Chapter 11: The Healing

Jamie sputtered as he coughed and gasped for breath. He felt a sharp cold pain in his chest, and every move hurt. He could feel his heart beating, and with every beat, he felt tiny cold spikes flow through his veins. He tried to get up on his feet but failed.

Jack turned around and realized what he has done. He has accidentally hurt his brother again. He looked at his hands in despair, his face holding a bitter expression. Hearing the commotion from above, Sandra dashed upstairs.

"Jamie!" she cried, sliding to his side. She supported the young prince, putting his arm behind her neck and above her shoulder, helping him to his feet.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Jamie said, clutching his chest as another wave of cold pain seared through his chest as he spoke. He grit his teeth in an attempt to lessen the piercing sensation.

"You have to go. Please." Jack said, turning away once more as guilt welled up inside of him. Outside, Elsa could just helplessly watch what was happening inside. She felt pity and sadness rise inside her. She knew what Jamie's fate would be.

"No, I know we can do something about this, together!" Jamie spoke as loud as he could, his voice being weak. He was feeling colder every moment, every second. Sandra's eyes snapped towards Jamie's head, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"Your hair..." Sandra whispered, but was interrupted by Jack.

"Oh yeah? How do you plan on stopping this, huh? What can you do?" Jack snapped, clenching his fist as he tried to suppress the power growing inside of him. He felt anger inside of him, anger at himself. He was agitated that he let himself out of control, and ended up hurting Jamie again. He needed to get his brother away from him, as far as possible.

"Jamie... I- I think it's best if we should go." Sandra told Jamie, but he stubbornly shook his head.

"No. I'm not leaving without Jack." Jamie said firmly.

"Not if I can help it." Jack replied. He closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. A dust of snow and frost twirled in front of him as a giant frost monster appeared. The two nobles' eyes widened as the monster glared at them.

"Usher them outside." Jack told the monster. The monster grunted and abruptly picked up the two.

"Hey! Put us down!" Jamie shouted, but the monster had already plopped them outside the ice castle. They landed headfirst into the snow.

"Go away, and don't come back!" the monster said in a deep and menacing voice.

Jamie got up and scratched his head. The cold was stinging him like a million cold needles pricking his skin. He winced in pain as he tried to move. He could feel the cold spreading out from his chest.

"Jamie..." Sandra said, touching his shoulder, snapping him back to reality. Jamie then pulled on his hair with both hands.

"Oh no... What am I gonna do?!" Jamie asked. He was panicking.

"I can't go back to Frostland with a weather like this!" he said, and then looked at Sandra. "Of course, you can't go home with the sea frozen solid too!" he exclaimed, coughing again. He felt colder now.

"No, no. Don't worry about me. I've been meaning to mention this, but worry about your hair!" Sandra exclaimed, touching Jamie's head.

"My hair? I was just thrown headfirst into the snow! You should see your hair!" Jamie exclaimed, chuckling.

"No, yours is turning white." Sandra said, frowning, as a few strands of Jamie's hair turned white. Jamie's heard thumped louder. His knees gave away, and he was kneeling in the snow. Fear swept through him as he remembered how a ray of frost pierced his heart.

"It's because he struck you, isn't it?" Sandra asked, bending down to see Jamie clearly.

The young prince nodded.

"But I can't blame him. He tried to protect me but I was just too stubborn. But don't worry, I think I know how I can solve this." Jamie said, assuring Sandra with a smile. They walked down the mountain hand in hand and walked in the direction that Jamie remembered. The direction where the trolls lived.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-

Edmund's head was hand from his neck in despair as he sat on the bed. He could feel the wind howling colder outside. The storm was picking up again. It was almost midnight and the most sleep he had since the coronation was during the time when he was knocked out.

Rapunzel slowly and carefully wrapped her long hair around the dead prince's body. She wiped his face with a cloth, removing the shoe mark on his cheek. Her hair wrapped around his head, his chest, his torso and his legs. Rapunzel put one hand on his chest, and another on his hand. She sighed and closed her eyes as she began to gather energy. She might not be successful since she's in human form, but it was worth a try.

"Flower gleam and glow... Let your power shine... Make the clock reverse... Bring back what once was mine..." Rapunzel chanted. Her hair began to glow, enveloping the prince in a golden mist. Rapunzel felt something go up her throat. She ignored it.

She swallowed hard, feeling the the substance line her throat down her stomach. It felt very uncomfortable, but she had to continue the ritual. She pressed her hand harder against the prince's firm chest.

