AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah, wouldya look at that? It's MEEEEE, throwing historical accuracy to the wind! In multiple ways! Ha ha, aren't timelines FUN? (In my defense: Disney wasn't super concerned about historical accuracy, either, soooo… that means I'm good, right?)
(ANOTHER) AUTHOR'S NOTE, added 12/17/19: Yep, this is another disproportionately long chapter, because of the Frozen II additions, including some of my personal headcanons (like-you know-the rest of this fanfiction). Thanks for tolerating me, folks. ;)
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10: MR. FROST
Elsa and Jack stood together in a peaceful silence, leaning over the balcony of the ice palace they'd built and watching the afternoon sun in its slow descent behind the mountains. So far up north, in December, there were only a few hours of light in each day, so the sky was already beginning to get dark, filled with all the rich colors of the evening.
Gently tracing the crystalline edge of the balcony rail with her finger, Elsa looked to the side, sneaking another glance at him. For all those years of studying and theorizing—a complete secret, of course, well hidden from her parents and tutors—she had formed a great number of ideas about what the Spirit of Winter might actually be like, if she was ever to meet him. And now, here he was, standing next to her on the ice, every bit as fun and clever and wonderful as she'd ever hoped he would be.
"What are you thinking, Elsa?" he said suddenly.
She jumped. Feeling blood rushing to her face, Elsa let out a nervous laugh, suddenly realizing that Jack staring at her.
"I just—you're—um," she stammered, shrugging quickly and looking down again. "You're Jack Frost."
He laughed, shaking his head and leaning back onto the balcony rail. "Well, I'm glad to have finally convinced you."
"It's still kind of a lot to take in."
"Yeah," Jack chuckled. "And you're not the only one getting your mind blown. If that makes you feel any better."
A look of confusion swept over Elsa's face. "Not the only one? What do you mean?" she laughed bitterly. "You're the Spirit of Winter."
"Yeah," he scoffed. "And you're a female with ice powers."
"Wait, what?"
"I said, you're a person with ice powers."
"Oh."
Elsa looked back down to the railing, studying the lines and patterns of light catching in the ice. Letting out her breath, she sighed, her heart swelling as she ran her finger over the railing's smooth, comfortingly cold surface.
Ice could really be so beautiful…
"There it is," he said softly.
She snapped back into focus, blushing and looking back into his eyes. Standing next to her, eyebrows raised, Jack Frost was grinning.
"There what is?" Elsa quavered.
"That smile." He stood up, turning around and leaning back against the railing, looking to her flirtatiously. "You're smiling, there, Snowflake. I see you."
She said nothing, but looked down to her hands on the railing and fidgeted with her fingers. After a few moments, she felt him lean over close next to her.
"Which means I was riiiiiiiiiiiight," Jack sang softly.
Elsa jumped, letting out another nervous laugh. "Right about what?"
He raised his eyebrows. Smirking, Jack Frost then playfully reached over and hovered his pointer finger next to her shoulder.
"You. Like. Having. Fun," he enunciated, poking her arm with each word.
Elsa scoffed, blushing and shrugging him off. "Just because I was smiling—"
"—You bet you were—"
"—It doesn't necessarily mean that I was thinking about having fun," she laughed breathily. "I—I could have been thinking about politics. Or the housing reform, for all you—"
"—Politics!?"
Elsa hesitantly looked back up, to realize that he was sticking out his lip, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. Shifting on her feet, she sighed, shaking her head.
"Okay, okay," Elsa mumbled, pretending not the notice the victorious little smile spreading across his face, "I—like having fun."
"What was that?" Jack teased, dramatically sweeping his hand up to his ear, "I—I didn't quite hear you; could you please repea—"
"—I LIKE HAVING FUN!" she shrieked.
They both burst out laughing at her sudden outburst, and Elsa blushed, grinning in spite of herself.
"There," she giggled, "Are you happy?"
"Yeah." Jack smiled. "I am."
The peaceful quiet fell over them again.
Elsa felt a tiny, sheepish smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. Without looking up, she realized that Jack was scooting towards her again, leaning onto the balcony railing.
"And I am eagerly awaiting your humble apology," he prompted.
She bit her lip.
"Alright," Elsa admitted, shifting uncomfortably on her feet and avoiding his gaze, "I—I'm sorry that I said I didn't have time for fun. Because—well, because—"
He was leaning in very close to her, grinning mischievously, his piercing blue eyes practically sparkling as he expectantly gazed into her face.
Elsa shakily pulled in her breath.
"Because you're Jack Frost," she squeaked.
He chuckled good-naturedly, shaking his head and raising his eyebrows. "Daw, come on," he laughed softly, giving her another playful nudge. "I was kinda hoping you'd say you were sorry because you were wrong."
"Well, I guess I—okay. I was," she sighed. "That—that was really rude. And I was wrong. I'm sorry I said that."
"And for the handcuffs?"
Elsa fidgeted with her fingers. "I suppose that the handcuffs were a little excessive—"
"—And for generally being an insufferable snot."
"Insufferable—!"
Her mouth falling open in shock, Elsa spun around and shoved him. Jack laughed, shrugging as she shook her head.
