Elsa

Time had flown by, and before I knew it, I was making the long trek to the frozen lake. As I walked up the path leading to my destination, I breathed in the thin and icy, yet refreshing air around me. I sighed, relishing and finding comfort in the peaceful atmosphere. I gazed at my surroundings. In front of me lay the winding stone path that would help guide me to the icy rink. A small grass clearing and then a forest coated in snow rested by my sides. I glanced behind me, looking back at the castle, which suddenly seemed to be very small because of the distance I put myself between it. All of the sudden, the fears and troubles that constantly pestered me seemed to become small, and that the past now longer mattered. I also noticed a woman and whining son approaching. They passed by, not even noticing that they were in the presence of one of Arendelle's princesses because of their argument. The boy wished to dress as lightly as possible, but his mom was begging for him to wear his fur coat.

I chuckled silently to myself, understanding how he felt. After all, the cold never bothered me. But I still had to dress appropriately in order not to concern other people. I didn't really understand the reason behind my tolerance, but whenever I brought the matter up to my parents, they only gave me vague and hardly understandable explanations that I finally had come to accept.

However, I knew that there defiantly was a major difference between us two, besides the complaining, of coarse. While I figured that I would continue to not be bothered by the cold, the boy would most certainly be freezing and come crying to his mother, wishing that he had been less stubborn and taken her advice in the first place. I learned the lesson to pay attention to my mother's advice years before him, but my wisdom was more important to gain, considering that I was a princess. I got lost in my train of thought, accidentally leading myself to relive my past.

I thought of how my sister Anna and I would build snowmen named Olaf, bound from snow mound to snow mound, and sled down steep hills. I also vividly recalled all the fun that we had until something changed that. I couldn't remember what had happened to make my sister avoid me, even though I dug as deep into my memories as I could. And yet, there still seemed to be something missing from the flashbacks, as if someone had managed to get inside my head and manipulate my thoughts, transforming some of them into lies, of half-truths. I shook my head as if to shake off the thought, and continued forward, taking note of my surroundings. It was then that I was surprised to spot a large crowd not too far from me, waiting for the party to begin.

I was embarrassed and even at little shocked to be late, but fortunately the crowd parted as if they were that Red Sea and let me through. I made the journey across the frozen lake surprisingly easily. I didn't even slip one time! That was the funny thing about winter; it always seemed to favor me over others. While villagers may slip and fall into the freezing snow, I was never bothered or harmed by it.

I was soon standing next to my sister, who was looking over at the people in front of her. We were announced by one of the royal servants, and then the party began.

People eagerly made their way onto the frozen arena. Perhaps they were a little too eager, for there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on. And with pushing and shoving came falling, and other acts of recklessness. But I couldn't blame them for being excited. It was the first time that the gates opened and a party was held, after all. And on top of that, my sister was just recently crowned the queen of Arendelle.

I glanced over at Anna, disheartened at the slight frown lurking on the new Queen's facial expression.

"So…" I trailed off awkwardly, trying to think of something to say that would start the first conversation that I would have with my sister in years. I was excited to have the chance to talk to Anna for the first time in what seemed like forever, but I also feared that I would say the wrong thing and mess up what would have been an amazing opportunity. So I eventually just decided to play it safe and congratulate her for becoming Queen. After all, that couldn't do any harm, right? "Congratulations on becoming a queen. That must be exciting."

"Yes, it is," she murmured, adverting her eyes from my hopeful gaze.

"It's nice when the gates are open," I stated, hoping that she would get my hint.

"I agree." It could have been my imagination, but it looked like her lips began to curl into a slight smile. Suddenly, the pleasant expression dropped and turned into a look of worried fright. "Wait, are you sure that the ice won't crack? There is a lot of weight for it to endure."

"Uhh…" I began to say, but was then interrupted when Jack came up to me, and I apologetically left Anna to go skate with him.

We glided across the icy surface for a couple hours, with many candles surrounding the lake to light the way in the darkening night. Skaters were laughing, chatting, and even dancing as they enjoyed themselves, most likely having one of the best times of their lives.

But that all ended when a thundering, ear-splitting crack! echoed throughout the rink.

Everyone froze in fear and looked down at their feet to make sure that they were not in extreme danger. When I lifted my gaze upwards, it met Jack's in the utter silence. But instead of its usually quirky look, it was solemn and knowing.

"Jack," I whispered in disbelief. I felt tears began to silently trickle from my eyes, and willingly let them come. I looked downwards at Jack's feet, and knew to my horror that my fears were confirmed. There, lurking threateningly under him, was the giant crack that pierced through the ice and could become a passage to what lay underneath the icy surface.

People began to run, but I barely even noticed. My heart pounded wildly against my chest as if it were making an escape attempt. The shouts and cries of people hurriedly rushing off the lake was just a low murmur, but the sound of the ice slowly cracking apart rang sharp and clear in my ears. I could feel my lungs slowly pulsating as time itself began to stop. My thoughts became numb as I watched the ice slowly cave in. There was only one thing that I could think of and say, which was, "Jack!" As I said his name, my thoughts started to become clearer and I began to come out of my trance. "Jack! Jack!" Another thought wormed its way into my mind. "Jack! Jack! JACK!" I shouted his name until it was the only thing I heard. I still couldn't think much, but I did know one thing. I knew that I had to save him.