He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.
The nap took Jack almost a century back.
The knight was peacefully dozing off on a bed of fragrant hay in the tranquil horse stable when the cherished princess of the realm abruptly entered and gently prodded his shoulder.
Knowing the tap well enough, Jack smiled under the black hat that hid his face. "What can I help you with, Queenie?"
"Let's go out to the market." Elsa's head fell on his stomach, and he winced in pain.
Nodding respectfully, he stood up and bowed playfully. "I shall ask his Highness for permission, and then we can head to the market."
Groaning, she crossed her arms. "Should you must?"
"You are a princess, and he must be aware of your goings," Jack answered, and he knew what she really meant.
Elsa took a strand of hay and twirled it around. "I wish I wasn't. I wish I were a commoner."
He laughed at her comment, "That's what the commoners would say. 'Oh, only if I were royalty.'"
The imitation made her chuckle, and she sat up straight. "I wish I was free, Jack."
"But you are, aren't you?" He hesitated because he knew the answer, but she wasn't.
"I'm not. I'm a princess. My hands are shackled, and I must run this kingdom."
Finally, he said her name, "Elsa."
She brought her knees to her chest and sighed. "I don't have a say in anything, Jack. I was born with my life all planned. These rules bestowed upon me push me into the depths of the ground. I was sentenced for life before I even opened my eyes." Staring into his eyes, she wondered, "So how am I free, Jack?"
"Let's go to the market." He held out his hand for her. "Come on now." If this made her happy, he could spend months in dungeons.
"Jack." She murmured as her hand went into his.
Excitedly, he draped a luxurious black velvet coat around her slender frame, gently pulling the hood over her delicate features, concealing her identity. Jack also concealed himself with an oversized coat.
Too much adrenaline rushed through her body, and she excitedly did tiny jumps around in place. "So we're going to the market?"
"Yes, as you ordered."
Then she stopped and clenched his hand. "Can't you just treat me like a friend right now? Should you act like this all the time?"
He sighed and slipped his hands out of hers. "Elsa...You are my friend, but I'm just a knight, and you-" Pointing at her, he murmured "-and you are Queen to be. There's a gap between us that can never be filled. You're the ocean, and I'm just a river."
"Rivers are stronger than the ocean." With this saying, she didn't even know what point she was proving.
Sincerely and openly, he laughed. "I don't even think that's a proverb, and it makes no sense, Queenie."
She crossed her arms and looked away. "It's not like your quite emotional proverb made any sense. I doubt it even exists."
"Whatever you say." She was probably right. One thing the duo sucked at was proverbs.
It felt correct to say what's been on her mind for a few days now: "I like you." This confession has been repeated multiple times over the past numerous years.
He stopped dead in track. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I just remembered His Highness asked me to check on this site-" He turned around, planning to escape yet once again.
Stopping him, she groaned and smacked his chest. "How many times will you turn me down, Jack?! And why do you pull up the 'Your Majesty'? It makes me feel different than you."
"Because you are, and I say that to remind you of our class difference. I'm a son of the commoner, and you have royalty flowing through your blood and soul." He had his head down, and it hurt to say the fact.
Resting her head on his chest, she whispered while lightly tapping his chest with each word. "I long for you-" She gazed up at him with teary eyes and quickly shifted the subject. "-Should we head to the market?" Engaging in an argument with him seemed futile. This scenario had played out many times in the past, so she anticipated his inevitable rejection.
Only Jack could reject the princess in this kingdom and get away with it.
"Yes, of course, Your Majesty." He faced forward and walked before her, hiding his own glassy eyes.
She didn't know that he had loved her way longer than she had.
His heart beat for her when she first held his hand; they were five.
Now they were 19 with forbidden love.
Why must fate be cruel to them?
Goodness! Jack jerked up, gasping for breath. He felt like he was born again. He felt strange to himself.
"Unbelievable! Fuck! I can't believe this. Elsa and I... Shit!" Rarely did he ever use such language or find himself at a loss for words, yet at this moment, he did both. His ability to foresee events had never led him to such a bizarre and unexpected turn of events.
