Frozen, Rise of the Guardians 1. Chapter 1

Five days. Nearly a week at sea and they still hadn't reached their destination. She had been promised no more than three days on this wretched vessel.

A sigh parted the lips of the agitated girl as she stared down at the murky water of the ocean through her small window. Her many hours spent reading novels of great adventurers and magical sirens had—apparently—been a complete waste. They had lied to her, after all. The sea was not a magnificent shade of deep blue that drew its onlookers towards it, seemingly beckoning them to explore its mysterious depths. No. It was not a new and exciting frontier where adventure waited on the crest of each wave. No. It was—in fact—quite dull and rather unpleasant. It's color was a dark, putrid green that she prayed she would never see again after this voyage. Yes, she had certainly been fool. Yet as she thought of that, she came upon the conclusion that it was no one's fault but her own. She had be the one to place her faith in what she now realized were mere fairytales. There was certainly no one for her to blame but herself; which only served to feed her irritation.

A light pattern of knocks at her cabin door was enough to pull the young woman from her daze. Saying nothing, and making no attempt to move, she looked towards the door expectantly; as if it were to tell her who was on the other side. Moments later, a soft, familiar voice sounded from the hall.

"Elsa?" the voice called gently. A hesitant answer rested on the girl's tongue, but died quickly thereafter. Instead, she slowly stood from the comfort of her small bed and seemingly glided to the door. Her hand hovered hesitantly over the door knob. She rarely opened the door for anyone these days. Did she dare open it now?

When the voice came once more, repeating her name—though this time with a more pitiful, pleading tone—she finally turned the knob and allowed the door to open, a soft creek accompanying the action.

As expected, her younger sister stood on the threshold; her eyes wide and stunned. She certainly hadn't been expecting an answer, much less for the door to open. The older of the two waited for her sister to say something, but it appeared that the younger girl was simply too astonished to speak.

"Yes, Anna?" the blonde prompted her sister. At Elsa's slight encouragement, Anna finally spoke up.

"Oh, sorry, um," She sputtered, attempting to form words. It had possibly been weeks or months since the siblings had exchanged words; words that were more than just passing greetings. "Papa- I mean, uh, Father, wanted me to come get you. Dinner will be ready soon."

Elsa eyed her sister for a few moments, evaluating the situation. Preferably, her supper would have been sent to her room—as it had been the past few days. That was how she preferred most things these days; in her room, away from the eyes of others. Alone. That was how she felt most comfortable. However, if her father had requested her presence, she couldn't very well ignore him. It would be rude and downright awful of her. In addition to this, the look Anna gave her—one of absolute hope and perhaps a bit of desperation—was enough to sway the elder's decision. After a sigh and several deft movements to work a pair of slippers onto her feet, Elsa stepped into the hall with the younger girl, closing the door to her cabin behind her.

The smile the graced her sister's features was enough to tell Elsa that her decision had not been made in vain. For all the sadness and worry she had cost her family, it meant the world to her that she was still able to make them smile on occasion.

As the pair walked towards the main deck, the younger of the two slowly slipped into her natural personality. Soon the halls were filled with Anna's bubbly voice as she attempted to make conversation with her older sister. Anna's spunk had always been amusing to Elsa and it was nice to hear how she had been enjoying their trip so far, even if Elsa didn't quite feel the same. With time, the blonde came to find a small, peaceful smile had come to rest on her thin lips while her sister continued to ramble. Even with her best efforts, Elsa only managed to get a word or two in occasionally before her sister started up again—not that she minded too much, of course. It was a good dynamic, in Elsa's opinion, seeing as it meant she had to do little or even no talking at all.

As they reached the top of a short stairwell, the sisters were greeted by the sun-blazed sky. There were several clouds rolling overhead—Elsa recalled Anna mentioning that she spent a plentiful amount of time watching the fluffy white puffs during the day. Each cloud was reflecting a gradient of magnificent light from the receding sun in the distance. Red, pink, orange, yellow—a stark contrast to the darkening blue of the sky. It was certainly breathtaking; though not so much so as the Northern Lights back home in Arendelle.

As it dawned on Elsa that perhaps she should spend a bit more time outside, a gentle tap on her shoulder shattered her stupor. She flinched and pulled away, her head snapping to the right to look at the person who had dared to touch her when everyone was quite aware how much she hated it.

Anna. Of course. Just her sister. Elsa quickly schooled her features back into an unreadable mask, void of emotion and looked at her sister expectantly.

"Over here," was all the younger said before turning and leading the way to a large table set out in the middle of the deck.

Their parents were already seated; their father at the head of the table and their mother to his right, engaged in some sort of conversation with each other. As they approached the table, their parents features seemed to relax a bit; surely because they too were worried that Elsa would stay in her room. Each of the girls took their seats at the table as their parents resumed their conversation.

Dinner was rather dull, as Elsa expected. Servants bustled around, keeping glasses and plates full until each was satisfied. While Elsa sat contently quiet, focusing on her manners as well as her parent's discussion, Anna was busy practically stuffing her face. Typical. And—as usual—their parents made no comment on it. On top of that, the princess looked as though she were going to burst at the seams if not included in the discussion soon.

"Papa," Anna finally spoke up, interrupting her parent's conversation and receiving a stern look from her older sister. "How much longer until we arrive in Corona?" she asked, looking to their father.

Despite her disapproval of Anna's interruption, Elsa, too, was curious as to when she would finally be off this horrid vessel, and so she looked to their father as well.

"We'll be making port any day now, darling." He responded, a kind smile directed towards his youngest.

Suppressing a twinge of jealousy, Elsa returned to her meal; allowing herself to be content with the knowledge that they would be landing soon enough.

* * *

After everyone had finished their meals, Elsa had waited for an appropriate lull in the conversation to ask if she could be excused to retire for bed. Seeming a bit reluctant, her parents had excused her.

She walked down the hall of the large ship, having wished her family a good night's rest, and hoped to herself that they would be home soon. The trip to Corona was intended to be eight days at sea and five on land, where they would be guests at her cousin's wedding. The extra day there meant they would likely only be staying in Corona for four days now, seeing as her parents really did need to be back in Arendelle as soon as possible. That meant a possible eight or more days away from home, away from her studies and her room.

A sigh parted the blonde's lips as she reached the door of her cabin and pushed it open. It dawned on her that she had begun to sigh a lot these days. Sighing was for those who had experienced great grief and sadness in their lives. But then, in her own way, she supposed she had dealt with those things.

It didn't take her long to change into her night clothes; a simple, blue, cotton nightgown that tied in a ribbon at her chest. The sleeves hung loosely down to her wrists and the hem went to her ankles. It certainly wasn't her most flattering outfit, but it served its purpose while keeping her skin covered and her body warm enough. Besides, it wasn't like she had anyone to impress.

Elsa's hands paused as they pulled the ribbon, sealing the bow, and thought about that for a moment. No one to impress. She was eighteen years old. The heir to the throne of Arendelle. Not once had she ever taken to any suitor. Not even for a short while. Many princes had attempted to court her, but they learned quickly that she had no interest in that at all. There were murmurings among the aristocrats that the princess may have developed a preference for females instead. There were murmurings that perhaps she would never marry and that her sister's children might one day ascend to the throne. There were all sorts of whispers and rumors about the princess, but she simply couldn't bring herself to care as she knew that she should. She rarely had ever thought about romance, due to her condition. It would certainly make courting difficult, if possible at all.

Her head turned and she glanced towards the mirror on the wall. She supposed she was pretty enough, people had always told her so; she had never considered herself a great judge of beauty though. Things she thought to be beautiful tended to seem strange to others. Perhaps she simply had exotic tastes.

Suppressing another sigh, the princess looked away from the mirror and moved to sit on her bed. She could see through the window that the sun had set completely. Her sister and parents would be heading to bed soon. She unceremoniously fell down into her small pile of pillows and stared up at the dark ceiling of her cabin. Perhaps, at the wedding, a nice boy might ask her to dance. And perhaps, this time, she might say yes.

With that hope in her mind, the princess rolled onto her side and pulled her blankets around her small form; allowing the soft moonlight that spilled in from the window and the gentle rocking of the boat lull her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_Thud._

_…_

_Thud. Thud._

_…_

With a flutter of lashes, Elsa's eyes opened.

_Thud._

An irritated sigh left her lips. The staff on this ship needed to learn how to walk more quietly. Rolling over, she was about to bring her pillow up to cover her ears when several, far more interesting sounds caught her attention.

First, it was what sounded like many footsteps, all running towards the main deck. Then muffled shouting that sounded like the voiced of guards and staff. And finally, a loud cry of several voices all in unison. Something of a battle cry if she had to guess. It was all enough to strike fear into her heart. Without thinking, Elsa lept to her feet and ran. Her family. She had to find her parents, her sister. The dull thump of her feet against wood was the only sound she heard now though, somewhere in her mind, she was still aware of shouting coming from the upper decks.

