The mood of the Workshop had dimmed considerably by the following day. No one had rested easy following the message from
Manny...and Jack himself had not rested at all. He'd been diligent, watching Elsa for any signs of nightmares so he could bring her out of it immediately. She'd been restless, but she hadn't cried out in fear...a blessing.
Conversation was minimal at breakfast as duties were assigned. Elsa had given no complaint when it was suggested she work with not only Jack but Bunny and Sandy as well to learn the differences in combat technique. Jack had been uncomfortable with the idea but had known North had been right. Elsa was in tune to him, and her movements were fluid with his own. She would not have the same luxury if she were forced into hand to hand combat with Pitch or Grim, and the practice was needed.
Tooth had agreed to go to Arendelle to check on the prognosis of the plague, and North had volunteered to find the Regilda troops to see how far they had progressed. It was agreed that they would all try to return by the mid afternoon hours, and one by one, they filed out to attend to their assignments.
Jack suggested that they go to the flat, open tundra to the west of the Workshop for practice. When they arrived, Sandy had taken Elsa's hand, clearly wanting to be her first sparring partner.
"Pitch manipulated Sandy's sand before...ain't no telling how he's modified it this time around." Bunny said as he watched the two begin. Elsa had an uncanny knack for understanding Sandy's way of communication, and the two were strategizing quietly in the middle of the barren landscape.
"It'll be interesting to see how her powers work with it." Jack agreed, trying to ease his tension about standing by and letting Elsa fight. He knew Sandy wouldn't hurt her, but it still was hard to force away his fierce sense of protection for her.
Bunny seemed to understand. "It'll be alright mate. She's in good hands." He said thoughtfully.
Jack looked at him, noting the subtle tension in the rabbit's posture. It had been present since that morning, when Tooth had insisted on traveling to Arendelle. "Tooth is too. She can handle herself." He said, testing the waters of that particular topic.
Bunny's green gaze shot to him. "What makes you think I'm worried over that?" The defense in his words was sharp.
Jack shrugged. "I saw the way you took her hand last night. And how you seemed uncomfortable letting her go off on her own this morning." A slight smirk quirked his lips. "And you were the first to know about her nightmare..."
He'd thought Bunny would try to justify those things with excuses, but the rabbit surprised him by falling silent. He stared across the tundra, watching as Sandy began whip sand at Elsa. She shot icy bursts, crystallizing the attacks midair time after time, rendering them ineffective.
"Yeah." Bunny said finally. "I was with her that night. In her room."
Jack was startled by the admission, blue eyes widening as they met Bunny's. "Are you saying..."
"We didn't mean for it to go down that way. She was shaken over what she'd seen in Castor and Pitch's appearance. After we returned from
Arendelle, we had a cup of tea and talked..." Bunny sighed, his long ears dropping slightly. "I ain't sure what came over us. We been working together for centuries..."
Jack raised a brow. "Did you have feelings for her? Or was it just..." He trailed off though it was obvious he was asking if it was just a one time event.
"What I am...what I look like...I never entertained thoughts about ever bein' with someone." Bunny confessed. "Tooth's attractive. That ain't hard to see. But I didn't let myself think any further than that. Then you came around, and quit even lookin' at her, period. Everyone thought it would be you two together."
"I never even considered it." Jack was looking at Elsa, who was currently battling a crude representation of one of Pitch's Nightmares. "I never considered anyone before Elsa, or after."
"I get that now." Bunny said, gazing out at the battle on the tundra for a long moment. "Don't go thinkin' this is some kind of forever thing. I aint sure about any of what it means. Think we'll wait to explore that after this is all over."
"You won't hear a word about it from me. The last thing we need is North knowing about it. He already thinks I'm taking advantage of Elsa." Jack said with a sigh.
"Maybe not taking advantage. But he's definitely under the assumption that you're spending your nights...busily." Bunny said with a smirk.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Nothing's happened, Bunny. Nothing like that."
"Ain't my business either way. All I care about is you keepin' quiet. And if Elsa's noticed, keep her quiet too. No sense in adding to the tension around here." Bunny advised.
"No argument here." Jack agreed.
"Well then..." Bunny said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Guess it's my turn for a little one on one battle with the Queen." He didn't look at Jack again as he made bounded across the snowy landscape to where Elsa and Sandy were standing.
Elsa did remarkably well with Bunny's attacks, despite the speed at which they came. She was getting faster, stronger, and far more confident. There was something powerful about watching her work so freely, unrestrained by society and able to let herself open up to the possibilities of what she could do. Only when he remembered the reason behind that freedom, the reason she was training in the field to begin with...only then was that awe hindered.
Eventually, it came time for Elsa to try her hand at taking on the three of them at the same time. They had taken a break to eat a quick lunch, and Elsa was apparently feeling reenergized. "Come on. Let's see if you boys are any match for me!" She urged as they packed up their meal.
The first half hour was brutal. Elsa had been unable to keep up with the attacks, often having to dive out of the way to avoid collision with one of their weapons. Jack had admittedly been going easy on her, but Bunny and Sandy did not seem to be holding back. When a boomerang glanced off of her side, causing her to crumple to her knees in the snow, Jack had had enough.
"No more!" He yelled, moving immediately to her side. "We're done. You guys are pushing too hard!" He pulled her up, brushing the snow off of her gown. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Elsa said through clenched teeth as she shook him off. "Again." She raised her hands, indicating she was ready to try once more.
