Elsa flew back up to Jack's cage, and he gushed, "Elsa, that was incredible."
She blushed and said, "Thank you. Did Pitch keep a key for your cage?"
"I think so. He took my staff when he kidnapped me, and this cage has stifled my powers, so I haven't been able to do anything," Jack said as Elsa froze the lock on his cage. She conjured up a block of ice and slammed it down on the lock repeatedly, continuing to blow frozen air across the metal until it became so brittle that it broke. She tossed the lock aside and opened the door. Jack zipped out and stretched before pulling Elsa into a tight hug. She hugged him back, smiling as she inhaled deeply. She'd missed everything about him—from his warm hugs, to the way he would tenderly run his fingers through her hair, just like was doing now; from his electric eyes to the way he smelled like the first snow of the season—everything.
"I missed you so much," he murmured into her ear.
"I missed you, too," she said, burying her face in his sweatshirt. Forcing herself to pull away, she said, "Come on, let's find Anna and your staff."
They held hands as they flew through the deeper parts of the cavern. Neither had any idea of how the caverns were shaped, so they were forced to check each branch of the cavern. They stayed wary of the shadows, but Pitch seemed to have deserted his underground fortress.
"Anna?" Elsa called, but only echoed drops of water replied. Finally, another large room opened up, and they found Anna lying with her eyes closed in a large cage that sat at the center of the room. Jack's staff was on the floor beside her.
Anna's cage was built of the same material as Jack's, and they worked together to shatter the lock. As soon as the lock fell away, Elsa rushed inside and checked for a pulse before saying with a sigh of relief, "She's alright. She's just asleep."
"Here, I can carry her," Jack said, scooping Anna up. "Come on, the people at the palace must be getting worried about you two."
They flew back together, Jack carefully carrying Anna as Elsa led him back along the trail of ice she'd created on her way there. As the sun peaked over the horizon, flooding the world with pink hues and soft light, they flew through Arendelle's gates.
Elsa led Jack to Anna's bedroom window, and they carefully sneaked in. Jack set Anna down on the bed, and Elsa asked, "Did she see you or Pitch?"
"I…I don't know. She might have, but Pitch can disappear into shadows. She might have never seen him at all. By the time I saw her, she was unconscious," he said apologetically.
"What about when she wakes up? Do you think she'll be able to see you?"
"I can't say. Anything's possible, I suppose," Jack said, trying not to let her down. "You should probably get back to your chambers. You must be exhausted."
"I'm more awake than ever," she insisted as she stifled a yawn. He smiled, taking her hand and saying, "Let's go back to your chambers."
Once they were back in the privacy of her chambers, Jack embraced Elsa again, this time planting a kiss on her forehead and sending shivers down her spine.
"Are you cold?" he murmured, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Maybe a little," she admitted softly. He pulled away, pulling his sweatshirt up over his head and revealing his bare chest and stomach. Elsa blushed as she took in his thin yet leanly muscled frame, and Jack handed her his sweatshirt with a slight grin on his face.
"What?" he asked as she fumbled with his sweatshirt. He helped her find the opening and pull it on over her head. He smiled and said, "It looks good on you."
"I didn't realize you didn't wear anything underneath this," she said, her cheeks burning.
"People have a tendency not to wear anything under their clothes," he said, chuckling and making her blush even more. She wrapped her arms around herself, loving the feel of the soft, gentle fabric of his sweatshirt against her arms. He placed his hands lightly on her waist and drew her closer to him as he murmured, "Was Pitch telling the truth before?"
"About what?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
"About you loving me?" he asked, and she nodded. He smiled and leaned in so that their foreheads were touching as he said, "Good, because I love you, too."
He moved to kiss her, but he felt her squirm slightly and he stopped, asking concernedly, "What's wrong?"
"It's just…it's improper. I mean, you're a Guardian, and I'm just a human, and besides, we're not married or even engaged and—"
"Would it make a difference if we were?" he asked, and she frowned confusedly.
"If we were what?"
"Elsa…I've thought about this for a long time, now, and you're…you're wonderful. Simply wonderful, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you as more than just a traveling companion. Elsa, will you marry me?" he asked, conjuring a delicate ice ring out of thin air.
"Jack," she breathed, her eyes wide with surprise. She searched his eyes, and she found only love within them—love that mirrored her own. "What about the Guardians?"
"I talked to Manny and the Guardians, and they all think it's time that a new Guardian joins our ranks. You've more than proved your mettle against Pitch, and you know more about the struggle to find freedom than anyone I've ever met. Freedom from fear and oppression and loneliness. And Elsa, I love you. Even if they had said no, I'd still stay with you."
"What about Anna? If I became a Guardian, I'd never be able to see her again."
"No, of course you would," he assured her gently. "We could come and visit her and Kristoff and Sven and Olaf whenever you want."
"But she'd age, and I'd stay like this," Elsa said sadly.
"I know, but you'd still be together. Only you'd finally be free," he said, and she bit her lip, her brow knitted together.
"Jack…" she said softly, meeting his blue eyes. "Make me a promise, instead."
He nodded for her to continue, and she said, "Promise me that we'll always believe in each other, that we'll always take care of each other and—"
She stopped when Jack started chuckling.
"What?" she demanded. How could he laugh at such a serious moment?
"Elsa, isn't that what marriage is?" he asked, and her cheeks warmed slightly.
"If it is, then, yes, I'll marry you," she said with a small smile, and he leaned in and kissed her as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, running her fingers over his bare shoulders and back. She'd never kissed anyone before and was more than a little nervous, but she couldn't imagine wanting anyone else's kisses. He was nervous, too, and she could feel it in delicateness of how his lips touched hers. He pulled away, and he met her eyes, nervousness apparent in his own. Seeing her smile at him, he smiled back and kissed her again, this time wrapping his arms around her and leaning into their kiss.
She felt her heart blossoming after all its years locked away in its icy prison, and she melted into him, resting one hand on his bare chest and gently stroking his cheek with her other as they kissed.
He pulled away a fraction of an inch, opening his eyes and taking her in, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. The rising sun shone beams of pink and gold light on her face, framing and highlighting her beautiful blue eyes and soft pink lips that were curled up into a smile.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Elsa…" he breathed, unable to stop smiling. He kissed her again, murmuring her name between kisses. He began to kiss along her jaw and down her neck, and she ran her fingers through his hair and whispered breathily, "Jack…Jack, I love you."
Without another word, their eyes met, and Jack kissed her lips again, this pulling her towards the bed. They fell back onto the soft mattress, soft laughter mixing with tender kisses and breathy confessions of love.
Author's Note: I feel as though I have procrastinated sufficiently for the night, so I will make this brief. I apologize if my romance writing is not up to snuff; I have little experience, but the only way to get better at writing is to write. Please feel free to critique and review-it would help a lot, and I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you for reading! :)
Yours, Calypso