Elsa paced back and forth along the edge of the lake, rubbing her hands together nervously. Where is he? she wondered, looking through the trees again for any sign of Jack. She worried that Greta had lost him and didn't deliver the letter. She said that she did, though. Maybe he didn't even want to show up.

"Stop it, Elsa." she said to herself as she sat down on the bank, "Of course he would show up." She stared at the moon's reflection on the lake, resting her chin on her knees. It felt like she'd been waiting forever. "Why am I so worried?" she whispered out loud, "He probably just late, that's all. He wouldn't leave me waiting like this."

"Of course not." Elsa spun around, searching for the voice, but she didn't see anyone around. "I would never do that to my best friend." She slowly turned until her blue eyes met a pair of familiar brown eyes. "Hello, princess." he said. He was so close to her face, their noses were almost touching. Elsa jumped back, turning red at the close proximity.

"You scared me, Jack." she said, standing up uneasily. Jack was trying very hard not to laugh. "I can't help it. You're too easy to scare."

Elsa tried her best to stare him down, but after about ten seconds, both of them started laughing. "I've been practicing, too," Elsa said, holding her side. When they both calmed down, an uneasy silence fell over them. Neither of them knew what to say to each other.

"So how is-" they both said at the same time, "Oh, you go- No, you start-"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling to himself. "You spoke first, Elsa."

Elsa giggled softly. "Well, um, I was just asking about your sister. How is she?"

"Missy's great. She's grown up a lot since you last saw her. Just turned twelve yesterday."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Has it been that long already?"

"Yep. It's been a long time." Elsa smiled at Jack. He looked so happy when he talked about his sister. "And how are you?" she asked, settling herself on the ground. Jack joined her a second later.

"Oh, you know. The usual," he said, "Work, keeping Missy out of trouble, keeping the boys away." Elsa had to giggle a little. "What's so funny?"

"You're such a big brother," she said, "It's nice to see that you care about her so much." Jack grinned at her. "Well, we're all each other has," he said, leaning back, "We gotta stick together if we're gonna make it out there."

Elsa kept quiet for a while. "Hey, Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember that one time when we tried to make a cake for your mom and we ended up covered in flour?"

Jack laughed. "I sure do. One of the best days of my life. Remember when we went sledding and ran into that statue in the square?"

"How could I forget? I think I still have bruises." They laughed and talked more about the old days. "I wish we could have more fun like that," Elsa said. Jack smiled.

"Well," he said, standing up and reaching his hand out to her, "Who said we can't right now?" Elsa gave him a strange look, but took his hand. He pulled her up, catching her when she stumbled.

"Close enough," he said, laughing until he realized how close they were. Elsa looked up shyly, realizing the same thing. If he tilted his head and moved a couple inches closer, he would be able to…

"Uh," Jack said, his brain turning into mush, "Maybe, um, we should start simple." He pushed her back until his brain started to work again.

What was that about? they both wondered. Elsa shook her head slightly, scolding herself mentally. "Are you okay?" She looked up and nodded, hoping that her face wasn't too red. Jack's face was starting to cool down, too, but there was still a lingering blush left on his ears.

"Okay," he said, "Take off your gloves."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no."

"It's okay, Elsa. It's the middle of the night and no one's around. What could happen?"

"But-" Elsa tried to think of another excuse to not take off her gloves, but her mind was still trying to recover from before. "I just don't think that's a good idea, Jack."

Jack suddenly got an idea. "C'mon, Elsa," he said playfully, "I wanna build a snowman."

Elsa looked at him strangely, then broke out into a smirk. "You're gonna have to catch me first." she said, then darted off along the side of the lake. Jack ran after her, laughing as they chased each other around. He finally caught up to her after five minutes of running and both of them were out of breath.

"I… win," he panted, "Your… Highness."

Elsa laughed, also panting heavily. "As… if." Elsa wiped her forehead before taking her gloves off.

"Stand back." she told quickly made a snow bank with a wave of her hand, then sat down on it. "It's pretty comfy." she said.

Jack shrugged and sat down next to her. "Kinda chilly, though." he said, shuddering a little.

Elsa leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Sorry about the cold, but it is snow, after all."

