Note: Hey everyone! I hope all of you and your families are staying safe in these troubled times. Since we're on lockdown I've had time to FINALLY finish this chapter and will hopefully write the next one fast. Leave a review to tell me what you think and hope you enjoy it! Wishing all of you the best :)

Chapter 19: A Wild Ride

When the train pulled into King's Cross, Jack saw Elsa nervously look out the window, as if expecting to see his parents and Emma glaring at her with hate from the platform. The fact that she was so nervous at the idea of meeting his family melted his heart.

"They're not here," he said softly, coming close to her ear, his jaw barely touching her hair. "We have to take another train, back up north. We can't go to my town from Hogsmeade directly."

"Oh," she simply said, but the relief was noticeable.

"Snowflake, you don't have to be nervous," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder, rubbing her arm in a calming gesture. "Trust me, my family doesn't have any expectations. The only thing they care about is that I'm happy."

This didn't seem to help- in fact, Elsa now looked even more stressed.

The only thing they care about is that I'm happy.

The giddiness and adrenaline from Jack's grand romantic gesture had faded at some point during the trip, leaving cold anxiety in its wake. Now that Jack had told her she wouldn't be meeting his family right away, her heart rate was slowly returning to normal.

When they got down from the train, Jack left her for a minute while he went for his trunk. The others had hurriedly hugged them before going- their families were waiting for them. Although she'd left without her luggage, not having had the time to go back to her dormitory and pack, Elsa was grateful she'd taken her long grey woolly coat. Her mother had had it made for her last winter, and she'd braved the Arendellian cold with it on her back. She was sure it would keep her warm at Jack's place also.

She couldn't believe what she was doing. It had been so sudden, so unplanned- and now, it was definitely too late to turn back.

She spotted Jack walking back towards him. He'd found a cart to put his trunk on and was now pushing it down on the platform.

"Missed me?," he grinned, crossing his arms over the cart's handle.

"You were gone for about a minute, Jack," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I know. But you missed me," he said, before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

Elsa's eyes widened, looking around. They weren't in Hogwarts anymore. They weren't on protected ground- if Arendelle's spies were here and they'd just seen-

"Am I still not allowed to kiss you in public?," he asked, seeing her reaction.

"Of course you are," she said in a voice that sounded tense even to her. "I was just surprised, that's all."

Jack didn't seem to believe her, but he didn't say anything, instead leading her to the barrier between platform nine and three quarters and the Muggle world. Although Elsa had never seen it (this had been the first time she'd even taken the Hogwarts express), she'd heard a lot about it from her friends.

"It seems so solid," she murmured, looking at the barrier. Jack chuckled.

"I promise I won't let the wall hurt you, Snowflake."

She grimaced at his banter, but he ignored it. He gave her a wink before thrusting through the barrier in a sudden gesture that made her jump; the next second, he was gone.

She gaped at the wall, that had seemed to gobble Jack up; people were getting impatient behind her, anxious to get back to their homes. But she couldn't seem to convince herself to go through the wall-

She stumbled back as a hand erupted out of the wall, then a forearm. The palm was open, raised towards the ceiling, waiting.

It was a hand she knew nearly by heart. She smiled, shaking her head in disbelief. Even through a wall, he could sense her fear, and was there for her.

Without hesitation, she put her hand in his. Their fingers intertwined, Elsa felt safe.

She put a foot forward, closing her eyes.

Jack grinned as Elsa practically fell into the space between platforms nine and ten. Luckily, the cart was shielding her from view, and not one Muggle glanced their way.

"You good?," he said teasingly, their hands still joined tightly. She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. The thick blonde hair, still curled slightly, was unbound, which was the way he liked it. To be honest, Elsa looked stunning whatever way she styled her hair, but he loved when it was loose for the plain and simple reason that he could wrap strands of pale hair around his fingers, which annoyed her tremendously and, in turn, amused him greatly.

He let go of her hand, pushing the trolley towards one of the ticket booths. He refused to let Elsa pay.

"Jack, I can pay for my own ticket."

"No."

"Why not?," she asked exasperatedly.

"First of all, because I'm inviting you. You can pay for my boat when I'll come to meet your family."

