AUTHOR'S NOTE (added 2/15/23): Originally, this chunk was a part of what is now Chapter 89, "Anything." That next Author's Note will explain it-the chapter got way too long, because I had to quickly add a scene. (Also, I left that note exactly as it was originally, because I posted both chunks at once when I first put it up.) Anyway, here we go.

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88: BACK TO ARENDELLE

The Youngest Guardian sat on his staff, floating a few feet above the ground as he squinted, carefully drawing his fingers over the ornament's icy surface.

A sprawling swirl of frost flowered across it, and Jack let out his breath in relief. He smiled and sat back. The delicate little piece of ice wasn't perfect, with its distinct shape and snowy decorations, but it was the best he could do. Actually, it was the best he'd ever done. Hopefully, when he gave it to her, Elsa would get the message.

The symbolism wasn't exactly subtle.

He hopped down from the staff, snatching the shepherd's crook out of the air with his free hand as he admired his handiwork, the intricately-crafted trinket resting in his palm. Of course, ice sculptures were really Elsa's thing, but… maybe that would work in his favor? Heaven knows, he needed a favor right now.

Leave it to a kid to put everything into perspective.

Jack swallowed, closing his eyes. Squeezing them shut for a moment—and then pulling in his breath—he opened them again.

"I've never done anything like this before, Manny."

The moon shown down all around him on the hill, setting the freshly-fallen December snow sparkling with its silvery light. After a few moments of silence, the Guardian nodded solemnly.

"I guess I just—being away made me see it better," he admitted, "I've had some crushes and stuff before, but—well, not like this. There's been nothing, in three hundred years, that's come even close to this."

The moon continued to shine all around him, the gentle wind ruffling his hair. Staring upwards, Jack nodded again.

"She just makes me want to be better," he went on, "And she seems to genuinely like me for who I am. I—I mean, I think she does. And she's so kind, and selfless, and smart, and—I—I just—!"

He paused. Looking down to his hand, he saw the ice ornament, his fingers curled around its edges. Gripping it carefully as he closed his eyes—it was kinda fragile—he took another deep breath, then releasing it.

"I love her, Manny."

He opened his eyes, looking up at the moon. Its light seemed to give a sudden glint—almost a pulse, somehow both approving and questioning—and Jack blushed, reaching up with his free hand to rub the back of his neck.

"I know that it's only been a couple of weeks," he laughed nervously, "I—I know that's pretty fast. But Elsa and I have covered a LOT of ground already. And I, I'm not sure, of course, but—well, I think I'm in love with her. Like, I'm 99% certain that this is real love. It's just—Jamie is right."

The Spirit of Winter took a tiny step back, his smile fading as his expression softened into a nervous solemnity.

"I haveto tell her," he whispered.

Silence.

The moonlight seemed to intensify again for a brief moment, setting the snow-covered hilltop aglow with its gentle silver beams. Jack Frost nodded. Taking in a deep breath, the Guardian then curled his fingers around the palm-sized ice ornament once again.

Stuffing the crystalline heart into his pocket, he turned and took a running start, launching himself into the wind towards Arendelle.

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The Nokk could tell that something was wrong.

After receiving the horrifying news about Kingsley, Queen Elsa had leapt into her Forest dress as fast as she could, surprising the grand water horse when she called him, practically running, to the docks. It had only been midmorning, but if the Sandman was to be believed, then Jack Frost could already be on his way back to Arendelle. And she had to be there for when he arrived. Not that she knew when when that would be.

Hence, an uncharacteristically disheveled-looking Snow Queen sprinting through the castle down to the fjord, followed by an uncommonly frantic gallop over the waves. With luck, she would return before noon. In the meantime, Queen Anna was to diplomatically handle Prince Frederik, while Gale and the rest of her family were tasked with watching the sky for the Guardian's arrival.

When the Nokk arrived at the glacier, Fifth Spirit shakily dismounted, almost slipping as she felt for footing on the ice. Turning back to the Water Spirit, she swallowed hard, forcing a smile that she knew was coming out more like a grimace.

"Pbhree-he-he!" the Nokk whinnied in concern.

"It's alright," Elsa whispered. "This is about Arendelle. It shouldn't affect the Forest."

She stopped talking as the Water Spirit shook out his mane, stomping the ground. Realizing what he was truly asking, she shook her head.

"I'll be fine."

The Nokk tilted his head with a whine, unconvinced. She drew herself up, clasping her hands together in front of her skirt.

