Hans trailed slower behind the group of royal guards as they made their way through the dungeon corridors. Puffs of air could be seen with every exhale as he rubbed his arms. The temperature had certainly dropped lower from his last visit to the Queen. Before, the cold was uncomfortably manageable. Now, it was almost like an icy shock to the system. He kept his mouth tightly shut, in case opening it to speak would start making his teeth chatter. How he wished he thought to grab his coat.

I wonder if this is what it feels like for Anna right now. These constant waves of shivers. He shook his head and the thought pushed to the back of his mind. Don't think of the princess now. She's the weakness. Focus on the dangerous task at hand. Somehow, I've got to get close enough to Elsa to kill her without getting blasted myself.

"She's dangerous. Move quickly!" The hushed voice of the captain of the guard broke Hans from his thoughts. He didn't realize how close they were to Queen Elsa's cell.

It's now or never.

"The door won't open sir. It's frozen shut!" Another guard commented.

Hans stopped in his tracks as he observed several of the group all pushing their weight onto the door to pry it open. Naturally, it's frozen. She's inside. Being the source of the magic, it's not surprising that that's where it's strongest. He crossed his arms and waited. There was no use trying to help them. The door was only so wide.

Then he heard it. A low rumble. Hans' eyes moved from the crowd of royal guards to the ceiling. What was that? Another storm?

The rumble got louder. Now it didn't seem like it was coming from outside at all. It felt as if the very walls of the dungeon were shaking.

The ice—it's destroying the—He didn't even finish the thought before he started barking orders.

"Get that door open NOW! Hurry before this entire structure collapses."

Two more guards threw themselves against the frozen wood and it finally gave away. The shock of it forcing open traveled through the wooden beams of the cell as the dungeon shook violently once more. The guards all stepped inside and gasped.

…great… now what? Hans pushed forward and squeezed into the cell. The air was even more frigid here as he took in the scene. The outer wall of the cell was all debris on the ground and the winds entered the ruins. It felt like ice was cutting right through him.

But most importantly, the manacles chained to the floor were completely split in half and iced over. Queen Elsa was gone.

Hans let out a growl and his eyes moved from the broken restraints to the frozen fjords outside. In order to kill her, he would have to go out there after her. But first, make sure that the soldiers remained loyal to him.

"Lock down the castle until I return." He ordered the captain and turned to the group of guards. "The Queen is dangerously out of control-she could have killed us all just now, and could easily try again. She has already struck her own heiress, the Princess, with magic intent to kill. Even now, Anna fights for her life. We cannot allow harm to befall her again."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The captain bowed and turned to his men to divvy his own orders. But Hans didn't stick around to hear them. He rushed back to the castle for his coat and scabbard. He knew Elsa wouldn't try to return to her home. She had run away for a reason. No, she would head back to the woods, to the mountains, to her palace of ice.

After adjusting the belted scabbard resting near his hip, he swapped out his white indoor gloves for thick, insulated, black leather ones and set out into the storm. He was growing more thankful that Anna left him in charge of her kingdom for the last few days. Hans now had the layout of the castle courtyard and town pretty down pat and relied on memory to direct him. The wind had increased significantly now, and with it blowing around a fresh new wave of snow, it was nearly impossible to see. Still, he knew the path she would take. The same route that started this whole mess.

The good news, he mused, if he could even call it "good", was that the dungeons sat on the far end of the castle complex. And if I can't see in this weather, she can't either. There's a good chance I can cut off her escape.

Before too long, Hans found himself out on the fjords. He was almost completely out in the open and exposed. With few barriers for the wind, he found himself struggling to stay on his feet. The gusts were strong enough to knock him aside every few steps, and he had to keep stopping to maintain his balance.

