When Jack arrived at the village gates, something was different—he was hesitant; he dreaded seeing Elsa more than anticipated. Looking at the pale, white flesh on his hands, he remembered he was a danger, he remembered his old neighbors' faces, Sophie barely letting out a sharp, gasp of breath as he caused the ice below her feet to crack.

When he squeezed through the gates unnoticed once more, he saw the friendly townspeople going about their business—just as his old neighbors were, completely unsuspecting of the strange monster the Overlands had given birth to. He wasn't Jackson Overland anymore, not that person. He was Jack Frost, the freak who lived in solitude—able to use his powers without hurting anyone. And now he was the young man who was willingly being a threat to Arendelle's people, their Princess. He nearly turned around to leave, but then he saw Elsa... actually outside speaking to someone!

His own curiosity overpowered the anxiety and he approached his friend, "Elsa?" He saw the man she was speaking to raise a brow. "Uh– Princess Elsa." Jack bowed, he noticed the rolled up piece of paper in his hand. The young woman kindly sent the man away and turned to him.

"I'm glad to see you!"

"You are?"

"My father allowed me to leave the castle just to deliver..." she pulled another note out from the belt of her dress, "these!" She held out the note with her bare hand, Jack gently slid it out without making contact and read it... And the more he read it, the more painful it was. All those people, including the king and queen... and his fair friend who appeared so delighted in front of him. "Jack, I really want you to be there!" Elsa sounded so giddy that it was tormenting. She even appeared desperate, "It'd mean a lot to me... If I have to present in front of all those people again, I'd feel better if you were there!" Jack winced. "I feel less afraid with you—Ah, I don't know." She played with her hair; some short bangs had fallen loose from her bun.

Jack didn't want to disappoint her, but this didn't feel right. He was about to answer, but she pointed a finger.

"Oh, Jack, You can't exactly wear..." She gestured to his entire outfit. He looked more like a peasant than royalty. "That." She bluntly said. "It has to be formal." Jack remained silent. Elsa caught on to what he was implying. "You... do want to come, right?"

Jack didn't deny that he wanted to go, but he'd been thinking of what Pitch said. He was walking on eggshells just standing in front of her! He didn't have any more courage at that moment to say anything and he swallowed his tongue. "Elsa, I'd love to go..."

She quirked a disappointed brow. "But...?"

Jack hated how easily he could be read. Frustrated, he bit his lip and continued. "But I can't. I told you I'm not good at these kinds of things. I've never done this before." He turned away.

"Then how do you expect to get better at it?"

"I can't be around people." Jack sputtered. Had he said too much? No. This was good. He had to be honest for once in his life. "I get scared, Elsa. I get scared of what'll happen..." He felt his body temperature dropping and tried to control it. He couldn't let himself be exposed and he held it in. It felt like a snake that wanted to burst free from his chest but someone kept pulling the chains that were holding it tighter, and it hurt.

After a moment of trying to explain, he heard her soothing voice. "I'll be there." Jack looked into Elsa's eyes. "We don't have to be afraid." She even put her fingers to her heart as a sign or sincerity. Jack said nothing, but his earnest eyes were enough words for her to show that he trusted her. Without another word exchanged between the two, they bid each other bye until the ball. Elsa would be helping prepare everything the next day, giving Jack time to spend at home... Wherever that was supposed to be.

He was too tired to trudge all the way up the mountain that night, so he nestled next to a tree and got comfortable. He'd slept in worse places, but perhaps somewhere with the castle so close by wasn't the best idea when he began to ponder all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. He tried to distract himself so he could sleep... but the troubled thoughts wouldn't cease, he knew he had a serious decision to make.

...

This wasn't right. He couldn't hide the truth from her anymore.

Jack knew at once he had to try and explain just what he was to Elsa. After all, she'd been nothing short of sincere with him, she deserved better. He tried to keep his heart rate calm with deep breaths as he stepped through the gates, hoping she might be around so he could speak to her in private.

There she was, thank God!

"Elsa?" He was still fighting to maintain his courage as he approached.

"Hm?" She turned to see who it was. As soon as he saw her kind face, his breath hitched. But it had to be done.

"I... I need to talk to you."

She recognized his behavior was unusual and her face fell rather quickly. "What's the matter?"