_Run,_ She thought. _Run __**faster**__ dammit! Just down the hall, to the left—no._ The door to Anna's room was wide open, and she, herself, was gone; the heaps of blankets on her bed the only sign that there had been any disturbance at all. Spinning on her heel, Elsa ran back the way she had come, passing her own room and flying down the hall towards the staircase that would take her up to where she would certainly find Anna.

Elsa doubted she had ever run so fast or breathed so hard in her entire life—perks of royal living she supposed—and at the moment, she was wishing she had. Perhaps then she would be faster. As she scaled the stairs, almost all rational thought left her mind. All she could think about was her family—was Anna. She had to be okay, she had to be—

She emerged at on the deck, where her family had had a peaceful dinner only hours ago, to a scene of complete and utter chaos. All around were guards fighting what appeared to be boys and young men. No, Elsa realized. They weren't boys and young men. They were pirates. Many of them were holding off the guards- quite impressively; though the advantage was theirs given that the guards seemed hesitant to attack what appeared to be children. However, a good number of them were also grabbing things—crates, barrels, bags of food—and tossing them or carrying them to another ship that was pulled up right beside theirs. Elsa watched in horror and shock as the scene raged on but couldn't help but realize that these boys weren't really attacking anyone. Stealing—yes. But all of the fighting on their part looked to be defensive, if anything else.

In her distraction, Elsa hadn't noticed the presence behind her until it was practically on her. She looked over her shoulder to see one of the older boys, just before he pounced. A scream ripped from her throat as she attempted to avoid him. Her smaller form and lithe build allowed her the agility to move out of the way just in time for the boy's arms to miss her and send him stumbling forward to fall flat on his face. Frozen in fear, Elsa could only watched as he got up and advanced towards her once more, obviously angered and embarrassed by what had just happened and determined to take it out on her. With another scream, she turned and ran—or rather, tried to. The boy grabbed her arm in a strong grip that caused Elsa to flinch and shout again. She began to thrash in his hold, attempting to scratch and kick him. She managed to land a nice cut on his cheek with her nails, causing him to shout in pain. Seemingly had enough of the annoyance she was creating; the boy grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to shout once more. His hand rested firmly on her lower back, holding her in place no matter how much she kicked and screamed.

_This can't be it._ She thought. _Carried away—__**abducted**__ by pirates. This can't be how I end. _

Determined to get away from him, Elsa screamed and kicked harder, pounding her fists on his broad back. Unfortunately, he was fairly massive compared to her small form and three times as muscular. Due to this, her efforts were all but for nothing. Still, she continued to fight and scream as she felt him climb onto the a ledge.

"Shut it or I'll drop you!" He growled. Elsa didn't need to open her eyes to understand—though she did anyways; which was a grave mistake—she could hear and now see the open water rushing beneath them, between the two ships, along with the plank of wood they were currently walking across. Well, _he _was walking. She was still being rather uncomfortably carried; his shoulder digging into her stomach. His touch was unnerving and unsettling enough for her already without the view so she simply did as he said and stayed quiet, a soft whimper of fear being the only sound that left her. If either of them fell they were sure to be crushed by the ships or drowned by the waves.

With a _thud _of finality, the boy's boots hit the deck of the ship he had come from and set Elsa down, though he kept a strong grip on her arm. The moment she was on her feet, she began to fight again. Still, it was rather in effective and only resulted in him grabbing her so that both her hands were behind her back and she was facing away from him. She was about to shout—especially because now he was actually _touching_ her. Just her hands, but it was enough to practically send her into a panic. She was beginning to hyper ventilate, her eyes becoming wet with tears as she forced herself to hold it together. She couldn't cry. Couldn't show weakness. She needed to survive. She had to.

Elsa's eyes snapped open and she looked to her left when another chorus of battle cries rang out. But—to her surprise—everyone was returning. All the boys that had been on her parent's ship started retreating, returning to the pirate ship she was currently aboard. Many of them were carrying what she assumed to be spoils; though not the kind she had imagined them to steal. Most were carrying bags of food, crates and barrels of supplies if they were strong enough, some had jewels and other valuables and some were carrying bags that Elsa couldn't even imagine what had been tossed into.

"Elsa!" A familiar voice rang out above the clamor and Elsa looked to her right in horror and astonishment. No. No they could—she couldn't possibly be here of all places.

But she was.

Anna came bounding up towards Elsa, giving a sideways glance to the guy restraining her before looking at her older sister excitedly.

"I can't believe you're coming to! This will be so much—"

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Elsa interrupted her sister, giving her a stern look. The younger girl's excitement gave her the feeling that her sister had come far more willingly than she had.

Anna opened her mouth to speak, when something caught her eye and pulled her attention away. Elsa followed her sister's gaze upward and noticed the silhouette of a figure, seemingly flying above the ship. She watched as the figure seemed to swing and glide- holding on to what she could now see was a long rope connected to one of the sails, she assumed. In the next few moments, the shadow came into view and released the rope, depositing him in the center of the crowd. He landed in a sort of kneeling position; his hands on either side of the floor while he steadied himself. Elsa could only wonder how many times he had practiced that landing.

As the figure stood, Elsa watched him approach her and her sister and instinctively moved to try and protect Anna. Of course, the attempt was futile as she was still being restrained, rather uncomfortably. He stopped before the group, glancing at the boy before looking over Anna and then Elsa, who met his eyes with nothing short of a lethal glare. If looks could kill, he would have certainly dropped dead in that moment. Instead, he grinned.

His attention then returned once more to the boy behind her.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Kristoff. What _are_ they doing on my ship? You know my rules; no girls on board."

Wait, _his_ ship? Surely this… boy was not the captain of this vessel. Elsa raised a brow in disbelief and looked him over. He was certainly too young to be a captain of any sort. If she had to guess, she'd say they were the same age, give or take a year or two. There was simply no way. Though, she supposed he looked the part in his clothing at least. The boy was dressed in what one would typically expect of a pirate—a plain white shirt, brown trousers; that were perhaps a bit too tight to be appropriate, and black boots. In addition to that, however, he was also wearing a large red coat that resembled that of a naval officer and hung around his shoulders, emphasizing his lithe frame. A gold medallion featuring a sapphire gemstone rested just below his collarbone and certainly looked as though it would fetch a hefty price anywhere. What Elsa found particularly striking about him, however, was not his youth or his clothing. It was his head of messy hair whose color resembled that of freshly fallen snow and his azure eyes that seemed as though they could only be challenged in their beauty by the hues of her own eyes. All in all, he looked… strange to her. The way he moved and spoke- and that irritating smirk he was giving her; it all radiated confidence. But the set of his jaw and look in his eyes –

It was then Elsa realized that she had been—rather shamelessly—staring at him, which he had obviously noticed, as he was simply smirking at her now, waiting for her to come back to reality it seemed.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Elsa's glare returned and her face flushed a shade of pink that she prayed no one could see in the dim light.

"Right, then." He said, grinning at her before turning a back to the boy behind her- Kristoff, she recalled. "You were saying?"

"I was _saying_," Kristoff repeated himself, for probably the second or third time now. "That one asked to come." He said motioning with a nod towards Anna.

Elsa looked absolutely floored and turned to her sister. She had almost forgotten about her between her panic and shameless ogling. Anna returned Elsa's furious eyes with an innocent shrug.

"And this one," He looked down at Elsa. "Was the only other actual kid on board; though admittedly I regret bringing her now. Whiny brat almost made me fall in-"

Fed up with him, Elsa raised her foot and slammed her heel down on his toes, causing the pirate to yelp and release her. She stumbled forward a few steps then turned and glared at him.

"That's for abducting me," She said, a bit proud of herself. "and for calling me a brat." Pushing a few strands of her out of her face, she turned back to the boy she was still assuming was the captain.

"I want off this ship. Now. And my sister is coming—"

"No!" Anna suddenly shouted. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time, but was finally speaking up.

"No." she repeated. "I'm staying. One of them" she motioned to the group of pirates that were watching the scene, "Told me that I could come if I wanted. I went through the trouble to get here and I'm staying!"

Elsa's eyebrows raised in astonishment. Anna had never yelled at her before—not really. She could hardly think of a response she was so shocked. As Anna calmed down, the boy before them spoke up.

"Very well." He said, earning confused looks from both girls. "If you're so bent on staying, then you're welcome on my ship." He said with a smile towards Anna. Her face immediately brightened and she smiled.

"Really? I can?" She was practically jumping up and down.

"So long as you pull your weight, it's fine with me." He replied. "But it might help if I knew your name."

"Oh, sorry." She replied with a light laugh. "Princess Anna of Arendelle—"

"Anna." Elsa hissed, looking at her sister again. "Don't you remember what Mother and Father said about trusting _strangers_ with personal information?"

