you found me.

Elsa glanced behind her as she headed up towards the North mountain. Even looking back now, she knew that she could never go back. She'd let her temper and emotions get the best of her and now everyone in Arendelle knew of her powers. The horrified expression on her sister, Anna's face, was etched into her mind, and the words of some of the people echoed in her thoughts. She was a monster. She couldn't control her powers. She couldn't be queen. Not when she could hardly even touch a person without harming them in some way. She was just glad that she hadn't harmed Anna. If something happened to her sister, something worse than what had happened when they were kids or even worse what had happened to Jack, well, she didn't think that she would ever be able to forgive herself. She still hadn't forgiven herself for what had happened when they were younger and she doubted that she would ever forgive herself for what had happened to Jack. He was dead because of her. She should have left Arendelle back then, should of realized just how much of a monster she really was. It would have prevented the situation altogether. Anna would be queen, and a much better queen than she was anyway.

"Conceal, don't feel." She whispered quietly to herself, feeling tears sting her eyes and blur her vision. Letting out a shaky breath, she continued on towards the mountain, hardly leaving an imprint in the snow as she went. She needed to get away from Arendelle. As far away as she possibly could. It was for the best. She couldn't risk harming or scareing any other people.

---

Eric loved Ariel, but she could be a bit overbearing at times. Needless to say, he was thankful for trips like this one. He wasn't really sure if his wife-to-be approved of them, but, unlike popular belief, being a prince was hard and even stressful at times. He needed to get away every once and a while, and sailing out onto the ocean, feeling that cool sea-breeze, it was all so...freeing. He felt like a completely different person when he wasn't confined to the castle's walls. And maybe that was why he'd fallen for his soon-to-be-wife in the first place. She was something different, something brand new, something he wasn't used to at all. But things changed, Ariel had changed. Maybe it was stress from planning for the wedding, or maybe she just wasn't used to all of the responsibilities that she would soon have, he didn't really know. All he knew was that she had changed a great deal, and he wasn't too sure that it was for the better either.

As soon as the storm hit Arendelle, Jack was aware of it. The name of the kingdom almost seemed familiar to him, just almost, like the way a word was stuck at the back of your throat, unable to even reach the tip of the tongue. He ignored the itch in his memory, if it was even that, and went straight to the kingdom, eager to figure out what it was that was causing such a terrible storm (and part of him wanted to figure out what made the kingdom's name seem familiar at all to him; almost like the voice that had been used against him when he first became a guardian, so familiar, but difficult to understand.)

As he approached Arendelle, he frowned at the sight of the raging snow. He tried to calm it down with his own powers, but when it didn't work, he instead searched for the source - whatever the source was, it was coming from the mountains, he realized. With that in mind, he was quick to go towards the area.

---

Belle's eagerness to go on an adventure had easily gotten in the way of her relationship with Adam. Though she felt terrible for putting him through everything, her desire to travel and explore and have an adventure had always weighed in the back of her mind. It was what drove her, honestly; it always had. To her surprise, Adam had understood that, he understood her. Their engagement had been called off because Adam had encouraged her to go on her adventure and, if she ever wanted to, he had reminded her that she was welcome to come back, that he would always love her and wait for her return.

She didn't want him to wait for her forever, though, so she hoped that she could find the adventure that she was looking for so that she might return to his side. But, for now, she stepped into a new place, a new town waiting for her to discover whatever she wished, a town in Italy.

Elsa hadn't realized how close to the mountain she was until she'd reached it's base. Figuring that she'd stop for a moment to try and figure out what she was going to do now that she was all the way out here, and pretty far from Arendelle, she leaned against the base of the mountain, relieved to be blocked from the wind temporarily. When a strong gust blew some snow against her, she raised her arms in attempt to cover her face. However, when she looked, she let out a quiet gasp, seeing a small wall of ice had formed where her hands had been raised. She moved further back against the base of the mountain and wrapped her arms around herself as soft sobs began to wrack her body.

She couldn't control this. How she ever thought that she could be queen while she had these powers was beyond her. She couldn't do both. Arendelle would be much better off without her. Anna could be queen instead of her. She would probably be a lot better at it than she was, and people wouldn't be risking their lives by being around her. Things would be much better this way.

---

Eric knew that Ariel didn't exactly approve of all the traveling that he did. He also knew that she knew that it made him happy though. It was what he enjoyed doing, and he liked to think that she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. Not that he was too worried about what his wife thought about his near constant traveling anyway. He was doing this for himself, because he wanted to, and it wasn't like Ariel needed his help planning for the wedding anyway. Women enjoyed handling stuff like that. She'd get everything that she wanted anyway, so it wasn't like his opinion would really matter. Plus, what did he care about flower arrangements or color schemes anyway?

