Chapter Text
Suddenly, Jack felt a push from behind. When he turned around, he noticed the whisked leaves of Gale flying around their space.
“Hey, Gale’s back.” said Olaf as Jack eyed after the wind, hesitatedly pulling himself from his new found love—Elsa.
Said wind swirled around him and Elsa, grabbing their attention before gliding up a hill that was ahead.
Up at the end of said hill, Jack could see... well, he could see something up there. He squinted to get a proper look, but couldn’t determine what it was. But by the look of it, Gale flicked a sort of cloth on a pole. Jack lifted himself high off the air and closed in toward the flying cloth, dismissing Elsa's call. When he got there, he noted that the cloth was a flag from a ship. Plus, he found said ship was actually part of a wrecked ship down the steep.
He blinked in surprise. Now he was sure that this had never been here before. He didn’t remember seeing this boat the last time he was around. He tilted his head to the side, curiously. He wondered exactly when and how it gotten here. There were so many questions to ask again, but never an answer found.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.
Over his shoulder, Jack called out the rest before jerking his head at the ship. “Hey… guys? Come look at this.”
He stared at the ship as Elsa made her way up first. A horrid gasp came to his side as Anna took grab of his arm. He looked at her as she covered a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and shocked.
Yeah. It was definitely a bad feeling.
“How can it be…?” Anna whispered. Her eyes wider with question.
He frowned at the young woman before turning over to Elsa at his other side. Her expression was just the same—shocked and horrified. He took her hand and squeezed it in assurance.
Olaf waddled up a while after. “What is it?”
Elsa breathed breathlessly as she put her free hand over her chest. Her other hand holding tightly on Jack's. She said, “Mother and Father’s ship…”
Jack’s ears perked at that and glanced at the ship once more. “You mean the same ship that went down the Southern Seas a few years ago?”
Elsa said with a shaky breath. “Yes…”
She took a step forward, feeling hesitant. She looked like she didn’t want to go, but Jack was sure that she was curious and really hoping that it really wasn’t their parents’ ship out here passed the Enchanted Forest.
“But this isn’t the Southern Sea.” Said Olaf, confused.
"No. It isn't." Anna shook her head before Elsa bolted at the ship with Anna following her behind.
Jack flew closely behind them, but stopped right outside. He didn’t get in the ship with the girls. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t. Not that it wasn’t any of his business, but because it felt like he couldn’t. Something inside him told him so.
It was dark inside but the light outside gave them a ruined sight of the ship. A blanket of dust shifted with the girls' steps. Old belongings shattered and spread around the floor. The wood broken and entirely wrecked, there was no chance of ever recovering it.
Jack felt chills coming from it. He really didn’t want to be here all of a sudden. It felt like unrecognizable magic.
“Why is their ship here?” asked Elsa through a distance. Jack could hear the girls talk and rummage through the stuffs. “How is it here?”
“It must be washed in from the Dark Sea.” Anna said.
“What were they doing in the Dark Sea?” Elsa said anxiously.
Jack started to ponder at the thought. He as well wondered why young Agnarr and Iduna were going all the way here. In addition, he thought they were supposed to be in the Southern Seas. So, why? At this rate, he could only think that they were hiding something. Especially if they hadn't told anything at all to their daughters. Jack knew that young Agnarr and Iduna weren't the secretive types. Then, what were they planning to do in the Dark Sea anyways?
Jack hummed to himself as he rubbed his jaw in deep thought. Then, he looked over at the girls who were looking through some cabinets before he looked up at the ship. One question remained, how in the world did the ship get through the barrier of the Enchanted Forest? He had the Forest strongly protected, as per Iduna. He glared at nothing in particular.
It shouldn't have been possible.
He knew for sure that neither Iduna nor young Agnarr hold any type of magic in them. They were just mere humans fascinated with the magic of the Forest.
