WINTER'S HEART
By nightfall, the supernatural blizzard had ceased and the fjords had thawed. There was still chatter about the 'beast' suddenly turning noble in favor of the King. People were soon asking to see him, but after his long mourning over the frozen, now shattered Pitch Black was over, he hid himself inside the castle of Arendelle with his one love. In the main library, the Princess and Jack Frost sat on the couch together. Elsa dressed back into her usual attire with her hair still let down in a loose braid. She wasn't sure what to say to him since he was still in a somber state about his only companion. He explained that Pitch was his only friend and kept him from suffering in solitude. Trying to change the subject, Jack brought up the topic of her powers, "What exactly happened?" He said softly. "I don't know. I guess my heart ran out of ice?" For some reason, despite saying he loved her, Jack felt embarrassed and shy—unable to look into her eyes for too long, "Uh…" He chuckled nervously, "D-Did it hurt when I-?" "No! No, not at all!" Elsa lied. They were luckily interrupted when Gerda walked in with a platter and two steaming glasses. "Warm tea anyone?" She pushed the heavy library doors farther open. "Yes, great!" "Of course!" The two young adults spoke at the same time. Gerda smiled and gave Elsa a wink before she left the library. Elsa rolled her eyes at the flirty gesture—unsure if Jack himself was ready for anything romantic after all he'd been through. The two chuckled and the Princess held up her warm cup for a sign of cheers. As she sipped, Jack looked into his drink and laughed, "You know, this is the first time I've ever drank anything hot in front of anyone in a long time." He smirked and Elsa asked why, "Well, I never get cold. But hot drinks have a weird effect on me." Elsa eagerly watched as he took a sip, "Ghost…" Jack drew out as a cloud of steam came straight from his throat. Of course a frozen heart mixed with a belly full of warm tea would do such a thing. She didn't know why, but the blonde's cheeks puffed up and she began to snicker uncontrollably. Jack raised a brow, "You look like a dragon!" Elsa continued to laugh. "Really?!" He remembered he and Sophie would make shadow puppets of dragons and such together. He even remembered his signature line. Jack took another sip, letting the steam puff back out, "Come now, don't be shy…" Jack whispered sinisterly. Elsa blushed, "We're drinking tea together more often!" Jack smiled ear to ear and shook his head—it had been a while since he joked around like that. As they began to settle down, Elsa thought of something, "In a long time…" She'd caught the seventeen year old's attention, "How long?" Jack Frost's smile faded as he thought about it, "Um… About nine years give or take." He set his cup down on the small table, "When my sister was born, I didn't want to give her any hint of my powers." Jack curled up and held his knees, "Not until…" Elsa immediately felt horrible and shuddered. Jack shut his eyes, remembering the pain he'd felt that night… Then that day he halted a blizzard, "I miss her so much." He whispered. "I'm sure your parents miss you too." Jack thought of them quite often too. He felt his body temperature dropping but not dangerously low. He turned away and held himself, "They think I'm a monster." "No." Elsa objected, "Family is unconditional love… No matter what flaws they have," Elsa thought of her father, "You always love them. And they love you." Jack's eyes darted around the room; he stiffened trying to hold in some sudden tears. How could anyone love their son after their daughter died because of him? How could he still live with himself? Still, now that he was somewhere safe, he felt comfortable with opening up. Jack knew he needed to. "Can I tell you something?" He turned to her and she nodded with eyes that said 'of course' "I used to always have this dream that I'd be walking through my old village trying to find my family. But every time I tried reaching out to anyone or calling for them, they couldn't see me or hear me." Jack sighed, "But then towards the end of the dream I'd hear Sophie's voice calling for me. So, I'd go frantic trying to find her and when finally, after searching everywhere I could think, I ended up at the frozen pond I accidentally dropped her in and I… I'd realize her voice was coming from under the pond." Elsa grimaced heavily at his poor lament, "Then I'd wake up." Jack had always known it was a manifestation of his fear and guilt even after he knew the truth. Elsa felt unsure of what to say. Feeling awful, she pursed her lips and spoke, "It's just a bad dream Jack." "It always felt so real!" He looked at her with his crystal blue eyes, "But at the time it was the only way I'd hear her voice and have a slight hope that she was alive." "Jack, what was your real name?" The young man was confused, "My name?" Elsa nodded, "Well, it really is Jack; but not Jack Frost." He looked down, trying to remember, "It's Jackson…" He wracked his brain trying to remember the name he'd forsaken until it hit him, "Jackson Overland." He finished soulfully. "Overland?" Elsa curled up as well, the night cold getting to her, plus sitting next to the son of snow himself didn't help, "Hm. I have to say, Jack Frost suits you a lot better." She tried to humble him, and luckily she'd earned a grin in return. Their smiles came naturally when they were around