Elsa had lost track of how long she had been running. It could've been hours or weeks, but she didn't care. As the air around her started to thin, she finally stopped to catch her breath, looking at her surroundings. North Mountain, she thought, staring at the peak standing tall in front of her. Her legs were trembling, her arms shaking, and her dress was wet with sweat, mud, and snow. But as she looked around, she couldn't help but feel… something come over her. She trudged further up the mountain, letting her words flow through her into a song.
"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the Queen."
Elsa's hands suddenly felt cold, like she had dunked them in the fjord.
"The wind is howling like this circling storm inside. Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried."
The faces of everyone at the ball came to her mind, how terrified they looked when she let her powers free. Anna and Jack… she pushed them out of her head as she continued to climb, repeating her father's advice.
"Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know."
She stared at her gloved hand for a moment when she realized: everyone knew about her powers now. There was no way to go back and pretend she was normal now. Why should she hide who she really was? With a smile, she tore her glove off and threw it to the wind.
"Well now they know!"
She turned back around and started experimenting with her powers, letting out little bits at first, but then progressing to larger bursts.
"Let it go. Let it go. Can't hold it back anymore."
As an afterthought, she waved her hand and built a squat snowman, exactly like the kind she built with Anna so many years ago.
"Let it go. Let it go! Turn away and slam the door! I don't care what they're going to say. Let the storm rage on."
The wind suddenly picked up, nearly blowing Elsa off her feet. The heavy cape around her neck was almost choking her, so she reached for the clasp and unbuckled it, letting the wind carry it far away.
"The cold never bothered me anyway."
With her cape gone, she felt more at ease, and the strange feeling inside her grew tenfold. She looked behind her, taking in the mountain caps bathing in bright moonlight.
"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small. And the fear that once controlled me can't get to me at all."
She ran further up the mountain, her fatigue all but vanished. When she came to a deep gorge, she knew exactly what to do.
"It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through."
With a push, she created a bottom of a staircase, covered in a thick layer of snow. As she ran up to it, her smile grew wider and wider until her cheeks started to hurt.
"No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free!"
She took a tentative step onto the bottom stair, watching in delight as it turned clear and solid, leaving a snowflake where her foot landed.
"Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky!"
She ran forward, throwing her arms in front of her, creating more stairs until she reached the other side of the chasm.
"Let it go! Let it go! You'll never see me cry!"
She ran a little ways forward, stomping her foot once she judged the right distance, creating an elaborate floor with a snowflake in the middle.
"Here I stand! And here I'll stay! Let the storm rage on!"
Elsa looked around her, preparing herself for her greatest creation yet. Even if she was to never return to Arendelle, she was still a queen, and queens needed to live in a castle. With a smile she hadn't felt in years, she used her once fearful powers to create a magnificent palace made with intricate patterns of ice and snow.
"My power flurries through the air into the ground. My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around. And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast!"
She finished her palace with a stunning chandelier right above her head. She had barely broken a sweat while making it, and now there was only one thing left to do. She tore the tiara off her head, staring for a moment. It was amazing how such a tiny thing could determine someone's whole future.
"I'm never going back. The past is in the past!"
She threw the tiara away from her and let her hair down from its tight bun into a loose braid, letting it rest on her shoulder.
"Let it go! Let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn!"
With one final wave of her hand, her dress was replaced by a new one the color of the sky with a slit running up to her thigh. She finished the dress with a long train with delicate snowflake patterns. When she was finished, she made her way to the balcony, to greet the sunrise in her new home.
"Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone! Here I stand, in the light of day!"
She was so caught up in her freedom, she didn't notice the figure forcing its way through the snow towards the palace. The figure looked up in wonder as Elsa belted out the final verse of her song.
"Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me anyway."
She suddenly turned away from the balcony, shutting the door behind her loudly. She wandered around her new palace for a while, making small adjustments here and there. She came to a medium size room in one of her higher towers, and feeling exhaustion sweep through her, decided that it would make a decent bedroom. She waved her hand, and the room was filled with furniture just like the kind she had in Arendelle. Anna's heartbroken face came to her suddenly, and she changed the room around, this time matching the kind in her books about far off lands.
She was about to collapse onto the bed, when a loud thumping noise echoed through the palace. She froze for a moment, then realized it was a knock. She panicked for a moment, terrified thoughts running through her head. She took a quick glance at the glassy wall in front of her, which worked well as a mirror. She ran a hand through her hair and conjured up a bit of snow to 'wash' her face with, she made her mind to go see who had dared come up to her palace.
With a shaky breath, she made her way to the front hall, her head spinning with guesses of who had come to see her. Elsa prepared herself one last time and entered the room, her eyes growing in shock as Jack looked up at her.
"Wow." Jack finally said after a long pause. He had been admiring the walls before Elsa came into the room, but the beauty of the palace fell away as he took in the breathtaking woman standing in front of him. She looked different than when he saw her at the party, but it was a good different.
