Kristoff charged to the rope at the far end of the sail. Trying his best to get a firm grasp on it, he attempted to keep the mammoth object from swaying maddeningly with the powerful gale all around them.
"Keep it steady lad! The last thing we need is for that thing to hit anyone. The very last thing we would ever need is for that thing to completely break off!" the captain commanded as he rigorously tried to steer the wheel of the ship from the monstrous waves bombarding them from end to end.
Multiple guards ran over to assist Kristoff in maintaining the sails while others attempted to rush the servants and guests inside. As the terrified passengers continued to flood through the doors, a powerful breeze erupted from within the cabins and out towards the exit.
"Come on people! Get to safety quick—" Kristoff called out before he noticed a towering body of water hover overhead. He immediately gestured everyone nearby to get down in preparations for the impact. As everyone ducked their heads, he suddenly felt a forceful wind blare past them. Quickly glancing up, they all watched as the wave suddenly split in two, mitigating its force and collapse over the far edges of the ship.
Suddenly, Kristoff felt a strong tap on the back of his head. Turning immediately, he found himself face to face with the winter guardian.
"What in the world happened?" Jack questioned whilst doing his best to command the winds slightly in their favor. Realizing the sail was no longer swinging frantically, he called the guards around him to secure any loose items around on deck and keep the other people out of harm's way.
"It started out as some grey clouds off in the distance and out of the way but, as we continued further, the storm began kicking in all around us. It happened so fast we had no chance to change course." He replied as he sprinted over to the anchor that had unhinged itself from the rails and proceeded to scrape along the floor.
Jack quickly pushed the large man out of the way and shot a blast of ice, effectively securing the large metal in its position. "Don't be stupid. Trying to catch a large, heavy piece of metal flailing along the ground with just your hands is not the smartest idea."
"I'm wearing gloves, thank you very much." Kristoff retorted, desperately holding onto the railings as the waves shook the ship mercilessly. Suddenly, the two noticed from the corner of their eye Elsa rushing to them.
"Elsa! What are you doing? Get back inside!" Jack demanded.
"It's too dangerous out here, please hurry and get in the cabins." Kristoff pleaded as well.
"No! I need to find Anna!" She yelled, trying to talk over the roaring winds, loud thunder, and pouring rain around them.
"What?! Anna's not with Sven and Olaf?" He looked to see her nod her head. His heart began to sink. "I told her to get inside when the rain started kicking in..." The blonde man looked absolutely mortified. His eyes were visibly turning bloodshot as his worries began to pile. Both Jack and Elsa shared the same sentiment.
"Okay, not the time to panic. We just need to—" Jack was immediately interrupted by the Kristoff.
"This is the perfect time to panic! We're in the middle of a thunderstorm and Anna's missi—" He was suddenly met with a strong thwack to the face from the wooden cane. Jack looked partially infuriated as he turned Kristoff's head to face him.
"Freaking out is not going to solve anything. Do you not see Elsa right now?" He then turned Kristoff to face Elsa who looked like she was about to lose herself as her hands buried into her hair with a look of agony. He felt his head turn back to Jack. "Now then, it's simple. We just have to find her. I'll check along the outside, you get inside and check around with everyone else, and take Elsa with you. Alright?"
After a moment of anxiety, he finally regained his composure and calmed his nerves, if only for a moment. With a firm look, he nodded his head lifted his arms over the queen to protect her for the gale and downpour as they made their way to the inside.
"Man overboard!" one of the guards called out from the rails.
"Hold that thought. Elsa, get inside first, Kristoff, grab this." Jack snatched up a rope and tossed one end to Kristoff.
"How am I supposed to get this to him?"
"That's my job. You're job's to bring him back up!" With that being said, Jack took the other end and dipped over the ship as Kristoff watched the coil whip around more rapidly by the second.
Elsa was still distraught but was determined to find her missing sister. Doing her best to maintain her balance against the winds and the waves, she continued back to the entrance of the cabin. However, as she was rushing to the door, her foot was caught on a small groove in the floorboard, causing her to tumble to the ground. Turning her head to see the cause of it, she noticed the floor was not totally flush with the rest of the deck. Immediately, she realized what it was and darted her way to it, reaching her hands into the dip that caught her leg and lifted it with all her might. Finally, she opened the hatch that lead below the deck of the ship, praying she would find her lost sister.
