Author's Note: I wanted to give a big thank you to my reviewers and friends for making some wonderful and very helpful suggestions to add more richness to the story's theme! I'm so excited to use them in the future, and also excited to write the first chapter from Hans' perspective, as per my husband's lovely suggestion. This was a feat to write, but I hope it helps elaborate more on Hans' curse.


Breath escaped his lips in drawling threads of white. He stared at the mist as it dissipated and rose into the highest corners of the stone walls around him. The steady drip of water coupled with the comforting backdrop of the low, steady hum to create a comfortable silence. This was a familiar place. A safe, quiet solitude.

He focused on the darkness of the stone, blocking out all thoughts of his family, of Arendelle and its queen.

Elsa.

A part of him wished he could speak freely to her, just once. She was the closest comfort he had found in himself, a like-minded woman caged within the eternal prison of her own flesh and bones. Except she rose above her cage, while he could never free himself.

With no body in the room to supply him the feelings he desperately wanted, he sunk his head low and shut his eyes tight. There were moments, in the silence, he could feel himself again. Just a spark, but enough to keep him breathing. He felt it in the air, in the flesh of his clenched palms, and within the tired bones of his body. He wanted nothing more than to feel again.

His heart beat steady and even. His breath shuddered, and posture sunk. Perhaps he had wanted to die, he wasn't sure anymore. He had lost a sense of what he truly wanted years ago, but only clung to the knowledge that he needed to be free. Needed to escape. He couldn't stand this prison any longer, even if he drew comfort from its solemn walls.

He had wanted to stay in Arendelle and be happy, would have settled to live life in Anna's perfect image, even if it meant never breaking free. Yet somehow his own curse had twisted against him and turned him against them both. They had both been so brave, so alive. He could have lived off of those feelings for an eternity.

Here he felt nothing but desolation and regret. It encumbered him so greatly he felt crippled; unable to sleep, hardly able to eat. His brother gave off the worst of it, nearly ripping his body and soul apart with every visit until he couldn't take it. Now, all he wanted was to sleep an endless sleep and have this nightmare end. Even in the quiet of his slate-gray heart, he wanted release from this prison. Even if it meant dying.

Then, he felt a rush of anticipation - sympathy - and finally fear as a new body stepped into his realm. Wind rushed beneath her feet, and by the chill that prickled his skin he already knew who had come to his tomb to wish him away.

"You're here…" he breathed.

He felt her pain, her fear, but most of all the underlying desperation to be angry at him for what he'd done. She sucked in a breath and held a tense hand to her chest, unconsciously hiding her body as if it might lessen her appearance. It never would.

"I had to see for myself," her voice was shaken but built on the foundations of anger that slowly began to blossom in her chest. She was remembering the fjord. Good.

"Have you come here to kill me, Queen Elsa?" he spoke in a bitter, low tone echoing what he knew remained in her subconscious. She had considered it many times. By the vindication of her tone, the tenseness of her hands - she wanted him to suffer for what he'd done.

"I haven't decided," she answered honestly, her tone now searching for ground. She became braver, colder. The temperature began to drop as her grudge sunk deep into her skin and poisoned her. "I want to know if you're sorry first," she elected in a frigid whisper.

"You're wasting your time," he said only what she already knew. His tone was venomous, though controlled. "I don't give out apologies, Majesty," he mouthed with contempt, his eyes narrowed at the ground. He could feel the anger rising like a storm, and just as it reached its peak the wind began to sweep around them once more. Rubble trembled beneath her feet, and soon ice clawed its way across the stone in vein-like clusters.

More…

"You tried to murder my sister," Elsa ground out, her trembling voice barely contained. The wind had picked up now, and he realized snow was beginning to form between the gusts. He smiled and raised his head.

"She deserved it," he snarled at her. "Weak and pathetic, just like you!" The air around her began to turn white until it churned about them in a gale of frigid ice and snow. The guards had taken notice now, though Elsa's rage grew too great. She sent a spark behind and sealed the door shut before they could get it open, now advancing on Hans in her feral state. A growl writhed on her lips.

"How dare you!" she shouted above the howling wind so powerful it nearly lifted him from the floor. "I am the Queen of Arendelle and you will listen!" He reveled in the fury, drank it in like poison. It filled his veins and pulsed like fire in his heart. He straightened up until he looked fully at her, his face still contorted in mocking anger.

