The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

Chapter 44

"Are you okay?" I try my best to gauge the severity of her condition, but don't see any external injuries. Aside from the cold and snow making Anna's skin scarily pale and the apparent fact that she can barely stand, she looks unharmed. Relief courses through me, but only for a moment. It quickly is extinguished as I again am slammed hard with the realization that we are alone.

I swallow, not knowing how exactly to ask this. If what I'm fearing is correct, then that means that they're gone.

That means the Anna failed.

"Anna..." I suck in a deep, painful breath. She lifts her face to meet mine, her expression open and completely not ready for what I'm about imply.

I almost stop myself. I almost decide that, with everything going on, Anna doesn't need this extra weight on her shoulders. But I look even deeper into her eyes, and I see strength. Strength that I know Anna has. She can handle this.

She has to.

"Jack? What is it?" Her voice begins to fill with trepidation. After a moment, her eyes widen and she pushes back away from me, and I try not to wince. She looks around, and her eyes begin to widen. Turning back to me, the snow blowing her braids around her hair, her eyes begin to fill with panic, and then with grief.

"No..." she begins, shaking her head and backing away from me, "No...this...there has to be a mistake. There...there has too..." She turns away from me and pulls at her hair with her hands, "I...I knew that they made it. I knew it. I would've...I would've felt it if I'd lost them." Her eyes met mine, "Jack, tell me I didn't lose them..."

I watch her with wide eyes, opening and closing my mouth as I try to find words that can appease her.

After meeting Elsa, Anna was quickly added into my new string of friends. As Elsa grew into more than just a friend, so did Anna. She quickly became my little sister, in more ways than just by law. And now that I remember my own little sister of centuries ago, I know that Anna made her way into that role. Though she could never really replace my own little sister, she's forged her own special place into my life.

So after all of these years, I have subconsciously grown just as protective of her as Elsa is. Well, almost as protective. I don't think I'll ever beat Elsa's mother-hen tendencies.

Watching while Anna's expression slowly begins to crumble, watching as pain, grief, shock, and self-loathing begins to take over...it breaks my heart. Finally, it seems to have become too much, and she falls to her knees. Pulled out of my stupor, my Guardian instincts take over and I stop the storm. My hand tightens on my staff from the effort; this storm is no ordinary snowy night. It's much worse.

And it makes no sense. I'm the Spirit of Winter. No storm should be too much for me.

So why is this one?

I shove these thoughts aside for the time being and, with no small amount of difficulty, I push forward and kneel next to Anna.

"Anna...look at me."

Instead of following my command, she turns away, gritting her teeth as she tries to reel in her emotions.

"Anna..." I say gently. After a moment, she slowly turns towards me, and after that, she finally meets my eyes.

"We can't loose hope, Anna. Even if...even if we lost them..." I purposely use "we" in this sentence. If they really are gone, she can't blame herself. I won't allow her to.

I continue, "Even if we did loose them, they knew the risks. They...they were willing to do whatever it takes to get Elsa back. They weren't afraid, and they would not blame you."