Alone

"Do you understand?" he asked me in a gentle tone, holding my wrists so that my hands were face up. I was about to answer when a gust of flurries spewed from my palms. His face became coated with crisp, white snow, only a set of blue-gray eyes shining through.

My eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry!" I cried. "Jack, I-"

"It's okay," he interrupted, smiling at me. "It's okay. "Elsa, just don't do that."

"But Jack-"

"Do you want to get me all snowy?"

I shook my head quickly, letting my hands fall limp against his. "No, but I can't control it."

"You're the boss of your powers, Elsa," he assured me, releasing my wrists and holding up his hand. He held it face up, just as he was holding mine. "I don't want to use my powers right now, see? I'm telling them what to do. I'm in charge."

I nodded, hopeful, because maybe there was possibly a way for me learn to control my powers. I held my hand up flat, palm up, just like he did and I smiled. Okay. I was doing okay.

This was what I liked about these snow-lessons. Jack was helpful and kind and always rewarded me with hugs. We always ended at six, or whenever I was to report to the dining room for supper, but it was pushing six-thirty. We would have to stop soon and he would hug me, and I would walk him to the window. We'd have to wait a few more days before he came back to see me.

"See? You just need to learn how to use it," Jack told me, standing up. "You're doing great, princess! Look at you! No gloves on, hands exposed, and not a snowflake in site!"

I smiled and gave a giggle. "I'm in charge! I can't believe it, I'm in charge! I can-"

Ice shot from my hand with the flick on my wrist and flew up. I put my hands down as it flew towards Jack. He stopped it and stepped aside, watching me carefully. We both knew that this was coming. It always happened whenever I got to close to hurting him or when I actually did hurt him. I wanted to cut my hands off, to burn them.

"Elsa..."

"I'm too dangerous," I cried, searching frantically for my gloves. "Jack, where did you put them? I can't do this anymore."

"Listen to me, princess, please. You're doing fine." He grabbed my arm but I jerked away. He groaned. "Elsa, you're going to mess up a few times. It's okay. Hey, look at me."

"Please, just give me back my gloves!" I threw my blankets on the floor and searched for my clean, white gloves.

"You don't need them right now. Our lessons-"

"Jack, please!" I held my hands up, as to push him away, but more ice shot out. I whimpered as ice almost hit his face once again. He held his hand up and stopped it once again. "Jack!"

Footsteps stopped outside the hallway. "Princess Elsa? Are you alright in there?"

I ran over to the door and opened it, hiding my arm behind my back. "Yes, thank you. Uh, would you please get me my extra pair of gloves?"

"Right away," our one maid, Ingrid, answered, giving me a curtsy. As soon as she was out of sight I was pulled back by a set of cold hands.

"Elsa," Jack whispered, "listen to me. You're ten years old. You're just a child, you're trying your hardest."

I pulled back from him. "Jack, please leave me. I don't want to hurt you."

I was shaking with fear. I could feel tears swell up in my eyes but I couldn't wipe them until I had my gloves.

Jack's thumbs swiped gently under my eyes. "Oh, Elsa. You can't hurt me. I'll be right here and I can teach you." He smiled at me, but I couldn't smile back. The floor became slippery with a thin layer of ice as more tears fell.

"I can't control it," I sobbed, my small hands wrapping around his wrists as he he held my face. "Jack, I can't control it. I'm so scared, I don't want to."

"Be the boss," he told me. "You're in charge. Do you want to coat the room in ice?"

"No." My sobs became shakier and shakier by the minute. I gulped in air as much as I could.

"Then don't," he murmured. "Elsa, look at me."

I looked up at him through tears. "I can't, Jack... I can't."

"These are your powers," he encouraged. He smiled brightly, even though I was beginning to freeze his arm. "Close your eyes, princess."

Taking a deep breath, I did as I was told. My eyes fluttered shut and I exhaled. His hands were still cupping my cheeks. "Elsa, you have beautiful powers. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

"You have them. They're yours. You do not belong to your powers, they belong to you." He paused, letting me take all of that in. I felt calmer. "You're in charge here. Tell your fingers what to do. Suppress the ice."