Jack took the time to really look at her. There were some obvious differences, like the fact that she was taller and well, older, but there a few minor changes, too. Like how the freckles on her face seemed more subdued than the last time he saw her, and how she carried herself with more poise and dignity than before.

Elsa caught him staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Jack struggled for an answer. "About… your hair."

"My hair? What wrong with-"

"Nothing's wrong with it." he assured her, "I was just thinking about how you put it up a long time ago."

"You mean the braid?"

"Yeah. The braid. It looked good on you."

Elsa looked away, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Jack."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest. Jack caught himself staring at Elsa again and look away quickly. All of a sudden, the sky was ablaze with color, shining down on them like the sun.

"Wow." Jack said, "I almost forgot how beautiful the lights are here."

Elsa shook her head in wonder. "I can never get used to this, no matter how many times I see it."

Jack and Elsa watched the lights in awe, enjoying each other's company.

"My parents are hosting a dinner party tomorrow night," Elsa said suddenly, "If you wanted to come, I could get you an invitation."

"A dinner party, you say?" Jack said, "Do I have to wear a suit?"

Elsa laughed. "Well, you have to at least wear something clean. And take a bath."

"Hey, I don't smell that bad!" Jack said, poking her side. Elsa squirmed away, stifling her giggle.

"Oh, so that's how it is," Jack said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Elsa knew that look.

"Jack, no. Don't even-Jack!"

He began tickling her mercilessly, causing her to squeal and squirm away from him.

"St-stop it! Jack, hahaha! Please!"

Jack stopped suddenly and looked at her. "I actually got a please from the princess? That's something not everyone can say."

Elsa blushed and looked away from his intense stare.

"Jack?" she asked, sitting up, "Why did you come back to Arendelle?"

Jack looked at her for a long time before sitting back in the snow.

"I told everyone that I came back on an errand for the royal family, and that Missy wanted a vacation. But, if I'm being honest with myself, I really came back because of you."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Me?"

Jack nodded. "It was hard being away from you for even a week. Can you imagine three years?"

Elsa leaned back, looking at the sky.

"Yeah, I can," she said.

Both of them stayed quiet afterwards, watching the northern lights sway across the sky, and without realizing it, grabbed each other's hands. They stayed like this until the lights faded away and the brief hint of morning showed itself in the east. Jack stretched his back, unsuccessfully holding back a yawn, when he looked down and realized that Elsa had fallen asleep, still grasping onto his hand with her head on his shoulder. He smiled and carefully moved a stray hair from her face.

"Elsa," he said, "I promise I'll protect you. Nothing will keep me from getting to you when you need me."

Jack softly kissed her forehead, then adjusted himself so that he could pick her up easily, with her head still laying on top of his shoulder. He picked up her abandoned gloves and started making the long trek back to the castle. Unknown to both of them, the snow behind them melted away, leaving no trace of anyone being there.

Jack placed Elsa underneath a cherry tree, where someone was bound to find her soon.

"I'm sorry I can't take you to your room," he said quietly, "But I hope that this will do for now." Jack straightened up and picked a cherry blossom off of the tree and quickly placed it in her hair.

"Sweet dreams, princess." he said. He heard a noise coming from somewhere in the gardens, and bolted, jumping over the wall in one bound. He pulled himself up to make sure Elsa was alright, just as the old gardener stooped over to wake her up. Jack let go of the wall and tiredly made his way back to the inn, where he hoped Missy wasn't awake yet. She thankfully wasn't, and he fell onto his bed, already fast asleep.

Elsa was standing on her balcony, smiling at all of the townspeople who had gathered in the square. They were accepting of her powers, they were happy for her. They weren't scared of her at all. Elsa smiled bigger, wishing that today would last forever.

"I told you they'd love you," said a voice beside her. Elsa turned towards him and grabbed his hand.

"They love you, too, you know." His brown hair was messily combed, as usual, and his eyes still held that childlike mischief. "But you know what, Elsa?" He leaned towards her, making her breath hitch slightly. "I-"

"Princess? Princess Elsa?"

Elsa moaned, wishing she could go back to her dream and hear what Jack was going to tell her.

"Princess, what are you doing here?"

She finally opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight. She saw a figure standing above her.

"Jack?"

"Who's Jack?"

Elsa rubbed her eyes vigorously until she saw an old man in dirty clothes and thick work gloves. 'He must be the gardener,' she thought, 'But I don't remember his name.'

