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Chapter Text

              The cold polar winds whistled past Jack’s ears as he rode on the air currents, their strong gusts almost reminding him of hands holding him aloft as he flew through the night. In a way, the winds had been Jack’s first friends and comfort since he’d first awoken from the ice those centuries ago. The only older one was the moon himself, which even now continued to shine down on him and light his way, his plans no less mysterious as they had been that first night, but now a little more comforting.

              Jack was shaken from his thoughts by the pulse of the northern lights. It was almost ironic that such a beautiful sight was a sign of such danger. Tucking his arms into his sides, he hastened his pace towards the North Pole and North’s workshop.

              The workshop was just as busy as it had been the first time he had arrived, though it was nice that his arrival was more willing and the fanfare non-existent. Yetis hurried to-and-fro between toy and workstations while elves scurried around beneath their feet. At the center of the room, and past the hustle of production, sat the globe. North himself stood before the suspended ball, arms crossed and eyes squinted in contemplation while he stroked his beard. To his sides stood the other Guardians, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy, echoing North’s body language as they whispered amongst each other.

              “I got here as fast as I could.” The Guardians’ attention turned to Jack as he entered the circle. “What’s happened? Is Pitch back?”
“We’re… we’re not sure,” Tooth spoke up, tearing her eyes from the globe while her fairies flitted around her. “We haven’t seen anything like this before.”
“What do you-” Jack’s words died on his lips as he got a closer look at what had captured everyone’s attention. A small section of the globe around Scandinavia, the size of a small country, had turned completely black. “How…”

              North let out a deep sigh as he finally looked over to Jack. “We are not sure. The darkness just… appeared overnight.” Shifting his stance, North began to pace in front of the group. “I have tried to talk to man in moon, but his answers are… vague, limited. All we know is that the kingdom of Arendelle is in danger.”

              “The kingdom of Arendelle? I’ve never heard of that place before. And I flew over Europe to get here and never saw any giant black mass… cloud… thing, so what is that? How could I miss a giant mass of literal nightmare fuel, let alone an entire kingdom I had somehow never seen or heard of before?”
“Well, it’s not exactly in our world,” Bunny answered as if it was a well known fact.
“Whoa, what do you mean ‘not exactly in our world’? There are other worlds besides this one that I’ve never heard of? How do you know this? Is this something you all knew and didn’t bother to tell me?”

              Bunny rolled his eyes half-heartedly. “I’ve been around a bit longer than you, sometimes I forget what would and wouldn’t be common knowledge for you by now. But, yes, there are a few other worlds aside from this one. It’s not easy to get to them, but they do exist beside this one. In our defense they don’t often come up, since it’s this one we’re usually focused on protecting.” Sandy stepped forward next to him and created the image of overlapping layers of circles as if to help illustrate Bunny’s point. A small blemish suddenly appeared in the series of circles, leading to small amounts of sand being able to flow between the different layers. “Yeah, like he said,” Bunny confirmed Sandy.

              The sudden flood of new, reality-changing information made Jack’s head spin for a moment, but now was not the time for that. Now, he needed answers. A plan. He would have time to come to terms with the shattering of his world view after they knew what was going on in the first place. Snapping himself from his spiraling thoughts, Jack spoke up again. “Wait, you said the man in the moon actually answered you. What did he say?”
“All I was told was that there is a woman who is an important part of this somehow. She is called Elsa of Arendelle, I believe,” North answered. “Some kind of human spirit existing in other world. Somehow, she and this darkness may be connected. How and why we don’t know, but I have feeling that answers may lie with her.”

              “Wait, that’s it?” Bunny spoke up annoyed. “That’s all we have to go off of? That some kingdom called Arendelle in another world is in danger, and somehow this Elsa girl may have some kind of connection to it?”
“We will learn more when we go there,” North answered almost nonchalantly, his mood seeming to have picked up a bit at Manny’s communication.
Bunny pinched the bridge of his nose, “Of course we will. Fine, but you’re cutting it close mate. It’s almost spring, which means I need to start preparing for Easter soon. If this takes too long it’ll start cutting into my preparation time.” Bunny huffed to himself as he began to turn away from the gathered group. “Next time Pitch comes back, or some weird evil force threatens the world, it better be during the summer or something, because I am tired of it cutting close to my holiday.”

              “How are we even supposed to get there?” Jack asked as the group began to seemingly disband, a plan he was not privy to set in motion. “Does one of your magic globes take you to alternate worlds or something?”
“Don’t be silly,” North chuckled as he put an arm around Jack’s shoulders and began to guide him towards the door, “sleigh will take us there. Globe will just help open rift where the magic is strongest.”
“Is this something else that all of you know about but failed to tell me?”
“Probably, but I will explain on way.”

              “Ok, but you’re gonna need to start going slower when you start dropping the heavy information on me,” Jack ran a hand through his hair as he followed along with North towards the direction of the slay and stables. “My entire concept of reality was shattered just five minutes ago, and all this new information is starting to give me a headache.”
North chuckled before turning back to the rest of the Guardians, “Are you coming with?”
“Oh no, mate,” Bunny quickly interjected. “I’m never riding in that thing again. I’ll take my burrows, thank you very much. I’ll meet you on the other side.” He quickly emphasized his statement with a tap of his foot, a hole forming in the floor beside him. Without another word he jumped in feet-first, the hole quickly closing up behind him, leaving a single spring flower as the only sign it had even opened.

              “Ok, Tooth, Sandy?” North continued.
“I need to take care of some things at the Tooth Palace,” Tooth spoke up, her attention having turned from the globe to her fairies as it became clear that the group was about to disband. “I can’t leave my duties unattended to, but I’ll come and find you on the other side as soon as I can.” Her attention now firmly on tying up any loose ends from her absence, Tooth quickly flitted away, her fairies in tow as they darted off to carry out their matriarch’s orders. When the attention turned solely to Sandy, he echoed a similar sentiment, signaling a need to make sure the children in this world were safe and fit with dreams before he could risk facing a potential threat like this again.

              “Well, I guess that just leaves us, Jack!” With the beginnings of a plan now in motion, North’s mood seemed to have fully lifted. Jack had a feeling his headache wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

Chapter Text

              To a normal human, the rift would appear as just a visual glitch. A spot on a wide horizon that the eye naturally passed over, almost unable to physically look at it as the brain refused to comprehend that such a gap existed. To a spirit or guardian, however, the rift was unmistakable. It appeared to be a wrinkle or tear in space itself, a cavalcade of vibrant colors just barely visible and escaping its bounds before dissipating into the air.

              Even before getting close to it, Jack could feel the magic radiating from the other side. It reminded him in a way of when he first woke up in darkness from the ice. It felt almost natural, like a magic not of an individual or a defiance of natural order or of a power, but of life itself. A strong, sustaining magic that felt so foreign to this world, but felt almost like the flow of blood from a cut vein. A continuing heartbeat at the very being of this world.