"Anna?" She called out once. "Anna!" She shouted out a second time as she tried her best to peer into the darkness below with only the small cracks in the floorboard to provide any light. Gripping at the wooden pillars and side stepping the various objects scraping against the floor, she continued to yell her sister's name. Suddenly, a lightning struck far closer than any before it, causing a thunderous roar that echoed in her ears. However, another sound caught her attention, something that pierced even the loudest rumble.
The wince of a child.
"Anna is that you?!" Elsa sprinted through the darkness. In all her life, there was only a single thing that was engraved in her memories. From the very first day her isolated world began, this stood as a testament to her sins. No matter how distant, how soft, how hidden it was, behind closed doors and a quiet knock was the whimper she could never answer back to.
After the second lightning flash, The ship shook wildly and suddenly the roof of the area was abruptly smashed open by something large barreling through it. Thanks to the opening, she finally got a glimpse of her sister huddled against the right wall. Her arms locked around legs and her coat engulfing her body. Elsa relentlessly maneuvered the rest of the way to her little sister resting on the floor. Calling forth her powers, she launched away the metal object to the far corners and locked it against the walls as she extended her arms all around Anna, embracing the ginger girl for dear life.
"Thank god, you're okay…" Elsa whispered with a hint of glee and a silent breath escaping her. Anna was safe. However, the poor girl was shivering uncontrollably. Fearing that Anna may have been injured or sick from the rainfall, she lifted the hoody over Anna's head and pushed aside her draping bangs only to see the remnants of her sister's tears dried up against her cheeks and partially wiped away.
"Mom?" the pale redhead whispered as she slightly tilted her head up. Elsa was horrified to see that her eyes were completely bloodshot red and clouded. Water laced the edges of Anna's eyelids before tears began pouring down.
"Oh, Anna…" the older sister gently caressed the frightened girl's freckled cheeks. This was her first time ever seeing Anna's face in such dismay. The sound of her sister's cries was heartache enough but to see her like this was truly devastating. As she gritted her teeth, a sickly smile began to form over Anna's pale face.
"Mom… you came back…" she spoke weakly but happily, raising her arm and interlacing her fingers with Elsa's slender hand. "I… I'm sorry I kept bothering Elsa… I didn't want to be alone anymore but… but I promised I wouldn't do it… and… and then you and dad left. I know you're mad but…"
Anna clutched at her sister's gown and pressed her head against her chest. Her tears were pouring once more and like never before. Her body was shaking even harder as she tried her best to fight with herself and maintain her composure.
"You're here… you're back… so… we can be together again, right?" She raised her head up once more, looking Elsa directly in the eyes. She didn't realize it but tears had begun to form in her own eyes as well. "We can… we can be together again… Then one day… Elsa too… Us and Elsa and everyone… a… a family again…"
The weak yet innocent smile that quivered ever so slightly remained on Anna's saddened face, expecting any sort of reply. Elsa continued to watch, unsure of what to do or say only to realize something. All this time, this poor girl had to bear all this pain. Trying to be strong, she held in her own tears to be the happy child that her family knew she was. This poor little girl that had lost so much, without a single reason why and put up her own veil to protect herself.
Elsa slowly unhinged her fingers from Anna's, pulling away slowly only to wrap one arm around her sister's waist and the other rested firmly on Anna's back. Pulling closer together, she rested her chin on her shoulders and began to stroke her back tenderly. Slowly but compassionately, her arms began to tighten around the redhead, bringing them even closer together as she continued to cradle her through the oncoming waves. Without realizing it, Elsa had summoned a small torrent of wind that had wrapped the two in a dome of frost and snow that drowned out the noise of the storm.
"For the first time in forever… I finally understand." Elsa sung quietly but assuredly. She felt Anna's frail body react to her voice.
"For the first time in forever, we can fix this hand in hand." She pulled back slightly to see Anna's mouth slightly agape. She took both arms and gently placed her little sister's hands into her own and cupping them together.
"We can head down this mountain together…" She paused for a moment as she began calling forth a small wave of energy in Anna's hand, slowly shaping a small snowflake. "You don't have to live in fear."
