Bluemangosmoothie: No no no dont get upset I said it'd turn out okay and it will! I promise! Just give me a chapter or two and you'll see!
RoseKatnissWeasley7: Poor everyone indeed
blueacrylicpaint: Yeah that's it. Cry.
AliceCullen3: Thanks!
Elsa Frost: Thank you
hollynmcoy451: Thanks:)
Guest: Oh yes there's definitely more:) I wouldn't end it like that
Batfan94: He really has:( I'm so mean to Jack...Oh well I'm glad you like it:)
Jack Frost 794: I might someday, but it would probaby suck, haha
I was hiding in the space between the bed and the wall. The cramping in my legs from keeping them folded tightly against my chest had subsided into prickly tingles.
Although I was staring at the blank wall; what I was seeing in my head was an entirely different scene.
"Rapunzel?" I could hear myself ask, looking around the tower to see if she was simply up on a beam painting. But there was no Rapunzel to be seen.
Finally I decided to check her room. I had only been up there a few times, and never without Rapunzel's permission, but I felt this was an exception. It's not like there were many places she could be...and my heart was already starting to speed up at the thought of her disappearing.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw the long train of blonde hair. Tiptoeing around the thick strands, I approached carefully to make sure I didn't startle her.
Her skinny arms were keeping her knees against her chest so she could fit in the space between her bed and the wall.
"Hey," I breathed, worried anything louder than a whisper would scare her. "Why are you hiding?"
"Jack?" she turned to look at me, her normally cheerful green eyes glazed and confused. "I didn't even notice you come in..."
"Well I was trying to be quiet," I shrugged. Gently, I repeated, "Why are you hiding?"
"I'm not."
"So, what ARE you doing?"
Letting out a sigh, she whispered, "Hiding."
"Can I hide with you?" I asked. I smiled cautiously; I wasn't trying to make light of whatever was going on, but I also wanted her to feel secure.
She nodded and I crawled over to her. Our thighs touched we were so close. But she didn't even seem to notice. She seemed more interested in the fingerless brown gloves she always wore.
"You don't have to tell me," I shrugged. "But I want to help if I can."
"I'm hiding because..." she met my gaze with hers and faltered. "Nevermind it's weird."
I half laughed, "You're saying that like I have any right to be calling someone else weird."
A fake laugh was her response. I threaded her fingers with mine, not really thinking about my actions. Finally, she said, "If I'm hiding then it's like...intentional solitude. And if I'm alone on purpose then it's my choice...and it's easier this way." When I didn't say anything she asked, "Is that weird?"
A confusion and sadness that I knew far too well was clouding her eyes as she stared at me; desperately wishing for an answer.
"It's not weird," I replied. "It's not weird at all."
"You're just saying that."
I shook my head.
"Jack..."
"And you're not alone. Not right now at least. You have me," I smiled. "I may not be much...but I'm better than nothing." After hesitating, I added, "I hope."
"Of course you are," she reassured me.
"Oh good," I smirked. "Cause you're going to have a hard time getting rid of me at this rate."
She rested her head against my shoulder, "Why would I want to get rid of you?"
"I could name several reasons," I said, pretending I meant it as a joke. "But that's not what we're focusing on right now."
"What are we focusing on?" she asked.
"How you'll always have me whether you like it or not," I nudged her leg with mine. "And you never have to be alone, as long as I'm here, at least."
"You're like my guardian angel," she murmured, half to herself.
I decided I liked that, "Yeah. And I'll protect you; make sure you're always safe no matter where you are."
"You make me feel safe," was her nearly inaudible response.
Suddenly I jerked back into reality. I flexed my fingers slowly, the sudden emptiness and lack of warmth in my hand made my stomach drop. I started to blink rapidly to get rid of the tears prickling my eyes, but they still escaped and trickled down my cheek with no one there to wipe them away but me.
But I didn't want anyone there. I didn't want to hear "It's going to be okay." That 'comforting' phrase has been repeated to the point it held no meaning.
Unless it was Rapunzel saying it. For some reason whenever she would promise me that my future, and entire existence, wasn't meaningless I'd always believe her. My mistake, I guess.
I closed my eyes and pretended she was there. All I could picture was her crying and refusing to look at me.
"I didn't mean to hurt you..." I choked, opening my eyes. The wall stared back at me with no emotion or sympathy.
I always knew exactly what Rapunzel meant, by wanting her loneliness to feel like her choice. But it hit me all over again like a ton of bricks as I sat there. It WAS easier to pretend I was alone right now because I chose to...instead of the real reason.
(POV Change)
Tooth had known North long enough to know his rules. Both the ones he liked to give out on pamphlets and the ones he assumed everyone knew and got angry when he found out they didn't. So, when she approached his door, she knocked a few times.
He didn't yell at her to wait a moment, so she pushed the door open to see her friend sitting at his desk, staring at a small ice carving: two tiny ice skaters twirling around as if they had life of their own.
