Author's Note:

Whaaat? Another chapter in less than 24 hours? Yes. I owe it to you guys who follow this story! After my four(?) day absence, especially. And after that crappy transition chapter I gave you for chapter four…

Also, I realized that I had been spelling Arendelle wrong and feel like a total jerk-why didn't someone correct me sooner?!-so I've gone back and tried to fix it in all the chapters.

Please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen OR Rise of the Guardians.

Chapter Five:

Elsa stared at Jack Frost as he stepped outside and jumped off the steps into the powder that was coating the stone courtyard in front of the castle. Which may have been unbearably adorable if she wasn't so distracted by the fact that he wasn't wearing shoes.

At first, when she'd seen his bare feet under the table she'd assumed that they had probably gotten wet and he'd left them by the door to dry. Or something along those lines, at least. But from the way he was acting, walking on the frozen ground like it wasn't any different than if it had been the fresh, green grass of spring, she could only rationalize that he hadn't brought shoes. Nor did he seem to want them.

Jack seemed to notice and let out a loud chuckle as he ran up the few stairs and grabbed the queen's hands, tugging her from the warmth of the castle and into the familiar air of winter, "I told you yesterday, didn't I? The cold doesn't bother me."

Elsa blinked, hearing two meanings to the phrase he'd just spoken and felt herself smile as she gently removed her hands from his and picked up a handful of snow. Forming it into a ball, she threw it at him with all her might, landing a direct hit to the side of his head as he was bent down to return fire. And then they were running and laughing through the courtyard, tossing snow at each other until they made it into the town square where a group of children were playing in the snow.

One of them gasped when Elsa approached and nudged the other into standing, "That's the queen!" He cooed, bowing lightly and hitting his friend until he too lowered his head.

Elsa smiled and put her hands on her knees as she bent down to look at them at eyelevel, "How would you guys like to have a little fun?"

Elsa couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard or smiled so much. She had never known what it was like to spend an entire childhood having fun and growing up with friends and snowball fights and making snow angels. She'd only lived in fear of those things and the fun because of the accident she'd had when her and Anna were kids; all she remembered from childhood was the pain and isolation.

Maybe that was why seeing the children and the way their eyes lit up as they ran from each other and the flying snow, caused her to feel so much joy swelling in her heart.

This went on for hours until Jack insisted the children go home and eat and Elsa added a playful, "Queen's orders!" to his sentence. They reluctantly agreed and then raced away to whatever warm hearths they came from, leaving Elsa and Jack on the bridge alone.

As the Queen looked over at him she only found herself more and more curious about him. He was looking back at her, a permanent grin carved into his skin, exhausted and content, chest heaving, as if there was no better place for him to be. Elsa had never felt more comfortable in her life than in that exact moment, standing next to him. She'd never seen someone more in their element before she watched him having fun with those kids. And with her. Elsa tilted her head to one side and looked off into the icy waters of the fjord; she'd had fun today, hadn't she? It felt like it had been forever since the last time she had let herself have real fun. And it was all thanks to Jack Frost.

"I'd like to show you something," Elsa murmured, watching the water lap up onto the docks as many of the guests for the festival began taking their leave.

He grinned and picked up his staff that he'd set aside before the fun had begun hours ago, "Sure."

Elsa led Jack Frost back to the castle, around its grounds and through the garden wordlessly until they reached the clearing that Elsa had found herself so awe-struck by only days ago. Of course, the beauty that had left her so speechless was gone, covered up by the new beauty of freshly fallen snow.

Letting go of his hand, which she must have grabbed at some point during their walk, Elsa told him to wait in the edge of the trees and walked to the center of the meadow, turning the ground under her feet to ice with each step she took until it expanded all around her until it reached the tree line. When she looked back at him, she was expecting some sort of surprise to be obvious on his face, as there always was in anyone who had never seen it before, but instead there was a sense of understanding in his expression and sense of wonder in his smile.

Her mind flashed back to his words, "I told you yesterday, didn't I? The cold doesn't bother me" and the double meaning she'd felt behind them. Though she'd never really thought too deeply about it before, as she looked at Jack's face she realized that she had always been afraid of the possibility of a man in her future not accepting her powers as a part of her. She had been afraid of the idea of having to conceal them again for someone she cared deeply about… and that thought terrified her. Because she never again wanted to live in fear of herself.

Almost excited, Elsa lifted her arms and let the snow swirl around her, she kicked her shoes off and let her feet create unique patterns under the ice as she spun, closing her eyes and reveling in the freedom she felt in this moment, with the smiling eyes of Jack Frost following her every move. After a few moments, she lowered her arms and the storm disappeared as she laughed and met the eyes of her companion. "I'm… happy this doesn't scare you." She admitted, face flushed from the events of the day and the gaze she was under.

"It's amazing," Jack said, letting his eyes stray from her to the beauty she'd just created as he leaned against a tree, clutching his staff tightly in his hand.

"You think so?" She smiled, pushing some stray hair behind her ear, unreasonably flattered by his response. Elsa made her way back to him, walking across the ice she'd created until she was standing less than a foot away. "C'mon!" She laughed, tugging on his arm, and pulling him onto the ice after he'd let his staff fall into the snow.

And then they danced. Not near as gracefully as they had the night before, but closer, and with much more laughter. Barefoot on the ice, they spun together until the sun disappeared behind the trees until finally some faulty footing brought them both down, Elsa on her butt and Jack flat on his back.

Jack grinned up at Elsa and slid himself so that his head was resting in her lap, "If it's alright with you," He said, not breaking eye contact as he stared up into her surprised eyes. "I'd like to stay here… In Arendelle, a little longer."

The Queen felt herself smile again, certain that if she smiled any more today her cheeks would be sore in the morning. "S-sure…" Elsa answered, having to avert her eyes as the smoldering stare forced her heart to jump.

"Oh, sorry," He chuckled, "Am I doing it again?"

She rolled her eyes sarcastically and nodded, certain he knew full well the way he was staring at her. From the corner of her vision she could still see the icy blue eyes trained to her face, with a sigh she looked back down at him—in the hopes of coming up with some sort of witty remark— only to once again feel the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach, making it impossible to look away.

"Elsa," He said suddenly, his face turning serious, catching her off guard, "There's something I've gotta show you." And then Jack was on his feet, scanning the snow at the foot of each tree until he found his staff. He ran over to it clumsily, sliding on the ice, and Elsa swore that as soon as it was in his grasp, the warped wood changed color, though in the darkness of the trees, she couldn't be sure.

Jack Frost was staring at it with such intensity that it almost felt like he'd forgotten she was there until his blue eyes darted up to meet hers and then back down at the staff. And then suddenly he smiled up at her and as soon as his barefoot touched the hard surface, frosty swirls and frozen patterns began expanding from under his feet, all around the rink that the Queen had created identical to those she had seen in this clearing before the festival.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I was really aiming for quality here since chapter four was terribly lacking…

Please review!

(and thanks to those who wished me a happy birthday, that was so sweet)!