"Heal what has been hurt... change the fate's design... Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine..." she chanted. Again she felt another wave of uneasiness flow through her as she felt the need to regurgitate. She suppressed the feeling and swallowed the substance back. She felt slightly nervous as she realized something warm was flowing through her nose and ears. She heard Edmund gasp.

"Bring back what once was mine..." she finished as she felt her head becoming lighter.

She opened her eyes to see that color has returned to the prince's cheeks. The darkening spots were gone.

"I've reverted his form back to two days ago... He should be fine now... But his memories from today and yesterday are gone." Rapunzel said, feeling extremely tired.

"But why? Pitch only murdered him a while ago." Edmund said, fury visible in his voice when he said Pitch.

"We have to be sure." Rapunzel said, turning to smile at Edmund. Edmund's eyes widened in shock as he saw blood dripping from her nose and ears.

"Your- your nose and ears-" the duke stammered.

"A side effect..." Rapunzel weakly said as she fell on the ground, unconscious.

The duke was alarmed, but then he realized she needed to rest.

"Thank you..." the duke said. He then looked back at Tristan who stirred, and woke up. He wiped at his eyes.

"Where- where am I...?" Tristan asked, looking around, confused. He looked at Edmund and then at Rapunzel.

"Uncle, who is this person?" Tristan asked again, looking at the sleeping girl on the floor.

"She's the one who rescued you and saved your life." Edmund said, smiling.

Tristan got up and moved over to Rapunzel. He pried her mouth open and examined her teeth. Edmund chuckled.

"Now, Tristan. It's rude to pry into someone's mouth while they're asleep."

"But her teeth are wonderful..." Tristan said, smiling to himself. Then he noticed that his clothes were tattered.

"What happened...? Why is my outfit like this?" Tristan asked, confused.

"I don't really know, but for now, just listen what I have to say. We have to bring down Pitch." Edmund said firmly. He clenched his fist. Tristan gave him a questioning look, before he shrugged and plopped himself on the bed.

"Sure." Tristan said in a carefree tone.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-

Merida was forcefully thrown inside a cell, her body slamming against the cold, hard floor. She tried to get up and retaliate, but the door was slammed shut.

"Let me out! I came 'ere to save him! Can't ye understand!" Merida shrieked as the guards walked away.

"Keep your mouth shut, murderer!" one of the guards said, glancing back at her, sneering.

"Bastards!" Merida screamed, a tear falling off her eye. Ever since Tristan died, she did not cry, but now, she felt extremely helpless, caged inside the cell and treated like an animal. She was so close to reviving Tristan, but now it all slipped away from her fingers. She leaned against the door, and slid down, putting her head in between her knees and sobbed miserably.

"I'm sorry... I tried me best... But I just can't..." Merida said in between sobs.

"Are you alright, missie?" a man with a thick russian accent asked. Merida glared at the voice's origin.

"Do I look OK to you? I was so close! Very close! And now, I'm titled a monster, when I tried to rescue 'im! Do you think I'm OK?!" Merida snapped, warm tears sliding down her rosy cheeks.

A large man stepped out of the shadows and sat down beside her, he tapped her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I was just tryin' to make you feel better." the man said in a jolly, yet sympathetic voice. He oddly reminded Merida of the stereotypical Santa Clause, though Kristoff isn't anything like him.

Merida nodded and sniffled. She rubbed her nose against the sleeve of her shirt. She removed the crease on her short skirt and leggings and looked at the big man.

"I know. I'm sorry fer snappin' at ye like that." Merida apologized.

"Don't mention it. I'm North, by the way, duke of this kingdom." the man said, offering his hand. Merida took his hand.

"I'm Merida, a traveller. If you're the duke, then why are you locked down 'ere?" Merida asked. She was confused as to what's happening in the kingdom.

North snorted.

"It's those damned Dream Kingdom Aristocrats. That Pitch has taken over the kingdom after the king has left. The prince has followed the king. I'm sure the duke is scheming to colonize this kingdom along with that damned princess of his." North said in an agitated tone.

"Do you mean Prince Jamie and King Jack?" Merida asked cautiously. North nodded.

"How come you know the prince and the king?" North asked.

"Actually, I've travelled with the prince to find the king. We were accompanied by princess Sandra-"

"Her?! She's the princess of the Dream Kingdom." North exclaimed, cutting off Merida.

"Well, it seems like she's not part of the scheme, I reckon." Merida said. North nodded. "Seems like it."

"Anyway, we were also accompanied by this other Prince Tristan..." Merida paused. She swallowed hard and breathed deeply, "... until we were attacked by them damned wolves, and killed Tristan..."

