While Jack was sleeping and shivering by the fire, Elsa had gone midway down the mountain. She stood at the brink where his hamlet was visible; there was a cold wind blowing her hair all about and snow buzzing wildly everywhere—this wasn't even her own doing. What would Jack think of her once she told him what she'd done? Was it too late to stop it now that it was so out of control? She created another bird of ice in her palm; it raised its reflective head and looked into her eyes.

Go to the little one. Tell her we will be there soon.

And with that, the bird began its journey down the mountain.

Elsa found Jack where she'd left him, but in that short passage of time, he looked so much worse. His hair was more white than chestnut, his lips were turning bluer as he curled up his entire body as much as he could to fight for what warmth he could grasp. All that was left untouched were his eyes; still brown.

In all the years she'd been fending off men that had come to hunt her, that she had stalked and skinned animals for their meat, she'd never seen a creature looking so helpless. This must be her punishment for what she had done to his home, to his family.

For Jack, his chest was what ached the most. It wasn't just cold now, it was wave after wave of pain with every small beat it took. He had his hands tucked into his sleeves and his arms under his shawl, and at this point, he didn't know if it was even effective to try and stay warm anymore.

This wasn't the soothing cold that gently nipped at his skin like in his dreams—this was reality, and this cold would kill him. He felt like stone weights were crushing his chest. He was so lethargic and focused on the pain that he didn't notice Elsa had returned until she felt her delicate hand lifting his chin. The agony in his eyes paled compared to hers; she couldn't bare to see him like this for a moment longer.

"Home." She said and began to curl him into her arms.

...

Ansgar watched as thin layers of ice and frost began to cover the walls and windows of his home. Not knowing what to do, he took one of the candles and held it up to the creeping clusters to try and slow them. What use did a man-made power have against the great unknown? He tried with his own hands to wipe them away, but the touch burned his skin and he ripped them away from the walls.

As he rubbed his hands together to numb the sting, he heard his front door open. Ansgar didn't suspect anything was out of the ordinary when his father came charging in, not even as he grabbed his rifle and lantern. "The weather's getting worse!" Was all the boy yelled, but it was when Elrond looked at him that he felt so small. He'd never seen a look in his father's eyes before, at least not directed at him. It was enough to make the ice all around the village melt in fear. "Dad?" He sounded so meek and confused, but he didn't have to ask why he was looking at him that way. Ansgar somehow knew this would be coming.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

Elrond closed in on his son, and his eyes appeared to glow red with ferocity. "Don't lie to me, boy. To think my own son would have done this to me..."

"Dad," he was interrupted when his back met the wall of his room. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about..." All his life, the boy had been an adroit liar, but the one person he'd been fooling all his life, the one who believed his son admired and worshipped him, could now see right through him. That was something Jack could never do; one was able to lie and keep the peace, the other was brutally honest. If only he had Jack's nerve to tell him to his face just what he thought of him now.

"You betrayed me. You betrayed everyone here." He looked away in disgust at the boy he only ever saw as frail and fragile. "You and that preposterous demon of a boy."

"You mean Jack?" Something changed in Ansgar then; how could Elrond say such things about someone he didn't even know? How could he himself have once believed them? It didn't matter. Ansgar lifted his chin as high as he could. He wouldn't be frightened. He would not give up his friend like he so easily had all those years ago.

Elrond got in his face again, too blind to seven notice the defiance in his son's earthy-green eyes. Green like his mother's had been. "Where is that boy hiding it?"

"He's not hiding her anywhere!"

"Her?"

"Yes! Her. She's not some kind of monster like you've always thought! Have you ever once in your life considered that you might be wrong about her?"

"You haven't seen the things it's done! When I was a boy, long before I was even your age, the creature would steal our animals."

"She was trying to survive!"

"When we retaliated, she froze our home, and the storm took your grandmother and grandfather with it!"