Jack saw, from the edge of his vision, her smile falter. He ignored it, and ploughed on.

"Secondly, for the plain and simple reason that you only have Galleons. That's wizard money, not Muggle money."

"What?," she spluttered disbelievingly. "I thought it was English money!"

"My sweet summer child," he sighed dramatically."You know nothing of this world."

"But why- what's the point-"

Jack shrugged, and that was that.

When they finally mounted on the train, they were squeezed in a compartment with a mother, two children about seven and four years old, and a baby.

Jack let Elsa take a seat next to the window, knowing she liked to watch the passing landscape as the train would take them to his home. He could see she was apprehensive, and he'd be lying if he'd said he was completely calm about the situation.

He hadn't even had time to warn his parents that Elsa was coming. He'd told them about her in his letters; vaguely, not going into detail, but he'd written enough that his parents had a small idea about who she was to him.

The first girl he'd ever brought home- not counting Merida and Rapunzel of course. His parents were the nicest people he knew but- he didn't know how they'd react when they learned that he'd invited this girl, basically unknown to them, for Christmas.

Elsa, albeit stressed, dozed off, her head comfortably lodged in the crook of Jack's neck. She wasn't quite asleep, just in a state of semi-consciousness, lolled by the train's race to their destination.

She didn't open her eyes until Jack gently woke her up with soothing whispers in her ears.

The compartment was empty around them, the small family that had shared their compartment having already exited the train. Jack went to get his trunk out of the huge pile of luggage outside the compartment, and they got down from the train.

Elsa felt as if her heart was beating in her throat. She was quite sure she was going to have a heart attack. She would be spending two weeks with Jack's family- and she had no idea how to behave herself. She couldn't rely on her princess education. If Jack's family was anything like him, she'd have to be more than just polite.

Suddenly, what seemed like a brown haired tornado passed her, and jumped into Jack's arms. Jack fell to the ground, holding the squealing girl in his arms, laughing. For a second, Elsa forgot all of her worries as she watched the contrast between the pale, white-haired and blue-eyed boy and the girl's brown eyes and tanned face. Despite those differences, they were surprisingly alike- you could, without difficulty, tell that they were siblings.

"Emma!" A voice called from behind them. Elsa turned, and saw a beautiful dark-haired woman approaching them, an irritated look on her face. "I told you not to run on the platform! You could have knocked out your brother!"

"I'm fine mum," grinned Jack, sitting up and brushing dust off him. "Just a little winded. You're getting strong, Em'."

The little girl smiled, staying close to her brother. The woman approached, and a tender look in her eyes, took her son in her arms in what looked like a bone-crushing hug. Jack was taller than his mother, but he had her eyes, as did Emma.

"It's good to see you, Jackson," she said, standing back to get a full view of her son. "Emma hasn't shut up about you coming back since Halloween."

Jack smiled, ruffling Emma's hair in an affectionate gesture.

Elsa didn't dare make herself known, scared to intrude on the family reunion, but Jack's eyes turned towards her.

"Mum, Emma, this is Elsa."

Elsa suddenly felt very self-conscious as Jack's mother looked at her appraisingly, her eyes unreadable.

"Is she staying for Christmas?," asked Emma. Jack nodded, swinging an arm around Elsa's shoulders in a gesture that seemed to say:

She's with me.

Finally, his mother's smile broke into a grin. With a shock, Elsa realised it was the exact same cheeky grin that her son flashed at her all the time.

"So happy to meet you Elsa," she said, and before Elsa registered the movement, she'd given her a swift, but affectionate hug, as if she was greeting someone she'd known for years.

"Happy to meet you too- I don't want to be a nuisance or impose-"

"Oh nonsense," she said batting her hand as if swatting back a fly, "You can't be more of a nuisance than these two," she said, nodding towards her children, not without affection.

Jack winked as his mother turned away, leading them out of the small, dingy station and into the cold air.

Elsa looked around, taking in the exterior of the station; if the station was to be judged, and the small houses that she could see, facing a small town square, she was in what could only be called a country village. This was a far cry from a city, and though you could see a few cars driving about, there was no traffic- indeed, there wasn't even the need for traffic lights.