"How about you?" she giggled bitterly, "You broke into my room, you rogue! Where's my apology?"
"Rogue?!"
She raised her eyebrows.
He opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. After a few moments, he blushed, letting out a sheepish laugh and shaking his head in embarrassment.
"Okay. I admit it," Jack mumbled, "That—yeah, that was probably a little out of line."
A pause.
"Right. Completely out of line," Jack corrected.
"And creepy."
"And unspeakably creepy, and weird, and I totally deserved the handcuffs."
Elsa considered this.
"You left out the part about biting me," she prompted.
"It was a NIP!"
They both laughed again, and Elsa reached up and pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. Smoothing it back, and then pulling her braid forward over her shoulder, she gave a little shrug.
"I'm sorry for being a snot," she said softly.
"I'm sorry for being a complete and total stalker."
Jack Frost looked back down, flicking his fingers against the railing. He pulled in a deep breath.
"That was really pretty creepy," he muttered. "Wasn't it?"
"What—waking up to find a strange man standing by my bed while I slept?" Elsa scoffed, "My, why would that be at all concerning? You think that wasn't a nightmare come true? I'm not apologizing for defending myself."
"You shouldn't apologize for that. But that's not what I—"
He bit his lip.
"You really shouldn't joke about nightmares," Jack said softly. "Nightmares are downright scary."
"Well—of course! If you aren't afraid of something, it isn't scary, so a nightmare you aren't scared of is just a dream." She shrugged. "Isn't that what makes it a nightmare in the first place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Fear."
His eyebrows lifted slightly at the statement, and he stared at her for a long moment in shock. Shifting on his feet, Jack Frost gulped, running his thumb along the edge of his pocket.
"Um…" he started, "Elsa… You said you—as a kid—you researched me. Right?"
She felt blood rushing to her face. Shrugging nervously, she gave him a quick nod.
"Yes. I mean, right. I did," she admitted.
He looked to his feet, absent-mindedly sliding his big toe across the ice. Elsa watched as he then hesitantly looked back up into her eyes.
"You didn't—you didn't by chance—research anyone—else," he said carefully. "Did you?"
Her heart leapt into her throat. Feeling herself blushing harder, Elsa let out a nervous laugh, looking away. "Not really," she admitted. "I mean—not like a hobby, or—not like you. No."
He closed his eyes, visibly heaving a sigh of relief and leaning back against the railing. Elsa laughed breathily, tucking a hair behind her ear.
"Look, I know it's strange—"
"—It's not strange at all, Snowflake," he retorted, snapping back into focus. "I just wish I'd known about you."
"Me too."
"Were you still watching for me? Hoping I'd show up?"
She shook her head. "Not recently. I figured I was too old," she sighed. "You know, because you were always with children, and—"
"—You are not too old," Jack interjected forcefully. "If I'd had any clue you'd existed, I promise you, I would have showed up before last night."
She nodded weakly.
The wave of calm washed over her again, and she closed her eyes, feeling the nervousness melting away.
"Mr. Frost…"
"Mr. Frost?!" he sputtered, jolting and whipping around to face her, "Are you serious?"
"Well—that's your name. Isn't it?"
"Wrong. Okay, well, technically right," he chuckled, crinkling his nose, "But—blech. A bit snooty, don't you think?"
A sudden wave of panic swept over her, and Elsa's heart leapt into her throat.
"Then I—um," she squeaked, "Is there something else you'd rather have me call—"
"—Jack is fine."
He was grinning at her again, leaning over the railing with his shoulder right up against hers, teasingly waiting for her response.
She pulled in her breath.
"Jack."
His eyes softened. Elsa paused, carefully considering her question.
"If you didn't—know—that I existed—I mean, before last night," she corrected, "How—I mean, if it's okay if I ask—"
He raised his eyebrows.
"How did you end up here in the first place?" Elsa breathed.
"Oh," he sighed. "I… um… "
He bit his lip. After a few moments, he pulled in his breath, trying again.
"Well—okay," he explained, "I became a Guardian at the end of last March. Then, a couple nights ago, I get this summons from North, and—"
"—Whoa. Wait. Slow down," Elsa interrupted, "I still don't really understand what a Guardian is."
"Right. Well, there's—alright, there's a lot of darkness in the world," he said quietly. "And, the Man in the Moon doesn't think that kids should really have to—deal with it—until they've grown up. So, he's chosen a few of us to guard various—parts—of childhood."
"And you guard fun, right?"
He jolted, slamming his hand down onto the rail and spinning around to her. "HOW did you catch onto that so quickly?!"
Elsa laughed. "Research," she admitted.
Jack Frost scoffed, rolling his eyes as he leaned back over the railing and scooted an inch closer to her. "You—and your—research—!"
He gave her another playful nudge, and she blushed, biting her lip self-consciously.
"So," Elsa tried again, "You're a Guardian of Children—literally. Like, being a Guardian means that you guard children's right to have fun."
Jack grinned. "Pretty much."
"I suppose that makes sense. So, what's North?"
"It's a direction, m'lady."
There was a long, awkward pause.