Her wings rapid beats slowed and she descended to the ground, "Hello North."
"Hi Toothie," the old man replied, not so much as glancing at his friend.
"Baby Tooth just tried to talk with Jack," she said, her wings drooping as she thought about the tiny fairy.
"How did it go?" North asked.
He didn't expect anything, but he was still disheartened by Tooth's response, "He told her to go away."
"I didn't get much more from him," North stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Tooth finger-combed a portion her short black hair, "Are you worried? That...that Pitch is...?"
North shrugged, "A little. But Jack probably is just used to grieving alone. I don't think Pitch has anything to do with that."
"Kozmotis grieved alone too ," Tooth replied quietly, thinking of her fallen friend.
"That was an accident. Completely unrelated," a bright red flooded North's cheeks. He was agitated from sitting still for so long. The chair screeched against the ground as he pushed it back to rise to his feet.
Tooth rose as well and asked, "Just...promise you'll keep Jack safe? I can't...I don't want to see him end up like Koz."
North nodded, before the fairy kissed his cheek quickly and left. The red in his cheeks settled to a healthy pink, and he sat down again. He silently promised himself to make a full effort with the winter spirit.
(POV Change)
I waved my hand in circles around the delicate snowflakes, making them twirl and dance around. Normally this would be the part where I'd send them over to land on Rapunzel's nose. And she'd laugh.
My hand started to tremble at the thought.
The edges of the snowflakes began to grow, and sharpen...and they were black...
I dropped my hand quickly in the hopes that'd destroy the nightmare snowflakes, but they only seemed to grow even larger.
"Jack? Can I come in?" a Scottish accented voice called.
To my relief, the snowflakes melted right as the door creaked open and Merida poked her head through.
"Hi," I gave a half wave.
"Hey," she smiled, "Yer not hiding anymore."
"Oh," I glanced around absentmindedly. "I guess I'm not."
After a brief hesitation, she sat down on the bed. It wasn't right up against me, there was plenty of space between us, but my chest tightened, and I suddenly felt like I was stuck inside a box.
"How are ya feeling?" she asked. Her upbeat attitude was so obviously fake; it made me want to throw up.
"That's a dumb question," I replied, a bit snarkier than I intended.
She gritted her teeth and muttered something that was probably a death threat.
Threaten me all you want, I thought. I couldn't care less.
"So, Hiccup's almost done fixin' his wings. Maybe the two of you could go out flyin'...get yer mind off it all."
I shook my head, "I'd rather not."
"What?" she snorted. "Ya just want ta stay cooped up in here for the rest of yer life?"
"If that's an option."
Her smile faded, "Honestly?"
I shrugged. This room was perfect. It had a few memories tied to it for me to look back on and smile on occasion, but not so many that it was overwhelming when I couldn't handle it.
"Jack, ya can't do this by yerself!"
"I've been doing fine so far."
"Are ya just determined to be alone? Even though ya don't have to be?"
In my head I heard my own voice drift and echo around, "You never have to be alone, as long as I'm here, at least."
"I'm good at being alone," I snapped.
"How can ya be GOOD at something like that?" she scoffed.
I rolled my eyes and turned away, "Only three hundred years of practice is all."
Silence.
Finally, she whispered, "Three hundred?"
Hearing the number from someone else made my head spin. How long had I known Rapunzel? A year and a few months. It hit me how short a time it actually had been, at least compared to how long I was on my own.
"But...ya had Rapunzel. You weren't alone," she whispered.
"No I didn't. She was locked up in a tower and had no idea I existed," I spat. My stomach twisted up as I added, "Like everyone else."
She stared at me, dumbfounded, "I thought...I thought it just took you three hundred years to make her leave the tower..."
I shrugged.
"That's...no one deserves that..."
"Tell that to Manny."
She didn't reply.
After the silence crawled under my skin and began to make me want to scream, I said, "Please leave me alone."
Silently she stood. After casting me one last mournful look, she shut the door and her footsteps faded off.
I held it together for a grand total of fifteen seconds. I buried my face in Rapunzel's pillow and cried.
(POV Change)
"Did you know?" Merida asked. She had been staring at her hands as if they had just sprouted from her wrists for ten minutes after returning from visiting Jack.
Hiccup glanced up, "Know what?"
"That...that he was alone for three hundred years?" she asked, looking at him desperately.
His eyes widened in surprise, "No...I...you mean alone besides Rapunzel? Right?"
"No...three hundred years before he even met her."
In his shock, he muttered a rare curse word, "I didn't. Wait...so Rapunzel was the first one who could see him after three hundred...?"
She nodded, "I guess this is why he's reacting so badly. I thought that maybe he'd be okay once we reminded him she was coming back..."
A knot twisted up Hiccup's intestines at her words. But, instead of telling her the harsh truth, he simply nodded.
(POV Change)
"Hiccup?"