              Jack looked over to North, who was already watching his reaction with a fond smile. Before Jack could make a quip to save face, North had turned away and was pulling out a snow globe. “Arendelle,” he whispered before throwing it into the rift. The tear quickly expanded into a proper portal, swallowing the sleigh and its reindeer within moments before closing behind them as if it had never been.

              Whatever colors Jack had seen escape earlier were only a fraction of the kaleidoscope that swirled around them now. Hues and shades beyond anything he thought possible flashed before his eyes in a hypnotizing display. “Is my favorite part,” North admitted, his own eyes torn between watching the beautiful display, and keeping his gaze on the approaching horizon to safely drive the sleigh. It felt like they could just watch this scene forever, but the increasing brightness that was at the end of the rift brought their thoughts back to the present as it opened wide to eject them into the other world.

              A vast landscape of forests and mountains dusted in snow opened up before them. A large body of water separated the land, and the kingdom visible below them. At the center of the water on its own separate piece of earth sat an ornate castle; tall, pale spires reaching into the sky from the main structure. Scattered around it on the shores and mainland were hundreds of buildings and other structures making up the bulk of the central town. The view of civilization continued sparsely onward, but it was clear that if this wasn’t the entirety of the kingdom itself, it was at least its capital.

              The beauty of the view was shadowed by the black sheet of darkness that stretched across the sky. From their lofted vantage point, they could just make out the shifting movement of the ominous, unnatural clouds. While it seemed capable of letting light through in small amounts, so at the very least the forests and crops wouldn’t die from lack of sunlight, the foreboding mass covered the horizon and darkened the land in a dreary overcast.

              “We go by ground from here,” North spoke up, signaling to the reindeer to start their descent. “This world may be full of magic, but that doesn’t mean a flying sleigh would go unquestioned.”
              “You mean they can see us? I thought only children who believed in us could see us?”
              “Magic is strong enough here that anyone can see us as if we were just another pair of humans,” North explained. “It would probably be best if we kept it that way too, so no magic unless necessary. We don’t know if whatever is behind this will be able to sense our presence, so it is best we try to blend in.”
              “Sure, a shoeless man in 21st century clothes and a frost covered staff he carries around everywhere alongside a giant old man with the phrases ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ tattooed on his arms are going to blend right in.”
              “You know what I mean.” North sighed. Jack relented his sarcasm with a shrug as the reindeer landed the sleigh on an old, sparsely overgrown path away from the potential spying eyes of travelers.

              “Here,” North reached behind him, “put on these.” A pair of well-made winter boots were placed in Jack’s lap.
              “You have got to be kidding me.”
“You said yourself,” North responded a little too smug for Jack’s liking, “shoeless man would raise eyebrows, so I had these made just in case.” Jack opened his mouth to retaliate but could only grumble as he found himself caught by his own words. With reluctance, Jack obliged and slipped on the boots. He had to admit, the shoes were very comfortable and fit him perfectly. How North would know his size he didn’t know, but at the same time he didn’t want to think about it too much further. After all, he was Santa Claus.

              The ride continued in relative silence from there, both men trying to take in the sight of the foreign world and kingdom around them on top of keeping an eye out for any cursory clues of the mass’s origins or local effects. The only conversation to follow was North trying to answer the sparse questions Jack still had about the world and what he knew about its system of magic, and trying to concoct a cover story the two strangers would take on as they approached Arendelle’s monarch.

              Upon approaching the city’s border, Jack was relieved to notice that the guards patrolling the roads didn’t bat an eye at the sight of a team of reindeer pulling a large red sleigh. They did, however, give somewhat questioning glances towards the two strangely dressed men inside, particularly the younger one whose clothing was far stranger than the ones worn by the older man. Still, they let them pass.

              After finding a stable that was, surprisingly, willing to take care of the sleigh and its eight reindeer, they continued on foot. The roads turned too hard to allow the sleigh’s metal runners to safely traverse and too narrow to allow more than a small cart or horseback rider reasonable access as they neared the center of the city. Similar to the guards, the citizens of the town, much to North’s chagrin, took quick notice of the strangely dressed strangers walking up to the castle. “You’re right North,” Jack whispered to his companion, “being barefoot would have drawn way too much attention to us. So glad that didn’t happen.” North decided not to acknowledge Jack’s comment with a response.

              The stares continued as they approached the castle’s gates, the guards on high alert as they conducted their patrols. Weapons at their sides, the uniformed men guarding the doors to the inner courtyard stiffened their posture as the duo stepped towards them, signaling their intention to block their entrance. “Sorry gentlemen, court is currently in session. You will need to come back at a later time.”
              “That is good,” North piped in, “we actually need to talk with your ruler.”
              “As we have said,” the other guard interrupted, “the queen is holding court right now. If you wanted to talk to her, you should have come earlier like the rest of the citizens who wish to have her ear. You will need to come back later, or schedule an appointment with her advisor at a later date to speak with her. Please move along.”

              North opened his mouth to try to argue when Jack beat him to it. “It’s about the darkness.” That seemed to have caught the guards’ attention. “We’re here to help, we may know how to deal with it. We have dealt with something similar to it before.” The two men exchanged a weary look, before stepping aside and opening the doors. Two other guards took their place as they began to escort the two Guardians inside.

              “Wait,” one of the new guards reached out and grabbed Jack’s shoulder before he could follow them. “I’ll be taking that staff, no weapons or potential weapons allowed.” The sentry reached out to grab ahold of Jack’s staff, when North blocked his reach.
              “Is his walking stick,” North interjected, his own swords hidden within his coat through magic. “The boy has problems with balance and needs it to keep him steady.” Jack leaned heavily on his staff for emphasis. For a moment he feared the excuse wouldn’t work, before the man let out a grumble and ushered them onwards.

              The inner courtyard was filled with people all waiting in line to see the queen, their conversations vibrating through the enclosed space. Upon closer inspection of the gathered crowds, Jack began to notice a few common characteristics spread throughout the populace. Dark circles and bags hung beneath the eyes of several of the assembled citizens, with yawns and slightly stumbled footsteps a common sight and sound as the line shuffled forward. His attention was turned back to the task at hand as their escorts approached an officially dressed man standing amongst another set of uniformed guards. The first man whispered to the well dressed one, whose eyes widened at his words. His eyes darted between the man who had spoken to him and the two strangers standing before him, before he nodded, gesturing for the men to follow him.