Jack hoarded his trunk into the back of the car, and seated himself in the backseat. Emma was delighted to be able to ride shotgun, and Elsa slid into the backseat next to him.

The journey to Jack's house wasn't silent; Jack and Emma joked back and forth, thrilled to be together. Elsa watched, amused, as Jack bore an expression of both tease and adoration she'd seldom seen on his face. It was plain that he treasured his little sister. She was mostly quiet, though answered a few of Jack mother's- Martha, she'd told Elsa to call her- questions on lessons at Hogwarts.

Her nervousness was dying down, although she wasn't quite at ease enough to speak freely. Jack seemed to sense it, and took the hand that was resting on her thigh, squeezing it reassuringly. She gave him a thankful smile, and squeezed back.

At last, they pulled into a snow-covered driveway, and Martha turned the engine off. She slid out of the car, as did Emma, opening the door, letting a gust of icy wind enter the car. The sun was already setting, the evening glow basking its light on her surroundings. That's right- they'd been travelling all day.

Elsa followed Jack out of the backseat, her feet sinking into the snow. She looked up at the house that greeted them.

It wasn't small- though it wasn't big either, compared to her own home, nestled in the valley, the fjord tracing through the landscape. No, this was quite different to her castle. It was a white house, with a brown rooftop and green shutters; snow-covered vines traced the walls, and the tall stone chimney on the roof was billowing smoke. Martha and Emma trudged inside, closely followed by Jack and Elsa.

Elsa didn't know what she'd been expecting- but it wasn't this.

Indeed, it was a far cry from the cold corridors of her own castle, and it wasn't stuffy old portraits lining the walls.

Although empty except for them, the room was bustling with activity, broomsticks and dustpans floating through the room, moving and cleaning on their own. A roaring fire was waiting for them in the hearth, casting a warm glow on the green carpet, the brown leather couch and armchairs looking like they were only waiting for someone to sink into them. Oak furniture filled the room- it was cluttered and cosy. The floor was made out of wooden planks, and the walls were stone.

It was… a home. In a way the castle she'd known all her life could never be. This was a place where laughter and love danced every night, was present in every crook of the furniture, every joyous crackling of the fire. This was the kind of home she could never hope to have.

Something must have shown on her face, because Jack smiled tenderly at her, as if he could see the awe and admiration and jealousy warring in her eyes.

Jealousy. Yes, she was jealous. How could she not? And Jack, though he didn't know the specifics of where she came from… He suspected. He knew, to some extent, that love wasn't granted in her own home, far up north- that it wasn't etched in the very walls like it was here.

"You two must be starving! Sit down," said Martha, bustling into what had to be the kitchen. Jack led her to a joining room where an oak dining table sat, waiting for them. She heard distant clatter as Martha had to be preparing dinner.

"Where's your dad?" She asked, turning her eyes to Jack.

He shrugged. "Probably cutting wood, or feeding the animals."

"The animals?," she repeated.

"Yeah, Snowflake," he said, flashing her a grin. "My parents own a farm."

She raised her eyebrows at this.

"You didn't tell me you grew up on a farm."

"You didn't ask."

She was saved from answering by Martha, hurrying into the room with what looked to be a steaming soup of some sort. Elsa hadn't realised it, until she let the spicy aroma wash over her, but she was starving. Martha and Emma sat down beside them, Emma bringing plates and cutlery. Soon, Martha was serving spoonfuls of the delicious-smelling soup into their plates. Elsa didn't talk much, listening as Jack and Emma teased each other from opposite sides of the table. Suddenly, a loud noise reached their ears.

BANG.

This was quickly followed by heavy footsteps on the creaky floorboards of the house before what could only be Jack's father entered the room.

He looked like a polar bear. Elsa took him in. He was dressed in a heavy white-faced coat, the thick hood pulled over his ears. When he pulled it down, Elsa was struck by how much Jack looked like his father.

This, Elsa supposed, was how Jack would have looked like if he'd never fallen into the lake. Chestnut eyes and rich brown hair took her in, the features so strikingly similar and yet so different from Jack's white hair and icy blue eyes.

"And who might this be?"

Even the voice was the same, Elsa realized. The same amusement, the same teasing undertone. The same wide grin as he curled an arm around Martha's shoulders, still sitting down.

