Chapter Song: You Are the Reason by Calum Scott
Arendelle was unchanged and yet different. Jack had only been gone for a year at best. The kingdom was much the same as it had been upon his departure. But there was an atmosphere that hadn't been present last time. He wondered what had changed in his absence as the wind drifted into a breeze. The afternoon sun shone brightly as the townsfolk bustled along through their day.
He caught sight of a spirited young redhead mingling among him and it took him a moment to realize it was Anna. He hadn't spoken to Anna or strayed within her line of sight for a great many years. He hadn't wanted the magic of who he was to undo the protection that the trolls had placed on her mind. So he had watched from afar, giving his attention to the elder sister who had needed him more.
But now, Anna looked so alive and free that she was hardly the same girl from before.
What had changed?
The breeze dwindled and vanished as Jack landed in the castle gardens. He had to do a bit of a double take upon sight of windows and doors wide open, welcoming in the summer air.
That was not part of the Arendelle he left behind. He took to the air once more, alighting on the familiar balcony.
The shock ran deeper at the sight of balcony doors also wide open, a few maids busy at work in the Queens room. He walked in, knowing well that they would not see him.
"Have you heard from Gerda what the plans are for the Princess Anna's birthday yet?" One of the maids was asking
Another shook her head. "Not yet. From what I hear, Queen Elsa plans on taking care of as much of the celebration as she can."
A light laugh ran through the maids.
"There is no pair of sisters quite like them, I wish I could say the same for myself and my younger sister."
So they're no longer apart? Jack thought as he wandered out the door. Elsa was probably in a royal study somewhere.
He listened intently as he tried to find his way there. There was so much he had missed.
No one mentioned exactly the events that had passed on Elsa's coronation, yet they had changed everything. There was a celebration coming up the following week to commemorate it, and most were grateful that all the preparations were already completed. And many more were curious about the princess's birthday the following month.
But no one gave him any crucial details.
Until one did.
A tall blond male, rather bulky in stature and dressed apart from the other servants and nobility, was found by Jack walking down a hall with one of the head servants.
"He can't have gone far."
"What I want to know is why he didn't go with Anna and Sven into town!" The blond was saying.
"Lord Kristoff-"
"Just Kristoff, Kai."
Kai, the head of the staff, corrected himself. "Kristoff, I'm sure Olaf will turn up soon. There is a chance that he did choose to join the Princess."
"Or join Elsa on her walk. Or go into the study, or the library, or some random room and try to 'help'."
Jack followed them. He noted that Kristoff spoke of Anna and Elsa with familiarity. And the name Olaf was just as familiar to him. But Olaf had been a—
"How far can a little snowman go?"
This was the first mention of Elsa's powers that he had heard of and it was of a snowman that could apparently walk around enough to cause trouble.
He was tempted to follow more, but the urge to find the full story and Elsa grew stronger.
He headed for the nearest open window and shot to the sky.
He looked for an area that was relatively empty. He doubted Elsa had changed in most of her habits, so that meant solitude.
There was an area by the fjord that was empty and he headed for it with caution, unsure if she would still be able to see him and unsure if he wanted to be seen.
He didn't even need to go all the way to the fjord because there she was. Walking back.
She had changed.
No gloves.
Her hair was braided down and rested lightly on her shoulder.
Her dress was a soft blue that sparkled like ice.
He almost flew into a tree.
He quickly righted himself, catching on a branch. He couldn't look away from her. She was stunning.
However, in his inability to look at anything else, he failed to notice the next branch just above his head. The force of the blow sent him tumbling.
He cursed as he saw her freeze, her wide blue eyes glancing around as he froze.
It was when that blue passed over him like he didn't exist did the breath leave him.
She forgot. How could she forget?
She had promised. The children who could see him were few and far between, but Elsa could always see him. Even after she had grown out of childish fancies.
It felt like his heart was shattering.
And then her eyes had refocused and the pain vanished because she was looking right at him, mouth open in a gasp.
"Jack?"
Her voice was soft, full of shock and wonder.
"Hey." He didn't quite know what else to say. The pain had vanished but the cold fear that had shot down his spine still lingered.
They stood in the suddenly tense summer air and regarded each other for a moment.
"How did you—"
"How are you—"
They laughed awkwardly, before Jack motioned for her to go first.
"How did you know to come?" She asked.
Now, this wasn't the question he had expected. And it caught him off guard.
"What?" His emotions shifted from the joy of seeing her again to those of earlier. The fear, uncertainty, uneasiness. The ones that said something was wrong.
She seemed to catch onto his inner change of tides as their last meeting replayed in her head. A foreign guilt gnawed at her.
"I wanted to apologize." She lied hastily. The nightmare could wait. "For the last time. I shouldn't have sent you away. You were right after all, if I had listened it probably would have gone a lot smoother." She laughed lightly.
He smiled, feeling himself, despite the lingering awkwardness, settle back into the familiar ease of being around her.
"Why don't you catch me up on what I've missed?"
AN: I posted this on my Ao3 and then forgot to post it here. Sorry bout that y'all. I'm gonna start trying to write a hundred or so words a day. Believe me when I say it's hard for me lol. But I have the whole story plotted, it's just a matter of finding both time and drive to write it out.