"There's..." He'd never told anyone before, not with words. How would he even begin to explain? "I—" he knew this would hurt, but he had to, "I can't go to the ball tomorrow night."

Elsa looked more confused than anything. "Why not?"

"It's not about you, or anyone else, really. It's about me." She waited quietly, wondering just what was about to come out of his mouth. "I..." His heart rattled his ribcage. It felt as heavy as stone! "I'm not... normal." That's what she'd called him before, wasn't it? Such bitter irony. She wrinkled her brow. "I..."

"You're a freak?"

And in that instant his thwacking heart stopped. He swore he felt his soul leave his body and watch himself look into the eyes of someone now so full of disgust and fear.

"W-What'd you say...?" He heard it before he saw it; the crackling beneath him as his hurt unleashed a sheet of ice under his feet. Panic took over and, before he could shout for her to get away, he saw her, her body was covered in white and she contorted in pain. He tried to stop it! But his own power wouldn't listen! "No! Don't!" He cried as though he could be heard by them.

She took his shoulders pleadingly, but there was nothing he could do! The ice was devouring her. "Please help me!"

"I'm trying!"

"IT HURTS! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

"ELSA—!"

"YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

Jack bolted awake with a horrified cry.

Eyes wide and full of fear, he breathed heavily, looked wildly around to figure out where he was. His heart pounded, the grass around him was coated in frost. He whispered to himself, "Elsa's okay. It's all okay. It was only a dream, it's all right."

As Jack began to calm himself, he saw something move. It darted out of sight.

Jack crept farther into the forest where he'd heard the noise. Unsure if he was alone, he kept on guard. Then, appearing from nowhere, a large horse made of black sand let out a fierce scream. It was on its hind legs about to pounce and the young man cried out and fell backward.

"Whoa, whoa!" A familiar voice called. "Easy, girl!" Pitch Black emerged from the shadows and calmed the Night Mare. "Easy..."

"Pitch...?" Had he done that? Nightmares were one of his specialties... But why to him? The steed was calmed and the tall, dark man turned around.

"Jack? Is that you?" He saw the grin on his face, he knew it was him. "What's the matter? Bad dreams?"

"Did you do that?" It had been months since Pitch had been able to create a full-bodied horse with his magic; something wasn't right. Jack saw the man nod and his eyes went dark with disbelief. "Why?" He got back to his feet.

"It was a warning, Jack!" He yelled sternly, petting his Night Mare's muzzle. "I couldn't let you forget the real issue here." The young man gave him a hateful glare, as if he wasn't worried already! "That ball you intend to go to will end in tragedy! Don't you know what could happen?"

"I do!" He refuted, unfortunately. "I do..." He turned away—Pitch sensed his bitterness and, despite the pain it gave him, had to continue.

"It's your choice." He reminded, talking to him like the older brother Jack thought of him to be. "You still want to go, fine." He said cheerfully, "Have a grand time with the princess and her subjects... Just know what even the smallest stumble could cause."

"Nothing will happen!" Jack turned around with twisted fear in his eyes. "I won't let anything happen." Normally, Pitch would be proud and tell him that he had the perfect attitude... But desperate times call for tragic measures.

"Who's to say it won't?" He began to descend into the shadows and vanish. "Don't be the monster you fear you are." And he was gone. The Night Mare had disappeared too. The area grew quiet again and Jack Frost was alone. He heard the sounds of crackling when he saw that he froze the spot he was standing in, his hands were coated with frost. Pitch had a point—but if he didn't go, Elsa would be alone too... Just like he always was.

"Don't be the monster you fear you are..." He mumbled to himself. Monster, he said over and over, monster. As if being a freak wasn't bad enough, now he was a monster?

He ended up spending the next day looking at Arendelle instead of going back to his palace like he planned. Jack saw everyone already baking, making new clothes and wrapping gifts to exchange for the celebration. He kept peeking at the top window in Arendelle's castle... For some reason he swore he kept seeing Elsa smiling from it, but every time he did a double-take, she was gone. He had to stop wasting time—he had to work on controlling his powers.