So, instead of staying back at the castle, and going through numerous tedious tasks, he was docking his ship somewhere in Italy. The town's name escaped him at the moment, but the sight of it brought a smile to his face. It was something new, and definitely something a lot more interesting than planning for a wedding in his eyes.

It didn't take long for Jack to get to the mountain, not with his powers. The storm didn't even bother him much, which he was definitely grateful for. As he approached the base of the mountain, he glanced around, his eyes searching for whatever the cause of this entire thing had been. Only, the first thing his eyes caught contact with that seemed out of the ordinary was a solid wall made of ice. Brows furrowed, he stepped forward, trying to peer through the ice, only to lift a hand to place it against the ice itself, tilting his head in curiosity and observation. "How odd," he muttered with surprise. It didn't make much sense to him; how could something like this be here? But, then, he heard soft noises - he recognized them as sobs easily, despite the howling winds of the storm around him. Narrowing his eyes in hopes of seeing better, he stepped around the wall of ice, he blinked slowly at seeing the girl hidden so close to the base of the mountain. Carefully, he stepped closer, cautious and hesitant because he didn't want to frighten her. "Excuse me? Are you okay?" he asked as he approached her, slowly, "Hey, it's okay, don't cry! What happened? Are you hurt?"

---

Already, Belle could smell the salty sea air, feel the wind that came off the waves; she wasn't too close to the sea just yet, having only just entered the small town. But, she was eager to see it, since she had yet to see the sea. She couldn't remember if she had ever seen a sea, honestly; maybe she had, when she was younger, but she hadn't for as long as she could remember, that was certain. Silently, as she approached the area where sea met land, she couldn't help but wonder what her father and their dear horse, Phillip, would think of the town. Then, she felt a bit guilty for not wondering what Adam would think of the town, of the sea. Why was it that she had felt so constricted back in France with him when all he ever did was encourage her to chase her dreams? He even let her go find her father when there was only one petal left on his rose before the curse became permanent. Back then, she had loved him with everything within her soul. But, now? Maybe her feelings for him had only been a passing fancy. Trying not to let the thoughts bother her too much, she moved closer to the sea, curious to what the water would feel like.

The last thing Elsa had expected was for someone to find her all the way out here. She hadn't stopped until she'd gotten to this point because she figured it was far enough outside of Arendelle. Clearly she was wrong though. "Please stay back...I--I don't want to hurt you." She said, terrified of what she was capable of doing. "I can't control it..." It was in that moment that she actually took the time to look at the person who had approached her. What she saw shocked her. She was sure that the shock was evident on her face. This was impossible. It couldn't be...he was dead. He'd been dead for a few years now. But it looked so much like him, the only difference being his hair and his eyes. She'd know Jack anywhere though...so, how was this even possible? "Jack...?"

---

Time was a funny thing. Eric thought so anyway. He just didn't understand how things could change between him and Ariel so quickly. He'd been so in love with her not so long ago, and now they were planning their wedding. So, why did he feel so differently about her. Had she changed as much as he felt she had, or was he the person who had changed? He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to think about that right now. He'd left on this trip so that he could get away from all that, and that was exactly what he planned on doing right now. Getting away from all of his problems and actually enjoying himself for once. Though it seemed as though Max was a little eager to get off of the boat. The sheepdog bounded down the ramp, heading up the dock towards the village. "Max, buddy, wait up!" He called, going after the dog.

The girl's words were confusing him, to say the least. She didn't want to hurt him? Jack doubted he could really be too badly injured by whatever powers she had, especially since his own powers were snow-based. Of course, his powers had never caused a storm like this; he used his powers for more amusing things, occasionally a snow day for kids who rarely got to see them. But, a storm of this magnitude? Clearly, the girl was powerful - and she seemed frightened of her own power. Before he could even question it, though, he saw the recognition flash in her eyes, heard her say his name, and he was left stunned. It took him a few moments, but he soon recovered. "Do I... Do you know me?" he asked, rephrasing his intended question - because he most certainly didn't know her, as far as he was aware.

---

Belle only barely registered the faint noises coming from the docks. It sounded like barking and she was a little curious over what kind of dog was around here. But, her curiosity was more so focused on the water right now - at least until she heard the barking getting louder, growing closer. Her eyes remained on the water for a moment later before she glanced around, her eyes going in search of the source of the barking. Before long, she spotted a dog - and, from its appearance, she assumed it was a sheep dog - and she moved to approach it, hesitantly because she wasn't entirely sure how the dog would react to strangers.