"This is Elsa," said Martha.

"She's Jack's girlfriend," Emma added, a bit unnecessarily. Elsa felt herself turn red. Jack didn't look much better, a faint blush colouring his pale cheeks.

"Really?," Jack's father said, walking to her as she hurriedly stood up, plastering a smile on her face. "I'm so glad to meet you. Please let me know if my son kidnapped you or forced you to be here in any way, and I will PERSONALLY call the cops on him."

Elsa saw Jack put his face in his hands.

"Dad-" he groaned. She bit the inside of her cheek trying to keep herself from laughing. "Could you not?"

"I'm Peter," he said, stretching a warm hand out to her. Elsa took it, smiling as she returned the friendly handshake.

"Elsa," she said. "And as tempting as that offer is, I am here of my own free will."

Peter swung his head back, a boyish laugh rising from his throat. She'd seen Jack do the same thing a million times, and couldn't help but stare.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly by. Although Elsa had been scared she would feel like an intruder on this tight-knit family, that was not the case. In fact, though she didn't necessarily participate in the conversation all that often, she was surprised to find herself grinning broadly and laughing without restraint through the meal.

After Jack and her helped Peter clear the table, Martha made very clear that two teenagers under my care will not sleep in the same room. Elsa was given one of Martha's nightgown and slumped gratefully into the comfortable bed of the guest bedroom.

...

Jack squeezed his eyelids shut as the morning light pierced the darkness of sleep. He stretched, banging his wrist against the bedpost.

He muttered a curse at the pain, opening his eyes. He blinked at the ceiling for a few seconds, confusion fading away gradually as he remembered the events of the day before.

He was home.

And Elsa was home.

Although his mother had, quite embarassingly, prohibited them from sleeping in the same room, and in the same bed.

But still. She was here, in the house, right now.

He jerked fully awake, sliding out of the covers. His room was simple, as it had always been, with a wide and comfortable bed in the corner, a wardrobe decorated with clumsily drawn on snowflakes (a curtesy from Emma), a desk and a dark turquoise rug. A large window overlooked the barns and chicken hens, snow-covered grass stretching all the way to a small wood. Jack knew what was in that wood, he still trembled at the memory of the ice-covered lake hidden in a clearing.

He went to the bathroom, slapping cold water onto his face. He looked at his reflection, bleary-eyed, and resisted a cringe. He was dressed in shorts and a tank-top, and his hair was ruffled and messy. He tried to soothe it back, but quickly gave up.

See the good side of this, Frost, he thought, at least you'll see if your relationship can withstand you looking like you've just climbed out of a grave.

He sighed, averting his eyes, and slid out of the bathroom. He could hear laughing and talking from downstairs.

He took the stairs one at a time, his hand wrapping around the banister but stopped midway.

From where he was, he could see Elsa and Emma sitting on the couch. Elsa was dressed in a dark red nightgown that contrasted stunningly with her eyes, her hair tied back in a messy ponytail. She had wrapped herself in a quilt she'd probably found on the couch, and was holding a cup of steaming tea between her hands.

She didn't have an ounce of makeup, dressed in his mother's clothes that were far too big for her, but she still made him weak in the knees, the vision of her in his house hitting him like a blow.

"But how do you get anything done if it snows all the time,?" was saying Emma.

"It doesn't snow all the time," laughed Elsa. "In fact, we have beautiful summers in Arendelle."

He cocked his ears at that. He'd never heard Elsa speak about where she came from- except for that one night, in the Owlery, when he'd detected her accent. And she'd barely said anything that night, avoiding the subject entirely.

"Don't they have a wizard school there?," he heard his mother ask. He couldn't see her from where he was standing.

Elsa shook her head, her ponytail sliding from her shoulder.

"I don't think so. It's a very small country. We mostly travel in carriages pulled by reindeers," she said, returning her gaze to the little girl crouched before her, staring at her with wide eyes, drinking her words. She smiled as Emma gasped, her small hands grasping her still baby-round cheeks.

"Carriages pulled by reindeers?"

"That's right. And in winter, we use giant wooden sleighs to move around," chuckled Elsa, ruffling Emma's brown hair with affection.