"Okay, okay," Jack laughed, leaning the staff up against the icy railing, "I'll talk. North is what we call Santa Claus."
"Santa Claus is real?"
His eyes widened. "Wow," he exclaimed, "You believed in me, but not in North. I'm pretty sure that's never happened before. I'm flattered."
"Why not just call him Santa?"
"Santa? Like, Saint?" Jack scoffed. "Um—no. And you can take it from me, Snowflake," he added, raising an eyebrow and leaning close in to her face, "He is not a saint."
She giggled in spite of herself, and he grinned, shifting slightly back on the rail. After a few moments, Elsa shook her head.
"But that—that still doesn't answer my original question," she admitted. "How'd you end up in Arendelle?"
"Oh. Right." Jack Frost pulled in his breath again. "So, I'm a Guardian now. And apparently, doing the Guardian—thing—for eight and a half months was enough to make the Nice List."
"Nice List?"
He raised his eyebrows. After a few moments—putting two and two together—Elsa gasped.
"Santa Claus, again?"
"Correct."
He grinned, looking down to the crystalline railing.
"So—uh—Nice List," he started again. "Apparently, I was on it, so North—Santa Claus, I guess—he wanted to give me a Christmas present."
"And?"
Jack Frost opened his mouth to say something. After a few moments, he closed it again, letting out a breathy laugh.
"And—um," he admitted sheepishly, "So—well, here I am."
"Santa Claus' Christmas present to you was sending you to Arendelle?" Elsa exclaimed. "But that—wait, really?"
He shrugged, his cheeks flushing. "Yeah. Really."
A rush of excitement swept through her body.
"Wow," Elsa quavered excitedly, "I—that's amazing! I didn't think we were that much of a tourist destination! Arendelle's on the map, again?"
"Uh—"
"—I mean, except for the ice skating," she bubbled. "Rebuilding the outer infrastructure must have really helped! It was really hard to secure the funding and everything, but I suppose it—"
Her voice trailed off, and Elsa felt a wave of self-consciousness grasp her as she slowly looked back to the beautiful, white-haired young man standing next to her by the balcony rail. He was laughing softly under his breath, staring into her face with an expression of amused disbelief.
"Elsa…"
He shook his head. Elsa blushed, looking down and biting her lip. After a few moments of visible hesitation, the Spirit of Winter then quietly reached over on the railing, and she jumped, looking up in shock.
"North didn't me here to see Arendelle," Jack admitted softly. "He sent me here to meet you."
He placed his hand on top of hers.
Elsa froze, staring at it in shock. Feeling his gaze on her face in the silence, his ice-cold hand still on top of hers on the railing, she shifted on her feet. Staring into the sunset again, she then pulled in a long, shaky breath.
"Soooo…" Elsa laughed nervously, "This… this is what friendship is like."
He stiffened.
"Um… yeah," Jack agreed. "Friendship."
And the silence fell again.
"Have you really never had friends before?" Jack asked softly, pulling his hand back.
"No, I have, it's just—I—!"
Elsa gave her head a quick shake, pulling in her breath. "Before I left Arendelle, I didn't have any friends I wasn't directly related to. Then, I spent about a month with the Northuldra," she admitted, "Getting used to the Forest, and they're wonderful. Really. I mean, there's Honeymaren, and Ryder, and—well, they've done everything in their power to try to help me and include me, but I'm—different."
"I'll bet."
Her face fell, and the Snow Queen looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. "It feels a bit like being the Queen of Arendelle again. Most everyone I come into contact with is nice to me, but they're also a little bit too intimidated to get all that close," she sighed. "The Northuldra and I are definitely friendly, and they're lovely people. I love learning about their culture and everything, but—well, now that I'm settled, I mostly keep to myself. With the Spirits."
"You haven't gotten close to anyone?"
Elsa let out her breath, trying to decide how to proceed. She already felt terrible for suggesting that she was all THAT different, like she was above them, somehow, but—
She was that different.
"I... I think I have some friends. Like Honeymaren. Honeymaren is wonderful," Elsa said, "She's always been the main one rolling out the welcome wagon and trying to make me feel included, and everything. But I'm not sure if that's necessarily friendship, or if it's just… um..."
She paused, trying to decide how to explain it.
"Just what?" Jack prompted.
Queen Elsa pressed her lips together, fidgeting with her fingers. Gathering her courage, she pulled in a breath.
"Diplomacy?" she squeaked.
To this, his eyebrows lifted. "Diplomacy?" Jack asked.
The Fifth Spirit bit her lip, staring over the forest towards the sunset once again. Feeling a sudden sense of longing, staring at the breathtakingly beautiful mountains and trees, she gave herself a quick shake.
"The Northuldra don't really have royalty like we do, but—Honeymaren is basically their princess," Elsa explained. "She's Yelana's great niece—and Yelana didn't have any children, so Honeymaren is next in line, in that sense."
The Guardian's forehead crinkled. "Yelana? Who's Yelana?"
"Their leader. She's the oldest member of the tribe."
