Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any of the works or characters referenced in this story.

Chapter 9

A Stroll Down the Hall

Anna walked down the corridors, looking for Elsa. Normally, Elsa would be in the throne room, listening to requests or disputes. If she wasn't there, she would be in the courtyard, showing the citizens her abilities and using them for fun or to help with an issue. But Elsa was in neither of these places.

Instead, Anna found her roaming the halls in contemplation. Elsa was looking at a portrait of the royal family when they were younger. Her eyes had a somewhat saddened look. Anna couldn't really blame her. It had been a rough series of years.

After Elsa's crazy coronation and the revelation of her powers to Anna, Elsa had moved away from being closed out and distant. Now, instead of hiding in her room and barely speaking to Anna, Elsa would keep the gates open and spend more time with her sister. She had even prepared an excellent birthday for Anna, which had been a little hampered by a sudden case of the sniffles. After that fiasco, things had started to die down.

That wasn't to say that there weren't any interesting events that happened in the meantime. Anna and the others had just finished celebrating Elsa's birthday. Sure, it had been a few weeks early, but Elsa had insisted on it so that Christmas could be the main event, not Christmas and a birthday. It had been a great birthday, with lots of gifts and cake going around. No doubt about it, things had been going rather well.

However, things had been a little different lately. Elsa had seemed more and more preoccupied the last few days. Kristoff had said it was probably Elsa getting used to the crown, but Anna wasn't sure. Elsa had ascended to the throne for a year and a half now. She'd had plenty of time to get used to the day-to-day tasks. No, this was something different; and Anna intended to find out what was wrong.

That was Anna's plan as she approached Elsa. "Hey, Elsa."

Elsa turned around, her eyes relaxing as she saw Anna. "Oh, hey."

Anna looked at Elsa. "Are you ok?"

Elsa gave Anna a smile. "Of course, Anna. Why wouldn't I be?"

But Anna knew Elsa. "All due respect, Elsa, but you don't seem ok. I know that smile. That's the smile you reserve for putting on a good face when you feel the exact opposite. Something's up. You've been a bit more reserved than usual, and you haven't smiled as much as you used to."

Elsa looked down. Anna took her hands. "Elsa, you can tell me anything. We're sisters, after all. If there's one thing you should know by now, it's that keeping secrets between us does more harm than good."

Elsa looked up at Anna. Her eyes seemed to be debating telling Anna something, then seemed to come to a decision. "Could we please discuss this in private?"

Anna nodded. This was definitely serious. The last time Elsa had asked to talk in private had been when Anna was introducing Hans and Elsa had freaked, revealing her ice powers. Anna wasn't going to deny the privacy this time.

Elsa led her down the hall of bedrooms. As they approached the end, Elsa pulled a rope, revealing stairs that led higher up. Anna knew those stairs. They led up to the attic. When the girls were younger, they would go exploring upstairs, pretending that it was a secret chamber of spinning wheels or a pirate's treasure cave. The servants sometimes came up to do a little bit of cleaning, but only every other month.

Once they arrived, Elsa sat down on a large chair. Anna found a neighboring chair, wiped off the dust, and sat down. She waited patiently for Elsa to begin.

Elsa took a deep breath. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'll just say it. I think my powers are draining."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Draining like 'I'm tired and need to sleep' draining, or 'leaving to go on vacation and returning' draining, or…"

"I mean draining like 'they'll be gone forever' draining," Elsa snapped.

Anna was shocked. Elsa was more unreserved than usual.

Elsa took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's alright, Elsa. So, your powers are disappearing. When did this start to happen?"

"A week ago. I was just finishing up a recent ice sculpture to put in the throne room. Something to commemorate this recent year for the upcoming party. However, as I was working on the ice one day, I felt weaker than before. Like I had to put in more effort to work on the ice sculpture. That's never happened to me before, even when I tried to suppress my powers.

"I thought it would get better in a day or so, but it hasn't. If anything, it's gotten worse. Now, it seems like I'm needing double the energy to try and use my powers. A simple snowfall makes me sweat, and an icy floor makes me want to sit down. I haven't felt renewed or replenished lately, and I'm worried that my powers are leaving forever."

Anna raised a concerned look. This matter was indeed drastic. Elsa losing her powers. She had never thought that would happen. Then again, she didn't know much about Elsa's powers. Maybe there was an age that these powers left. Like puberty. Could happen to anyone. In this case, two weeks before Christmas, twenty-two years after birth.

Anna turned back to Elsa. "Elsa, I know that this is a tough situation, but we can get through this together. You don't have to do this alone. I'll be right here beside you, to help you."

Elsa looked over, a relieved smile on her face. "Thanks, Anna. It means a lot to me."

Anna looked closely at Elsa. "There's something else though, isn't there." Then it dawned on her. "You think you know why this is happening, don't you?"

Elsa nodded. "Well, not necessarily why. More like a connection. The incident in question happened right around the time Kristoff came home with an unconscious Jack. That can't be a coincidence, right? A teen shows up out of nowhere with white hair similar to the hair of one struck by ice powers. He gives no information about where he's from, or basically anything about himself, and my powers start to slip? I don't think the two events are distinct from one another."

Anna shook her head. "All due respect, Elsa, but I don't think Jack's the cause of the trouble. Sure, the events are rather close to each other, but Jack can't be causing the problem."

"How do you know? You barely know him. We don't know who he is or what he's capable of. Besides, if he's not the cause, then what else could be causing this."

Anna shrugged. "I don't know. Just because events happen rather close to each other doesn't mean that they're connected. For all we know, Jack could just be a lost boy who took a wrong turn in the mountains. We shouldn't judge people before we get to know them.

