Author's Note: An alternate ending to Frozen that I came up with. Can Hans pull off a classic Disney ending despite not being the hero?

Chapter 1: Just A Kiss

Hans's mind raced as his lips moved closer to hers. It had all been going so well. Elsa was in the dungeon, Anna was gone, who knew where. The ambassadors, well, one of them at least, had all but named him the new ruler. He was sure that he could get that weasel from Weselton to back him as well if needed. None of them would support Elsa for long, not with the unforgiving winter she had brought upon the land. He would perhaps lack the legitimacy he was hoping for, but he should have enough with Anna's first, and last, order.

Already the peasants were looking to him for leadership. After all, he was the one who had given them food and shelter and succor in their time of need, even to the consternation of the other dignitaries, even if only the Duke of Weselton was crass enough to give voice to it. They would accept him, the prince who almost had the princess's hand before she left to find the queen.

Things were looking up, despite the terrible conditions. He just prayed that the unnatural winter would end if something... unfortunate... were to happen to Elsa. The Duke had already attempted something, well, his two guards had anyway. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to blame him. A war wasn't exactly the best option, but controlling two kingdoms would be better than one, and cementing his control by avenging the queen's unfortunate demise would put him all the more in the good graces of his new kingdom.

Then Anna had been ushered back into the scene, almost literally thrown into him. She felt like ice, through her clothes and his, her body radiating cold. As he looked her over, trying to get over the shock, and fighting against the urge to shiver, he saw that her hair was turning to match the snow. And then the answer had spilled out of her. Her sister, the queen, the instigator of his rise, affirmed his place. She had struck her sister with her sorcery. Anna doubled over in pain, but he managed to keep hold of her, then, carefully, lifted her up and moved her to the couch.

She spoke shakily, shivering all the while, "She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me."

Hans had stared at her for a second before it donned on him what she wanted, the words spilling out of his mouth, "A true love's kiss."

And now she was leaning forward, guided by his own traitorous hand, lips puckered, waiting for a kiss to save her life. Damn. This... was going to take some fast talking. He knew he couldn't save her. He didn't love her, truly or otherwise. He found her attractive, yes, useful, yes, and very very naive, but love? Well, maybe if they spent a few years together, but it wasn't like political marriages necessitated love. His mother and father, and at least two of his brothers, had certainly showed him that.

Maybe he could just... make it work? Sure he didn't love her, but not being able to fix her would likely put paid to any aspirations here. He had to at least try. He leaned in closer, his lips touching hers.

Nothing.

He waited, hoping, praying that there would be a burst of warmth, that something, anything would happen. But no, it was akin to kissing an ice sculpture. He pulled away only reluctantly, looking at her with baited breath, praying it would happen as the kiss ended. She remained unchanged. If anything, it looked like more of her hair had turn white.

She looked up at him, smiling, hope in her eyes. He watched it die, the realization that the kiss had done nothing for her. Damn. He swallowed a knot forming in his throat. What would he say, what could he do to salvage this?

She shook her head, grabbing a bit of hair and looking at it, "No. It..." She breathed out a breath so cold the air fogged before her, "It didn't work. Why didn't it work?" She looked at him in stunned, naive incomprehension.

Thank heavens he hadn't figured it out. That meant he still had time. He had to think fast, very fast. "I don't know." He blurted, as smoothly as he could, leaning away from her before he shivered too visibly even as he grasped her hands. "What..." He stared into space, his mind racing, "Who told you what needed to be done to save you?"

"Trolls," Hans wanted to raise an eyebrow at that, but her sister HAD turned summer into winter, so there was no place to doubt anything at this point, "Kristoff brought me to them," Kristoff? That was a new and unpleasant rub, but whoever that was could be dealt with later, assuming there would be a later. "Their leader said that an act of true love was all that could save me."

"An act of true love." Hans repeated, pulling back more, leaning back and away from her. Her hands slipped from his as he took a deep breath of warmer air. Not a kiss. Not necessarily a kiss. Something else… He just had to convince her of that. "Anna, I want you to stay here, where it's warm."

He rose to his feet, the wheels in his mind turning rapidly as he watched her struggle to move off the sofa, "What?" Her eyes were wide with shock, her hand pawing for him even as he began to walk away from her, moving towards the door, "Wait, Hans, where are you going?"

He looked back at her, his smile as soft and comforting as he could make it, "I'm going to save you of course."

Author's Notes: I hope you've enjoyed chapter one, I know it's short. Still, I've got at least two more chapters.