He glanced up from his book. It had taken me a half hour to find him in this massive hideout, but I finally located him in the library. With a small grin, he replied, "Hey Jack."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he set his book to the side to give me his undivided attention.
"How long will it take? For her to come back?"
The color drained from his cheeks, "Huh?"
"The rebirth hoo-ha?" I shrugged, "I just want to know how long I have to wait for her. And if you know how I'm supposed to find her...that'd be nice too."
He rubbed his neck, "Uh...it'll take a long time..."
"How long though?" I pressed.
"Forever..."
"Forever?" I raised an eyebrow.
He sighed and added, "...never."
"What do you mean?" I asked. Although I tried to convince myself I heard wrong, my heart rate still shot up.
"Well...she wasn't immortal on her own..." he waved his hands around frantically. "And then you...broke your bond with her...and you were the thing keeping her alive and keeping the rebirth cycle..."
"What does that mean?" my chest tightened, and my breathing turned into short gasps. I flexed my fingers in anxious anticipation for what I knew he was going to say.
"She can't come back."
I dropped my staff and listened to it clatter on the ground. All I could do was exhale, my lungs wouldn't let me inhale as tears flooded my eyes and blurred my vision.
"Jack..."
"I killed her," I choked, stumbling backwards as the realization hit me. A wave of emotions crashed on top of me, making my knees buckle.
"Jack...it was an accident..."
I glared at him, "I LOVED HER! And SHE'S DEAD! Because OF ME!" His eyes widened, and he took a cautious step backwards. I jumped to my feet, grabbing my staff. I swung it through the air and froze a bookshelf before kicking it over.
"It wasn't like you meant to," he didn't seem to understand that he was only making me feel worse.
An anger built up in my chest, "Wait...so if YOU had killed her it'd be different?! Why didn't you try to save her?!"
"I was going to!" he argued, eyes flashing bright dragon green. "But then you went nuts and started swinging that stupid stick around!"
Clenching my jaw, I slammed the staff on the ground. Icy spikes tipped in black shot from the ground, trapping Hiccup in.
"And you didn't even tell me?! Why? Why didn't you tell me?!"
He stared at the spikes wide eyed. They were growing in length. He pressed his back against the wall while stuttering, "I...I wanted to give you time...I swear I was going to...!"
I glared and slammed the staff on the ground again. The spikes shot out another foot. Hiccup cried out as one of the spikes pricked his shoulder.
My anger faded when I saw the blood staining his shirt. I threw my staff from my hands; the ice melted instantly. But Hiccup was still hurt. I stared at his shoulder in horror.
Hiccup pressed his hand against the injury and suppressed his grimace, "Jack...you just...need to relax. It's going to be fine..."
"No it's not... I keep hurting people."
"It's find. I'm not hurt," he lied. "And it's not your fault!"
"It is."
"No...Pitch was the one who kidnapped Rapunzel," Hiccup reminded me. "He's the one who made it impossible to save her."
The words only made me feel worse, as I replied, "But who do you think let Pitch in?"
He looked at me in confusion.
"He...he tricked me..." I clenched my hand into a fist and turned away. "I didn't...he said he'd help me..."
Hiccup simply stared.
Without a word, I bent down and grabbed my staff again. Hiccup winced, but I refused to train my eyes on him.
The icy wall collapsed, and a strong wind nearly blew Hiccup over. I fought the winds and stood at the newly created window.
"Where are you going?!" Hiccup cried over the blizzard.
"Anywhere," I replied.
I jumped.
Somewhere in the blizzard I lost my staff. So I instead just began to run. And run. My feet were numb and my legs killed, but I knew stopping meant freezing and going back meant probably being locked up. I deserved to be locked up. But that didn't mean I was willing to go back.
In my head I could see Hiccup telling North what I had done...and the Guardians looks of fear after North told them. If I got near any one of them I'd probably have a vision of myself hurting them.
I've already hurt them. I don't need an instant replay.
I cried out as I tripped over something and fell face first into the snow. A cold soaked through my hoodie and embedded itself into my skin and somehow worked itself to my bones.
Taking deep breaths, I tried to warm myself up by thinking about warm fires and sunny days...but quickly they changed to warm hugs and the sun in general...like Rapunzel.
Rapunzel's dead, I reminded myself. Because of you. You're a monster. How are you any better than Pitch? Snuffing out one light at a time?
"Frost? What are you doing out in this weather?"
I looked up at Pitch. Speak of the devil... A snarky reply rested at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't make myself say it. Instead I curled in on myself and tried to hide the tears streaming down my cheeks.
He sighed, "Come on now. I can't have you freeze to death again."
I stared at his outstretched hand, "I won't freeze...I'm...I'm the spirit of Winter..."
"Fine. Stay in this blizzard forever, see if I care," he withdrew his hand and began to walk away.
"No...wait..." I reached out my shaking hand for him. He turned back around and grabbed it, pulling me to my feet.
I shuddered as we passed through a shadow.
