Tempest-A Jack Frost and Elsa Fanfiction

Elsa-Chapter 26

She was still trembling when they arrived back at the palace. She kept picturing the giant's cruel face, his soulless eyes, and the shivering would start all over again. Jack wrapped an arm around her as the servants fussed about, making sure their queen was alright. Elsa kept assuring them that she was fine, but she just wanted them to leave her alone. The only person she wanted right now was Jack.

But even when the last of the servants finally bowed out, there was a rush of wind and all of a sudden Theo, Mara, and Alyssa were in the room with them.

"What happened?" Theo demanded. "We felt the seal over the realms weaken a short time ago."

Jack stared down at his hands, a frown furrowing his brow. "It's my fault. A fire giant got through into Ledas somehow and attacked Elsa. He got hold of my staff and broke it."

"Oh Jack!" Alyssa fairly elbowed Elsa out of the way and threw herself into Jack's arms, sending a spark of jealousy through Elsa. She cleared her throat and all attention turned to her, even Alyssa who didn't let go of Jack's arm.

"How did Jack losing his staff affect the seal?" Elsa asked as commandingly as possible, inserting herself coolly between Alyssa and Jack and standing there as though creating a buffer between them. She wasn't sure what her relationship to Jack was at the moment, only that the Spring girl irritated her. A lot. And from the look on Jack's face, he felt the same way.

"It took away my power as a Season," Jack muttered sadly. "I still have some, but it's not enough to seal the barrier or travel between worlds."

Elsa reached down and squeezed his hand sympathetically, looking deep into his warm brown eyes. "Jack, I'm so sorry."

"The barrier is weakened, but it's still holding," Theo said in a brusque, businesslike tone. "But if a fire giant already got through even with Jack's magic holding it, there's no telling what could happen next, especially with the Vatrans already on the warpath."

"We'll figure something out," Mara said quietly. "Maybe there's something that Elsa can do. Delani was the one who turned him before."

"I'll do my best, Jack," she said, waiting until he looked at her. "Did my mother leave any journals or anything that I can use to guide me?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "If she did, I don't know where they are."

"We'll make sure the barrier holds for now," Mara said, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder. She didn't seem to notice the grimace on his face when her warm skin touched his icy skin. "In the meantime, since you're stuck here in Ledas, work on finding a way to gain your powers back, otherwise we're going to have a serious problem on our hands."

"She acts like I don't already know that," Jack muttered bitterly as the rest of the Seasons disappeared from the room. "I need my powers or we're never going to be able to stop a war with Vatra."

"Jack..." Elsa began but she didn't get very far because Jack began walking away from her.

"I just need to be alone right now," he said, disappearing into the palace. Elsa sighed in frustration, wondering if there was a way to cheer him up, even a little bit. Suddenly, a bit of memory tickled her mind and she remembered the recipe that she had found in Jack's box. It was a long shot, but just maybe...

Returning to the stables for the second time that day, she mounted Glacier and kicked him into motion.

"Come on, boy," she whispered. "We have a box to find."

When she arrived at Jack's house, she went straight to his bedroom and saw the box sitting on the nightstand, the only real personal effect in the bare room. She rifled through it, finding the recipe with a triumphant smile.

"Looks like I've got some tarts to make."

. . . .

Elsa hadn't baked in a long time, but she thought the tarts she had made Jack turned out fairly well considering. She wouldn't ever tell him that she had burned the first batch, but she had refused the chef's help. This was something she needed to do herself.

She searched the palace for a good twenty minutes before she found him, sitting on top of a bookshelf in the far corner of the room and staring out at the icy sunset beyond the window.

"Hey," she said softly. "I brought you something."

"What are these for?" Jack asked in surprise as Elsa held out a plate of tarts. She smiled sheepishly, setting it down on the table in front of him.

"They're a thank you for saving me," she said slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground so he couldn't see her flush. It was impossible not to be in the same room with him and not want to kiss him. It just was. "And a peace offering."

Jack jumped down, giving her a confused look. "Peace offering for what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why did you shut me out?" Elsa whispered, gazing fervently into his eyes, tears pricking her own. "Jack I don't know what to do anymore."

Jack ran a hand over his jaw, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, but I failed your mother and she got killed. I thought it would be easier if I kept some distance between us because I don't want to fail you too."

"Then you know that staying away from me was the opposite of helpful," Elsa said stubbornly. "I need you, Jack, even if you think we can only be friends. But please don't shut me out. Promise me."

"I promise," Jack nodded, taking a bite of one of the tarts, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "This is really good. It reminds me of home."

"That's what I was going for," Elsa laughed, bumping his elbow teasingly. "My first attempt at baking in years was a success."

"Definitely," Jack agreed, taking another bite and grinning at her. "Although that would explain the burnt smell I detected earlier today."

"Hey," Elsa laughed, smacking his arm playfully. "I can take these away again, you know."

Jack laughed, curling his arm protectively around the plate. "No way, princess. I'm guarding these with my life."

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, eating the tarts that Elsa had brought before Jack spoke again.

"I don't know what I am without my Season magic," he said quietly. "What do I do now?"

Elsa took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll figure it out, don't worry. In the meantime, you're still Jack, you're still my friend. I won't ever give up on you. Not now, not ever."

Jack laced his fingers with hers, squeezing them back companionably. "Thanks, Elsa."