              Grumbles and words of protest were quickly aroused as the small group skipped the line, the complaints growing quieter as the stationed guards attempted to calm the crowds as the men entered the castle. The entrance hall was equally as crowded as the courtyard, though more neatly arranged as those gathered attempted to present themselves with reverence and respect in anticipation of talking to the queen. Their conversations echoed off the high-vaulted ceilings of the already large entrance hall, making their quiet whispers seem louder than was likely intended. Their whispered conversations too took up an undertone of grumbled annoyance, and occasional outrage, as the line of long-waiting people watched their place in line be overtaken by the guided group.

              The throne room was crowded with nobles and armed bodyguards spaced along the perimeter of the large chamber. The throne itself was seated against a background of red cloth underneath and behind where it sat on a raised dais. Ornate tapestries and beautifully carved wooden pillars framed the seat, along with more fancily dressed officials or attendants for the queen. The queen herself sat regally, her attention focused on a woman standing before her. “With the Shroud, the roads through the forest have become more dangerous to travel at night,” the woman addressing the queen explained. “Bandits have begun taking advantage of the lack of visibility and have grown bold in their attacks on travelers!”

              The queen nodded gravely, her brows pinching together as she took in the woman’s words. “That is troubling. I will send more men to patrol the roads and make sure they’re safe.”
              “Oh, thank you, Your Majesty!” The woman gave a deep curtsey before she left the front of the line. It was at that moment that the man escorting them approached the queen himself. Her blue eyes widened slightly as the man whispered something to her. After a brief exchange the queen turned to a portly man standing off to her side, whispering something to him before he stepped forward to address the gathered masses.

              “Court for today is now adjourned.” His statement was met with quiet annoyance as they attempted to save face in front of their ruler, while still expressing their displeasure. Several members of the stationed guards moved forward to guide the crowd out of the castle as the other two beside them moved the Guardians to stand before the queen. North gave the auburn-haired regent a deep bow, nudging Jack to do the same when he seemed to hesitate, or simply miss the message.

              “Greetings, your royal highness,” North began as he stood back to his full height. “I am Nicholas Claus and this is my… grandson Jack. We come from a kingdom far North of here and heard word of the… problem your kingdom is having. It is similar to one we faced in the past, and so we have come to offer our assistance in your time of need.”
              “Oh, well, welcome to Arendelle, gentlemen!” the queen quickly, if awkwardly, greeted, taking her time to mull over their words while she echoed a standard greeting to the two men. “I am Queen Anna. You… you say you’ve had experience with this darkness and these… nightmares?”

Chapter Text

              Water misted across Elsa’s face with each beat of the Nokk’s hooves against the fjord. It seemed even the water spirit could sense her frustration as it swiftly galloped across the water’s surface towards the direction of the castle. A wave formed beneath the pair as they grew closer to the bridge. As the crest reached the height of the structure, Elsa leapt from the horse’s back forming a temporary bridge of ice to help ease her landing as the spirit dove beneath the now falling wave. She landed with a skid of the ice under her feet, the crest of water splashing behind her and startling the flinching guards. The men quickly regained their composure and gave her a low bow, which she acknowledged with a brief wave and nod as she continued her quick pace into the castle.

              The departing crowds quickly made way and parted for her when they noticed her expression of determined concentration. She continued to acknowledge them as politely as she could while she maintained her pace.

              Entering the throne room, Elsa was surprised to see a pair of unknown men still standing before Anna. “Presenting, her highness, Protector Queen Elsa of Arendelle,” the steward bellowed as she entered the room, interrupting whatever Anna had been saying to the men.
              “Elsa!” She hurried to her sister’s side by the throne. “Elsa, this is Nicholas and Jack Clause, they say they may be able to help us with the Shroud.” Elsa spared them a glance, taking just a moment to take in their appearance and offering them a brief greeting before turning back to Anna.
              “I have news from the Northuldrans,” she quietly confided. “The Shroud hasn’t reached them, and they weren’t being affected by nightmares.”

              Anna’s shoulders softened ever so slightly, “That’s good. At least they’re safe from this, though that does raise a few more questions than answers. Do you think there could be something in the enchanted forest that protects them from all of this?”
              “I don’t think so, there was nothing I could find or sense that would suggest that.”
              “What if we sent some of our people to the enchanted-”
              “No!” Elsa cut her off, louder than she intended. She glanced back to the men still standing before them before turning back to Anna. “No, our peace with them is still too new to ask them something this big and invasive. We also don’t know if that would put them in danger of the Shroud somehow spreading to them.”

              Anna hesitantly nodded in agreement. She could tell she wanted to ask more, but held back when she too remembered that they were not alone. “Ok, but that still leaves us where we started. These two men here have offered to help us. I think it wouldn’t hurt if we at least hear them out.”
              “Fine.” They turned back to the now awkwardly standing eavesdroppers. “My apologies, gentlemen, for the interruption.” Elsa meant to say more, but the words died on her lips when she finally took more than a moment to look at their guests.

              The older man towered over them, easily being one of the largest men she had ever seen. As intimidating as his size was though, there was a kindness in his face that seemed to alleviate any would-be tension. He wore a decadent ensemble consisting mainly of red fabric with black fur lining his long coat and hat. A colorful striped sash wrapped around his abdomen and separated the colors of his red shirt from the gray of his pants.

              The younger man looked short standing next to the older one, yet were she to stand next to him she had no doubt he would still stand taller than her. His clothing looked more foreign and contrasted more dramatically in appearance when compared to the other man’s, whose clothing, while still unusual for the region, held more recognition in familiar details when compared to his. He wore what she could only describe as a thick coat-like shirt of rich blue decorated with light, silvery patterns that reminded her of frost with a large pocket sewn onto the front. His pants were slightly more familiar, if of lesser quality, with strips of leather that wrapped around his lower calves and ankles, dipping into his boots.

              However, it wasn’t his clothing that stood out the most to her, but the man himself. There was something… familiar about him. She was sure she had never seen, let alone met, this man before in her life. Still, there was something in her magic that felt connected to him. It didn’t hurt that she found the man to be attractive, but whatever feelings of connection or attraction she may have momentarily felt for the man was swiftly pushed aside as she remembered why they were here.

              “It is no problem, your highness,” the older man spoke up. “As I was saying to her majesty, I am Nicholas Claus, and this is my grandson Ja-”
              “Jack,” the younger man quickly interrupted, looking to Elsa. “I’m Jack. It’s… an honor to meet you.”
Nicholas gave Jack a look before he continued where he had been cut off. “Yes, well we are here to offer our assistance in your time of need. We may have knowledge that could prove useful in getting to the bottom of the source of this darkness and these nightmares.”

              Anna and Elsa exchanged a glance; the same question echoed in both of their minds. Elsa looked over to the men again. Despite her inclination to deny it she could feel a part of her magic react to their presence. It almost reminded her of when she first stepped into the enchanted forest, when she first interacted with the other spirits of nature. She turned her gaze back to her sister, giving her a small nod.