"And this," Anna smiled and motioned to her older sister. "Is my sister, Elsa."

"_ANNA._" Elsa hissed again, more urgently.

"Princesses, hm?" The boy looked them over again, though differently this time- as if he were evaluating their worth. It was enough to earn him yet another glare from Elsa as she moved in front of Anna.

"Well, my word stands." He said, looking to Anna again. "You may stay so long as you get along with the crew and help around the ship. I am the captain, by the way, but call me Jack."He said with a smiled. After a moment he turned his attention to Elsa once more, his gaze suddenly less friendly. "As for you, I'm not quite sure what to do."

"I say we keelhaul 'er." Kristoff offered from where he was standing to the side, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed in a glare at Elsa. Jack chuckled and shook his head.

"Now, now Kristoff, she's a lady; a princess. We certainly can't just throw her overboard. If she didn't drown, the barnacles on the ship would certainly injure her too much—that is to say if something didn't come along and eat her before we could pull her back up." He threw a glance at Elsa, grinning when he noticed her mildly horrified expression. "A girl as delicate as her would never survive it." That line earned him a glare. He wasn't sure why, but getting under her skin was proving to be far more amusement than he had experienced in quite a while.

"No," he continued. We certainly won't do anything of that nature. We aren't savages, after all."

"Are you sure about that?" Elsa muttered, glancing at him. He blinked and looked at her, as if he hadn't been expecting her to say something like that. His surprise was quickly replaced by another amused grin.

"Are you certain you should be speaking that way El-"

"_Princess._" She corrected him before he could get her name out, causing his grin to widen that much more. "And I will speak however I wish."

Elsa could practically see the shock on her sister's face. Elsa never spoke out. She had always been quiet and obedient and perfect in every way that a princess was supposed to be. To see her like this, yelling at people and demanding things, it was certainly a bit shocking.

"I see." Jack looked her up and down once more, a quick flick of the eyes before he met her stubborn gaze. For a moment they stared each other down, and when she didn't flinch, he simply turned towards his crew, who had all been watching.

"Listen up!" He called, as if they hadn't been eavesdropping already. "Anna is now a member of our crew. Treat her as you would each other. Understood?"

A chorus of "aye" went through the crowd.

"As for Princess Elsa, she is, as of this moment, my prisoner." He announced.

Elsa's eyes went a bit wide in shock.

"I repeat; she is _my_ prisoner. No one else—with the exception of her sister—is to talk to her. No one else will feed her or give her water or clothing or any other such help. If I hear of any of you disregarding this, the punishment will be _severe. _Are we understood?"

Another, more hesitant chorus of "aye" came, seeming to satisfy him.

"Good. You're all dismissed. Take the loot to the Quartermaster's office and return to your regular shifts."

Obediently, the crew began to withdraw from the deck, leaving only Elsa, and the small group that surrounded her.

"Kristoff." Jack turned back to the larger boy. "Show Anna around. Get her acquainted with the crew and find her a room to sleep in."

After a wary look towards the younger girl, Kristoff gave a short nod and walked off, Anna trailing behind him.

"And then there were two." Jack looked towards Elsa once more, who was regarding him suspiciously. "Come, I'll show you to your cell."

He turned, walking towards a door, only to stop after a moment when he realized she hadn't moved. He turned back to look at her, unamused.

"Your defiance is really quite adorable, but if you don't come by choice I will carry you." He said matter-of-factly.

After a few more moments of hesitation, Elsa sighed and followed him.

He led her down a flight of stairs, down a hallway and down another small flight of stairs until they reached a long hall filled with cells on either side. As she passed them, she noticed they were all rather dirty- but empty. Finally, they reached one that appeared as though it had never been used. It was cleaner and a bit larger than the others, but a cell all the same. Jack stopped and pulled the bars aside, waiting for Elsa. She glanced at him, really not wanting to give him the satisfaction, but stepped inside anyways.

"I don't suppose you want anything to eat or drink before I leave, do you?" He seemed genuine in his offer, but that didn't matter to her.

"Not from you." She muttered, sitting down on the plank that extended from the wall in the corner of the room—which she assumed was meant to be her bed.

"Very well." He replied. "Sweet dreams, Princess."

"Bite me."

With a smirk, he pulled the bars shut and walked away. Despite her best effort, she couldn't help but notice that he had deliberately left the door at the end of the hall open and the light in that hallway lit. Be it mercy or pity, she didn't want it; but she was too tired to be any angrier. After a short prayer that this torture would end soon, she made herself as comfortable as she could, and closed her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Alright so this is the NEW and IMPROVED chapter 1. Much better from the first. I'm still working on rewriting the other chapters, sorry its taking so long! I'm really trying to put out the best quality. Once I have the later chapters finished, they will be reposted as well. for now I'm going to take them down so as not to confuse anyone but no worries! They'll be back up and better than ever in a short while! I'm on summer break now so I'm free to write until band camp starts (:**

**sorry again for the wait. Please let me know if you like the additions and such! Not much is changing plot-wise yet but I feel as though my writing has gotten better and, even though the change is small, I like this interaction with the characters much better! I've also been doing more research into pirates, ships, etc, so hopefully it will be a bit more accurate to. (that's why the first line was changed from 7 to five. I looked up how fast it would generally take to get from Norway to Germany and it was about 5 days with perfect whether, and they're supposed to be close to the coast anyways. )**

**Anyways Yeah I'm rambling now. So I hope you guys like the changes. I'm going to attempt to make chapters about this size from now on! Thanks for being so patient with me (: See ya soon snowflakes~**


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa had spent the majority of that night alternating between restless sleep and soft sobbing. At some point she had woken up with a pillow beneath her head and a thick blanket over her small, shivering form. When she had first found them, she practically threw a tantrum; crying and yelling at no one how she didn't need charity or pity until her throat was sore and throbbing. She had then proceeded to throw the pillow to the floor, causing quite a puff of dust to fly into the air and send her into a small sneezing fit. Finally, she had stuffed the blanket through the bars of her cell so that it lay in a crumpled heap in the hall. Once she had cried herself out, she had fallen asleep once more, only to wake the next morning with a new, clean pillow beneath her head and a new blanket, comfortably tucked around her.

As her eyes cracked open, still a bit red and puffy from her earlier sobbing, she took in the blanket and pillow and couldn't help but wonder if it was her sister or Jack who had put them there. Either way, she really didn't want to keep them. She wanted to throw them to the ground again. Or rip them to shreds. She wanted to be in her own bed again. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be possible any time soon. So, with a sigh of reluctance, she snuggled more against the pillow and pulled the blanket up a bit before closing her eyes again. It was probably the most comfort she'd see in a while. She could pretend she hated it later. For now she just wanted to keep dreaming. Never had she woken up feeling so exhausted.

"You're welcome."

At the sound of his voice, an irritated sigh left her lips.

"Go away." She groaned, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Good morning to you as well, Princess." Said Jack with a grin. She pulled the blanket down, only enough to uncover her eyes and glared at him.

"Watching me sleep? I knew you were vile, but that's just creepy." She said, despite keeping the blanket wrapped around herself.

"Actually, I came down here so I could snuggle up beside you but I'm starting to think a snapping turtle might make a better companion."

"What do you want, pirate?" she asked, finally sitting up and leaning back against the wall.

"Never any fun with you, hm?"

She rolled her eyes. He smirked.

"Well if you're so curious, I came down to see if you were awake; thought you might be getting hungry by now." He said in a rather calm voice, motioning downwards with his head. She glanced down and noticed for the first time a tray sitting in front of him. On the tray was a plate stacked with a few pieces of bread, a bit of fruit, some meat that looked like cooked fish and a cup of soup—rather generous, especially for a pirate. The tray sat just in front of the bars where there was a small, rectangular gap—which she assumed was for exactly this purposed; safely giving food to inmates. She looked from the tray back to him, raising a brow in suspicion.

A moment later Elsa opened her mouth to tell him she didn't want it but was promptly cut off when- seemingly on cue, her stomach growled. At his grin, she shut her mouth and looked away.

"I'm not going to ask much- I simply want you to say please." He informed her, watching with a smile; his blue eyes glittered with amusement as he waited for her response. It was obvious she was having conflicting emotions at his request. She was hungry, yes. That much was certainly obvious. But now her pride was being compromised. Finally, her quiet reply came:

"I'm not hungry." She said.

His brow furrowed a bit in confusion. He had expected there to be more malice… more _venom_ in her answer. What he heard was flat and nearly devoid of emotion.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe, Princess." He said cautiously. Upsetting her certainly wasn't his goal. Getting under her skin, perchance, a bit of banter and bickering. But always in good fun.

"If you refuse to eat on your own, perhaps I should come in there and feed you myself?" He offered, attempting to lighten the mood.

