"We'll give you two some privacy…"
The others vacated the room, leaving Hans and Anna alone now. "What happened out there?" Hans asked worriedly, holding Anna close to himself as she shivered.
"Elsa struck me with her powers," his fiance explained weakly.
Hans' eyes widened at this. "You said she'd never hurt you."
"I was wrong." Just as she said this, Anna winced and doubled over.
"Anna!" Hans gasped. The prince reached out, stopping her from falling to the floor, and in the same motion scooped Anna up into his arms and relocated her to a nearby sofa.
Anna put her hands over her chest and looked up at Hans, their eyes meeting. "She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me," she explained.
"...a true love's kiss," Hans realized. He hesitated for a moment before sticking his hand out and caressing Anna's face. Bringing it down her cheek and finishing off the gesture by lifting up the girl's chin, Hans started to lean in, lips puckered. But he stopped just before touching hers and his eyes slid open again.
"Oh, Anna…"
The man pulled away again and let his arm drop down to his side. Now Anna's eyes fluttered open once more and she stared back at him, somewhat confused. "W-What's the matter?" the princess asked weakly.
"It's just…" Hans pressed his fingers together and avoided his companion's eyes. "Are we sure we're ready for this? I mean, it's… kind of a big step in any relationship."
Anna squinted. "But… we're going to get married. So doesn't that make it okay?"
"I've never… I've never kissed a girl before," Hans admitted sheepishly.
Anna made a face. "And… I've never kissed a boy before. But what does that matter? It'll just be both of our first times! Also I don't mean to rush you or anything but I really am kind of dying here so you should probably just get it over with." Anna closed her eyes again and leaned forward. "I'm waiting," she pressed when Hans didn't immediately kiss her.
"D-D-Does it have to be a kiss, though?" Hans said quickly, sounding… flustered?
Anna's eyes snapped open once more. She was starting to look vaguely annoyed now. "I mean. I don't… know? Seriously, why are you so hesitant to kiss me? Does my breath smell or something?"
"What? No! It's just… Well, I was just thinking t-that since it's both of our first times, kissing someone of the opposite gender, that is, that we might want to… save the moment. For something special. And not, y'know, just to save your life or anything."
"...I'm confused."
"I'm just saying that maybe I can take you out to dinner first, or we'll go see a play, and then I can be all romantic and kiss you at the end of the night, when it'll actually have a little more weight to it."
Another icy chill ran straight through Anna's body and she cringed. "Okay yeah that sounds sweet and all, but… Kind of not a big deal in light of the current situation, don't you think? Now, for the love of God, Hans, please just stop stalling and KISS ME."
Anna displayed her kissy face yet again and although reluctant at first, Hans came towards her for a second time… and promptly stopped mere inches away from Anna's face.
"Hans…" Anna hissed.
"Did you hear that?" Hans asked, his voice a whisper now.
"Hear what?" Anna asked, eyes still shut tightly, lips still puckered up.
The doorknob to the room they were in jiggled again and this time Anna must've heard it as well, because she and Hans both turned their heads to see the door swing open to reveal Olaf, who took several cheery steps into the room and let out "Hey guys! What's up?"
"Olaf?!" Anna gasped, whipping her head around.
"OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Hans scrambled off of the sofa and to his feet.
"He's a snowman, stupid," wheezed Anna.
Hans continued to stare back at the thing, lip quivering somewhat. "O-Okay, yes," he stammered, "but… but why is it… moving? A-And talking?!"
Anna shrugged. "My sister has crazy ice powers. I don't know."
"Oh my God, you're Hans!" Olaf let out with a squeal of excitement. The snowman pressed his stick hands to his face and the corner of his lips rose into an almost too-wide smile. "Oooooh! Were you about to KISS her!"
"Yes. Yes, he was, actually," Anna said quickly. "That being said it'd be very much appreciated if you could… well… Y'know."
Olaf clearly did not know, because he continued to stare back at her with wide eyes. "What do I know?" the enchanted snowman asked.