His heart warmed at the sight; friendship between Elsa and his sister had bloomed instantly, apparently.

"Are there princes and princesses?," asked Emma eagerly.

A strange expression crossed Elsa's face, there and gone in a flash. Jack started moving again, going down the stairs at a normal pace.

"Two princesses," was saying Elsa. "But they don't go out much."

"Look who's up," his mother said, looking up from the book on her lap. "Your father wanted you to go and help with the horses."

"Now, Mother, I'm sure you wouldn't force your favourite son to go out into the cold and wet stables without some breakfast in him, would you?," he answered, going into the open kitchen and piling eggs and bacon onto his plate before going back into the living room. He went back into the living room, giving Elsa a wink.

"Do you see, Snowflake," he said, ignoring his mother's raised brows at the nickname and plumping down onto the couch, separated from Elsa by Emma. "I'm barely back that they already want me working. Makes me wonder how they manage without me."

Elsa rolled her eyes as his mother snorted. He let Emma steal a piece of bacon from his plate before digging in.

"I have told you a million times not to eat on the couch Jack-"

He slid down from the couch, sitting cross-legged on the floor and resting his plate on the coffee table.

"Better?," he asked.

"Much," his mother said, sitting from the armchair. "Emma, come with me feed the hens. Jack, don't take too long before going to the stables."

He nodded absentmindedly as he waited for his mother and Emma to leave the room, before climbing back onto the couch.

"So, I see you've become fast friends with the women of my family. I'm worried they'll end up liking you more than they like me."

She laughed, stretching her legs so that her feet were in his lap. Her feet were covered with woolly pink socks. He cocked a brow, looking at her.

"That's some sexy socks, Snowflake," he teased. She kicked him playfully in the stomach, sticking her tongue out at him.

"They're your mother's, jackass," she said, "And they're very comfortable."

His hand rested on her bare leg, his thumb beginning to make idle, soothing circles.

"Did you sleep well?," he asked.

"Very," she said, nestling back comfortably on the couch. "I dreamt that Hiccup and Flynn were kidnapping Mrs. Norris again."

"Nice dream," he chuckled. They sat in content silent filled only with the crackling of the flames for a bit.

"So, horses, huh?," she asked. He nodded, looking at the socks and absentmindedly twisting his finger into the fabric.

"Do you know how to ride?"

He nodded. "Do you?," he asked.

"No."

"I could teach you," he offered, looking up at her.

That afternoon, after helping Martha fold clothes and start the fire again, Elsa went up to her room and changed into the clothes Martha had set out for her.

Riding clothes.

The grey trousers clung to her skin, as did the black vest, melding perfectly into her shoulders and arms. Martha had even laid out a black, round riding helmet, to protect her head in case she fell.

Because she thought- as did Jack- that Elsa had never ridden a horse before.

Which was a blatant lie. In fact, Elsa wasn't just good at horse-riding- she excelled at it. Her teacher used to say she was the best rider Arendelle had seen in years, and too bad that she was a princess and couldn't compete internationally.

But when Jack had asked her, she'd panicked at giving him any clue, however small it was, about her true identity. So the lie had sprung from her lips, and he'd offered to teach her.

Now, she was going to have to pretend that she didn't know a thing about horse riding. For a whole afternoon.

Which annoyed her tremendously, because she loved riding. Adored it, actually. Her riding classes had been the only moments of true freedom in her childhood. With the wind in her hair, the sound of hooves on snow and soil, the feeling in her stomach when her mare, Blizzard, used to jump in the air-

She sighed, pulling on leather boots that were a bit too big for her. She quickly tied her hair back in a braid that swept over her shoulder, pinched her cheeks in an effort to banish the paleness that seemed to cling to her face, and went outside.

She left the house using the backdoor, and walked past the different barns, listening to the animal sounds that came from them. Even in the dead of winter, the farm was more animated than the castle in summer.

Finally, she entered the stables, a large wooden building with a curved roof and red-painted walls. Jack was already in there, gently talking to a horse, coaxing it to eat. His father was nowhere to be seen.

She smiled, leaning back against the door, crossing her arms as she watched him. He turned his eyes to her, hearing her or sensing her presence somehow.