Hans stopped and put an arm up above his eyes to try and get a clearer look at his surroundings. Other than a few ships sticking out over the ice, everything was white. And the ships themselves looked ready to splinter apart. Glancing behind him, he saw what looked like a mast protruding from the surface. So not only did her magic freeze these vessels in place, but her storms also knocked them over and refroze them. He wondered if there were any men on board. Morbid thoughts flooded into his mind—how many innocent lives were suddenly and frightfully destroyed. When the storm lifts and the waters melt, he would have to send some men down under the water and survey just how many bodies littered the fjords' floor—from sailors who didn't have enough time to vacate the vessel as it froze… to those who jumped overboard and became one with the water as the storm engulphed them.

All the more reason to put an end to Queen Elsa before she destroys anyone else. Hans thought to himself. How many more innocent lives need to be lost while she runs away and abandons the rest of us to a fate we didn't deserve?

He suddenly found a renewed sense of energy at his musings and decided now was the time to press on. Elsa was out here on the fjords somewhere, and he had to find her before she could further flee. But the more he crossed the icy terrain, the more he was certain he was walking in circles. He couldn't see any further. The snow had created a complete whiteout. No longer able to rely on his eyes, he turned to his other senses.

And then he heard them.

There was the faint sound of heels clicking against the ice. Panting. A woman's gasps.

There was only one person it could possibly belong to. Because who else would be running about the fjords during this storm?

Queen Elsa.

Hans followed the sounds until they got louder. As he closed the distance, he could start to see the outlining of light blue swirling around in the wind. Yes, it was definitely her.

She turned directions and he followed suit. Now he was right in the direction of the wind, and he put his hands before his face trying to shield himself.

Then, she suddenly turned around and gasped upon seeing him.

"Queen Elsa!" He shouted through the wind when she tried to flee again. He made sure his voice remained firm. "You can't run from this!"

She turned back around to face him and gestured outwards with her arms towards him. From what he could see, there was only pleading in her eyes as she begged to him, "just take care of my sister..."

Oh, NOW she gives me the god-damn blessing. I'll be sure to make good use of it if I live to see tomorrow.

If Anna lives to see tomorrow.

"Your sister?!" Hans responded. So… she wants to talk about Anna, huh? Well alright, Your Majesty, he sneered to himself, lets. "She returned from the mountain weak and cold. Have you any idea what you've done?! You froze her heart!"

He could barely hear the "what?" that escaped her lips as shock formed over her features.

"I tried to save her, but it was too late." Hans replied angrily. "Her skin was ice, her hair turned white. There was nothing I could do, every moment that passed she became colder." His eyes narrowed as he decided the best way to crush her. "By now, your sister is dead. And it's because of YOU."

Hearing the news of Anna made Elsa's legs wobble as she looked away, processing what he had just said. It didn't take long for her strength to give out and she collapsed down onto the ice, sobbing. The moment her knees hit the ground, the wind stopped, and the falling snowflakes hung suspended in midair.

In the distance he could see the side of the Arendelle castle. Several people had walked onto the balcony, but he couldn't tell who they were from here. Not that he cared. They weren't going to get a clear view of him anyway.

Hans then glanced around at the sight before him. If they weren't so cursed, he'd say the floating flakes had an air of beauty to them. What a shame that they were created with the same magic that was killing them all, he would have complimented her.

But the time for compliments and niceties, for leniency, was over. He turned his attentions back to the sobbing queen. He had broken her, but that didn't mean he couldn't lay on the truth for extra emphasis. She had gotten away with too much. Time to put her in her place.

"Look around you, Elsa. Look what you've caused. Do you see these ships? The ones barely visible above this ice? How many sailors did you unknowingly send to icy, watery graves? And the other vessels, splintering and falling apart—how many men will be trapped in Arendelle while repairs are being made, or until another vessel can come collect them? Think of the resources stretched thin to accommodate so many extended visitors. Think of your people—the elderly and the children—the ones who cannot cope with such harsh conditions, think of what you did to them, what you made them endure. Think of the strong bodied men and women that were so happy to meet you that night. Think of their homes that are destroyed, perhaps even their livelihoods. They all came out to celebrate their new queen, and what did she do? She cursed her kingdom over a sisterly spat and then abandoned everyone to an icy fate not once, but now twice. You may be a queen by royal decree, but certainly not by responsible rule or action. You're a coward. Instead of taking command and owning up to what you've done, you've only fled. You don't deserve the crown you wear, nor the good people that you govern."

