"Are you shitting me?!" Kristoff's voice boomed throughout the night. He lifted his lantern to view the broken leg of the sled.
He stepped closer to the frayed edges of the wood and sighed. Figures. It was only a matter of time before his precious sled became subject to the forbidden woods.
"She's damaged good. Sorry for my poor navigation skills everyone," Kristoff huffed raising the lateen to see everyone's face. Anna grabbed onto his arm.
"You did great Kristoff, we couldn't have seen that thing even if we tried." He half smiled back. She touched the edges of the sled and shook her head. "Yeah it's pretty badly broken off. What exactly did you hit?"
Kristoff thought for a second. Moments prior to the sled breaking, a large thud sounded underneath causing Elsa and Jack to use their powers to stop the invisible force.
"I dunno? It felt like some sort of animal at first by the way it went soft after we collided with it. Honestly I'm not sure..." his voice trailed off as he looked throughout the dark woods.
They had now been stranded in the middle of the most dangerous part of Norway's forests. Miles of unknown crowded their small circle, leaving everyone to feel uneasy.
Elsa patted her sleeping son in the back as Anna and Kristoff looked at the damage of the sled. He was bundled up tightly in a wrap nothing was exposed except his tiny hands.
"It's unfamiliar, look at the tracks leading to the east side," she pointed with her free hand. Elsa had been right, the object hit's tracks were covered with blood as it disappeared into the snow.
Jack defensively stood up. "We shouldn't follow those," he looked around at the rest of the group before resting an arm on his staff. "Not unless we want to end our lives tonight". Anna crossed her arms while looking up at her husband. "Well we might have to if we want any sort of direction to out of these creepy woods," Kristoff argued.
"No way, do you not see the blood on those tracks?! Mind you that we have an infant on this trip too!" Jack raised his voice, raising his hands in the air.
"It's fine, we maybe won't even have to follow the tracks to find out where its headed," Elsa pointed up at the glowing mountain between the trees.
The wind swayed the tree branches as if in response to Elsa's suggestion. Jack gave her a nod before collecting their belongings from the sled.
Kristoff looked back at the prints with concern. Anna noticed his tension and pulled him aside.
"We can suggest another route if you don't feel comfortable," she whispered. He looked around suspiciously. "It might be worth it unless we want to be wolf dinner."
The red head agreed and approached Elsa slowly who was gathering Oliver's supplies scattered in the snow from the accident. "Hey sis," she said picking up a loose pacifier from the cold ground. "Hey," she said quietly not to disturb her sleeping baby. Anna tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear. "Sooo about following the tracks, you don't happen to think there's another way out of here aside from going exactly where the wolf may be?" she questioned.
Elsa sighed. "We won't run into the wolf, trust me," she reassured her.
Not fully convinced, Anna stepped in front of her sister. "Look, I'm not trying to derail your judgement here or your magic for that matter, but remember what mama and papa told us about the wolves that lived here in the forbidden forest?"
She raised an eyebrow. "One bite is enough to end a life," the sisters said unison. Elsa suddenly felt the darkness encroach on her than ever before. In their childhood their mother and father warned them countless amount of times to steer clear of wolves in the forest. They were told an old tale of one of the castle men from Arendelle who guarded at night and with one bite to the leg, he lost his life. Looking up at the sky she noticed the brightness of the stars gleaming down from overhead. She pondered a bit before it dawning on her. If they were going to make it out of here, they were going to need a guide who knew path finding better than anyone: the Man in the Moon.
Elsa rushed over to Jack who grumbled as he stacked the broken wood on top of the sleigh. "Jack can I talk to you?" she asked sternly. "Find anyway other than being led into a trap?" he sneered. "No..." she paused. "Well-sorta. Do you still have contact with MiM by chance?" Jack furrowed his brows. "I think so, why?" he could sense his wife was onto something he was about to disagree with. "Do you think you can contact him to find us a way at least to the thinning of the tree line?"
He shook his head. "He never answers past a certain time of day. I haven't spoken to him in at least a year."
"Well what about North? Can you ask him for help?" she probed. "I mean, I could try," he hesitated. Jack knew summoning any guardian without planning meant instant punishment on his end. Elsa placed her hands on her hips. "Hey. I can tell something is up Jackson Overland," she twisted her mouth to the side. Jack looked to the ground in response. "Yeah," he said kicking a bit of snow beneath his shoe.
