Snowfallen-(Jelsa)

All Magic Comes with a Price

Elsa's mind whirled, struggling to process the ramifications. Jack was a winter spirit—who had ice powers—which meant... she wasn't alone. Every fundamental piece of her life shifted at the thought. Someone else existed who wouldn't fear the magic, who wouldn't fear her. Elsa could barely fathom it, yet the proof was right in front of her.

"You..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to formulate her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"How do you do that? Use your magic so comfortably, I mean." Elsa clasped her hands at her waist, doubt besieging her. Should she continue and voice the question that would mark her as a monster?

"Ummm..." Jack paused, considering how to answer. "Well, I've never really thought about it that much. It kinda just happens."

Well, at least that was something they had in common. Gathering her resolve, Elsa finally asked, "Aren't you ever afraid that you might hurt someone? With your powers?" She wrung her hands as she awaited Jack's response.

"Not really. I mean, sure an iceball to the face can hurt someone." He comically mimed getting struck and falling to the ground. Standing and brushing himself off, Jack continued, "But that usually doesn't happen. I mostly just use my powers to make snow days so the kids can have fun."

"A—and you don't think it's dangerous?" It was risky to continue this line of questioning, particularly when it was becoming evident that Jack didn't share her views, but she had to know for sure.

"Well, I guess blizzards could be dangerous if you get stuck outside in them, but I try not to let that happen. Why?" His expressive silver-blue eyes sharpened with sudden insight. "Do you think your magic is dangerous?"

"I..." Any answer that she might have given was stuck in her throat. If she denied it, then she would be a liar as well as a freak. Jack was still waiting, so she finally broke the incriminating silence in favour of a vague reply. "I guess magic could be dangerous if it wasn't properly controlled."

Like me—like my powers. They were right to fear me; I'm dangerous. Dangerous and deadly.

"Aren't most things dangerous if they're out of control?"

Elsa bit her lip. "I suppose..."

"Well, the same rule applies here: magic can be dangerous. I've had to use it to defend myself several times. But that doesn't mean magic is dangerous. Everyone who has special powers was given them for a reason."

Elsa's heart leapt; the answer to the question that had plagued her since birth might finally be within reach. "Do you know why I have powers?"

"That's for you to find out on your own," Jack replied, deflating her hope. Leaning slightly forward, he asked "How did you get your magic?"

"I'm not sure," she said, hating that she didn't have a better response. "My parents said I was born with it."

His eyes widened the smallest fraction, but the casual air that accompanied Jack remained in place, making her wonder if she had imagined it.

***

Hang on a minute, a mortal born with ice powers? It's weird enough that she's a regular human with magic, but now I have no idea why she even has it. If she was born with powers, then that means she didn't do something to get chosen by the Moon.

Casting a quick glance toward the sky, Jack decided to ponder it later. In the meantime, the atmosphere had grown far too heavy for his liking. "Hey, come here," he said, holding out his hand for inspection, the fingers curled around something resting in his palm. "I wanna show you something."

"Okay..." Elsa stepped forward, her expression a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

"Closer. It's pretty hard to see." Jack waited until she was only a pace or two away, looking at his closed hand. "There, that's good. Are you ready?" he asked, suppressing a smile.

"Yes," she replied.

"Are you sure? You gotta really want it."

Elsa looked up in mild exasperation. "Yes, I'm sure. Otherwise I wouldn't have come ov—"

Jack opened his hand, releasing a harmless poof of snowflakes directly in Elsa's face. He cracked up at her shocked expression, but his laughter was quickly squelched by the stricken look on Elsa's pale face as she stumbled backwards. It was like someone had punched her in the gut, ripping away all happiness or hope and leaving a skeletal shell in its place.

What did I do wrong? It was only a little bit of snow...

Unsure what to do, Jack approached, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Elsa?"

She didn't respond. Her eyes drifted closed, and for all intents and purposes she was a stiff statue.

"I'm sorry."

***

Elsa's mind reeled, frantically assessing her health as she waited for the darkness. Anna had instantly fallen unconscious when she was hit, but perhaps it took longer for adults. Regardless, she was certain no one could survive a direct burst of magic at such close range. A small corner of Elsa's mind dimly recognized the irony of being killed by a power so similar to her own. Looking at Jack's furrowed brow in what was sure to be her final moments, a small bloom of compassion unfolded. He most likely hadn't known that ice magic was fatal to non-spirits. Even as she had the thought, Jack reached out, resting his hand on her shoulder before he apologized. Closing her eyes, Elsa reveled in the gentle pressure of his palm and fingers; it was the first physical contact she'd had in years. Until now, she hadn't consciously realized how much she missed human touch. At least her final moments were pleasant.

After an eternity of waiting for the end, Elsa slowly opened her eyes. Jack's face was much closer than expected. She abruptly stepped backward, letting his hand slide off her shoulder. Immediately, she felt the absence of his touch: a cold, familiar emptiness replaced the tranquil comfort of a moment before. A pang of regret shot through her at the lost human contact, but she swiftly shoved the feelings aside.

"Why aren't I comatose? Why am I still here?!" The words came out sharper than she had intended, but Elsa needed to know why she hadn't yet succumbed to the fate Anna had escaped years ago—

The fate that a monster like you deserves, her mind whispered.

"Wha...?" Jack was clearly caught off guard, his words tumbling over themselves in their haste to escape. "Comatose? Like, Sleeping Beauty fall-to-the-ground- unconscious? Why would that happen? Do you have a medical condition or something?" He stepped closer, concern creasing his brow as he searched her face for signs of ill health.

"Your magic, it—I..." Elsa fought off the memories flooding her mind, stealing her breath, before finally choking out, "I was hit in the head."

Jack's frown deepened as he continued to scrutinize her. "Yeah, but it was only a couple of snowflakes. How is that dangerous?"

Dangerous.

The word echoed in her pounding skull, drowning out the sound of her ragged breathing. Thousands of daggers pierced her mind, resisting her futile efforts to keep them at bay. Air refused to flow—she was suffocating.

"M—my sister..." was all Elsa managed to gasp before she was drowning, drowning in a memory, drowning in a sea of ice and dark. Anna's fiery hair broke the bleakness—before it started turning white. Everything was cold. She was alone in the black of midnight. No one could help her. It was her fault. She was dangerous—

She was a monster.

Muffled words pierced the darkness, their urgency drawing her toward the surface. "Elsa? Elsa! Come on, look at me! Elsa?!"

She broke through, desperately hauling in a lungful of air. Jack's face swam into focus.