"It's just that, see, I kind of have this ice desease thing going on right now and only an act of true love will save me. That being said, Hans needs to kiss me like RIGHT NOW, for which you should probably be… anywhere else but here. For just a minute. Please." Anna winked just for good measure.
"OH!" Olaf gasped with realization. He then promptly plopped his butt down on the floor, still smiling. "Oh. Right. Yes. You guys can go ahead and kiss then. Don't mind me. Just pretend I'm not here." Obnoxious smile never fading, Olaf held onto the edges of his feet and let them sway a bit as he continued to stare towards Hans and Anna.
"Okay, whatever. The conditions aren't ideal but I'll get over it," the princess muttered. She managed to pick herself up then and swung her arms around Hans' neck, getting onto her tip-toes. Hans pursed his lips, inhaled slowly through his nose, and then put his hands around Anna's waist.
"Awww isn't young love just beautiful," Olaf sighed dreamily.
A flash of anger came upon Hans. "C-Can you please avert your eyes?"
"Right! I'm not here!" Olaf said again. He got up and turned around with his lower half, head still remaining fixed in the same place.
Hans closed his eyes now and came forward, planting a quick kiss on Anna's lips. Much to his annoyance, Olaf let out a squeal. After a moment or so Hans let his hands slide down so that he was now holding onto Anna by her wrists. "So. Um. D-Do you… feel anything?"
"Oh I'm definitely feeling something!" Anna breathed, stepping forward to kiss the prince once more. But Hans held her back with a hand.
"N-No, I mean your heart, Anna."
Anna looked away, furrowing her brows thoughtfully. "I'm not… sure…" And there it was again: yet another icy chill. Anna shivered, struggling to keep her legs from falling out beneath her. "M-Maybe if we tried again, but more passionately!" she tried desperately, looking back up at Hans.
Hans leaned away further. "I don't… think that's going to work, then."
"Why not?" Anna asked weakly, starting to panic internally. "I don't… Why not? An act of true love is supposed to save me, right? A-And I definitely love you! And you love me, right? RIGHT?"
Hans' gaze shifted up towards the ceiling guiltily but he didn't answer.
"Hans!" Anna whimpered.
"Anna, there's… there's something I should probably tell you…"
"OH NO WHAT'S WRONG HANS?" a third voice let out. They both looked down to see Olaf at their side and stroking Hans' arm with wide, worrisome eyes.
Hans jerked away almost immediately. "Okay can you seriously not!"
"Ohhhh sorry," Olaf muttered sheepishly. "Right. Still not here." With that the snowman folded his arms behind his back and shuffled several steps backwards with his head ducked down a bit.
"Maybe… Maybe we should get you in front of the fire or something," Hans suggested, noticing that Anna was starting to look even paler than before. He led Anna over to the fireplace and helping her into a sitting position in front of hit. "Okay, look," the prince began, kneeling beside her, "I'm thirteenth in line for the crown in the Southern Isles, right? And ruling is… pretty much all my family cares about and values, and since there's basically no chance of me becoming king there, well… They aren't exactly nice to me. So I thought, maybe, if I married into royalty in another kingdom, maybe they would… I don't know, treat me with a little more respect."
"What are you saying…?" Anna asked weakly.
"I'm so sorry, Anna. When I heard about the young princess of Arendelle being crowned queen, I decided to just… have a try. But then I met you, and. Well."
Anna looked betrayed now. "Are you trying to tell me that you only asked me to marry you so that you could become the King of Arendelle one day? But Hans... I-I thought you loved me?"
"And I do!" Hans tried, looking guilty. "I do love you in a… completely platonic best friend kind of way. And… Well." He frowned at the carpet. "Who's ever heard of prince looking for a HUSBAND?"
Anna let out a gasp and cupped her hand over her mouth. Olaf copied the gesture and then leaned towards Anna, whispering "Wait I don't get it why are we gasping?"
"T-That's so sad…" Anna's lip quivered. "Oh, Hans, why didn't you just say something before!"