              “It would be our pleasure to accept your generous offer of assistance,” Anna announced with a smile fit for a queen, “and welcome you into our castle for as long as your stay may last. We’ll have one of the servants escort you to suitable rooms. You must be tired from your journey, so I invite you both to rest for the night, and we can meet again in the morning to discuss how you could aid us.”

              Nicholas and Jack gratefully bowed to them as they expressed their thanks and excitement, before one of the servants still in the room stepped forward to show them where they would be staying. “Let’s go to the study,” Elsa suggested once they were finally alone. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

Chapter Text

              Anna seemed to finally relax as Elsa closed the door behind them upon entering the study. She may be the ruling queen, but out of the eyes of the public she was still her little sister. As proud as she was to see Anna step up so well into the role of queen when she abdicated the throne, she was happy to see that on the inside she was still the sweet mess she knew and loved. “I almost forgot how tiring holding court can be,” Anna spoke up as she dramatically fell back onto one of the room’s couches. “It’s great to be able to talk to the people like this, but hearing from so many people one after another in a row and trying to think of some kind of solution on the spot can make your head spin.”

              “Don’t forget about the nobles,” Elsa added with a knowing smile.
              “Ugh, don’t get me started!” Elsa giggled as Anna somehow managed to flop back more dramatically, her tiara nearly falling off from the force. “If I have to hear one more word about the size of their lands or estates, I think I’ll go crazy!” The pair burst into laughter as Elsa sat down on the opposite end of the couch. “It makes you wonder how mother and father managed it while having to take care of us. I’m sure we didn’t offer much help in the way of relaxing or quiet.”

              “Well, they had each other,” Elsa offered thoughtfully. “And while we may not have been able to offer much peace, I’m sure they didn’t mind playing dolls with us for the hundredth time if it meant not having to hear about Weselton for an hour.” Anna let out a fond giggle in agreement as the memories came flooding back. “Remember,” Elsa continued after a moment, “you’re not alone in this either. You’ll always have me.” She took hold of her sister’s hand, before adding, “And Kristoff of course. Speaking of which, where is he?”

              “Royal Ice Deliverer duties,” Anna answered simply. “He should be back in a few days.” Elsa accepted the statement as they moved on with their conversation, taking a moment to relax before needing to return to more serious topics.

              “For some reason, it doesn’t seem the enchanted forest or the Northuldrans have been affected by the Shroud,” Elsa explained. “I haven’t found any reason or source of magic that prevented it from affecting them though. It would probably be best to leave it at that to avoid it potentially spreading.”
              “Sounds like a good idea,” Anna added, “but like I said that leaves us right back at square one. And to make things worse, the other kingdoms have slowly been decreasing trade and business with us.”
              “What?! But our trade agreements have always been stable!”

              “Apparently the sailors and merchants on the incoming ships are being affected by the nightmares too. Word’s begun to travel about the Shroud. They’ve been returning and spreading the news that all who come to Arendelle are haunted by these nightmares. They’re saying we’re under some kind of curse.”
              “But we’re not cursed!” Elsa interjected.
              “I know that,” Anna appeased, “but that hasn’t stopped the rumor from taking root. People are now hesitant to do business with us, let alone step on our shores for fear that they’ll be cursed with nightmares or bad luck or whatever new stupid idea that they come up with. Luckily our contracts and trade treaties are preventing most other kingdoms from completely cutting us off, but the merchants themselves are still becoming hesitant to hold up their end. At this rate, if things don’t change, the kingdom’s economy will be in serious danger in a few months at the most.” Anna dropped her head on the desk with a groan. “I kinda miss when I didn’t have to worry about trade treaties.”

              A knock at the door interrupted them. On her invitation a captain of the guard entered the room. Giving them a low bow, he addressed the royals. “Your majesties, I have received word back from the scouts. It seems the Shroud covers the entirety of the kingdom; from the furthest reaches to the smallest villages, all plagued by nightmares. It abruptly ends at our borders and spreads no further, but no cause for the mass has been discovered.”
              “Thank you, Captain. If any more information comes to light be sure to deliver it to me at once. You are free to go.” The captain bowed before exiting the room, closing the door behind him and leaving them once more in silence.

Anna let out a tense sigh as she turned towards Elsa, putting her head in her hands. “Let’s hope our guests know something we don’t. I don’t know how long the people will hold out without answers.”

              Jack and North had been given separate rooms right next to each other. Jack had to admit the room was very nice, even nicer than North’s workshop or Tooth’s palace. The bed had to be one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture he could ever remember sitting on. North entered the room after a knock on the door. “How are you settling in?”
              “Good, I guess. I’m not really used to this kind of thing or things this nice.”
North chuckled good naturedly, moving to sit next to him on the bed. “I know what you mean. It has been long time since I have stayed in a castle. Or spoken to royalty for that matter.” He gave Jack a strange look following the last statement. When Jack didn’t respond to his look, North continued. “So, we have met the aforementioned Elsa of Arendelle.”
              “Now we’ve just gotta figure out how she relates to the darkness-”
              “If she relates to the darkness,” North interrupted.
              “And how to stop it. Just being under the mass’s shadow gives me a bad feeling,” Jack finished. “Do you think it… it could somehow be-”
              “I don’t know,” North stopped him. It seemed even he didn’t want to acknowledge, or even mention, the nightmare elephant in the room. “But we’ve beaten him once before, we can do it again.”

              “You know, there’s something about her that reminds me of when I first met you.” North said after a moment. Jack gave him a look of confusion before he continued. “I cannot put finger on it, but something in my belly says she may be more like you than we realize yet. Plus, she is very beautiful.”
Jack’s gaze shot back to North, a teasing smile on his face as he looked at his young companion. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The rebuttal came out much weaker than Jack had been hoping for, not helped by his uncomfortable fidgeting. To his great relief, North dropped the subject with a shrug of his shoulders, though the teasing twinkle in his eyes remained.

              “Perhaps I was mistaken,” North seemed to relent, standing up from the bed. “No matter, we have a lot of work for us tomorrow, so it would be best if we get some rest.”
              “Fine. Good night, grandpa,” Jack teased.
              “Good night, grandson!” Jack rolled his eyes as North closed the door behind him, his thoughts straying to the old man’s words before he quickly shook those off too. He didn’t have time to overthink some weird magical connection that may or may not exist, even if the other person was a beautiful queen. Wait, where had that thought come from? Fine, Jack could admit that Elsa was obviously beautiful, anyone could see that, but why did the thought come so easily when he had just met her? He had barely said two words to her!

              Jack rubbed his face with his hands. Perhaps he just needed some sleep. After all, his whole view of reality had been shattered and reconstructed in less than twenty-four hours. He just needed to get some rest, deal with whatever this darkness was, and get back to his own world so that he could go back to being the guardian of fun. It was simple as that. With that last thought, Jack settled himself in for the night, fighting off the thoughts of a light-haired monarch that seemed to keep creeping in.