Her body immediately tensed at the idea of him coming any closer to her. She was already as far from him as possible; sitting in the back corner of her bed, leaning against the wall. The last thing she wanted was for him to come closer.

"Try it and I'll bite your fingers off."

Jack grinned.

"Well at least then you'd be getting some protein." He said with a chuckle. When she said nothing, his laughter died. "You really need to lighten up princess,"

"Excuse me for not seeing the humor in the situation." Elsa snapped suddenly, glaring at him.

Jack watched as she looked away again, glaring at the wall. Sighing exasperatedly, he ran a hand through his hair and down his neck.

"Look. You need to eat something. You'll starve—"

"So?" She looked at him once more. Her gaze was intended to be a glare but, despite her efforts, showed the slightest vulnerability. "Why do you even care if I eat or not—"

"I don't," He said matter-of-factly. After crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, he continued; "I do, however, care about my crew."

Her glare softened and she looked towards the ground again. A name formed on her lips, barely audible:

"Anna".

A soft sigh left the princess' lips and her eyes closed.

"I don't want it."

"I see." He replied disappointedly. For a moment he watched her, his lips pressed into a thin line while she simply stared at the floor. What on earth was this girl's deal? Not only did she have an astounding amount of pride, but she was stubborn as all hell. But it couldn't be that she was a princess. Anna was a princess too, after all, and she'd been nothing but pleasant since the previous night. So why was this one being so difficult?

Well, he decided. If she insisted on acting as though she didn't need charity, he wouldn't give her any.

"Alright, then," he said, expelling another sigh. "I'm nothing if not agreeable. So I won't bother offering again. When you need to eat—and you _will _need to eat—you can ask for it. Swallow your pride, or starve; your choice. I just hope you're not selfish enough to put your sister through the latter."

As he turned and walked away with the tray of food, Elsa launched her pillow at him and watched as it rattled the bars of her cell before falling to the ground.

* * *

It wasn't long after Jack had left that Elsa heard light footsteps in the hall again. She doubted he had returned to beg that she eat something, so there was only one other person it could be.

"Elsa?"

Elsa's eyes opened and she looked towards the bars of her prison, only to see Anna appear a moment later. Upon seeing her sister for the first time since the previous night, Anna's cautious gaze turned to one Elsa had never seen before, but had imagined many times. It was the same look Elsa had thought that came over Anna's eyes whenever she refused to open the door. Unable to bear the sight of her sister looking so miserable, Elsa turned her face away and stared at the wall.

"Elsa…" Anna repeated. "I-I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be," said Elsa. "It's not your fault they took me. I don't blame you for it."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed between them before either spoke again. Typically, Elsa didn't mind silence. She had come to find it… comforting in the past year or so. But this was unlike any silence she had ever experienced. It was a stillness that carried throughout the entire hall of cells, and Elsa could feel it radiating through her own mind and body as well. It was an ear-splitting quiet that drew attention to every breath, every action. And neither knew how to quite how to ale it. How did one speak to a sister they felt had betrayed them? How did one converse with a sibling that had been shutting them out for years?

"He told me that you aren't eating."

Anna's words seemed deafening in the still atmosphere though, in reality, they were just more than a whisper. Elsa didn't look at her.

"And?"

"And I'm worried."

Elsa looked at her sister for a moment- long enough to take in her pleading expression and desperate blue eyes.

"I can't…"

"Yes you can, Elsa." Anna's voice was suddenly more stubborn, more forceful. "You need to eat. I won't let you starve yourself!"

"It's not your choice Anna!" Elsa suddenly snapped back. "They're pirates. Thieves. I won't take their charity when it's not theirs to give in the first place."

A sound of pure frustration came from Anna.

"You are so- so- _unbelievably infuriating!_" Anna shouted. "If you would just give them a chance you would see-"

"I'd see what?" Elsa suddenly looked at her sister; her eyes stern. "They're _pirates._"

"They're _people._" Anna's tone matched Elsa's as they stared each other down.

"Hardly." Elsa retorted. "They aren't like us Anna. They don't-"

"So!? They might be different but that doesn't make them bad!" Anna shouted back.

"They're criminals." Elsa's tone remained quiet, but her voice shook with effort. "They can't- they aren't…" As Elsa struggled to articulate something that might make Anna understand, her sister's frustration only grew.

"Aren't what?" the younger girl asked. "Aren't like us? Aren't worth your time?" Elsa could hear the irritation growing in Anna's voice. "Are they not suitable enough to be in the presence of the Great Princess Elsa? In fact, is anyone worthy enough for you? Because-"

Elsa shook her head and rose to her feet. Where was this even coming from?

"They aren't good Anna! They're pirates, street rats that do nothing but steal and hurt people! How are you so delusional? They stole from our ship! They abducted us!"

"Abducted _you_," Anna reminded her, glaring at her older sister.

"That's beside the point!" Elsa shouted back at her, hands clenching into fists at her sides.

_ Oh no_.

"They're dangerous!"

_Another fight._

"They'll just get you into trouble, Anna!"

_Another door being closed._

"They'll walk all over you and use you!"

_Another wall between them. _

"You'll only end up hurt! Can't you see that!?"

Anna stared at her sister, whose expression had gone from anger and frustration to pleading and desperation. After a moment of silence, her eyes moved to the floor.

"You don't know that."

The response was quiet, but stubborn.

"I do, Anna." said Elsa, looking at her sister who now refused to return her gaze.

"I'm leaving." Anna said quietly. "That's what you want anyways; to be alone. It's all you ever want these days. I'll stop annoying you."

Before Elsa could form her sister's name, Anna turned and hurried down the hall and out of Elsa's sight.

The last thing she heard was the light pattern of Anna's footsteps and a soft sniffle that indicated she was going to cry. Moments later the door at the end of the hall slammed shut, plunging Elsa into darkness.

With a long sigh, Elsa let herself plop down onto her bed again. Slowly, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them as tears stung her own eyes.

After only a few more moments had passed, small, fast footsteps could be heard above. The door opened once more, about half way, letting in a bit of light, but Anna didn't return.

* * *

"Now I'm only picking up bits and pieces here,"

Elsa's eyes opened to see Jack standing before her cell once more. Most of the day had passed and, though she was starving, she still refused to ask for any sort of food or water. As he had promised, Jack hadn't offered it again since that morning. He had, in fact, come to visit her for entirely different reasons, it seemed.

"But it seems to me that there's a bit of… _tension_ between the two of you." He commented, his hands gesturing a bit as he spoke.

"And?" the princess returned harshly. After her fight with Anna she was hardly in the mood to tolerate him.

"Oh, I was merely making an observation." He shrugged. "The two of you are quite interesting— especially you."

A smirk curled on his lips when her glare intensified and he stepped closer to the bars that separated them, peering in at her as if she were some puzzle he could solve or game he could win. It was enough to send a shiver through her body that she struggled to suppress. Of course, he noticed it and only grinned wider.

"I'm serious." He assured her. "You're… different."

Elsa flinched at the word.

"I haven't had anyone on this ship quite like you before. Finding people like Anna—that's easy. Most kids seem to crave some sort of adventure, but not you."

"I guess I'm just a natural-born killjoy." She said, flashing him an obviously fake smile.

"No- well, maybe, but I just meant that you're… guarded, more so than most people. What I want to know is _why_?" He took another small, tentative step forward and gazed at her. "What exactly are you _hiding_, Princess?"

Her eyes met his for the briefest moment, but long enough for him to discover that he was right; that she was indeed hiding something. Not a second later, her eyes moved to the floor.

"Nothing." She answered, finally, after just too much silence. "I'm not hiding anything." Her voice was completely unconvincing, but she was simply focused on avoiding his eyes which were relentlessly searching to capture hers once more. After moments of silence, he seemed to give up his quest, taking a step back.

"Of course," His reply was almost as quiet as her own, but carried a tone that said he didn't believe her in the slightest. "Well, if you've got nothing to hide, surely you wouldn't mind some company."

His playful attitude returning once more, he sat down and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward a bit.

"I don't have to be keeping secrets to despise your presence." She replied, glaring down at him.

"Well that's a shame; seeing as I'm rather comfortable now. I think I'll stay a while longer." He said, his grin persisting.

Elsa gave him a look of absolute loathing as he moved back to lean against the wall opposite the bars that confined her.

"Fine, do whatever you want." said Elsa, her eyes moving to the wall once more. Silence passed between them and Elsa thought to herself how it was strange that what she had once appreciated so much was quickly becoming something she disliked. Perhaps it was because, before, she could end the silence whenever she wanted. She could control it. But here, it held power over her. _He_ held power over her. And the worst part was that he knew it.

Jack watched her intently, the corners of his lips curled up just slightly in what seemed to be a natural smirk that never left his face.