"Still, you do have a good point. We don't know Jack. Maybe we should take this time to get to know him. Give him the benefit of the doubt unless he proves otherwise. Maybe being a little less restrictive and formal would be helpful in learning more. Does that sound good?"

Elsa thought for a quick second about what Anna said. "Ok, you have a point. But if I see any indications that Jack is connected to my powers, then we'll need to be more direct in our questions to him. If that happens, you'll need to go along with it. Is that understood?"

Anna nodded. Elsa occasionally got like this, ever since the Hans incident. Always had to be sure of people's motives. Still, Anna could take this compromise. "Sounds good. What say we head downstairs and look at some of the paintings? Maybe you could pose in one or two."

Elsa nodded. "I doubt it. But that sounds great."

Jack went to the doors of his room, the dream still on his mind. He felt comforted to know that there was a presence beside him in these distressing times. He felt stronger and more rested from the sleep and the dream. He was raring to go and take a look at this new world he was in.

Jack opened to doors to see Elsa and Anna walking by. "Oh, hey there."

Anna looked over. "Oh, hey Jack. Glad to see you're up. Feeling better?"

Jack nodded. "I am indeed. Feeling rested and ready. I'm also a little famished. Do you have anything to eat?"

Elsa looked over, a small, polite smile on her face. "We do indeed. You can come down to the dining hall, though dinner will be served in half an hour. Which would you prefer?"

Jack thought for a second. He was feeling hungry, but could wait half an hour. "I can wait. What are you all up to?"

Anna answered before Elsa could. "We're heading over to the painting room. You're welcome to join us?"

Jack nodded. Perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the place and people. "Sure, I would love to come with you all."

As they walked along, Jack noticed that Elsa and Anna seemed to be sneaking glances at him, then looking back at each other. Jack shrugged. He got it. He was a complete stranger here. Anna might be nicer than her sister, but she still didn't know him that well. Well, hopefully Jack would be able to break the ice, no pun intended.

Anna started the discussion. "So, did you sleep well, Jack?"

Jack nodded. "Slept like a baby. I'm feeling much better. Amazing what a little sleep will do for you."

Anna nodded, smiling. "That's great to hear."

"So, Jack, where are you from?" Elsa asked.

Jack turned to Elsa. He had decided to continue to tell the truth, though probably not all of it. "I'm from a place far away. I've been travelling around a lot, to places warmer and colder. Making friends wherever I go."

Elsa nodded. Anna turned to Jack. "How are you liking your room, by the way?"

"Well, it's actually very nice. Much nicer than some places that I've been. Though I am wondering how you cool your rooms on hot days. I've seen a fireplace or two to help in colder weather, but I haven't seen a spot to cool off."

"Well, the architecture actually helps," Elsa answered. "We have windows to let in a nice breeze, and the palace is built in such a way that it strengthens the cool breeze. The royal family and architects were very detailed about building Arendelle."

Anna nodded, agreeing with her sister. "And the family was also very avid art-collectors, apparently," she said, opening the doors they had come to.

Jack was surprised by what he saw. He had thought that the royal family had had a few good paintings in the throne room, but he hadn't expected to see so many paintings in one room. Some were of people living everyday life, while others were of court life and dancing. There were even some recreational and romantic ones, like the one of the woman on the swing.

As Jack looked around, he saw one painting that stood out to him. This painting was a Medieval one. It showed three kids snowball fighting with a windmill in the background. The painting didn't show details on the kids' expressions, but one of the kids appeared to be smiling. Jack smiled. Snowball fights were a real masterpiece for him. Well, they were, before he had lost his powers.

"I always liked that one," said a voice to his right.

Jack turned to see Elsa standing beside him, looking at the painting. "This painting reminds me of the fun times I had with my sister. We threw snowballs and built snowmen, playing all afternoon."

Jack smiled. "It's always nice to have a little fun, isn't it?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes, it is."

Elsa then got a nostalgic, wistful smile. Jack knew that there was some history here, but he decided to let it lie. A new thought came into his mind. A question he had been meaning to ask. "Hey Elsa."

Elsa turned to him. "Yes, Jack?"

"So I've only seen Olaf once or twice. He mentioned that you built him. I was wondering how exactly that happened? Did you build him, and put the carrot on him, which brought him to life, or something?"

Elsa chuckled. "Something like that."

Anna came on over. "Couldn't help overhearing. Where did you come up with that scenario, Jack? It seems rather specific."

Jack shrugged. "Heard a tale somewhere. A song, specifically. Something to do with a hat instead of a carrot. Remind me to tell you later."

With that, a large bell rang. Elsa and Anna looked over at the other door. "Sounds like dinner's ready. I hope you're hungry, Jack."

Jack nodded at Anna. "Very. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole reindeer."

Elsa and Anna shared a concerned look. "Kidding," he said. Elsa and Anna's faces still looked concerned. Jack's face turned nervous. "Wait, you don't actually… Not that there's anything wrong with eating…"

The girls' faces broke into grins. They started laughing hard. "No, we don't eat reindeer. Just messing with you, Jack. Mainly fish and vegetables for us," Anna laughed.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, that's good. Didn't know if your reindeer friend would feel offended."

Anna ran off, continuing to laugh. As Jack went to follow her, he saw Elsa still sneak glances at Jack, her smile fading away. So, Elsa still didn't trust him. That was ok. Given a little time, he was sure he could reach her.

There also seemed to be a little secret between Elsa and Anna. Jack didn't know what it was, but he was determined to find out. After all, he was temporarily stuck here. There had to be something for him to do. Also, when it came to secrets, nobody was better at finding them out than Jack Frost.

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