Chapter Text

              Jack awoke to a new set of clothing laid out for him. They seemed to fit right in with the style he had seen the people wearing yesterday. At least now he could try to “blend in” like North had wanted, though it may be too late for that. He was happy to see they’d even gotten the clothes in his preferred colors, the outfit consisting of a blue shirt with a brown vest and pants. It almost reminded him of what he was wearing when he first woke up, from before he was a spirit.

              A knock on the door interrupted those thoughts from developing any further. “Jack,” North called from the other side, “the queen wants to talk to us over breakfast.”
              “Coming,” he quickly called back. Changing into the new clothes and grabbing his staff, he exited the room to join North, making sure to lean on it to keep up the ruse. Waiting for them in the hall was a servant assigned to escort them to the dining hall, whom they promptly followed.

              The dining hall too was beautiful. Three large chandeliers hung in a line down the center of the room, their light almost unneeded when compared to the natural light that shone through the large windows that lined one of the walls. A long table filled the majority of the room, though only the seats at the very end were arranged with any cutlery or plating. Occupying two of the plated seats were the queen and her sister, the former taking place at the head of the table while the latter sat to her right. Two servants standing by pulled out the chairs to the queen’s left for the two men as they approached the table.

              “Good morning, your highnesses,” North cheerfully greeted as sat down to Queen Anna’s immediate left, Jack taking up the further chair.
              “Good morning, Mr. Claus,” Queen Anna greeted back, cheerfully if tired.
              “Please, call me Nicholas.”
              “As you wish, Nicholas.” She glanced at her sister before moving on. “I think a more proper introduction is in order since you will be working with us for the foreseeable future. This is my sister, Elsa. You may also know her as Queen Protector, or Fifth Spirit, or Protector of the Enchanted Forest, or-”
              “I think they get the point, Anna,” Elsa interrupted with a good-natured laugh. She turned to face them as a set of servants placed their breakfast before them. “They’ve given me a lot of titles, but you can just call me Elsa.”

              “It is an honor to be in your acquaintance, your highnesses,” North replied reverently. He seemed to have a lot of experience dealing with royalty. “Now, I assume you would like to hear of our knowledge in nightmares and darkness.”
              “I certainly would,” Queen Anna accepted.
              “While we are not familiar with specifics of what kinds of magic your lands have to offer, in our… kingdom there was a being of fear who sought to gain power by spreading his influence through nightmares and weakening the powers of good so that everything would be nothing but fear and darkness and him.”

              “Well how did you stop him?” Elsa asked.
              “Through the powers of good magic, and the people’s belief in it! When he corrupted the powers of good to create his own magic of fear, people still remembered the powers of good magic. They were able to bring it back from defeat by turning his own powers against him, and turning the corrupted magic back into good through their belief in it.”

              “I’m afraid that’s not going to work here,” Elsa frowned. “It seemed you knew your enemy then, while we don’t. The magic here isn’t so black and white either.” She raised her hand, a small flurry of snowflakes forming in her palm to float across the table. “Magic comes from the balance of nature and the elements. The very forces that make up this world. As the fifth spirit I am a bridge between that world of elemental magic and humanity. If it were as simple good and bad magic being out of balance, I would have known it by now, or the other elements would be out of line. But they’re not.”

              Jack could only stare at the snowflakes that floated around him, just barely taking in her actual words. ‘She… she has ice powers. She’s like me!’ His thoughts began to race faster than he could keep up with. After hundreds of years of being alone, he had given up on finding anyone like him. Even after joining the Guardians, he had accepted the fact that there wasn’t anyone like him. He had been fine with it, because it was all he knew. But now… now there was someone else. Now he wasn’t the only one!

              North placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. A layer of frost was beginning to creep up the tablecloth, just out of sight from the eyes across from them. Jack tried to calm his breathing, forcing the frost to dissipate. He hadn’t realized he had gotten excited enough to lose control like that.
Elsa seemed to notice his wide eyes as she quickly dropped her hand, the snow dropping with it. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I thought everyone knew about my powers after the incident at my coronation.”
“No! No, I wasn’t scared!” Jack quickly tried to correct. “Your magic it’s… it’s beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

              A sheepish smile spread to Elsa’s face. “Thank you.” Jack was almost sad when she quickly hardened her face and returned her gaze to North. “As I was saying, whatever this thing is, it’s not gaining its power through pure magic or belief. We have stories of monsters and creatures that incite fear, but to my knowledge nothing like this that you’ve mentioned. Nothing with a name common enough to be known throughout the whole of the kingdom in every household to create a belief like you mentioned. The people have taken to calling it the Shroud, but that has nothing to do with some greater power or entity, but their own fear and correlation with its smothering nature.” She let out a frustrated sigh, “If our enemies and circumstances are so vastly different, then I’m not sure how you can help us.”

              She moved as if to stand from her chair. “Wait!” She paused in her movement at Jack’s outburst. “Things may be different, but I think we can still help. Whatever is causing this darkness, this Shroud, is spreading fear, the thing we fought. Even if the circumstances are different, the same core idea is this thing is spreading fear for whatever reason. With what we know from our fight, we can at least help look for clues to figure out what’s behind this and how to stop it. Just give us a chance. What have you got to lose?”

              Elsa exchanged a glance with Anna, a silent conversation happening between them before her shoulders relaxed. “Fine. If you think you can help, then we’ll trust you to help. Where do you suggest we start?”
              “I can start looking in mother and father’s archives,” Anna piped in. “See if there’s any history or documentation of something like this having happened before.”
              “I can help you look,” North added. “Two sets of eyes are better than one. It could also allow me to learn more about how your magic here works so I can be better acquainted in how we could stop this darkness your way. Beyond the archive we can search the immediate city for clues. We may not know what is behind this, but we could learn what it can do and narrow down more possibilities through that.”

              “I guess that leaves the actual investigating to Jack and me. We can start later today in town. I’ll meet you in the courtyard at noon.” With that, Elsa stood and swiftly left the room, her breakfast half-eaten and forgotten. Jack was lucky the entire table wasn’t covered in frost at this point. He had a lot of planning to try to do before their meeting.

Chapter Text

              Jack could feel his powers trying to burst out of him as he paced the courtyard. It felt like his magic was vibrating underneath his skin, refusing to calm down until he released it in some way. Were it not for his current attempts at self-control there would be a trail of ice forming behind him with every step. Worst of all, he couldn’t even figure out why he felt like this! Sure, he hadn’t really used his powers in over a day, but he had gone long stretches of time without using his powers before and had never felt this agitated. Why was it so hard to contain his powers now?

