(LENGTHY) AUTHOR'S NOTE: HI, I'M BACK. Before anything else, I want to thank everybody who read/reviewed, and to ESPECIALLY thank literally everybody on here (well, most stayed; hooray!) who stuck it out with me and waited through what I've decided is my Unofficial Maternity Leave. For those of you who didn't see the note I added to the last chapter back in March, my third trimester basically hit me like a truck, in ways that often made it difficult to write. I'm still recovering both physically and mentally in a number of ways (I MISS YOU, MR. ELLIPTICAL!), but in the spirit of Not Going On and On About It, I'm just going to summarize pregnancy/childbirth in the following way: It's the ultimate grab bag, in that you 1) don't know how many symptoms you're going to get, 2) don't know which ones they're going to be, and 3) don't know the severity in which you're going to get them. And now I'm gonna shut up about it. THANKS FOR STICKIN' AROUND, FOLKS ;) (Also, to respond to someone about it: NO, I am not in school right now! OH thank heaven I've got my degree; I could never have gotten through that PLUS classes!)
REGARDING FROZEN II: Frankly, I'm scared out of my mind. I mean, I've known that my "YOU DO NOT GET TO CHANGE THE PROMPT HALFWAY THROUGH" feeling has been coming for a while, but it's still terrifying. I'm good enough at forcing stuff to work that I've figured (for years) that I would probably be able to see the movie and come up with ways to change IA to reflect it without messing up my already-existing plotline, but there are a NUMBER of things that they could do that would blow a massive hole in my plans.
I guess I'm probably just scared because I've worked so hard trying to make this feel as MUCH like canon as possible, which of course requires me to stay true to canon. You know, explaining away plot holes, coming up with backstories to tie everything together, and making sure that ALL the character development in IA is simply a continuation of the characters arcs already established in the original films. I actually have ways to shoehorn OFA into this, but I figured it wasn't worth it until I saw what Frozen II was going to do, and tried to do everything all at once. IA desperately needs another draft, anyhow. IDK if I'm going to DO it, because that will take time, and this is already taking way more time to write than I thought it would, and I'm scared, and the plagiarism of my work is super discouraging, and I'm really proud of my backstories (that we have yet to get to) and I don't want them to be messed up before they're even posted, and the only thing I'm certain of is that I'm pretty certain that the billowing of Elsa's new split-cape thingy from the teaser trailer, even in a reality in which ice powers exist, is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE AND IT FILLS ME WITH ANGST.
PHYSICS RANT: Unless they cheated by making it be almost rigid down to her hips, thus changing the geometry of the billowy part substantially, which I think they did, I'm about 98% certain that there is NO WAY that the pieces of fabric would billow like that, without just twisting and falling down. (For the record: my engineer husband agrees with me.) I have had multiple 2-in-the-morning emotional breakdowns about it, one of which included me stomping out to my whiteboard in the middle of the night to try to mathematically derive my angst, and it is taking EVERY OUNCE OF WILLPOWER I HAVE to not make a 20-minute video explaining all of the different physics concepts at play here, because, while it would allow me to publically work through my ideas and show you guys some awesome physics, it would TOTALLY reveal my identity to anyone who saw it who happened to know me. Long story short (and I COULD TOTALLY BE WRONG here, but I'm pretty sure I'm not, so here we go?): Capes are HIGHLY unstable equilibriums when they're out in "maximum billow" mode, and—being hit by a varying, super-random applied force from the wind—are only able to KEEP billowing because they're being held apart by their boundary conditions (the fixed edge attached to the shoulders) to keep them from completely twisting/crumpling (to minimize surface area against air friction) and falling down. On the new split cape that Elsa has, they've changed up the geometry in such a way that the sheer weight and horizontal moment of inertia is so great, when compared to the fixed edge at the top, that I'm pretty sure the two pieces would NEVER actually do anything except maybe billow for one second, and then twist into little streamer thingies. Mathematically, I think you could model this using a 2D array of coupled pendulums, where the stiffness of the fabric and boundary conditions are taken into account via the allowed values of theta and the fixed edge respectively (with the wind being represented by a randomly fluctuating force from the allowed angles that would take the shoulders into account). At this point, you would use a Hamiltonian...I think? But that would required me to get out my old Physics 321 textbook, and I'm already butchering this explanation, so LET'S JUST GET TO THE CHAPTER, SHALL WE? ;)
.
.
68: Royal Cousins, Royal Guests
.
For the record: Jack Frost found absolutely nothing "fun" about taking things slow with the Snow Queen of Arendelle.
Fun would be if Elsa had thrown herself across the table and confessed her undying love for him. Fun would be watching her come to her senses and kick Prince Wonderful to the curb. Fun, in Jack's mind, would be physically grabbing the Ice Powers Girl, throwing her over his shoulder, and flying her away from all of this political snooty-type idiocy to build an ice palace together somewhere freezing—followed immediately by a quick wedding, which would then of course be followed immediately by even more FUN.
Sigh.
The problem was, he did want Elsa to be more confident. But—even as she was sitting on his lap, with everything all pressed up against him—it had taken Jack about three milliseconds to conclude that there was NO possible way to tell her how pretty her chest looked without being INSANELY out of line.
On the other hand, that entire attempt at a relationship discussion had probably been out of line, anyway. He wasn't thinking it'd go like that—frankly, he was planning on being as gentlemanly as possible, as to not freak her out—but almost nothing had ended up going how he thought it would. He'd even made a step-by-step outline in his brain and everything, and STILL, the gorgeous young winter spirit had found ways to throw him off. Jack's plan had been the following:
Step One: Flowers.
Step Two: Apology. You know, just—in general.
Step Three: Smooth, casual transition into discussion of relationship.
Everything had been going perfectly until Step Three. He'd been so carefully working to convince her; gently flirting her into it, laying out his argument, exposing Prince Stupidhead as the liar/weakling/jerkface that he was, and then Elsa was suddenly BRINGING UP SEX FOR SOME REASON.
O…kay. Then.
I guess… we're… talking. About this. Now.
