My frozen heart

Chapter 17

Elsa crumbled like a pillar in an earthquake. Jack grabbed her as she fell, saving her from the hard stone floor. "Elsa!" Anna cried dropping to her knees by her sister's side. "Go after him!" Jack cried to the Guardians, but it was too late, Pitch was gone. "Elsa wake up up! Please, wake up!" Jack said shaking her, but she remained unresponsive. "What did he do to her?" Anna gasped looking from Jack to the others. Toothinana's hands were covering her mouth, preventing a sob from escaping. North and EB exchanged worried looks. Sandy was the only one with any composure.

He pushed his way through the group and knelt down at her side. "What do we do Sandy?" Jack asked him, his voice breaking. He put his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes for a moment before suddenly opening them as if afraid. The look on his face was grim and it filled Jack with despair. Sandy stood, and headed inside, waving for everyone to follow. Jack picked up Elsa, cradling her head against his chest, and carried her to her bed chamber. He laid her on the bed, smoothing out her dress and adjusting her so that she looked comfortable. He sank down on the bed next to her.

Everyone was in the room now, Anna on the other side of the bed holding on to Elsa's hand, tears silently slipping down her cheeks. Kristoff stood behind her, with his hand on her shoulder, and Olaff on her other said resting a twig hand on her back. EB, North, and Tooth stood in the corner, unsure of what to do. "What has he done to her Sandy?" Jack asked looking from Elsa's limp body to him. With a whirl of his hands Sandy recreated what they had all just seen in his own golden dust. The sand raining down on Elsa, her falling down, and then little Zs above her head.

"She's asleep?" Jack asked, confused. Anna looked up and her sister and began shaking her shoulder once again, "Anna wake up! Anna if you're only sleeping wake up!" She cried, but Sandy waved his hands for her to stop and Kristoff dropped to his knees behind her, grabbing her in a bear hug to stop and she sobbed. "If she's just sleeping, why will she not wake?" North asked with a frown. Sandy rubbed his fingers together and a sprinkle of sand fell, then he clapped his hands together and a large pile fell to the floor. "Too much sand. She's in a deep sleep. The whole town is afraid of Pitch; their fear made his magic powerful." Tooth said in realization and Sandy nodded.

"With Pitch's sand though, it's not a pleasant sleep." EB said looking to Sandy who sadly shook his head. "You mean she's in some nightmare land?" Jack said beginning to panic. Sandy sadly shook his head again. "We've got to get her out of there." Anna whimpered holding on to Elsa's hand tight. She was right, who knew what Elsa was dealing with in the nightmare land. Perhaps pitch himself. "We have to find Pitch, I've got to get int here with her, wake her up." Jack said getting to his feet.

"No Jack, that's probably exactly what he wants!" Tooth said zooming over to him. "If you're both trapped in there, who knows what he could do to you, or what he could do out here." She said shaking her head. "She's right mate, the only way to wake her is to defeat Pitch." EB said with a nod. Jack didn't want to hear this, any of this. He couldn't do it with out Elsa, he couldn't leave her in there all alone. "Let's find Pitch." said Olaff, catching them by surprise as his normal sunny disposition had vanished. North nodded, "I agree with the Snowman. No more waiting for Pitch to come here." North said authoritatively. "We're going to his lair?" Tooth said nervously looking to him.

He shook his head, "No, first we go to Ombric." finishing with a clap of his hands. Even Sandy looked shocked at his words. "Wait, wait, wait mate. I did not sign up for that." Eb said pumping his hands like brakes. "Go to Santoff Clauseen, I don't know about that North. It's been a long time since we've seen him..." Tooth said with an uneasy frown. Jack was confused at this point and by the looks of Olaff, Kristoff, and Anna's faces so were they. "I'm sorry, who is Ombric?" Jack asked rising from the bed. "He is a great and powerful wizard. We will need his help to defeat Pitch." North said as if he was confused on why his plan needed explaining.

"We defeated Pitch on our own last time, why do we need help?" Jack asked. North shook his head, "This place is a place of great magic Jack, this people are no ordinary people. You see the way one town gave Pitch so much power. We need great magic to fight powerful dark magic. Ombric has that." North said and EB and Tooth exchanged looks. "Fine, if we need Ombric then let's go." Jack said ready to leave at once. But North shook his head. "The trip is long, we will need our strength. We leave in the morning." he said.

"Why don't we take one of my rabbit holes?" EB piped up. North nodded and said, "But your rabbit holes will only get us so far. Santoff Claussen is protected by much magic. We will have to journey the rest of the way on foot." And EB nodded. "Tooth, Sandy, will you be able to come with us?" Jack said looking to them both. "Of course Jack. I'll have my fairies hold down the fort." Toothiana said with a smile and Sandy nodded as well. He felt better knowing they would all be together.

"I want to go to." Anna said standing to her feet. "Me too." said Kristoff putting a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, oh, me too!" cried Olaff waving his twig hand. Jack started to speak but Anna cut him off. "You're not going to talk me out of this. I don't care if it's dangerous. I'd do anything for Elsa, I want her back." he said sternly holding back her tears. Jack only nodded. She was right. He would do anything for Elsa too. "Very well." said North with a slight smile. Jack could see that the idea of a potentially dangerous adventure excited him. You could take the bandit off the lam but you couldn't take the bandit out of North.

"We leave first thing in the morning. Pack light, and if you have a weapon, I suggest you bring it." He said raising a serious brow. They all left the room, even Anna, after giving her sister a kiss on the cheek. She gave Jack's hand a light squeeze. "Thank you Jack." was all she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her. And then he hit his knees. With his face down in the blankets the flood gate opens and he wept.

He'd let her down. He didn't protect her. All he wanted to do now was rescue her from what ever hell she was living in inside her head. He took her pale limp hand in to his and kissed it. "I promise you Elsa, I will wake you." He wiped his eyes and pulled up a velvet arm chair next to her bed. He would not leave her side until he had to. He sat there staring at her, her soft white hand in his, until he drifted off to sleep...