              Jack stopped pacing as the castle doors opened, revealing Elsa. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”
              “No, no you’re fine. I wasn’t waiting. At least not long, anyway.”
              “Good,” she gave him a small smile. It somehow seemed a bit more… genuine than the ones she’d greeted him with so far. She seemed a bit calmer than she was this morning. “Well, shall we head to the market? There should be more people there, so it could be a good place to start looking for clues.”
              “Uh, sure. Lead the way!”

              The walk to the market began in relative silence; casual if not slightly awkward as Jack tried to think of something to say. Afterall, they barely knew each other and yet they were more alike than she knew. It would be good if he got to know her better, if for nothing else than the fact that they would likely be working and spending time together for the foreseeable future. “So, uh… how long have you had your powers. If you’re okay with me asking!”
              “It’s fine,” Elsa assured with a small laugh. Jack could feel the frost forming beneath the fingertips gripping his staff. “I’ve had them since I was born. A gift, I was told. Though it didn’t always feel like that when I was growing up.”
              “What do you mean? I can hardly imagine something as amazing as your magic being seen as anything bad.”

              “That’s a nice thought, but… it, it wasn’t always easy controlling it when I was young. Then there was the incident at my coronation and… let’s just say it took me a while to grow into them.” Elsa seemed to close up a bit, causing Jack to mentally kick himself. Of course it couldn’t have been easy! She was a human spirit in a world of regular people and… wait was her dress made out of ice?! How much cooler was this girl?
              “I’m sorry if I brought up anything, I never meant to make you uncomfortable,” Jack apologized.

              “No, you’re fine, it’s not your fault,” Elsa reassured. “My magic is a part of me, but it just… took a while for me to be comfortable with it.” A glance at her face, her creased brow, tight lips, and somewhat distant eyes, hinted to him the unspoken words and emotions running through her head just beneath the surface. It looked like she was considering saying something else, when she glanced up and immediately shifted her attention. “We’re here.” Jack followed her gaze to the rows of markets stalls before them. Oh, the walk seemed shorter than he expected. Maybe it was for the best with the direction their conversation was going.

              “Where should we start?” Jack inquired.
              “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Elsa admitted, her appearance much lighter now that her mind had shifted focus. “You’re the one who’s experienced something like this before. What should we be looking for?”
              “Just… look out for anything that seems out of the norm, I guess. Or any strange noise that sounds out of place.” He was now beginning to wish he had actually thought of a plan instead of being stuck in his head while he waited. The look Elsa gave him wasn’t encouraging either, looking as if he had just tried to explain to her that snow was normal in the summer. He was very grateful when she seemed to just go along with his “plan” as they began to wander through the market.

              It wasn’t long before they were noticed, the presence of the former queen and current protector drawing a lot of attention. Elsa handled the attention as gracefully as he could assume a queen would act, politely greeting those who approached her or who offered her a bow or curtsey. Continuing to move through the crowded market, Jack tried his best to look for anything strange in an environment he wasn’t familiar with.

              It was a strange feeling being in a crowd of people who could actually see him. Sure, there were a lot more children who had started to believe in him, and thus be able to see him, since he became a guardian, but the thought and the feeling of so many eyes, not just looking through him but seeing him, acknowledging him after hundreds of years of being invisible. It wasn’t something he was used to. It wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, but… it would take some time for the feeling to be comfortable. Still, he didn’t have time to focus on that right now. He had a job to do, and a threat to uncover.

              Weaving through the stalls Jack kept his eyes on the faces of the people and the corners of his vision. He may not know what this thing was or how it manifested itself, but he had an idea of where he could look to at least find where the Shroud focused its attacks or powers. He watched for vacant gazes, clouded eyes that seemed caught in a moment that no one else could see. Shapes on the edge of his vision that consistently appeared and disappeared when he tried to look at them. Whispers that seemed separate from conversations around him or that seemed to appear without a physical source.

              Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately to the people around him, none of these things seemed present here in the market. Nearly an hour passed before Jack and Elsa decided to split up, covering more of the market, and attracting a smaller crowd of onlookers, as they searched separately. Another fruitless hour passed of the pair separately weaving through stalls and politely declining offers of goods before they met back up again at the edge of the pavilion.

              “Have you found anything?” Elsa asked.
              “No,” Jack admitted, “I didn’t see anything weird from what I could tell.”
              “Neither did I. I just wish I knew what we were…” Elsa trailed off as she glanced down in frustration. Her brows pinched together as she seemed to stare intently at her shadow. “Jack, where is the sun?”
              “Uh, just ahead of us in the sky, why?”
              “There’s roof above us Jack, and the sun is in front of us. I shouldn’t have a shadow stretching in front of me.”

              Jack’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. She was right. He had a shadow too when it shouldn’t be impossible. He had spent so much time looking at the people and area around him that he hadn’t even bothered to look down. “We- we need to get back to the castle. I have an idea.” Jack offered no resistance as he quickly followed her hastened pace back to the gates.

Chapter Text

              The sun had set on Arendelle when Elsa brought Jack into her study, a lantern clutched in her fist. The study was dark, all candles and lamps extinguished so that the only source of light was the one she held in front of her. “Watch the shadows,” she instructed when he followed her into the room. In the light of the lantern their shadows were cast across the room. Too many of them.

              Even stranger was the realization that the misplaced shadows didn’t seem… solid. Their edges morphed and flickered, not in tandem with the flame in the lantern but to some unknown, unseen force. It was subtle enough that the untrained eye wouldn’t notice the strange movements, but to their now scrutinizing gaze it was obvious. “I hope this means something to you,” she said after a long moment of silence, “because I don’t know what this is, but it’s obviously not good.”

              “I… I need to go talk to N- my grandfather about this.” Jack quickly left the room in search of North, his feet almost floating through the halls as he raced to find the older guardian. Each step through the darkened hallway sent a brief wave of paranoia up his spine as, to his hyper-alert mind, the shadows seemed to follow him. Watch him. Perhaps they were, a voice in the back of his mind whispered.

              He caught North leaving the castle’s library before pulling him into an empty adjacent room. “North,” he addressed the large man, grabbing and lighting a candle that sat on an adjacent table, “watch the shadows.” The man opened his mouth to question his actions, when the words died on his lips. He saw it too. The shadows, near perfect facsimiles of the real thing, seemed to dance and shift in a mockery of the candle’s flame.

              They exchanged a heavy look. “What- what does this mean?” Jack finally asked, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room.
              “It means,” North explained with the seriousness of an executioner, “that whatever we are dealing with is very powerful. Powerful enough that their magic can extend beyond themselves and attach to others to spread their influence. That’s how they’re able to affect every citizen, no matter age, across an entire kingdom.”
              “But Pitch couldn’t-”
              “We don’t know that Pitch has anything to do with this,” North sternly shut down. “I do not know what kinds of magical creatures or spirits exist in this world yet. For all we know, one of them could be behind this. If we rush to conclusions, we ignore the possibility of the unexpected and risk missing important information.”