Which he was fine with. Really. More than fine. Great! Because it would be GREAT! But then, in what felt like five seconds after Elsa had WANTED to talk about it, suddenly—she was—mad at him. For talking about it. At that point, he'd shut up—because when the lady is freaking out, you're supposed to shut up—but he wasn't going to pretend to understand why. Maybe she was embarrassed, or something…
Granted, Elsa had then—inexplicably—asked if she could sit on his lap for a few minutes. And had done so, sooo… it couldn't have gone THAT badly. Right? And, this time, he wasn't a creep for pulling her onto his lap, because she'd asked him to do it. No, literally; she had LITERALLY ASKED! And as long as they were (sort of) on the same page, Jack was determined to NOT feel guilty for enjoying it, lost leg circulation or not. Part of this was that, physically-speaking, Elsa clearly liked him, too. She'd flat-out admitted it.
Jack smirked, remembering the look on the Ice Powers Girl's face when she'd gotten caught. So cute. It almost made up for the—well, the rejection/not rejection thing. It was almost like she still didn't get that he wanted to be more than friends. How much clearer could he have been? All that was left to do now was to get rid of her idiot council, ice-blast Prince Wonderful onto the first ship leaving Arendelle, have Elsa realize they were TOTALLY PERFECT for each other, and then get a move on with love, marriage, and HAPPILY EVER AFTER. It was a solid plan.
But apparently, he had more family to make nice to, first.
"So… this person," Jack started, walking briskly down the shortcut hallway to the throne room beside the Snow Queen, "She's your cousin?"
Elsa nodded without looking at him, her sparkling capelet billowing out behind her in the dim light. "Yes. Rapunzel Fitzherbert."
"Rapunzel, what?"
"Fitzherbert," Elsa repeated.
Jack abruptly stopped walking. He blinked.
"Gesundheit," he offered.
From where he was now standing in the hallway behind her, Jack heard the Ice Powers Girl suppress a laugh. He grinned, tossing the staff to himself and leaping into the air.
"So," he started again a second later, lighting onto the carpet beside her and matching her pace again as he whipped the shepherd's crook back over his shoulder, "How about the guy? There was a husband, too, right?"
"Yes. I believe his name is Eugene."
"Eugene Fitzherbert, eh?" Jack chuckled. He scoffed. "Now, that's a snobby, upper-crust name if I've ever heard one. No offense."
"How is that not offensive?"
"Sorry."
"And besides," Elsa continued, the smile fading from her voice as she walked faster down the hallway, "I don't believe that Eugene is of any of royal descent. In fact, I think he had a rather colorful past. Under the name of Flynn Ryder, for your information."
"Flynn Ryder? Now, that is a cool name."
"Just for that, I am never telling you Kristoff's last name. Nor mine."
Jack opened his mouth to make his retort, but then immediately snapped it shut before the words could tumble out.
"Frost" would suit you better anyway.
All of a sudden, the Ice Powers Girl came to an abrupt stop, turning to the side of the hallway. Pausing, Jack realized that they were now standing beside a tall, regal-looking door.
"But you're not snooty," he insisted. "And I'm not saying that they are. They just sound like it—I mean, with a name like Fitschwitzer—"
"—Fitzherbert?"
"Nuance."
"Oh, come now," Elsa scoffed. "It's not that difficult a name."
"I like simple names," Jack countered, gesturing to himself with his staff. "I mean—look at mine. Jack Frost. Two words. Two syllables. Nine letters. Easy."
She rolled her eyes. "Not everybody has a two-word, two-syllable, nine-letter name."
"Especially not you, Queen Elsa."
She opened her mouth to respond, but then quickly shut it again. Her mouth considering the idea of a smile, she drew herself up.
"That's three syllables," Elsa said calmly.
He shrugged. "Snowflake it is."
"Aaaand, that's one word. And not really my name."
Jack shrugged again, watching as his beautiful Snow Queen lifted her hand to the door, giving it three quick knocks. From inside the room, he could hear that footsteps were suddenly coming towards them, his mind racing as he made the split-second decision.
"Snow Angel?"
Elsa's eyes widened, her jaw dropping in shock. Their gazes locked, but before Jack could say anything more, the door was opening.
"Ah! Your highness," exclaimed the servant, his face relaxing in relief. "There you are!"
She glanced inside. "Have they arrived yet?"
"No, my queen."
The Snow Queen swept through the door, and Jack hopped into the air to fly above her as her capelet whisked through into another hall. Seeing that Elsa appeared to be alone, the servant's look of relief turned to confusion.
"Where is Queen Anna?" he asked.
"She will be arriving shortly," Elsa answered. "Given the situation, we thought it would be best to have at least one of us there to greet our guests. Seeing as Anna was already fairly out of breath when she found me—and was unwilling to have me ice-blast her down the hall on a sled."
"Ah. Very well."
Jack absent-mindedly drummed his fingers on his shepherd's crook taking in the new surroundings. The sled thing was actually his idea—and it sounded really fun—but, the pregnant young queen was concerned that she might throw up. It was a legitimate reason to lag a bit behind, although he was now suddenly wondering if he should have stayed back with her, instead of accompanying Elsa.
On the other hand—Elsa.
"Is she coming by the same hall?" the servant asked as he briskly walked a pace behind the Snow Queen into the open main hallway leading to the throne room. "If so, I ought to return to make sure she can get in again."
"Thank you. I think that would be best."
"Of course, your highness."
The man bowed slightly at the waist, then straightening up and turning away. Pacing quickly back to the smaller hallway with the door, he was gone, leaving them across the way from the enormous set of double-doors that were the entrance to the throne room.
Upon seeing Elsa, the two guards standing at attention jolted, bowing quickly and then straightening up. Without a word, they each grasped one of the door handles, pulling them open as the Snow Queen thanked them, nodding and sweeping through. As he followed, Jack saw that King Kristoff and Sven were already in the sun-soaked throne room, the last of the day's bright light pouring in through the windows. The Commoner King had taken one of the plush chairs on the side by the fireplace, and appeared to be in the midst of a deep conversation with the reindeer, who was happily sitting beside him on the floor. Seeing Elsa approaching, he stopped, looking up.
