Chapter 3

That Perfect Girl Is Gone

That perfect little kingdom ruled by a monster. The guardians couldn't protect her kingdom because they too were afraid of her. Not Jack. No, Jack knew all about her isolation past, her comfort of living alone in the dark. He wanted to open up the door and save her, actually be with someone who could understand him. He had to be stopped. She had to fall back into the dark and never again see the light.

When Jack stood there with the icy snowflake in his hand staring at me with those icy blue eyes I felt my heart thump, the beating ringing in my ears. I took the snowflake and stared at it as it sat in my glove. It was the first heartwarming gift since the gloves. The most beautiful gift I have ever gotten and a boy I hardly know was the giver.

"Jack… I-"

"No Elsa. I want you to have it." Jack said grabbing my hand and closing it around the snowflake. "Please."

"Thank you." I whispered and took a step back as the announcer shouted dinner was ready in the grand ballroom. Jack held out his hand and I took it before he helped me down the stairs.

"I think I made the other bachelors extremely jealous." Jack whispered to me as we walked towards the castle. I kept in my giggle and watched the other men give Jack a cold death glare. Rapunzel and Cinderella joined us as they held a basketful of sweets, their mouths' full of cookies.

"Want some?" Rapunzel asked, cookie crumbs flying out of her mouth as she stuffed the basket in my face.

"No thanks… I'll manage." I replied and led them to the large purple and white cloth table that stood in the back of the golden ballroom. People circled around us wanting a look at the snowflake.

"It's absolutely stunning!" Cinderella asked grabbing it from my hands and twirling it in her blue gloved hand.

"Isn't it supposed to melt?" Ariel asked while she looked over Cinderella's shoulder.

"It will never melt. The best part about beauty is the beholder who sees it will always remember it. No matter the age, the beholder will see beauty. So in other words: beauty never ages or melts away." Jack cooed as he grabbed the snowflake and handed it back to me. The girls pouted and sat down as soup and salad waiters placed the bowls in front of them. I sat next to Rapunzel while Jack took Anna's seat since her chair was vacant.

"Excuse me." I said to the guard standing near the window.

"Yes your highness?"

"Have you seen Anna? She was with Prince Hans the last time I saw her."

"I haven't seen her all day. I'm sorry your highness."

I sat back in my seat, my appetite vanishing along with the emotions I've been fighting with since the snowflake giving. I couldn't see Anna with Hans. I couldn't! Something about Hans makes my skin crawl and the fact that I knew nothing about him made me worry more.

"Who is Prince Hans?" I asked Rapunzel. She should know.

"Of the Southern Isles? He's some shadow to his twelve older brothers. He's… well… according to a few friends who spotted him at the feast, he's strange. He wants to keep Anna to himself, you know? He seems clingy but they looked so cute together that nobody had the heart to break them apart."

"Should we go look for them?" I asked her.

"No! Elsa you can't leave the dinner! Ariel, Belle, and yeah whatever your name is-"

"Merida!"

"Yeah whatever, go out and look for Anna and Hans!" Rapunzel demanded.

"Hey now, let them eat. I'm sure they're out there talking or something." Flynn assured his wife.

"Talking? What… what is talking?" Cinderella asked.

"It's what you do before you… start dating or for you get married." Rapunzel replied.

"I don't understand… what is dating?" Cinderella asked her husband Prince not so Charming.

"Oh boy, are these princesses really your friends?" Jack asked me. "Some of them seem… not all there."

"Believe me; some of them actually have animals as friends." I replied and pointed over at Snow White and her husband who always looked like he was in pain.

"She has animal friends? Well I hang around the Easter Bunny."

"Yeah but you don't force him to clean your palace do you?"

"Elsa, if I really had a palace do you think I would be hanging around making snow days for kids?"

"Depends, do you see yourself being a father when you get older?" I asked him and his face sunk and he looked away.

"Elsa… I never age. I'm immortal."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a guardian, Elsa. Guardians never age and we will never be able to have children. It's our job to protect all the children. We can't put our own blood in front of anyone, that's what the moon told us."

"Elsa!" Anna came in waving her hand at us. She bumped into a few guests before finally making her way to our table, Hans right behind her. "Elsa! Hans and I have good news!"