Then it hit Jack with realization. He frowned deeply as he ran over his head. Iduna was from the Enchanted Forest. She knew the way to get to the Enchanted Forest. His protection was what split the two countries—Northuldra and Arendelle apart. But then again, with the Forest locked away with his magic, she wouldn't have been able to get through without him putting it down. Unless...
Unless there was a way in from somewhere else...
Jack jerked his head up and looked around. If there really was another way in, where would it be? He took a deep breath before turning away from the ship while pacing around and about. He bit the nail of his thumb anxiously and dug into brain further.
Okay.
He had to think this through carefully.
Another deep breath in and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Tapping at his chin, he looked at the wrecked ship once more.
Alright.
Right now, he and the two sisters were in the Enchanted Forest. They found the source of the Voice coming through from here.
Great. That’s a good start.
Jack shut his eyes and thought harder.
When they got to the Enchanted Forest, the Voice was still out there—preferably in the North. In which Northuldra was a country North from Arendelle.
Good. Good. Getting somewhere. Getting somewhere...
They started their journey from the South. Yet out of the lands here, there was still the ocean nearby. And surprisingly, it was the Dark Sea which was situated in the North-West of Northuldra.
Jack spent too much time exploring the Enchanted Forest during his stay. It was incredible that he even remembered it all. He never thought he would need it.
To be honest, he even gave an entire history lesson to Iduna to bore her.
And what a history lesson that was.
So. Iduna must have found a way to get around the Forest and used her knowledge to make it work. That was smart of her. Jack kept forgetting that Iduna was headstrong about anything she put her mind into.
Now, Jack and Elsa were already up North—ish. And up North, they found the ship—the ship Iduna and young Agnarr used before it had been washed away by the currents. Meaning, they must have been heading North as well.
Excellent, it was making sense. Even though there was the Dark Sea outside of the magic of the Enchanted Forest and the Dark Sea inside the magic of the Enchanted Forest, both Dark Sea were still the same. Just... somewhat split by a barrier—by him. Oops.
Jack hummed to himself frustratedly. He could feel that he was getting close to an answer, but he couldn't exactly figure it out completely just yet. Maybe just a little more brain power on his part, perhaps he would be done with thinking for the rest of his life.
Wouldn't that be a relief.
Honestly, he hadn't done any thinking in his entire life. There wasn't any need for it. Like he once mentioned, he was the type to just go with what worked for him. It was no wonder he was getting a headache every time he did some deep thinking.
Wait! He was getting off track!
If he thought of anything else, he was going to lose his point.
Alright alright.
In summary, Iduna and young Agnarr decided to get on a ship, lie to their two daughters and sail off to the Dark Sea instead of the Southern Sea. Nice. Simple enough to understand. But the question was... why?
Jack shut his eyes again and tried to imagine himself in Iduna's place.
What would he do if he was Iduna?
Now, if he was Iduna—and he knew some sort of way around the Enchanted Forest, where would he be planning to go? Yes. He was currently up North. But was Iduna going up North as well? Or was she—
His eyes snapped open.
He and Elsa were going up North to find the Voice—the "Fifth Spirit".
Iduna and young Agnarr were going up North for whatever the reason.
And Jack knew exactly what was up there.
He shook his head in disbelief. He whispered, gasping, "No... no no..."
He whirled at the wrecked ship, stunned and bewildered. His eyes widened, his jaw slacked and his hands in tight fists.
Iduna and Agnarr were going to Ahtohallan...
"I want to know what happened to them." Elsa's low voice reached his ears. Jack turned worriedly at the two women in the ship. Hesitantly, he took a step into the broken ship and was surprised to see droplets of water floating in the air.
From afar, Jack quickly pinpointed Elsa on the floor with her hands out on the surface of the wood. He glanced at the flying droplets and instantly figure it was Elsa's doing. Slowly, the droplets set itself toward the blonde woman. They formed and morphed together, creating ice figures of two older people—the two people Jack knew so very well.
"Ahtohallan has to be the source of her magic."
"We keep going. For Elsa."