Nothing could distract him from the image that had just burned itself into his mind. "So she was into me, and I felt the same way." He aimlessly roamed barefoot, muttering, "But why couldn't we be together? Am I overlooking something?" The situation was perplexing. "Hold on, I remember seeing us lying on the grass. So we were together! This must have been before we officially got together."
Jack felt foolish as he listened to himself. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing his mind, talking to himself while pacing around, a behavior that was completely out of character for him.
"I need to see Gothi. I fucking need to see her right now!" Jack picked up his coat from the couch and put it in a hurry. Once ready, he rushed towards the stairs.
There she stood gracefully, assisting the cook with such elegance that it evoked a striking resemblance to the Elsa of his dreams. She was remarkably similar yet distinct in her own way.
A look of joy spread across her face as she caught sight of him descending the stairs. "I'm so happy you're awake, babe. Dinner will be ready soon." Then, a puzzled expression crossed her face as she observed his attire. "Going somewhere?"
God, that smile of hers made his insides tingle. "Yes, I am." He hugged her and held her so tight.
"Well, dinner will be ready soon. You better be back within an hour." Scolding him felt nice to her as if he was hers.
Looking around nervously and awkwardly, Jack didn't know how to deliver this news. "I need to go to Berk right away, but I'll be back within a day."
Elsa gasped and touched her face. "Oh god, is everything okay? Is someone hurt? Astrid-" Her heart dropped thinking about Astrid.
"No, no, no, it's not...it's not that. I have some unfinished business that needs to be done urgently, and I must be there in person." Just why couldn't he be honest with her? Maybe because he wasn't fully aware of what was happening to him.
"When will you be back?" Elsa, who had no idea what was happening, was only sad about being separated from him.
Softly, he held her in his arms, not wanting to let go. "Within two days max. I promise." He pulled back and stared into her warm gaze. "Until then, you can visit a few places or meet someone you want to. Sebastian will be here with you."
Now, for sure, she knew something was wrong, and only because Jack called Sebastian by his name and not 'Loki" as he usually does. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
He didn't lie. "I'm sure." But he didn't speak the truth too. "I'll be back before you know it." He kissed and nuzzled her neck; he was already missing her when he hadn't left.
"Please call me and tell me when you'll come home." what a beautiful word.
"I will"
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise, snowflake. Have a good night, and make sure to eat your dinner." A final kiss and he walked towards the entrance. "I love you."
"Love you too, Jack!"
And there stood Sebastian, who looked at his boss worriedly. "Is everything alright, son?" He knew when to play the employee role and when to act as a protective father figure.
Jack shut his eyes and kept walking forward, and Sebastian followed him out of the house. "It is and isn't. Charter my plane. I need to go to Berk."
The tone was serious and assertive, so Sebastian didn't ask any further questions and did as was ordered: "We should leave now." He got off the phone.
Sighing, Jack asked the kind man to stop from getting in the car. "That's not needed, Sebastian. I'll drive my car, and you stay here with Elsa. I entrust you with her. Take care of her."
"Are you sure everything's fine?" For sure, it wasn't because Jack didn't call him Loki. It was pretty significant, and anyone could tell if it was severe or not.
"It is. I have some unfinished business."
"Alright, Mr. Overland. Come back safe." Sebastian knew he was lying because, as far as he knew, there was nothing upcoming on Jack's schedule for at least a month.
Sebastian returned when the car was out of sight and saw Elsa smiling and talking to Elena about something. He went a bit closer and overheard them.
Apparently, they had become very close in just a few days.
"So Elena, what's your secret? Your recipes are too good."
"As the old saying goes, 'Just make it with love.' Simple as that." Elena smiled as she beat the dough.
Elsa laughed wholeheartedly and grabbed a glass of water. "I must've heard this a thousand times in Berk."
Curious took over, and Elena politely asked, "So you are from Berk? I've heard it's a gorgeous place."
Elsa might've been born and raised in a painful house, but there was another house, a lovely home, Berk, that was all hers.
Sometimes, repeating the original story only hurts, so isn't it better if we rewrite it?
Maybe it was time for a change, and Elsa smiled teary-eyed. "Yes, that's my home, and it's unbelievably gorgeous." She hummed, "I'll take you there sometime."
"I'll be happy to. Thank you, Mrs. Overland."
Elsa laughed once again. The change was beautiful.
Sebastian listened and walked away.