She caressed his arm slowly. "You know you can tell me anything." He met her bright blue eyes sparkling beneath the moonlight. She looked angelic dressed in dark green with a matching wrap to carry their son in. "I know and I haven't been the most forthright tonight," he confessed, scratching the back of his head. Elsa cocked her head to the side. "And I think I know why."
He'd always felt guilty about not being upfront with her, even after all the years they'd spent together. He never wanted to hurt her with the truth of his emotions which at times got the best of him. Jack loosened his shoulders with a sigh. "Okay. The truth I feel like we're not thinking clearly here. I definitely don't want to follow whatever creature made those prints. And Kristoff might be right to look for other ways. I know your magic can feel it, but also having me contact MiM or North won't give us any safe and definite routes."
Elsa cradled Oliver tightly, stroking his tiny bare hands. He hated to upset her especially in this moment when stranded helpless. "You're right," she said bluntly. "I've been rushing into this too ambitiously hoping that even an inkling of my magic would be able to guide us. It's just a feeling I can't ignore when it's so strong pulling me. But we need to play it safe. Do you or Kristoff have any suggestions as to how to go about this?"
"We camp," Kristoff interrupted. "Sven and I have been out here a thousand times on hundreds of ice delivery trips and every time we didn't know where to go we slept it off because it's way too dark to even see five feet in front of you."
"Look, Kristoff is probably right. If we did even attempt to move tonight we might get more lost. And Elsa I know Ahtohallan is giving you signals, but it might be better in broad daylight," Anna said gently
"If we even set one foot North we know those wolves will be on our tails. Their scent is extremely strong. Stronger than you think." Kristoff crossed his arms tightly.
Elsa looked down at the ground, now fresh with a new inch of snow. The wind around them began to blow harder as if on cue to direct them with their next move. "Okay we'll stay."
The group began to set up a makeshift camp, tying old pieces of cloth together with sticks they found in the forest. The night seemed to drag on as the cold became unbearable. Kristoff and Jack worked to start a fire underneath the small tent while the girls settled down for sleep.
"I'm really glad you made the decision to stay," whispered Anna squeezing her sister's hand. Elsa turned on her side to face her green-eyed sister. She looked child-like with the fire lit up next to her and cuddled closely together like in their early years. "Me too," smiled Elsa.
As nightfall took it's full swing the forest around them echoed with the sounds of nocturnal creatures. The crackling fire provided a flickering barrier of warmth and light against the enveloping darkness. The makeshift campsite seemed to transform into a cocoon of comfort amidst the wild unknown.
Elsa and Anna's conversation dwindled as tiredness settled in. They exchanged a final reassuring glance before letting the exhaustion of the day overtake them.
A small cry sounded from Oliver in the middle of the night, just enough to awake only his mother. She rose slowly, careful not to rustle the blankets that draped over Anna and scooped her son from a pile of pillows.
"Are you hungry little one?" she patted his back before settling him on her lap to feed. Out under the night sky she sat in awe over the millions of starts dancing in the darkness. The brightest starts lit up a nearly blue color overhead from the tallest mountain. She'd heard many stories about the star's stories and their meaning for the five elements of this Earth. Everything remained silent aside from the eager sucking from her baby. Closing her eyes for a moment she imaged her parents telling her the way out. She often visualized them for help when she felt as if her magic was something she couldn't quite trust.
Amidst her dreaming she heard the sound of low growling emitting from the trees behind her. She whipped around quickly, her heart beating rapidly in her ears. In the night she could barely see between the piles of snow and thick trees surrounding. Glancing over to the left she spotted dark green eyes peering back at her. Quickly she laid Oliver back in his pillows and stood up with her hands in front of her. Approaching the glowing eyes she tip toed through the snow avoiding making any fast movements. The eyes remained still, however the growls continued to grow louder with every step.
She breathed slowly remaining as quiet as she could. The noise from the eyes paused. Elsa looked around for any sign of the creature before looking back at camp. Everyone slept peacefully including her son in the blankets. With relief she glanced back to the forest before sharp teeth launched at her.
Jack awoke at the scream of Elsa. He noticed Oliver fussing in the blankets beside him and picked him up gently. Confused he searched for any trace of his wife only to hear ice crackling from a distance. In a hurry he placed his son safely in the blankets and rushed over to the scene. At the edge of the tree line stood a massive black wolf with snarling teeth fighting against a stream of magic from Elsa. She stood firmly as her hands pushed ice towards the aggressive animal. Her eyes caught sight of Jack who immediately joined in with his staff. The two fought with all the power they physically could staring into the demonic wolf snapping at the air.
