Disclaimer: I am not the owner of ROTG or Frozen
TheToastGhost: Thank you for the review and your kind words! As always, you keep my spirits up and help keep me motivated to write more. While I do enjoy Kristoff as well, I do not plan on having him in this story right now for two reasons. One, I don't have an idea on how to bring him over from Arendelle, since he isn't personally invested in leaving to find the princesses with this version of the plot. Two, I would be too tempted to abandon my Jack X Anna pairing and switch to cannon with Anna X Kristoff because I think they are cute together too.
"What is it?" Anna asked, managing to make her way over to him. She wasn't as skilled at walking on ice as he was, but she managed to get over to him eventually. "My memories." he whispered, picking up the box and staring at it with wide eyes. Anna grinned at him, grabbing his arm excitedly as she recognized the object in his hand. "That's it! That'll prove I'm right, that you aren't messing anything up. Trust me, I know that there is something good in there." Anna insisted, beaming up at Jack. The winter spirit hesitated, glancing closer at the box before nodding at her. He could see golden light gleaming from the box as he pressed his hand to the top of it. His touch seemed to activate something within, making the world around him seem to fade away as memories assaulted his mind.
Images flashed before his eyes, moving quickly throughout various scenes. He watched himself having fun, hanging from trees and playing pranks on kids nearby. They seemed to slow down eventually, stopping on one memory in particular. He was ice skating, out on a lake near where he had lived. On the pond was his sister, her eyes wide with fear as the ice beneath them began to crack. "Jack, I'm scared." she whispered, looking to her older brother for help. Jack was clever, even then, trying to think of a way to bring a smile back to her face. "I know, but you're gonna be alight. You're not gonna fall in. We're gonna have a little fun instead!" he insisted.
Jack watched the memory continue to play out, following the game he played with her to its final end. He was so relieved that she had survived, that she had made it to safety, but that did not stop him from seeing his fall. The ice was still weak and his weight was centered on the cracks, finally breaking completely and dragging his body into the icy water below. The image began to fade, bringing him back to the present where he had collapsed on the ground in the arctic, with Anna kneeling by his side with a worried expression on her face.
"Jack, are you okay?" she asked, watching him sit up with an excited expression on his face. "Did you see that?" Jack asked, grabbing Anna's shoulders and grinning wildly at her. Anna was confused, but she really didn't care what this was about at this point. "Uh, no?" she replied, while he grinned even wider. "It was me! I had a family, a sister! I saved her!" he said, jumping up and laughing as he thought about his memories. Anna smiled at him, feeling triumphant at his words. "I told you so! I knew that there was something in there. After all, why else would they ask you to be a Guardian?" she said getting up with him, though barely. The cold had made her numb now, draining her energy away as he reclaimed his memories. It had taken a lot of work to keep herself awake without him, but now it was hard even with him here.
Jack blinked a few times at her words, realizing the truth just know. "You're right. That's why he chose me." he whispered, but Anna wasn't looking too good. Her eyes slammed shut and she began to collapse in front of him. Jack rushed forward, catching her before she fell. "Anna? Stay with me just a little longer, I'm going to get us out of here." he said, feeling panic begin to set in. She had to get somewhere warm before it was too late. His gaze searched the area for something to use, but all he saw were the remains of his staff. Jack gently set Anna down, going over to grab his staff. Maybe he could do something with it, but he was rather doubtful at this point. He was beginning to feel cold himself, something that shocked him. His magic was fading without the staff, an alarming notion that he could not focus on for too long.
"North, he's over here!" a voice called out, catching Jack's attention. He glanced up, seeing Tooth hovering above the entrance to the crevice with the sleigh flying higher up. "Tooth! Anna needs help, quick!" Jack shouted, stopping his attempts at fixing his staff to focus on the rescue coming in. Jack didn't know why they had shown up, but he wasn't going to risk Anna's life by delaying it any further. She flew down, stumbling slightly as she landed. "Sorry, my powers aren't what they used to be." she said sheepishly, brushing a hand through some of the feathers on her head. Jack nodded, helping Anna up slightly into her arms. "Wait, what happened to your staff? How did you get down here?" Tooth asked, noticing the broken wood in Jack's hand. "No time for that, just get her out of here." Jack insisted, watching as North landed his sleigh above them. It was a bit too large to fit into the crevice, so he would have to wait for them up there.
"I'm too weak to carry her alone, Jack. I'm sorry, but I don't think we can get her out of here." Tooth said, looking concerned. "No! We are Guardians, we never give up. North!" he called out, waving up at the sleigh. "Can I borrow one of your snow globes?" he asked, getting another idea. Tooth's eyes widened at his words, realizing just what he had in mind. An object fell down into his hands, a small orb with snow swirling inside. "Thanks, now let's get out of here and stop Pitch." Jack said with a grin, kneeling down by Anna as he threw the globe. She needed someplace warm, so there was only one place in mind for them to go. "The Warren." he whispered, watching the portal form in front of them. He picked Anna up, dragging her through as Tooth flew back to the sleigh. "I'll see you there, Jack. Hurry!" Tooth yelled, flying off with North. Jack could see that even the sleigh was unable to fly straight, weakened from the lack of belief. He really was pressed for time, then. With one last glance at Anna, Jack picked her up and ran through the portal, knowing he needed to get her better and then help restore belief with the other Guardians.