Elsa stiffened her sobs to turn her head to glance back at him, her eyes all puffy red. "Is…is that why you're here then? To…" she swallowed. "to take everything that I have away?"

"What do you possibly have left to take?" He asked.

Elsa's eyes traveled from his face down to the sheathed sword at his hip. "So, you're h-here to kill me, is that it?"

Hans' hand on instinct went to rest on the rounded end of his hilt. "I was placed in charge of the kingdom by order of your sister. That means it's my duty to protect it at all costs—just as it was yours when you uttered the oath during the sacred ceremony. Well… in order to save Arendelle, I have to put an end to the winter no matter the cost. And since you can't seem to do it yourself, nor are you even willing to try, that leaves me with only one option. Eliminate the source."

Elsa gasped and looked away, back at the icy surface beneath her. He couldn't tell if she was about to start sobbing again or if she was just staring at her reflection.

"Anna loved you, you know. She trusted you, even after all those years that you abandoned her. And for what? Do you know why she went out there on that mountain? To bring you back. She didn't give a damn about her own safety. She wouldn't even let me come with her for company or protection. I had to stay behind, to try and mend a mess that you made. And why? Because you didn't like the fact that her life would involve someone else; the fact that she wanted to actually live her life out in the sunshine, out among real people. A life spent in the company of a man who loved her…" he couldn't resist inserting himself into it, but he wouldn't let himself get too cocky. "…a life that was now cut short in a death not swift nor peaceful. I'm not doing this for me, or for any personal satisfaction," he said despite the last statement being a lie, "I'm doing this for her, for Anna. I'm giving her the justice she deserves."

Let her come to terms with what she's done. Let her know the pain that Anna felt her entire life—

He was jarred from his thoughts when Elsa spoke up. "All… all… I wanted was to protect her."

"You murdered her."

His blunt words brought on another wave of sobs, and her fists hit the ice as she lost control of her emotions once more. The snowflakes around him started shaking. If they were starting to move, then the wind would no doubt come back. It was time to end this once and for all.

"Queen Elsa." He announced with stern regality, "For the abandonment, subsequent mistreatment and ultimate deaths of innocent civilians and visitors of your kingdom, for the murder of Princess Anna of Arendelle, I charge you with treason," he unsheathed his sword, "and sentence you to death."

Her entire body began to tremble the moment the sword left the scabbard. She shifted her position to place her hands over her chest as she looked up at the sky. Hans could see her lips moving but he couldn't discern what she was saying. A prayer perhaps? A calling to her sister? Too little, too late.

He moved forward swiftly and with purpose as he stood behind her with his arm raised. A twisted grin formed across his face as he prepared himself for what he was about to do.

Hans didn't even notice the strange warm breeze brush against his face before he brought down the sword and cut through flesh.

A low chuckle escaped his lips as he registered what he had just done. "The Queen is dead…" He grinned as he tossed down his bloody sword onto the ice, and turned his head up towards the castle, his eyes scanning the building as if searching out where Anna was inside. "Long live the new Queen…." or even better—long live the King.

For a few moments, Hans wasn't even sure if the deed even worked. But then he felt another warm breeze, and new warmth in the air. The suspended snowflakes melted into drops of water onto the ice. Looking up towards the sky, he could see the white storm clouds fading away. Rays of sunshine started poking through the gaps until the entire kingdom of Arendelle was bathed in light and the sky was nothing but beautiful, clear, blue.

And the fjord, he looked down to see the ice getting thinner and thinner. He was relieved to see the edges of a ship protrude from the surface around him until the entire vessel became upright. The ship was certainly damaged, but it seemed repairable. And there was a lifeboat in tact that he could take onto shore. Looking down at the deck, his gaze returned to Elsa's lifeless body. He felt sorry for whoever would be unlucky enough to have to wash the blood from the wooden floor boards. There was a thick tarp on deck. He grabbed it and tossed it over the body.