“We have to find Jack—He can help us.“
“We’ll find him.”
“The waves are too high!”
“Iduna!”
“Agnarr!”
Soon, the ice formed in perfect shape, revealing Iduna and Agnarr holding each other tightly as a wave hit them—drowning them—lost at sea.
Suddenly, Jack's heart felt heavy.
His stomach churned.
So... they knew. Or at least they had an idea of where Elsa's magic came from. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who figured it out, but what hurt him the most was that they were looking for him. He could feel his heart hanging in his chest because he knew that he wasn't anywhere near Ahtohallan at the time. Not since he left.
He knew that he wasn't at fault for their deaths. Yet, why did it feel just like it was?
His brows furrowed deep and his fists clenched tightly.
Who would have thought that seeing this buried him in guilt.
Sure, he knew nothing about their trip to Ahtohallan and Iduna thought that Jack would be helpful along the way. They thought he was hanging around Ahtohallan at the time and they were looking for him there.
Then, that would make it his fault... right?
He could feel his insides getting hollow. And before he knew it, he was already making his way back up the hill where he first discovered the wrecked ship. He didn't know what to think or what to feel. He never wanted any of this for Iduna or young Agnarr. They were sweet people who had been there by his side, always keeping him company.
And yet, these sweet people died because of him.
He should have visited Iduna in Arendelle from the very beginning...
Startlingly, arms wrapped themselves around his torso, a body almost knocking him back before he found his balance back. His arms automatically wrapped around said body and he looked down to find Elsa in said arms. His previous solemn thoughts quickly thrown out the window and brought up nothing but thought of his young love.
She trembled terribly. He couldn't see her face, but he could feel the wetness of her tears against his neck. He opened his mouth to give words of comfort, but nothing came out for he still felt guilty of her parents' death. He wasn't sure of what to say in this situation. He just wanted to lighten up her mood.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Anna ran over and hushed quietly at Elsa. She looked up at Jack worriedly before rubbing her sister's back. "What are you doing?"
Muffled by Jack's neck, she held the Spirit tighter and said, "This was my fault. They were looking for answers about me."
Anna spoke in a low, quiet tone. "You're not responsible for their choices, Elsa."
"No. Just their deaths. "Elsa sniffled, then pulled away from Jack's embrace. She walked away from the both of them while wiping at her eyes.
Jack was concerned. He didn't want Elsa feeling this way. It was unfair to her. It wasn't her fault that she was born with magic. And neither was it her fault that her parents wish to find the source of her magic. She was born with it unknowingly to anyone.
He wondered if he should ever mention that it was possibly his fault. As much as he didn't believe that Elsa was at fault, he sure did believe that it was his. After all, young Agnarr and Iduna went looking for him. They seemed to believe that he could help them—help Elsa. Knowing Elsa, even if he did decide to tell her that he was at fault, she would deny it completely. She would take the blame regardless and assure him that he wasn't at all. She would also for sure say that he hadn't had anything to do with it.
Honestly, he doubted that.
When he looked up, he caught the worried look on Anna's face. She paced after Elsa, then grabbed at her arms. "Stop. No. Yelena asked why would the Spirits reward Arendelle with a magical Queen."
The ginger tried her best to get Elsa to look at her, but it prevailed. Elsa kept herself closed up from Anna. Her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes shut tight, and her head twisting and turning away from her sister. But Anna wasn't done yet. "Because our mother saved our father."
At that, Elsa finally opened her eyes, but they refused to meet with Anna's. But the ginger continued, her grip tightened. "She saved her enemy. Her good deed was rewarded with you. You are a gift."
The blonde's eye rose to meet with her sister's. Her face clearly still expressed frustration and pain from the truth of her parents' death. Jack wished he could comfort her, but he wasn't sure how. All he could do was watch from the side-lines. She hissed. "For what?"