On the other side, the sight of the warren was not what Jack was expecting. He was used to grassy fields, with flowers that sprayed paint on eggs and rock statues guarding the meadows here. It was warm weather, always sunny and bright in Bunny's home. Now, most of the flowers had wilted away, turning brown as they died. The color in the grass had faded and the life of this place was gone. Even with all of this death caused by the lack of belief, it was not the most shocking thing about the state of the Warren right now.
A blizzard was rampaging throughout this place, painting the ground white and bringing cold, harsh winds to this place. Jack knew that this was bad, that it would only make things worse for Anna right now. He only had the one globe now, and he wasted it to bring her to this place. He didn't realize that someone had brought a snowstorm here, that it would be just as cold as the arctic had been. "I told you that this will end when I know Anna is safe!" a voice yelled out, filled with anger. Jack recognized that voice, running through the snow to find her. If only he still had his staff, he would then be able to fly to her through this storm. "Elsa! Calm down, Anna is here!" he tried yelling, his voice drowned out by the blowing winds around him.
"They're looking for her, sheila. I don't know what else you expect us to do for the little ankle-biter, but its the best we've got. It's more than she deserves, that's for sure." Bunny grumbled in response, annoying Jack. Yes, Easter had not survived Pitch's attack, but he should still be willing to protect anyone who believed. Anna might not be a child right now, but she was definitely a believer. "You don't know her. She did not cause this, Bunnymond, do not blame my sister for your failure." Elsa said, her voice cold and harsh. Jack stumbled as he ran, his foot hitting an unseen rock on the ground as he fell forward. He tried to twist, holding Anna tightly to keep her somewhat safer as he fell over. Their collapse had some benefit, though. They landed directly at the feet of Elsa, Anna sprawled out underneath the winter spirit with the two halves of his staff falling from his hand and onto the ground in front of him.
"Anna?" Elsa whispered, seeing the state of her sister. Jack knew what she looked like, but he didn't have time for Elsa to figure it out on her own. "Hypothermia. Pitch dragged her to the arctic to taunt me." Jack said quickly, watching Elsa's eyes grow wide. "What were you doing all the way out there, mate?" Bunny asked, his arms crossed over his chest as the wind began to die down along with the storm. Elsa was reigning in her powers, calming slightly now that she at least knew Anna was alive. Her fear was still there, but not as strong. "Elsa, we need this storm to stop completely, not just slow down." Jack insisted, watching the snow continue to fall slowly from the sky.
"Hey! I might be small, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore me, Frost." Bunny complained, this time jumping into Jack's line of sight. The winter spirit blinked in surprise, before bursting out with laughter at the sight in front of him. The always tough-talking rabbit was now the size of a household pet, cute and with a fluffily little tail to add into the look. "Watch it, mate. I can still claw your eyes out." Bunny threatened, standing on his back legs and glaring at Jack. "Fine, fine. Still, I think Anna is the priority right now. She needs to rest someplace warm while she recovers." Jack told them.
Elsa nodded, her eyes closing as she focused. Jack watched her carefully, noticing that she was holding her hands carefully by her sides, clenched into fists as she concentrated. The snow faded even further, stopping completely and letting the sun return. Anna grumbled a bit on the ground, stirring as warmth returned to the Warren. Jack hadn't expected her to get up so soon, but that didn't change the fact that she was. "Anna, I'm here. Please wake up." Elsa whispered, kneeling by her sister's side and clutching her hand. "Elsa? Is that you?" Anna asked, blinking her eyes a few times as she woke up.
Jack wanted to celebrate at the sight of those open blue eyes. He had finally done something right, saving his only believer when she needed him the most. "Yes, it's me. You're safe now, I promise." Elsa replied, smiling softly down at Anna. The red-head grinned back, shaking her head and sitting up, still holding her arms around her body for warmth. "How did you know?" Anna asked, something Jack wanted to know as well. He had seen no reason to suspect that Pitch would go after Anna. Elsa had known so quickly, but Jack had no idea how. "I saw the Nightmares leaving Burgess, a sign that Pitch was traveling elsewhere. It told me that he was up to something and with you missing, I couldn't stop myself from thinking that you were in danger. I must apologize to you Bunny, for freezing your home. I panicked when Anna disappeared and it was the only way I knew I could get your help." Elsa stated, glancing back towards the rabbit nervously.
