A/N: This is part one of the two-shot I'd write for my stories, The Only Frozen Heart and A Symphony of Frost and Flame. It's meant to bridge the gap on what happened after Hans saved Elsa from the Duke's henchman and almost losing his life in the process. If you haven't read them already, I'd recommend you do so now! :D
"El…sa… Thank… you. I… love you…"
"No…" Elsa shook her head frantically. This couldn't be happening, not like this. Just as they were about to reach that light at the end of the tunnel, their happy ending… She looked to Anna, who looked just as desperate as she was, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"How… We have to get him to a doctor, quick!" she heard a masculine voice from behind her. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf had come and approached them, intent on helping. Hans's brothers, Edvar and Karl, had also reached. The burly prince reached for his little brother's rigid body.
"No!" Karl brushed his hand off. "If you move him now, the shock could be too much! He could die!"
"But he is already dying!" Edvar countered. "If he stays here, he'll either freeze to death or die from blood loss!"
"But with his heart punctured like this, I'm not sure if he'll even survive the trip!"
"We've got to try!"
The heated argument between the two brothers mattered not to Elsa, who was on the verge of despair. Frantically, she prayed inside for God, Devil, anyone, who would help her – help Hans from this predicament. But the answer did not come.
"Anyone… please… help me…" she whispered, tears still glistening on her cheeks. The sorrow intensified to the point where she almost could not bear it. That was when…
I can help.
"What?"
I can help him. Let me guide your hands.
"Who – who are you!?" she shouted frantically, bewildered at this 'voice' which seemed to come from nowhere. "Guide my hands… how?"
"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna, Kristoff, and the others looked bewildered at the young Queen, who looked as if she was communicating to an invisible person. Even Elsa herself knew how she must look – out of her mind, or delirious, would be an apt description. But she did not care. If this person said she could help, then…
"Please, I'll do anything! Help me save him."
Then relax your hands. Let your powers run free.
Her eyes widened in shock at the instruction – if this eternal winter was the result of her spurt of magic by accident, what would happen if she were to let her curse have free rein?
"I – can't!" she shouted, shaking her head. "What if it makes this winter get worse!? What if-"
"Elsa!" Kristoff bellowed, snapping her from her inner turmoil. "I don't know who you are talking to, but if there's something it says it can do… just try it!"
"But–"
"We're losing him!" the mountain man said, noting Hans's condition. "It's time to take a leap of faith – or never!"
"… Okay."
The Queen took a deep breath and channeled her powers, letting the cold ran free through her veins and into her hands. And as if guided by an invisible force, her hands moved towards Hans's heart and reached for the bolt protruding from his chest.
"What are you – don't!" Edvar bellowed, realizing what she was about to do. But Karl blocked him and shook his head, his gaze telling his little brother to trust in the Queen. With a swift motion, Elsa yanked and pulled the bolt off her fiancée's chest. Blood spurted and stained his pure white shirt – a horrific sight that should have alarmed all those present if it weren't for the even more bizarre event that followed.
Elsa gently placed her glowing, frigid hands over Hans's wound, and literally out of magic, the wound froze and the bleeding stopped. Yet the same magic seemed to affect Hans even further – his hair turned white, whiter than the snow falling around them.
Anna shrieked as she recognized his condition as the very same as her own just moments ago.
"Elsa… what… How could you…?" she murmured in disbelief. Confusion and anger seemed apparent in her eyes as she stared at her older sister, her gaze demanding an explanation. But Elsa merely shook her head quietly.
"We can move him now," she gasped. Her voice was steady, but her lips were quivering. Tears threatened to gush out from her eyes. "I've done what I can, but he's not yet out of danger. Please get him to the doctor – quick!"
At her cue, Hans's brothers quickly moved in, hoisted him up by his arms, and dragged him back. Seeing her fiancée disappearing behind the castle gates, all the stress and relief hit Elsa like a tsunami, and she sank to her knees.
"Why did you do that?" was the first question Anna asked. She only realized a split second later that not only her question was highly insensitive, but also that she should not be asking question instead of comforting her sister in the first place. To her surprise, Elsa managed to look up at her and smile, albeit weakly.
"I don't know…" she murmured. "But it just felt… right. That which these hands did to him, it simply felt… as it should be." She looked at Kristoff. "You were right. To trust… in myself."
"Uh… yeah," Kristoff mumbled, unsure what to say. Elsa chuckled, a bead of unrestrained tear fell off her eye.
"Did you know?"
"Well, I think so. When you were raised by trolls, you just sort of develop an intuition for these kind of things, I guess."
"I see," Elsa nodded, getting on her feet once again, brushing off the frost off her dress. "Would you mind escorting my sister back to the castle?"
"Sure, Els – I mean, Your Majesty," he amended hastily, flustered at how casually he addressed the ruler of his country. Elsa chuckled and shook her head nonchalantly, implying to not mind the gesture. But the Princess seemed to unwilling to leave just yet.
"No, Elsa, I'm not leaving you this time. Let's go back, together!" she said stubbornly. Yet she faltered when Elsa once again surprised her with not annoyance, but a reassuring, kind smile.
