telling her off to go to sleep moments ago.
This night was the second night she got to watch her Mama sleep. It fascinated Snowflake so much because—compared to the previous night—Elsa looked more peaceful and radiant, as if she was enjoying some good dream.
Curiously, Snowflake touched a hand to her sleeping Mama's cheek and closed her eyes. She hummed a soft tune, the same lullaby she sang to her Mama the night before…
However there was something different about the way she was singing it now…
This time there were tears streaming down her face…
And this time, there were images flashing before her, the same way dreams had entranced the queen in slumber.
A woman with auburn hair.
A man made of pure light.
A little girl in a silver dress.
A family wrapping each other in a warm embrace.
…
Elsa's eyes blinking up at her.
"Snowflake?"
Snowflake blinked. The moment her hand left Elsa's cheek, the images disappeared, leaving her in a state of blankness and confusion. She blinked again, rapidly this time, as she tried to recall why there were streaks of tears on her cheeks, and why Elsa was now sitting up with evident worry on her lovely face.
"Baby, are you okay?" Elsa asked her, her voice drowsy yet filled with concern.
"I'm fine Mama." Snowflake answered, although her voice was more confused than reassuring.
"W-why are you crying?" Elsa asked. There was mild panic in the queen's eyes as she held the child protectively in an embrace. She began caressing the girl's soft and luxurious hair, feeling the soft strands of icy curls against her fingertips. "Don't worry… Mama's here… Mama's got you…"
Elsa began rocking the little girl back and forth; listening to her daughter's muffled sobs against her chest. Snowflake could not yet understand why she was even crying, or why she suddenly felt sad… all she knew was that she saw something, but she couldn't remember what it was.
"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Elsa asked her softly, drowsiness now absent from her voice.
Snowflake smiled against her mother's bosom. Listening to her Mama's voice always seemed to fill her with a sudden calm…
She pulled away from Elsa's embrace and peered up at Elsa's eyes. Her smile stretched into a happy grin, seeming to blind the queen with the mirth and shine that reflected on them. Elsa smiled also, relieved that her daughter seemed fine now… but she still wanted to know what's wrong. She was a mother after all.
"I don't know." Snowflake admitted. "Snowflake is just worried about Mama." She sat back on her heels and pouted. "You were sleeping a really long time and I wanted to play with you now."
Elsa chuckled, pinching Snowflake's nose gently with her right hand while the other was busy smoothing her nightgown's skirt…
Since when did she change into her nightgown?
"But all I did was helping Auntie Anna dress you into sleepy things… and it was no fun!"
Well, that answered her question. Elsa couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. For a second thought there, she thought a certain spirit was responsible for her state of dress.
Come to think of it, had her meeting with the winter being been real? Or was it just another one of her peculiar dreams?
"And then Papa said he wanted to talk to you after you wake up." Snowflake ranted on. "And I said, 'no fair, I wanna spend some time with Mama too, and I don't care if you won the game and—"
Did she say her Papa?
"Your Papa?"
Snowflake paused with her rant, "Uh-huh. He carried you all the way here because you fainted because he was handsome."
Elsa blinked. A spirit with an ego, huh…
Wait—
"Your Papa…" Elsa trailed off a bit, unsure and quite reluctant in fully addressing the spirit as her daughter's father, "Carried me here?"
The snow child nodded giddily. "Yeah. He said you were really light and that Auntie Anna was a liar when she said you were heavy and all."
"Oh…"
"Papa said I shouldn't disturb you. But he said I could stay and keep watch." The child grinned.
"Okay… so where is he now?"
"Outside, with Auntie Anna and the others…" Snowflake told her. "He didn't really like the suit. So Papa changed back to his old clothes. I like his old clothes better."
Now the queen wasn't really sure what to feel then as her posture slumped and her gaze fell to the floor. So it seemed that her meeting with Jack Frost wasn't a dream after all, and that she would have to confront the man sooner or later. She would want to get her point across that she was in no ways going to let the man take her daughter away—if it came down to that.
Going back on the previous events, Elsa realized how… immature she must have acted. Her thoughts justified that should anyone blame her, they should blame her nagging fears. A whole year after letting go isn't enough to completely heal. She tried, but there would always be points in time when she tended to make bad choices.
She let out a defeated sigh. Perhaps she owed the spirit an apology. If the spirit had wanted to take her daughter, he could have done so while she wasn't around, right? But she did remember about the legend of the Child of Winter Solstice and the time limit… so it'd probably be best to organize a negotiation about that. A whole winter wasn't enough for someone to get to know your child after all.