"Elsa, no. You're hurt. Let's call it a day..." Jack began.
"I said again." She hissed. There was a fierce determination on her face, her blue eyes blazing. "I'm not hurt. I'm frustrated."
"It's been a long morning. We can try again tomorrow." Jack said gently.
"Jack Frost..." Elsa turned to him, and he saw that she was not to be dissuaded. "You've got 20 seconds to get into position. I'm not quitting."
Bunny's amused chuckle rang out. "You heard the lass. Best back up, Frost."
Resigned, Jack had done as she asked. And when the sparring began, there was a marked difference in her responses. Elsa was more focused, fending off attacks and increasing her offensive strategy with calculated speed. Jack found himself having to exert more effort into defending himself, straying from his desire to be easy on her. He'd had no choice, lest he be stricken with the flying bursts of ice.
"Okay! Okay, enough. I give!" Bunny said after a while, rubbing at his hip where Elsa had clipped him. "I've taken enough of a beating for the day. I'd still like to be able to walk by the time we get back."
"Sorry, Bunny!" Elsa said sheepishly, her cheeks reddening.
"Eh, don't be Queenie. You put up a helluva fight." Bunny complimented her.
Sandy clapped as Elsa curtsied dramatically. "Why thank you."
"Don't get too confident now." Bunny warned, but his smile was warm.
She smiled up at Jack as he approached. "Did you see that? I did it! I handled all three of you!" She was clearly proud of her abilities, and rightfully so.
"You did really good." He agreed, fighting the urge to sweep her into his arms for a kiss. Sandy and Bunny might be aware of his feelings for her, but he didn't want to display them openly quite yet. "We should probably head back to the Workshop."
"Yeah. I'm ready for some carrot juice." Bunny said with a smirk. It was no secret his 'carrot juice' often meant Bloody Mary cocktails. Though Jack had a sneaking suspicion that the rabbit was more anxious to see Tooth than anything else.
The four of them returned to the Workshop, greeted by an excited group of elves. "Did someone leave the sugar out? What's got them in such a tizzy?" Bunny wondered as they walked into the Observation room.
"When aren't they in a tizzy?" Jack asked, resisting the urge to tap one with his staff. They were amusing little creatures, and handled his taunting remarkably well.
Tooth fluttered up the moment they entered. Bunny looked visibly relieved, and they both looked turn for a moment. As if they wanted to greet each other with more than just a smile...which was likely the case. "How did it go?" Tooth asked.
"It went great. I learned a lot from Sandy and Bunny, and I even managed to hold my own against the three of them at once." Elsa said proudly. "How was Arendelle? Is Anna okay?"
Tooth nodded. "Anna and Kristoff are fine. They've followed your ordered and from what I can tell, things in the west village are not nearly so sore as they'd been in Castor. The virus seems isolated, at least for now."
Jack smiled at Elsa. He'd known the choice she had made had been the right one...even if it had been hard. "No deaths?" He asked Tooth.
"None." She answered with a smile.
The door opened, and North lumbered in. "Ah, I am late to the party!" He was smiling, seemingly in very high spirits.
"We're just getting started. What's new, North?" Jack asked, curious about the older man's good cheer.
"Great news, that's what's new!" He cried. "The Regilda militia has slowed their progress. They need time to recuperate from the battle. It's not much, but we've been bought time. And it just so happens that I have an idea on how to delay them even further."
Elsa was instantly engaged. "Really? How?"
North was grinning broadly. "There is no way for them to attack Arendelle without passing over the mountain ranges. Not unless they wish to travel an additional 500 miles or so, anyway. I've scoped the landscape, and the answer is simple: block their path."
Bunny raised a brow. "Uh. Sure, mate. And just how do we block off a mountain?"
North threw back his head and laughed. "With snow, of course! The elevation is high enough that the summer temperatures at the base won't effect its efficiency. Between Jack and Elsa, it could be the storm of the century!"
Jack nodded as a smile spread on his lips. Elsa was looking equally excited. "That's brilliant, North. We can set off something that will keep them from Arendelle for weeks, if we need to!" He said with excitement.
"And if the virus dies off, Arendelle will be ready to fend off the troops if they do make it through. It's perfect." Elsa agreed.
Sandy was nodding and smiling, clearly not having any argument with the plan. Tooth and Bunny exchanged a smile, and Elsa reached to take Jack's hand. The dark cloud of the morning had lifted...and they had something to hope for once more.
"It has been a successful day, and we will celebrate!" North said triumphantly. "I've instructed the Yetis to prepare a feast. Tonight we will dine in good company and great cheer!"
Everyone talked excitedly a little longer, clearly looking forward to the small party North had planned. After a while, Elsa had excused herself. "I'd like to shower before we eat. I worked up quite a sweat this afternoon."
"I'd like to freshen up as well." Tooth agreed. "See you boys in a while." With a flash of wings, she was gone.
"Want me to walk you to your room?"
Jack asked Elsa.
"No. You hang out. I'll be just fine." She said. Aware of North's heavy gaze, Elsa did not move to kiss him, though she looked as if she might want to. Instead, she offered a little wave and disappeared down the hall.
Bunny was looking in the direction that Tooth had gone. Shaking his head, he smirked. "Well, mates...how about a drink? Nothing wrong with a little pre gaming, right?"
North, Sandy, and Jack exchanged glances, but it was Jack who spoke for all of them. "I'm in!"