"So!" Kristoff called out, straightening in the chair. "Your cousin, right? Wait, where's Anna?"
"She should be right behind me. And yes, this is a cousin." Elsa nodded, then beckoning for him to come up and join her as she made her way for the throne platform. "Just one, though. Her name is Rapunzel, and—no, you wouldn't have met her, yet. She wasn't able to make it to the wedding. And I've only met her once, but we've been writing since she was found."
His eyes widened. "Is this the 'Lost Princess' one?"
"That's her."
Seeing Kristoff's expression, Jack felt himself relax slightly. It did take some of the pressure off—you know, knowing that he wasn't the only one who felt out of the loop.
But that still didn't answer every concern.
"Uh… Elsa?" Jack started.
She turned to him, the long, sparkling capelet of ice shimmering in the light as it twisted around her feet on the platform. As her stunning blue eyes locked with his, more ice particles glinting at him from her hair and the top of her dress, Jack's breath caught.
Sweet Manny.
"Jack?" she asked.
Jolting, Jack gave his head a quick shake. "YEAH! Um," he stammered, laughing nervously and gesturing with the staff, "I just—uh—okay, do you want me to still be here for this, or should I just—"
"—I'd like you to be here."
Elsa whisked her capelet back onto the platform to make room for him, stepping to the side. Kristoff grinned, looking down to the floor. Jack didn't notice.
Swinging his staff behind his back, the Youngest Guardian's expression melted into a smile of relief. "Okay," he said, hopping up beside her just as the doors of the throne room started to open again. "As long as it's not awkward that they can't see m—"
"—I'M HERE!" Anna's voice shouted.
Jack stopped talking as everyone looked to the doors to see the enormously pregnant Queen Anna waddling towards them as fast as she could, the guards at the doorway looking after her with anxiety in their eyes. Elsa jumped, running down the steps of the platform to her in dismay.
"DID I MAKE IT IN TIME?" Anna gasped.
"Yes! Now, slow down—"
"—I'm fine."
Her face nearly purple as she panted for breath, Anna let her sister take her arm and accompany her the rest of the way, Elsa's eyes sharp with focus. Having been only a few steps behind her, King Kristoff took over as they reached the platform, helping his wife up the stairs.
"Thanks," Anna muttered sheepishly. "But I keep telling you. I'm fine. I don't need this much help for—"
"—YES, YOU DO," Elsa and Kristoff snapped in unison.
"Anna," the Fifth Spirit started again, "It's only temporary. We just don't want you to get hurt—if anything were to happen—"
"—I'm fine, Elsa."
A pang of guilt hitting him in the stomach, Jack pressed his lips together and stared down at his feet. He should have stayed behind with her. Granted… Anna probably still wouldn't have slowed down.
The guards were still holding the doors open, now looking relieved that Anna's family was there to provide a buffer to her near-fatal clumsiness, continuing to stand at attention as a middle-aged man in a uniform strode into the room. Upon seeing Elsa, he smiled, the guards pulling the doors shut behind him.
"Your majesties," he started. "Princess Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene Fitzherbert, are in the hall. Are you ready to receive them?"
"I was BORN ready!" Anna exclaimed, still trying to catch her breath.
Jack let out a sharp breath of a laugh at her outburst, and saw that the man—still smiling—was restraining from doing the same.
"Very well," he said, still smiling. He looked back to Elsa, his eyes softening the slightest bit. "Of course, it is customary for family receptions to be private. Is that alright?"
She nodded. "Yes, thank you."
He bowed slightly at the waist, like all of the various servants did, except that—in straightening up—his eyes went to the Snow Queen's again, lingering for a long moment as his expression went a little hazy.
Jack's eyes narrowed. His fingers clenched automatically on the staff, but before he had the time to think up a witty death threat, the man took a step back, clearing his throat and gesturing to the door.
"PRINCESS RAPUNZEL OF CORONA, AND EUGENE OF CORONA," he announced.
Everyone in the royal family sucked in their breaths, nervously watching the grand doors as they opened for the final time.
As the male servant paced from the room, the Spirit of Winter glared the man down with murder in his gaze—hurling slew of mental insults at his back—but an instant later, his anger was replaced by curiosity. Remembering that the guests were Elsa's family, his eyebrows perked with interest as a pretty young woman with short, spiky brown hair and a satchel slung over her shoulder came into the room first, followed by a broad-shouldered man in his mid-twenties. As they approached, Jack's gaze snagged on the fact that the guy had a very distinct weapon hanging from his belt like a sword. Except that it was a…
Frying pan?
His brow furrowing in confusion, Jack turned back to Elsa to see if she'd noticed it too. But he was disappointed. Her face the mask of perfect, regal calm, the Snow Queen was standing up as straight as she could, smiling politely and not letting on if she'd noticed—well, anything out of the ordinary. Shrugging to himself, Jack looked back to the visitors, this time letting his eyes settle onto Elsa's cousin as she approached, tuning out the dull hum of the formal conversation and small talk.
Huh. This Rapunzel lady was—well, Jack felt like he'd seen her before, but couldn't quite place where. Or how. It wasn't any specific feature or mannerism; just a general air about her that seemed familiar. The resemblance to Elsa and Anna was overwhelming—how were all the women in this family so TINY?—but that wasn't quite it. Maybe it was just that she was pretty? Granted, Jack tended to find most women pretty, because he just generally liked women, but…
Probably because she looks so much like Elsa.
Jack Frost absent-mindedly found his gaze wandering back to the Ice Powers Girl, and his heart skipped a beat. From the sparkling capelet tumbling to the floor around her, and the snowflakes sprinkled through her soft hair, the pink flush of her cheeks, and the deep, intense intelligence in her beautiful blue eyes... He definitely had a thing for the Snow Queen, and, a newly-found preference for all things ice. You know, given who he was, he figured that MAYBE HE HAD A RIGHT TO.
Everyone had by now stopped talking, and Rapunzel bit her lip excitedly, reaching for the strap on her satchel as she glanced around. The man who had introduced them (who was now at the end of the room) politely bowed, going out of the doors, two outside guards reached for the handles, pulling them shut.