"Oh I will, don't worry." He assured her, leaning his head back against the wall but never removing his eyes from her face. Something of an odd determination had stirred inside him. A determination to break down her walls, to get to know her, perhaps even befriend her; if she would allow it.

Why? He wasn't quite sure. Probably because she was the most entertaining, yet mysterious person he'd come across in a long time. She was so prideful and stubborn and guarded—but what could a princess of a fairly small kingdom have to hide? He wanted to know, and he intended to find out one way or ano**ther.**

* * *

**A/N: Alright so this is the new and improved chapter 2. It's a lot shorter than the first but that's because its a lot of dialogue. Hopefully you guys like it. I'll try to have chapter three up before Friday! uvu**


	3. Chapter 3

Jack frowned at the ceiling of his room as he lay on his bed. It had been about three days now that Anna and Elsa had been on his ship. While Anna had been nothing but fun to have along; the elder of the sisters remained frigid and distant. He had spent an entire night down in the hold with her; sitting there, occasionally asking a question or two, or attempting a conversation. All he had managed was to confirm that Elsa was just as stubborn as him. She had said only two words the entire night; "Go away". On top of that she still refused to ask for any sort of food or water and he could tell it was taking its toll on her. He noticed that the nightgown she insisted on keeping –it was apparently extremely unladylike to wear pants; though Anna didn't seem to mind—was a bit larger on her than it had been when they arrived. In addition to that, though, she spent most of the days and nights sleeping; likely trying to compensate for the energy she was lacking without the food. It was utterly annoying—mainly because it was beginning to make Jack worry. He was many things, but he was not cruel. He would not starve her to death or even to illness. If he did, her little sister would surely have his head; for all the fighting they did, they seemed to really care about each other. And suddenly a dull ache began to form in Jack's stomach, as he thought of his own sister.

Shaking his head gently, as if he could shake away the memories, he returned his thoughts to Elsa; which really wasn't that hard. Over the past three days, many of his thoughts had begun to revolve around her in some way or another.

Jack decided—albeit very reluctantly—to give her one more day without food before caving and making her eat. He just hoped she wouldn't make him beg. If she wanted begging, she'd have to talk to Anna; Jack was far too proud for that.

Speaking of the younger girl; Anna had really found her place among the crew over the past few days. In fact, they all seemed to be getting along with her quite nicely. She had even taken up fighting and sword lessons from Kristoff. He admired the girl for her excitement. Her eyes seemed to only see the wonder in everything—which reminded him a great deal of an old friend of his.

Turning his head, Jack looked to the window. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, casting an orange glow over the sea as well as pink and yellow hues across the clouds. As he sat up and watched the waves roll into one another, his thoughts returning to the blonde once more. In addition to her stubbornness, she was utterly vexing—a pain really. She wouldn't eat, would speak to him, slept all day and only ever upset her sister. Jack supposed she had plenty to be angry with him for, but it's not like he had been the one that grabbed her. And he had been rather generous and kind to her since they met—more so than he usually was. So why put up with her? He couldn't simply dump her overboard, of course; Anna would surely be not only distressed but outraged if he did so. Something told Jack that throwing her sister into the ocean was a bad way to start a friendship with the girl. However—even if he couldn't throw her overboard—what was stopping him from assigning someone else to take care of Elsa? Surely Anna would do it but he could always assign Peter or Jamie or anyone else to do it too. He could even drop Elsa at the next port with a bit of money and let her find her own way home—seeing as he was probably wanted for her abduction in her home country now anyways. If he did that, though, she'd likely insist on taking Anna with her and—despite that they obviously disagreed on some things—he was sure Anna would go without too much of a fight. He would hate to see the younger girl's first real adventure stolen away from her.

Jack sighed. No, he couldn't just let her go, for Anna's sake, of course. But he could task someone else to take care of her. So why was he incredibly reluctant to do so? He assumed it was for the same reasons he had told everyone to stay away from her in the first place; greed, along with his massive ego. Jack wouldn't deny that he was possessive. He was a pirate after all; it was practically hardwired into his brain. Where he had seen Anna as a new friend and member of the crew, Jack thought of her older sister much differently. She was undoubtedly beautiful, and being a princess she could fetch a high price for ransom or on the black market. But Jack had no intention of selling her. He simply wanted to keep her. As much as she confused and irritated him, she also interested him. It was no secret to him that she was hiding something—be it from just him or from the entire world. Despite his best attempts, she seemed determined to keep him out of her life and distance him in any way possible; which only caused his desire to be near her to grow. He had made no progress in discovering what this secret of Elsa's was, but his determination had not died just yet. Perhaps Anna would be able to enlighten him on that front, seeing as she had been nothing but cooperative since. It couldn't hurt to try, right?

* * *

"Sorry, I can't help you." Anna said, matter-of-factly. Jack had managed to find the younger girl in the kitchen getting a glass of water before she went to bed. He wasn't one to really beat around the bush and had practically outright asked her why Elsa seemed so secretive, to which Anna had given her rather unsatisfactory answer. Jack frowned, leaning against the wall of the empty kitchen with his arms crossed.

"What? Why? Is this some sort of family secret or something that I'm not allowed to know? You're aware I have ways of making people talk…" He raised an eyebrow at her, trying his best to look intimidating. Given the giggle that followed, he assumed he had failed and sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just funny." Anna said, trying not to be rude. "I know you won't hurt me or Elsa, not intentionally at least." She said with a soft smile. Jack couldn't help but smile a bit in return, running his hand through his hair and to the back of his neck.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He conceded, stuffing his hand back into his pocket as his eyes moved to the floor. Though Jack loved a good fight, he typically wouldn't start one unless he was provoked. He had no reason to hurt her or her sister. He was curious, yes, but not desperate.

"I really can't help you though, but not because I don't want to." Anna continued, getting back to their original topic. "Elsa's always been guarded like that. I'm not really sure why. We were really close as children but at some point she just started shutting me out." Anna looked down at the cup of water, as if it held the answers that she or Jack was looking for. "She sort of shuts everyone out. I've talked to my parents about it too but they insist nothing's wrong with her. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because something _is_ wrong, and she just doesn't want it getting out. She is supposed to be queen one day, after all. If the people of Arendelle knew something was wrong with their queen, they probably wouldn't be happy about it even though it's not her fault. It's no one's fault, really. Arendelle deserves a capable queen, but it's not Elsa's fault if she can't live up to that. Even though I really believe that she can." Her somber expression faded a bit at those last words and she looked up at Jack.

The captain, on the other hand, wore a slightly puzzled as well as shocked expression. After her short speech, it became obvious to Jack just how much time Anna had probably spent thinking and worrying about her sister. He was almost impressed. Jack had taken Anna to be kind, fun, silly- a lot like himself, but he hadn't really expected her to be much of a thinker. He felt as if he should apologize but her friendly smile and a shrug of her shoulders told him it wasn't necessary.

"Anyways, I hope that helps at least a little bit. I'm going to head off to bed. Good ni-"

The young princess' words cut off when Jack suddenly took ahold of her forearm.

"Wait, there's something else." He said, his eyes avoiding hers.

Anna raised her brows expectantly.

"How… how can I get her to talk to me?" a bit of pink stained the pale boy's cheeks, causing the girl to laugh a bit. "I'm being serious!" He insisted, releasing her arm and crossing his own. He looked downright childish when he pouted, Anna noticed, finding even more humor in the situation.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She said, raising her hands as her laughter died down. "Like I said, she's been shutting me out for years. I've got no clue how you'd be able to get close to her. It might help if you were a little less mean to her though." At her words, Jack looked mildly offended.

"I may have been a bit harsh putting her in a cell and all but I've been nothing but kind since." He insisted.

"Well, maybe, but in her eyes you guys are pirates. You're villains to her. If you can find a way to show her that you're not, she might be a little less cold to you. I'd start with letting her out of the cell, if not permanently then at least once in a while. Or maybe give her something she won't see as charity but as a peace offering? I'm pretty sure she likes chocolate." She offered, finding it a bit amusing how focused Jack had suddenly become on her words. He looked as though he was committing them to memory. "That's all I got." She finished. "Do you need anything else?"

Jack shook his head at her question, still looking as though he was thinking about some difficult conundrum.

"No," he answered absently. "Good night."

Anna rolled her eyes, a knowing smile on her lips as she turned to leave kitchen.

"Good night Jack." She replied before walking out.

* * *

The young captain spent the majority of the next day in his personal quarters, only emerging once or twice for something to eat before once again hiding away. He could tell his crew was a bit suspicious or even worried about his recent behavior. He usually spent the days mulling around the ship, distracting them from their chores to play childish games with him. However, he had spent many of the days since Anna and Elsa had arrived either in his room or in the prison hold with the older princess. Today was different, though.

Today, he had a plan.

Land had been spotted the previous day and, while he hadn't originally intended to stop just yet, he had ordered they pull in to the nearest port. The ship was just off the coast of Germany now, and the captain had a few errands to run.

