Fanfic of a Fanfic. Set in The "Angel in the Snow, Demon in the Shadows" series by Deliverer. Spoilers for the 6th story "The Wicked Prince and the Ice Maiden".

"Did you know?"

Lars couldn't help it and let out a small sound of annoyance at his brother's question. He knew they would ask – they would always ask. "I had my suspicions, yes." Said Lars as he watched Hans form a fire-ball in his hand, before letting it sizzle out in smoke.

"But you're supposed to see-"

"I see possibilities of possibilities, brother. The Future is never set in stone." Snapped Mael, his patience wearing thin at his brother's whining. It was what they all did, ever since they came to realize his powers.

Are Hans and Rhun still alive in Cumberland?

Where is Carabis?

Which strategy should we use to fight off Norway?

Which suitor will Queen Elsa chose?

Lars groaned and rubbed his head, annoyed at himself for lashing out at his brother. "Forgive me." echoed his apology in the dark forest. "It has been a long day for all of us." The prince knelt to take up a branch and began to draw lines in the musky ground. It felt weird to say the least, to have a magican in the family besides himself. Mostly relieved, if he were honest. He didn't need take the spotlight as much anymore with his brother sharing it – he couldn't help it and let out a chuckle.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." Shook Mael his head, not wanting to let Hans know about his true thoughts on his newly awakened powers. After drawing a few more lines, Lars stood up, content about his work. He'd noticed Hans didn't want to talk about his powers (yet), safe for how to remove it.

He hadn't asked now, but he would once the shock had settled down. They always did, to solve whatever problem they had: it was after all the easy way out. And he had been letting Hans doing that for far too many times. "Pick an event you did today."

"Nearly getting killed by a bear?"

"I mean, something mundane" sighed Mael, gaining a deadpanned look from his brother. "Alright, fine. I'll pick something. Suppose… suppose a world where you didn't go all cocky and smothered Anna with a cushion in the library."

"Seriously, that is something mundane to you?" came Hans' sarcastic reply.

"Hans, eat it up and bear with me for a moment, please? Its just an example." Grumbled Mael as he pointed with the stick to one of the drawn lines. "What would you've done then?"

"Uh… I would have still asked for Queen Elsa's… death." spoke Hans uncomfortably with his boots poking holes in the ground.

"Alright. Picture everything goes as what happened during the big Freeze… except for Anna doing her act of true love?"

Hans' eyes widened as he realized what his brother meant with this seemingly irrelevant exercice. "Arendelle would still be trapped in an Eternal Winter and…" the man went quiet again, thinking of all the things that could have happened by such a simple change of choice. "This is what you see all the time?" asked Hans in a mere whisper as he looked to the drawn lines.

"Not all the time. I see visions that could or could not come true. Choices that could be made. Its an understatement to say its tempting to tell you all about them."

But then if he told them, the future would change once more because he made the choice to tell them. Hans kept staring at the lines for a while, letting his brother's words sink in. "That day.. when you told me to go to Arendelle and try to woo Queen Elsa…" he let the sentence linger, not actually wanting to know the truth.

"Yes." Whispered Lars, unable to meet his brothers eyes. "I admit that I became vain because of it. Thought I could shape Fate myself" shook the prince his head at his own foolishness.

"You manipulated me." Hans' jaw twitched. Out of all their kin, in all their years together, Lars had never done him good, nor done him bad either. But now that image was crushed, gone in the wind forever. The paranoia kicked in once more and Hans burst his questions out before being able to contain them."What more did you do, hum?" When Lars kept avoiding his gaze, Hans took him by the shoulders to force them to look at one another. "What other decisions did you change, what other tricks did you do?!" God, was everything he was once secure off, destined to be proven wrong?

"Nothing, safe for refusing the choice." Declared Lars calmly.

"What.. what are you… Carabis-" It was too much. Too much had happened in mere days to process it all in one comprehensible order. Hans shut his mouth, unable to form his thoughts as rapidly as he wanted. "He-?" brought the man out as his eyes went to Mael's hands, before turning his attention back to his brother's face.

"He wasn't quite content about my indecision." admitted Mael.

