~One Week Later~
Jack's POV
Remember when I said I couldn't wait until it was this week because I was so excited to give Arendelle a blizzard? Yeah, well, I take it all back. I signed up for a blizzard, not a birth. You see, I'm in Arendelle right now, and I was in the middle of doing my job, around 2:40ish a.m, and just as I was thinking about making it snow some more, to give the Arendelle about five more inches, a woman's scream scares the hell out of me.
I stopped everything I was doing and instantly flew to her aide, following her screams that I'm surprised reached my ears through the howling wind. It wasn't until the screams led me to the castle that I made the realization that the woman in need is Queen Iduna. No woman screaming at the top of her lungs would be screaming like that, like she's dying, unless it was birth.
That's when it fully hit me.
Queen Iduna is giving birth!
Right now!
At seven months!
That's two months early. Her child will be born premature. Premature babies so rarely live, especially during the cold season. And while Iduna did indeed get better within a mere few hours after consuming the Bewilderbeast's blood, I couldn't help but blame the Dragon King for this. This has got to be his fault! Why else would she go into labor so soon? He said that her baby was fine, that Elsa would survive the birth whereas Iduna would not, so his blood must be the reason why Elsa's development was cut short.
Were his senses incorrect? Was Elsa really not fine this entire time and he just didn't pick up on that? Or did he know and lie about it? Why do that though? What could he possibly gain from doing that? And even if that's not the case, which I believe to be true, did he at least have an idea that something of the sort would occur? Because if so, then he should have said something for sure!
Did saving Iduna's life cost us the life of her child?
Queen Tara mentioned that if there was a way for her to save Iduna's life, it would probably cost the life of another. To save one life, another must be taken. Is that life her child? Of her poor little daughter Elsa?! And yes, while Tara didn't use her magic to save Iduna's life (she doesn't have the ability to anyway) she still did technically save Iduna. She drew the dragon's blood, she poured it in the Queen's tea, the Queen drank it, she was healed, and now...
Now Elsa is going to die because of it.
Because of Mother Nature.
Which is kind of ironic.
Tara already feels guilty for what happened to Iduna's Northuldra people. She does not deserve anymore guilt. And instead of this being the price she must pay for participating in saving Iduna's life, is this instead the price she must pay for revealing herself to the Arendellian Queen? She stayed an extra three days to make sure the dragon blood worked without side effects, and during her stay she was invisible to Iduna the entire time even though she didn't have to be.
I mean, it's one thing staying invisible if Iduna had briefly caught sight of her, but she and Tara actually conversed and and even traveled to visit a dragon! Why bother staying glamoured when Iduna knows her to be real? More so than she ever did when she was a child. Maybe she was paranoid that something bad would happen if she didn't. After all, the ancient rules are not to reveal yourself unless you absolutely need to. If that's the case then, like I said earlier about the Bewilderbeast, I wish she would have said something on the matter. If she was having some bad feelings about the dragon blood then she should have told me about it.
She probably didn't want to face all of my "I told you so"s. I knew giving the Queen the Ice Dragon's blood was a bad idea and now here we are.
Communication is everything.
And yet, I never did have the chance to ask her why she just, out of the freaking blue, decided to unglamour herself. I think the answer is pretty obvious though. She was worried, and not just worried, but overwhelmingly worried. To the point where she thought it was best to break a rule. She knew that death was in Iduna's future when she touched her pregnant belly, but she must have known immediately at just the mere sight of the former Northuldra girl.
I know I did.
But of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. Just because Elsa is being born two months early doesn't mean she's going to die. After all, it's not uncommon for premature babies to survive. Rare, but not uncommon. And I had to remind myself of that over and over again as I flew inside Arendelle's castle and rushed to the royal quarters.
Which is where I'm at now, standing in the doorway to hers and Agnarr's sleeping chamber, mouth and eyes wide open in utter shock. Iduna lay in her bed, sweaty and crying, while her husband was kneeling on the floor beside her, holding on to her hand that I knew she was squeezing tightly. I could tell her grip is painful because the King looks like he's in just as much pain as she is.
