ALTERNATE ENDING

An arrow was coming right to her, so she launched an attack to protect herself, but then, the man she loved was standing right in front of her and the ice spike meant to injure her assailant hit him. She saw him collapsing before her and blood spread all around him as she called his name, desperate and her voice broken.

Elsa opens her eyes wide, panicked and gasping. The sun rays seep through the window of a room that isn't hers and a warm arm reaches her waist, gently hugging her.

"Nightmare?" a sleepy voice says. She slowly turns her head and sees him lying next to her, half asleep, and alive. Her eyes linger on him and there's concern on his face as she answers "yes". So he says "come here," gesturing her to come lie down closer to him. And she does. And he tightly wraps his arm around her while she sobs against his bandaged chest.

It happened not long ago, and the memories are still fresh and vivid. She had injured him with her powers so badly she genuinely feared for his life. There was so much blood everywhere she looked at she truly had believed she would lose him forever. She couldn't forgive herself but, hopefully, the ice spike she had created had missed his heart and any other vital organ. He was safe and she knew it but still she's been having nightmare of this night every night since they came back to Arendelle.

The king of the Southern Isles had come down the stairs to see what was happening, catching the sight of his youngest brother choking on the floor and he thought about letting him there and going back to sleep. But then he also beheld the queen of Arendelle along her sister, the princess of Arendelle, and her fiancé, so he had no other choice than to call out a doctor who eventually saved Hans's life. Nielsen was immediately arrested and charged with treason, and the mirror put under surveillance.

"Shouldn't you be back to your own room by now?" Hans says with a sad smile on his lips, clearly not wanting her to go.

Of course she's been sleeping in the guest room he was occupying since he came to Arendelle. And everyone in the castle knew it. But every morning, she had to keep the appearances not for rumors to spread away even though the only thing she was doing was to keep him company. She was already overly famous for being the queen who cursed her lands not to add another scandal to that.

"I'll let you rest a little then. See you later," she answers as she wipes her tears away and she leans to him, dropping a soft kiss on his lips. But then, as she moves back to get out the bed, she feels his hands around her waist and she hears him say "don't go" in a plea and she knows she wouldn't be strong enough to leave him here alone to go in her room. "Alright" she concedes, comforting him and running a hand in his hair, and he relaxes and stares at her like she is the most wonderful thing in the world.

He's lying on his back, fondling her tight with a hand and he smiles at her. His chest, covered with a bandage spotted with bloodstains, goes up and down with each breath he takes, slow and constant, and she lets her hand rest a moment on his stomach, gently caressing him, before she moves and straddles him, sitting on his laps. She knows that if someone were to enter this room and see them in this position, there would be such a fuss about it, but she doesn't care about it right now because it's early morning and all she wants is to kiss him. So she leans more toward him and palms his cheek with one hand, but then he takes it in his own hand and puts little kisses on her palm while the other rests on her hip. "Marry me," she says, bluntly, and he stops and stares at her, astonished and not quite sure about what he heard. And so she repeats "marry me," because that's what she wants, because she loves him. And he grins, genuine and happy, because that's what he wants too, because she is making him a better man everyday, and he loves her.

"So why am I here again?" Kristoff complains, annoyed and wondering why he followed his wife here, in the town, hiding behind a flower pot.

"Because you asked for coming with me, remember?" Anna answers, on the lookout but not really preoccupied by the growing impatience of her husband. She has more important things to do right now, so she narrows her eyes when she catches the sight of who she's been looking for.

Kristoff sees him too and sighs. "You know, this is definitely not what I had in mind when I decided to come with you. You said you were going to stroll around in the town, and I was actually expecting us to stroll around, not to stalk the prince..."

Anna doesn't pay attention to what he's saying because something much more important is happening before her eyes. "Look! He has gotten into the shop!" she says, tensed and nervous as if this fact only will change the world.

"Yeah... He has gotten into a shop... How exciting..." Kristoff comments, rolling his eyes, because he doesn't understand why his wife is so obsessed with the guy, stalking him everywhere he goes, even in the castle. She says it's because she doesn't trust him, because she wants to protect her sister, and every time he moves a finger, it's like an undeniable proof he's plotting to take over the world.