"I can't hold it for much longer," Elsa said with exhausted. Jack felt panic arise in his chest. There would only be a matter of seconds before their magic would diffuse and the wolf would come hurling hungrily at them. With the last ounce of force he slammed his staff against the icy ground sending the beast blasting back. The trees shook with the ripple of the blow shaking the snow off the branches. For a moment the night stood still. The wolf had disappeared. Footsteps sounded from the left, Kristoff and Anna holding Oliver rushed to check on the noise.
"What the hell was that Frost?!" Kristoff asked with worry.
"It was one of Pitch's spies," Jack gripped his staff tighter.
Anna bounced Oliver in her arms, shushing him as he wailed loudly. "Pitch's spies? I don't understand how that could be possible..."
Jack continued to scowl. "He's trying to hurt my family just like he said he would years ago."
"Whoa what? Pitch said that?" Kristoff looked baffled at the idea.
Shaking his head he caught sight of Elsa lying in the cold snow.
"Oh shit," he said aloud before rushing over to her side.
Her long blonde hair was sprawled out in the snow, small icicles already forming on the ends. Jack leaned in closer to observe her breathing. Steadily she let out a small exhale. A sigh of relief left him. Her eyes began to flutter open as Jack shook her awake. She groaned trying to sit up by herself.
"Easy there," he said helping her prop up in the snow.
She looked around at the forest confused. "Did the wolf get away?"
Anna and Kristoff looked at each other before Anna spoke. "I think you might've killed it,"
Jack peered out searching for any traces of the wolf. There were no signs of blood or paw prints, however he had a feeling Pitch would be watching them closely.
"Killed it?" Elsa looked puzzled. She thought back to the incident just moments ago, but only could think of her and Anna's conversation prior to the fight.
"I...I actually don't remember what happened..." she nervously twisted her fingers together.
Jack turned back from finding clues about the wolf's whereabouts. "Pitch stole your memories," he said coldly.
"What does Pitch have to do with the wolf?" she questioned.
"He's using it to watch us. I don't know why, but I have this weird feeling he's trying to get back at me by threatening Oliver," Jack narrowed his eyebrows. Prior to the birth of Oliver, Elsa experienced nightmares with visions of their unborn child being kidnapped by Pitch. Jack had gone to great lengths to protect their family from his wrath, but ultimately he felt like he was failing.
"And you knew about this?" Elsa stood in front of Jack with slight tears in her eyes. Jack sighed. Shit. "How long have you known Jackson?" her voice began to rise.
"I-I didn't mean to-" Jack paused as his wife cut him off mid sentence.
"Didn't mean to keep this a secret of Pitch attempting to kidnap our child? How could you hide this from me?" icicles on the nearby trees began to dance around as her anger increased.
"It's not that easy Elsa!" Jack waved his hands in front of him. "Pitch was threatening to hurt you and Oliver."
"So you had no idea that being out in the forest would lead us into his trap? We have our child on this trip Jackson how could you be so careless!"
"BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HE WOULD BE HERE!" Jack shouted, sending birds nearby to flock.
She pulled her hands back, calming the newly growing ice on the ground nearby. Her eyes began to tear up. She wrapped her arms around her body and turned to face Anna holding Oliver. The baby cooed as his mother approached him. Anna handed him over, giving a kiss on the cheek to her nephew. In Elsa's arms he instantly fell asleep. Jack watched with horror on his face. How could he yell at her like that?
Kristoff walked over to talk to Jack, but all he could do was stand there with shame. He laid a hand on his shoulder only to have it brushed off by the Guardian. "Hey don't sweat it Frost, she's just a little upset right now," he said reassuringly. Jack shook his head still looking at the snow covered ground. "I hate that I dragged everyone into this mess..." he sighed. "If it hadn't been for me being so stubborn this all would've been easier." Kristoff gave a half smile. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Have you realized all what you're trying to balance here? Being a guide, a Guardian, and a father. It's not all as easy as it seems. Plus I think you're doing a pretty damn good job if I say so myself." Jack turned to face Kristoff. He'd been right, after putting too much of the worry about Pitch onto himself it reflected out onto the ones we cared for most.
