Chapter 2
First Sight
Jack
Once again, it was the ice. But this time, it wasn't just ice. This time it was wind and snow and frost. Winter had arrived in Arendelle, all because of a girl with the eyes of the hunted.
I noticed the storm stirring up in the north fairly quickly, and I was smart enough to connect the unnatural winter with the nameless girl and sped off to Arendelle. It was just before sunrise when I stopped midair to take a good look at the situation. The wind and snow was centred on the North Mountain, a jagged peak pointing like a fang into the air. As I approached, I heard a voice, tearing through the air with a power and fearlessness that I certainly would not have associated with the scared and tormented girl in her bedroom.
Let it go, let it go! I am one with the wind and sky!
Let it go, let it go! You'll never see me cry!
That one line, right there, made me so happy. I couldn't stop smiling like a maniac, because the girl who could never hide was singing and dancing.
I watched as she raised her castle from the ground, flying up outside. The way she controlled the ice was phenomenal, sculpting it into shapes and patterns, all of them dangerous and beautiful. When the castle was complete, I watched (I may have stared, shut up) with amazement as she created a dress for herself, a dress that was sparkled and shone, reflecting and refracting the light of the rising sun, even as the castle did. The overall picture was one of beauty and power and fearlessness. She walked out onto the newly built balcony into the sunrise, singing
Here I stay in the light of day! Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway.
Turning, she slammed the door behind her. I was floating outside one of the windows, wondering if I should go in. Should I have? I still don't know. Regardless, I eventually floated in through one of the windows and stood on the icy floor, staring. She was no longer the fair yet fragile flower, but she was as beautiful and dangerous as the sun, strong and stunning.
Elsa
I stride back inside and slam the door behind me. I've never felt better, in fact, I don't think anyone has ever felt better. My joy is that of the prisoner who has been freed, and can now sing and dance and laugh without restraint. And yes, freeze. I whirl around to blast the doors once again when I freeze. Figuratively. There's a boy standing there. He looks confident but also awestruck, as if he was in the presence of a god. His hair is silver-white and he carries a carved staff, inscribed with runes I would never be able to discern. He wears a brown tunic like every other person in these parts, and he looks about Anna's age. But first I ask him,
"Who are you? How the hell did you get here? How long have you been watching?"
Jack
She asks with the manner of one who was powerful, knew she was powerful, and enjoyed being powerful. The hunted eyes were gone, replaced by eyes that blazed with a newfound strength, strength that I would prefer not to be unleashed on me. I'd seen what she could do, and I knew if I handled this the wrong way she would not hesitate to blast me into Sweden. It wasn't too surprising that she could see me, it was abundantly clear that she was no ordinary girl, and now that she had thrown off all her restraints there was no telling what she could do. Also warning me to tread carefully was her voice, which has a challenge, an edge, not embarrassed at all. Beautiful and dangerous.
"I'm Jack. Jack Frost. I'm, eh, sort of a winter spirit? And, uh, I can fly, and, a-a-a few minutes." Dammit Jack, keep yourself together.
"Before that, three years." She continued to stare at me with a guarded expression, not sure whether to trust me. She wasn't afraid by any means, but simply cautious.
Elsa
His second answer takes me off guard. Three years would be right around when… No, don't think about them. They're behind you, in the past, remember? Forget them.
"Three years?" I stop talking when he holds up another frozen flower. But I'm like that anymore. Now I am strong. Now I am free. But, wait, he made it? Then that would mean…
"You too? You mean, I'm not alone?"
Jack
That killed me. Why could she do this to me? What was this power that she had not just over ice and snow but also over me? The net had been woven, the trap had been set. I replied on impulse,
"No, and you'll never be alone again. I promise." With that, I sealed my doom, my doom and hers. She looked into my eyes and saw that at that moment I meant it, more than I had meant anything else in a long, long time. She always had a way of seeing that made you feel like you and all your secrets were but the pages of a book, leaving you stuck there as she perused your secrets, unable to move. Her gaze pinned me in place, searching, asking.
Elsa
I'm not alone! I came up here fully prepared to live the rest of my days in solitude so I couldn't hurt anybody, but he could deal with ice just as well as I could. He seemed to be sincere, so I let him off. Even if he left, I'd be OK.
Jack
Finally her eyes relaxed and let me off. Freed, I said
"I never knew your name." It was a simple statement, but I think it surprised her.
"Elsa."
"Elsa…" Finally the nameless girl was had a name. Elsa. I still didn't know much about her or the person she had been. But it was a start. Elsa.
Jack
We spent most of the rest of the day experimenting and playing with ice and snow. The skill with which Elsa used her power was truly stunning, even to me who had possessed them for centuries. I showed my own capabilities to Elsa beyond the flowers, what with the frost and storms, but I couldn't match her in raw power and skill. My storms always had an element of the random so I never knew exactly what to expect, but she seemed to have perfect awareness of where every single snowflake was at any given time. It was amazing, watching her work. She just seemed downright jubilant when she could do what she was born to do without any fear of hurting anyone. I couldn't be harmed by her magic, since I was an ice spirit myself. I alone was immune. She could never hurt me.