"Oh my god, he's talking to the seller! Let's get closer," she commands and they both move closer to the shop, stopping in front of the large window and, looking thought it, Anna's eyes wide open like this is the piece of evidence she's been waiting for for ages as she exclaims "he's buying something! I knew he was up to no good!" and then she turns to Kristoff and adds "See! I told you it was weird that, even wounded, he goes out of the castle!"

And Kristoff looks at his wife, all softened and carrying, and he tries to talk some sense into her. "Anna, haven't you got more important things to do than spying on a guy buying clothes? I mean, you're pregnant, you should be resting in the castle... You're getting overly paranoid."

"Excuse me?! I am not paranoid, you're just too naïve. He's planning to take over the kingdom!" she replies, her arms akimbo and frowning at him.

"With a tie?" he chuckles and she flushes because she realizes this is indeed ridiculous, but still she answers "well, it must be part of his evil plan... Anyway...", and then she turns to look through the window again and she panics as she can't see him in there anymore, so she looks at the entrance of the shop, and sees him getting out and turning his head towards her. "He's coming to us! I think he has seen us!" she screams, frantically trying to find somewhere to hide.

"Of course he has..." Kristoff says skeptically, and he adds "you're not even discreet in following him...," observing her still stuck against the window of the shop.

And then there's Hans in front of them, and he's surprised. "Anna? What are you doing here?" he asks as he looks at Anna and then Kristoff.

Anna composes herself, raise her head and narrows her eyes, trying to look frightening as she answers "keeping an eye on you", but Kristoff chuckles behind her because she just can't look intimidating even when she's trying to.

"I see, but shouldn't you be resting in the castle? You're heavily pregnant," he replies, taking a quick glimpse at her round belly.

"This is none of your business, actually" she snaps, eyebrows frowned and her hands wrapped protectively on her belly.

"Well, you're spying on me, so I consider it my business" he says, his voice calm but an eyebrow raised. He can understand why Anna doesn't trust him, after what he has done to her and her sister, but he wonders if someday she will understand that things have changed, so he adds "and I also think you're wasting your time."

Anna's jaws clenches and she snaps "I may have forgiven you, but I haven't forgotten, keep that in mind. If your hurt Elsa, by any mean, you'll have to deal with me," and this time, she's scary.

"I love Elsa and I won't make her suffer, you have my word," Hans replies in a reassuring voice and he looks so definite about it Anna doesn't add a word, and Kristoff says to her "alright feisty-pants, I think he got the point. Let's go now."

She's working in her study, worried and fearful and almost in tears because she's just finished reading a letter from the Southern Isles and they will declare war on her if she keeps hosting Hans for this fact only breaks every agreements between the two kingdoms. And so there's frost forming everywhere in the room and she's freaking out because she can't control it, again, and she fears she will bury her kingdom in an eternal winter, again. So she repeats to herself, arms crossed and trembling, "don't feel... don't feel...," and some moment after, the frost is gone and she lets out a sigh of relief. But she's still trembling when she picks up an other letter from her desk. Hopefully, it's just an invitation to a marriage, and she relaxes.

Then, she feels two arms wrapping around her waist and a warm breath against her neck, and she's not even afraid not having heard him come in because it feels comforting.

"Go back to bed," she snaps, and it's meant to be an order. But then he says "no" and he kisses her neck and her voice fades away. So she turns to face him and she rests her hand on his chest, feeling the bandages under his shirt. "Does it still hurt?" she asks in a voice more worried that she intended it to be, but he answers "I'm fine" in a reassuring voice and adds "really" when he notices she's not believing him.

"Go back to bed. You need to rest," she tries again because she knows how much it hurts to be wounded that bad, and even though she's aware he doesn't rest in his room but instead goes to the town from times to times, she can't help but caring about him.

There's a hint of a smile on his lips and a gleam in his eyes as he says "only if you come with me." It's challenging and playful, and she craves to give in, but she answers "I can't. I have work to do," and the smile drops. So his eyes linger on the desk and on the letter with the Southern Isles's seal, and he recognizes it. She catches his glance and the worry comes to the surface again. "What's this?" he asks, brows furrowed as he leans to grip the letter, and she's too afraid to move and prevent him from reading it. And when he's finished reading the letter, he states "they're declaring war on us" and he observes her, trying to decipher her reaction.