              “Ok, but what do we tell Queen Anna and Elsa?”
              “We tell them…” North sighed as Jack watched his thoughts racing through his head, “we tell them what we know. That something powerful has been attaching aspects of its powers to the people, and that this is why the entire kingdom is being affected, even visitors. I think the darkness over the kingdom may act as some kind of conduit for this power. Perhaps it’s something of a manifestation that allows the being itself to remain separate from the darkness but still draw power from its effects. I don’t know, I must continue to research.”
              “Well, you better help me explain it to them. I don’t think I’ll be able to remember all of that, much less repeat it so that it makes sense.”

              The decision was made between them to let the royals rest for the night before revealing to them the daunting information they had discovered in the morning. Even after parting for the night, Jack’s thoughts refused to quiet down. Despite his attempts, sleep eluded him like a leaf in the wind. This sleeplessness was not aided by the continued discomfort of his magic brewing beneath the surface. After an hour or so of fruitless tossing and turning, Jack resolved to sneak out. While he wasn’t confined to the room for the night, he knew that North wouldn’t approve of his… attempts to release energy.

              Opening the window, ice almost eagerly shot from his staff to form a small set of steps up to the castle’s roof at Jack’s command. He could feel the air around him cool, his namesake frost misting off him with each step. Intricate designs of delicate, flowing ice traveled along the roof’s shingles as he trailed his crook over their surface. It almost felt like a pressure inside himself was being released, a peace settling over him as the moon came into view over the castle’s spires.

              Jack froze when he noticed a human shape sitting at the roof’s peak. It was Elsa. It appeared she hadn’t noticed him; her own eyes trained on the moon above them. Instead of its normal braid, her hair flowed freely down her back, seeming to glow in the light of the moon. He made a move to turn around, leaving her to sit in peace, when his foot slipped on a loose shingle. Elsa’s head snapped in his direction at the sudden noise, her posture stiffening before again relaxing when she noticed it was just him. “Sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

              “I didn’t hear you come up. How did you get up here?”
He hesitantly approached her, wanting to offer her the opportunity to turn him away if she wanted to be alone. “I’m good at climbing,” he lied, rubbing the back of his neck. He made a gesture to the spot beside her, asking for approval to join her. When she nodded, he settled himself down a short distance from her, balancing his staff against an adjacent spire.

              “Having trouble sleeping?” Elsa asked.
              “Yeah,” Jack admitted. “Same for you?” She nodded. They settled into a comfortable silence, both just watching the night sky as a soft breeze tousled their hair. “It’s nice up here,” he eventually spoke up. “It’s quiet, peaceful.”
              “That’s why I like it,” she said, her soft smile highlighted in the soft light. “You can be alone with your thoughts or just listen to the world in silence. No one expects anything up here.”

              “I’m sure that’s very appealing for a queen,” he lightly commented.
She hummed in agreement. “I really started coming up here early on after I became queen. Everyone was afraid of what ‘the snow queen’ would do to the kingdom when she was in charge. So on bad days, when Anna couldn’t help, I’d just come up here. I knew no one could see me cast my magic up here, so it became a safe place to practice, or just think.”
              “Can I ask what happened at your coronation?” Jack asked. “Somehow the story never got to us up North.”

              Elsa hesitated, then let out a small sigh. “I guess you deserve to know, if you’re going to be here for a while. You would have found out from someone else eventually.” She took a breath before continuing. “Before my coronation I… hid my powers for over a decade and isolated myself from Anna. After the ceremony Anna did something that made me upset and I lost control of my powers. I shot spikes of ice through the ballroom and I… I ran. To the North Mountain. I didn’t know what else to do. Everyone was so afraid of me, and it was the furthest place I could think of to go.

              “Up there I finally felt free. Up there I couldn’t hurt anyone. Then Anna followed after me to try to find me and she told me that I had… cast the kingdom in an eternal winter. I had no idea how or how to stop it, and I sent Anna away again.” Elsa paused, straightening herself. “Long story short we went back, and I figured out how to undo the winter and bring back summer. That didn’t reassure everyone that I was fit to be queen, so it was an uphill battle from there. But, I was good. At least I think I was. A little over a year ago I abdicated the throne to Anna so I could focus on being the fifth spirit. And then this Shroud took over around three months ago.”

              “I’m… sorry that happened,” Jack said, unsure of what else to say.
              “It’s okay,” she seemed to force herself to relax again. “It was a few years ago, I’ve come to terms with it.” She let out an almost ironic chuckle, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”
              “It can be good to let it out, I guess. To let it go,” Jack attempted to comfort. “Even if the person you’re telling it to is almost a stranger.” A warmth spread through him when she seemed to let out a genuine laugh, however small it was. “But it’s also good to be able to have fun sometimes. Why don’t you show me what you can do?”
              “What?”
              “Come on, you said yourself that no one could see you practice up here. Show me something good you can do! Something you’re proud of!”

              Elsa’s eyes widened in disbelief, before she shook her head good naturedly. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Jack’s own smile widened as she raised her hands, ice already beginning to form within her palms. The concentrated magic grew, forming a tight ball of snow within her hands. Then she released it, the sphere shooting into the sky and bursting into a spray of light and snowflakes. She raised her hands again, three more shots of ice bursting from her and joining the display in the sky. Jack opened his mouth to say something of compliment, when she raised her hands again.

              On her command the projected ice arched across the sky as if alive, forming the outline of the castle. She waved her hands again and it turned into a herd of reindeer galloping amongst fields of trees. Again, and they morphed into the silhouettes of couples dancing across an invisible floor. With a final flick the snow coalesced into a giant snowflake, before shooting across the atmosphere, dissipating amongst the clouds.

              It took several moments after for Jack to be able to properly form words, his mouth left hanging agape at the beautiful display of magic he had just seen. “That- that was amazing! That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!”
Elsa’s cheeks reddened. “Thank you.” She turned her eyes back to the moon, just reaching its peak above them. Jack, however, could not bring himself to look away from her. The entire night could have passed in that moment of content silence between them. Even the most poignant moments need to end though, and theirs ended as Elsa moved to stretch her arms over her head, the movement allowing Jack to jolt from his entranced state and look away.