"Mama?"
Elsa's train of thought was disturbed by a small hand waving in front of her. She smiled at Snowflake's anticipating eyes, seeing how eager she was to spend the rest of the night with her. Feeling playful, Elsa pulled the little girl and pinned her against the mattress, tickling her like there was no tomorrow.
"Mama-tee-hee-stop it! That-HAHAHA-that tickles!"
Elsa laughed. Her daughter was squirming and giggling and snorting. Soon she managed to roll out of Elsa's bed and began to sprint towards the center of the room. The queen followed suit and chased her, and sparks of bluish white light floated all around them as they chased each other to their hearts content.
"Catch me!" The child challenged her. She was balanced on top of a tall table (kind of making the queen panic) and jumped.
"Slow down!" the queen scolded, half smiling and half-worried. She caught the little girl in her arms and held her there just a bit and stared. Snowflake was giggling and laughing still. But upon seeing her Mama's worried eyes, her laughter died down and gazed upon Elsa with wonder.
Elsa swayed her from side to side. Her lips were pressed into a hard line as her thoughts took a short trip down memory lane. The dialogue had been all too familiar—a little Anna daring to catch her, a big sister telling her to slow down, and an accident with a head. It gave Elsa shudders.
"Hey, it's okay Mama." She cooed, cupping Elsa's face with her tiny hands. "I'm okay, see? You caught me…"
"I know," Elsa sighed. She gazed upon her daughter's innocent face, love and warmth bubbling in her chest as her heart has decided upon one thing for certain. "And I promise to always catch you when you fall."
The child smiled. This was not the smile that resembled Jack Frost's…
It was a smile that belonged to her mother.
"I know." Snowflake answered her with a certainty that could break any mother's heart. That moment, Elsa felt the intensity of her daughter's love.
She nuzzled her nose and smiled. "And I'd never let you fall, you got that?"
"Got it!"
"Ahem!"
Their moment was momentarily intruded by a hooded young man holding a shepherd's staff, sitting on the railing of the balcony. They both had a clear view of him from where they stood, the door to the balcony wide open, welcoming the winter breeze in. The winds had beckoned their gazes to his presence, and as if to add more flair, the bright blue moon cast an almost surreal glow about him that made him look more enchanting than anything else in the world.
The tuft of messy white hair, clever blue eyes, and devilish smirk already gave his identity away.
"Jack Frost."
… … …
Jack was more than pleased upon seeing mother and daughter chase each other to their hearts content in the sanctuary of their chambers.
After chatting a bit with the five other humans that could see him, he opted to spy on the pair of ice users and see what they were up to. They heard the girlish noises from the other side of their door and, curious as he was, he flew out of the castle only to perch on the queen's open balcony.
He didn't miss Elsa's promise. Not a word was unheard and it made the guardian smile.
The promise itself was atonement enough for the whole time she missed spending with his daughter.
"Ahem!"
The girls acknowledged him, Snowflake with a happy grin, and Elsa with a blank and almost startled look.
"Jack Frost."
Jack raised his brows. He had expected the queen to freak out, or zap him with her powers, or get into another fright scene. But instead she looked calm, like she had finally accepted his reality in her life. And he had to admit… hearing her say his name kind of gave him excited jitters in his stomach.
Jack decided he'd pay Cupid a visit and knock the living daylights out of him after all this was over.
"Papa!"
Just like that, Snowflake jumped out of Elsa's hold and ran towards her father. Elsa looked panicked, holding out a hand that was meant to stop her but then—hesitated. Jack didn't miss this as he scooped the girl in his arms and watched Elsa with her head hung low and her arms wrapped around her small frame…
Jack looked away and pretended he didn't notice how thin and silky the fabric of her nightgown was…
"Hey kiddo," Jack leaned his head back a bit to take a good look at his excited daughter. The girl pulled down his hood and messed up his already messy hair, to which he protested. "HEY!"
"Your hair is funny Papa!" the child giggled. "Mama's awake-y wake-y now. And we were playing tag!"
"Yeah," Jack said. "Could you uh, uhm, give your Mama and me a minute?"
Elsa's eyes went wide and stared cautiously at the winter spirit. Her and him, alone? She wasn't really sure if she would like that…
"Okay," Snowflake said, not seeming to like being away from Elsa too soon. "But only one minute!"
Jack grinned. "How about five?"
"Deal!" the child beamed, missing the point that she had been playfully tricked.
Well it was too late to say no… Snowflake had already agreed and sprinted out of the room all giggly and excited.
