Of the Northmost Winds and Skies

Chapter 20: Jack is a Viking through and through

Jack was afraid to move. He forced himself to meet Snow's pale eyes. "Let them go," he said. "You want me, not them."

The Snow Queen smiled a terrible, beautiful smile. "So heroic," she said, as soft as a lullaby. "It's funny. All I knew was that you had a brother, and nothing more. But I knew the moment I saw him. He looks a lot like you."

"Let them go," Jack repeated. The circle of fog looked like it was getting closer, and the smaller the circle got, the lower the temperature dropped. "You've scared yourself for no reason. I'm of no threat to you. I don't have any powers anymore."

Snow watched him with an almost pitiful expression, as if she was sorry all of this was happening. "No," she said, and Jack didn't know if she was rejecting his plea or agreeing with him. "Are you scared, Jack Frost?"

Jack didn't want to answer, but he didn't think it was a good idea to cross her. Not when she was within arm's reach of Jamie and Skade, who seemed reluctant to move. Jack had no doubt Snow wouldn't even need to raise a finger to put an end to them both.

"...Yes," he admitted through gritted teeth.

"Yes...?" She raised her brows expectantly.

Jack's hands were shaking, and not just with fear. "Yes, your Majesty," he said, pouring as much sarcasm into his words as he possibly could.

Snow smiled again. It was a faint thing, but filled with so much malicious glee, Jack felt frost spreading down his spine. "Good," she said. "Because I'm afraid I'm not powerful enough to do any real harm just yet."

"Any real harm?" Jamie repeated incredulously, but looked like he regretted it when the Queen turned her eyes to him. He pressed his mouth shut.

"Yes, little one," she said, and if Jack didn't know any better, he'd think she sounded loving. "I just wanted to come for an early visit, just for today." She looked back at Jack. At no point did she make a move towards him, but Jack kept being forced forward by the icy fog. The closer he came, the more he realized there was something different about her. She seemed almost... transparent.

"You're not really here." Jack looked up at her. "Then how..."

"My soldiers? They're quite magnificent, aren't they?" She reached out with her hand, and just a few short moments later, one of the soldiers came walking into the circle. With a gentle hand, she lifted off his helmet.

It was a man, Jack thought. But no – he was too pale to be a man. So pale, he was a pure white. And there was something uncanny about his... everything, but Jack couldn't place exactly what it was.

"They need a bit of work," Snow admitted, tracing a finger down the man's cheek, then his neck, and down to his chest. "But these will do, for now." Then she thrust her hand right through the white armor, and the man's skin and bones. She began to pull something out.

"Don't look," Jack said to Jamie and Skade, and thankfully they listened to him. He wished he'd listened to himself when the Snow Queen pulled her hand back out, and the man crumpled. Literally crumpled – to snow and ice.

"I don't usually deal with humans," Snow explained softly. "Too much trouble. You know I like to have a veil of mystery around me. But animals do nicely. There's only so much ice and snow can do... I needed some extra life to make it believable."

"Why?" Jack breathed. He watched as white took over the red in the Snow Queen's hand, until the heart was just another ice sculpture. She crushed it in her hand and let the remains fall to the ground.

"Because I can," she said, looking back at Jack again. "And if I can do this now... before winter, and before their devastating winter... what do you think will happen once that time comes?"