BOOM.
"Okay," Rapunzel whispered into the bag. "All clear! You can come out now!"
Elsa and Anna glanced to each other, their eyebrows lifting, as their cousin reached into her bag. As she pulled out a small green something, Rapunzel smiled apologetically.
"Sorry!" she groaned, "He doesn't like staying in the dark for long—"
"—A chameleon?" Queen Anna gasped, her eyes bulging with delight, "You have a pet chameleon?"
"Aw!" Elsa sighed happily. "He's as tiny as Bruni!"
"Oh! Right!" Rapunzel beamed, letting the tiny lizard dash up her arm, taking a seat on her shoulder. "Pascal of Corona? Meet Queen Elsa, Queen Anna, and King Kristoff of Arendelle."
Pascal purred contentedly, drawing himself up and giving them a regal nod. Anna and Elsa simultaneously gasped in delight, and behind them, Kristoff grinned. Drowning in Elsa's smile, Jack's mouth melted into a grin as well. A happy, dumb, dreamy grin. The ladies were talking again, and the guy—Eugene, presumably—stepped forward to strike up a conversation with Kristoff, but Jack was hardly paying attention. He was watching his Elsa.
He'd actually had the Ice Powers Girl on his lap twice that day, and while it admittedly wasn't the most comfortable seating arrangement in the world, it did put things he liked a lot closer to his eyes. Not to mention: he loved the affection. LOVED it. He sort of craved it, honestly. When Elsa figured out that they were perfect for each other, he had to wonder if that would be continuing. And, she DID want kids, right? How many kids did she want to-
WHOA, there!
Jolting back into the moment, Jack blinked hard. Rapunzel was embracing Anna, with a bit of difficulty getting around her pregnant stomach.
"I'm just so happy for you!" she exclaimed. "This is so exciting! How long have you known?"
"Oh, from pretty early on, I think," Anna grimaced. "I had really bad morning sickness. At least that's done with."
"That's good. And there's a good payoff, right?"
"There'd better be."
The girls all laughed. After a few moments, a wistful expression swept over Rapunzel's face.
"Yeah..." she said, more to herself than to them.
The sister queens exchanged glances, suddenly unsure of what to say. Before any more words could be exchanged on the subject, Rapunzel then shook her head, beaming again.
"Well! That'll happen when it does," she said brightly, looking to Elsa. "And, besides. We still need to find someone for you!"
Having fallen quiet, everyone turned to the Fifth Spirit, who suddenly was blushing furiously. Before she could respond, King Kristoff snorted.
"Yes," he drawled, his gaze sliding to Jack's. "If. Only. There were. Someone."
Jack grinned, restraining from a laugh at Elsa's discomfort. Not noticing the tension, Rapunzel jumped, taking a step up to her cousin as she yanked her satchel forward onto her hip.
"Oh! And I—um," she whispered, "Elsa! I have something for you!"
"Have something…?" Elsa asked quizzically, her expression relaxing again in curiosity as Anna turned to say something to Kristoff. "What do you mean?"
Rapunzel reached into her satchel, pulling out a large envelope. "Remember that request you made? You know, once I was back with my parents, and we started writing?"
Elsa's eyes widened. "Wait—you mean—"
"—Yes!"
Rapunzel jumped and clapped her hands together with glee, looking like she was restraining from a squeal. Her mouth falling open in shock, Elsa glanced to Jack, their eyes locking for a moment before she looked back to her cousin. "I—Rapunzel, if you actually managed to—"
Before Elsa could continue, her cousin suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling her to the side to speak in private. Before Jack could move, Rapunzel suddenly stepped through his body.
Seeing their overlapped images, Elsa's breath caught. Politely moving to the side, Jack stepped back out to separate their forms just as Rapunzel gave a violent shudder.
"Whoa," she shivered, grasping the envelope. "Is it just me, or did it suddenly get REALLY cold in here?"
"Oh! I—um, I didn't notice."
Elsa bit the edge of her lip and glanced to him, and Jack's muscles relaxed again. At least, she could see him. Thank Manny.
Because that ALWAYS hurt more when a WOMAN did it…
Letting out his breath, Jack tossed his staff into his other hand, walking another two paces away and leaning back against the wall. From the fact that Rapunzel had only pulled Elsa three steps to the side, this conversation clearly wasn't meant to be THAT private—but, he still wanted to give them a little space, at least.
Even though he was honestly curious to find out what the Ice Powers Girl had wanted so badly from her cousin.
"So! Anyway," Rapunzel started, "This is for you."
Queen Elsa's eyes widened as her cousin shoved her the envelope, sealed with the lavender wax. Just as she was opening her mouth to respond, Rapunzel giggled, unable to hold it in anymore.
"Nine. REFERENCES," she whispered, leaning in close to Elsa's face. "NINE separate, recorded references to sightings of Jack Frost!"
Hearing his name, Jack's ears perked up. Glancing to her, he could see that the Ice Powers Girl was blushing again.
"I—um, wow!" Elsa stammered, her eyes wide, "I—I can't believe that you remembered, and—"
"—I am so sorry that I didn't get them to you at your coronation!" Rapunzel groaned, "But I've been holding on to them ever since. I didn't think you'd want them mailed. Everything was just so busy, and—well, and then the ball, when—"
"—It's okay!"
Jack grinned, biting the edge of his lip and absent-mindedly starting to spin the end of his staff against the floor.
"You—you don't need to apologize," Elsa laughed nervously, stumbling over her words, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to—to really receive you properly at my coronation. That was my fault. But I—it—"
She cut herself off, looking down to the envelope. Drawing herself up in a visible effort to regain her composure, the Fifth Spirit then hugged it to her chest.
"Thank you for remembering," she whispered.
The tension in Rapunzel's face relaxed into a smile again. She let out her breath. "It's my pleasure," she said quietly.
"And—and nine references? That's—that's a lot."
"I know!"
Despite the fact that Elsa had no hint of sarcasm in her voice, Jack suddenly found himself remembering the hundreds of slips of paper pinned to the underside of her childhood bed. Granted, the tweenage Elsa was probably much more determined than her cousin was to track him down. Not to mention the fact that she was about the most resourceful person he'd ever met. Like, going to records from the insane asylum to find references—who even thinks of that? A genius, that's who. Elsa was an absolute genius.