"Look at you lazy bones, finally getting out of the house," he teased, blue eyes flashing. Light fell down on his hair through a round window above them, hitting his white hair in a particular way and making him look like a winter demon.

A very handsome winter demon.

"I'll have you know," she retorted, "That I spent my morning helping Emma do her math homework."

"Really?," he asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"No need to look so astonished, Jack," she said, detaching herself from the door. "You're going to make me think that even you didn't think that I'd get along with your family, despite all of your words of encouragement."

He grinned sheepishly, thrusting his hands in his pockets.

"No, I knew they'd like you once they got to know you. I was worried you wouldn't let them get to know you."

"Like it was so hard for you," she said, rolling her eyes.

"It was," he laughed. "I thought you were never going to talk to me after I dared ask about Arendelle in the Owlery."

She ignored this, walking to him and the horse whose muzzle he was scratching.

"She's beautiful," Elsa whispered as she took in the stunning mare, her coat as dark as night, and a beautiful, star-shaped white patch on her forehead. Her dark chocolate eyes seemed to appraise Elsa. "A pure-bred like this… must have cost you a fortune."

Jack's eyes widened just as Elsa realised her mistake.

"I thought you didn't know anything about horses."

"I don't," she said quickly, but the tone did nothing to banish the blooming suspicion in Jack's eyes. "Lucky guess."

"She was born on this farm," said Jack, turning back to the horse and scratching her between the ears, although Elsa knew she hadn't convinced him. "I helped bring her into the world you know. Her name's Galaxy."

"Really?," she said, swallowing a smile. "A farm boy and a wet nurse. My, what a lucky girl I am."

Jack pinched her side playfully and she squealed, pulling away by reflex.

"If you're done making a mockery out of me," he chuckled, "We'd best get started."

They took two horses out into the cold air- Galaxy, whom Jack was going to ride, and a sweet-tempered horse called Angel. Apparently, Jack had thought best to give her the most obedient horse in the whole stables. She bit her lip, even though she was dying to give Galaxy a ride.

Nevertheless, when Jack gave her the saddle and reins, she played the ignorant and clumsy girl as he showed her how to attach anything. She even let him help her up, still pretending not to have any idea about how to climb onto a horse's back.

In spite of all these precautions, Elsa felt Jack's gaze on her as her heels naturally slipped into the stirrup, her fingers wrapping around the reins. And when Angel made a sudden move, he watched as she reacted as if it was second-nature, no scared scream escaping her lips as she pulled the reins and soothed the horse, tapping his mane to calm him down.

"Okay," Jack said, swinging onto Galaxy's back like he'd been born a skilled rider, "So if you tap lightly against Angel's hides he'll start walking."

She obediently did so, the horse lurching into motion, hooves sinking into the snow with a crackling sound.

Now, this was insulting.

She obviously knew how to ride.

He'd taught riding lessons before, to kids from his village and even grown adults here and there. And Jack knew for a fact that beginner's didn't have a posture that perfect. Elsa was graceful, but not that graceful.

Also, she wasn't clinging to the reins as if scared of falling, or squeezing her thighs into the saddle.

No, she'd definitely been on a horse before, although he had no idea how skilled she really was. And that was something he planned to discover soon enough. He swallowed back his grin as he watched Angel walking into the wood, Elsa on his back.

Jack led them into the wood, following a wide path. They rode alongside each other, Jack giving her teasing tips on how to ride. She dutifully listened to her tutor, trying very hard to seem like a fumbling, clumsy girl riding a horse for the first time. She had the nagging feeling he wasn't buying it.

He hadn't lied about Angel being sweet-tempered. The horse was downright adorable, and worthy of its name. He responded to every light touch, and never once made a sudden move or uncontrolled motion.

The same, however, could not be said of Galaxy.

The beautiful mare was getting rather anxious, her head jerking in different directions, grunting and grinding her teeth as if she was fundamentally against someone riding her.

Jack pulled on the reins, but Galaxy wouldn't come to a stop, and instead seemed to grow even more agitated.

"Are you alright?," Elsa asked, sparing a worried glance for Jack. He was gritting his teeth, pulling on the reins as he tried to get Galaxy back under his control.