Jack spent that day in the woods; he placed both his hands on a tree trying to keep from anything freezing. Unfortunately, the tree would soon be glittering with ice and frost. He tried everything, but it seemed no matter how focused he was on hiding it, his powers still found a way out. If he wasn't so damn nervous... Okay, focus. He told himself, "Get it together... It's tomorrow night." It was only when his bare hands touched anything... Gloves! Maybe if he got a pair of gloves with whatever he was going to wear, he wouldn't have anything to worry about. But how would he explain frost that came through his shoes? God, one thing at a time!

Jack told himself not to panic, nothing has gone wrong. Don't let it show. Don't be the monster you fear you are. Don't be the monster you fear you are.

...

The next evening came all too soon; everyone was full of vigor and waiting outside the castle doors. Jack wasn't particularly eager to join them; he'd have to wait until they were all inside before he could even enter. He didn't even feel comfortable standing in front of the tailor's stand. He threw a regular suit onto the counter along with everything that went with it. "This is all we have in your size." He said flatly. It didn't matter to Jack; whatever worked.

But something didn't sit right with him. "Do you have any gloves?" He asked. The man said nothing and went to the chests behind him to look.

Jack was given a pair of white ones with the rest of the attire. Once he changed, he realized how stiff and out of place he felt. He watched the crowds of people just eager to charge in and celebrate—Arendelle just loved to celebrate. Jack didn't share the happiness that ran through the kingdom, just worry.

"It's for Elsa." He whispered allowed. "Do this for Elsa." As Jack looked at the gloves, which gave him some comfort, the castle doors were opened. People rushed inside. Jack gave them time to disperse and approached cautiously. The single event of stepping inside a castle, a real one, was nerve-wracking in itself! Jack's jaw dropped once he saw everything. He thought his castle was impressive? The decor and high ceilings... the patterns in the carpet... it was bigger than anything he'd seen.

"Whoa..." He said to himself; he'd been one-upped.

"Jack?" An unfamiliar voice said. It was Gerda, but Jack didn't know who she was. How'd she know his name?

"Uh... Hello?"

"Oh, Elsa's told me all about you. She said to look for a young man with white hair. So far, you're the only one who matches that description!"

"So I do." He nervously adjusted his blazer. How did people wear this willingly? "Is she around?" He couldn't help but sound a little excited. If he felt this ridiculous all dressed up, then so must she!

"Yes! She's all dolled up and ready to see you." Gerda turned to look down the corner of the hall. "Elsa?" The elderly maid called. She got a cross look after a moment. "You look wonderful, don't be shy!" She grabbed her hand and brought her out around the corner. Jack's eyes glittered when he saw her.

Elsa was adorned in a teal dress with black sleeves and her hair back in a French-braided crown twist bun. She blushed and hid her face with a laugh.

The words were on his lips, You look beautiful! But all that came out was, "Wow..."

"Does it look bad?" She giggled again.

"No! Not at all!" Jack held his hands together, still insecure about whether the gloves would change anything. Elsa stepped closer as Gerda walked down to the ballroom.

"I'm so glad you came, Jack." He stepped away as she got closer. "It means a lot."

"Yes, erm-I know." He was afraid, and he was sure Elsa could see right through him! He turned around. The Princess was sure he was just as nervous as she was.

She was about to make a joke about how stiff they both must feel, but instead she decided to be sweet for once. "You look like a prince." She meant those few words that would mean so much in Jack's heart.

Unable to keep from smiling, he faced her, "You do too." He blurted out. "Whoa! Not a prince! I mean you look like a princess... Which you are. You are a princess." He really did need to learn how to talk to people. Elsa just laughed. "I guess we should head for the—" They suddenly heard a deep, self-assured voice.

"That's the king."

"You mean your father?"

"It's time." She sighed. "Come on. The ballroom's this way." Jack realized this would be his first time seeing an actual ballroom. This would be interesting... Maybe he could make some room in his ice castle for a ballroom. Maybe one day, Elsa would find out the truth and accept him—then they could dance up there all they wanted. But that was a distant fantasy, as he remembered why he was even wearing gloves.

Everything seemed to be going well, Jack had yet to meet Queen Iduna and King Agnarr, but upon catching a glimpse of them, when he saw Elsa talking to them, the resemblance was uncanny; she had her mother's face... and her father's height. The blue-eyed young man grew pleasantly suspicious when he saw Elsa peeking at him as she spoke to her parents. At one point, she even paused and waved at him, with Agnarr wincing to get a look at the boy, and Iduna smiling. Jack chuckled and waved back. All he'd done so far was stay near the walls and try not to get close to anyone, though he had to fight not to help himself to some of the sweets on the table.