Anna's eyes began to focus on her palms as she watched her hands magically light up. Her fogged vision was becoming clearer as she continued to watch the snow take shape and form into a small snowball. As the color in her face began returning to her and the energy in her body gradually filling up, the snowball launched into the air and erupted around them, small bits of snowflakes remained in suspended animation around them as they lit up the dark room. As she looked around the area in amazement, her view slowly moved down from the snowflakes in the air to finally see her sister's loving smile and beautiful crystal blue eyes looking into her own. One last tear drop rolled down her rosy cheeks as a joyful grin spread across her cheeks.
" 'Cause, for the first time in forever…" Elsa moved forward once again, looking down at the second snowflake that had formed in their hands. Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead against Anna's. They both had a content smile as they thought of each other.
Together, they recited each other's words. "I will be right here."
"Ey! Watch out, would yah?" Kristoff yelled out as he hung against the ropes tied to the main mast of the ship. His body continued to flail relentlessly in tumbling waters.
"I can't really control how this whole thing works! Keep in mind, this was improvised!" Jack called out. An enormous wave began rising over the shop, almost towering two times over the tallest point.
"Starboard! Starboard!" the captain called out. Jack bolted around the left side of the sails towards the wave. Twirling his staff in the air, he whipped it at the tallest tip of the rising water, freezing the top point solid. Raising his staff over his head, he rapidly slammed it down like a hammer. A powerful gale followed the hook end and the wind launched the block of ice down into the ocean, crushing the enormous wave back down. The sudden splash of the iceberg rippled the waters and caused the ship to shake wildly. However, they were safe from capsizing for now.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Watch out!" a guard called to another standing at the rails. Looking forward, the man immediately jumped out of the way of the anchor that had eventually broken away from its frozen shackles. They watched as it launched into the air and crashed through the main deck of the ship.
"It didn't crack a hole in the ship, did it?" Kristoff yelled as he rushed to the opening. However, another wave rose up that sent him flying and rammed him against the wall of the cabins. He groaned in agony from the impact.
When Jack finally disposed of another wave that had risen, he flew towards the large man. "Hey, big guy, you alright?" The boy helped him back on his feet.
"Ugh… yeah, I'm fine. I've fallen off a cliff and went head to head with a giant snowman. This is nothing…" the blonde man grunted as he placed his arm around his stomach.
"Heh, so you had a run-in with the large snow cone at the ice castle too?" Jack laughed as he propped Kristoff against the large mast.
"To be fair, there wouldn't have been any trouble if Anna didn't decide to tick him off." He chuckled. They both began laughing heartily as Jack started securing the man to the large piece of wood. Kristoff looked to the waves rising and falling in the distance and back to the guardian. "How long can you keep this up, Jack?" He questioned with a worried look.
Jack turned left and right to see how far the clouds extended. He then looked back to the staff in his hands and furrowed his brow. "So long as the really big waves only come one at a time, I should be able to handle it. But, if two or three start coming at us all at once, I'm not sure what I'm gonna—" Both of them suddenly felt a powerful pulse of energy erupt from nowhere. The surrounding waves were suddenly pushed away by the blast and the clouds in the sky had parted momentarily.
"What was that?" Kristoff asked in confusion as he whipped his head around. Jack also started inspecting the are to find its source. As he ran over the edge of the ship, he watched as the waves started rushing back at them in droves.
"Oh boy…" Jack exclaimed as he prepared his staff for the worst. Rising into the air, ready to unleash a barrage, he saw a stream of snow pouring from the hole in the ship. As he peered at the oddity, a second pulse exploded from it, this one vastly more powerful than the last. The shock wave sent him flying back several meters as he tried to block it with his arms. This second surge of energy had engulf everything around them for several miles in all directions, freezing the surrounding waters entirely, calming the winds and clearing the skies with only the moon lighting their gaze.
Jack wisped all around as he gazed in awe of what had just happened. He couldn't believe his eyes. The entire ocean had suddenly frozen over with the ravishing waves now resembling towering mountains… mountains.
Recalling the hole in the ship, he darted himself back to the deck of the ship and poked his head inside. He scanned all around the inside to find anything but to no avail. Then he noticed in the darkness a light growing brighter at one end. Trying to focus more on it, he realized it was an opening and pulled his head back up to see both Elsa and Anna rising out of the lower decks. He sprinted towards them with a look of relief.