It was a bit after noon when they finally pulled into the docks of a free trade zone. Eager to start, Jack emerged to find a rather entertaining sight. Kristoff currently had his arms wrapped around Anna, attempting to hold her back from running off of the ship. Anna, on the other hand, was trying her hardest to break free of his grasp. Jack couldn't really blame her. She'd been on his ship for over a week now and who knew how long she and her sister had been sailing before then? She definitely had reason to be excited to see land again. But she definitely couldn't go.

"Let go of me!" the princess was shouting, her arms and legs flailing while the large boy attempted not to get elbowed in the face. "I swear I'll be good! I won't run off, I'll be back before sunset I swear!"

Jack couldn't help a chuckle as he approached the two. Kristoff at least looked relieved to get some help.

"Jack!" Anna perked up a bit, obviously expecting to have an advantage. "Would you tell him to let me go? Everyone else is going! it's not fair that I have to stay!" As the princess finished, she threw a glared over her shoulder, receiving an exaggerated roll of the eyes in response.

"I'm sorry Anna, but Kristoff's right." Jack replied. The ginger's head whipped back to face Jack with a look of shock. She had been certain he would encourage her sense of adventure.

"It's not safe for you here." The captain continued. "We're in a free trade zone right now. It's basically a safe haven for pirates to trade and sell goods without having to worry about being arrested for past crimes. The law ignores us so long as we keep quiet because it boosts their economy. That said, there are basically no rules here. Anything goes. People get mugged and kidnapped all the time and no one does anything about it. And women and children are the most likely to be targeted. If I let you go, especially without some form of protection you'll surely get hurt or taken and there's no guarantee we'd be able to save you. If you stay here, you'll be safe. Pirates hardly ever raid other ships here."

"But I can defend myself!" argued the girl. "I've been taking lessons from Kristoff and everything!"

"But it's only been four or five days, Anna." Jack replied, his tone unrelenting. "Some of the men here are skilled in fighting and swordplay; your small amount of training would be hardly anything compared to them." Suddenly, a confident grin spread across his features as he placed his hand on his hips. "Besides, I have a far more important task for you."

The princess had opened her mouth refute his argument once more, but shut it just as quickly. A blink. Her eyes shifted down and her posture relaxed a bit in an attempt to look aloof, barely interested.

"Oh, really?" she asked, causing the captain to chuckle once more.

"Of course. I'm going into town for most of the day with Doc and Peter, so I need someone fearless and responsible to watch the ship while I'm gone. I was hoping you'd do that for me? You can even order Kristoff around for the afternoon if you'd like."

The boy's grin only widened at Kristoff's appalled expression. As he was about to argue with the captain, the girl between them spoke up.

"Yeah, alright." She replied, still attempting her aloof façade, though a smile had caused the corners of her lips to perk up a bit. With a more Anna-like giggle, she gave Jack a quick hug and wished him a good day before running off. When she realized Kristoff hadn't followed, she called out for him.

"I hate you." The blond muttered to the captain before trudging off after the chipper girl.

Jack's grin didn't fade as he watched the two of them head off. Despite Kristoff's attitude, Jack knew he liked Anna. They had found an odd but endearing dynamic after their first night which mainly consisted of them making fun of and bossing each other around. But it also included small smiles and laughs, greetings of the eyes that could only occur between close friends. The bond they had in less than a week was incredible. Jack was almost envious –almost. Though they had been quiet and mostly short-lived, Jack had enjoyed most of his encounters with the elder princess. Simply being in her presence was enough to content him for the time being. His longing to know more about her, though, was quickly growing. He wasn't sure how many more times he could just sit there with her in silence before going mad. It was a wonder that she herself hadn't gone mad yet. Still, he wouldn't trade away the time he had spent with her.

With thoughts of blonde locks and azure eyes fresh in his mind, and a certain determination, the captain turned and headed for the docks.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright so that's it for chapter 3. It's shorter and less eventful than I'd hoped but things will be picking up soon. This is about where the story is going to begin to differ from the last one and you'll see how soon.

On a different note, I am sorry that this took so long. It's partially because I got busy and partially because I lost my inspiration. _**However**_ I've gotten several messages from people asking and pestering me about updating since I posted the last chapter and, honestly, some of them were quite obnoxious. While I love this story, I have a life outside of it. I do not dedicate all of my time to updating on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis because with what's going on in my life that's just not practical. It's not like anything horrible is happening to me, I'm just _** busy**_So I'd really appreciate if those of you who've complained to me would be more understanding. I'm in no way accusing all of you of doing this. It's really a select few. But please, if you're going to message me, be polite about it? Because when I get messages _telling _me to update, it makes me put it off that much longer. Honestly, the best way to get me to update more often is to simply tell me you like my story. That is what gets me motivated to keep writing; knowing that I'm making someone else's day brighter is great. So just, please, stop asking when I'm going to update or if I'm going to update or telling me I need to update. Express your appreciation in a different way. It takes the stress off me and will get me to update faster. I swear I will never just abandon my stories, okay? If I'm going to go on hiatus or stop writing one I will always tell you guys. So you don't have to ask if/when I will update because your answer will always be eventually. I will get to it when I can and when I have the inspiration to do so.

Alright, I think that's all I really have to say there. Sorry if it was mean? I do love you guys and I'm so thankful that you guys like my story and writing, just please, for my own sanity, don't be so ... aggressive, I guess? It just freaks me out, I'm sorry ;;

Anyways, The next chapter will hopefully be out within the next few weeks. See ya then!


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Jack had returned to the ship, the familiar hues of sunset had begun to stain the sky. He handed several boxes to one of the boys of his crew and asked that they be left in his chambers. When the boy had run off, he was left holding one small box. With a smirk, the captain placed it into the large pocket of his over-sized coat and headed towards the hold.

Azure eyes watched as the apple flew upwards into the air, hung for barely a second and returned to her palm. She had been simply tossing it up and down for hours while thinking about her situation. Ideally she and Anna would have been saved by now, but she supposed less than a week was a bit absurd of an expectation—even if she was a princess. Which meant it was up to her to get her and Anna home— after all, the younger girl certainly wasn't going to do anything about it. Elsa expelled a gentle sigh as she caught the apple and looked it over; fresh, only one bruise from when she had accidentally dropped it. Anna had left it for her earlier that day, but she hadn't taken even one bite. She was determined to maintain her hunger strike and it wouldn't do to have the arrogant captain finding an apple core in her cell.

Still, she was absolutely starving. She had gone nearly five days without food and it was seriously taking its toll –really, she was only running on the small amount of water she had agreed to drink. Perhaps just a few bites, just enough to stop her stomach from how it was absolutely aching. She could hide it under the blanket or pillow if she heard footsteps right? Of course she could. Satisfied with her logic, or rather her excuse, the princess brought the fruit to her lips which had once been painted an elegant vermillion but had faded since her capture. Her teeth began to sink in, drawing juice from the insides of the fruit as well as a gentle moan from the princess' lips.

"Good apple?"

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin, the surprise causing her to bite down on the apple before hurling it at the presence beyond the bars of her cell. Surprisingly, it managed to go through said bars. More surprisingly, he managed to catch it –it wouldn't have touched him otherwise. The way a single corner of his mouth lifted in a smug smirk was enough to make her stomach roil unpleasantly. He examined the apple closely, as if it were an artifact of some sort, his thumb running over the edges of the small section she had bitten off.

"You know," he said, a teasing tone to his voice that only served to double the dread building within her. "if I'd known an apple was all it took to get a moan from you, I'd have bought more of those instead." Her face had flared at the mention of the sound she had made, turning a shade pinker than before and causing her not to register the rest of his sentence. "I don't suppose you're still hungry?"

Her attention returning to him once more, despite the warmth that still painted her cheeks, she noticed his smirk had become a wry grin. He unceremoniously tossed the apple down the hall to where she certainly hoped there was a waste bin and then pulled the bars back.

"I'd like to make a deal,"

Elsa's brows rose as she looked at him through her thick lashes.

"Oh?"

The grin still visible upon his lips, he leaned against the wall of her cell, still by the entrance so as not to upset her by coming too close.

"Spend the rest of the evening with me, and you can have these." He answered, pulling the small box he had purchased from the market out of his pocket in a fluid motion and holding it her to see.

Her raised brows had furrowed in confusion once more as she glanced between him and the box. Without a word he tossed the box in her direction, her pale hands reaching out and catching it. Up close, it was easier to see the detailing in the dim room. The box was a soft pink with a slightly darker floral pattern sprawling over each side. It was wrapped with what she assumed was once an immaculately tied red bow, also sporting the same pattern of vines and flowers but in gold, rather than dark pink. The bow itself had been slightly damaged, likely from being carried around in his pocket, if she had to guess. Cerulean eyes flickered to him and then back down to the box as she carefully untied the bow. Upon removing the cover, the princess inhaled a soft gasp or surprise.