"Elsa, you look…"
He couldn't find the right words to describe her. She shook herself and quickly made her way down the staircase with a polite smile.
"Jack," she said, "What a surprise."
Jack closed his gaping mouth and cleared his throat.
"Uh, it is an honor, Your Majesty." He said, bowing before her as she came close. She giggled softly, the sound making Jack's heart beat faster.
"There's no need for formalities here," she assured him, "You can just call me Elsa."
He straightened to look at her, and everything he wanted to say left his brain at the moment. She looked like Elsa, but there was something about her that was different, and it wasn't the new outfit.
"Okay then, Elsa," he said, "What a beautiful palace you have."
Her face turned pink for a moment, looking around the room.
"Thank you. I had no idea that something like this could come from…"
She grew quiet, her eyes far away. Jack wanted to ask what she was about to say, but she smiled at him before he could.
"Would you like a tour?" she asked instead. Jack knew that something bothered her a moment before, but decided to let it go, for now.
"I would be honored, Elsa." He said, following behind her as she took him through the palace. He tried to pay attention, but he just couldn't concentrate. Whenever she started talking about the different rooms or waved her hand to add little details, or even when she just looked up and smiled at him, he wanted nothing more than to just tell her what he felt.
Well then, do it already, you blubbering idiot! The voice in his head shouted at him. Stop staring at her like a buffoon and get it over with!
He tried to ignore the voice and let Elsa lead him through the whole castle. Finally, they ended up back in the large foyer, the afternoon sun shining down through the walls and ceiling like stained glass, making everything shiny.
"And that's the tour," Elsa said, turning to face him. Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to avoid making eye contact with her.
"This really is a beautiful castle, Elsa. I'm proud of you."
Her eyes lit up in appreciation for a moment, then she looked away, preparing herself for the inevitable.
"Jack, I… I want you to know this is has nothing to do with you, but I think you should go."
He was confused. "Go?"
"Away from here," she explained, "Away from me."
Jack couldn't believe what she was saying. They just came back together, and now she wanted him to leave again? Elsa took a deep breath, as if she was bracing herself.
"Thank you for visiting, Jack." she said, her voice oddly calm, "Good bye."
With that, she ran back up the stairs, leaving him alone. He stared after her, his mind running in circles. Everything he wanted to say to her got caught in his throat, making him unable to speak. He almost turned to walk away, when the voice in his head spoke up.
You're leaving now? When you're almost to the finish line? All you have to do is tell her how you feel about her. Go and find her now.
Jack stopped, trying to decide what to do. Seconds later, he found himself barreling up the stairs, calling out to her.
"Elsa!" he shouted, trying to think of where she might've gone. Then he heard a sound that he hadn't heard in years: Elsa was crying. He followed the noise to a closed door in one of the tall towers. He couldn't see through the door, but he knew she was in there.
Jack slowly knocked on the door. "Elsa?"
The crying stopped. "I told you to go away." She said, her voice strained and soft.
Jack planted his feet on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere."
He heard her move around inside the room.
"You don't understand, Jack," she said, "This is the only place where I can be free without hurting anybody. Where I can use my powers without being afraid."
"I'm not scared of you, Elsa," he told her, "And you won't hurt me."
"But what if I do? What if I mess up and you get hurt or you…"
A sob ripped through her, and Jack's chest tightened.
"We won't let that happen," he said, "You're the strongest, bravest, smartest girl in the whole world, and I…"
Jack took a deep breath and nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"I love you, okay?" he said, "I've loved you since we were kids, and it's been torture since the last time I saw you and now we're here and I love you even more now, so please… don't push me away again."
The door was quiet for a moment, then it slowly opened to reveal Elsa, her face red and splotchy from crying. Jack held his breath.
"I don't want you to get hurt because of me," she said quietly, "I'm still dangerous, no matter how in control I feel. The Duke was right. I am a monster, and I'm meant to be alone."
"No, you're not, Elsa," he said, reaching out for her hands and wrapping them in his own, "No matter what you think, no matter how you feel, you deserve to be loved."
She looked up at him, tears starting to fall again. He gently wiped them away with his thumb, smiling at her softly. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then and there, but he held himself back. Fortunately, Elsa had the same idea, reaching forward to place her lips onto his. He kissed her back, her lips surprisingly warm and tasting like mint and a tiny bit of chocolate. He pulled away from her, letting his forehead rest on hers.
"I want to stay here," he whispered, "With you."
Elsa nodded her head, pushing the door open and leading him inside.
F&*#ING FINALLY!... Is that what you guys were thinking when reading this? Are you even out there? *insert Titanic meme here* Anyways, that's the newest update of this story.
Please please please please please please please leave a review if you want more Northern Lights, and I'll see you in the next update. Bye-bye!