#lelsa

(His blasted brother bobs into his line of sight and he wishes it drove him mad, but the carefully guarded hope that lines his once hopelessly optimistic eyes makes his insides ache. It is only in the younger Jones’ expression that he knows his words of death are true. Time has passed and he is not at all certain it has been good to his brother. But the blonde who he loves steps strongly to his side and tangles her fingers in his and Liam thinks that perhaps, after all, he may have turned out alright).

——

He sees the girl with silver hair again days later, only after the woman he now knows as Emma has had what he thinks must be half the bloody town check his liveliness. His brother stays at his side and smirks as he is prodded, but his darkened eyes rarely stray from their wary guard on him. He isn’t sure he blames him for his concern.

He forgets about her really, until he has finally bought himself a moment of freedom to the small dock of the town, which he thinks is certainly cooler than the day prior. But when he catches a flash of blue and a gleam of silver, he knows it is her and he knows that his heart absolutely should not thud at his chest as frantically as it does.

When he catches up to her he fights to remain casual but the way she bites at the smile playing at her lips tells him that 300 years of death has done nothing good to his social skills. He tells her as much and earns himself a giggle just as a gentle flurry starts upon them.

(She apologizes profusely for not having her magic under control and his eyes widen in an awe he is incapable of containing. She senses it and her cheeks warm and the snow falls harder as she excuses herself swiftly in the opposite direction).

(He wishes he’d stopped her).

——

She avoids him and his brother tells him that she is just skittish. That she and her sister and brother-in-law are as displaced as he is, and that magic as strong as hers and Emma’s is hard to contain. He tells him other things too, but lingers on Elsa, studying his expression knowingly before moving forward.

Liam learnt that he’d kept their ship till only a year ago. That he lost his hand when he lost his first love. He learnt that when he’d died his crew had followed his brother beneath the skull and bones, and he learnt that when he had lost his second love he had been prepared to give up anything to find her.

He learns every new line in his brothers face and he cannot stand that he has missed the forming of every one.

He sees her at the docks again, but this time it is her who finds him, sitting softly on the bench beside him.

“You’ve looked lost ever since you arrived.”

“I suppose I am.”

He likes her voice. The gentle timbre that promises there is more to be uncovered. He feels her shift nearer to him.

“It’s okay to get a little lost sometimes, you know. If you’re never lost you can never be found.”

He finally allows himself to peer over at her. She is smiling, light and somber, studying his expression with soft wide eyes.

“That is quite intuitive, majesty.”

“I’ve been lost myself a few more times than I’d like to admit.” Her smiles flickers, “And… just Elsa.”