Deep down he's oddly excited as he thinks that this is actually a golden opportunity to seize because there's still this old grudge against his brothers, and with her powers she can do anything and they don't even need an army, so he's tempted to tell her to wage war on the Southern Isles and that he will plan the action so that they'll win for sure.

But then he sees her worried eyes and anxious face and he remembers he doesn't want to see her suffer, so he asks with concern "what are you planning to do?" and she answers "I don't want to risk the lives of my people... I don't want a war" as she wraps her arms around herself and looks away from him. He walks to her, lifts her chin with his fingers and thinks he loves her, and that love is stronger than the demons still haunting him, than his obsession with power. He thinks she has already done enough, that she has chosen to overlook the past, that she has given him a chance, and that if he were to give in to this sickening whim, he would lose her trust. He would lose her. And he can't lose her for now he's happy; now he has a perspective of life. So he decides to choose her over power and revenge and he declares "I'll go to see my brothers and I'll fix all of this."

Her eyes open wide and she can't believe it because he says this with such confidence it's seems like this is an easy thing to be done, but God knows it isn't. So she asks how he plans on doing such a thing, and he says he won't lie to her and that he will use her powers as a threat to scare them enough for them not to do anything. She shivers and her gaze slips away from him. She turns to face her study as she considers his idea; sending him in the Southern Isles could be the end of him as he's officially banned from there, but not doing anything would be quite the same not to mention it will also bring death to her people. So she turns to face him and gazes at him a long time, and he sounds - and looks - so confident about his abilities to resolve this situation, she gives in. "Do it," she says, "do it and come back to me."

It's been a month, a month she hasn't received news from him. Not even a letter. It's been a month, worried sick and desperate, she checks every boat, every vessel coming to Arendelle. And even after all this time, she still believes she'll see him again. And there's a rumor going around in the town, a rumor saying that the queen has gotten crazy, and still she's at the dock every time a ship berths, waiting for his return, checking the people landing, always hoping - praying - he's in there. But he isn't.

So Sir Gustav, the Royal Adviser, has started to look down on her, harshly criticizing her behavior, and her pregnant sister has started to worry about her. So she tries not to look too afraid and anxious in front of her, but she hasn't heard from him and she can't find sleep at night. She tosses and turns and has nightmares about him dead every night, and every morning, she's sick, and throughout the day she's tired and anxious, and things don't go better as there's still this threat of war upon her head and there's still some representatives to meet, clean and proper and regal and poised.

As the days pass, the hope fades away. Maybe she has given up faced to the rumors spreading about her craziness, or maybe she has seen the worry in her sister's eyes every time she runs to the shore and returns more desperate than before. So she started to look at it through the window of her study as she watches the silhouettes landing and tries to recognize his from up there. And still there's nothing.

That day, she's in the guest room - his room - lying on the bed, inhaling the remaining scent of him on the sheets. The sun has already risen for hours but she can't find the strength to get up. So she tosses the pillow one more time and buries her face in it, muffling her cries. She has lost all hope of seeing him ever again. Perhaps his brothers killed him, perhaps his wound got infected, perhaps he died in the sea just like her parents. She's unsure, she's clueless and she feels helpless.

"Elsa?" Anna opens the door and comes in, "Elsa, get up, Hans has returned!" she says, excited because she knows his return will bring back a smile on her sister's face. And so she observes her, raising her head from the pillow, eyes red and bright with tears, and wide and hanging on every word that comes out of her mouth. She quickly gets up from the bed and runs to her sister in her light blue nightgown falling to her feet.

"What did you say?" she asks in a breath, grabbing her sister's hands, and Anna chuckles for her puzzled face is priceless.

"I said he has come back," she repeats," a ship has arrived and apparently he's in there. Come on, get ready, I'll help you get dressed" she adds, walking to her wardrobe and already pulling out four dresses that she disposes over the bed. But then she hears "thank you Anna", and when she turns to her sister to say that the orange dress is pretty, she has gone, and she's not even pissed and a smile draws upon her lips.

Elsa runs down the stairs and through the corridors of the castle, hardly breathing as she reaches the gate and carries on her crazy race to the shore. She arrives there, perspiring and catching her breath and shaking from toes to head as she scrutinizes the boat landed right in front of her. Her gaze lingers to the group of people who have already landed and then she sees him, finally.