The feelings of homesickness threatening to overwhelm her, the Fifth Spirit quickly looked down the the clear, shimmering railing of the ice balcony. She reached up and placed her finger on its edge, absent-mindedly tracing a little pattern of snowflakes along its surface.
"When I first came to the Enchanted Forest, I actually tried to strike up a conversation with Yelana first," she admitted, "Because she was clearly the other queen, and I assumed it would be the proper thing to do. But she—um."
Elsa stopped talking, giving a little shrug. In spite of herself, she felt her face break into an embarrassed little smile.
"Let's just say that Yelana differed to Honeymaren rather quickly," Elsa finished.
Jack Frost snorted under his breath. "So…" he chuckled, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. "Not a diplomat? Is what you're saying?"
"No," Queen Elsa giggled.
His smirk turned in a full-on grin, and Jack shifted on his feet, reaching up and flicking his fingers past the closest end of her snowflake design, sending another little line of frost flowering over the icy railing's surface next to hers. Her muscles relaxing instinctually, Elsa let out another soft laugh.
"I know her a lot better now. And Yelana can be a bit—abrasive," she grimaced, "Not that it's not justified, but—! Well. It's probably for the best that she has Honeymaren handle all of the diplomatic things. Now that the Forest is open, and all."
He nodded. "This Honeymaren sounds great," Jack offered, continuing to draw snowflakes next to hers along the rail as he spoke, "Right? Even if you guys just started talking as a diplomacy thing, that doesn't mean you aren't friends."
The Snow Queen paused. Her finger slowing to a stop, she then lifted it away from the design and clasped her hands together, beginning to fidget with her fingers.
"I suppose that we are. Honeymaren is wonderful," Elsa admitted. "And I really, really appreciate everything she's done to help me, because it's been a lot. It was a BIG transition for me, moving up to the Forest. But—!"
Her voice trailed off.
The guilt seeping in through her feeling of calm, Elsa swallowed with effort, her smile fading as she looked completely away. Noticing an increased chill on her arm, she knew that Jack Frost had stopped drawing as well, leaning in closer to her.
"But what?" he pressed softly.
She swallowed again. Feeling herself cringe, Elsa gathered her courage, starting to hesitantly glance back in his direction.
"I just don't feel like Honeymaren could…" she choked. "Understand."
A silence fell over them for a long moment as Jack Frost patiently waited for her to explain, his eyebrows lifted in the unspoken question.
The Snow Queen crossed her arms tightly over her chest, hunching into them and blushing as she struggled to come up with the right words. The Guardian stayed silent, watching her.
"I know it sounds terrible," Elsa blurted quickly, "Because Honeymaren is amazing. Really. And they all are. But if I'm honest, I've just have a really hard time talking to her, after all of the initial information was exchanged. Sometimes, I feel like we're not even speaking the same language. I know that I grew up alone, and I'm still very new to this whole friendship thing, but I thought I was making progress, and—!"
Elsa let out her breath again, cutting herself off. Swallowing, she glanced to him, seeing the sparkling frost on his shirt and the gleaming, crystalline ice all around their balcony behind him.
"It's never been quite like this," she admitted, her voice going quiet, "I've never been friends with someone before, like this. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"
"I think so."
She bit her lip. Jack Frost shifted on his feet.
"You want to have a friend who can actually relate to you," he said.
"That's it."
His eyebrows lifted, and the Spirit of Winter smiled, like he was inwardly laughing at a private joke. "Well, I can relate to that."
"That's it exactly," she exclaimed, "And I—I just feel like you understand."
Elsa's breath caught as he placed his hand on top of hers once again, beginning to rub his thumb back and forth over her skin. He drew in his breath.
"I think I do," he said carefully. "Maybe—this is destined to be more than a friendship?"
Staring out over the snow-covered mountains, the Snow Queen considered this, closing her eyes and feeling his freezing hand on top of hers. Beaming, she then nodded.
"A really great friendship," Elsa agreed.
Jack Frost stopped rubbing her hand.
Carefully pulling his back, he then leaned over the railing again, staring out at the sunset. "Um—right," he said. "Sounds good."
Her heart leaping, Elsa's smile widened. She couldn't help it.
He's WONDERFUL.
"So!" Jack Frost started again, giving her a playful nudge, "You wanna actually tell me about this whole "Enchanted Forest" deal?"
Elsa's mouth fell slightly open, and she looked to him. The Spirit of Winter was smiling at her flirtatiously again, his piercing blue eyes practically sparkling.
Heh.
"It's—kind of complicated," Elsa admitted, letting out a nervous laugh. "Are you sure?"
"I've got all the time in the world."
She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, looking down to the icy railing. A moment later, Jack Frost leaned in close to her ear.
"Come onnnnnn," he whispered, "What's such a big deal that the Queen of Arendelle gives up her crown? I mean, you've brought it up a few times, but you've never actually explained."
"Well—I didn't really give up my position. Not entirely," she said, looking up, "I'm still the Snow Queen. I just don't have to deal with all of the political business of Arendelle anymore."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Usually," she corrected. "I don't usually have to deal with all the political business of Arendelle anymore."
To this, Jack grinned. "Ah… right. Because you've been reinstated."
"Temporarily reinstated."