"I seek the truth," she choked. "I wont go too far this time."

"PBBBBT."

Elsa smiled in spite of herself as the water horse stomped his feet again.

"I promise," she added softly.

To this the Nokk nickered, bowing his head. Nodding a solemn bow as well, she then straightened up, turning away as he leapt back into the waves.

The Fifth Spirit held her breath as she quickly paced up the icy steps into Atohallan, practically running towards the Vision Chamber.

Her heart was pounding, her stomach feeling like it might leap into her throat with anxiety. She hadn't actually been back here since—well. Since she had almost died.

Or maybe she had actually died. It wasn't clear, but… this was the very definition of an emergency.

It wasn't long before she reached her destination.

The Chamber was as breathtaking as always—at least, this part of the chamber, where most memories would reside. Darker secrets stayed beyond. But the answer to her most pressing question should be here, in the safe part. It was a strange sensation, for Atohallan to feel safe. Given the current potential circumstances.

Did she really want to see this?

Queen Elsa stared up into the crystalline dome, frozen fractals all around her in the grand open space. Gathering her courage, she lifted her arms.

WHOOOOOSH!

Concentrating, the Fifth Spirit swept a front of snow around the edges of the room, the billowing cloud swirling and building through the chamber. She spun, gracefully flinging her arms over her head and willing more and more power into the whirlwind.

WHOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Another gust of snow, the wind picking up as she spun the pastel clouds faster and faster. Her hair and capelets whipping in the wind, Elsa braced herself, setting her stabilizing foot on the icy ground.

Jack Frost, she thought.

She pushed her foot off the ice and spun herself like a dancer, the winds somehow singing and screaming at the same time as the magical snow raced all around her in a near whiteout.

December 21st.

On cue, the Fifth Spirit fell to the ground.

BOOM.

The resounding shockwave reverberated through the glacier as she hit the ice with her hand.

And all went still.

…What?

In the silence, the Snow Queen hesitantly looked up. The pastel clouds had frozen in place—paused in time, or at least, moving in slow motion as the winds had completely halted. She looked around herself for a moment, confused.

Where was Jack Frost?

Elsa felt a pang of embarrassment hit her in the back of the throat. She pulled her hands into her stomach, continuing to peer around herself. The last time, she'd just—she had been thinking about her family. And her past. And then they'd just sort of appeared. When she'd stopped dancing, that was. So—where was he? Had she done something wrong?

Perhaps Jack Frost was an exception to this rule. Or maybe she hadn't been concentrating hard enough, to—

"AAAAAAAAURGH!"

Elsa jumped at the sound of his scream, whipping around in fright to see the form of an animated snow-Jack go shooting over her in the air.

CRRRRRACK!

The explosion of ice erupted from his staff as he'd punched it forward, making Elsa gasp as the vision of the blizzard intensified, ice scattering through the wind as the millions of snowflakes spun and thrashed through the chamber, the sound deafening. He cried out again, another explosion of ice blasting through the air as the vision began to fade.

CRRRACK!

Her eyes bulged as the figure of Jack Frost stopped briefly in the air, messily wiping his sleeve across his nose and giving his head a hard shake. Tossing the staff to himself, he then darted forward again, diving into the blizzard as the clouds, the snowflakes, and the snow-model of winter spirit himself began to disintegrate into ice particles in the air.

All went quiet again as the clouds of pastel, magical snow began to float to the ground. The vision dissipating, the Fifth Spirit held her hands over her heart as she struggled to breathe evenly, hunched forward in fear as the crystalline dome of the chamber came into focus once again.

So… Jack Frost had made a blizzard. An enormously powerful one, too, from what she could tell. Having occasionally observed Arendellian guards and military personnel in their training exercises, she knew that such screams could only be a mark of extreme physical exertion.

Or anger.

Queen Elsa felt a chill go down her spine. Every inch of her was trembling. Swallowing hard, she shuddered—but not from the cold.

There could be no doubt now.

Shaken, the Fifth Spirit turned, drawing herself up the best she could and practically running from the chamber. She would still ask him—she would talk to the Spirit of Winter, just like she'd promised her sister that she would. It could all still be just a misunderstanding. It—it might now have been that bad of a blizzard. Or have been meant to hit Kingsley at all. But after what she had just witnessed—!

She knew what she had to do.

And she had to beat Jack Frost back to Arendelle.