"If anyone can resolve the past—if anyone can save Arendelle and free this forest, it's you." Anna offered a tiny smile, then grabbed Elsa's hands as she cover them with her own. She stroke her skin with her thumbs. "I believe in you, Elsa. More than anyone or anything."
By this time, Jack could see a returning smile lifting on Elsa's lips. Her eyes still watered and her cheeks pinked. He ended up smiling as well. He was glad that Elsa had a sister who cared so much for her—probably even more than him. He knew that there were some lines he couldn't cross because of the short amount of days they had gotten to know each other. It felt very limited.
But with Anna, who had known Elsa all her life, can cross the lines he couldn't. She knew her sister like the back of her hand. Sure, his common facts about Elsa were completely different to Anna's because of the differences between their magic and non-magic. However, sometimes, only family knew best. He knew there were some things he couldn't help Elsa with. That was the especially one thing he was glad that, even though non-magic, Anna was around. She could crack an ice with needle and open up Elsa's views into a whole different perspective.
But as soon as Elsa smiled, it quickly turned down into a frown. She turned away with a far look at the direction of the wrecked ship before it change in a more determined expression. Jack capture her glance and he frowned.
What bad timing...
He could tell that Elsa still wanted to leave Anna here. He didn't know if it was to avoid drama or cause drama. To him, he knew it would be both—whether they liked it or not.
He blinked at a thought and hummed to himself. Would this be the first time he'd see a sisters’ spat? Having to have seen one didn't occur to him. He couldn't recall a time he saw one.
"Jack said there's a Fifth Spirit..." said Elsa and Jack froze on the spot, caught off guard at the sound of his name." And Honeymaren said there's a bridge between the magic of nature and us."
"A Fifth Spirit?" Anna tried to repeat.
"That's who's been calling me and Jack!—from Ahtohallan." Elsa beamed.
The young spirit stared widely at Elsa. Had he mentioned to Elsa that the Fifth Spirit was in Ahtohallan? He couldn't remember. He did remember figuring out that the Fifth Spirit was in Ahtohallan. But now he wondered what else had he hidden from Elsa. He knew he hadn't told her that she herself was the Fifth Spirit. Their magic hadn't merged together yet. Would Elsa find out either way, even without him mentioning it?
Well, Elsa was a smart woman, he wouldn't be surprised one bit if she did.
Jack interrupted, "The answers about the past are all there."
The girls looked at him, slightly alarmed. Elsa rose a brow. "Is that so?"
He just shrugged in return, shifting a bit on his feet. "I noticed that everything we've been looking for lies within Ahtohallan."
"And when did you notice this?" Elsa asked almost suspiciously, her eyes narrowing at him with a touch of distrust.
The intense gaze made him nervous. He rubbed his head and looked away as he thought his words wisely. He fiddled with the hem of his cloak. But he decided to play it safe. "Probably yesterday?"
At Elsa's glare, he knew that she didn't believe him one bit. He thought that maybe she knew that he was hiding much more.
Elsa looked like she wanted to say something regarding the secrets he had been keeping from her, but Anna cut her off. She let out a relieved smile. "So, we go to Ahtohallan."
A pause.
Jack and Elsa glanced at each other hesitantly before shifting their eyes at the young sister. Said sister looked back at them with wide innocent eyes and cute smile. He felt a guilty tug on his heart at her pure innocence. He winced inwardly. He felt bad that they were planning on leaving her here like this. They had the worst timing ever.
Oh, the young ginger would be heartbroken—betrayed even.
Obviously, Jack wouldn't be able to tell her!
He threw a helpless look at Elsa and nudged his head at Anna slightly, in which she wasn't thrilled of breaking the ice judging by the face she made. He jerked his head again forcefully, indicating her to tell Anna herself because there was no way he was going to do it. He was not ready to see a crestfallen Anna in front of him. And there was no way Elsa was going to force him either. He won't do it!
