During a mission in Pitch's lair, the guardians find a girl. She was being kept prisoner but why? What did Pitch want with her? Can Jack gain her trust before it's too late?
"So, are you coming?" Jack asked and held out his hand to her. He was trying to hide the panic in his voice, he didn't want to freak her out more, then they really wouldn't get anywhere. She hesitated for a moment, looking over her shoulder before back at him, she nodded and though she did start to walk in his direction, she didn't take his hand.
Swiftly dodging between the trees to try and put as much distance between them and the nightmares as possible. But it was too late. They were circling the skies above them, like vultures eyeing their prey. They didn't immediately attack, they spiraled slowly closing the gap between them, encircling them as a constrictor. Knowing they had nowhere to run.
Still Jack pressed on, in an almost futile effort to get away. He glanced over his shoulder once in a while to see if Elsa was still with him. She was. She was keeping up albeit with a few stumbles over clumps of snow and hidden pitfalls. Silent and withdrawn she continued on, keeping her eyes downcast, watching his feet to see where to go, not making eye-contact.
The nightmares were closing in now, almost upon them.
Suddenly Jack changed direction. Dodging to the side, he roughly grabbed her by the upper arm to quickly pull her with him to the cover of a large Fir tree. It worked and the nightmares flew past none the wiser to where they had gone. Jack's ploy had bought them some more time to come up with a plan. But they still had to hurry.
As soon as they were safe, Jack realized that he had gripped her arm harder than he intended.
"Sorry, are you okay?"
She was cradling her arms in front of herself so it was hard to see but he could see the edges of a red hand mark on her skin. Emphasized by her pale skin and the cold surrounding them. He tried to get a closer look but she turned away.
"It's nothing"
"Not nothing"
"Nothing compared-"
Silence
Elsa shifted her gaze past him to the forest and skyline. Eyes gliding across the landscape critically.
Jack began to feel uncomfortable. It was like she saw something he didn't, knew something he didn't. But he couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling, what he wanted to say. He hated feeling helpless and he didn't have any good options right then.
'she was watching for nightmares, a lookout' he told himself and slunk around to the other side of the tree to (see whats going on there)
It was clear.
"we need to move to-" he began as he returned to Elsa's side of the tree but she wasn't there.
He swore.
Before he went into full on panic he realized that, thankfully, Elsa was okay....maybe.
She was silently trudging towards a small clump of trees a few meters away. Running to catch up with her while keeping an eye on the sky, Jack felt both a sense of relief and frustration. He was about to berate her when she looked at him, then through a gap in the trees, then back at him and finally down at her feet. Without warning she took a purposeful step forward and with more force than Jack was expecting, aimed a large kick at the mound of snow in front of her.
Snow went spraying as one would expect but not to the degree it did. A massive pile of snow arced through the air towards the nightmares.
Wait- NIGTHMARES!!!
The weight of the snow careening towards them pinned them to the ground in a tangled mess of black and white. Jack was still trying to process what just happened when Elsa almost unnoticeably tugged at the sleeve of his hoodie and said simply, "fly."
So he did.
Wrapping his arms around her he seized this unexpected opportunity and bolted through the air towards the Workshop. As soon as they were safe Jack took a step back and stared at her foot , gob-smacked.
"How?" he finally managed "are you like a pro soccer player or something?!"
She shifted self-consciously and pointed out the window at where they had come from. She hadn't kicked just any old mound of snow, but one weighing down a tree.
(A/N: I would please like everyone to imagine the previous description playing out something like this (minus Anna))
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"AH Elsa! Unusual to see you out and about, eh" North boomed jovially, seemingly appearing out of thin air behind them.
"She wasn't out! Not at all, what makes you say that?" Jack babbled nervously. Fearing they'd been caught. North would know that he had failed his duty and Jack did not want to be on the receiving end of North's anger or disappointment.
"Well maybe fact that she is not in her room. Dummkopf. "
"Oh uh yeah right. That. Just another prank haha anyway we were just going."
All too aware of North's eyes on him, Jack escorted Elsa all the way back to her room. Only once they got there did Jack become aware of the adrenaline still pumping in his ears. Now that the danger had passes his heartrate slowly began to return to normal. He could only image how scared Elsa must be.
"Are you okay?"
She didn't answer.
Changing tactics he tried a light-hearted joke.
She didn't even acknowledge that he'd spoken.
He tried again. Trying to coax a response from her and lighten the mood.
She sullenly sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the wall.
"Are you hurt?"
The slightest shake of her head to indicate 'no'.
That was all he could get from her. Shrugging half-heartedly, he left her alone.
Whenever he thought he was starting to understand her, she threw him a curveball that left him more in the dark that he had been to begin with. Why did she close herself off like that? Sometimes more or less than usual though what triggered it he had no clue. What was it this time? Had he shouted at her, he didn't think so but the events in the forest had happened in a storm of adrenaline and he couldn't quite remember the details. But even so would it have had that effect? Surely not but then again.... with what she had been through.... not that they even knew. He really would have to try get some more info on that, that was his assignment anyway.