              “It’s getting pretty late, we should probably try to get what sleep we can,” Elsa said, moving to stand up.
              “Y-yeah,” Jack stuttered as he followed her actions, “we probably should.”
              “This was… nice. Thank you for sitting with me.”
              “Any time!” Jack had a feeling his grin was stupidly big, but he didn’t care right now. He opened his mouth to say something more, when Elsa’s face changed to one of confusion.
              “There’s frost on the roof,” she observed.
              “Huh, there is,” Jack’s stomach dropped as he realized he must have accidentally started conjuring ice again without realizing it.
              “It’s not mine. How did it get-”
              “Elsa!” His loud outburst caused her eyes to shoot to him, giving him enough time to wave away the frost before she could question it further. “I- Thank you for… showing me your magic and talking with me too. I really enjoyed sitting here with you.”

              Elsa’s eyes shot back down, her brows pinching again when she noticed the ice was now gone before she forced them to relax. “Me too. Goodnight, Jack.”
              “Goodnight, Elsa.” They parted ways as the night fell back into a slumberous silence. Once she was out of sight, Jack made no attempt to contain the frost trails that formed beneath his feet. He wasn’t even sure he could have if he wanted to at that moment. Staff in hand, he climbed back through the window, quickly settling into a restful sleep, a smile still on his face.

              The shadows subtly began to morph once the guardian finally drifted off. A pair of incorporeal eyes watched on in silence, invisible even to the most adept magic user. So typical, these Guardians arriving to try to ruin his plans, his fun. Well, they weren’t nearly as subtle or clever as they thought they were, his presence here at this moment proved that by itself.

              Of course, he could torment them right here and now in an attempt to drive them away. Steal and corrupt Jack’s unguarded staff to leave him weak. Give them both nightmares like they’ve never had before. Fill their lungs with sand until every breath became agony and they wished they were capable of truly dying if only to stop the sensation of the particles shredding their insides to ribbons. That wouldn’t do though, no. That would show his hand far too soon. Alert them to his physical presence before he was ready to face them, before his plan had reached its final stage. For now, he would watch. Observe. Misguide them as he pleased and wait until it was too late for them to stop him. Then, then he would act, and how glorious it would be.

Chapter Text

              Elsa was cold. That was the first thing that alarmed her. The second was her realization that she couldn’t move her feet. A glance down told her why. They had turned to ice, and it was spreading higher and higher up her body by the second. “Elsa!” Her head snapped in the direction of the voice. It was Anna! She screamed out for her sister as the frozen fjord came into view around her. The mist over the ice parted to reveal Anna running towards her. She tugged at her legs, but the ice had already spread to her knees and was quickly climbing up her thighs. “Elsa!” She looked back to Anna, her heart leaping in her chest to discover Hans was standing behind her, his sword raised to strike her down.

              She tried to call out. To run. To do anything to warn her sister and protect her from the attack, but even when she raised her hand to try to create an ice barrier, anything to block the oncoming blow, her powers refused to comply. She began to hyperventilate as her arms turned to ice. The last thing she saw before she completely turned to was the image of Hans plunging his blade through Anna’s back, Elsa’s name dying on her lips as she collapsed, desperately trying to reach out for her sister’s help.

              Elsa awoke with a shivering gasp, her heart feeling as if it would burst from her chest from how fast it was racing. Her hands tightly gripped the sheets, thin layers of ice crunching under her fingers. Her fingers. They weren’t frozen. She would have let out a sigh of relief, if the glimmer of the rest of the room hadn’t come to her attention. As with her bed sheets, it was covered in a layer of ice. Jagged protrusions and spikes shot in lines from the bed, as if even in her dreams she was trying to build some kind of defense around herself.

              A light knock sounded at her door, followed by a voice. “Elsa, are you okay?” Anna asked through the door.

              “Yeah, Anna,” Elsa answered, still trying to calm down her breathing. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll- I’ll see you at breakfast.”

              “… If you say so. I’ll see you at breakfast.” There was a moment of silent hesitation before she finally heard Anna’s footsteps fade away down the hall. She let out a breath once she knew Anna was out of earshot. It took several more breaths before her heartrate began to return to normal, and before she could concentrate on dismissing the ice that covered the room.

              Eventually, she managed to put herself together, getting dressed and heading to breakfast as promised. Anna was sitting in her expected position at the head of the table as usual, Elsa moving to sit by her side. A look of concern came to Anna’s face when she sat down. “Elsa, are you sure you’re okay? I thought I heard-”

              “I’m fine, Anna,” she insisted. “Just a rough night’s sleep. I’m sure we’re all having those right now.”

              “I know but… if you want to talk about it I’m here to listen if you need me.”

              “I know, and I will if I need you. I promise,” Elsa reassured. Anna looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped when they heard approaching footsteps.

              Jack and Nicholas entered the dining room and quickly took their seats, the air in the room turning serious as Nicholas’ stoney face looked at them. The expression seemed so foreign on his face, as if it wasn’t one he was used to making. The tension stayed palpable in the air as the servants brought out their food, though Elsa wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat. “I showed my grandfather the shadows,” Jack spoke up, the atmosphere settling heavily over them like a blanket now that it was being addressed.

              “The shadows?” Anna questioned.

              “Yes,” said Nicholas, “the shadows. As Elsa noticed yesterday, they are wrong. There are too many of them where they should not be. I believe they are a manifestation of the Shroud’s powers attaching itself to the people of this kingdom so that it can affect the entire kingdom." The more Nicholas explained the more it made sense, yet at the same time the more confused Elsa became.

              “If the Shroud is this powerful, why is it attacking Arendelle? Why us, why now? What does it want? If it could theoretically do more with its power, why is it just giving us nightmares?”

              “I do not know,” Nicholas admitted. “I will need to do more research with her majesty Queen Anna.” The conversation around his theory continued for the rest of the meal, Jack chiming in whenever he could.

              Despite Elsa’s restless night’s sleep, Jack still seemed to sport the smile he had left her with last night. There was a hint of good-natured mischief that seemed to gleam in his eyes when he smiled like that that Elsa couldn’t help but find somewhat charming.

              She quickly shook the thought from her head as soon as it had a chance to form, refocusing her attention on Nicholas’ words. While they may have a working theory, they were left in the same position of action as they were before. Continue to investigate and continue to research. They may have a thread to follow, but a single thread does not create a whole picture on its own.

              With that unanimous realization, their breakfast ended. Nicholas left to continue searching the libraries while Jack walked off in a different direction. Elsa made her move to stand too, when she was stopped by Anna. “Why didn’t you tell me about the shadows? Why am I just learning about this now?”

              “We just figured this out last night,” Elsa tried to assuage, “and at the time I didn’t know what it meant. I thought it better to tell you in the morning than make you worry about it all night when we didn’t have answers yet.”

              “I understand, but you still should have told me,” Anna argued. “We’re in this together, I don’t like being the last person to learn about this stuff.”

              “Okay, I’m sorry,” she placated. “I’ll try to keep you up to date with whatever we find.” That seemed to ease the worst of Anna’s frustrations, allowing them to part.