"And, the forest is where you'll be heading after that's done?"
"Yes," Elsa nodded. "That's where my real responsibilities lie. I mean, I keep riding up and checking on them every couple of weeks, but—well, it's much better for me to just BE there." She laughed nervously, smoothing back a lock of hair into her braid. "I'm good at playing the political game, and everything, but—I kind of hate it. And the longer I stay in the castle, with the tight schedule, and the politics, and all the rules, none of which I get to set myself—I feel like it's sucking the life out of me."
"I can understand that."
They both laughed. Then, Jack gave her another nudge. "Seriously, though. What do you do up there, in this—forest?"
"It's an Enchanted Forest," she corrected. "The elemental spirits of nature are free to interact with mankind there. It's rather small, but it's a special place. In fact, I think it's the only place of its kind. It needs to be protected."
Biting her lip, she looked back to him, watching his expression. Much to her surprise—after a moment of letting this idea sink in—the Youngest Guardian then shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay," he conceded. "Sounds cool."
Her eyes widened. "You believe me?"
"Sure."
Elsa's face melted into a smile. "That's a relief," she exhaled, feeling her muscles relaxing a bit. "The people who actually saw the tidal wave, the ones that were evacuated from Arendelle Proper—they mostly believe me. Or at least, I thought so before today. But everybody else seems convinced that this was just propaganda, or a military strategy thing to remove me from Arendelle. There's been a lot of speculation, but most people aren't willing to believe in things that sound too different from what they've personally experienced."
"Well, I do believe you."
"Really?" Elsa pressed, "It's—it sounds kind of crazy. I mean, when you think about it."
"I love crazy."
"You do?"
"You want to hear crazy?" Jack laughed, "Okay. Try this one on for size: One day, I'm ice skating with my sister, and then—well, something happened. So I black out, and then I wake up, and suddenly I'm floating in the air. And, poof! Ice powers. And I can fly!"
He gestured dramatically with the staff, spinning around as Elsa sucked in her breath. Then Jack caught it, leaning in close to her face.
"And the Man in the Moon is real, and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and the Sandman are real, and a whole bunch of years go by, and now I have to report to the North Pole every two weeks so that Santa Claus can lecture me about honor," he finished, "So, yeah. The world is crazy sometimes. I choose to have fun with it."
Her eyes wide, Elsa laughed into her hand. "What happens if you don't show up for your lectures?"
"North sends a yeti."
Jack Frost grinned wryly, and Elsa giggled again, looking down to the ice. Beneath their feet, she could see the sunset's rich hues sparkling through the crystalline floor.
"But, either way," Jack started again with a shrug, "Norway has an secret little Enchanted Forest, with a bunch of nature spirits that can interact with people? Sure. I'll bite."
As she looked up, he winked, and Elsa felt a giddy little rush sweep through her body. Smiling uncontrollably, she smoothed a hair back into her braid again.
"Well—that's what I do up there," she said softly, her heart pounding as he looked to her again, leaning onto the icy railing. "I unite and watch over the elemental spirits, as the Enchanted Forest's bridge between magic and mankind."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "That sounds awesome."
"Thanks."
She looked down, nervously running her finger along the edge of the icy railing as she gathered her thoughts. Then, the Snow Queen drew in her breath.
"It is pretty awesome," Elsa whispered.
Jack laughed, turning around to completely face her. "I'll bet," he chuckled, "But how'd you figure out that that's what you were supposed to be doing? That's a pretty dramatic career change. Weren't you the Queen, before that?"
"I was. But up in the Enchanted Forest," she began, having recited this many times, "To make a very long story short, there was a battle between the Northuldra—the people who live up there, in the Enchanted Forest—and the Arendellians, who came to visit them for—well, for a not-great reason," she admitted, "But that's beside the point."
He grimaced. "Political?"
"Kind of."
She bit her lip, bracing herself for the further questioning. But the Guardian didn't press her on the issue. Relaxing a bit, Elsa then drew in her breath.
"A battle broke out, and that angered the spirits," she continued, "But while it was happening, our Northuldra future mother saved our Arendellian future father—her enemy—and so, nature rewarded her by giving her two daughters that would one day rebuild the bridge between magic and mankind; one with magic, and one without."
"And you're the magical one, I take it."
"Yes. To represent the Nature Spirits," she explained. "But to do that, I had to become one of them. And that's exactly what happened, when I went to Ahtohallan."
Jack's eyebrows jumped. "Become one of them?"
"Magic is real, up in the Enchanted Forest," Elsa insisted again, drawing herself up. "And that's where I belong. It was my destiny to become the Fifth Spirit of the Nature Spirits."
"Waitwaitwait. Hold up. So now, you're a Nature Spirit?"
She nodded. His eyes wide, Jack Frost pushed himself back from the railing, pushing his fingers into his hair.
He spun away from her, gripping the staff and walking a few paces back onto the ice. Then, whipping back around, he suddenly jumped back up to her, staring intensely into her eyes with rapt fascination.
"Uh—Snowflake? Are you—are you trying to tell me," he shook, his hand trembling, "That you're—immortal?"