Elsa, having to catch his drift, rubbed her forehead anxiously. He knew that she didn't want to do the same either. But at this point, he was cheating away—running away. He didn't care if he was a coward. He couldn't bear to let it down to Anna. Especially not after bonding with her a while ago. The older sister stepped up at Anna with a deep breath.
You can do it, Snowflake!
She would so murder him if he were to say that aloud. Call him a traitor too, that was obvious.
He rather loved his freedom of living, thank you very much.
"Not we... Just me and Jack." She said in a small careful voice.
"What...?" Anna's voice broke.
"The Dark Sea is too dangerous for all of us." Elsa explained forcefully and Anna shook her head.
"No... no! We do this together. Remember the song? 'Go too far and you'll be drowned'. Who will stop you from going too far?" Jack flinched a bit as her voice rose a notch. He could feel the tenseness and the anger rolling through her. He wished he could say something to console her, but he wasn't exactly the right of guy to do it at the moment. Not when he as well planned to leave Anna behind.
"I know Jack can prevent you from doing so, but sometimes even he can't get you to see through reasons! Once you set yourself on one thing, you will never leave it alone!" She grew to a shout. She turned to Jack with tears in her eyes.
Ah... another woman crying...
Why did it always have to happen when he was around?
"Jack—tell her!" Anna demanded of him.
Elsa bit her lip worriedly, but she spoke with finality. "You said you believed in me that this is what I was born to do."
"Okay. Hold up." Said Jack as he put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, grabbing her attention. "Elsa, your sister is right. Honestly, whatever you want to do, you can go for it. But listen—going to Ahtohallan is dangerous enough."
Ela shrugged off his hand and glared at him. "Jack, don't even try and stop me from doing this—"
He groaned at her stubbornness and grabbed both her arms tightly, then lowered himself at eye-level. "I'm not trying to stop you. I just want you to think of yourself for a bit. Remember, you're stubborn—you're reckless—you're hard-headed. I know that most of the time you won't even listen to me. But I ask you this... when I tell you to stop, you stop."
"But Jack, we can't have Anna come along. Who will be there to protect her if I'm not around?"
Jack bristled, slightly offended at being disregarded. "You know that even I wouldn't let anything happen to her."
"You said going to Ahtohallan would be dangerous. If I go too far and if she'd be the one drowning—what will happen then?" Elsa pressed in closer to his face. Her hands balled into fists at his chest and her face getting red with frustration. "You told me of our plan. We're just trying to protect her! You promised!"
Jack didn't know whether Elsa was being very emotional at the moment or being somewhat selfish. Either way, she seemed eager to get herself killed. And as much as he held the patience of the world, Elsa was really pushing it. He knew that they made a promise to protect Anna from harm, but she was making quite a big deal about it—believing that he would actually let Anna tag along. Had she no trust in him?
He had had enough of this foolishness. He was really getting angry.
He snapped. "Elsa, that's enough—"
"I don't want to stop you from that—I—I don't want to stop you from being whatever you need to be! I just don't want you dying—trying to be everything for everyone else too!" Anna shouted while losing a bit of her breath.
Jack wished that Elsa could see what Anna saw. But he knew... he knew Elsa still didn't see it that way.
Anna got quieter. "Don't do this alone."
Because when it came to Anna...
"Let me help you."
No matter the reality...
"Please."
All she cared about...
"I can't lose you, Elsa."
Was keeping her sister safe.
Elsa sagged in defeat. Her shoulders slumped and almost hopeless. It looked like she was losing a conflicting battle with herself. She turned to Jack with lost hope in her, but he just gave her a pointed look.
Then again...
"I didn't forget, Elsa." Jack said so suddenly.
The woman beamed brightly at Jack before wrapping her sister in a tight hug. With that, she whispered in her ear, "I can't lose you either, Anna."
Her eyes shifted to Olaf, who was rocking on his feet nervously, and waved at him closer for a group hug. The snowman happily waddled in and gave warm hugs to the sisters.
They both knew that this was none of Anna's business.