Elsa couldn't believe it. It really was Jack. He was really there, standing right in front of her. It made absolutely no sense, though she supposed that there were a lot of things that didn't really make much sense in her life. She didn't know why such bad things happened to her. She didn't know why she'd been born with, more like cursed, with the powers she had, and she didn't know why all of the people she cared about most always seemed to end up getting hurt. It was usually her fault though. She was a monster. Everyone was better off without her. "I thought I did...maybe you just remind me of someone I used to know..." He didn't recognize her. And that was just making matters worse right now.

---

Of course Max didn't listen. He kept on running even when Eric called after him. Not that Eric had really expected anything else from Max. It wouldn't be the first time that something like this had happened. He managed to catch up to the sheepdog once he got closer to the village. It didn't take him very long to notice the woman Max had approached. "He won't hurt you." He assured her, noticing her hesitation. Max was a friendly dog. He wouldn't bite her. "If anything, he might lick you to death." He chuckled slightly, a smile on his face.

Elsa couldn't believe it. It really was Jack. He was really there, standing right in front of her. It made absolutely no sense, though she supposed that there were a lot of things that didn't really make much sense in her life. She didn't know why such bad things happened to her. She didn't know why she'd been born with, more like cursed, with the powers she had, and she didn't know why all of the people she cared about most always seemed to end up getting hurt. It was usually her fault though. She was a monster. Everyone was better off without her. "I thought I did...maybe you just remind me of someone I used to know..." He didn't recognize her. And that was just making matters worse right now.

---

Of course Max didn't listen. He kept on running even when Eric called after him. Not that Eric had really expected anything else from Max. It wouldn't be the first time that something like this had happened. He managed to catch up to the sheepdog once he got closer to the village. It didn't take him very long to notice the woman Max had approached. "He won't hurt you." He assured her, noticing her hesitation. Max was a friendly dog. He wouldn't bite her. "If anything, he might lick you to death." He chuckled slightly, a smile on his face.

A frown etched its way to Jack's features as he moved closer to her. "But you called my name," he pointed out. That couldn't possibly be a coincidence, he knew that. Sure, she could have guessed his name, but what were the odds that he reminded her of somebody with the same name? "Do you know me?" he repeated his question, almost desperate. Maybe she was a part of his past, maybe he knew her before he became a guardian. That was the only likely answer, wasn't it? At this point, he absolutely needed to know the answer. "I'm sorry if you knew me and I don't remember you. It's a really long story." Because how was he supposed to explain that he had died and come back as he was, then later became a guardian - all without any of his memories of his past?

---

The new voice surprised Belle, causing her eyes to lift to look at the man who had shown up. With a smile, she nodded. "That's wonderful," she decided quietly before she knelt down to stroke the dog's fur, earning her a few slobbery licks to the face which evoked light giggles from her. "He reminds me of a dog I knew back home." Silently, she wondered how Chip and his dog were doing; were they missing her? Shaking the thoughts away, she let a grin take over her features. "What's his name?" Honestly, she only barely got the question out because the dog was back to eagerly trying to get her attention, which she happily granted with scratches behind its ears.

Elsa remained where she was, watching silently as he moved closer to her. She still couldn't believe it was him. Part of her wondered if it really was. Maybe she really was mistaken. Why else wouldn't he recognize her? But, if it wasn't him, why would he respond the way he had to her calling his name? Surely he couldn't just look like Jack, and share the name as him? That would be too much of a coincidence. "Yes...I know you...you knew me too." She said quietly. "I--I thought you were dead..." That was the most confusing part about this all. She'd been so certain that he was dead until now. And she just didn't understand how any of this was even possible. She shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't matter...you shouldn't be here...it isn't safe...I could hurt you."

---

Eric returned the smile that she sent his way. He let out a soft chuckle, watching as Max licked the girl's face. He wasn't really worried about Max hurting her or anything. He was a good dog, and he was honestly pretty harmless. He wasn't joking when he said that, if anything, he'd probably lick her to death. It was funny, because he was a pretty big dog, but he was honestly just a big mush. "Must've been a great dog..." He commented. From her words, he could tell that she wasn't from around here either. He wondered if a lot of visitors stopped in this village. "Max." He told her.

Doubt filled Jack's features - not at her words of knowing him, but with her assuming that she would hurt him. Since she claimed to know him, though, he refused to just leave, no matter the warnings that she gave him. Drawing closer, he stood right in front of her. "You won't hurt me," he assured her after a moment. He decided against telling her that, technically, he had died, then came back as this version of himself, then later became the guardian that he was now. "Trust me." He grinned then, in hopes of easing her worries. In hopes of convincing her, he used his own powers to cause the flurries around them to separate to where the snow wouldn't fall around them.