For a while, there was silence between the two of them. North looked at Merida pitifully.

"I returned 'ere with his body 'cause I know of someone who can heal even death. However, this tall man with black hair accused me of murder and had me thrown 'ere." Merida said, ending her story.

"I'm sorry." was all North could say. Merida just nodded.

"For now, we need to find a way to get out." Merida said.

They heard footsteps approaching a few moments later. A guard looked over to them by the cell door's window, grinning.

"You, murderer will be sentenced to death tomorrow at the town square. Duke Pitch has ordered it." he said before walking away.

Merida froze in terror. It was not because she was gonna get killed, it was because she will not die. She is gonna get exposed as a spirit and her powers will completely disappear. She will become nothing more than a ghost if she were to be killed tomorrow.

"No..." was all that escaped Merida's mouth.

North grit his teeth.

"Don't worry missy. I'll find a way to get us out of here." he said, patting Merida's shoulder. "I'm not gonna let them kill you, not until you revive your prince anyway." North added, grinning at Merida. She smiled at him.

Outside, Pitch had gathered a small armada of Dream Kingdom guards in the town square. A few citizens were watching what was happening.

"I thank you all for coming here to help me in such a crisis." Pitch began.

"As you all know, this kingdom has been cursed by the an evil sorcerer, disguised as the king. The prince must have been long dead, and that sorcerer took his identity to rule over this kingdom. I'm certain he intends to transform this into a frozen kingdom." he said with power, causing onlookers to gasp. He grinned inwardly to himself.

"Therefore, as the current guardian of this kingdom, I will not allow this to happen. I've gathered the Dream Kingdom's best forces to combat the cold evil that now lurks in the wilderness. They will put an end to this curse." Pitch said, beckoning the guards.

"Go and search for the evil sorcerer. Should you encounter him, you are to put an end to this eternal winter." he finished, giving his blessing to the guards. They all bowed before marching outside the kingdom gates.

"Oh thank you, duke. How could we ever repay you?" one of the citizens said.

"You don't have to." Pitch said as he walked away, chuckling maliciously.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-

Anna weakly made her way towards the top of the mountain, and came upon a small frozen lake, with willow trees adorning the place. She felt unusual. It felt as if all her most terrible fears had come back to haunt her again. She hated the feeling. She could feel herself growing colder. The sun was long gone so she couldn't manipulate any heat anymore.

She slowly sat down next to one of the trees to rest.

"I've got to find Elsa..." Anna weakly said. The dark was not helping either. She felt scared and lost. Her body trembled in the cold and in fear. It feels as if something was watching her in the darkness. Shaking off the feeling, she got up on her feet and began walking up the mountain. She heard footsteps approaching. Alarmed, she hid herself behind one of the frozen trees. She let out a small gasp as a small group of guards in red uniforms marched through the snow. They were carrying a flag bearing a symbol which did not belong to Frostland.

"Duke Pitch..." Anna said, her eyes widening in realization. She looked towards the mountain top. "The king!" she exclaimed. She made a decision to warn the king before the soldiers arrived.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-

"Jack? Are you alright?" Elsa asked, going inside the castle. Elsa was somehow intimidated at how the castle now looked like. The walls glowed red, and icicles began forming from the ceiling.

"Keep it together... Control it!" Jack muttered as he paced back and forth in the middle of the room.

"Jack, remember what we trained." Elsa said, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I'm trying. But I just can't feel it right now, you know? I'm so sick and tired of my powers keeping on hurting people." Jack said in an agitated voice.

"Jack, calm down. Getting upset will only make it worse." Elsa said in a calm voice.

"Don't! You sound like my late father who viewed me as nothing more than a monster!" Jack snapped, pulling himself away from Elsa.

Elsa lightly gasped and frowned as she held her close to her.

"Do you want to be alone?" Elsa asked.

Jack stopped at the question. A part of him wanted to be alone, but another part of him wanted Elsa to stay. When he didn't respond, Elsa began to walk away sadly.

"Stay." Jack said. Elsa turned around.

"Please, stay." Jack said, forcing an awkward smile. Elsa smiled back as she walked back to Jack and took his hand.

"I can stay with you for as long as you like." Elsa said. Jack pulled her into an embrace.

"Please, just stay here. I don't want to be alone anymore." Jack said, gripping Elsa tightly.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Elsa said.

For a while, they just stood under the frozen chandelier. Elsa smiled as the ice walls returned to their light blue color and icicles began to melt.

Jack pulled away from the embrace and stared deeply into Elsa's blue eyes.

"Can I...?" he asked awkwardly.

Elsa grinned. She wanted to do it for a very long time.

