"It was all Marcus' fault really...
because once you open your door to one person, anyone can come in."
- About a Boy,
based on the book by Nick Hornby


Elsa had snuck off to the balcony and shut the doors behind her, hoping to momentarily escape being swamped by her advisors and other political officials who had been hounding her since the Arendelle castle gates had been reopened.

She sighed with relief, shutting her eyes and leaning against the closed doors. "Thank goodness." At last she had a moment of peace and quiet.

"You would think the new Queen of Arandelle would be busier."

"Prince Hans!" Elsa nearly jumped with surprise. "I apologize, I didn't expect anyone to be out here." She the possibility of leaving entered her mind, but although she considered it, she figured it would be too impolite.

"Oh, it's alright." The smiling prince was sitting on the balcony ledge. However, he stood up to scrutinize her more closely. "Not hiding, are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She gulped, uncomfortable under the pressure of his gazing eyes. "What? No, no don't be ridiculous," she said, attempting to sound casual. "I just... needed a break, that's all." But she heard loud footsteps coming from the other side of the door and squeaked, in her panic freezing a thick layer of ice over the door—particularly over the handle—in an attempt to seal it shut.

"Uh-uh." He gave her a skeptical look. "Queen Elsa, not to be disrespectful to the ruler of Arandelle, the gracious host of what has been my home for the past few days, and the wielder of potentially deadly ice powers, but I'm afraid you're a terrible liar."

She gave a small, sheepish laugh, but a part of her was surprised at his willingness to not only be jovial with her but to be genuine as well. "Guess I'll have to work on that." Distant voices could be heard from the other side of the door. She glanced uneasily over her shoulder and then back at him. "Look, can I just stay out here with you for a little while? I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed right now." Not that being alone on a moonlit balcony with your sister's ex-fiancé was exactly the most comfortable situation in the world, but it definitely could have been worse.

Hans nodded. "Of course. I understand," he said, to which she was grateful.

They sat together in silence. Hans turned to admire the city and the glittering mass of water as the moonlight shone upon the landscape. "Wow," he practically breathed. "Look at the view." There was something wistful to his voice that peaked her interest.

"It is beautiful," was all she could think to say in reply.

He sighed. "I sure am going to miss this place when I leave tomorrow."

"Leaving so soon?" she asked, the disappointment apparent in her voice. As for why she was disappointed, she wasn't entirely positive. She was grateful that he had taken care of her kingdom in her absence, yes... and he had practically saved her. But it was ridiculous. The man was practically a stranger.

"I'll be gone first thing in the morning. Besides..." He smiled half-heartedly. "I'm sure I've way outstayed my welcome by now."

"No! Not at all!" she insisted profusely. He was quite the opposite of a burden—even his presence now was actually very soothing—but at the same time, she had no idea what would really compel him to stay now that the engagement had been broken. "You've been wonderful. You know..." She dropped her gaze down to her feet, avoiding his eyes. "We... I... never properly thanked you for how much you've done for us. For Arandelle."

"Your hospitality has been more than enough to show your thanks," said Hans graciously.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you need before you decide go head back home," offered Elsa. "And you're welcome to come back and visit whenever you like." She figured it was the least she could do for him.

"Thank you. One can only handle being with thirteen brothers for so long before they get sick of it."

She laughed, to which he chimed in as well upon seeing her reaction.

His expression then grew solemn. "They probably didn't even notice I was gone." He sighed, turning once more to face the balcony view. "I was hoping I could build myself a future here, you know?" he confessed. "I'd finally have a place of my own where I'd actually belong."

"Sometimes, things don't work out the way we expect them too," said Elsa. She had no idea if her words had actually helped him, but it was the most comforting thing she could think to say at the moment.

He didn't answer.

She tried again. "Think about it this way. If it weren't for you and Anna, then I would never have decided to open the gates."

Hans ignored her. "Kristoff seems like a nice guy."