---

"Oh, he was a great dog," Belle said happily, letting out a sigh as she thought of the dog from the castle for a moment longer. Then, after forcing the thoughts away once more, she focused on the dog in front of her. "Max," she repeated the name to store it in her memory. Stroking the dog's fur once more, she moved to stand up. "He really is a kind dog amd very affectionate, it seems." It surprised her how well the dog behaved towards strangers like herself, but she was grateful for it; it put her mind at ease a bit.

Elsa's eyes widened slightly as he moved so that he was standing right in front of her. He clearly wan't heeding her warnings. It wasn't so much a threat as it was the fear her powers instilled within her. She couldn't control them, and she'd already hurt the people she cared most about. She still didn't really know how Jack was there. Not when, for the last couple of years, she'd thought he was dead. "You don't know that..." She said quietly, shaking her head. If he were a complete stranger, she could say that she had no reason to trust him, but this was Jack. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't trust him. Her eyes widened once more as she watched the flurries around them separate. "How are you doing that?"

---

Eric smiled. "Yeah, he's not the best listener though. I just had to chase him from over by the docks." He told her, letting out a slight chuckle. Really Max was actually a great dog. He was extremely affectionate and, in most instances, he actually did listen. It was only, on very rare occasions, that he didn't listen. And apparently today had been one of those instances in which he wasn't going to listen. Not that he minded. He wouldn't be standing here, talking to this woman, if Max hadn't listened. "I'm Eric." He added, realizing that he hadn't introduced himself.

She was surprised, Jack could tell, and he couldn't really blame her. From what he knew, he hadn't had these powers before he became who, or what, he was now. And, if she knew him before he became this person, he was certain that she had known him when he hadn't had these powers. But, now, he had these powers and he wasn't complaining right now - especially not when he was trying to make a point. "I sort of got this power when I... woke up as this," he explained as he gestured to what he looked like now, mostly to his hair since it was a telltale sign of how different he was - or, he assumed, anyways. "It has its ups and downs, but I can handle it, and I'm sure you can learn to control your power, too."

---

A slight laugh escaped Belle at the mention of Max not listening to the man. It definitely reminded her of Sultan, the dog from the castle back home. Hearing the man introduce himself, though, she blinked and smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Eric," she greeted, "My name's Belle." Introducing herself almost reminded her of when she first met Adam - that meeting and introduction was much different than this one. She had been frightened, then, but she actually felt fairly comfortable in this situation. Deciding against thinking too far into it, she glanced around for a moment before allowing her eyes to fall back on Eric. "What brings you here?" she asked, curious because he didn't look like he was from here, from Italy - but, then, she could be assuming incorrectly.

(I seriously had to wiki what the dog's name was, because I can't remember if it was ever mentioned in the movie.)

Elsa was both surprised and confused. She didn't understand, Jack hadn't had any sort of powers, not that she knew of. But now he did, and they were a lot like her own. She was sort of jealous, she'd been born with her powers and they were completely out of control, yet he seemed to be in complete control if his. She knew that she shouldn't be jealous, it was Jack, and she should just be happy that he was alive, but due to recent events, she couldn't really help it. She shook her head. "You don't understand, I can't control this. I never could. That's why I left Arendelle. Everyone is safer without me as their queen."

---

"It's nice to meet you too, Belle." Eric said with a smile on his face. When he introduced himself to her, he couldn't help thinking back to when he first met Ariel. Of course, it had been a rather strange introduction, but it had all been thanks to Max then too. A lot had changed since then though, and he was only just starting to realize that now. Things were different back then. He and Ariel had been happier. He didn't understand how or what it had happened. "Traveling, probably just passing through." This wasn't the intended destination, but they'd had to stop for supplies before they continued on their journey He was actually really glad that they had to now. "What about you? Why are you here?"

[Hm....I'm not sure if his name's mentioned in the movie either...]

"I can help you," Jack offered quickly, shifting to set the end of his staff on the ground and leaning against it for a long moment. "I can help you learn how to control it, I'm sure." Or, he could try. He could try his best and, hopefully, it would work. Maybe he could help her not be afraid of her powers, of herself. The thought made him all the more eager to help; it had been rare before he became a guardian that he wanted to help others, but, ever since becoming a guardian, that trait was becoming more and more obvious, at least to him. Not that he really minded. "We can at least try, can't we? If I can't help, then you don't have anything to lose, but, if I can, then you have a lot to gain!"