The door closed with a click.
It was him and her in her room… alone.
"Hey—"
"Don't come any closer."
Jack took a step forward and paused as Elsa shot him a warning with both hands held out cautiously. She had taken a step backward, her fingertips aglow with blue light as soon as his foot met with the carpet of her floors.
Jack raised a hand to reassure her. "Hey! Hey! Don't worry I mean no harm, your majesty!" He cast his staff to the far side of the room and raised both his hands up. "See? Without my staff I'm completely defenseless."
Elsa lowered her hands, but kept her cautious gait. When Jack took another step forward, she took another step back… and another… and…
"What do you want?" Elsa found herself ask. Jack noted that the woman was clearly afraid of him.
"I just want to talk, your majesty." He answered, taking another step forward with his eyes locked tight on hers… mostly because he wanted his gaze nowhere near below her neck… or anything below her face for that matter.
It's not that she wasn't decent or anything, but there's something about being alone with the queen in only her baby blue night gown which kind of threw him off.
He was going to have a bit of small talk with Anna later about her obvious intention of having Elsa seduce him without her knowledge.
Darned matchmaking princesses, Jack thought with dread. The expression on his face however had Elsa mistaken that he was angry at her…
And for that Elsa took another step back only to fall on her soft mattress with an "oof!" She braced herself on her arms and kept a wary glance at the winter spirit who had stopped advancing towards her with a rather shocked expression on his face and a… a purplish tint on his cheeks.
"GAH! Who am I kidding?!" He hissed, turning around abruptly while scratching the back of his neck in discomfort. There's just something so wrong—and oh so definitely wrong—about seeing a woman half sprawled on her bed in a nightgown with only the moon to light up a dark room.
This was soooo awkward.
Elsa raised a confused brow at his sudden change of action.
"Ah…" Jack coughed, keeping his back towards Elsa. 'I'm sorry, I uh… I should have waited until you were decent."
Elsa blinked three times and looked at herself. Only then had she noticed that she was in her nightgown… something that a queen should not be seen in when facing a man. The fabric was too thin and silky; hugging her curves softly and exposing her neck, shoulders and arms. Though it was supposed to cover her up decently, it was still not the type of apparel a woman should wear when conversing with the opposite gender.
Especially when a sleeve was falling off her shoulder and when the neckline was hanging dangerously low…
Jack heard her squeak and shuffle. From the corner of his eye, he saw Elsa wrap a blanket around her form and stand up to smooth her skirt.
Jack was about to take his leave, embarrassed beyond belief, when Elsa stopped him.
"Are you going to take her away?"
The spirit paused. He turned his gaze at the woman behind him, her eyes fearful and sad at the same time, like she was admitting defeat. Curious, he turned to her fully and raised a brow. It was a silent plea for her to continue what she meant by her question.
"Are you taking Snowflake away? When the winter ends…"
Elsa trailed off, her eyes downcast and her shoulders slumped. Her slightly wavy tresses fell across her arms and covered her the way her blanket did. The sight made her look more like a sad child than a woman. And in that moment Jack realized that there was a child-like trait to Elsa that he didn't see before that only a guardian would be able to understand.
Elsa was scared. Not because of him. But she was scared.
"What makes you think I'll take her away?" he asked her softly.
Elsa stared down guiltily, "It's what the legends tell. You'll take her away as soon as winter is over, right?"
"Why would I?"
"Because she's your daughter." Elsa murmured, clutching the blanket around her as if it were her lifeline.
There was a short silence between them before Jack took three steps towards her. This time Elsa didn't flinch or panic… she just looked defeated and sad, and it reminded Jack of the time Jamie was afraid he wouldn't see him again. He understood it very well, Elsa's fear…
The only time Elsa flinched was when Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. She peered up at him in surprise, watching the reflection of her own eyes against his.
He was too close… too close…
"Hey," Jack said in a voice low and comforting. "You're as much a part of her as she is a part of me. You made her with your magic too, you know. You're Snowflake's mother…" he grinned. "And it'll go against my job description to take a child away from her mother. That's just child cruelty right there."
Elsa's eyes stared back at him filled with hope, "You… you won't take her away?"
"I won't." Jack promised.
He felt her shoulders relax as she let out a relieved breath. Her locks lightly brushed against his knuckles and it made him shiver… but it also confused him why he didn't take his hand away from her shoulder just yet…
"I'm sorry…" she apologized. She kept her gaze on her toes in shame, knowing full well that she was totally at fault this time around. "I should have… I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions… I was just… I was just so… I made a bad choice judging you before even meeting you."