The fire crackled loudly in the first sights of sunrise. The mountain snow glistened brightly as the rays touched the tips of the peaks. Elsa watched as the warmth began to hit her cheeks. She'd been up nearly all night attending to her fussy infant and pondering the news about Pitch. Across camp Jack sat with his hood draped over his shaggy platinum hair. He curled his knees up to his chest waiting for another sign of danger throughout the day. In a way he felt responsible to keep watch over the crew at night in case another wolf approached them. Elsa stood adjusting Oliver in her arms who was now asleep for the first time all night. She caught a glimpse of Jack's blue hoodie facing towards the edge of the forest.
"Hey," she said softly.
He turned slowly. Seeing his wife with their son instantly made him soften. "Hey," he said.
She took a seat on the fallen tree next to him scooting in close to close the gap between. Jack reached his arms out to hold his sleeping son, a sight he would never grow old of. They sat in silence watching as the snow continued to fall. Small flecks of snowflakes dancing on the long lashes of their son. Elsa slowly blinked breathing in the cold air of the forest sending chills down her back.
"I'm sorry about earlier Elsa," Jack sniffled trying to cover the small tear that escaped his eye.
His wife looked at him with soft eyes, she could tell he was struggling to keep his composure in front of her.
"You don't have to be," she said gently placing a hand on his.
He looked down avoiding eye contact. "I just feel like I keep messing things up. I'm failing at everything I am."
"Why do you think that?" she questioned. The wind around them picked up slightly as they adjusted their seating.
Jack scrunched his nose. "It's almost like no matter what I do, I just see the lonely Guardian boy I once was. The kid everyone teased thinking it never had an affect. I've been trying to better myself after we found out about Oliver, but it's just been me causing chaos."
Elsa leaned on his shoulder to stare down at their son. Her eyes slowly met his, filled with understanding and compassion. She gently squeezed his hand. "Jack, I see so much more in you than just the lonely boy you once were. You've grown into an incredible father and husband. We all have our pasts and moments of chaos, but they don't define us. What matters is that you still try."
Their son, Oliver, gurgled and reached out to touch his father's hand, as if sensing the emotional exchange between his parents. Jack smiled at his son and then back at Elsa. "Thanks. It's just I question my ability all the time, it doesn't feel real." He looked at her tenderly. "But you make it feel more real than anything. I don't know how I got this lucky," he laughed shortly.
"Well if you hadn't somehow stumbled in Norway we probably would be in a different situation now," she winked.
Oliver kicked his feet in response to his parent's conversation as if to signal his understanding of them both. They watched him playfully move his hands around. Elsa and Jack looked at one another. Elsa truly saw the father Jack was becoming, it made her excited to witness these moments with just him.
Behind them Kristoff shuffled over, scratching his head and yawing. "Hey ya'll sorry to interrupt your talk here- but I think Sven and I have found a way out of here."
Elsa and Jack looked at each other. "How did you find a path?" Elsa asked.
Kristoff straightened an invisible tie. "Well Sven late last night explored around the edge of the forest and he stumbled upon a small bank of water which lead to a larger creek then eventually a river."
"Seems legit," Jack shrugged.
"Yeah and that river flowed right into a small village where I think we passed before getting into this mess. So you all can thank me later for having the smartest reindeer a man has ever owned," he smirked.
With excitement the three of them returned to camp, packing as quickly as they could. The sun of a winter day rose high overhead. Water from the melted snow dripped from the tall tree branches onto the ground below making small holes into the snow covered ground. After an hour of tearing down their temporary sleeping quarters they placed their bags onto the hefty reindeer and began trailing towards the river. After hours of following the river they recognized the town Kristoff mentioned from earlier. Eagerly they approached it- the townspeople quickly noticing the royal family wandering through the village. They were handed food, blankets, and given a place to stay for the night. Inside their cabin was a small fireplace accompanied with two beds large enough to fit a couple. Kristoff and Anna took the bed located on the right, while Elsa and Jack occupied the left.
"I gotta say Kris, you really outdid yourself on this idea," Jack said, plopping onto the bed.
Kristoff worked his sweater off feeling the cool breeze of the night. "You can thank me later Frost," he joked.
As they wound down for bed all anyone could think was how thankful they were for escaping Pitch's sly watchman. Although Pitch lingered with his eerie presence, Jack was relieved to not face his nemesis once again. He felt the need to be more strategic for the future, but for now he escape the claws of darkness with the help of his new family.