"So kill me!" he shouted at her. She paused, though the storm still raged on. He only smiled all the more, his voice edging on hysteria. He was laughing, of all things. "I'm a worthless traitor, a pitiful wretch under your command, Majesty!" he choked out through laughter. Tears now obscured his vision and froze on his cheeks, tightening his skin. He smiled all the more. "KILL ME if you are so certain! I deserve to die!" he screamed with every ounce of energy in his body.

In that next instant the storm froze mid-flight and suspended itself. Grief immediately entered his chest as he watched the snarl disappear from her face.

"Why are you crying?" she croaked out, completely startled. The anger had left her body in an instant, replaced by confusion. The smile disappeared from his own face as he dropped his head, his laughter shifting into sobs that wracked his body.

"I-I'm sorry," he murmured. An old pain bloomed in his body in defiance to his actions. He fought against it, desperate to at least let her know. She had to know. He choked on his tears, wracked by his own guilt, his fears. It began tearing his body apart from the inside the more he cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he wailed. "I never meant to hurt you."

When he raised his head next, her fear took over the room in rapid succession. Black ice had begun to spread across his face and eyes. He could feel it burning his insides. He strained against it, desperate to let her see.

"I'm sorry," he smiled in a withered voice, still shifting between laughing and crying. The wind had begun to pick up again as she let her fear get the best of her, and soon after he couldn't withhold it anymore. The black veins retracted from the sides of his face, his flesh, and immediately after he gasped and dropped his head back low to regain his energy.

"You are cursed," she spoke. The words had been so quiet they carried with the wind, but he had heard them - down into the confines of his soul and ringing in his ears. He knew, and had always known. He looked back at her, showing her the fear written on her face. It only made it worse.

In that moment a rapid succession of beats pounded on the iron door. Kasper's fear hit him in the chest long before he could see his terrified face.

"Hans! Are you all right?" he shouted for him. "Open this door immediately! You will not touch my brother!" he turned his ire on her - the ice queen. Elsa's attention shifted to the door, but rather than fear he felt resolution and strength pulling from her fingers. He breathed in deep and looked at the tensed back of his liberator. Light silhouetted her form as that of a guardian like in the legends. She looked surreal.

"No," she sounded unsure, but he could feel it. She was certain. Though her heart was pounding and body trembling, she had no fear of the men on the other side of the door.

"He's coming with me," she finally spoke, her voice gaining momentum. Kasper stopped banging and throwing himself against the frozen door to look at them both through the gaps in the barred window.

"Don't do this," he ground out, desperation cracking his voice. He looked at his brother. "Hans, look at me, please. Stay here. Don't do this." Elsa stepped in front of Hans and held out her arm, blocking his view.

"I won't see this go on any longer," she told Kasper. "I'm taking him back to Arendelle. Tonight." She stared down his brother with righteous absolution. "You will not stop me," she shook her head at him, and he swore he saw a small grin betray her lips.

Elsa then threw her arm forward and created a five-foot thick wall of ice between the door and themselves, effectively blocking their entry. She paused to ensure they could not see or break through the other side, then turned to Hans. He waited with baited breath on the floor, breathing as rapidly as she.

"This may not ever change how I feel about what you've done to my sister," she knelt in front of him, "but I won't let them make the mistake my father made with me." She sounded so sure of herself, Hans was powerless to deflect her. Every part of him believed she was right, that this was the right course of action, that he did not defy a single gesture.

She managed to break his cuffs with relative ease. He winced when the ice burned the fringes of his flesh, but said nothing.

"Can you walk?" she asked. He rubbed his sore wrists once his hands were free, and nodded deafly to her. She grabbed hold of his arm and led him to the far wall with the window.

"Where does that lead?" she asked. Vague shouts came from the other side of the ice wall. A thunderous boom came from the other side, letting Hans know they had found the battering ram.

"Uh, the atrium," he said once his attention was drawn from the door. He looked at her, sensing her slight panic and urgency. "Can you break through it?" he asked.

"I can try," she pressed her mouth together and took a step back. He held up one arm and turned his head away when the blast hit the wall. Rubble burst from either side, and after the dust cleared there was a small but substantial hole for them both to climb through.

"I'll help you up," he immediately offered while standing under the hole to hoist her up. She didn't pause to protest, quickly climbing onto his grasping hands, then reached down after him. Though she tried her best to help, he managed to pull himself up by his own strength, only thankful for her yanking hands when he nearly slipped while working his legs up onto the ledge.