Jack smiled in understanding. "People make bad choices when they're mad, or scared, or stressed." He almost laughed as his words sounded like some cheesy lyrics to a love song. "You obviously, hadn't been getting enough rest for the past weeks, and you seriously have some issues about territory."
Elsa made a small and tired grin. "I am a queen after all…"
Jack returned her smile and reluctantly withdrew his hand from her shoulder.
"Well, since it's clear I won't be kidnapping any snow child any time soon, I think it's best we start over with everything in a more… uh… proper manner."
The queen giggled at Jack's lame attempt with words. The spirit shrugged apologetically.
"The name is Jack Frost, the most handsome spirit to roam the four corners of the earth, the embodiment of winter, and the Guardian of all things Fun and awesome." He said with a gentlemanly bow.
Elsa smiled shyly at him, holding back a chuckle at his antics as she made a curtsey of her own. "And I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. It's nice to finally meet you… Sir Jack Frost."
"I prefer you call me Jack." He suggested with a playful grin.
"Jack…" she murmured, testing the sound of his name on her lips. The moment she did, it made the winter spirit shudder unnaturally. She grinned. "Okay, Jack it is."
Jack, not sure whether he should kiss or shake her hand, settled for the latter and held his own hand toward her. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Queen Elsa."
Elsa uncertainly held out her hand in his and shook it once. "Elsa… Just Elsa."
The moment Elsa smiled at him… a smile that was true and genuine, Jack felt something odd in his chest.
Ba-dump…
"Jack?"
Ba-dump…
"Jack, are you okay?"
Ba-dump, ba-dump…
"Jack?... Jack?!"
Jack felt it… a hot and burning sensation from the silver band around his wrist, sending scorching hot shockwaves towards his chest. He felt something pump in the left side of his chest… something that was both alien and familiar…
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump…
…
And it hurt like hell…
"Jack? What's wrong?"
Jack's teeth were clenched, his eyes tightly shut, and his tall-frame close to crumbling on top of Elsa. The blanket around her lay forgotten on the floor as she held him up in an embrace, to keep him from falling. She felt him shudder violently against her, like how a sick person would, and she could feel and hear how his heart was hammering against her chest…
And that was the odd thing, Jack thought. His heart wasn't meant to be functioning.
His heart was supposed to be dead.
In an instant, he pulled out of Elsa's hold, just holding her by her shoulders an arm away. He gasped for air and felt cold sweat trickle down the side of his face, staring down at his pale feet while regaining his breathing…
Ba… dump…
The pain in his chest subsided, and so did the pumping feeling there. The scalding heat of the bracelet on his left wrist was reduced to a warm temperature against his cold skin, and the normal cold feeling of his whole body returned.
Elsa, unsure with what she was supposed to do, rubbed his arms that were still holding her by her shoulders gently, watching for any signs of his discomfort. Soon he withdrew his hold on her and stood up straight, looking slightly dizzy and paler than usual (though he was already pale), wearing a crooked smile on his face.
"Are you… are you alright?" the queen asked worriedly.
"yeah… mmm… fine." He murmured.
"Jack…"
"hmmm… yeah?"
"Did you always have… that brown lock of hair sticking up on your head?"
"What?"
Jack didn't let the queen repeat herself when he ran towards the mirror by her vanity closet and stared.
There really was a thick lock of coppery brown hair sticking up from his bangs. The only brown among a heap of white…
"You gotta be kidding me…"
… … …
A/N: So there you have it! Oh, and an announcement folks: I am 80% considering putting Pitch in this story. There's still a 20% probability that I won't though, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Oh and about Elsa being a bit OOC in the last chapter… hmm. Yeah, I get that. But a lot can happen in one year, right? And I don't think anything's wrong with Elsa being open a little. She did mention she was 'beginning' to try (or did she not? Hmm…). And for the record this is only the second time Elsa fainted throughout this fic, and she was kind of busy during autumn, as I have repeatedly hinted in the last chapters. So part of Elsa's irrational decisions are due to her restlessness and emotions. Let's be honest… we tend to be immature at some point in our lives, right?
Thank you soooo much for all the support! I was really happy I've gone beyond 100 faves! For a fan fiction which I never meant to continue after its first few chapters, you've given this author all the motivation she needs to continue! TT_TT Thank you!
P.S. Bloodthirsty: yup, I'm a girl. XD
P.P.S. Let the theories on the character of Snowflake begin.