I sucked in a breath and waited. His arms grew warmer. He sighed happily as I opened my eyes to see that the ice along the floor was starting to fade away right before my eyes. Jack was now grinning. Not just any usual grin, but an unbelievably huge grin that stretched ear to ear. "You did it," he whispered.

"I did it," I echoed, smiling back.

The door opened and the maid set a fresh pair of white gloves on my pillow. "There we are, princess Elsa. Anything else?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you. When will supper be done?"

"Princess, supper was half an hour ago," Ingrid reminded me. "We rang for you but you simply insisted that you were busy, remember?"

I blushed, and I could hear Jack chuckle. I curtsied. "Yes, Ingrid. I'm sorry. Could you get me an apple if it's not a problem?"

Ingrid was an amazing maid or a nanny or what every she wanted to be towards us. She smiled and gave me a nod. "Of course. I'll return momentarily with an apple." She vanished once again, leaving me with Jack.

I hugged Jack tightly. "You're amazing," I gushed, smiling up at him. "I wish you could come back tomorrow!"

Jack patted my head and we exchanged a laugh. "I can try to. It just depends."

"On what?"

"Secret stuff," he assured me. "You did great today, princess. I'm proud of you."

I stepped back and looked up at him. "Are you leaving?"

Jack gave me a nod and wiped the remainder of my tears that hadn't dried on my cheeks yet. "I kinda have to. But I want you to remember what we talked about today, alright? And if I can't come back tomorrow, I'll see you next week."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He crossed his heart to prove his point.

I walked him to the window and we said our goodbyes. He pecked me on the cheek and flew out. Ingrid brought me an apple, which I ate without my gloves. I was in charge.

Of course, I messed up a few times, but I closed my eyes whenever it got bad and I made sure that I tried my hardest to clean it up. My father noticed and he was proud of me.

"Excellent, Elsa," he praised. "But I don't think Anna should know until you get it one hundred percent."

"I'll practice," I told him. "Jack is teaching me how to control it."

"Jack?" Concern was in my father's eyes. He seemed to fear that a stranger was teaching me, which I guess that was true, but I didn't want him to fear Jack.

"Jack Frost," I said with a smile. "Is Anna down in the dining area?"

My father straightened himself out, as he was ready to continue on with whatever else he was doing. "No, she's out playing. The gates have been opened. Your sister wanted to play, so your mother took her out side. You know Anna; she just had to have a million other kids to join her." He glanced down at me. "You know, you can go play too. Just wear your gloves."

I shook my head and crossed my arms. "No... I don't want to hurt her or any of the other children. I just wanted to say hi, I guess..." As my father turned to walk away, I did the same, and went back to my room. I waited that day for Jack, but he never came.

I waited a week for Jack, but he never came.

I spent my time looking out my window, holding back my tears. He promised he'd be here in a week. It had been two and not even a frost message on my window. My powers grew stronger and my emotions began to abuse them. I wore my gloves constantly. My father no longer praised me, Anna played outside with her new friends constantly, and I began to wonder if I would ever see Jack Frost again.

After three weeks I gave up, furious and hurt with the boy once known as Jack Frost. I began to suppress my emotions and brake control of my powers once again. I only wore gloves to bed and when I talked to my sister. She would beg me to come play, her green eyes sad and her hands clasped together. But I would shake my head and cross my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry, Anna," I whispered. "I can't."

She understood and tucked a flower in my braid before running outside to play with her friends. I wore the white flower in my hair constantly, and when it withered, she replaced it.

Out of boredom, I spent my time making dresses. I borrowed cloth from our seamstress and I even got my own corner of her room. She was the official clothing provider to the king and queen, so that meant we gave her a room to work out of and all the cloth and such she needed. She had boxes full of needles and pins, and even buttons. And my mother gave me permission to work with her, so that meant that her budget was increased so what ever I used could be replaced.

"What are we doing today?" I asked Clara, the seamstress, smiling brightly as I walked into her room. Her room was just as big as out ball room. And it had many windows for better lighting. There were candles as well, but the sunlight woke as she did.