Ansgar stopped. He understood the pain now, the anguish and rage his father must've felt... but it was still so long ago! "You attacked her, so she fought back. It wasn't to just kill all of you!" He remembered the day he first saw her and Jack together, the look of trust in their eyes. "She's intelligent! She can communicate! She understands language and emotions!"

Elrond couldn't hear him. No, he wouldn't. All his life, he didn't want to listen to anyone that challenged his beliefs, and that was true weakness. Ansgar had been stronger than him all this time... how did it take him so long to realize it? He'd never spoken back to his father like this, and so it was enough to render him speechless as he reached for his bag and shawl.

"You're still going to go after her? In this storm? You're the one that's sick! If you'd just let her be, none of this would be happening."

Elrond looked at him, but Ansgar didn't shrivel away from his gaze this time. Still, his father pointed a finger at him, "No, if you had stayed out of it, then we would all be fine right now. When I'm through with it and bring an end to this winter, things are going to change... and that delinquent Jackson, I tried to let him be, but the fool's forced my hand now."

And Ansgar got right back in his face, palms sweating and fists shaking. "If he's such a fool, then how come he got closer to her in just a few days when you've been trying for years?"

Elrond was going to respond, but he heard the front door open, ice that had sealed it shut crumbling onto the floor. "Elrond! The storm!" Said another hunter. Freezing wind roared against the walls. "It's slowing down!"

...

Mary could hear the ruckus coming from outside, or the lack thereof. She was awoken by the abrupt decline in noise outside. The wind had filled her dreams, and as it quieted, it seemed to whisper for her to wake. Mary smiled because only she knew why the weather was improving; the Snow Queen had heard her pleas, thanks to her bird friend. Jack would be home soon, and then—!

There was tapping on her window. It could have been mistaken for the branches of the trees, but Mary knew better. She hurried to check and, through the coating of frost, she saw the shape of her friend. She listened to its whispers.

...

Elsa had made it as far as the wind would carry her and Jack. She was lowered onto the ground, but Jack immediately knelt to his knees, hardly able to move. His hands were still completely ice. He looked at Elsa and she looked at him. Getting away from Dead Man's Peak changed nothing yet; his face still buckled in pain. His skin had lost all its color, like his blood inside him had stopped flowing.

When he breathed, it felt like knives were prodding at his lungs. His eyes stung and teared, and he wasn't even sure if he could walk at this rate.

Elsa could sense the humans' rage in the air. The wind was pushing against her, trying to keep her away, but she charged forth as hard as she could while holding Jack steady. He pressed ahead with what little strength he could muster. His mother, his father, his sister. His need to see them again overpowered all the pain.

...

The townsfolk watched the storm slow to a halt, but it was the shouting of several men that woke most of them. The mayor tried to stop Ansgar, but he pushed past him. "You can't go out there! There's still a blizzard going on!"

"I'm going to make sure none of this ever happens again."

"This is madness!"

Among the onlookers was Hildur, who wasn't interested in the men fighting once again. She saw two figures, one small, one tall, heading for the woods. It hit her the instant she recognized whom they were. Hildur rushed between Ansgar and the mayor and said her piece.

...

The pond.

It was normally a familiar sight to Jack, but all he could make out were shapes of blue and white. So many memories of skating there with his sister, and swimming there when it was warmer. His jagged, sharp breaths made his bones rattle and he swore he could feel them cracking even with the slightest of movements.

Elsa was guiding him closer. Home. Soon he would be safe.

When they reached the shore, Elsa stopped him. He couldn't imagine why they would stop here, but then he heard the sweetest voice in the world call his name. He managed to focus on where it had come from.

"Mary!" His voice was nearly gone, all that came out was a whisper... and then Jack felt like he could move his fingers again. It was the most mundane of actions that he would never take for granted again. Mary hadn't come alone. Ansgar was at her side, once again proving himself a truer friend than he'd ever known.

"Oh my God..." Ansgar whispered, taking in the sight of the woman, who glowed blue and white with little specks of snow fluttering all around her, helping Jack step onto the ice. When the woman did, the entire pond glowed a deep blue as it froze with another layer of protection. He was so taken aback that he didn't realize Mary was sprinting towards them. "Wait! Mary!" He followed.