"How did you—" Her eyes found his once again. He shrugged, examining his fingernails nonchalantly. Her lips pressed to a thin line. "Anna told you." And indeed Anna had. Sitting inside the decorative box were half a dozen gourmet chocolate truffles.

"She may have hinted at it." He conceded, though he still looked rather satisfied with himself. "So, do we have a deal, princess? Or would you rather maintain your hunger strike?"

Her lips pursed slightly and her eyes evaded the captain's. It was painfully obvious that no one was going to come save her and Anna, at least not within the next few days. If she was to concoct and carry out an escape plan, she'd need strength and rest. She'd also need his trust –she wouldn't put it past him to lock her up once more if he caught on. Boy or not, he was still a pirate. Her eyes returned to the chocolates in her hand and she picked one up, scrutinizing it carefully before plopping it into her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and it took all of her willpower not to give a sound of delight at the familiar, rich taste. He was still watching, after all. Once she had chewed and swallowed the treat, she gently cleared her throat before speaking again, a faint tint of pink invading her cheeks once more –she only hoped he couldn't see it in the dim light.

"I suppose that's a fair trade." She replied quietly. His grin widened mischievously as he detached himself from the wall on which he was leaning.

"Then let's go,"

Unable to retain a gentle sigh, the blonde set down the box of chocolates and stood before leaving her cell. Despite that she was obviously a bit weak from not having eaten, she maintained her air of grace and royalty. As she passed him, Jack couldn't help but think how even with knotted hair and a dirty nightgown she looked as proud and regal as ever. He supposed it was the slight, upward tilt of her head that looked as though she were balancing some invisible object upon the tip of her nose. Usually when he encountered upper-class men and women with this trait he found it quite irritating. Elsa's pride, however, he simply found amusing.

It was only a few moments later that he joined her in the hall to find the princess stooping to the ground to retrieve the apple he had thrown earlier –which had missed the waste basket—and putting it in its rightful place. When she stood once more and turned to him, a light flush was once again visible in her pallor, as though he'd caught her.

"No use in making a mess," she muttered, averting her eyes as she turned to the staircase that would lead them out of the hold. His amused smile unyielding, Jack followed her up.

* * *

As the pair arrived on the main deck, Elsa allowed the cool wind stirred up by the ocean to enter her lungs and pull gently at wisps of her platinum hair.

"Kinda cold tonight, huh?"

Cerulean orbs flickered to the captain at her side before she clasped her hands behind her back and gave a soft shrug in response.

"It's never bothered me," She answered rather curtly, never having been one for small talk. "I don't suppose you've got anything planned?"

"Straight to the point I see," he said with a grin as his feet began to move once more. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far,"

_' Niether did I '_ the princess thought to herself as she moved beside him at a leisurely pace, her eyes roaming the vast ocean to her right and purposefully avoiding the boy to her left.

"so I'm afraid you'll simply have to settle for my company tonight."

When she didn't reply with a brazen quip of some sort, Jack deflated slightly, his shoulders falling a bit. Her eyes, having roamed over the expanse of the deck already, were set on the ocean, her face turned away from him entirely. Frustrated, but not giving up so easily, Jack cleared his throat, managing to capture an expectant glance from the princess. He returned it with a smirk.

"C'mon, you haven't seen the rest of the ship yet." He said, "I'll give you a tour."

* * *

He led her down throughout the ship, making jokes and light conversation about various subjects in attempt to perhaps catch a glimpse of a smile from the girl. However, her features remained entirely stoic, her voice only used when ask a question and her eyes constantly averted, studying each corner and crevice rather than look at him. As the tour drew to a close, she was obviously tense and tired, and Jack wasn't much better off. He had been far too optimistic, he realized, in hoping he could befriend her so easily. Keeping his frustration at bay, Jack decided to move to his last resort.

"Last stop," he said, drawing a look of relief from the girl at his side. They had stopped at a door at the end of a long hall, his hand resting on it almost hesitantly before pushing it open. "The kitchen."

As Jack had expected, upon their entrance came a loud squeal of excitement –not from either of them. It was dinner time for most of the crew and Anna, having really found her place among them, typically ate with them now as well. Within moments, the redhead had run over and thrown her arms tightly around her sister, enveloping her in a tight hug for only a few seconds before releasing her and talking animatedly as she always did. For all the fighting they had done in the past week or so, Jack thought, they never seemed to be able to hold the anger for very long, at least not on the surface.

Jack's gaze was pulled away from the sisters when one of the boys at the table called for him to join them. After a glance at Elsa, he relented and walked over to the table and swung each leg over the bench, seating himself beside one of the younger boys. The girls remained by the door a while longer, a faint smile having found its way to Elsa's lips at her sibling's excitement, though the concern was obvious in her eyes, even if Jack didn't realize its purpose.

While Anna continued to bubble excitedly about everything, she walked Elsa around the kitchen, pulling out a plate to get her something to eat. Having relinquished her abstinence of food, Elsa was certainly glad to see a place full of bread and meat and cheese. Once each had a plate and utensils in hand, Anna started towards one of the more full tables, already being greeted by some of the others, but was stopped when a gentle hand found her shoulder. The redhead looked over her shoulder at Elsa who was obviously making an effort to look poised, rather than nervous. It was then that the younger girl remembered; this would probably be the largest crowd Elsa had been near in months –maybe even years. And with everything so in formal, unlike the wedding would have been, she was extremely uncomfortable. An easy smile found Anna's lips and, after a small apology to those at the full table, walked with Elsa to the corner of a mostly empty table where some of the less talkative boys sat. For the second time that night, Jack's shoulders slumped as he watched them walk off.

"Thank you," the murmur came from the blonde as they settled in at the table. Anna merely gave a small hum in response. It was the first time in forever Elsa had really asked her for anything –even if she hadn't _really _asked. "So," Elsa continued, looked to the girl at her left, the concern returning to her gaze. "You're really enjoying yourself here aren't you?"

"I really, really am." Anna answered, smiling at her sister. "But you know, it'd be even _more _fun if you'd leave that cell. You might even make some friends!"

"I highly doubt any of them want me as a friend." Elsa muttered into a piece of bread.

"I think you'd be surprised." Anna mumbled into a bite of her own, glancing at her sister and earning a look of confusion in return.

"Regardless, they're still pirates –criminals—they can't—"

"Not this again," the younger girl sighed, turning to her sister. "Elsa, look over at that table," she motioned with a hand full of bread, "and tell me what you see."

"Anna this won't—"

"Elsa, please," blue-green orbs grew wide as Anna fixed her older sister with a look of puppy-like pleading, causing Elsa to bristle in shock at first before looking away.

"Anna, stop that, you're not a child—"

Determined, the younger of the two leaned forward, the pleading stare only intensifying as she did. When the blonde sighed and her shoulders drooped, Anna smiled in triumph and waited.

In all truth, Elsa hadn't wanted to look because she already knew what she would see. Her eyes moved to the table of boys, laughing and chatting expressively with each other and suddenly a look of horror overcame her feartures.

"Anna, how young are those boys?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Who? Jamie and Peter? Not really sure, why?"

"I—I just… they're _so _young, especially to be in a place like this and—"

"That's kind of the point, Elsa." Anna replied, earning another look of furrowed brows from her sibling. "Most of the kids here are orphans or hated their lives with their families."

Elsa couldn't recall a time when Anna looked so somber, but it thankfully didn't last long and was soon replaced by a small smile as she watched one of the boys throw a piece of bread at one of the others.

"That's why they're here. It's their home, Elsa. To you they're criminals and pirates but really, they all just want a family, a place to belong, and for them, this is it."

A sharp pang of guilt hit Elsa like a jab to the stomach and caused her to drop the food she was holding back to her plate, having lost her appetite. Surely Anna didn't think of herself that way… did she? Not that she didn't have every right to, the way Elsa had been shutting her out more frequently.

"I see," was all Elsa could manage in response before she glanced back at the table of boys who broke out into another fit of laughter a moment later.

"What are we talking about?"

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin before her head whipped to the right. Of course, a grinning silvery-haired boy was sitting down beside her.

"_We_?" Elsa hissed, eyes narrowed, shoulders still tense. When Anna snickered on her left, Elsa looked to her, betrayal in her eyes. "Anna!"

"Oh, Jack," Anna said, ignoring her sister. "Don't you know by now how much she hates being teased?"

"Can't help myself," he said with a shrug. "It's too much fun watching her get all red and puffy," Still grinning, her poked Elsa's cheek and chuckled, causing her to turn on him with an even harsher look than she had fixed her sister.

"Hey!" The blonde's face was indeed turning a bright shade of red as the two teased her. "What's with this, two on one is—"

"completely unfair!" Anna spoke the words in unison with her sister, mocking her with a rather snobbish accent and a silly face that drew a loud laugh from Jack which he failed rather miserably at stifling.