---

Belle listened quietly, rather surprised to hear that he was traveling as well, just passing through as he said. She, of course, planned to stay and explore the area a bit first, but she wouldn't stay for too long, she was sure. "Traveling as well, mostly looking for an adventure," she hummed out, offering a grin, because maybe he might think it was odd for a female to be out, looking for adventures that she read about in books. Most of those who lived back home thought she was odd, of course, so it wasn't anything she wasn't used to. "I've been wanting to go on an adventure ever since I could remember, so I'm trying to find one."

(It might have been in the Christmas one, but I haven't watched that one in ages. Also, I'm sorry this reply sucks a bit; I'm dead tired, but I can't sleep. xD)

Elsa honestly found it hard to believe that anyone could help her, even Jack. "You don't get it. I've never been able to fully control it, and I don't think that I ever will. I've hurt so many people that I care about because of it...that's why I came here. I needed to get as far away from Arendelle as I possibly could." She had come all this way so that she could be alone and, even with Jack there, that's exactly how she felt. Alone. Just how she always felt. "I really think you'll be wasting your time..." It was clear that she was beginning to consider his offer though. Maybe with a little more persuasion...

---

"Are you here with anyone?" Eric asked her curiously. It wasn't very often that a woman was found traveling on her own. Usually, she was accompanied by someone else, though it appeared as though Belle wasn't. He couldn't really know for sure though. For all he knew, she was here with someone, or maybe someone was meeting her here, he didn't really know though. "And how's that going for you? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions. Just tell me to stop if it makes you uncomfortable." He chuckled softly.

[Yeah, maybe it was...haha. And no worries! Your post was fine!]

(I wonder if they even have the Christmas version on DVD yet. xD I only have the VHS version and, though it's in almost perfect condition, I don't have a VHS player anymore to find out if the dog's name was on it. xD And, okay! I'm glad!)

Jack honestly felt sympathetic for the girl; the fact that she was so afraid of her own powers didn't make much sense to him, since he had always loved his powers, from the moment he discovered them, but hearing how she claimed to have hurt people, it was a bit more understandable. He wasn't entirely sure if he could help her, considering how he was only capable of using his powers because of his staff, but he could - and would, if she allowed him to - try. "Well, we won't know that for sure unless we give it a try," he told her with a grin, trying to ease her a bit. "At least, this way, you don't have to say that you didn't try everything you could to learn, right?"

---

"Oh, it's not too many questions," Belle assured quickly, shaking her head slightly, both amused and surprised with the entire thing. Regardless, she nodded to his first question. "Yes, I'm alone. My father is an inventor and he can't travel because of it, but he's very encouraging of me traveling alone." Which she was extremely grateful for; it gave her a bit of optimism with the entire thing. If her father believed in her, then she could definitely believe in herself, couldn't she? "Ah, so far, it's going well. I haven't discovered any adventures yet, but I'm enjoying myself nonetheless."

[I don't think it's ever been put out on DVD...not that I can remember anyway, haha.]

Fear. That was one thing that had always been prominent in Elsa's life, even from a young age. She'd always been afraid of her powers and what they made her capable of doing. She'd never truly had control of them before, which led to how she saw herself. She had hurt people who she loved and cared about and, after seeing the shocked and horrified expressions on everyone's faces, she truly felt like the monster that some people were making her out to be. "Right..." She said quietly, nodding her head slowly.

---

Eric smiled. "Good." He said, actually relieved that he wasn't pestering her or anything with all of the questions that he was asking her. "How long do you plan on traveling for?" He asked curiously. There was just something about this woman that peaked his curiosity. He wanted to learn more and get to know her better, and he really didn't know why that was. "Well, what's important is that you're enjoying yourself, though I do wish you luck on finding those adventures that you seek." He said, letting out a soft chuckle.

(Same; they need to get it put on DVD already, haha)

Jack eyed her for a long moment before nodding, figuring that her response meant that she was agreeing with him. "First thing's first," he chimed before he grinned, "You shouldn't be afraid of your powers. That gives your powers control over you, rather than the other way around." He supposed it made sense; he had embraced his powers from the moment that he got them and it seemed as though she was frightened of them so much that they controlled themselves. "You should try to embrace your powers, like I did. Enjoying your powers makes it easier, I'm sure."

---

"Oh, I don't know," Belle said honestly, letting out a sigh. "I suppose it depends on how long it takes to find an adventure." Because, once she found an adventure, then she would have succeeded in accomplishing her dream. She wouldn't have much of a reason to travel after that - especially since she wanted to return to her father and possibly Adam, depending on how her emotions developed by the time she returned. "But, you're right. Enjoying myself is what's most important."