But this does not stop Agnarr from leaning forward to whisper something soothing to his wife, nor does it stop him from kissing her forehead. What else do I expect from soulmates? When they first started courting, Tara did not want them to waste any time together if their souls were not meant to be for one another, so she had fetched Lucille, aka Cupid, aka the Guardian of Love, to see if they were in fact born for each other. The results came back positive, which I find really romantic considering that she saved him when they were children.
And that, Elsa, is how he met your mother.
Even though he doesn't know it. At least that's what Iduna had said last week before she left Tara and I with the Bewilderbeast.
And yes, while their intimate moment was indeed so sweet that it gave me a mouthful of cavities, I was also hit with another familiar feeling. One I know too well.
I personally call it yearning or longing or whatever the hell it's supposed to be called when you want something that others have, but Bunny calls it jealousy.
It's a feeling I feel almost all the time, but it's always been felt towards my fellow Guardians having believers whereas I don't. I've never felt it toward...a couple in the middle of birth. How strange. I wonder why-
My face heats up by 100,000,000,000 degrees when the Midwife suddenly makes her way to Iduna and spreads her legs wide open without warning, burying her face between the Queen's legs without an invitation as well. Agnarr was taken aback just as I was and turns his head the other way to avert his gaze.
And with the same idea in mind, I did the same.
Except it was my whole body I had turned, and I said, "Okay, I'm out." I walk into the hall and stop dead in my tracks when I saw a familiar face at the end of the corridor. "La Muerte?"
She was looking down at her feet as she slowly walked, and upon hearing her name she looks up in surprise. "Jack?" She says, confused. "You're supposed to be outside working. What are you doing in here?" She had picked up speed in her walking while I remained where I stood near the bedroom doors.
Arendelle's Queen gives out an ear piercing scream and I wince at the sound. "That's why," I say as I gesture to Iduna in her room. "I thought it was a random woman in need at first, but then once I realized that the screams were coming from the castle, it instantly clicked that the woman in need is Iduna."
La Muerte frowns and sadly looks away. "You should leave, Jack. A woman giving birth is not a sight an immortal 18 year old boy should witness."
I chuckle and nod in agreement, deciding to ignore her weird behavior. "Yeah, you're definitely right. See you whenever." I walk past her, hoping to get the image of the Midwife between Iduna's legs out of my mind, but then I stop, a question suddenly popping up.
"Hey, wait," I swiftly turn back around, "why are you here?"
For a moment, La Muerte doesn't answer. She stares at me with sad eyes until finally she sighs and says, "Jack...you know what I do when it's not the Allhallowtide. Or Hallowmas, as you call it. I guide the souls of those who pass to their desired or destined afterlife."
My eyes went wide at her answer and I felt stupid for not realizing it before. "Oh," was all I was able to say and then when it really settled in, I felt sick to my stomach. Because her being here is proof of what I feared.
Elsa is going to die.
"Oh," I repeat and everything, and I mean everything, felt too tight. "La Muerte, no. You can't. Please," I beg, the desperation in my voice surprising me. "There's got to be something you can do to not...do what you usually do. Don't..." I was getting emotional, I could tell by the watering of my eyes and the shift in my vocal tone. God damn it.
"Don't," I try again, firmer now as I fought back foolish tears, "take Elsa. She's just a baby. A baby, La Muerte!"
"You don't think I know that?!" La Muerte snaps, making me jump and become a little fearful when I saw the flames in her eyes burn. "I have no choice. It's not like I'm killing her. I'm just the guide that sends souls to where they're supposed to go. It's my job, Jack. A job I've done every single day for a countless amount of years. She's not the first baby I've delivered and she won't be last. And to this day, it still breaks my heart. I...I..." but there was nothing else for her to say for she already said what was needed.
And then she's crying and I feel like crying too, but the male in me wants to be strong for her. However her crying is making me feel awkward, just like with Queen Tara's crying fit last week. So instead of comforting her, I say, "We got to get Tara. Maybe she-"
"She can't do anything, just as I can't," La Muerte says as she wipes away her tears and keeps her eyes locked on the floor. "I don't want to risk it anyway. Tara told the others and I about the dragon blood. What if by giving Iduna the dragon's blood to heal her, this is what is causing Elsa to be born early and die? If we do anything to save Elsa, if we mess around with the natural order again, we could end up losing both hers and her mother's life."