"I'm fine," he grunted. "She's- newly trained- young-"

With a sudden lurch, Galaxy lurched forward, her behind raising in the air before raising her front hooves into the air, standing on her two legs as if trying to throw her rider off. Elsa clapped a hand to her mouth as Jack, by some miracle, managed to hold on.

"Jack! Grip the mane!"

Elsa didn't know if he'd heard her as Galaxy surged into a wild galloping sprint, Jack still on her back, and disappeared into the forest.

Elsa cursed, adjusting the reins and digging her heels into Angel's side. Angel, as sweet-tempered as he was, was far from slow. Despite the sound of his hooves slamming against the ground, Elsa could hear Galaxy ahead, and Jack's efforts to regain control of his horse.

She leaned forward, letting the horse streak forward at full speed.

Then, quite suddenly, she found herself in front of what looked to be a large stream. It was too late to slow down, so Elsa gritted her teeth, urging Angel forward.

She was glad to learn that these months without practice hadn't impaired her ability to ride. Angel left the ground, leaping across the stream gracefully and landed, without any injury, on the opposite bend. She pulled on the reins, coming to a stop.

She looked around, straight-backed, the cold stinging her nose and eyes, adrenaline still coursed through her veins. She couldn't hear anything. Her heartbeat sped up, and she saw her hands were shaking. A fall from an enraged horse was, more often that not, fatal or at the very least injured severely.

Where was Jack? Had he fallen off his horse?

That's when she heard it.

Slow clapping made her twist her head around. Jack emerged, Galaxy safely tied to a tree behind him, looking perfectly calm.

You've got to be kidding me.

"Sorry Snowflake," he said. He stopped clapping, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black leather vest. "I had to check if you were really a debutant in the art of horse-riding."

Her vision blurred for a second. Then, before she realised what she was doing, she slid off Angel's back. She marched furiously towards Jack.

His eyes widened as she shoved him, hands flat on his chest.

"You stupid- idiot-"

She pummelled his chest for quite a few seconds, before he grabbed her wrists, stopping her.

"I thought you'd fallen off! You could have been trampled by a horse, or fallen into the stream and hit your head-"

"But I didn't, did I?"

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?," she shouted, and she dimly realised she was so angry tears were rolling off her face. Jack's smile disappeared. "I know that nothing is serious to you, but if this is your idea of a joke-"

This was the first time she'd screamed at him. And Jack didn't find the situation so funny anymore.

Tears streaked her face as she looked up at him with those devastatingly blue eyes which, right now, were filled with murderous intent.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?," she said, wrenching her wrists from his grip and storming away from him.

"I'm- I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry?," she snapped, spinning back to him, strands of hair tearing free from her braid. She furiously unlatched her helmet and let it drop to the ground. Jack was pretty sure he'd never seen her this angry. "Well it's alright then, if you're sorry. It's alright to have let your girlfriend chase you around on horseback because she thought you'd lost control of the horse and was a second away from falling and breaking your bones-"

"Well, if my girlfriend hadn't lied to me in the first place-"

"Don't you dare turn this around, Jackson Overland!," she screeched. There was a silence as they stared angrily at each other.

Finally, his shoulders slumped.

"You're right," he muttered. "I'm sorry I scared you. I just don't get why you would lie about something as stupid as not knowing how to ride."

She was still staring at him, her lips clamped into a thin line, but she thought a flash of guilt traversed her face, and she averted her eyes, unclenching her fists. She was still crying.

Jack approached her, and tentatively took her hand. When she didn't pull away, he pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her. Her body shook against his.

"Listen, I get that you have secrets," he said into her hair. "I won't pretend that I like not knowing anything about you or your family or where you come from or if you know how to ride or not…"

She pulled away from him a fraction, but he squeezed tight, and she relinquished pulling away from him.

"But I'll wait until you're ready to tell me everything. I won't question you. But Elsa-"

He pulled away a bit, and lifted her head with a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Promise me that when you do tell me something, let it be the truth. I'll accept secrets, but not lies."

"Or what? You'll pretend to be in mortal danger again?"

He felt the corners of his mouth tuck upwards, but he didn't answer the taunt, instead saying: "Promise me."

Finally, she wrapped her arms around his hips and buried her face in his chest.

"I promise."