Like he was struggling to conceal his excitement, the Spirit of Winter bit his fist, his piercing eyes watching her face with such intensity that Elsa could practically feel his gaze. Breaking off eye contact, Elsa nervously smoothed a lock of hair back into her braid, staring down at the railing.
She pulled in her breath.
"We're not sure," she admitted.
Jack Frost's smile faded.
After a moment, he gave his head a quick shake. A glimmer of hope flickering over his eyes, he then looked back to her.
"There's still a chance, though," he pleaded. "Right?"
Elsa nodded, looking up. "Yes. There's still a chance."
Looking somewhat satisfied with this answer, the Spirit of Winter let out his breath, leaning into the balcony railing. As he began to spin his staff on the ground, watching its hook turn in the air, Elsa pulled in her breath.
"Even though I'm technically a Nature Spirit now, nobody quite knows what this means for my mortality," the young queen admitted. "I don't know if I'm still aging. Honestly, I think it's too early to tell."
Jack nodded solemnly. "It can take a decade or two to figure out that sort of thing for sure."
Elsa's gaze snapped to his.
"I—uh," he corrected, clearing his throat and shifting against the railing. "I—I would imagine."
Her mouth hanging slightly open in shock, Elsa studied his face. He didn't look like he wanted to say anything more about this, but—but he had definitely just said something. Whether or not he intended to.
Were you someone BEFORE you were Jack Frost?
"So! Do you—uh," he started again, like he was trying to change the subject, "You're, like—a liaison, for the magical spirits in this forest now?"
"Basically."
She looked down to the railing, tracing her finger along its edge in contemplation. A cluster of snowflakes dancing off of her fingertips, she the sighed.
"I kind of miss some parts of being the Queen of Arendelle, but it was my destiny to become the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest," Elsa said. "There was always meant to be a fifth."
To this, the Spirit of Winter's eyebrows lifted. A strange expression sweeping over his face, he turned and gazed out over the edge of the balcony, like he was watching the sunset without really seeing it. After a few moments of silent contemplation, Jack then reached for Elsa's hand, picking it up at playing with her fingers.
"Well, then—it's nice to meet you. Miss Fifth Spirit," he chuckled, leaning in close to her face like he was telling her a secret. "I'm the Fifth Guardian."
Elsa's breath caught as he kissed the back of her hand, pressing his lips between her first and second knuckles. Before she could figure out how to respond, he grinned.
"I think we should get to know each other," he whispered.
Elsa immediately felt heat rising to her face, and she laughed, her heart leaping. As he gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it, she shifted on her feet.
"I'd like that," Elsa said breathlessly.
The Guardian smiled. Letting go of her hand, he then leaned back onto the railing, still looking at her.
"And… uh," he added, raising his eyebrows, "I'm—also—a Winter Spirit."
She laughed again. "Perhaps you could show me the ropes?"
"After what I just saw?"
Suddenly self-conscious, Elsa shrank. Fidgeting with her fingers, she watched her childhood hero deliberate on this idea, his mouth twisted to one side as he glanced to the ice balcony's railing—and then to the floor—and then to her dress—before finally looking back up into her eyes.
Jack Frost pulled in his breath.
"I think you've got the ropes down just fine," he said softly.
He gave her an encouraging smile. Elsa's heart soared.
Blushing with bashful joy, she looked down to the railing, smiling uncontrollably as she moved her hands up onto the ice, still fidgeting with her fingers. She knew she was powerful, with how much she'd grown, and who she was, and what she could do, but—hearing it was still—!
Everything.
That JACK FROST didn't think she needed mentoring was EVERYTHING.
"I mean," he shrugged, "I'm sure that I'm better than you with some stuff, but you're obviously better than me with other stuff. We can teach each other. Sound good?"
"Sounds good."
For a long moment, they stared into each other's eyes, both smiling in the peaceful silence. Biting her lip, Elsa laughed.
"Sounds freezing," she added.
"It'd better be."
He took her hand again, drawing circles on her skin with his thumb, a burst of snowflakes billowing out from between his fingers. Elsa restrained from a giggle again, her heart leaping at his touch, and the reality of the fact that—that he was even here.
All of a sudden, Elsa realized that there was a distinct, swelling sound ringing in her ears, with a smooth beat, like…
Like music.
Elsa and Jack both abruptly stood up, looking behind them. The sound was definitely coming from inside the doors.
"Am I the only one hearing this?" Jack asked.
"No, I'm hearing it too."
He snatched up the staff and leapt into the air, banging the doors open and darting inside to locate the source of the sound. Elsa, confused, followed quickly after him. As she stepped in from the icy balcony, the music grew louder, and she realized why.
Across the room, standing out as distinctly solid and dark against the ice, she saw that Jack was hovering over a small wooden table with a phonograph sitting on the top, a large brass horn attached to its side. Walking forward to in wonder, Elsa realized that there were two mugs of a steaming something sitting beside it, along with a tray of colorful cookies.
Christmas cookies.
"What's going on?" Elsa laughed nervously, "How—wh-where on earth did this all magically come from?"