With that, Jack caught Elsa's eyes and nodded at her. So with a couple of taps with the end of his staff to the dry ground, his magic forming a long trail of ice going back down to the way they first came from. It flourished behind Anna without her notice. He sighed to himself. It had to be done. Elsa took the chance now and he didn't really want to waste it.
When Elsa finally pulled away, Anna's smile dropped at her sister's pained expression. Suddenly, she knew that things weren't going the way she hoped. She looked down at her feet to find ice shaping itself into a canoe boat. "Wait.. what?"
Jack couldn't help but also give the young ginger a pained expression when her wide feared eyes turned to him. He had to turn away from Anna, knowing that he aldo had betrayed her.
"What are you doing—!" Anna yelped as she fell back on the ice boat with Olaf as it started to tilt down the slope. It slid smoothly as the long trail of ice guided the canoe. She called out while reaching out her hand. "Elsa!"
But Elsa just looked on guiltily.
As the canoe slid further and further away, Jack could see Elsa's heart breaking. It was all over her face. He could feel the pain she gained from the separation of her sister. So, he pulled the woman in his arms and rubbed her back while hushing out assuring words. She held him tightly before burying her face into his shoulder.
"She'll be fine, Elsa." He whispered in her ear.
A shaky breath. "I know. It's what we promised to do."
The rest of the journey without Anna and Olaf around was quiet. Ever since, Jack and Elsa hadn't spoken much, but Elsa made sure that they held hands. When they pulled away from their last hug, Elsa kept close hold on him. If they couldn't walk while hugging each other, she opt by holding hands.
Jack assumed it was for reassurance. It had been quite a shaky moment between the two sisters. He couldn't blame her for it too. He knew she loved her sister very much and would do anything for her, which melted his heart really. It was sweet to him and fluttering to see a love between siblings. Sometimes he wondered why he felt that way. But either way, just like how Elsa felt for her sister, he felt the same way towards her.
Jack took a glance around. It had been a while since they left the wrecked ship. The new scenery was just as dull as the dry land they came across to. This time it was a rocky land, indicating the sea nearby.
The sun was setting and Elsa spent the time staring out at the sunset. He couldn't read much into her expression as it was pretty blank. He didn't know how she was feeling right now. He wished he could make everything better and cheer her up. But she was in a fragile state, he guessed.
All he could do was lift their held hands and kiss her hand, rewarded with a content sigh.
He gazed at her when she turned to him. Her eyes were soft and her body was relaxed. She stepped closer and leaned herself against his chest. Her head on his shoulder and her eyes shut for a bit.
She opened her eyes, then shifted her head to look up at Jack to ask, "You knew my mother?"
Jack didn't reply back at first, but he kept his eyes closely on Elsa, watching all over her face. He tried to find any sort of imperfection on her face, but he saw nothing. She looked just as beautiful as he first saw her. He knew that nobody was perfect and he was sure that to some other person, there would be something of Elsa that wasn't perfect. Although, to him, all he saw was perfection.
Besides perfection, it wasn't that he didn't want to answer. He just wasn't sure of what to say or what to tell her—how to start it—where to tell. There were just so much to think about, he was easily getting sidetracked.
“Jack?”
He hummed thoughtfully, then mumbled, "Yeah. I knew her."
Elsa pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked up directly at him as she ran up a hand up his torso. Quietly, she asked, "Since when have you known her?"
He blinked, almost lost in thought. He looked down at the woman. "Oh. I've known her since she was a child. Probably in her early teens."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elsa frowned at him, worried. She released his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, getting herself in a comfortable position. Jack returned the embrace by wrapping his own around her.
He pressed his chin to her head and sighed. He hadn't thought of saying anything really, it flew out of his mind. It was easy to forget when he witnessed two sisters falling about Anna's safety. "I don't know. There's never been the right time to say."
Elsa's eyes softened. She whispered, "And yet you had the last couple of days to tell me."