one another—Jack could even make Elsa naturally blush from modesty. They remembered how they'd declared their love to one another and gently began to lean in. Jack had never done this before, but he knew that it was normal to close his eyes. He couldn't wait to experience this. "Overland, right?" Elsa had stopped and a disappointed Jack blinked his eyes and retracted. "Y-yeah?" Jack raised a brow, wishing they could've gone back to their moment. Elsa nodded, making yet another mental note of it. Jack was hoping she'd finished so they could finish their first kiss, but the Princess stood up. "I think we should be going to bed now." Jack didn't want to seem rude nor hasty, so he agreed and was shown to the guest bedroom where he slept the best night's sleep he'd had in three years. … Jack hadn't slept in so late in the longest time either—he'd slept so deeply that it went completely black for a moment and when he awoke, the sun was already up in the sky. Moaning a little and rubbing his eyes, the teenager leaned over to the curtains and opened them, only to be blinded—the sun had fought through his accidental curse and banished any remains of winter. Jack squinted and quickly swiped the curtain back closed. He was wearing just his undershirt and pants, the brown vest and poncho weren't necessary indoors. His boots were placed somewhere near the castle entry. Jack swung his legs over the bed and was surprised not to be swiping any dustings of frost off of his clothes. Maybe sleeping in a real bed with real bed sheets had done the trick. How late was it? Jack then to cleanse himself with the abilities. He was always able to keep fresh and with some pearly white teeth thanks to his snow powers. He wasn't sure how manipulating ice helped, but he wouldn't complain. It was less trouble than the other kids at his village had to go through to stay clean, including his sister. There was a downside though—he couldn't necessarily enjoy a hot bath like anyone else could. Only soak in plain, neutral temperature water (at least to him). Jack had at least discovered what that gap in his heart had needed, what that warmth he'd been craving was. It was love. Whether Pitch Black had given him love or not, he'd never know. But Jack knew that even in his last moments, he came first to the Lord of Darkness. Someone knocked rhythmically at the door. "Yes?" Gerda opened the door, "Good morning, Jackson!" Why would she refer to him by his full name? "Uh… Morning." He grabbed his vest and put it on, at least making him look more presentable in the castle. "Princess Elsa has been working on a surprise for you." Jack raised a curious brow. He smirked. "Oh really?" He chuckled. "The King and Queen are waiting for you by the front doors. Elsa is still asleep." Jack ruffled his fingers through his white hair and followed the servant woman down the steps. "What exactly is the surprise?" Gerda hid her excitement, "Oh, I'm not supposed to tell you!" "What kind of surprise is it?" They stopped at the closed front doors. Gerda turned to him, suddenly serious. "One of a kind…" When she opened the doors, Jack's grin slowly faded. His eyes glossed over and widened, losing all contact with his emotions. Erlend and Agnes stepped out of the way and in front of him were Emily and Nicholas Overland… Still looking as beautiful and strong as ever, respectively. They were shocked to see their once brown-haired brown-eyed son now paler than snow itself and with white hair and powder blue eyes. Neither one of them could take their eyes off of another, and Jack was literally frozen in place. But in between the two parents was another… A nine year old girl with straight brown hair and fawn eyes… Just as he remembered her. With a bittersweet grimace, the young girl gazed at the startlingly different young man as he whispered, "S-Sophie?" Elsa must've had her family request a summons to the family, how else would they have known to find him here? She gulped and nodded. "Jackson?" Emily, with her hair still dark and short, covered her nose and mouth and began to weep. Jack couldn't move, but the three others rushed over and embraced him heavily. Eventually, the four were on the top step all on their knees. Jack smiled and shed tears of joy. He closed his eyes, for once happy to be in his family's arms; not afraid of hurting them. Especially Sophie, whom he couldn't believe, was among them still. Elsa hadn't a clue they'd arrived so quickly during the night and walked down the halls, yawning after her morning bath. "So all this time you were living in a castle on a mountain?" She heard an unfamiliar voice exclaim from the library. It was a very gruff voice—that of a logger man. "Yes." That was Jack's voice! "I built it myself with my powers… Being away from people helped me realize what I was capable of." "Why didn't you come back?!" Emily demanded, Sophie keeping quiet since this was 'grown up' talk. "Don't you remember what happened?!" He bitterly shouted, "I couldn't risk hurting you!" Jack's eyes were glassy and empty. Sophie barely remembered that incident, but the thought of it made her uneasy. And whenever she was uneasy, she played with her hair—twisting it around her finger. "So…" Nicholas continued, "Now that you've got yourself under control, that you know your limits… Will you come home with us?" Elsa's jaw dropped and she let out a silent gasp, hiding behind the wall. Jack would leave? She wouldn't blame him for wanting to return to his family, but… She didn't want him to be gone… "I can't just leave Arendelle." Jack rationally said. Elsa simmered down and closed her eyes with relief, "I protected these people, including the King!" "What are you saying?" "I'm saying what if that dark man I told you about returns and is unstable?! Or if something worse comes around? These people might need me." Jack became melancholic again, "And plus, I'm sure the villagers wouldn't be happy to see the 'beast' return home." The family was silent for a bit, Elsa's heart meanwhile was pounding, nervous about what she would hear. Her father suddenly appeared before her with a grin. He didn't rat her position out and entered the library, "May I offer any of you some fresh made honey tea?" The two parents both eagerly accepted while the long estranged siblings just glanced at each other. Jack Frost finally stood up. "Mom, dad?" He'd gotten the three's attention, "I'd like to take Sophie somewhere." Though hesitant since they'd just gotten their boy back, they agreed. Elsa didn't react in time and was approached by Jack and Sophie. He smiled, "Oh uh, Elsa, this is my sister Sophie." The nine year old shyly held onto his wrist, "Sophie, this is Arendelle's Princess Elsa." Slightly saddened by what she'd just heard, Elsa fiddled with her hands and forced a smile, "Hello." Sophie said nothing and hid behind Jack, dragging his wrist so he'd take her where he said he would. Jack shrugged at her anxiousness and walked out of the castle with her. Elsa couldn't stand the thought of Jack leaving. Though she wasn't sure, she had a gut feeling Jack would be closed up once again back at his home village. Feeling like she needed to say something, Elsa entered the library. Jack walked with Sophie up the tall mountains, tightly holding her hand, "Are you gonna show me the castle, Jack?" Her voice had matured so much since she was six. She sounded less like a baby and more like a young girl. She was much more reserved than he remembered; he was sure she was thinking the same about him. "Yeah. You'll get to see it before mom and dad even do!" Jack tried to act as though nothing had changed, but that was impossible. Even as Sophie fake-giggled, the two knew there was a much needed explanation for the too young to understand girl and disillusioned Jack who's sister had appeared back from the dead. "We really missed you, Jack… Mom and dad would only wear black for a long time to mourn for you." There was his answer! Pitch's misunderstanding. But where was she? "I missed you a lot, Jack." Sophie began to tear up, "Sometimes I'd sleep in your room because I missed you." Jack couldn't take the guilt—he stopped and kneeled down to her height, looking into her eyes. Sophie still barely recognized her older brother, "I missed you too." He swallowed his tears down his throat and pressed on, "But I had to leave." "Why?!" She demanded, hysterical. "I was scared! After you fell into that pond because of me, I was never the same!" Jack tried to make her understand. Still, nonetheless, it was his fault she was like this, "I never wanted to see you shivering cold in shock like that again!" Jack felt the haunting memories return, "When I first pulled you out, you couldn't even remember your own name!" Sophie was starting to comprehend his motives, but wished it hadn't been so. "And not just you; I didn't want to hurt mom, dad, anyone!" "Why do you have these powers and I don't?" "I don't know. I'll never know. And neither will anyone else… So I realize now that I just have to accept it and live…" Jack suddenly realized what had truly happened the night he built his palace. He then gestured her to continue back up the castle until he arrived once more at the crowned jewel that displayed his abilities. Sophie was aghast at its height and build—how stable it all was, how smooth and intricate. When he took Sophie to the top, she immediately ran out to the balcony to watch the snow fall. "Wow Jack! This is amazing!" Just like back then too, she thought his powers adorned winter. He smiled and joined her, leaning against the railing. "I'd want to live here forever!" The child's imagination didn't realize the harsh consequences of living in the isolated castle. Jack lost his smile and looked at his sister. "Sophie…" He couldn't help but ask, "Even though I was born with his curse and will probably never be normal like you… You still love me after all that's happened?" Sophie gave him a sneer. "Don't be stupid, Jack!" She pushed on his torso, "You're my big brother. No matter what I'll always love you!" Sophie definitely had much wisdom for her age, "I missed you so much." She finally hugged him tightly on her own, "I just wanted you to come home…" Sophie didn't understand that what was harder than if he had returned home was not returning home. "I did too…" They both sat down, Jack leaned his head against the rails, "Not a day went by where I wished I could easily walk back into the village like nothing had happened. But it was always that…" He gritted his teeth with anger, "That fear that drove me away—that I had to keep away from people and live with what I was… I had to start over." Sophie listened to every word he said, "I started over by being free, happily using my powers and realizing I was limitless!" Jack Frost smiled, "And now maybe…" He looked at his sister, "Maybe it's time to start over again. Without