Cheering in the distance distracted him, and he glanced towards the direction of the town square. The people were rejoicing over the curse's end, and the return of the summer.

Soon, they'll be praising me directly, the work of a hero. I saved them, I saved them all. His eyes then went back to the castle. And if I isn't too late, I saved Anna, and my—our future.

It wasn't long after that he had made it back to the docks and walked among the people in the town square. Hans did well to keep his true glee hidden and maintained an air of mournful relief as he addressed the citizens as they flocked to him.

"Good people of Arendelle, the curse is over. The winter's plague is no more, and summer has indeed returned to us at long last." He paused so everyone could get their round of applause in. "But in our celebrations, we must also acknowledge deep tragedies. It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the death of Queen Elsa. She had proven to myself and others that she was truly too dangerous to be reasoned with, and to be saved. She had committed an act of treason against you all, and against her dear sister, Princess Anna, who had returned from the mountain weak and frigid after suffering through a vicious attack of icy magic—all for her efforts of returning the Queen to us. Her death was indeed necessary to stop the winter curse from further destroying us all."

"Even now, it is unknown to me if Princess Anna has survived," he continued, "but I can only hope she has remained as strong and determined as ever and clutched onto her love for not only myself, but of her people as well, to be able to see us all through this as time goes on. I promise you all, I will do my best to lead you in the days to come as we get past this tragedy, hopefully with our beloved princess at my side. With all traces of the cursed magic gone, Arendelle shall prosper again. I only ask for your loyalty and patience as time and nature take their course."

Another round of cheers, Hans waved to the crowd, milking their responses for all it was worth, reveling in their praise and devotion to him, a man they barely knew, but the man that saved them all. Their hero. Their new king.

When the commotion seemed to die down, he took the opportunity to return to the castle. He still had to find out what became of his fiancé, his princess—no. His Queen.

He quickly bolted up the steps of the castle and maneuvered through the corridors. Turning one corner, his boot slipped on something on the floor. His arms went out to lean against the wall as he looked down.

There was a large puddle on the floor—with several twigs, three pieces of coal, and a carrot sitting all wet in the center of it.

What on earth is this?

After staring at the mess for a moment and coming up blank, he sidestepped over it. I'll have someone clean that up later.

Down another corridor, he had arrived at Anna's door. He raised his hand to knock but then stopped with his fist inches from the wood. He could hear noises coming from the other side, so he listened.

No, not noises. Sobs.

Anna's alive! Granted, she was crying, but living and breathing nonetheless. A pure moment of joy coursed through him. He wasn't too late after all. He could see the finish line before him and grew more excited by the moment. Now to share news with his future bride. He moved to knock again but stopped once more. Now there were voices inside, too.

"Oh Milady…your hair has regained its original beauty! Even the white streak is gone."

Ah, Gerda. Hans nodded. He had almost forgotten about her.

"I…I can't b-breathe"… He could hear Anna sobbing, practically choking over her words. "It h-hurts too much…she's gone isn't she? My s-s-sister's d-dead…"

"I don't know, Princess Anna." Gerda responded. "Perhaps she was the one to stop the curse."

"N-No!" Anna cried. "I know it! She's d-dead…. I don't- I can't…"

Hans stopped listening as the sobs got louder. He stepped back from the door and glanced down at himself. There were still small blood splatters on his gloves and on the top surfaces of his boots. He couldn't possibly see Anna looking like this—like a murderer.

And she was too hysterical to see any sort of reason now, anyway.

No. Let her mourn. In spite of everything, Anna loved her sister. Nothing I say or do could ever take that away. Let her vent her immediate sorrows to her maid. I'll see her later—tonight when bedtime calls, once she's calmed down. She'll need someone to help her through this. Someone to love, and someone to love her in return. I'll make sure that before the sun rises tomorrow, she knows for certain that someone is me.

I can see it. The crown is almost within my grasp. All I need now is the promise of my queen.