Once Upon a December

Chapter 17

Hey, guys! Sorry this update is so late! I've been working on this project that required a lot of time and effort (but don't all projects do that?) I still hope you enjoy this chapter and happy reading!

Elsa and Olaf dozed near a fire along with the other peasants waiting for the train. It had been a long walk to the train station and, leaving so early and traveling the whole day, Elsa was exhausted. While she was sleeping, Jack looked over North's shoulder, nervously watching him forging their travel papers.

"Hurry up with those papers, North," Jack said, turning his head back to make sure they were in the clear every few seconds.

"Would you have leaned on Arbo's shoulder and told him to paint faster?" North said.

He turned to look and seeing Jack's anxious face.

"You probably would." He handed him the papers.

"Careful," North warned. "They're still wet."

A train whistle slowed and North moved to Elsa.

"Wake up, young lady," North whispered gently, "that's our train."

"You mean 'wake up, your highness," Jack corrected him. "We should start getting used to saying it."

North threw his hands up in the air exasperatedly. "What a world - a man who was in my position in society is calling a peasant 'Your Highness'."

Jack smiled teasingly at North. "Hate to break it to you, North, but that's what we have to resort to now.

"Let me handle this," Jack said, leaning over and tugging Elsa's hair lightly.

"Wake up!" he yelled.

Elsa's eyes flashed open and, totally on reflex, she belted Jack in the nose. Jack reeled back and landed on his backside, all while North watched ruefully.

"We have a lot of work to do..." North said.

..~..

North, using his ample belly, bumped people out of the way as they headed for the train. North climbed on just as it started up, followed by Jack. Jack turned back and reached out his hand to help Elsa up. But she froze, just standing there, not running.

"Come on!" Jack said. "The train's about to leave!"

Jack's hand was extended like Primrose's was. Although Elsa couldn't quite remember, something about this terrified her. She snapped out of it when Olaf nipped at her ankle.

Elsa looked down and noticed Olaf. She picked him up and ran for the train.

"Take my hand!" Jack said.

Instead of listening to him, Elsa put Olaf into his hands and jumped on without having to reach for them.

..~..

Inside the train compartment, it was packed with travelers. Suitcases and packages balanced precariously. Jack sat down next to Elsa and carefully touched his painful nose.

"Do you always punch people first thing in the morning?" Jack scowled.

Elsa blushed sheepishly. "Sorry, it's a reflex. That's what living in an orphanage does to you. If someone bothers you...well, you automatically come up swinging."

"I wasn't bothering you," Jack spluttered. "I was trying to wake you up!"

"By pulling my hair?!"

"I was all out of dynamite!"

Jack touched his nose again, and winced visibly. Elsa opened the window and grabbed some snow. She handed it to him.

"Put it on your nose," Elsa instructed. "For goodness sake, you're making such a fuss!"

"Thanks," Jack said gratefully. He tried to act very manly as he put the ice on his nose, but cringed with the cold. Elsa rolled her eyes.

Men are such babies. she thought to herself.

An elderly woman loaded with packages came into the compartment. Elsa immediately rose to help her.

"Here," she said to the elderly woman, "let me-"

Jack pulled her back down.

"What are you doing?!" Elsa hissed. "I'm trying to help her!"

"You're a princess," Jack said. "Royalty don't help people with their luggage."

Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Look, Elsa," Jack said, a bit too sweetly to be real, "I'm just trying to help, alright?"

"Jack," she said, "do you really think I'm royalty?"

Jack smiled. "You know I do."

She flung her head to look him straight in the eye. "Then stop bossing me around," she said and stood up to help the woman.

North chuckled. "Well, she certainly has a mind of her own."

Jack scowled. "Yeah. And I hate that in a woman."

North laughed, holding Olaf in his arms, all while the puppy played with his long, white beard.

The compartment door swung open and an ominous looking guard strode in.

"Papers!" he barked. "Everyone get out your papers!"

Everyone rustled in their bags and purses for their papers. Jack confidently pulled out their papers, done in beautiful black ink. He glanced to the person next to him and saw that their papers were done in a bright red ink. Jack gawked. He quickly looked over to North - who was staring at the passenger's papers as well.

"It's what I hate about this government," North muttered, "they always change things at the last minute and expect everyone to know if the second it changes!"

The guard was two rows away from them and talking to a passenger.

North looked at Jack frantically. "What do we do now?" he whispered.

Jack sighed. "Well, up to this point, pray that he's colorblind."

The guard came over to them.

"Papers!" he yelled at them.

"Of course," Jack said, flashing him a charming smile as he handed over their papers. As the guard was looking through their papers, North played nervously with his beard, Jack drummed his fingers on the seat, and Elsa being back from helping the elderly woman, looked at them curiously, having no idea what was going on.

The guard looked up from their papers and looked back down. After a few more minutes of rifling through, the guard spoke.

"Wait here," he said, exiting out of the compartment with their papers.

North turned to Jack, his eyes wide with fear. "Oh no," he said. "We're all dead men."

Jack got up from their seat and stuck his head out to search for the guard. He could see him conferring with other guards, pointing and sorting through their papers.

"Shi-"

"I'm going to stretch my legs out," Elsa said, poking her head out as well. She raised a brow at him. "Or is that not allowed for royalty as well?"

"No, no," Jack said hurriedly. "That's perfectly fine. That's actually a good idea - a great idea. Go ahead and stretch your legs." As he was talking he steered her into the opposite direction of the guards. He pointed ahead. "Stretch them that way."

Elsa looked at him like he was crazy. "Alright... Thank you."

Jack gave her a casual smile, even though he felt like he was going to explode from their current dilemma. "No problem."

Elsa walked away, still confused on their conversation.

I must have hit him harder than I thought. she thought to herself.