"It's not that. Just—I didn't know that she was your mother until yesterday—when you mentioned that she was Northuldra. Didn't take me long to put two and two together."
“And…?” she probed.
"And?" he pulled back a bit and gave her an incredulous look. Was that all she had to say? He rose a brow. "I was surprised. No—that’s an understatement. I was shocked. Like, how was I supposed to know my long-time friend happens to be your mother?"
Elsa blinked at him curiously.
"But..." His voice lowered, his mind thoughtful. "I was most shocked to find that the eldest daughter of Iduna happens to be the woman I've fallen so madly for..."
"Oh, Jack." She said softly as she put a hand to his cheek. Jack turned his head slightly to press a kiss to her palm before placing his cheek back in her hand.
"Who would have thought that we've been living in such a small world, eh?" He gave her a weak boy-ish grin.
Elsa smiled back at him, then ran her fingers freely into his hair. His heart fluttered at the adoration filling into her blue eyes. He consciously pulled her closer as she licked her lips. She said, "I feel the same about you as well, Jack."
This caused his weak grin to become wider. He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. He breathed, "Yeah. I figured. Thank goodness too."
The entire trip to the Enchanted Forest had been exhausted and incredibly draining on his part. He wasn't sure how Elsa felt, but she seemed to have more energy than he realized. Maybe he was getting too old. A hundred years around, but his body was physically still young compared to his mind. As wise as he was getting, he still had plenty to learn. He hadn't much experience with people since nobody could see him. He didn't get the chance to experience something new.
But this... This thing with Elsa was fairly new to him. He hadn't encountered anything like this, save for one time many years ago. But back then was nothing compared to this. It was new—painful and joyful. He felt so very full in his chest.
He thought it was about to burst out.
He never thought he would end up in this situation.
"Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I was around during the time of your birth?" He asked, "Would Iduna let me hold you? Would I rock you to sleep? Would I grow love for you? Because to be honest, I didn't expect that love to be like this."
"I guess that's what love is. It just..." she shrugged, letting out a small puff of laugh. "...comes."
Jack was sure that even Elsa didn't understand how the concept of love between man and woman work either. Well, he wasn't judging. He was on the same boat after all. He hadn't any experience of love before. Not that he knew of. He was invisible for most part of his life.
This love that was growing between them was fairly new and they wouldn't want to rush into it. They had only met a few days ago, so they still had so much to learn about each other yet. Plus, it wasn't like they were going anywhere.
Because once this whole thing was over, they would talk about it and figure it out along the way.
Just thinking about this relationship between him and Elsa got him leaning into Elsa to press a kiss on her lips. He couldn't help it. He wanted it—his heart wanted it. It made him feel good. His stomach jumped when her lips responded back.
Their lips locked a little longer before they both pulled away. He could feel the smile spreading on his cheeks before diving back to peck her lips again.
He could feel Elsa's breath brushing his lips as she sighed happily. He hummed contentedly as she run her thumb over his jaw. She said softly, "Who are you really, Jack? What are you to my family?"
At the soothing motion of her thumb to his skin, he grinned. "Remember when I told you how the Enchanted Forest became my home? How the Northuldra became my family?"
She gave him a tiny grin. "Yes?"
"Your mother," he leaned in once more and brushed his lips to her cheek. "Also became my family."
Her voice peaked brightly. "Mother did?"
"Yeah. She was my first friend—other than the four spirits. She found me somewhere deep in the forest with with Gale. And she was... not shy at all." He laughed at the fond memory of young Iduna demanding to be flown in the air too. Not to mention how it was unfair that Jack get to fly and not her. The young lady wasn't being rude exactly. She had quite a strong back bone. She was a girl who wouldn't take no for an answer, but she did whine and pouted a lot. It was quite adorable. And the big smile on her face in the end made his day. "She just came right up to me, asking to be flown in the air too. So, Gale and I made it happen. True, the Northuldras had their way with the Spirits, but your mother was more familiar with them than anyone."