Now, if he could just get her to flirt BACK.
"I couldn't believe that was so easy to find stuff on him," Rapunzel was bubbling, "I mean, I knew that the myth was pretty prevalent, but I didn't realize that it was this popular!"
At the word myth, Elsa anxiously glanced to Jack as he winced. "I—"
"—And I am so sorry that I didn't understand, because—well, it seemed like such an arbitrary thing to be interested in," Rapunzel admitted, "But now I do! I mean—it all makes sense, now! Why you'd be completely obsessed with him?"
The Ice Powers Girl looked down, her face beet red, and hugged the envelope to her chest. Warily glancing in Jack's direction, she swallowed hard.
"I—um," Elsa whispered, "I—yes. I was."
Jack's heart swelled, the earlier insult soothed under the compliment. Yeah, okay, so Rapunzel—like pretty much everyone—still thought he was a myth. But ELSA believed in him. The gorgeous, amazing Snow Queen of Arendelle, the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest, could see him. In fact, she was "obsessed" with him.
The Guardian of Fun smiled to himself, his heart leaping as he looked down to his feet. He could live with that.
"Well, I'm sure you're tired. And hungry," Elsa started again, grasping the envelope to her chest as Jack shook himself back into the moment. "Would you prefer to go straight to bed, or to have some dinner first?"
"I VOTE FOR DINNER," Eugene blurted.
Rapunzel shot him a disapproving look.
"I mean—ahem—dinner," he corrected, bowing slightly at the waist and then straightening up, "Would be highly appreciated. Your majesty."
Eugene pretended to cough into his fist, glancing warily to his wife.
"Please," he added.
Jack's face broke into a grin.
This guy is growing on me.
"Sounds great," King Kristoff nodded. "Where is it going to be, though?"
"I'm sure we can get it served in the private dining room," Anna chimed in, taking a step forward. "I mean, you guys are family! We have a lot of catching up to do, and—"
Ca-CHUNK.
She fell silent, her eyes widening as they all looked to the back of the room, seeing that the great doors were swinging open. Striding in through the doors with a clipboard in his hand, Elsa's head councilman Rolf was briskly walking towards them, his face a mask of determination.
Anna and Kristoff looked to each other in suspicious confusion, and Jack's grip instinctively tightened on the shepherd's crook. Taking a tiny step in front of her, he glanced to the Snow Queen, his eyes locking with hers. She looked like she had been caught completely off guard as well.
"Snowflake," Jack whispered, "You're going to be fine."
"Queen Elsa!" Rolf announced accusingly. "We have been looking all over for you!"
Elsa drew herself up. "I've been otherwise engaged," she replied, a wave of confusion sweeping over her features as he approached. "What's going on?"
"That's hardly an excuse for—"
"—May I present our COUSIN," Queen Anna interjected, a little louder as she defensively stepped forward and gestured to them, "Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and Prince Eugene Fitzherbert, her husband?"
Suddenly realizing that he and Queen Elsa were not alone in the room, Rolf's eyes widened, and he looked to them. Seeing his blunder, his cheeks turned crimson.
"Oh." He cleared his throat. "I—um—I see. Pardon the intrusion, your majesties."
He bowed curtly, then springing back up again a millisecond. His gaze hardening, Rolf exchanged a dark look with Queen Anna—all but actually sneered at Kristoff—and then finally turned his glare back onto Elsa.
"A word?" he demanded.
Still obviously confused, the Snow Queen glanced to the others. Looking apologetically to her cousin, she pulled in her breath.
"Please excuse me."
Picking up the front of her skirt by an inch, Elsa swept past the group, following Rolf for the door. Jack leapt into the air, flying down beside her and avoiding her billowing capelet as he touched down again, matching her pace. Even though she was wearing her mask of calm, he could tell that the Ice Powers Girl was anxious. Should he touch her shoulder, or something? Would that make her relax, or just startle? Maybe her lower back? Granted, that might be more to reassure himself than her, but it was always a welcome KRISTOFF'S WATCHING.
Glancing back towards Elsa's brother-in-law, Jack quickly yanked his hand away from her, then sliding it into his hair. Rubbing the back of his neck, he felt his face flush.
Right.
The enormous doors were still standing open, and Rolf walked through, nodding to the guards. Elsa followed, and—as the last of her capelet whisked through the door—Jack bounced up into the air, flying through the doors just as the guards began to close them.
"Rolf, what is this about?" Queen Elsa asked, turning to face her Head Councilman as the doors shut behind them with a boom. "I'm rather surprised to see that you're still in the castle. Don't you usually go home by four?"
"Ah. Yes," he replied, "Usually, we do. But given the situation, a few members of the Royal Council elected to stay longer tonight. To make arrangements, that is."
Jack's ears perked up, and he looked to Elsa. She was clearly restraining from glancing to him, as well.
Arrangements?
"What kind of arrangements?" the Snow Queen ventured warily, looking back to Rolf with suspicion. "My schedule is supposed to be left open after 6:00 every day, unless I am hosting a dignitary or event—for which protocol would give me at least twenty-four hours' notice. The last time I checked, my evening was free."
"Well, this morning, that was true," Rolf nodded, "But part of the reason we have that protocol is so that, when unexpected royal guests arrive, you will be free to receive them properly."
"Which is exactly why we will be ending this conversation, so that I go back to properly receiving the Princess of Corona."
As Elsa nodded curtly and turned around, walking back towards the doors of the throne room, Rolf's face went pale. Jack smirked.
Beat that.
"Then what shall we tell the Prince of Kingsley?" Rolf called after her.
And she froze.
Jack's heart stopped, and he looked to her head councilman. Rolf, his clipboard in his hand, jogged the few steps towards Elsa.
"The Council has already arranged for you to dine with Prince Frederik of Kingsley this evening," he huffed, drawing himself up. "You are scheduled to be in the formal dining hall in approximately ten minutes. Prince Frederik might already be there."
Jack's eyes widened. They had—it—!