"Don't worry, I'll follow right behind you. I just… need some time alone, okay? And please watch over Hans for me… for now."
"… Okay."
Elsa's smile faded gradually as she saw the pair heading back to the castle, leaving her by herself just as she wished.
"Thank you," she whispered after making sure nobody was within earshot. "I don't know who you are, but… thank you."
Elsa, the voice once again answered, surprising her. You don't have to thank me. For this is what you did. You yourself saved Hans.
"I… myself? But you were the one guiding me all along!"
And that is exactly why. I am you. And you are I.
"You are… me? But I've never even heard you, let alone known you, after all these years… of isolation! Why only now…?"
I came to be because of the hidden power recently awakened. Your power. In your heart.
"What…"
Love. It was love which let me be, Elsa. Love gave you power, and through that power, I could reach to you. To guide you.
"Love…"
Yes. And through that same love, you've saved Anna. And now you've saved Hans.
"I see… Love…"
Tears spontaneously fell from the Queen's eyes. Yet as she teared, she was laughing. A genuine laugh, one that was of joy.
Now now… I believe we still have a predicament, do we not?
"Yes. To stop this winter… how?"
Just like before. Feel it. The love which guides you.
Her doubts gone, Elsa nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating. The cold pulsated once again through her veins. And this time she felt it even clearer – like a blood vessel – and she had complete control over it. Slowly, surely, she willed the flow to change direction; inwards. True to her will, every particles of cold, down to the minutest, reversed their motion; joining back into a single, gigantic, snowflake=shaped vortex.
The citizens sighed in awe as they witnessed the miracle before them; white becoming green, blue, and all that were be. And as magically as it came, gone was the permafrost.
"It's… gone," Elsa breathed in relief.
Yes. You did good. Never forget this feeling, Elsa. For it is who you are.
"Yes… thank you."
And now I have another confession to make. This first meeting will be our last, but… it has been a pleasure.
"What…!? No, please, don't go! I still need you!"
And I won't. I will be with you, Elsa, always. For we are one and only. I will always be here, inside you. Besides, you should be fine now. You have Gerda, Kai, Uncle Tomas, Aunt Rosa… and thy who love you most.
"Anna and… Hans?"
Yes. There is no need to be afraid now. You can be who you are. And together with them, you can overcome all obstacles.
Elsa tried to open her mouth, but she could find no words that could express her gladness. Happiness. And gratitude. So instead she simply nodded and smiled to herself.
Now then… goodbye, Elsa.
"Goodbye, Elsa. No, this is not a goodbye, isn't it? Welcome home… Elsa."
It was a calm night. The disaster had been averted, the people of Arendelle now hailed their beloved Queen back, and the machinations of the nefarious villains who sought to exploit the predicament had been thwarted. Moreover, Elsa had finally been able to accept her powers as a curse no longer, but as a gift. On top of that, she had been able to take the first step to mend her lost relationship with the sister she loved most dearly. It should have been a happy night, one full of celebration.
But Elsa could not bring herself to do that still, for before her now, her love laid unmoving. His last act ensured her safety, yet it now left him in this state. Unable to move, unable to express. Just a seemingly peaceful, final rest if it weren't for his occasional, steady breathing.
"The operation was a success," Elsa remembered Erik saying. "The rupture was closed just long enough for us to mend. But I was unable to get the magic out of his body. I suppose he will have to stay… like this."
"Like this!?" Elsa shrieked. "You mean… he'll never wake up!?"
"My apologies, I did not mean it in such a way. I mean… whatever physical change your magic brought, Your Majesty… it will have to stay with him. I mean no offense."
"I see… But will he – will he make it?"
"I'm sure he will," Erik said kindly. "But as for when he will wake up… I am not certain. All we can do now… is wait."
Looking at his peaceful sleeping face somehow gave Elsa hope. She could not express enough how she was grateful for all he did for her. How she… loved him. She remembered the first day they had met. It was a bright, sunny day, just as it was today. She remembered seeing his mask the first time, how it repulsed yet fascinated her at the same time. Perhaps birds of a feather do flock together, she thought at that time.
But no, she could not risk it. Not after what happened to Anna. She must repel all intimate connections, for both her sake and the other. That was why, she kept her distance. She rejected him countless times where she could. Even if she had to scorn him.
Yet he, even after all that…
She remembered that night. The night when the assassins came for her life. How he staunchly defended her. How it tore her heart so to see him hurt because of her. And especially his words after that…
'There is so much more to you than you know. Not just pain and loneliness. There is good too, I felt it. That is why I can't leave you alone. I want you to be happy. I want you to be able to see what I see, that there is goodness in Princess Elsa of Arendelle.'
The words ringed in her ears like it was just yesterday. And not only that… even when her secret was found out, when everyone else ousted her as a witch, a monster… he was the only one of the two who kept believing in her.
"You reached out to me even when I repelled you. You keep looking out for the best in me even when I myself couldn't … I wish I could light the sky now and tell you how I feel… Hans."
She kissed him.