"A pair of trousers for a little boy," Clara answered. She took orders from other citizens too, which I liked, because I was able to help package them for delivery. Put it in a box, give it to a guard, then it would be delivered. Easy and fun. "Still working on that dress?"

"Yeah. I wanna make it a winter dress. For Anna."

"I bet she'll adore that," Clara gushed, grabbing the material she needed. "You have everything you need?"

I slid off my gloves and set them down on my work bench. "I believe so. Anna loves green so I'll try to make it as green as possible."

Making everything work the way I wanted to was the hardest thing out of everything. I had Anna's measurements and even a mannequin that had her shape, but I wasn't the most experienced person out there.

"Don't give up," Clara said, noticing how I was fuming. "Everyone works in their own ways."

Everyone works in their own ways...

I stepped back from the mannequin and closed my eyes. In one, gentle movement, I raised my arms so that they were extended out, and I let the ice go. Clara choked on a scream and I could hear her run towards the door.

"Elsa! Elsa, stop!"

I kept going. I knew I was going to get somewhere. Everyone worked in their own way, and this was mine.

"Elsa!" Clara screamed, fear coating her voice. "Guards! Guards! Someone help me, the princess has gone crazy! Help!" She kept screaming, but I took a deep breath and kept working on the dress.

"Elsa! It's a pile of snow!"

I turned at the sound of my father's voice. "Papa, I was-"

"She's dangerous!" Clara screeched. "Get her out of here!"

"No!" I took a step back and placed my hand in the pile of snow. "I made Anna a dress."

"That's not a dress," Clara cried, hiding behind my father. "Your highness, I can't work with a pile of snow in my room. She has to go."

I closed my eyes and felt the snow disappear right before me. Clara gasped, but my father was silent. When I opened my eyes, on the mannequin, was a beautiful, white dress, in just Anna's size. I looked up at my father. "Papa, do you think Anna will like it?"

Clara's jaw dropped in amazement. My father grinned at me, his eyes full of pride. "My dear Elsa, she'll love it.

It wasn't thick enough to be a winter dress but Anna wore it anyways, only taking it off to bathe. She pranced around in it and, after put a green ribbon around it and tied it in the back to make a bow, she decided that this was her wedding dress. "I'll marry a prince in this," Anna giggled, running around in her perfect dress that flowed around her as she spun.

I fixed it as she slept, making the sleeves shorter so it would be more comfortable. They hung on her shoulders, almost like a grown up ball gown, but not quite grown up. She loved it even more, and argued when she had to take it off.

Another week flew by and Jack was still gone. I hadn't an idea why he wouldn't send me a snowflake with a message or a frosty window to let me know why, but he made no return or effort to see me. Anna still wore her dress and Clara still feared me, but I was too busy wondering about Jack to care.

My father noticed my misery when he saw me by the window in the dining hall. "Still waiting for Jack Frost?" he asked.

I looked up at my father. "Papa, you think I'm crazy or that he's imaginary. But he's real and we both have the power of snow. He says I have to learn to control it and he can help. He taught me."

"Whatever you say." He sat beside me and poked my nose. "You're doing well with your powers. I think that if you want, you can show Anna. I trust you."

My eyes grew wide. "Papa..."

"I trust you, Elsa," he assured, smiling gently at me. "You're controlling your powers well. If you want Anna to know, then I think you should tell her. As long as you keep up with learning."

I studied my father for a moment. I didn't want him to be lying to me because if I was going to tell my sister, I wanted her to understand and I didn't want anything to back fire.

"I want to wait," I told him, standing up. "I think I want to get more practice under my belt before I go and tell Anna."

He nodded. "Very well."

Three weeks without Jack felt weird. I sat on bed, not knowing what to do. Even though my gloves were off, I didn't use my powers. I suppressed them, as if they weren't even there, and closed my eyes. I just wanted Jack to come back.

Night soon fell, and my mind became overrun with thoughts. What if Jack would never come back for me? Would he forget about me? Did I hurt him with my powers? Is he okay?

I hopped down from my bed and peered out of my window. "Jack?" I whispered. "Are you there?"

No response. Tears fell from my eyes. "Please, Jack. Please come back."

But I was just talking to thin air.