He turns his head and sees her as well and there's something on his face that seems like bliss as he runs to her. And she tries to run too, to run to him, but she can't move. She's standing in her nightgown, straight and regal and her hands holding each other, and she doesn't move even when he's standing right in front of her. She looks up at him, finding his green eyes and trembles and she feels her legs aren't supporting her anymore so she stumbles and slumps. He catches her immediately and they land on their knees, Hans wrapping his arms around her, tightly. "I've missed you so much. So much," he whispers in her ear and she grips his shirt and she buries her head in his neck, her whole body trembling as she sobs in his arms. "Don't ever leave me again," she commands faintly, and he pets her hair as he chuckles and stares up into the sky, tears falling along his cheeks, thankful to have her in his arms again. "I won't," he promises as his arms tighten around her frail and shuddering shoulders.

And then the guards arrive, nervous because they've seen the queen of Arendelle leaving the castle alone in a hurry - and wearing nothing more than a nightgown - and it's their job to protect her, and then they're relieved when they see she's safe and sound and they propose to escort her back to the castle. She doesn't hear them, she can just hear her cries and his heartbeat, so Hans thanks them and says he'll take care of her, and he gets up and carries her in his arms, for she's clearly not letting go of his shirt, getting them on a horse and riding back to the castle.

He managed to negotiate an agreement with his brothers so that they're avoiding war and his condemnation has been lifted, and she's impressed with his diplomatic skills so she thinks about appointing him Vice Counselor. And she does. So Sir Gustav is utterly displeased and storms into her study telling her he has served her late father for years and she can't just dispose of him like that. And she remembers Hans telling her it wouldn't be wise to get rid of someone with so much experience as he, so she agrees to keep him as the Royal Adviser of Arendelle to the condition he stops criticizing her every move.

Then, it's late so she heads to his room but doesn't find him there, and she thinks that's strange because he was so tired he slept all day and until an hour ago, he was still sound asleep. So she goes to hers and she finds the lights are turned on and Hans is sitting at her dressing table. He's contemplating her things - lipstick, makeup, jewels, ribbons - and as she walks to him, he slowly turns to face her, wearing a cute yet anxious smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, curious, because he has never been in her bedroom before, because he's supposed to sleep here after their marriage.

He looks down on the floor a moment and looks like he's thinking and then he raises his head and meets her eyes. "I was wondering why I couldn't find the ring I offered you neither on your hand nor in your jewelry box, and then I remembered that's my bad because I have it. So I came here to give it back to you, if you still want it?" he declares, handing her the subject ring.

Elsa blinks several times, eyebrows raised and agape, and she's not actually surprised because she was expecting this - she even asked for this weeks ago - but still she demands in an unsteady voice "are you proposing to me?"

"Looks like I'm busted here," Hans chuckles and she laughs too as she takes up the ring, and his gaze follows her as she walks to her bed and sits on it, putting the ring on her finger. He can see her staring at him lovingly but then, something suddenly changes in her expression and he beholds fear in her eyes as she asks him "what took you so long?" And he's caught off guards by the question because he's not quite sure about what she's meaning, and so he stares at the floor a moment. He's about to reply he hasn't proposed to her earlier because he feared her reaction - and Anna's reaction - if they were to think he was doing this just to sit on the throne, but then she adds "you were supposed to stay in there just for one week, why didn't you come back earlier? You made me worried sick."

His face softens and that last sentence only brings him to the verge of tears as he thinks of how lucky he is to have someone worrying about him, so he stands up and walks to her, sits next to her on the bed and takes her hands in his and he gazes at them as he replies that there's been a storm during the return trip so the boat was forced to land back to the Southern Isles and they couldn't leave for days.

But then he meets her gaze again and she's worried and fearful and maybe he shouldn't have said that because now there's frost on the covers and her hands are trembling and he remembers that's how her parents died. So he leans more toward her, takes her in his arms and runs his hands along her back, stroking and reassuring her, and he adds "but I'm fine and I'm here with you now. That's the most important." And she doesn't know how he does that, how he manages to calm her down with just a few words and strokes and to make her feel like she's in control, and then his head lowers down and he lifts her chin with one hand, and his lips find hers. "I love you," he says between two kisses and she smiles, her eyes bright with tears and filled with love.