She nodded. "He is. I mean, he's a little rough around the edges," she admitted. "But he's a good guy." Elsa was ready to defend her sister's choice in partner if need be, but to her relief it didn't have to come to that.

"I'm glad to hear that."

At least he didn't seem bitter. She shrugged, sighing. "And he makes her happy, so that's what matters."

"Well, Anna's not the only one who seems happier," he said, giving Elsa a pointed look.

She nodded. "I'm working on it. I feel much better than before." The anxiety was still there, of course; it came with the stress of the job, but now at least she had a loving sister to depend on.

"The new look says it all. I mean, look at you now. You're a vision!" he said, the admiration apparent in his voice.

She smiled bashfully at the compliment, her eyes carefully averted toward the ground. "Thank you."

"Now isn't this much better then staying locked up in your room all day?"

Was it better than staying locked up in her room alone all day? Despite the fact that she was busier than she had ever been in her life, despite the fact that an entire kingdom looking to her for leadership was a huge weight of responsibility on her shoulders, despite the fact that she had never been particularly keen on crowds and being so visible in the public eye, and despite the fact that she felt a gnawing guilt at the fact that she was unable to spend as much time with her darling sister as she wished, she absolutely knew the answer to the question.

"Yes," she mused. "I daresay it is... I... I feel free." And the best part was that she was free without having to be alone.

Just then there was an abrupt knock on the door, startling them both. "Queen Elsa?" a muffled voice called from the other side.

"About as free as the ruler of a country gets anyway," muttered Hans. Elsa silently agreed, the prospect of her needing to face her duties grounding her, bringing her back to reality. She was a queen, and she had a kingdom to run.

The doorknob rattled, but the ice did not give way. The voice came again. "I don't remember there being a lock on this door."

"I guess I'd better go," said Elsa. "Honestly I expected them to find me a lot sooner than they did." She wasn't sure exactly how much time had gone by, but it was definitely much more than she had expected. Which was a good thing, even if she hadn't been completely alone as she had wished. All the same, she dreaded to think of what anyone would say once they found her alone with her sister's former fiancé.

Hans stood up and bowed. "Sorry to cut into your leisure time, Queen Elsa. I'm sure you probably would have preferred to have the time to yourself during your 'break'."

"Oh no, you've been excellent company," she reassured him, standing up. Of course, anybody who wasn't demanding important decisions from her was in her view excellent company, but Elsa found that she genuinely had enjoyed her time with him and that thankfully it hadn't been quite as awkward as she had anticipated. However, the knocking ceased before she could open the door, and the sound of footsteps quickly grew fainter.

"They'll probably be back," said Hans, and in her heart she knew that he was right. "You should probably go before they do, if you want to give 'em the slip."

Her eyes widened. "A-are you sure?" She had already resigned herself to the prospect of being caught shirking her responsibilities and was ready to accept her fate. However, the chance to slip out from under their noses once more was tempting.

"Sure, I'll cover for you."

"But wouldn't that be irresponsible of me?" she asked warily, voicing her concerns. She didn't quite understand why he was doing this for her. After all, they hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, but the past seemed to be behind him.

He shrugged. "Maybe. All I'm saying is that it's not wrong to need a break once in a while."

Maybe he was right. Elsa took a deep breath. "Alright." With a wave of her hand, she conjured up a set of steps made of snow heading down from the balcony. She climbed over the ledge, the snow freezing into solid ice as she set foot upon them.

Before leaving, she turned to face him one last time. "Hans?" Their eyes met. She nodded to him, smiling gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I was never here," she said pointedly.

He chuckled. "As you wish."

"Elsa!" The knocking was back, this time much louder and much more forceful than before. "Elsa! I know you're in there!" The voice unmistakably belonged to Anna. What her sister could possibly want from her, Elsa had no idea, but she didn't sound too happy.

"Go," he mouthed.

Elsa biting her lip, smiling at him, staying just a bit too long on the top step. "Bye." She gave him a small wave which he returned, and in one swift movement, she unfroze the ice upon the door then rushed down the steps, and was gone from sight.