"But we can't just do nothing either!" I argue, griping my staff harder in anger. "There's always a way. We just got to find it. We got to find a way. Elsa is a child and we're Guardians. Our main job is to protect the children of the world. If we don't do anything then we fail as Guardians. We got to find Tara-"
"I already sent a messenger bat to her," La Muerte interrupts as she leans against the wall and sighs. "She'll be here soon."
I stand beside her, leaning against the wall too, and look up at the ceiling. I've always accompanied La Muerte during Halloween, All Souls Day, and All Saints Day, but I've never witnessed her guide a soul to the afterlife. I don't plan on it either. She told me once how she was actually there the day I died, ready to take me to Heaven when suddenly Manny stopped her and told her of the person who I was meant to be. The person who I've always been, but cooler. Had it not been for Manny, she would have taken me, like she's supposed too. And while she's supposed to take Elsa, I'm going to make sure she doesn't take Elsa anywhere. Elsa is going to stay here on Earth and she's going to live with her parents and make them happy and grow up and become Queen and do Queen stuff. She's going to live.
I promise this. I swear it.
With my life.
A bright portal suddenly opens up from the end of the hall, and out steps Mother Nature in a rush. When she sees us she's quick to say, "What's happening? Am I too late? What-" but she's cut off but Iduna screaming and then she's running inside the room. La Muerte and I are quick to follow her and when I'm inside I see Tara sitting on the bed, on the other side of Iduna, holding on to the Queen's wrist since her hand is too busy gripping the sheets.
"I'm here, Iduna," she says, comfortingly while La Meurte and I stood next to her, "Open your eyes and look. I'm here."
Iduna opens her eyes, tears spilling out of them, and looks to her right, making eye contact with the lovely Mother Nature. "T-Tara," she whispers in relief, and the confusion on Agnarr's face tells me that only Iduna can see her.
"Iduna, who-" but he's cut off by the Midwife.
"I see the head!" She shouts, then looks over her shoulder at the maids. "I need some more towels and warm water. The baby will be here any minute now." Her attention goes back to Iduna. "I need you to focus on your breathing and prepare to push. Can you do that for me, your Majesty?"
"I...I can't! I-" and then she's screaming again as more pain strikes her.
"You can and you will," Tara says as she wipes some sweat away from Iduna's forehead. "You can do this, my child. Focus on your breathing. Do what I do," and then she's displaying some breathing exercises that would have been funny had the situation been something totally different.
Iduna does as she says, grunting and screaming and crying as the minutes go on, which I don't even know how much time had passed, until finally the Midwife says, "One more push, Iduna and then he'll be here. Just give me one more push!"
"It's...it's a she," she corrects the Midwife and I smirk. It's not exactly the time to be correcting people, but I love how she does so anyway.
Agnarr gives his wife a weird look, probably wondering why she would say that when he and everyone else thinks Elsa to be a boy. The Midwife, however, says nothing in response, too focused on the baby's head that's probably sticking out quite a bit. Ain't no way I'm checking to confirm. Uh uh. Nope. Not happening. Gross.
"Okay," she says, preparing her arms, "It's time. One big push, Iduna. Just one. You can do this."
Tara nods and gives her own words of encouragement. "Come on, Iduna. Let's introduce the world to Elsa."
Iduna nods through her pain, ready to bring her daughter into the world, with no acknowledgement that her daughter is going to die not long after. And when her body tenses up, pushing out the tiny body from her inside, my body tenses too, preparing for the worst. Iduna grunts some more then releases one last terrifying scream that does not compare to the intensity of her other ones.
The Midwife laughs as she looks down at whatever is in her hands and sighs in relief. "There you are, you little-" but she stops, a worried look replacing her relieved one.
"What is it?" Agnarr asks, worried as well.
Hell, we are all worried.
The Midwife looks up at the King with tears in her eyes and says, "She's not crying. She's not even moving. She's breathing, but barely. She's hardly alive, your majesties. I...I don't think...I'm sorry, but I don't think she's going to make it."
"What?!" Agnarr hisses, while Iduna sobs.
"No," she says, her voice hoarse, but that doesn't stop her from getting louder. "No! Give me my baby! Give her to me! Please! I want my baby!" She was acting like a mad woman, and why wouldn't she? She just got told that her newborn child is dying. I'd act the same way.