You SLIMY little…!
Looking to the Ice Powers Girl, he realized with horror that Elsa's mouth had fallen open in shock, her expression suddenly terrified. Before she could formulate a response, Rolf took another step towards her.
"It will cause great political offense if you do not attend," he added.
"WOW," Jack blurted.
Elsa glanced towards him, and Jack snapped his mouth shut. His blood boiling, he turned his glare back onto the councilman. Of course they'd set her up. Of course the blame would fall on Elsa, if she refused. And of course they'd made sure to not tell her until the very last minute, so she had no choice but to do it.
Jack had the feeling that an Invisible Phantom would be haunting Elsa's Council again tonight.
"Alright," she sighed. "I will be to the formal dining hall in a few minutes. I just need to go and deliver this to my room."
Rolf stepped forward, extending his hand. "I can have one of the servants take that for—"
"—NO!"
Elsa stumbled a step back, protectively clutching the envelope to her chest, her eyes wide with fear. Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked to Rolf.
You're next.
"I mean—no. Thank you," Elsa shook as the councilman stared at her in confusion. "I would much prefer to take it myself."
"But—"
"—And I will be at the dinner shortly."
They glared into each other's eyes in silence.
After a long moment—his resolve crumbling—Rolf huffed again, drawing himself up. "Well. Please be timely," he grumbled.
"A Queen is always timely," Elsa enunciated. "And the next time that I am called upon to host a foreign dignitary for dinner, I would appreciate being given more than ten minutes' notice."
Without another word, the Snow Queen then turned on her heel, walking briskly away from her head councilman for a side hallway. Resisting the temptation to ice the floor beneath Rolf's feet (knowing that Elsa would be blamed) Jack jumped and followed. Knowing his Elsa as he now did, he could tell that she was struggling not to cry.
As soon as they rounded the corner, the Ice Powers Girl let out all the breath she had been holding in, her face crimson from her attempt to conceal her frustration. Her eyes blurry, she gave her head a violent shake. "The nerve of—!"
"—I know," Jack agreed. "He's going down."
Gripping Rapunzel's envelope of references so hard she was trembling, Elsa stumbled a step back. "I am so sorry," she quavered, "I—I didn't—"
Her voice trailed off. Seeing the faint, distinct sparkle materializing above her, Jack pulled in his breath.
"Your Council is terrible," he said. "That isn't your fault."
Elsa stared down to her feet, saying nothing. Jack swept his hand through the air.
"Elsa?"
She looked up. Hovering above Jack's hand, with a faint blue glow, was a snowflake.
Biting her lip, Elsa clutched the envelope of references to her chest, nervously glancing back down to it. After a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.
Jack flicked the snowflake towards her, stepping up to her as it floated onto her cheek with a sparkle. As the magic dissolved into her skin, the Ice Powers Girl let out a shaky breath, leaning her face into Jack's shoulder as if she were melting into it in return.
Gathering her into his arms, Jack reached up and pushed his fingers into her hair, starting to stroke it back from her face. His breathing slowed as he relaxed, closing his eyes and leaning his cheek against the side of her head. Elsa's hair was so soft… like satin, but just textured enough to cling to all the snowflakes and ice particles sprinkled through it. Mother of North, it even smelled like DO NOT SMELL HER HAIR.
Jolting out of the stupor, Jack reeled back, nearly pulling Elsa with him. She startled, her eyes wide.
"SO! Uh," Jack blurted, "You—you wrote to your cousin for more references, huh?"
Your hair smells like SNOW.
Backing away a step, he pulled his hands onto Elsa's shoulders, feeling her smooth skin under his fingertips. After a moment—realizing what he was doing—he then gave her an awkward squeeze, patting her shoulders and pulling his hands back.
"Well, I—I figured that I'd exhausted Arendelle's resources," Elsa admitted, her voice a sheepish squeak. "What I could research subtly, anyway."
Forcing himself not to look at her dress or her hair, Jack studied her face. "But I thought you'd mostly given up by about age sixteen."
"Well—actively researching, yes, but I—it—I was—"
Her voice trailed off. Gripping the envelope to her chest, Elsa squeezed her eyes shut, then letting out a shaky breath as she opened them again.
"I was still kind of obsessed with you," she whispered.
Her cheeks pink, the Fifth Spirit of the Enchanted Forest stared at the ground in embarrassment. Jack's heart swelled.
I'm kind of obsessed with you, too, he thought. And your hair smells like SNOW.
"And—and Rapunzel was happy to do it," Elsa was stammering nervously, "She's really, really sweet. And we had been writing, so—well, you met her!"
Jack blinked himself back into the moment. "Huh?"
"My cousin? And Eugene?" she tried again. "Did you—did you like them?"
The Ice Powers Girl glanced to the side, suddenly anxious, before looking back into his eyes again.
"Oh! Yeah! They seem—really nice," Jack nodded. "I guess it's just hard to tell. Seeing how I haven't technically met them, met them, yet."
"Oh. Right."
Elsa looked down to the envelope, hanging her head in shame. Biting the edge of her lip, she then swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry," she choked, "I meant to—well, I was thinking I'd introduce you as soon as we were alone with them, but then Rolf showed up, and—"
"—That wasn't your fault."
"But she walked through you!" Elsa stammered again, "And I didn't do—I am so sorry that happened; I was selfish and stupid to not even consider—"
"—Snowflake! Snowflake. It's okay."
She abruptly stopped talking, sucking in a shaky breath and grasping the envelope to her chest. Tossing his staff into his left hand, Jack stepped forward again, gently reaching up to her face for the second time.
"It's fine. I know you're going to tell them about me," Jack promised, starting to stroke back her hair. "And they seem great."
Don't smell her hair, don't smell her hair, don't smell her hair.
"Eugene and Rapunzel are fun people," he continued, "Not to mention, the family resemblance with your cousin is…"
Jack's voice trailed off. Elsa raised her eyebrows.
"Uncanny?" she offered.
"I was going to say disturbing," he admitted. "But, yeah. Let's go with uncanny."
"Disturbing?" she startled, "What on earth do you mean? My father and Rapunzel's mother were siblings. Resemblance is normal."