"Hey! Hey, you're alright, both of you are!" He stumbled on his footsteps while sprinting and leant against his staff. They both nodded their heads and grinned. Jack then recalled what had just happened. Looking around the ship one more time, he looked at the ice and then turned to face Elsa. "So, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it was you that did this." He smiled playfully.
Both Elsa and Anna looked at each other and began giggling. As Elsa nudged against her sister's shoulders and locked her arms around Anna's, she looked back to Jack and shook her head. "It wasn't me. It was us."
Jack tilted his head slightly in confusion. However, after a moment, he let out a subtle laugh and a large and happy smile, lightly tapping both of them on the head with his staff. "Nice going, you two. You guys really knocked this one out of the park." He laughed again. He then felt a large pair of hands grip at his shoulders and squish him down.
"Hey, thanks a lot for tying me up and leaving me there!" Kristoff complained as he shoved Jack to the side and promptly wrapped his arms around Anna. Her face turned bright pink as she started kicking her legs and shouted at him in embarrassment to let her down. He refused to listen and continued to hold her up in the air. "I am so glad you're safe." He lifted her up again, this time she freed her arms and wrapped her hands around him.
"Alright, alright, get a room." Jack pushed them out of the way and stood firmly in front of Elsa. Standing there, he looked down at her as he wore a different smile from usual. Looking into his eyes, he wasn't showing his usual happy, jokingly playful smile he always had. This was something completely unrecognizable on him. It was both warm and gentle and captivating to look at. She wanted to say words but they wouldn't come out, not when he looked at her with such an expression.
Without warning, he abruptly tossed his staff to the side of him. Her eyes instinctively followed the sound of the falling branch, unaware of what was to happen next. In the next moment, Jack had suddenly tumbled forward, wrapping his arms around her neck and putting all his weight on the surprised girl before him. Completely caught off guard, she was unable to prepare herself and they both suddenly fell back against the walls of the ship, Jack refusing to hold himself up.
"Jack, what are you doing?!" She shouted while laughing at his sudden behavior. He simply brushed it off and squeezed her even tighter.
"While I was out there, you had me worried like a puppy." Be placed his hands against the wall next to Elsa's face as he pushed himself away to look back into her eyes. Like a moth to a flame, she was once again mesmerized by his smile, unable to look away or say a word.
Taking a deep breath, he finally let out a chuckle before stealing a quick kiss from her lips. Her face exploded a bright crimson red as she was, once again, shocked by the sudden gesture only, this time, it wasn't an accident.
"Then, out of the blue, you went ahead and did something amazing again." He picked up his staff and propped himself back up. He extended his hands to her. Shakily placing her palm on his, he quickly pulled her back on her feet. Her knees still a bit weak as she suddenly fell forward into his arms, her face still flush and unable to look him in the eyes.
Both Kristoff and Anna smirked at the sight of the two as they both made their way to them. "Alright, you two, get a—" Anna's hands shot up to shut Kristoff's mouth from saying anymore.
"Actually, I'm going to be taking Elsa from you, thank you very much." Anna commented as she darted towards Elsa, pulling her away. Still incredibly flustered from all of this as well as partially weak from the sudden burst of energy she called forth, Elsa leaned herself against her sister and whispered into Anna's ears a quiet thank you.
"Fine, fine. You guys go inside then. I've got some business I have to take care of. Can't leave the place frozen all day, can we? We've got ourselves a party to attend to." Jack said jokingly as he tossed his staff on his shoulders and skipped his way to the side of the ship. He took one last peek behind his back to see Elsa shyly wave him goodbye before heading inside. A smile crept on his face at the sight.
He began walking towards the front edge of the ship, gently scraping the hook of his staff against the grained wood of the deck, watching the iconic frost patterns erupt from the tip. Then, in one quick motion, he whipped his staff up into the air and pointed it directly towards the moon illuminating the skies. He took another deep breath and frowned as he glared at the large, glowing piece of rock.
"If this was because of you, I won't let it slide!" He cried out angrily and with a look of determination. As he said his declaration, a small breeze passed over his ears. He took a deep breath, his wrath slowly quelling inside of him. He huffed and let out a laugh and a sigh as he turned back around and made his way towards the cabin, his staff rested snugly on his neck. "Good."