He began to feel more content as the night went on, despite not really talking to anyone other than Elsa or the servants about the castle's structure. That was one thing Jack loved to do growing up, study geometry and architecture. How else did he build that castle with his own set of magic? Festive music filled the air and men and women danced together across the ballroom, hand in hand. He couldn't help occasionally admire the royal family; all so regal and poised, with faces of confidence. He didn't belong around here... he was nothing like them.

Elsa suddenly gestured to Jack to come over. With some hesitation, he inched through the Great Hall so he didn't touch anyone and approached.

"Mother, Father..." She cleared her throat. "This is the young gentleman I've been meaning to tell you about. I'd like you to meet Jack Frost."

Jack, though nervous, bowed. "Your Majesties..." He wasn't sure what the appropriate term for them was. He hoped that would work.

Agnarr observed him. "What interesting hair..." Jack wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"It's lovely." Iduna said. "And what pretty eyes you have."

Jack stood up straight again and awkwardly grinned. "Thank you." He couldn't look either one of them in the eyes. Elsa was just as anxious though she was able to swallow it since he was there.

"Jack, there's something I'd like to ask you." Elsa caught his attention. She'd already received her parents' blessings. She curtsied to them to show that she'd be walking off. Elsa escorted Jack to the middle of the ballroom. "Jack?" She played with her hands; he didn't know why, but knowing she was just as nervous made him smirk.

"Elsa?" She was closer to him than he liked, but it didn't faze him... Not yet. She looked into his eyes, blushed, then bashfully looked at the floor.

"I really, um..." Finally, she looked up at him. "I want you to dance with me, Jack." She held out her bare hand, fingers so nice and elegant, waiting to curl up with his.

"Why?" Was the first word that fell out of his mouth.

She laughed. "Because you're my friend, and I would like to." Jack didn't react; he felt his heart racing. "Don't worry, I promise I won't let you trip." He almost refused right away, but the eagerness in her eyes just wouldn't let him. It was all right if he had gloves on, wasn't it?

Elsa was nervous too, but for a much different reason. He hadn't touched anyone since he made his choice to live alone. He didn't know what would happen. As his trembling hand went to touch hers, but he could hear the shrieks of the village all over again. Sophie's thin yet soaring cry of helplessness. The screams of the townsfolk.

He's going to hurt us! He's a freak! He's a FREAK!

Jack shuddered violently in panic, alarming Elsa.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes widened.

He tried to shake the memory away. "Elsa, I'm sorry. But I-" He saw the confusion and worry, what other explanation did he have? "I-I can't." He blurted out with pain in his eyes.

Elsa blinked. "I don't understand."

"You wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand, exactly?" She became frustrated, as did Jack, but with himself. He said nothing more. He'd made a huge mistake; he had no place there. Elsa softened her voice, "Jack," and reached for his shoulder, "I know this isn't what you're used to—"

"Don't touch me!" He shouted, leaping away. His tone had made it come out all wrong; like a parent correcting a defiant child. The chatter quieted and some stared, including the worried Queen and angry King. Jack saw the hurt in Elsa's eyes. Unable to apologize, he went to flee the ballroom, then the castle, then Arendelle. For good.

Elsa went to call out his name, but Agnarr beat her to it. "You! Boy!" Jack was afraid to disrespect the King, but he kept walking without turning back. "How dare you disrespect your Princess?"

"Father, please." She grumbled, still perplexed.

Jack fought to gain control of his body temperature and his aching emotions as he listened. The door was so close. Just keep walking.

"No, he'll answer to his King. Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to behave in such a way?"

What gave him the right? Jack had never had any rights! How dare he ask him such a thing! At his breaking point, Jack spun around and swung his hand, "Leave me ALONE!" And ice came spiraling from his palm, coating the floor of the ballroom and frothing up into sharp spikes. The music halted. Jack's face turned blue. His eyes wide and empty, he looked around at the people's aghast faces.

Then he saw Elsa's mortified reaction. She looked at him like she was looking at a monster. Their eyes only met for a brief moment, and it was too much for him to bear.

Before anyone could say anything, Jack pushed through the doors and flew from the ballroom.