Mael watched as Hans turned away from him, so he could scream in anger and utter frustration instead. He had already long passed that stage and let his brother spend his emotions on the world, watching him with his own hands crossed.

Every single thing they thought to be an incident, or bad luck.. Always that sprite had SOMETHING to do with it all. "God damnit." Choked Hans out as he dug his nails in the tree's bark. The fighting, the deaths of their loved ones.. what was the point? Carabis didn't care for a lost life more or less. He would never stop untill he got what he wanted.

What he wanted... Hans swallowed and shuddered upon thinking off Mor'du's eyes.

You can chose to give in, you know? It wouldn't be that bad. You'd be free from your pain.

Hans' breathing went irregular. honestly, that thought had never fully sunk in till now. Why keep resisting it? Just.. go to him, and all would be over. Everyone would be content.

You've become quite the liar to everyone. Yourself included, Chameleon Prince. You don't want to be manipulated yourself - not even by that troll sprite.

And what, thought Hans as he kept digging his nails into the wood, was now truly the better path? Going on and risking to take others into the Hellfire? Or ending it here and now, with everyone else feeling betrayed by his choice?

It was his choice, right? was it?

God, why had Elsa stopped him?! A low peeping sound came out of Hans' mouth. It would have been done and over with, yet he had made the mistake to listen to her. His chance to jump off was gone now for good - he couldn't, not for her after seeing her reaction of his near-suicide. Why can't you just leave on my dying bed, Nightingale? Why must you move me once more?

To live, to die. Do, or do not.

The pain wasn't enough to satisfy the prince and with a mere thought the tree caught fire when Hans' fist came upon it.

Luckily it stood far apart from the other ones – preventing another forrest fire like he had before.

"I don't want..." Gritted Hans his teeth as they watched the tree burn to crisp. "I don't even know what I want or don't want anymore, Mael, safe that It just needs to end."

"We can't deny what is in front of us" said Lars after a long silence as he ripped a piece of his sleeve to bandage Hans' bloodied knuckles. "Don't give him the satisfaction to fall into despair, brother, because he delights in the pain he causes us all."

"Father may have raised us, Carabis surely shaped us to his design.." murmured Hans. Puppets they all were to his goal, try as they might to free themselves of his strings.

"Unlike animals, which act mainly on instinct, we resemble our Creator in our capacity to display such qualities as love and justice. And like our Creator, we have free will." Citated Lars from the Bible. "One day, Carabis will determine one of us to chose between Power and Family – but in the end we're the ones who determine its outcome. Not even Carabis can eradicate free will, brother."

The tree was completely ash now, leaving them in the dark once more.

"I'm sorry for what I said. You had good intentions when telling me to go to Arendelle." Hans knelt by the ash, feeling its texture in his hand before letting it drop on the ground. "whether our good intentions lead to Hell or not..." the man sighed. They would go on forward as they had always done, with their luggage of sins along with their screwed up belief for what they thought what was right, towards the inevitable.

The muffled sounds of his brothers came closer, alarmed by the newly formed smoke in the night sky. "We'd better head back, if you're up to it." proposed Lars with a glance to his brother. Hans' defeated attitude had vanished for a little bit, however still weary from the fight.

Just when Hans stood back up from his knelt position, Lars felt the familiar pull again that alarmed him in advance for his visions. He kept his face blank as they walked side by side, peaking into the possible futures and choices that were to come. Fights there would still come, whatever path they chose, gruesome and terrifying.

"There you two are! We thought you were making out with one another!" came Jurgen's voice from afar when they came into view.

"Hans, show us!" spoke the triplets this time.

With a weak smile, Lars retreated back into the shadows as he watched both the present and possible future unfold in his mind's eye. Strings, Hans had used to describe themselves latched to the troll sprite. True, but not quite.

If he had to describe their family like Hans did, before they met the royals of Arendelle... he would say they were barely hanging to a thread with one another, ready to snap, with easier choices to see and make.

now however, he saw their family's bond slightly mended and connected in far more different ways then before, with choices far more complexer and confusing.

Nevermind it all. Nevermind what tomorrow would bring. Watching the Future had learned him one thing: there was no time like the present.