Elsa brightened at the compliment. “Really? Was mother truly that an amazing person?”
Jack barked out a laugh and nodded. He watched as Elsa's smile softening at the thought of late mother. Her hold on him tightened. She let out another happy sigh. "I never knew mother was someone so special in our lives."
He smiled back at the same thought. “Indeed, she was.”
Then, as soon as it came, her smile dropped. Her expression morphing into confusion. "But what about that ice sculpture of you back in the forest? It looked like you were doing something with your magic."
Another barking laugh. "Oh, that? That's nothing to be worried about. I was summoning the mist."
Elsa jerked back with shock. "You—excuse me?"
"I brought in the mist, that's all."
"That's all?—but Jack, why would you do that?"
Jack hummed thoughtfully, thinking of a better way of explaining this to her. He ran his hands over her waist repeatedly in thought. "I was told to. By your mother."
Elsa turned speechless. Her voice broken and weak. "Mother did?"
"When I summoned the mist, I've isolated the entire Forest—possibly the whole Northuldra country too. I haven't checked." He paused a bit and his brows furrowed. "Everyone that was in the Forest would never get to leave. And those who were already out? They would never be able to get in. It was my mistake that I didn't think this through, but it was precautionary.
Elsa shook her head unbelievably. "I'm confused. Mother told you to summon the mist?"
Jack scoffed. "Ah, well. She can be scary when she wants to be, to be honest."
"And how about my father?" She leaned in to capture his lips.
"Young Agnarr?" He frowned and thought deeply as he pecked her back. Young Agnarr... there wasn't much he knew about the young lad, actually. He hadn't spent much time nor hung around with the boy all that often. That was all on Iduna. So, Jack couldn't say that he knew the actual kind of person he was. He was a sweet and curious boy, that much he remembered. But other than that? Iduna knew him more personally.
"I don't think he knew about it. I'm guessing your mother might have told him at one point."
Elsa hummed and Jack thought that she hadn't really been listening anymore. Especially when she tried to get another kiss from him. He couldn't really say no to a kiss, now could he? He gave in and pressed their lips together one more time.
When Jack pulled away, he smirked when he caught Elsa chasing after his lips. Sure, kissing felt good, but he thought that they were having a serious conversation about her mother. Quite rude of her to interrupt him continuously.
Then again, better that than having to fall back into depression from the fallout between her and Anna.
"Don't you think we're going a little too fast with this?" He teased as he took Elsa's chin. "We just expressed our feelings just a while ago."
She grinned at him mischievously. "Well I don't see what the problem is. I thought you'd like kissing me?"
"Don't get me wrong, Snowflake. I really do. But I feel like all you want to do with me is make-out." He sighed dramatically and flicked at his hair. "Oh, Elsa. Are you possibly using me for your pleasures?"
A strange feeling travelled down his nether region when she looked at him under her lashes and he swallowed hard when she started purring. "What if I want to...?"
Oh boy, this was not what he was expecting. This reminded him of the time back at the castle. That feeling of attraction and seduction. He didn't know how to deal with that. Elsa was quite open and very straight forward. This felt so much more than what he felt then.
He thought that she was a shy woman!
What happened to the shy woman he met!
A tickle of pleasure crawled up his spine and he shivered uncomfortably. Well, whatever it was, he was not ready for it.
"Kiss me one more time?"
Jack blinked, snapped out of his thoughts as she spoke. He rose a brow at her and tapped his chin playfully, hoping to delay time. He hummed. "I don't know. Should I?"
Her eyes sparked. "Please?"
Ah. What the heck.
He leaned down and kissed Elsa again for a moment.
When she pulled away, their lips were hairs apart.
They stared into each other’s eyes.
"Every time you kiss me, I feel so breathless. The more you kiss me, I feel so high in the skies. Whenever I think back of it, my heart races." Elsa sighed against his lips. "Oh, Jack. I'm in so deep for you."
Ah... if she says any more, I don't know how much my heart can take it.