"Hey, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Jack told her with a grin, crouching on the ground by Anna. She smiled when she saw him, sitting up quickly and hitting her head against Elsa's in her rush. She winced at the impact, rubbing her head as Elsa leaned back, doing the same. "Ouch, Elsa why were you sitting that close to me?" Anna complained, while Elsa gave her sister a small look of irritation. "Why did you decide to try and get up so suddenly?" she countered, while Anna sighed and let her hand drop. "Alright, fine. Hey Jack, are you feeling any better?" Anna asked, watching the winter spirit carefully, this time from her spot on the ground. Jack shrugged, glancing back towards the remains of his staff wistfully. He would never have his power again, not without that staff. At least Anna was alive, that was the important part.
"What happened"? Elsa asked, following his gaze and spotting the broken wood on the ground. "Pitch happened." Jack said with hatred, not bothering to explain any further. He watched Elsa touch the wood gently, examining the spot that had broken. "Just what is this anyway?" she asked, clearly not understanding the look on Jack's face. "Just Frost's favorite toy. He never goes anywhere without the thing." Bunny commented, not understanding the importance of the staff. Jack stood up, sighing and shaking his head at the Guardian's comment. It wasn't quite true, but Bunny didn't exactly have much to base his opinion on.
"Not quite, kangaroo." Jack said, backing up as Bunny raised his fists threateningly at the nickname. "That staff is what connects me to my magic. Without it, I'm powerless." he explained, watching Elsa's eyes widen. "This helps…control it? To keep it tamed?" she whispered. Jack shrugged, walking over to her. "Uh, sure, let's go with that." he commented, not quite getting her comment. It was clearly shocking her to hear this, but he didn't know why. "Come on, Elsa. Jack's probably had way more experience with his powers than you have. You can't expect to be exactly the same as he is." Anna said, watching Elsa with a smile. Elsa sighed, picking the staff up carefully and placing the ends together. They fit perfectly still, all they needed was something to mend them together.
"I think I might be able to fix it." Elsa said softly, her hands gripping the staff tightly. Jack was surprised, but he wasn't about to stop her from trying. If anything could give him his staff back, he would take it without any questions asked. He watched as ice began trailing down his staff, from both of Elsa's hands. Where it was broken, the ice seemed to merge together and creep into the small cracks within the wood. As it did so, the ends seemed to merge together as one again, but the magic still seemed to linger. The staff began to shine in her hands, ice spreading across the wooden surface completely as it began to spin out of control. Elsa dropped the staff, afraid of what was happening, but it did not stop the change. Once it was finished, Jack's staff was made entirely of ice, no longer from wood and it rested on the ground by Elsa's feet.
Jack picked it up hesitantly, knowing that it had at least eased the pain he had felt when it broke. As soon as his hand touched the smooth surface of the staff, a new strength seemed to surge through him. "Whoa." he breathed, grinning as he began to think about the potential of his new weapon. It was different than before, stronger but still just as controlled by his will. He wanted to test it out, to go flying and making new things. Maybe he could actually recreate Elsa's ice castle now, with this new strength. "Did it work?" Elsa asked quietly, not noticing that Jack's focus was on something else.
The winter spirit blinked at her for a moment, before grinning wildly at her. "Yes it did. Looks like you and I are the only two left to stand up against Pitch now. Wanna join me?" Jack offered, holding out his hand with a smile on his face. "Hey, don't count me out! I'm tough too, I'll take on that meanie!" Anna yelled, getting up and standing with Elsa and Jack. The winter spirit laughed, ruffling her hair gently as he walked over to her side. "Alright, fine. Don't forget to have some fun out there, though." Jack told her, watching her grin at him in response. He remembered her words from before and he would not forget them. He had to keep people focused on the fun, to help push away their fear.
Elsa glanced between the two of them, smiling softly as they interacted. Jack knew she would be joining them, there was no way she could refuse at this point. "Very well, Jack Frost. I do believe I promised to help you as long as you kept my sister safe. We will stop Pitch together and help restore the Guardians to their former ability." she declared, standing up and walking confidently through the warren. Jack followed her with Anna close behind, prepared for anything as they left. They were going to end Pitch this time, Jack was sure of it. No one was strong enough to stand up to them, not now. "Jack, wait!" a voice called out from behind him, making him turn around to see a sleigh crashing into the ground in the Warren.
North climbed out, the source of the noise. "The globe, the lights are going out!" he yelled, clearly panicked by the thought. Jack nodded, already aware of this face. "Yeah, yeah We're on it, North. Elsa and I were just about to—" Jack began, only to be interrupted by North yet again. "No, I mean they are all going out. There are only two believers left in the world. You must go to him now, Jack, for all of us. We'll be right behind you." North said, leaning on his swords for support. "Jaimie. We've got to get to Jaimie, Jack. I know he's the other believer, come on!" Anna whispered, grabbing his hand and running out of the Warren. Jack was dragged behind her for a few moments before he thought of a way to speed things up. He took off into the air, picking Anna up as he flew out through the tunnels in the Warren. "Come on, Elsa. Try to keep up!" Jack yelled, not bothering to look back and see what she was doing. Anna was right and they had to hurry. Jack was not going to watch his favorite kid abandon all of his hope tonight, not when he could stop it.
Please review and tell me what you think!