Anna was still pregnant when Elsa and Hans got married. They had to bring the papers to where she was sitting for her to sign them as witness of the marriage. The ceremony has been so fabulous and magic with ice decorations and fireworks at night, and when Hans saw Elsa in her white dress, his heart skipped a beat and he couldn't keep his eyes away from her as she walked along the long red carpet leading to the altar.

Among the guest, there was one that Elsa particularly insisted on inviting and so when she greets Olga and her husband, she's looking at her white dress like it's the most beautiful dress on earth. Elsa asks her if she's willing to live here and that she'll be able to find a position as an accounting adviser for her husband, and the innkeeper is eager because that way, she'll be able to wear all of the extravagant dresses she has always craved to wear, and Elsa chuckles and rejoices in that perspective.

The next day, Anna is delivering and she sees Kristoff perambulating in front of the door, and maybe that's the most serious - no, anxious - face Elsa has seen him wearing since she met him and then the door opens and the midwife hands him the blonde baby. Anna has given birth to a healthy boy. Elsa checks on her sister but she's tired and she needs to rest, so she heads to her room and she's sick again. She thought it would have stopped when Hans would have returned, she thought it was due to her fears of not seeing him again, but then Olga tells her that she might be pregnant, and even though she doesn't remember Anna having morning sickness during her pregnancy, it makes sense.

That's what he likes best, when she's all royal and poised in front of others, and then her hair is down and she's half naked in front of him. It's just feels like he's got some kind of privilege, seeing her like that, seeing her not acting and genuine, and yet she's still naturally graceful and elegant, and so precious.

And then they wait until everyone is asleep in the castle, late at night, before she straddles him and kisses him passionately. And every time there's ice all over the walls and the floor, and even on him sometimes, and she's always worried about that, but he always says it doesn't bother him, and that he's getting used to it. So she smiles, small and shy, and she cuddles in his arms, and they fall asleep.

And she lets herself be - live - when she's with him.

That morning, he's bathing as usual, and she's helping him wash his back, and when she's done she grabs a towel and turns to hands him it but then she sees him, standing in the bathtub, and she flushes and she's nervous. The next thing she remembers is that he has grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in the water with him, laughing too lightly as she screamed, both scared and amused. She complains about how he ruined her dress, because now it's wet and she'll have to change herself to go down for breakfast, and then she moves her hands, trying to catch the edge of the bathtub and get out of it, and he's holding her back, tightly, as he says in an amused voice "please Elsa, whatever you do just don't freeze the water. There are really important things to me in here."

And so she stops moving and turns her head to face him, and she grins. "If you're talking about me, you know that the cold doesn't bother me," she replies and there's frost in her hands and she's thinking about letting him freak out a little, but then he says "well, I wasn't exactly talking about you..." as his eyes sneaks down in the water before looking back at her like he's expecting her to get the point, and so she exclaims "oh! So that's more important than me? Why again did I marry you?" and they both burst out laughing.

His arms are wrapped around her, the water is hot and pleasant, and she relaxes and closes her eyes. "Hans?" she says, her head leaning back and resting on his shoulder, and he invites her to carry on with a "hum?" So she continues "you remember, back in your castle, you said you wanted to have a little family?"

"Yes, and I still do. Why?" he replies, curiosity clearly perceptible in his voice.

She opens her eyes and turns to face him. His eyebrows are frowned like he's hanging on her every words and so she declares "well, I think your wish might soon come true..."

His eyes open wide and he grins as he asks too eagerly "we're having a baby?" and he wraps his hands around her bump, protectively. "Yes," she replies and she knows he wants it as much as she does, but she would have never thought he'd be that gleeful about it, and maybe he's thinking just the same right now as he looks deep into her eyes and kisses her red lips, and she promises to herself she won't repeat the errors of the past.

Hans has become really devoted to help out the inhabitants of Arendelle. Everyday, while she's at her study, as usual, he's out the gate helping people improve their way of life, planning the construction of a new school, discussing with the farmers which kind of crops they should cultivate, giving poor people food and clothes, and he's so good at it. So perfect.