The Midwife doesn't even bother having the maids clean Elsa's body. She carefully gets to her feet and carries the naked and bloody baby to her mother, and when I caught sight of her, I, the Bringer of Winter, freeze.
Because for the first time in forever, I am looking at a child, a baby, with a head full of snow white hair. It's stained bloody red of course, but there's no mistaking that once the blood is washed off it's a pure snow white. How in the hell is that possible?
I was going to voice my thoughts, but the words get stuck in my throat when Elsa is placed in Iduna's arms, soundless and motionless, her breathing coming out abnormally, too slow, her pauses in between breathes too long.
Iduna's a crying mess, both at finally being able to hold her daughter and also because it'll also be her last time, and Agnarr is crying too, though not as much, trying to stay strong for his wife like I was for La Muerte a moment before. "Oh, Iduna," he says, his voice cracking in emotion, "she's beautiful. How did you know our child would be a girl? We were told she would be a boy."
Without looking away from their daughter, Iduna says though her tears, "A mother's intuition," she says, referring to Queen Tara, Mother Nature.
Tara's lips curl into a small sad smile, but it turns into an even sadder frown when La Muerte says, "She has 30 minutes left."
Iduna didn't hear her since La Muerte didn't unglamour herself, most likely because seeing Holy Death would send Iduna into an even worse panic, and instead of repeating La Muerte's words to the new mother, Tara remains silent and watches the new parents.
"My darling," Iduna cries, her tears a never ending waterfall down her cheeks, "please. Please, stay with us. You just got here, don't leave." And then she starts to sing. "Come my darling, homeward bound. You are found." But then she's sobbing again and she pulls her daughter closer to her chest as she rocks back and forth. She kisses Elsa's forehead and that's when Agnarr wraps his arms around them and buries his face in the crook of Iduna's neck, softly crying, drowning under the heartbreaking sobs of his wife.
It...it was all too much for me.
Realizing that the Midwife and the maids were gone to give the royals their privacy, I decided to do the same, more so for my benefit then out of respect to them. I'm about to lose it and I don't know if it's my tears or powers that want to burst more. I want to hit something, to send something exploding in ice, and knowing that I can't since there are sleeping people around makes my anger so much worse. So much more intense.
It burns.
I storm out of the room and fly to the nearest window, opening it up and getting the hell out of there, ignoring the calls of Tara and Muerte. When I'm in the air, flying through the blizzard's wind, going in a random direction that I hoped would take me far away, I look up at the moon, at Manny, and was overcome with so much hatred toward him.
"For a caring deity," I shout at him, knowing he'd hear me, as well as the Christian God, "you two sure are pretty cruel. She's a baby!" I land on a random rooftop and point my staff up at the moon. "You brought me back to life damn it! Tara and Muerte may not be able to do it, but you can! Save her fucking life! You can ignore me all you want, I don't care. You've ignored me ever since I was reborn, but if you don't save Elsa's life then I will never forgive you. Never! I'll...I'll...I'll go on a freezing spree. I'll create a new ice age if you don't save her."
I'm totally bluffing, and he totally knows it, but I'm desperate.
So totally desperate.
And I don't know why.
Babies and children die all the time. I've witnessed it before. I hated it then, just as much as I hate it now, which is probably why I'm so determined to save her, but I feel as though there's more to it.
"Please," I beg, my tears finally falling, "I'll give her half of my soul. Half of my life. I'll...I'll...I'll give her all of it! Take my life, not hers! I've lived well over 100 years. Let her live at least 100 days! Please, I'll-"
And then I hear it.
His voice.
The Man in the Moon's voice.
Manny's voice!
Go to her and I'll tell you what to do.
And at first I thought I was hearing things. My body is frozen in shock, but my tears are still falling, only this time they're falling because of hope. And when he says Hurry, Jack. Time is running out, I'm flying back without question, my hope growing with every second.
When I'm back in the room, Elsa is no longer in her mother's arms. She lies in her cradle, where the Midwife is cleaning her and is bundling her up, and still the baby shown no sign of life. Iduna on the other hand still remained in her bed, clinging on to her husband as she screamed out her pain. Pain that I knew was worse than her birth.