"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Jack chuckled. He reached to the tray of cookies and picked up a candy cane, holding it up in the air. Elsa gasped.
"You mean that he's—?"
"Been here?" Jack laughed. "Yeah. He can do that."
"What? How?"
"Remember that magic portal thing?"
She raised her eyebrows. Looking to the tray of cookies again, Elsa's eyes fell onto the gleaming corner of a foil-edged, crimson card.
But Jack had seen it, too. Before she could pick it up, he lunged forward, snatching up the card and ripping the foil open with his teeth, anxiously flipping it open.
As his eyes fell onto the writing inside, the Spirit of Winter's pale cheeks flushed bright red.
Slowly letting out his breath, Jack Frost shook his head, closing the card and starting to stick it into his pocket. Before he could do so, Elsa suddenly leapt forward.
"Mr. Frost—"
"—Yeah. It's from North," he said quickly. "Don't worry about it."
"But you don't look—happy. You were happy, a minute ago," she pressed, "If—if you need to be somewhere, or—"
"—Oh, no. It's nothing like that. It's just—I—!"
Blushing again, Jack Frost sighed. Sticking his hand into his pocket, he sheepishly pulled out the card, handing it to Elsa in defeat.
She took it, pulling back the crimson ribbon. Removing a tiny piece of gold foil, her eyes fell onto a single verse of cursive scrawl:
.
I see you when you're sleeping
I know when you're awake
I know if you've been bad or good,
So if I get any more reports of you breaking into women's bedrooms in the middle of the night I am sending a yeti to fetch you back to see me in my office immediately and you will most certainly NOT be on the Nice List anymore, young man
For goodness sake
~N
.
Elsa looked up.
"Santa Claus—can do that?" she asked, "The whole see you when you're sleeping thing?"
"Yeah," he sighed, kneading his eyebrows. "I try not to linger on it. It's more than slightly creepy."
He shook his head, reaching out for the card. Elsa handed it to him, and he gave it another glance, scoffing and turning away.
"And he really needs to stop calling me young man," Jack grumbled, tossing it onto the table. "Because I'm not."
"Actually," she admitted, "I've always wondered how ol—"
"—SO, AH HA HA," Jack suddenly jolted, spinning around to the phonograph, "I WONDER how this thing WORKS!"
Elsa abruptly snapped her mouth shut, catching the end of the question just before it fell off the tip of her tongue. Biting her lip, she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. That wasn't a proper thing to ask…
She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. STUPID girl! Elsa thought miserably, Just—just because you researched him for all those years, it doesn't mean you get to be—rude. And that was rude. It's not like you're interrogating him now; he's a gentleman, and one doesn't just ASK about—oh, STUPID girl! He's probably offended now. Or angry. When you open your eyes, he'll be gone. You've messed everything up again, because of your stupid, STUPID—
"—Want to dance?"
"EEP!"
Elsa startled, leaping backwards in shock. Now suddenly standing directly in front of her, Jack Frost offered his hand.
"I—um," he tried again, "Do you—would you like to dance?"
Her mouth falling open in disbelief, Elsa stared at his hand.
After a few moments, she snapped back into focus, letting out a nervous laugh. "I—thank you," she stammered, "But I—I don't dance."
"What?" he exclaimed, "Who doesn't dance?"
"I don't."
"Oh, come on," he laughed, taking a step towards her and holding out his hand again, "It'll be fun."
Elsa bit her lip, pulling her hands into her stomach and hunching over slightly. As blood rushed to her face, she heard his voice trail off, silence falling over them on the ice.
"Wait a minute," he realized quietly, "You… you don't know how?"
She didn't respond.
"That's okay," he tried again. "I know how. I can teach you."
"But you're Jack Frost."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah?" he chuckled, "And you're the Snow Queen. Or—so I hear."
"No, no, no, that's not what I—I mean, I am, but—!"
He was grinning slyly again, visibly restraining from laughter. "What?" Jack teased. "Scared I'm going to nip your nose, again?"
"No!"
She looked to his hand.
"I—okay," Elsa squeaked. "A little. And since when does the Spirit of Winter dance?"
"Well—not since before I fell through the—I mean, I did, back when—!"
He bit his lip, looking down in embarrassment as his cheeks turned pink. Then, awkwardly kicking at the ice, Jack Frost looked back up into Elsa's eyes, smiling sheepishly.
"Okay," he admitted. "It's been a while."
He smiled hopefully, holding out his hand again.
Looking to it, Elsa felt her heart leap into her throat, her eyes lingering for a moment on the ice particles frosted over the navy fabric of his sleeves.
She reached forward, shakily placing her hand on his.
Smiling sheepishly, he curled his cold fingers around hers, looking up into her eyes through his hair. Her heart pounding, Elsa pulled in her breath as she let Jack Frost lead her out into the middle of the gleaming, crystalline floor.
"I've been watching people do this for ages," he laughed softly. "Dancing isn't hard. It's like ice. It looks complicated and fluid, but it's really just the same basic structure, over and over again."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, it's—it's like—okay," he said, backing away from her and looking to the floor, "A—snowflake. Yeah! A snowflake."
Elsa looked at him in puzzlement.
