It was so much worse than Elsa thought it would be.
The dark.
When she looked into the mouth of the cave, still standing beneath the light of the stars, she had felt so brave. However, within a few steps, when she was surrounded by shadows, and unable to see at all, her resolve faltered.
It was was suffocating, like it was a material being, completely encompassing her, and leaving no space for any life. It made her heart beat faster, her breath shallower, everything so much worse. Sounds were muted, as if the dark was a vacuum that swallowed them. It was colder than outside, which normally wouldn't bother her, but this, this a type of bone chilling emptiness that was so alien and unnerving, it was terrifying.
Elsa regretted not bringing anything to light the way.
She had been so anxious to find the cave, to put an end to all of this, that she had rushed in without thinking. She could hear Jack shuffling in behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, as not to lose her in the endless maze of shadows. She outstretched her hands, hitting a wall. It was cold under her fingers, and she knew it to be made of ice.
"Do you know where we go now?" She called back to Jack.
"Not really," he said. His voice was soft, like he didn't want to wake something.
"So, we just wander around, and hope we find something?"
"Yup."
She slid her hand down the wall, feeling something pulse among in the ice. It got louder and stronger as she began to walk forward, Jack trailing behind her. The farther in they went, the darker it seemed to get. It shouldn't even have been possible. She shuffled forward, worried that something was going to come out of no where, and trip her.
After a few minutes, the wall began to faintly glow. Elsa wasn't sure it wasn't her imagination. After being in the dark so long, it felt alien to see even the faintest trace of anything. She walked a little quicker. The light, came from the depths of the wall, a faint, pale blue color. Before she could discover the source of it, however, Jack cried out, hand falling from her shoulder. She spun around.
"Jack!" Elsa said frantically, the dull light barely illuminating his face. She put her hands on his shoulders, keeping him from falling over. His eyes were tightly closed, his hands grabbing the side of his head, tangling in his white hair. "Jack? Jack, what's wrong?"
His eyes flew open, but they were... they were glowing. The same color as the light pulsing from the walls. It flickered slightly, and then he blinked, it dying out slowly. He looked at her. His fave was almost haunted. Somehow, before he spoke she knew what he was going to say. It made her stomach drop.
His voice was soft, and slightly sad as he looked up at her
"I remember."
Jack followed Elsa, hand on her shoulder, as not to lose her in the dark maze. She seemed to know what she was doing, but as far as he knew, it could all be an act. He couldn't see her at all, although she was only a few feet away from him.
The wall began to glow slightly, just like it had before when they neared the rift. They were getting close. Soon this would all be over.
Jack didn't quite know what that meant anymore. He didn't know if he would go back, or even if he could. The idea admittedly seemed less... appealing than it did a few days ago. Yeah, he was still homesick, but it had faded for some reason. He wanted to go and see his friends, and go back to his own time, but he knew that that would mean leaving Elsa. Forever. Once he left, he probably would never get to come back. He would never see her again.
Maybe that's a good thing, some part of him said. He knew Elsa wasn't immortal. He knew she would die. It wasn't something he liked to think about, but he knew it. Maybe this would be less painful, for everyone.
A sudden, splitting burst of pain shook him from his morbid train of thought. It was like an electric shock, running up his back into his head. His hand dropped from Elsa's shoulder, as he gripped where the pain resided. He could faintly hear her saying something, but it drowned out by another voice, one too familiar.
"This is my gift to you, Jack. What you had lost is returned. Don't say I never give you anything."
As the final word faded, he found himself kneeling in a dark empty space. He stood up, glancing around for any sign of life other than him.
"Hello?" He called. Almost immediately a blue light flickered in front of him, like a little creature. It beckoned to him with a gentle noise. He had heard of them. Will-o-the-wisps. Said to lead you to your fate. He extended a hand, and took a step forward.
The empty space fell away, replaced by a view of a castle. Elsa's castle. He watched, as if in a dream, a little girl crying by a window... The same mysterious little girl that had haunted his thoughts fears since the beginning. All the glimpses of her when Mara and Tyra were around.
And he was there... He was there. He was looking down at her, knocking on the glass. She looked up, shock evident on her features. He knew her.
He was speaking in the dream. "Hey, there! Sorry to barge in on you. This is the Arendelle castle, isn't it?" She nodded. "My name's Jack. What's yours?"
Her voice quavered. "Elsa."
Elsa. But that couldn't be her.
It all came so fast after that, he was only able to grasp bits and pieces as they rebuilt itself in it's mind.
"Impressive. Very impressive."
"I'll always be here for you, Elsa. I promise."
"The story of the Snow Queen and Jack Frost, and how they save the world?"
"No! I won't leave her! I won't!"
"Goodnight, Jack. Sweet dreams."
Everything faded to black.
It hadn't been a dream.
It was a memory.
Why hadn't she told him they knew each other? That they had met.
He had promised that he would watch out for her. He promised he would keep her safe, and then Pitch had stolen his memories. They both had been left alone.
They had found each other.
And that had been taken away from both of them.
He was angry. Not at her, not Elsa, although he was a little confused and resentful as to why she hadn't told him.
No, he was mad at Pitch, for taking his memories. At Vetr for having the ability to give them back and not doing it. At himself, for letting it happen in the first place.
The light, like the will-o-the-wisp, grew brighter, and suddenly he was back. Elsa was looking worriedly at him, hands on his shoulders.
He felt the words leave his mouth before he could stop them.
"I remember."
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been kinda sick lately, actually, so if this doesn't seem that great, it's because I'm sleep deprived and feeling like I'm going to fall over. I've rewritten this chapter several times, and I think this is the best it's going to be. At least he got his memory back, and we reached over a hundred follows and reviews! That is insane, thank you all so much! I'll try to get the next chapter up faster this week, as you are all amazing!