Jack Frost

Fange

Jack slowly drifted to consciousness. It was so dark where he was he thought for a moment he was in his castle; that the siege had been a bad dream. But when his vision focused, he saw the walls were not ice, but stone. There was no beautiful balcony, but instead a tiny window. His only comfort was that he was alone. Jack rose up from where he was lying, but when he went to reach for his aching shoulder, he saw that his hands were cuffed in thick coverings which were bolted to the floor.

He realized where he had to be—back in Arendelle. At least they were sensible enough to isolate him. His shoulder still ached; he looked to see where he'd been grazed... it had been bandaged. But why would— the door opened and Jack's heart skipped a beat. Agnarr entered and then closed the door behind him. Jack's eyes filled with terror. What did he even say?

Agnarr noted the boy's shoulder. "My daughter insisted we treat your wound."

Elsa! Was she all right? "How is she?" He asked ardently.

Agnarr ignored his question. "Why did you do it?" Jack was confused. "Why did you attack Arendelle?"

"It was an accident." His lip quivered. "I never meant to harm–"

"Are you and that other lifeless fiend planning something?"

"No! He used me. He feeds off of human fear to stay alive!" He fought his betrayed tears, but the heartbreak on his face seemed to change something in the King. "I didn't ask to be this way... Ever since I was born..." He breathed heavily as his need to sob choked him. He was inadvertently making the room colder and Agnarr shivered. "I wish I could undo all the bad that I've done." There was a moment. Jack looked back into Agnarr's eyes. "I promise, if you let me leave, I'll never come back." Just the offering was strenuous to say. "Just tell Elsa..." Should he even bother? He knew he wouldn't deliver his message.

Agnarr partly wanted to know what he wanted him to say to her, but he brushed off that thought. He'd nearly killed him; he'd hear none of it. It must be an act. Agnarr didn't say anything to him and left the room, locking the door behind him. The room around Jack grew colder, and in his despair, he lost control of his own temperature and the shackles started to ice over.

...

Elsa refused to speak to anyone. Even when the royal family was glad to see her all right, she couldn't find any words of comfort to bring them. Besides, as expected, she was locked right back in her room until 'the deed was done.' How was she supposed to feel anything other than misery when she knew they were killing her dear friend and she had no power to stop it? This was partially her fault... if she hadn't been so impulsive and gone after him, maybe they wouldn't have found him. They might've given up and left him alone.

She sat alone against her bedroom door; she didn't even notice the room was getting colder, though she saw the ice trails forming on the floor. Someone knocked. "Elsa?" It was Gerda. For once, Elsa didn't want to see her. Besides, no one was permitted to open the door either to go in or out. "I'm sorry it's come to this... but there's nothing that can be said against the King's orders." There was no reply. "I'm right here for you." She finished somberly. Elsa listened to her leave down the hallway and she hid her face into her knees.

As her sadness grew, ice and snow filled the air and Elsa glanced back up. How strange it was, that it was so easy to not realize the extent of her own power... it only made her understanding of Jack's anxieties greater—just her mood could affect the weather of the vicinity. She felt something creeping up the door behind her back and she saw that it was coated in frost... she was getting an idea.

...

The darkened layer, which had been dead and barren for ages, was now blooming with life. Pitch Black felt alive like never before, but he'd abandoned the only creature he had to share his world with. He looked at the two pieces of Jack's broken staff; it was only temporary. Once another day or so passed and the kingdom had given up on finding them, he would repair the staff and Jack would wake up. As for mending their torn trust, that would be difficult.