"Because I'm useless," the prince sighed. He slid around so that his back was now leading up against the end of the fireplace and avoided her eyes. "Now, thanks to me, you're not going to get your act of true love, and whatever happens is going to be all my fault for leading you on…"
"It's okay. I… I guess I don't really know what true love is anyway."
Olaf pet the back of Anna's shoulder with a look of pity. "Oh, Anna… True love is putting someone else's needs before your own. Kind of like how Kristoff brought you back here to Hans and left you forever."
"Kristoff… loves me?" Anna managed, turning to meet Olaf's eyes.
"Wow, you really don't know anything about love, do you?" the snowman muttered.
Hans leaned forward again. "Wait, wait - Kristoff? Who is Kristoff? Is he someone I should know about?"
Anna frowned. "Look we aren't getting married anymore so it doesn't matter," the girl shot back defensively.
"H-Hang on, are you implying you had a thing for another man while we were still engaged?!"
"What do you care? You're GAY!"
"IT STILL HURTS."
"CAN WE NOT HAVE THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW?"
"ANNA!"
"OH MY GOD NOTHING HAPPENED WE'RE JUST FRIENDS I SWEAR!" Suddenly the window blew open on its own and Anna doubled over, clutching her arms around herself with a shiver.
"Don't worry, I've got it!" Olaf announced, already bounding over to the window to shut it again. He stopped in front of it for a moment and snapped off an icicle from outside, which he bit the tip off of and then proceeded to use as a makeshift telescope. "Oh, wait. Hang on. I'm getting something… It's Kristoff and Sven! They're coming back this way!" he let out happily.
"Th-They are?" Anna sounded hopeful. She snapped her neck around towards Hans. "Hans. You have to take me to Kristoff."
"I literally cannot believe you."
"Oh, get over it it! At least I wasn't trying to marry you for political reasons. And this could be the act of true love that will save my life! Hans! Please!"
With an exasperated sigh, Hans got to his feet, scooping Anna up in the same motion. "Okay but only because you said please and I still feel bad about toying with your emotions earlier." With that the Prince of the Southern Isles took Anna with him out of the room, Olaf hurrying after them.
"Look out!"
Immediately upon entering the adjacent hallway they were slowed by a series of thick icicles protruding from the walls and floor. Hans put on a renewed look of determination and dove around them. Anna let out a gasp and clung tighter to the man.
"Back this way!" Olaf told them as he pointed frantically.
The three of them ducked around a corner only to find their pathway now entirely blocked by the magic ice.
"Sorry Anna," Hans winced just before chucking his ex-fiance out of the open window in front of them with a shriek. "Your turn, creepy snow monster."
"Oh this looks like fun," the snowman let out optimistically. Hans bent over and picked Olaf up, tossing him underhand after Anna. The snowman immediately broke into several pieces and rolled down the rooftop as Hans looked on and silently hoped he hadn't permanently broken the enchanted creature.
Hans took a cautious step forward and mentally prepared himself to make the leap. But before he had the chance yet another icy spear ripped up from beneath him. Hans yelped and jerked out of the way just in time, losing his footing in the process and tumbling out of the window in a backwards summersault.
"Kristoff!" Anna was yelling from down below. "Kristoff!"
Olaf had pieced himself together and caught up to her, and he called out "Sven!"
Hans scrambled back to his feet. All three of them fought their way forward against the blizzard that had begun, calling out names all the while.
"Oh so that's Kristoff," Hans said, squinting ahead as the other man and his reindeer came into view. "Oh no he's hot."
"Hans…"
"Well he is! I wonder if he likes men?"
"HANS!"
When both groups met in the middle, there was an awkward silence as they all stared facing opposite each other, arms clung tightly around themselves against the cold and furious wind.
"So you must be Hans?" Kristoff asked.
"Uh, yes. Hi." Hans came forward and held out a glove-covered hand to the blonde boy. "I'm Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, Anna's… ex-fiance."
"Ex?" Kristoff took Hans' hand in his own and blinked. "So… S-So you're available t-then?"
Anna pinched at the bridge of her nose and turned to Olaf. "Oh my God. This is how I'm gonna die. Frozen in a block of ice and surrounded by gays."