His eyebrows jumped. "Hold on," Jack stammered, "You're related through your dad?"
"Yes. Our mother was Northuldra. Although her skin was so fair that she could pass for Arendellian." Elsa's voice trailed off. "It leads me to question if she were actually 100% Northuldra, actually…"
Jack scoffed. "That's insane," he chuckled, leaning in close to her, "I mean—Snowflake—the family portrait is right in the hallway outside your room. I've seen it."
"What do you mean?"
"Elsa. All of the women in this family have exactly the same face."
She scoffed, shaking her head. "That's not true. My eyes are slightly tilted," Elsa said, "Which is actually a Northuldra trait—although I'm pretty sure it's the only one I actually inherited. Also, I think my ears and nose stick out a little bit more. And I have freckles on my cheeks."
Jack's eyebrows lifted a fraction more.
"Freckles," he chuckled. "We're talking about freckles, now?"
Elsa opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Smiling in embarrassment, she then rolled her eyes, and Jack laughed, stepping back from her.
Aaaah, smiling again. That's better.
"I suppose we do look pretty similar," Elsa conceded, her face still flushed. "Even for cousins."
"Yep. Pretty."
Her eyes widened, but before Elsa had the chance to process what had just fallen out of his mouth, Jack took a full step back. Letting out a sharp laugh, he changed the subject.
"So!" he exhaled, grinning at her and gesturing with his staff. "Off to this fancy dinner with Prince-Boy, then?"
To this, the Fifth Spirit's face fell. She looked down to her envelope, her grip slackening. "Oh… yes. I suppose."
Her beautiful smile gone, Jack's heart sank. Whisking his staff behind his back and catching it with his opposite hand, he then stepped back up to her, giving her a playful nudge.
"Aw, come on," Jack whispered, leaning in close to her ear. "It's just dinner. It'll be over before you know it."
She smiled weakly. "I'm sure you're right."
Jack grinned, turning away from her. "Well. Let's go get this over with, Snowflake," he stated, starting to walk down the hall. "Special Snooty-Folks Dining Room is this way, right?"
"Oh! I wasn't—um—"
Her voice trailed off. A wave of confusion sweeping over his face, Jack turned around to her again.
"What?" he asked. "What is it?"
The Snow Queen was shifting uncomfortably on her feet, staring at the ground. Biting her lip, she then squeezed her eyes shut.
"I wasn't—um," Elsa admitted, opening then again. "I wasn't—thinking you were going to come with me."
Jack's heart stopped.
Awkwardly looking down to his feet, he opened his mouth to speak, only then finding that he had no idea how to respond. The pang of humiliation hitting him right in the back of his throat, Jack then closed his mouth again, stumbling a step back.
"Oh," he choked.
"I mean, there wouldn't be any way to sneak you in," Queen Elsa corrected quickly, "And there wouldn't be any way to actually get any dinner for you without someone noticing. With all the butlers around, and everything."
Jack nodded, saying nothing. Swallowing hard, he determinately started down at the carpet, giving it a slight kick with his left toe.
"Unless you were still wanting to come!" Elsa blurted.
"What? What! Nah, don't—don't worry about it!" Jack scoffed, wincing internally and avoiding her gaze, "It's okay! In fact, I—ah—I have some stuff I need to do. Anyway."
Her breath caught. "Is this for your Guardianship?"
"Uh—yeah! I need to go do some—Guardian—stuff."
Jack let out a nervous laugh, rubbing his neck and glancing to the left. Jumping, he gestured to the envelope in her arms. "In fact, I can take that up to our—uh, to your room for you. If you want."
"Oh! Thank you!"
She passed him the envelope, and he took it, slipping it into his front pocket. As he started to turn away, Elsa suddenly leapt forward and caught his hand. "Jack!"
He paused. Turning around to face her again, Jack's heart stopped as his eyes locked with hers, the beautiful Snow Queen's expression nervous and pleading.
Gathering her courage, Elsa took a tiny step towards him.
"Will you be back tonight?" she whispered.
The Ice Powers girl bit her lip and started to release his hand, but Jack held on. Letting out a sharp laugh, his heart started pounding again.
"I—yeah!"
Her expression relaxed. Intertwining their fingers, Jack shrugged.
"I'll be quick as a bunny," he promised, giving her hand a squeeze. "Guardian stuff. You know. "
Absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, Jack looked down to her hand, his mind racing. Should he kiss her hand? Or would that just—
"Alright," Elsa smiled, "That sounds fine. I—"
Cutting her off, Jack suddenly jerked the Ice Powers Girl to him and fervently kissed her on the cheek.
Elsa froze. An instant later, just as she shakily let out her breath and started to relax against him, Jack pulled away, dropping her hand.
The Ice Powers Girl stumbled a step after him, her eyes still closed in the moment. Her eyelids fluttering open as she gasped for breath, the Fifth Spirit's innocent eyes were unexpectedly filled with stars, wide and pleading as she stared into his own.
Jack cleared his throat, breaking eye contact and looking down to his feet. Taking another step back, he then reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"See ya," he blurted.
Still not looking at her, Jack Frost then leapt into the air, stuffing Elsa's envelope into his hoodie's front pocket and shooting down the hallway in a flurry of snowflakes.
.
.
.
Her eyes narrowing at the Head Councilman, Queen Anna watched with suspicion as Rolf led her sister away from the throne platform. After spending more than a year wearing the crown—maternity leave or not—Anna knew sabotage when she saw it. It was clear that Elsa still believed her to (at least partially) be the naïve, politically oblivious young princess that she once was, but Anna could tell that something fishy was about to go down. The power was shifting, change was on the winds, and the Council was scrambling. And now that Queen Anna was aware that a certain Spirit of Winter was involved… she knew why. While she was totally in favor of getting rid of the old stinkers, it would have been nice if Elsa would have just told her her secret, from right off the bat. But the pregnant young queen was guessing that her sister's mind was somewhere else.