Jack smirked as he pressed his lips against hers, both of them melting into a deep kiss. Jack put his hands around her waist, while Elsa put hers on his firm chest, caressing them.

Both of their hearts thumped in ecstacy. The pulled away to gasp for air. They grinned at each other before kissing again, this time with more passion. Elsa could not resist Jack's charms any longer, and Jack could not hold himself back after staring into Elsa's gorgeousness.

They slowly made their way towards the bedroom, both hearts thumping, adrenaline rushing through them.

"These endorphins sure are a bunch of tricky hormones, huh?" Jack joked as they pulled away.

"I know..." Elsa said, grabbing Jack's collar and pulled his lips again to hers. Jack began to make his way down to her neck, feeling every detail of her skin. He kissed her neck causing a moan to escape Elsa's lips.

Elsa pushed Jack down on the bed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. She made her way down to his neck, kissing it, then his firm chest then his light abs. She put her hands under his shirt and slowly removed it. She lightly touched his biceps as she slid the shirt down his arms.

The two of them looked at each other in the eyes again.

"Are you sure about this?" Jack asked, still panting. For a while, Elsa just stared into his eyes, then lightly kissed his lips.

"How about we end it here?" she said, smiling. Jack nodded, before drifting into sleep, still bare chested.

"Don't you wanna get dressed?" Elsa asked.

"The cold never bothered me anyway." Jack said, smirking. He just realized the key to melting the winter, as he witnessed how all the icicles disappeared during his moments with Elsa.

Just then, they heard footsteps outside the castle. Elsa looked out the window, her eyes widening in shock.

"What is it?" Jack asked when Elsa did not move.

"People. Lots of them." Elsa said. Jack made his way to the window and his mouth opened in shock. They came for him.

-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-

Sandra and Jamie walked into the valley where a lot of rocks were scattered. Jamie walked towards the middle and looked around.

"This must be it..." he said.

"Hey! Can someone help me! Please!" he shouted.

Sandra stood behind, confused.

"Those are rocks..." Sandra said.

"But they are the healers! Trust me!" Jamie replied, coughing. Half of his hair was now white. He was feeling colder by the minute, so cold that he almost trembled every move.

"Ok... I think I'll leave you alone for a while..." Sandra said, thinking that everything was getting to his head. Before she could walk away and before Jamie could stop her, the earth began to vibrate as a rumbling noise surprised Sandra. The rocks rolled towards Jamie and unfurled themselves.

"It's the prince..."

"And a princess..."

"Are they dating?"

That statement caused the two of them to blush. The trolls are mischivous creatures by nature, so they pulled Sandra towards Jamie and cooed.

"Aww, they're so cute!"

"Please cut it out. We've got a problem here." Jamie said, but the trolls wrapped the two of them in vines.

"They're so cute together, they've got to marry each other!" one of them said. Jamie and Sandra blushed furiously, causing their faces to turn very red.

However, Jamie felt another piercing cold dagger strike his chest, followed by a wave of painful cold, causing him to fall on his knees.

"Somebody help him!" Sandra shrieked, untangling herself from the vines.

"We've got no time for your mischief." Sandra snarled at the trolls. They blinked as they made a small path between them. The chief troll approached them. He touched Jamie's chest and frowned.

"Jamie, your life is in danger." he said. Sandra and Jamie's eyes widened in shock and fear.

"What...?" he asked.

"There is ice in your heart, put there by your brother. If left alone, it will freeze you into solid ice, forever." the troll said sadly.

"But you can do something about it, right?" Sandra asked expectantly. The troll shook his head. Jamie felt fear consume him, and fury. He was confused why he felt fury. Was he angry at his brother? Angry for shutting him out and then cursing him?

"If it was the head, it would've been easy, but the heart cannot be easily changed. Only an act of true love can lift the curse." the troll said.

"An act of true love...?" Jamie asked weakly, wincing and squinting his eyes as another wave of cold pain enveloped him. Sandra removed her cloak and wrapped it around Jamie.

"A true love's kiss, perhaps?!" one of the trolls squealed.

Sandra and Jamie looked at each other. They stared deeply into each other's eyes. The trolls oggled at them. They slowly inched on one another, acting on impulse from the given situation. They closed their eyes as they were just centimeters apart.

Their lips touched and they melted into a long and passionate kiss. Sandra caressed Jamie's cheeks, and the latter did the same. When they broke away, Sandra's mouth gaped.

"What...?" Jamie asked, but then he felt another cold wave of pain envelop him. That was more than enough an answer.

"Nothing changed..." Sandra said miserably.