"You know he's doing all these great stuffs with egoistic motives, right?" Anna is feeding her son in front of the window of her sister's study. Next to her, an end table with hot chocolate still steaming and krumkakes. From there she can see all the town, and most importantly, she can see him leading the construction of the school as she seems now more annoyed with him - and his perfect behavior - than angry or suspicious.

Elsa raises her head from her papers and looks up at her sister, considering what she just said. Deep down she knows Anna is right, but then she remembers the way he talks to her about the people he meets during the day and she can feel he's clearly not doing this to show off. "I think he's truly enjoying helping these people because he feels worth something. He feels needed," she says and then she pauses to consider something before adding "and in the end, don't we all do good things so that we can feel accomplished? From this point of view, we're all selfish in a way, and I will never blame him for being a great king." It's all because Anna has trusted her and believed in her that she was able to do good things, so she's willing to let him prove himself - to prove her he has changed - and so she has handed him as much power along with her trust, just hoping he'd do good use of it.

And Anna stares at her and blinks, her son starting to fall asleep in her arms, and she looks through the window again as she declares as if she's just realized something "wait, he's right. I mean Kristoff is right," because she's been way too much obsessed with Hans these last weeks, finding evil motives behind every action he does, and so she adds, looking back at her sister "I'm just paranoid right now. I'm sorry." And Elsa chuckles, a hand covering her mouth, the over resting on her belly, and Anna notices and looks at her son, and then she thinks her sister too will soon have a baby and so she asks her "have you told him? About the baby?"

"Yes," Elsa answers, getting up from her chair and walking to Anna, next to the window.

"So, how did he react?" Anna asks more out of curiosity than to investigate on Hans again.

Elsa smiles and wraps her hands around her belly, remembering the countless times Hans did just the same, kissing her in the neck and thanking her to give him a chance. "He's really excited, and he's even talking to my bump. Isn't that crazy?" she says, laughing lightly and Anna chuckles.

"Oh don't worry about that, Kristoff did the same. And he also did the baby's voice, just like he was having a conversation with him... That was creepy. Not that he's creepy, but... you know..." she says and she imitates him, and so they both burst out laughing.

"Sofia? What are you doing here?" It's the middle of the night and Hans and Elsa have heard a strange noise, so they've got up and gone down the stairs only to find their five years old daughter in the great hall, and Elsa relaxes as she sees her daughter is fine and no ice or snow is covering the floor and the walls. "I can't sleep," she replies and Hans goes to her and lifts her up in his arms, and his face softens when he notices she's definitely tired and sleepy but still she's trying hard to stay awake. "Okay then, I'm gonna tell you a story so that you can fall asleep," he says and he carries her to the sofa nearby where he places her and sits and Elsa sits next to him, and he starts telling stories about heroes, kings and queens, and extraordinary creatures, and Elsa knows those are the stories he grown up with, reading them in books for there never was anyone to tell him story in bed at night. He says one child is enough, because he doesn't want them to feel neglected, he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of his past. And she agrees with him for this point, and as their child inherited her powers, they're always trying their best to help her learn to control them by reminding her that love is the key and that family will always be here to help her no matter what.

She rests her head on his shoulder, listening to the story he carries on telling to her for their daughter has fallen asleep since the beginning, and when he's done, they go up the stairs and place their daughter on her bed, kissing her goodnight, and leaving her bedroom. Once the door is closed, she stares at him in the dark corridor and he smiles at her, and then she leans to him and whispers in his ear "I can't sleep as well," and her fingers are drawing patterns on his chest. Then, she's pinned against the wall and his hands are running up and down her waist and hips and his lips are trailing down her neck and collarbone, and she's staring at the ceiling. But then they hear light footsteps and they part away before the door opens and they see their daughter, awake and whining "I don't want to sleep alone. And I want mother to sing a song." And Hans takes her in his arms and says "okay, we'll stay here. But just for tonight, okay?" and the child nods, and Elsa growls because he's always fulfilling all of her whims and messing up with her education just because "she's too cute" and he "can't resist her pouting look." One time she even caught him in her bedroom saying "don't tell mommy I brought you dessert", whereas she deprived her daughter from dessert because she fought with her cousin during a reception. So she sighs and he chuckles and he kisses her and she lets it go.

Author's note: So as promised, here is the alternate ending! I really hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are highly appreciated :3