"Like—a snowflake?" she repeated.
"Well, like—you know. The steps," Jack stammered, letting out a nervous laugh as he gripped her hands a little harder. "This kind. It's groups of three, like stepping on the points of a turning snowflake. See?"
Elsa looked down to her feet as he pulled her hands forward, pulling her slowly after him on the ice.
"One, two, three, four, five, six," Jack counted. "Snowflake. See it?"
He smiled hopefully, looking up into her eyes.
Elsa stared.
"You know—like, it's following you," he tried again, blushing slightly, "Like—it's a big, slowly turning snowflake that's—okay. Here."
Jack dropped her hands, turning away and starting to run across the ice for his staff, which was still leaned up against the table. Reaching for it, he—
"—I can see it," Elsa blurted.
Jack paused.
Without picking up the staff, the Spirit of Winter slowly turned back to face her.
"Uh… you can?" he asked quietly.
"Well—yes," she realized, staring intently at the ground, "But it's—it's not a turning snowflake, at all. It's just tilted. See?"
He raised his eyebrows as he walked towards her again, and Elsa demonstrated, picking up the edge of her skirt as she moved across the ice, stepping onto the points of the invisible, shifting hexagon.
"Tilted?" he asked.
"It's a bit more complicated than the diagram most people use. I mean, if you're talking about a waltz," Elsa admitted, continuing to stare at the floor as she swept past him, "You know—a shifting hexagon, rather than fixed boxes. I like your explanation better, but I don't think it's rotating. The snowflake, I mean. See, all of the movement, if we're assuming it's a hexagon, is transverse as you—!"
Elsa squeaked, jumping as she bumped into him on the ice, and Jack laughed, grabbing her hand as she started to slip. Swallowing hard, Elsa blushed, biting the edge of her lip with embarrassment. He laughed, smiling good-naturedly.
"Wow," Jack said softly. "I thought you said you didn't know how to dance."
"I don't know much."
"How much do you know, then?"
"Well—I know that this is a waltz," Elsa admitted. "Three-four time."
"Yeeeeeup." Jack stepped up to her, scooping her arm up onto his as he reached around, putting his hand on her shoulderblade. "And the best dance for pranking people."
"Pranking people!?"
"Waltz is supposed to be romantic," he chuckled. "Right? So—uh—ruining the moment is sort of hilarious."
"How on earth do you prank someone in a dance?"
He readjusted his grip, taking her other hand and subtlety sneaking his foot onto the hem of her dress.
"Oh," he shrugged, "Like this."
STOMP.
"EEP!"
The fabric suddenly yanked down to the side, Elsa shrieked as she slipped, her body being spun around on the ice and caught just as she plummeted towards the ground.
Hesitantly opening her eyes, her heart pounding, Elsa looked up to realize that she had instinctively thrown her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life as she stared up into the Spirit of Winter's piercing, snowflake-marked eyes.
In a perfect dip.
He nodded.
"Okay," Jack breathed. "That worked a little better than I thought it would."
She said nothing, staring up at him in shock. He pulled in his breath.
"For the record, that's not how they're usually done," Jack added.
"Good," Elsa squeaked, shakily getting onto her feet as he pulled her back up.
"So… um," he asked, "I—should we try it out, or—?"
"—Sure."
Dropping her hands, he stepped back, turning and nearly running across the ice to the phonograph. Dropping the needle onto the record, Elsa watched as he awkwardly stuck his hands into his front pocket, walking back towards her across the ice.
As the piece of music on the record started, Jack stepped up to her again, scooping her arm up onto his and placing his hand on her shoulderblade. After tossing her long capelet over his arm, the fabric sparkling in the soft blue light of the icy ballroom, Jack then reached over and picked up her other hand.
And he paused.
A strange, dreamy expression sweeping over his features, the Spirit of Winter took a long moment to gently adjust his hand on her back, his fingers shifting over her icy dress. As she stood in front of him, waiting for him to take a step, Elsa felt him give her hand a tiny squeeze, running his other fingers over the edge of her shoulderblade again, almost as if he wasn't as much adjusting his grip on her skin as he was—well. Feeling it.
Savoring it.
Jack's face flushed, and he closed his eyes, smiling sheepishly as he held her hand, standing in his place as the music swelled. Shifting on her feet, Elsa bit her lip.
"Um—Mr. Frost?" she asked quietly, "Are you alright? Is everything—"
"—Yeah."
He startled slightly, jolting back into focus with a nervous laugh and shaking his head. Then—feeling him give her hand another squeeze as he blushed—Elsa watched as Jack Frost hesitantly looked up into her eyes.
"Not—invisible," he breathed.
An look of confusion swept across her features.
After a few moments, Elsa opened her mouth to say something, but before she could do so, he let out a sharp bark of laughter, scoffing and leaning in close to her face.
"Oh—and, seriously," he chuckled, raising his eyebrows. "It's Jack."
Her arm on his, Elsa felt him give her a gentle push, leading her into the first step with the downbeat. Following, she moved back, and the young queen was suddenly sweeping across the ice, dancing with the Spirit of Winter as the swelling music reverberated through the dome.