Thaw (Jelsa Fanfic)

Truth

Hope is a stubborn thing. Even when we claim it is lost, it is almost certain that a small ember remains burning in the depth of our hearts, waiting for a cool breath of affirmation to bring it back to life. We hold out for the best, even if it kills us inside to be disappointed time after time again. Such is the nature of our souls: perseverance, the common foundation of everything that makes us human.

Two weeks had passed since the fateful night that caused Elsa to deny her belief in him. Jack had visited her faithfully, each and every day...no matter how much it hurt him to rediscover her eyes still saw right through him. His efforts to reach out to her passed like smoke through a screen, and her ears remained deaf to his voice.

It didn't stop him from trying.

Jack spent a lot of those evenings talking to her-telling her about the places he'd been in the 300 years he'd lived before her birth. He told her of the history he'd watched unfold and the beautiful places he'd visited.

But most of all, he told her how much he missed her.

Elsa done a good job of hiding the effect of their argument in front of people. He still heard her laughter in the halls when she talked to her sister, and she had thrown herself into her duties as Queen when she learned about the devastation the locusts had caused at the crop fields. Arendelle's crisis was her anchor it seemed, and she clung to it tightly. If she was worried, she didn't let it show...at least until she was alone in her room.

Jack tried to let her keep her privacy by making his visits short. He did not sleep in her room on most nights, opting for the hallway outside her bedroom door instead...it wasn't like adults could see him anyway. It was only the few occasions when he had heard her tears in the dead of the night that he entered her space, desperately trying to comfort her despite her blindness to him. On those nights, Jack's ember of hope was nearly doused with each salty tear that trailed her cheeks.

He had spent time in the square, watching for signs of trouble during the day. During these outings, he learned a lot of what had happened during his absence simply from overhearing the townsfolk. His curiosity about the man with the sword was sated when two gossipy biddies were recounting the tale, and it left him both furious and wounded at the same time. That he she had suffered so at the hands of Hans made him want to find the man and give him a more justified punishment. The guilt he felt was strong..he should have been there to help her. If he had, none of it would have escalated so terribly.

North and Bunny had returned a couple days after the battle with Famine to fill him in on Manny's instructions. The news hadn't been encouraging.

"Manny says there are four kingdoms effected by Grim and Pitch, including Arendelle. He would like one of us in each to keep an eye on developments." North had sounded tired, as he'd been working out the details sleeplessly for days. In fact, he probably had. "I don't like it, but I'll be staying at the Pole so I can be easily reached."

"Guess it works for you, mate...getting to stay here and all." Bunny had sounded bitter.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Jack had rolled his eyes. "What are we supposed to do, North? Just stand around and wait?"

"For now, surveillance is key. Manny isn't sure of what Grim has up his sleeve, and Pitch is a wild card. We will watch...and we will wait." They'd talked a while longer, before both had returned to their assigned stations.

Presently, Jack was fuming over an argument he was having with Bunny in the meadow. The rabbit had returned to let him know that Manny had alerted North to a plan, and Jack would be needed to hear the conference. Jack had vehemently disagreed, reaffirming his intent to stay with Elsa. The first pangs of hunger wouldn't be felt in the kingdom for some time yet, but the Kingdom was already beginning to feel the effects of panic. If Arendelle was weakened, it was likely Pitch or Grim would use the opportunity.

"Goddamnit Jack! He wants her! He wants the girl!" Bunny finally admitted.

Shock claimed him fiercely, followed by rage. "Elsa? He wants Elsa in his army against the demon of death?" He balled his fists, his icy glare piercing as it locked with the Rabbits. "No. No way, never. Elsa isn't going anywhere near the Pole, anywhere near this mess."

Bunny rolled his eyes. "You know you can't argue with Manny. What he wants always comes to pass, mate. He'll have her, whether you like it or not. Might as well just come to the Pole and talk to him."

"I'm not having it. You can tell him he'll have to pry me out of Arendelle...I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not letting him use her." Jack turned away from him and called for the wind.

"You can't stop it, Frost. You shouldn't even try...people are depending on us to solve this any way we can. They're dying, Jack. It's not about this romance you think you've got going..." Bunny yelled after him. "He can make it so she sees you again, Jack. Don't you want that?"

Jack paused, turning toward the rabbit slowly. It was a low blow, and both of them knew it. "It's not about what I want. It's about keeping her safe. At any cost."

"And that worked so well for you before, didn't it?" Bunny asked dryly.

Jack felt as if Bunny had struck him. Anger flared hot and ready, and Jack advanced a few rapid steps. "Don't you..." He yelled, but the raw truth of those words sank deep. Jack stopped, glaring at Bunny for a long moment. "Tell him no. You got that?" Jack told him lowly. He didn't wait for a response before taking to the wind.

Elsa wasn't in her room when he returned to the castle. He had thought he'd overheard her mentioning late meetings, but it pained him just the same. After learning the truth from

Bunny, he wanted nothing more than to look upon her and see that she was safe. The idea of having her in the ranks against Grim made him feel ill.

"Oh, what am I supposed to do..." He whispered softly

With a sigh, Jack sat down against the wall. It was getting dark, and the room was dim and dismal...much like he felt. Jack pulled up his hood, sinking deep into his sweatshirt. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt more lost, more alone. He knew that Elsa's life would be in danger if he stood by idly and let Manny carry out his plan. He desperately wanted her to see him, but that cost was simply to high.

But what Bunny had said had been right, too.

He'd tried to do the right thing by leaving her. It had blown up horribly...had resulted in hurt to Elsa, hurt to him, and hurt to his fellow Guardians. What if Bunny was right? What if he was making the same mistake all over again?

No.

It couldn't be. Nothing good could come out of knowingly putting Elsa in danger. If keeping her safe meant never again being able to talk to her, to touch her...then he would make that sacrifice. He wouldn't let Manny use his feelings for Elsa as a bargaining chip.

Resigned to his decision, Jack closed his eyes against the moon's soft glow. "I gave you everything. 300 years of silence, of not being seen or heard by anyone. I died for what you had planned." He said softy, speaking to white sliver in the sky. "I won't let you have her too. I won't."