Always You

xxxix. Piecing it Together

Elsa

Cursed, alone, surrounded by nothing but the silence in the frozen woods and my own worried thoughts, I hoped Jack would be back soon. All of the Guardians had vacated North's workshop, where I had been changed, and were back at their own abodes. For Jack, and myself now, that was the wintry woods. He had gone to do an errand, though he wouldn't tell me more than that, and had promised to be back soon. That had been two hours ago. I wasn't worried about him; he could handle himself. I just wanted some company, someone to save me from the endless cycle of questions and concerns pressing down on my mind. I wandered the snow covered mountaintops, reeling in the expanse of issues in front of me. 

I neeed to find Anna, needed to get back to my family.

Family.

That was it. I felt it deep in my gut, that was what I had been searching for all this time. My center was family. It made perfect sense. The years of desperate longing to be with Anna, the rejection from my parents coupled with their untimely demise, the love I felt instantly for Eleanor, the way I opened my arms for Kristoff in the blink of an eye... My center was family. With that in mind, I opened my mouth, voice wavering.

"Uh, wind?" I called out, wondering if the wind would only listen to Jack or if it might want to assist me as well. I felt stupid, standing on a mountain talking to the wind. Soon enough, the ends of my long hair were blowing lightly in a sudden breeze, a clear indication that the wind was willing to help me. "Can you take me to Arendelle? Please?" I asked gently, bracing myself when the wind kicked my feet from under me and scooped me through the air. It felt as if I was sitting in someone's had as they carried me to where I needed to go. The ground was far below me, sprawled out in a large and potentially fatal map. I tried not to look down, focusing instead on the sensation of the wind on my face and the breeze in my ears. I hadn't been flying for long, and the feeling was still quite off-putting for me. Finally, I was set down in front of the palace gates, taking a deep breath as I entered my home. I wondered vaguely what I was doing here. I didn't know where Jack was, I had no clue if Anna could even see me, and I had no idea how to break a curse if need be. It was rapidly seeming pointless, though I couldn't deny how good it felt to be home. As soon as I walked in I could hear voice in the parlor, chattering heatedly. It sounded like Anna and Jack, arguing about something. I looked a little further down the hall and saw Kristoff holding a gurgling Eleanor. I walked over to him, a small smile on my face.

"Wow." He said, looking at me in awe. His jaw dropped a little. "What, uh, what happened to you?" He asked, shaking his head slightly. I stepped closer, reaching for Eleanor as he handed her to me. I held the small child in my arms. Her heat warmed my arms, her blue eyes happy as they met mine. She seemed content to have me holding her and reached for my face with her small hand. I leaned closer to her as she did so, pressing the palm to my cheek and pulling back when I realized she had iced me. There was a patch of ice on my cheek where she had touched me. I guess I knew the answer to my question, then.

"I'm a Guardian now," I replied, "but that's not important. What's important is helping Eleanor." I told him. He nodded, the two of us moving to walk into the parlor.

"We're not killing my baby, Jack!" Anna screamed as we walked in. I was shaken by the words. What on Earth were the two of them talking about?

"That's not what I'm saying! If you would just listen!" Jack yelled back, his loud voice causing Eleanor to make a small noise and let a flurry begin. I sighed, looking at her face as she stared between the adults in the room.

"Hey, guys," I stepped between them, "Eleanor's here." I cooed, trying to get them to quiet down.

"Oh, and look who showed up," Anna spat bitterly at me, and I knew then that she was at the end of her rope. Not knowing me for most of her life and then having me disappearing with a guy I had  just met while I left her alone to deal with our starving people and a newborn baby... Well, I realized that she had every right to be angry at me.