Deciding that Elsa had every RIGHT to be a tad distracted at the moment, Anna watched as her sister walked briskly from the room, the Spirit of Winter helplessly following after her like he always did, by this point. It was actually pretty adorable, how much he was in love with her. And they had been pretty close together when she'd burst in on them a few minutes before. But Elsa wasn't really acting any differently than—wait.
He STILL HASN'T ASKED HER?!
Anna's eyes bugged out at the realization. As Elsa swept through the door, Jack made a motion to reach out for her, only to then nervously jerk his hand away, pushing his fingers through his hair.
You HAVEN'T ASKED HER? Queen Anna thought, her mind racing, It—you're going to LOSE HER! What is WRONG with you!? You are NEVER FINDING ANOTHER ELSA, DUMMY!
Her lips pressed together as she stared at the door, watching it close behind them, Anna scoffed to herself. Who'd have thought that the Spirit of Winter would be such a fixer-upper? Not that there was anything WRONG with that, of course. Anna would know. Healing hugs and not giving up could have that effect on people, and she believed that Jack could figure it out just as much as Kristoff had.
In truth, Queen Anna didn't know it, but if the Guardian of Wonder were to analyze her, he would conclude that her "center" was Faith—specifically, faith in the people she loved. But that was a different matter entirely.
"Um… Anna?"
Jumping and tearing her eyes from the door, the pregnant young queen around. Her cousin was looking at her warily, her bright green eyes wide with concern.
"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked.
"Oh! Yeah! I just—"
Anna glanced back to the doors, chewing on her lip. Her brow furrowed in thought.
"I believe we have—a situation," she said carefully. "And I think that it might be time to intervene. It's kind of hard to explain."
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure."
Queen Anna shifted on her feet, moving her hands to her lower back and stretching it slightly as she stared after where the Ice Couple had gone through the door. Rapunzel leaned another inch towards her.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. "Is this about Elsa?"
"Partially." Anna nodded, finally turning to her cousin with a grateful smile. "I mean—I think so. I'm pretty sure. I have to talk to her first. Now, come on; I'll fill you in after dinner."
.
.
.
"Your highness, you are going to be late."
"In a moment, Alistair!"
Clicking the portable inkwell shut, Prince Frederik scooted backwards, crawling out from his place underneath the room's bedside table on his hands and knees. A triumphant grin on his face, he scooped up the teacup, holding it aloft.
"Done," Frederik proclaimed, gesturing to the moth sitting on its brim. "Just a quick experiment, my good man. I knew that adding a little sugar to the water would—"
"—Make you late?"
"—Make my subject stay put," the prince insisted. Carefully placing the teacup on the table, he got onto his feet. "It's an entirely different wing structure. I've been meaning to extend my study to insects, but have found that it's infinitely more difficult to make them hold still."
Alistair didn't respond, his lips pressed into a tight line. Wordlessly, he held out the prince's boots.
Frederik let out his breath.
"Oh, don't look so funereal, Alistair," he sighed. "It only took me a minute."
The prince paced over to the little man, snatching up his boots and walking to the bed. As he leaned back against it, pulling them on, Alistair pulled out a pocketwatch.
"With respect, sire," he said icily, "It took you six minutes and forty-three seconds."
Pulling on the first boot, Prince Frederik stomped it on the ground, making sure his foot was in place. He then visibly restrained from rolling his eyes.
As the Prince of Kingsley pulled on his other boot, Alistair turned back, walking across the room and picking up the crown. Whipping a clean handkerchief from his breast pocket, he then gave it a quick polish, walking back towards his employer.
Finishing with his second boot, Prince Frederik looked up. Staring at the crown, he bit his lip.
"Actually, Alistair," he admitted softly, "I—I'm concerned. I'm truly wondering if I should wear the crown, or not."
Alistair's eyes widened. "NOT wear your crown, sire?"
"Well—Queen Elsa doesn't wear hers," Frederik explained. "And it's rather upsetting to tradition, it would appear."
His attendant huffed. "I can imagine so!"
"I read an article about it. As I recall, it's something to do with her feeling that her subjects already respect her as their queen, without needing further reminders of the class divide—it's rather amazing, actually. Let me find it for you," he said, getting to his feet and jogging across the room for the dresser with his file, "It's from before her sister's coronation. I should have the article over—"
BANG!
The window crashed open, a gust of freezing air ripping through the room. Frederik startled, whipping around before—
Creak!
"AUGH!"
His feet shooting forward from underneath him, the prince crashed into the floor, the jagged patch of ice having ripped across the carpet in an instant.
"Oh, no," Alistair gasped, running towards him. "Not this again!"
"I'm FINE. This—this is fine."
"How is this fine?!"
"I slipped on ice."
"HER ice!"
"ALISTAIR."
The prince gave him a warning glare. After a moment, the attendant snapped his mouth shut, pressing his lips together.
He sighed. "You're sure you're alright, your highness?"
"Yes. Help me up. And then get that window locked, please?"
"My liege."
Alistair extended his hand, and Prince Frederik took it, letting the man help pull him onto his feet. As he brushed himself off, glancing back to the patch of ice with confusion, his attendant (also brushing down his coat) hesitantly took a step forward.
"Your highness?" he asked, glancing to the ice with suspicion. "You—you were saying about the crown—?"
"Ah! Right."
The prince jumped and shook himself back into the moment, warily looking at the ice before turning away from it completely. "It was one of the articles about her unusual ruling philosophies," he started, walking towards the dresser, "And, I need to quickly check some statistics before I meet the queen again anyway. I should have it right here, in my—"
Reaching the dresser, Prince Frederik's eyes widened. His face going pale, he then looked up and down the wood, sucking in his breath.
"Your highness?" Alistair asked softly, "Are you—"
"—My file!" Frederik stammered, yanking open the drawers and tearing through them, "My file of research! It's GONE!"
"Gone?"
"YES! It's GONE!"
"Well, where did you last—"
"—IT WAS RIGHT HERE! I SAW IT!"
Floating in the darkness outside of Prince Frederik's window, Jack Frost set his jaw, watching the scene unfold as he clutched the enormous leather file to his chest. Throwing one last, murderous glare at the prince, he then spun around in the air, launching himself off the wind and disappearing into the night.