"I do _not _talk like that!" Elsa shouted at her little sister who had also dissolved into a fit of giggles. Turning to Jack, who had clearly been affected by Anna's infectious giggling, Elsa's cheeks puffed out slightly in a pouting face she hadn't made in years –princesses didn't pout after all.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

One of the younger boys had found his way over to their table and sat down across from them –Peter, Elsa was pretty sure that was his name.

"Yeah, don't leave us out!" called another boy as he walked over, followed by several others. Soon the table was filled, several chairs pulled up to either end –even Kristoff had taken a seat beside Anna— and all of them were firing questions and comments at the blonde girl.

"Hey you're the other girl!" one shouted.

"Where ya been?" another asked.

"Were you sick or something?"

"You should come and play with us tomorrow!"

"We can teach you to swordfight like Anna!"

"Hey!" Jack finally shouted, causing the group to settle down, at least a little bit. "One thing at a time guys, don't scare her." He said with a chuckle, leaning forward over the table on his forearms and looking over at Elsa with an amused smirk that, for one reason or another, only seemed to increase the temperature in her face. "You know," he told her, "they're not gonna leave you alone until you give them _something._"

"He's right," one of the boys chimed, others nodding in agreement.

"I—uh, w-well," Elsa glanced to her sister, who was simply smiling in amusement and gave her a hand gesture to 'go on'. With a sigh and an attempted smile, she looked back to the crowd, aware of the fact that her hands were shaking in her lap. "What do you want to know?"

"What's it like being a princess?" one asked.

"Do you like books?"

"Screw books, do you like sword fighting?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"You're pretty,"

The last one made Elsa blink and look to the boy –Jamie—who had said it to find him smiling at her.

"Ah, thank you." She replied with a soft chuckle.

"Easy, tiger." Jack said teasingly to the boy with a grin, causing him to stick his tongue out.

A laugh went through the group and Elsa, so surrounded by the aura of happiness, couldn't help a soft smile. When the attention once again returned to her, she answered each question they presented her with, Anna chiming in now and then.

Before she knew it, Elsa had spent over an hour chatting with the group. Some had diffused into their own conversations again and the hall was filled with laughter and stories.

"It was certainly –" Elsa paused during a story to yawn, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh dear, it's really quite late, I should be going to bed—" The blonde had begun to stand up but was stopped by a small hand grabbing hers.

"Wait!"

She looked to see it was Jamie, a look all too reminiscent of Anna's earlier puppy eyes on his face.

"Don't go just yet!" he pleaded and was quickly backed up by several mumbles of disappointment from the others.

"I'm sorry but I really am quite exhausted." She said apologetically as she straightened up and removed her hand from Jamie's quickly.

"She's right, guys," Jack sounded beside her, standing as well. "We should all be getting to bed."

A collective groan went throughout the group.

"at least promise you'll come see us again tomorrow!" another of the younger boys said, drawing a tired smile from Elsa.

"Can't she just stay with us?" another said, followed by a chorus of agreement and bringing a slightly shocked expression to Elsa's face.

"W-what?" she murmured, looking around with wide eyes.

"Stay with us!"

"Yeah!"

"We won't make you work hard or anything!"

"You can sleep in our room if you want! We have an extra bed!"

"And you can read us bedtime stories!"

"Please!"

"Pretty please!"

"Say you'll be part of the crew!"

"You can be our second big sister!"

Elsa's brows were furrowed, her eyes wide in confusion and surprise. They really wanted her to join them? To tell them stories and… and be like their sister? She looked to Anna in hopes of some sort of support, but found instead a hopeful smile like every other face. She wanted a sister too, she wanted the one she already had.

Pale hands were shaking again as Elsa's eyes looked over all of the optimistic expressions, accompanied by pleading voices.

"Well, Elsa,"

Her head turned to Jack at her side, her eyes wide.

"what do you say?"

Cerulean eyes swept over the sea of faces once more as panic began to set in.

"I need air."

And with that, Elsa fled from the room, leaving a group of disappointed children and teens in her wake.

Jack cursed softly under his breath while Anna and everyone else looked at the door with forlorn faces. With a sigh, the young captain moved towards the door, only stopping once to look back at the group.

"She'll come around." He promised with a gentle smile. "Unless you've got a night shift, you all should be getting to bed."

"Come on, guys," Anna chirped, rising to her feet with a smile that was more forced than usual. "I'll tell you all bedtime stories."

As the group disbanded, taking care of dishes and such, Jack turned and ran out the door, hoping to catch Elsa before she ran off to some corner of the ship and got herself lost.

* * *

After a good ten minutes of running around, Jack emerged on the main deck, greeted by a cold gust of wind. It didn't take him long to notice her, still clad in her white nightgown, standing by the edge of the ship and leaning against the rail where her forearms rested. The wind pulled at her platinum locks, adding to the wistful look in her cerulean gaze as she stared out at the equally blue sea and making her look quite similar to a maiden from a storybook.

Jacks lips pressed into a thin line as her approached her cautiously, hoping not to startle her. He came to her right, mimicking her by leaning on his arms on the rail of the ship.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he finally said, his voice so quiet that her delayed response made him worried she hadn't heard it.

"What am I supposed to do?" she murmured after a pause. "don't answer that." came a moment later.

Silence hung in the air between them, his gaze fixed on her, hers on the seas.

"Did they mean all that?"

"They seemed pretty genuine to me." He replied, watching as her face fell into her hands and she slowly shook her head.

"I can't even be good sister to _Anna_."

"Elsa—"

"You don't know Jack. You don't know anything about us… you don't know me."

His brows furrowed slightly and his gaze dropped for a moment, as if her word hurt him. Perhaps they had.

"You're right. I don't know anything about you… but, if you'd just give it all a chance…" his voice trailed off when she began shaking her head again. A sigh parted the captain's lips as a hand rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes lifting to the star-dotted sky above them. "You still want to leave."

Elsa looked at him suddenly, as though she was surprised, then realized that she really shouldn't be. An hour of chatting with the crew didn't mean she wanted to stay and he wasn't blind.

"Of course I do." She replied, her own eyes falling to the ocean once more. "I want my parents to know I'm safe –that we both are."

"It's more than that." He replied, earning a glance from her but no more. "You're still not telling me something. There's some other reason, something Anna doesn't know about."

"Did it ever occur to you that a princess wouldn't want to be mixed up with pirates?" she replied with a raised brow, looking at him.

He shook his head.

"No, Elsa. You know that's not it." He met her gaze with a firm one of his own. "You're holding back. It could be the smallest thing but I know it's there."

"I told you before, I'm not hiding anything." She answered firmly.

"And I don't believe that." He countered, earning a frustrated huff from her. "You'll tell me eventually." He said simply. "When you're ready, but until then…"

Throughout their conversation, Jack had slowly inched closer to her. Now, shoulder to shoulder, his fingertips gently brushed the back of her hand. When her hand pulled away, his pursued it until she relented and allowed his fingers to glide over her skin.

"consider the offer, at least." He murmured as his thumb traced the ridges of her knuckles. "Even if it's only temporary."

Elsa looked down at their hands, then at him, then back to their hands.

"I can't make any promises," she whispered;

"I'm not asking you to,"

It was when his breath stirred against her cheek that her eyes darted up and she finally noticed the closeness of his face to hers. Anymore and his forehead would certainly brush hers. Despite her glance, Jack's own eyes remained on their hands, causing her to look down at them once more. Her eyes returned to his face and a quiet gasp parted her lips when they were met by his eyes. Slowly, she felt his palm move beneath hers and wondered if he too thought their hands fit together in a strange, but not bad, way. Like puzzle pieces.

"You're turning red again, princess."

"Elsa." She corrected, unsure of why she was. He should be calling her princess; even in a mocking tone it was more formal than her given name.

Jack smiled. Suddenly her reason for correcting him, for allowing him to use her name, didn't seem important anymore.

"Elsa," He echoed, lifting her hand gently. "Goodnight."

Bringing her hand to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, a glint of something in his eye as he did so, and then set it back on the rail of the ship. For the first time that night, her trembling hands felt completely steady.

With a soft smile he turned and began to walk off, leaving her there at rail looking after him.

* * *

**A/N: Hello snowflakes 3 I'm so very sorry for keeping you all waiting so long! For a while I honestly just didn't have the inspiration for this story but today I sat myself down and finished the chapter and I'm fairly happy with how it turned out uvu So I really hope you guys enjoyed it! Be sure to leave reviews if you like it, I love hearing from all of you 3 I'm not sure when I'll get around to putting out another chapter but with winter break coming up after exams next week, hopefully it will be soon! Also I'm retaking the ACT tomorrow morning so wish me luck! 3 uvu**


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