Elsa
It's exhilarating, there's no other word for it. Exhilarating. Never before have I been able to use my powers with such freedom. Even as a child with Anna I had to be careful that I didn't hit her, but Jack was a fair match. Hmm, I wonder if I could…
Jack
"Ow!" I complained when a snowball hit me square in the face. I mean, right in my face, not on my neck or on my forehead, but right in between the eyes. That stung. I looked in the direction from which the ball had been thrown, expecting to see a smirking Elsa, but she wasn't there. I whirled around, trying to find her when another one caught me right in the face. Left, right, behind. Not there. And all the time being pelted by snowballs. Every time I turned toward the last one, another one would come from a different angle. It was getting exasperating. I couldn't very well fight back if I couldn't find her. I yelled up at the sky in frustration, and then I saw her. The little… Standing on an icy platform high above, she stood like a god, calling down snowballs and arcing them in paths that always ended at my face. Smart girl.
By then, I was a bit tired of having snow hit me in the face, so I tried to deflect the snow with my own powers. That went over as well as a lead balloon. Oh, I managed to push aside the first couple, but I was quickly engulfed by a truly mountainous pile of snow. I pushed my head out and saw her laughing, and there I was again. Entranced. Captured. At least, I was until my exposed face was targeted yet again.
That evening, I told her about how I had first seen her that night in the troll clearing. When I mentioned the trolls, she looked up and her eyes widened for just a moment, but I caught it. Intrigued, but also wary, I asked gently.
"Elsa, what happened that night? The night in the troll clearing."
Elsa
I feel my heart pounding and I close my eyes. Why did he have to ask? I was trying so hard to forget and now… I answer slowly, not completely trusting my voice,
"I have a sister, Anna, she's three years younger. She was about, five years old then. I, I,"
I close my mouth and look away, mustering the strength to call up those memories again. Then I stare right into his eyes and say slowly,
"I hurt her, Jack. The trolls managed to fix it, but I couldn't hurt anyone again! So I hid. Better to hide than to hurt anyone again.
Jack
Her eyes turned hard and bitter as she remembered, "I stayed hidden for 13 years, Jack. 13 years! Alone! Scared! With no one who understood! How can anyone live like that? How did I live like that?" Now she was on her feet, raging against what was lost. She slammed her foot on the floor, producing icy spikes flying out in angry patterns. I was on my feet as well, wary and worried. She was dangerous, and I knew it. I watched as the fire in her eyes gave way to tears, crying for the terrified girl in her bedroom. And this time, I was there to comfort her.
When she fell asleep, I stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to go outside or to join her in the bed (shut up, not like that, she was already asleep) or what. In the end, I just ended up standing there the whole night, watching.
I was still there when she woke up the next morning. Admittedly, she was a mess (mornings) but she was still gorgeous. I may have been staring. She opened her eyes and stared right back into mine until eventually I looked away. Grinning, she got out of bed and sauntered out the door, leaving me standing there dumbstruck. She was fine. I smiled and went after her.
Elsa
I open my eyes and there he is, watching. Watching over me or watching me, I wondered as I looked right back. The memories still hurt, but his obvious concern and the relief on his face when he saw me awake was too much. I had to smile back.
Jack
It was a few days until I asked her anything else. On the one hand, I wanted to know more about her and her story, but I didn't want to make her remember what so obviously pained her. But morbid curiosity won out, and I asked her about that night three years ago, the night when I first saw her again. Again, the glow of her eyes dimmed, and she seemed to look inward. But this time, she shook her head ever so slightly, so I knew to stop prying.
Elsa
I wake up every morning and there he is, breaking out into that adorable smile that makes my heart beat faster. Every time. Never mind that his legs were impossibly thin, he was beautiful. It felt weird, being with him all the time, but also wonderful. Mostly wonderful.
Jack
Suffice to say that I was in love. Or, at least, I thought I was. Looking back, it's very hard to say one way or another. It certainly seemed like it at the time. Every morning when I woke I would see her and just stare. Sometimes I would stay like that for 10+ minutes before finally rousing myself from my trance.
As is probably really obvious to you, I was already smitten. Sometimes I would just stare at her when she wasn't looking. A few times she would catch me looking at her and I would look away, my face burning. She would smile, flick her eyebrows as if to say "Got you" and continue on with whatever she was doing. She spent quite a bit of time decorating her castle, and when she did it I could watch her becoming more comfortable with herself and with her abilities. The castle, I noted, reflected her, both literally and metaphorically.
I was interesting enough, I guess, but nothing spectacular. Not like her. I had no business upstaging her. She was extraordinary in a way that I was not. Sure, I was a Guardian and immortal and could make frost and blah blah blah. But I was nowhere near approaching her. She was amazing in a way that just made you stop and stare, a brilliant aura that shone out into the stars, showcasing her absolute fearlessness.
Elsa
Jack Frost is intriguing. He's great fun, there was no doubt about that. And it's nice having someone who knew what it was like to be alone. That's not even mentioning the way my heart pounds or how I can't tear my eyes away from him. But there's always this feeling that something isn't right, either with him or with me. But then I turn around and see him staring at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and the worry retreats but never fade. It's always there, lurking, hiding.