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yes. Yes, I'm fine. I was just… ah… sleepwalking."

The gardener didn't look convinced. "Sleepwalking?"

"Yes. I must have wondered into the gardens by mistake," she said, searching for her gloves when she realized she didn't have them on. Thankfully, they were right next to her on a large stone. She pulled them on as just as the old gardener said, "Well, there's no harm done here, as far as I can see. I'll fetch one of the guards to escort you back to your room."

"Oh, no. That won't be necessary, sir." she said hurriedly as she stood up, "I can find my way back myself."

The gardener looked at her with emerald green eyes. "I'd feel more comfortable if someone went with you."

Elsa was about to object again when he pulled off his work gloves and tried to fix his thinning gray hair. "Don't wanna go through the castle looking like a bum, now." he said, "Come along now, Princess. Let's get you back to your room."

He was already moving by the time Elsa knew what was going on. "Wait, you don't really-"

"You don't want a guard, so I'm taking you myself. Don't you try to convince me otherwise, young lady."

Elsa hung back a second until she decided there was nothing else she could do except let him do what he wanted. She caught up to him at the front gate, trying to convince the guard into letting him inside.

"I'm taking the Princess back to her room," he was saying, "I'll only be there a few minutes."

"Yeah, right, old man." the guard said, "Take a hike, will you? No one's allowed in the castle unless- Princess Elsa?!"

"He's telling the truth, sir." she said, holding her head high, "Let us through, please."

The guard, shocked that Princess Elsa was actually out of her room, sputtered an apology and stepped aside, allowing them to enter. "Thank you." she said as they passed the guard. Elsa and the gardener walked through the halls silently, each full of their own thoughts.

"You know," the gardener said, startling Elsa, "For as long as I've been here, I've never had the pleasure of actually touring these halls. It's quite an honor, especially when I'm with royalty."

Elsa didn't know what to say, so she kept walking towards her room.

"Princess, who is Jack?" Elsa stopped and turned towards the gardener, who had paused a few steps back.

"You called me Jack when you woke up, miss," he continued, "I was just wondering who he was." Elsa stared at him for a while, contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"He's a friend." she finally replied, turning back around, "When I was little."

"He must've been a good friend if you still think about him."

Elsa nodded. "We used to play together all the time, but now…everything's different."

"It feels strange to have feelings toward a past friend."

Elsa blushed and tried to sputter out a response, but the gardener interrupted her, saying, "That was how I met my wife. She was a young lass when I first laid eyes in her. Now we're approaching…fifty-two years of marriage."

"Congratulations, sir." Elsa said, "How did you do it?"

The gardener looked at her and smiled. "The secret to a happy and long marriage is to allow mistakes to happen. Everyone has bad days, but you can't give up a hundred good days just for one bad day."

The old gardener gestured towards the door. "I believe this is your room, miss." Elsa looked at the blue door. She didn't even know they had reached her room. She turned back to the gardener.

"Thank you for taking me back to my room, sir. And thank you for the advice."

The gardener dipped his head. "My pleasure, Princess Elsa. Don't forget to let it go!"

Elsa was walking inside her room when he said this, causing her to turn around in confusion.

"What did you…" she started to ask the gardener, only he wasn't there anymore. She looked up and down the hall, but couldn't see him anywhere. Elsa, even more confused now, entered her room and leaned back against the door.

"That was really weird." she said, mulling over her walk with the friendly old man who could apparently vanish into thin air. Elsa shook her head, telling herself to forget about him.

"He's probably just a fast walker." she reasoned, not really believing herself. She walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, suddenly growing weary. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and felt her fingers brush against something. Elsa pulled it back and stared at the cherry blossom, a small smile gracing her lips. She yawned and laid back on the bed, gently placing the flower on her nightstand and telling herself that she should get some rest. Closing her eyes, she thought back to last night, and how Jack was so sweet and kind and caring and…

'Yep, it's official,' she thought as sleep came over her, 'I've officially fallen for my best friend. Great. Just great…'

What's up guys? Finally, the part we've all been waiting for! Hopefully it's good enough. Anyway, in other news, I'm actually working on a couple of new stories that'll make an appearance soon, so be on the lookout for those. That's going to be it for now, so remember to review and I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye!