An Icy Blast

6- Elsa

Within seconds of Jack's leaving, I miss him. I watch him glide out of Arendelle and towards the Southern Isles.

"You OK?" Anna leans on the doorframe and folds her arms.

"Do you know how to knock?"

"Elsa, you've been acting funny all day. Talking to people who aren't there, ignoring everybody who talks to you... is there something I don't know?"

Yes. "No. I'm just not with it today. I'm sorry."

Anna knows when I'm lying, which is frustrating for both of us. She frowns at me.

"If you want to talk about it, I'll be upstairs."

I've got to do something to make up for this. "Anna. Maybe, tomorrow, just you and me, go dress shopping."

"What do you mean?"

"Even if you know what dress you're wearing, you've still got to have the full experience." I get up and go over to her. "We could try on loads of other wedding dresses, get you an evening dress for the afterparty, some short dresses for the honeymoon, and you could decide on the bridesmaids' dresses."

Anna beams at me. "Elsa, I'd love that."

We hug. "I knew you would."

Throughout our anticipation for tomorrow, a little voice in the back of my mind reminds me of Jack's absence. Since when did I fall so heavily in love? Since when did I need a boy, a man, to keep my sanity? When Anna's not paying attention to me, I allow myself to daydream about him, that he'll come back and he'll have successfully outwitted Hans and he'll scoop me up in his arms and kiss me and tell me that he loves me. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between as she draws up a schedule for tomorrow.

*****

Anna finds me in my room, in the early hours of the morning, staring out of the window, hoping I'll see Jack again soon. I said a few days, it won't even be that soon, but there's a dull ache inside when he's just not here with me.

"Are you OK, Elsa?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh." she seems a bit put out. "See you in the morning then."

No, Elsa. Elsa, you are not fine. Stop concealing! Those days are gone. Just, gone.

"Anna." I call her back.

"What?"

I pat the bed next to me. She sits down.

"What's up, sis?"

"I've got something to tell you. It's crazy and you'll think I'm making it up, but I promise you, I'm not." I inhale deeply. "I have a boyfriend."

Anna's jaw drops. "You have a boyfriend."

"That's not the weird bit."

"Eh?"

"He's a Guardian. Only I can see him, because I believe in him."

Anna's face flickers between shock and confusion and happiness. "Um..."

"His name's Jack. Jack Frost. He can manipulate snow and ice, like I can, except he uses a shepherd's crook to do it."

"Describe him to me."

"A bit taller than me, with pale skin, short, blond hair and deep, blue eyes. His chosen choice of fashion is a navy hoodie and brown three-quarter length trousers. He's kind, sweet, a bit annoying sometimes, but he'll always mean well and he respects me. He doesn't only admire me because he thinks I'm good-looking. He loves me because there's more to me than that. At least, I hope he does."

Anna smiles. "My sister is in love with an invisible man." she strokes my arm. "Elsa, if you weren't so serious about the whole thing, I'd dismiss it as a wind-up. However, you are sincere about it and at that level of detail-"

Jack pushes us apart and sits between us. "Elsa. Elsa. I've got bad news."

"What?"

"Move up." he nudges Anna.

"She can't see you." I remind him.

"OK." Anna moves up a space. "Elsa, I believe in him. You're cool-looking. Pun intended."

"Can you save the flattery until later, please?" he's shaking with agitation.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I followed him all the way to the Southern Isles palace and I sealed up the envelope doubly, just to be sure, and I melted the ice for the King of the Southern Isles and he read it and then Hans told him that as revenge for sending him here, you had declared war on the Southern Isles and the Southern Isles army will take a matter of hours to mobilise and march this way. They've been told to leave Arendelle as smithereens and, if they find you, to kill you and imprison your sister."

This comes as a sudden blow. "How?"

"Elsa, I failed. I'm sorry. I tried, but I failed you and I've put you in danger." he falls to the floor. "Worst. Boyfriend. Ever."

Kristoff was right when he spoke of the Southern Isles being a militarist nation. I'd forgotten that they have the fastest mobilisation rate in Europe.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." I kneel down beside him and kiss him. "It's OK. Calm. We can fight them off."

Anna gives me a very doubtful look. "Should I send our troops out, Elsa?"

I sigh. "We're going to have to. Tell them only to defend and to kill if they must."