It wasn't until Mary got close that she realized; Jack's hair was white, most of his skin had turned to ice! All that was left were his deep brown eyes. He looked like he'd fallen into the cold waters beneath them... but he smiled. He tried to kneel, but instantly collapsed to his knees. He could hardly stand as it was. "Oh, Jack!" She hugged around his neck, not caring how cold he was.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He wheezed.

She looked over his shoulder and up at the Snow Queen. She was as beautiful as she imagined! Mary looked at Jack for permission, and she gently reached her hand towards Elsa. Elsa lovingly took hers. Mary knew it, she just knew that Elrond was wrong!

Ansgar helped Jack stand back up. "I think your family's gonna be a little shocked to see you like this." He certainly was. Jack was too weak to laugh, but he grinned. His mom and dad were so close now.

Home. He was almost there.

Mary took his hand, the ice starting to retreat, and just as she pulled him forward... he turned back. Jack took his hand away from Mary's.

"Jack?" She tried to pull on his shawl, but Ansgar kept her from following. He knew they needed some privacy.

Jack looked into Elsa's eyes... only for her to turn her head away. Jack reached for her hands. His were still so numb he couldn't feel her skin. "Elsa..." She'd done him a kindness in more ways he could tell. Showing him her world, listening to him when no one else in this town would... but now it was all over. He knew if she returned what Elrond would do, and Jack might not be able to rescue her again. He took her into his arms, his shawl like a blanket around the two of them.

Mary's eyes glistened and Ansgar's chest felt heavy at the sight. They knew love when they saw it.

Did he kiss her one last time? Jack pulled away and contemplated her beauty once more. His fingers moving gently down her face, her gesture of ultimate trust.

...He couldn't bear it. It already hurt too much, and he didn't just mean the cold. Leaving clear trails down the ice on his face, Jack felt his warm tears, though it caused even more pain in his chest. Elsa heard the heart-breaking whimper, and just as he went to walk away, unable to say the word he'd not yet taught her, 'goodbye,' she spoke.

"Jack." The first word he'd heard her say.

He looked at his sister and Ansgar waiting for him, but Jack couldn't keep away. One last look. He turned to Elsa.

"I... love... you." Was that what he'd said before? The words that caused him so much pain to say? Now she felt it too. All the anguish right on her face.

Jack was torn; his family... Elsa... being with her was everything he'd wanted, but it was killing him. And though he was surrounded by loved ones here, he would just go back to feeling empty all over again. Back to being Jackson Overland.

But it was what they both had to do. This wasn't one of Mary's fairytales. He wasn't a prince, and she wasn't a princess.

Bang!

They all heard the noise and jumped. And right when they weren't sure they'd heard right, it came again. The firing of Elrond's rifle.

Elsa's back exploded in a cloud of blood. Then she fell.

Jack's throat closed; he couldn't scream even if he wanted to. But there she was, collapsed at his feet.

Mary was screaming and Ansgar had her in his arms to protect her. "Dad! Don't!"

Elrond shoved his son and Mary aside, and both slipped on the ice and fell. Elrond charged onto the pond, getting closer to the other white-haired creature it had brought to his home. The townsfolk were not far behind, even the mayor was among them.

Jack felt his entire being break apart as he saw Elsa struggling before him, but he couldn't do anything. He wasn't magic like she was. Horror in his eyes, he heard the gun cocking and he turned around, ready to spit in the man's face. She was already dying, yet he wanted to shoot her again?

Jack screamed, "YOU FUCKING PIG!"

Bang!

Elrond had pulled the trigger without knowing what he was seeing. Once he got a closer look into those terrified, confused brown eyes, his face went pale. And for the first time in his life, he was frightened.

"Jackson...?"

He'd struck him right through the chest. Jack didn't even realize he'd been shot until he felt the hot liquid running down his stomach, his own blood leaving crimson droplets on his boots. He collapsed next to Elsa.