"Thanks," he grunted when they finally managed to climb onto the grass. They were in the southeast corner of the atrium gardens, if he remembered correctly. Once he'd helped her up, he looked about in an attempt to get his bearings. He wasn't used to being outside at night.

"This way," he decidedly pointed to once he'd figured the best direction to exit from. Elsa took lead, glancing back once to make sure he was following, and began running towards the pathway. Halfway to the closed archway, they were met with a dozen armed guards with crossbows ready. He barely had time to duck from one, and a second nearly took Elsa out. She drew ice barriers between them as he'd seen at the ice palace, and soon enough they were sprinting again along the courtyard, a thick wall of ice building with every step.

"We won't get out on foot," he spoke her silent fear mid-run. They were panting for breath, already exhausted from the run.

"The stable is this way, right?" she demanded. He nodded once they came to a brief stop, then thrust back into a sprint with her arm clutching his jacket to ensure he was still following. She wore no gloves.

She's learned to control them… he thought in surprise.

Once at the stables, he led her directly to the stall where they kept the horses. "Whatever transport brought you here will be far too slow, you'll need horses," Hans began while pulling some leads and saddles from the wall. Elsa suddenly froze and looked around her in alarm.

"What, what is it?" Hans asked.

"Oh no, Theo - my driver," she panicked. Her dread filled the room in sudden weight as she turned around in circles.

"Calm down," he eased and moved away from the latch to try and assuage her. Just as he reached out, a figure shifted in the dark and moved forward. Elsa turned and jumped back against Hans, and he quickly reached for his belt only to realize his sword was gone. Her hand was already raised.

"M'lady?" a withered, old voice called from the dark. A tweedy man with sagging eyes and a large nose appeared in the dark with a small lantern in hand. Elsa immediately relaxed, as did Hans.

"Theo," she breathed in relief. Then, panic returned when she remembered their urgency. "We have to hurry, we have to-" she paused to listen for the sound of shouting guards in the distance. "We're leaving," she decided. Theo's eyes peeled away from Hans, his mouth agape, before he nodded in understanding and moved to help.

With Hans' help, it took only a few minutes to ready the saddles. Hans helped them lead the two horses to the back courtyard and through a narrow gate that led into a game forest. He ducked his head low under a branch and patted the side of his whinnying horse, Sitron, to help ease his nervousness.

Once they reached an open trail in the woods, he helped Elsa onto her horse with Theo clinging behind before mounting his own.

Hans set off in a gallop through the forest with Elsa behind. He knew how to navigate these woods far better than she could, or at least he hoped he would. There was a heavy sense of apprehension hanging in the air as they sped through the dark, lines of trees blurring past, and dead silence between the three.

He could see the torchlight long before it reached them, bobbing through the forest in clusters of red. He came to a slow trot and observed the lights at a distance, Elsa pulling alongside.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"I know another way," Hans relented with a tick of his jaw and curt yank of the reigns to turn Sitron in the other direction. They sped along the opposite direction, dodging and ducking through the trees. It took an eternity to break from the wooded landscape so much it felt like a labyrinth at times. Finally, the trees broke away to reveal a stone plateau overlooking a steep waterfall.

"Across that river," he pointed and began to trot alongside the cliff to reach the shallow bank. Halfway to it, noise came from their right and out of the trees materialized a group of guards.

"Over here!" the captain immediately shouted. Hans reared back on his horse. Elsa was behind him - closer to the men. Before she had a chance to even raise her hand, he turned and charged his horse directly into the throng of men. They hadn't expected him to stampede, and shouted before scattering in every direction. He circled around, and felt one of the guards attempt to drag him from the horse. He brought his heel up and kicked the man swiftly in the chin before turning to gallop back to Elsa's side.

"Let's go," he clenched his jaw and started immediately across the river, Elsa soon following behind in slight shock.

Eventually they rode far enough away that the shouting disappeared, and eventually any signs of pursuit all together. He knew of a nearby village that would have a ship suitable enough to ferry back to Arendelle long before his brother or his men reached them. As they broke through the other side of the forest, he paused to look back at the city glittering below in the valley. Elsa paused and turned her horse around, exchanging a look of hesitation with him.

"I know it might be pointless to ask, but is this what you want?" she sounded entirely sincere. He needed to believe his answer meant something as well. He searched her for some shred of himself, and found it wasn't terribly difficult to find.

"Yes," he swallowed before turning his back to his brother's kingdom and disappearing down the other side of the hill.

I know I want to be free.