any fear holding me back." Sophie started to grin and she began to remember her last happy memory with him. "Jack?" She hesitated, but went on, "Before we go back down to the castle, could you show me your magic again?" Jack's eyes widened, but then he calmed down and grinned. Sophie hopped to her feet, "Do it just like how I remember it!" Jack scratched his chin and took a step away, "Uhh okay… Let's see. You wanna see a magic trick?!" He playfully asked. Sophie nodded in delight and Jack, without hesitation, rolled his hands around one another and Sophie watched as the beautiful, cold, flawless wonder that was snow formed from his palms. Jack laughed and Sophie waited eagerly for him to burst the flurry into the sky. He did so; it popped and rained snow around her. Sophie laughed loudly—her raspy, genuine laugh that she was dancing in the snow around her once again. Jack did too. Jack could even cry since he missed her laugh so much. … Upon returning back to the castle, their relationship now restored, Jack and Sophie were still giggly when they entered, only to see the royal family and their parents already waiting in the main entry way for them. It seemed like they were discussing something as everyone jumped when they opened the doors. Jack closed the door behind him and looked around the room, "Are we interrupting something?" "Jack…" Elsa began, "We were thinking, well…" She shied away as Nicholas continued. "How would you like for all of us to live here in Arendelle?" Jack couldn't believe this… this bliss. He had to be sure though, "Here?" Sophie didn't care as long as she was with her brother. Emily held her hands together. "Absolutely!" "Well, not here in the castle, but we have a newly built house big enough for your family out in the villager area!" Erlend sounded like he was insisting for the once 'beast' to live there. "It'll be wonderful!" Queen Agnes agreed. Jack was about to make up his mind until he saw the solemn Elsa. He felt like she was as doubtful as he had been earlier and decided to reassure her just as she had once for him. "Would you all excuse me for a second?" He asked for the King's permission to speak privately with Elsa and took her out to the garden—the place they first spotted one another, "Was this your idea, Elsa?" "Well, if you're gonna say it like that, then no." Elsa giggled, mocking his interrogation-like tone. Jack laughed and egged her on, "Well… I didn't want to see you go." Jack admired the flowers on the gazebo walls as he listened, "Our people here look up to you now… But I didn't want to separate you from your family… That'd be selfish." She played with her thick braid, "I'm alright with whatever you decide, Jack." "Well… Elsa," He turned her cheek so she'd look at him, "There's nothing more I'd love than to live with my family and still be close to you." His words brought a smile to her face, "But how do you even know people want me here? They saw me save the King once! That could mean nothing to them!" Elsa hummed and pondered that question. It was quite a moment before it hit her, "I have an idea!" The next thing Jack knew, a majority of the villagers were gathered in the castle square, Jack's family and the royal family standing across from one another on the steps, Elsa walked out of the open doors with a frightfully nervous Jack by her side. No one reacted, they just waited. Elsa smiled brightly and called out to her subjects, "Who wants a little piece of winter in the summer?" They all started to smile and soon enough were cheering. Jack couldn't believe it, "Let Jack Frost show you what he can do!" She pushed him out and he walked down the castle steps. Nervous by all the staring faces, Jack forced a smirk, "Are you ready?" Soon enough, the villagers were cheering and clapping—all with genuine looks. Jack let out a sigh and for the first time, let it go. He stomped his boot into the ground and it slowly spread into an ice rink. Emily and Nicholas watched in astonishment as did the rest of Arendelle. They all clapped, giddy for more. Jack Frost just didn't believe his good fortune. There were two fountains at his left and right, raising his arms, he one at a time froze them both and then, unleashed a flurry of snow into the air. People began to play in the snow as they would on any winter day, amazed at the beauty. At last, the young man with snow-white skin and hair, pale blue eyes had a name he could be proud of. "Come on! No family of mine doesn't know how to skate!" He dragged his family onto the ice rink, allowing them to skate with him. He tried to help his father keep his balance while his mother and sister gracefully slid about. Soon enough, the young man felt a snowball strike the back of his neck. Turning around from the surprise, he saw his Princess Elsa. As he was about to confront her, she instead wrapped her arms around his neck and, without a word, gave him a passionate kiss. Jack closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, just as he had wanted to the night before. However, he needed to catch her while she was off guard. He formed a snowball and dropped it down the back of her dress. Squealing from the cold, Elsa declared war and began to pelt him, even Sophie had betrayed him and was loaded with snowballs. Jack had his own set of ammunition, ready to take on anyone that asked of his abilities. He'd show them off to anyone who asked. Why? He was Jack Frost. Enden End