"Good news?" I looked at them and rose from my chair.

"Yes! Oh you tell her, I can't!" Anna hit Hans playfully. He rolled his eyes and smiled at me.

"I'm taking Anna back to the Southern Isles so we can marry and rule." Hans said happily. Rapunzel coughed on her chicken and Cinderella squealed happily.

"Anna's getting married!" Belle clapped.

"What? You can't get married! You just met today!" I shouted. The entire ballroom grew quiet and stared at us.

"Elsa…" Jack whispered to me.

"Why not? My kingdom needs a Queen and I love Anna." Hans said looking at me in confusion.

"Queen? What happened to your mother or your brothers' wives?" I asked him.

"Elsa, you don't know?" Anna asked me and I looked at her waiting for a response. "His entire family was lost at sea three years ago. He couldn't make it because he was ill."

"Lost at sea? That sounds like our parents' death if you ask me, Anna."

"Yeah why would they leave you home alone while you were bedridden?" Rapunzel asked.

"Because they were going to your wedding!" Anna hissed at her before covering her mouth and giving a Rapunzel a sorry look.

"It's fine. You two seem… happy." Rapunzel sniffed and looked up at me.

"We're not looking for your permission, Elsa. I have a duty… a kingdom needs our help." Anna said to me. I couldn't stop her. She was right, Hans' kingdom needed a Queen now that he was old enough to marry. I could feel the hairs rising from my neck.

"Excuse me for a moment." I said to everyone and left the ballroom.

"Elsa wait!" Anna cried out. "We're leaving tonight." I stopped and turned to look at Hans.

"You're leaving tonight?"

"I only have three days left to marry or they'll hand the crown over to my mother's side. I can't let the Southern Isles have a new royal family to rule. My father's blood runs all the way to the existence of the kingdom." Hans said.

"Why wait this long? Never mind, I don't want to hear it." I replied and walked out of the ballroom, my sister following me.

"Elsa please you have to understand. You're about to get married to Jack!" Anna yelled at me. I spun around.

"Jack and I are not getting married! There will be no future with Jack and I because he's immortal." I snapped, my heart breaking as I heard myself speaking the truth. Of course I would never be able to marry Jack. He's a guardian and has his duties and I have mine. What is this feeling?

"Elsa… you know what it means to become a Queen. The people come first." Anna said and grabbed my glove.

"No Anna. Stay back." I cried and pulled my hand away. Jack appeared from the ballroom entrance with Rapunzel and Hans right behind him.

Conceal don't show. Conceal don't show! The anger inside of me was welling up like a balloon. The snowflake pricked my side letting me know of its present. I could feel the curse wanting a way out to show itself. Anna was leaving me to become Queen. Anna was being taken away by Hans. The emotions were screaming in my head and I flew out the palace's door and slammed into the fountain. The water soaking my gloves. Oh no. The powers were vulnerable for only a second but all it took was a second to freeze the fountain, my gloves frozen solid in the icy block of ice that was once flowing water. The ice cracked and my hands broke free, the gloves incased in the ice.

"Elsa? What did you do?" Rapunzel shouted as my friends ran towards me.

"NO! STAY BACK! YOU'RE NOT SAFE!" I cried, my curse creating icy on the pavement. "I… I have to be alone for a while." I ran off to the forest where the silent trees welcomed to me to isolation.

"ELSA! ELSA WAIT!" Jack cried before the others started shouting my name and pleading for me to return.

I slumped down against a tree and cried once I was out of earshot from them. My tiara started to stab my head and I pulled it off and threw it into the trees. The snowflake pricked my skin again and I pulled it out from my pocket and held it in my hand, my powers unable to touch Jack's magic. I kissed the snowflake and it sparkled leaving a warm feeling in my heart. "Oh Jack..." I kissed the snowflake again, my emotions taking over.

"You know, it seems like you and I share a lot in common, Princess Elsa." A voice said.

"How would you know? You don't live in isolation and carry a curse." I replied harshly. "Leave me alone."

"Actually, Princess, I am in isolation and too carry a curse." The voice replied and a the owner of the voice appeared from the shadows just as I wiped my tears away. "My name is Pitch and I'm the who carries the curse of only creating nightmares."