To Break Walls

Chapter 5 Jack's POV

So I super enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the dialogue.  Mucho mucho mucho fun.  Sorry.  I miss Mexico.  I went on a mission trip down there this past June and it was just ah so amazing.  Got to play with orphans and just amazingness.  I've never seen so many mountains and hills in my life as a girl from Illinois haha.  Got any Illinoisans here?  People from Mexico?  California?  Just curious haha.

Advice for the day: Follow your heart guys.  Don't regret what once made you happy.

You're wonderful!  Thanks for reading.  Maybe comment what you think below?

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As I was flying overhead, I noticed something. Whereas the land had been green and thriving a couple days ago, it was now covered in what I could only guess was feet upon feet of snow. In fact the kingdom was covered in it. Roofs caved in due to the weight of the snow. There was no one to be seen.

"What happened here?" I whispered to myself, dropping down on the ground.

I walked through the kingdom, the plaza that had been busy with trade a day earlier was now abandoned. Some freak weather abnormality maybe? I glanced up. The snow had stopped falling, but the clouds still loomed.

I made my way towards the castle, my original destination. I needed to find some food for Elsa.

They're were two guards holding torches, guarding the entrance to the castle courtyard. I walked by them, unnoticed as always.

There were a couple people out here. Some guards talking to citizens, a middle-aged man smoking a pipe, a woman being ushered into the castle. I followed the woman, slipping in the door just before it closed.

The castle halls were filled with all the villagers that had been vacant from the surrounding houses. People huddled together, wrapped in blankets, their breath visible in the cool air. Fireplaces burned in the sitting rooms, everyone vying for a place by them.

I passed a pair of elderly men, one wheezing, the other scowling.

"I told yeh so! This is why they should've handed Arendelle o'er to King Leon o'er in Doorshire! That girl wasn't fit to be queen. Men'ally ill from 'er parents death. . . and a freak at that! What 'appened to the ol' days when women weren't 'llowed to take the throne without a husband? An' leavin' just as this bloody win'er hits. If she freezed to death ou' there it'd prob'ly be for the best." the scowling man grumbled.

"I have complete faith in Queen Elsa, and lets have none of that talk," the other one said. He coughed for a moment and then cleared his throat. "We don't know the whole story."

"Well I know ever'thing I need to," the first one replied. "I'm tellin' yeh. Arendelle's been goin' to ruins an' this only finishes it."

Elsa was the Queen. This new information surprised me, but it didn't change anything. Not really. I knew that I would still see her as Elsa. That's all people were, despite their titles and reputations. They were just them. Just a Mary or just a John.

I didn't appreciate what the man was saying. He didn't know anything about Elsa. I felt anger start boiling up, but I ignored it and continued on, a frown on my face.

I turned and almost ran into a woman holding an infant. The infant was wrapped in a thick wooly blanket, gurgling and babbling nonsense. The woman was talking to an elderly woman beside her.

"Poor dear. I do hope she's all right. If only her parents, God bless their souls, were still here. For her and her sister to partially grow up without them, well its no wonder that this happened. A girl needs a mother and father! I've heard that her and her sister fought a lot. Probably been alone most of her life. I'm not sure what to think of the whole ice from her hands, but I'm sure if she had someone that she could get better. Probably just misunderstood. I do hope that Princess Anna can bring her back home safely. Look around you! People don't know what to do without their queen. That bloke Hans seems good, if not a little bit too good to be true. At least Arendelle is in good hands till Queen Elsa returns."

"Not too bad to look at either," the old woman cackled. The younger woman shook at her head and patted the baby on the back.

"If only that fool wasn't here, oh what's his name? The Duke of Weaseltown. He's a greedy snake if I ever did see one. Out to get his hands on whatever money he can. I can't stand the sight of him—"

"Who are you talking about?"

"That man over there."

The young woman pointed and me and other woman swiveled our heads to look.

"Oh that handsome gentleman over there? Mm, nice to look at. Perhaps a little too close to my age for my taste, but I suppose he'd do. Do you think he's married?"

The younger woman made a sound of disgust and didn't answer.

I continued on, looking for the kitchen. It had to be around here somewhere.

"Is it wise to be giving these people all this food? I mean, we need to save Arendelle's resources. Who knows how long this winter will last?" an old man was demanding to a younger man.

"I understand your concern, and we are rationing the food. But I can't just let the people starve."

The old man muttered something and walked away, glowering.

Then at last I saw it. Beside it was a sign that read: Lunch 11-12, Dinner 6-7. I walked into the doors and found that it was empty. There was some stew sitting on the counter, some minced mushrooms, some wilting celery. I looked around.

"What can I get her?" I wondered aloud. I opened up the cabinets and smiled. I pulled out a jar of something, I'm not sure what it was, some sort of canned food. I took two loaves of bread along with it. That should be enough. Now how was I going to get out with this?

I looked around for an escape and then saw it, through an open window. It thumped against the wall, some snow blowing in. I crawled up on the counter, squeezing through the window with ease. Now to get back to Elsa.

I wasn't sure if I should let her know that I knew about her being Queen. I mean, it didn't matter to me. Queen or not she was still Elsa. But it might matter to her. Maybe she didn't want me knowing. At the same time, I wanted to let her know that I didn't care.

It was a while before I got back to the ice castle. The snow was falling slowly now, almost tranquilly. As if it too were feeling the lulling draw of sleep.

I set the bread and the canned food on a table, and looked at Elsa. She was fast asleep. I sat on the opposite end of the bed, careful not to wake her and just stared at her. I was still marveling at the fact that she could see me.

She sighed in her sleep and it was a contented sigh. That's just how I felt. Content.

I studied her face, the shape of her eyes, lips, nose. I was struck again by how beautiful she was. Her face was relaxed and her eyelashes fluttered, maybe having a dream. If I could, I would sleep eternally. I wouldn't have to feel a lonely ache for 96 years. I could just dream. Maybe in my dreams I wouldn't be alone. But I wasn't able to sleep very easily, maybe I could try to sneak in a nap, but I was never able to hibernate for long periods of time.

I wasn't alone anymore though. I had Elsa. I made a decision right then. I wouldn't ever leave her. I didn't ever want to go back to being alone, isolated from the world. I wanted to hang on, to make this last forever. Maybe it could. I would make it so. I had a feeling that she needed me just as much as I needed her. We could relieve each others loneliness.

I moved to the opposite end of the bed and lied down to where we were parallel with each other. I wanted to know why she had run away. I had gotten a little information from the villagers at the castle but I wanted her to tell me. It meant something if it came from her. It meant she trusted me enough to tell me.

I stayed that way the rest of the night, just thinking about how I wasn't alone. Thinking of ways to make this last forever.