Because the pain that comes when a child leaves this world will never compare to the pain that comes when a child enters it. It's so much worse.
Tara and La Muerte were in the corner of the room, both of them crying too, but Tara...I've never seen my adopted Mother so broken.
They didn't know I was there, and not wanting to waste anymore time, I decided to not let my presence be known. I walk over to the cradle, the Midwife now gone to try to calm down the devastated parents, and when I see the now clean baby, my eyes land on her very white hair.
"You must have gotten that from the Bewilderbeast," I whisper to her, hoping she'd hear and make some kind of response.
She doesn't.
And it only makes my heart beat faster.
"Is your hair color all he gave you?" I continue, talking more to calm myself. "Or are you gifted with more? What other side effects do you have from the dragon blood, huh? I wish we had taken into consideration on what it would do to you. What if you're able to talk to dragons? I suppose you'd have to be able to talk first to find out. And find a dragon to talk with too. Tara can help with that. Wouldn't that be cool?" I then release a genuine gasp. "What if you're able to turn into a dragon? That'd be even cooler."
And still no response.
The only thing to be heard was the crying sobs of everyone in the room, Iduna the loudest of all.
I held back more tears and say to Manny, "Okay, Manny. I'm here. What do I do?"
I'm so used to not receiving an answer, so when he does, I tear up some more.
Give her a frozen kiss and the blessing will be sealed.
"A frozen kiss?" I repeat, confused. "How will that help?"
She already has my blessing, but there needs to be a physical contact to bind the blessing forever. Kiss her forehead and her life shall be saved.
"What will happen when I do?" I ask, worried. "The dragon blood made Iduna better and gave her strength to get through this birth, but it did the opposite to Elsa. What side effects do I need to worry about for this?"
No, Jack. The only thing the Bewilderbeast's blood did was give Elsa her white hair color and the ability to talk to dragons. Nothing more and nothing less. This is the doing of the Boogeyman. As for any side effects that this blessing will do...I'll let you find that out for yourself.
Four things ran through my head. 1) Elsa really is able to talk to dragons! Holy shit! I was not expecting to be right about that. 2) There is a side effect to saving her, but Manny makes it sound...safe and good? 3) Pitch Black, the reason why Iduna's people are trapped, is the same reason why she is losing her daughter. And lastly 4)...
I'm going to kill him.
You can kill him another time. Right now, this is a time for saving, says Manny, who is obviously very right.
And without a second thought, I do as he says.
I lean forward, my power surging through my veins, and kiss Elsa's tiny forehead, my lips lingering on her little head as my magic left my lips, but...it wasn't just the magic that I feel leave. Something else did too. Something deep within me.
When I lean back, I watch as the frost I had planted on her head spread. It traveled over her face, and most likely to the rest of her body, which I couldn't see since she was bundled up in a light blue blanket (they were prepared for a boy so of course it's blue). And while seeing her covered in frost worried me very much, I could not deny how beautiful the different snowflake patterns in the frost are.
Next thing I know, the frost is glowing, and it caught the wide eyed attention of everyone.
"Jack," La Muerte says from where she stood in the corner from across the room, still holding Tara in her arms. "What did you do?"
And while I had an answer, I didn't have time to speak it, because the glowing frost is suddenly dimming, and when I look closely, I see that the frost is now being absorbed into Elsa's skin, and when it's completely gone, Elsa's first breath after absorbing the frost comes out in a frosty cloud...
And then she's moving.
And then she's crying.
And then I'm crying.
Because oh my God she's okay! She's alive! I did it! I helped save her life!
And then the Midwife is checking to see if everything is okay.
And then she's shouting that it's a miracle and is handing the Princess of Arendelle to her parents, who are now crying in joy at the miracle that was bestowed upon them.
And then my wet eyes are landing on Mother Nature and Holy Death, who are looking at me in shock and confusion and joy all wrapped in one, which is everything I am feeling too.
And then I'm feeling something else.
My head is throbbing, my vision is becoming fuzzy, I feel like I'm going to throw up, and then...
And then...
I pass out.
.
.
.
A.N: This chapter might have some things added to it later. Until then, tell me what you think! I hope you're enjoying it so far :D Stay tuned!