A/N

Not sure how I feel about this chapter. Let me know if it was any good.

Now, step on my wild ride…

Rapunzel gripped her coffee mug tightly with both hands. It was so warm, unlike the air around them. Elsa tried to dull the bite of the cold but her powers didn't have any effect on nature's will. The best she could do was brew up a counter-wind to try and deflect the air. It was better, but it didn't do much to help warm a skinny girl in an environment she had never actually been in. She was starting to feel like Eugene may have been right after all.

Speaking of Eugene, her husband had been oddly quiet all morning. Kristoff and Captain Eriksson had been bright too.

"Eugene," she whispered to her husband. She was cuddling close to him, not entirely because it made her warmer. "Are the guys bullying you about getting beaten up?"

Eugene smiled. "No, Blondie. Don't worry about it."

But Rapunzel couldn't help but worry. Ever since seeing Hank brutalize the love of her life she couldn't be anything but weary around the man. Even Elsa could give her shivers at times, from just how close she could get to the soldier. Any man who could do something like that wasn't someone she wanted to spend much time with.

"Are you feeling okay?" her husband, Flynn Rider, asked her. She nodded and snuggled closer to him.

"So, Rapunzel!" Anna yelled, catching everyone off guard. "Are you and Eugene thinking about having kids yet?"

Rapunzel nodded. "We've talked about it. We definitely plan on having children, but we want to spend some time together first. We've been married nearly six years now and we're enjoying ourselves. We'll have kids when we're ready."

Kristoff looked like he was about to cry. Rapunzel turned to her husband and saw that he caught that as well. Captain Eriksson ran his hand through his hair and raised his eyebrows quickly before hugging his cloak tighter around himself and hunching over.

"That's wonderful, Rapunzel," Elsa offered. "It's always nice to meet a couple so very in love with each other. It can be a rarity, sadly."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. "Are you sure about the kids thing though? Wouldn't it have been nice to have them right away?"

"I was seventeen. I love children, but I don't think I was ready for them yet," Rapunzel explained. "I might be now."

"Ah," Anna sputtered, "I'm ready for kids."

"Anna!" Elsa scolded. "That's nice, but don't talk about your plans with Kristoff here. We're on vacation." Her face dropped a bit. "Are you making children in your tent?"

"No! Well, not rea…no!" Anna defended. Kristoff looked like he was about to die. Hank sunk even further into his cloak. "I can't get pregnant anyways."

"What!? Why?" Elsa demanded, taking her sister by the hand.

Anna was red as a tomato. She mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Anna, this is serious. Tell me," Elsa begged. She sounded truly upset.

"I'm already pregnant," Anna whispered.

Elsa let go of her sister's hand. "Oh." She slowly spun to face the fire, a blank look on her face. Kristoff stood up and walked around, placing some distance between himself and the party. Hank had given up on trying to hide in his cloak and was instead fidgeting with the hem of his uniform. Rapunzel and Eugene were awkwardly silent, unsure what to do.

"Congratulations!" Rapunzel forced out. Eugene smiled and nodded along, wishing deep inside that his wife hadn't given Anna their entire philosophy on children while they were out on a cold, isolated mountain. Why couldn't this have happened in the warm, cozy castle, where their ship was waiting for them in the docks? Why were they here in the first place? The entire trip consisted of Eugene trying to discover the secrets of the sisters, nearly ruining a loving relationship, getting beaten up by Elsa's consort, and freezing in the wilderness. Hopefully Rapunzel had seen her fill of her cousins when they finally left Arendelle.

"Thank you," Anna mumbled. The poor girl looked like she was having a panic attack. Elsa was still unmoving. Hank reached over to the Queen and gave her shoulder a firm squeeze.

"Congratulations, Princess Anna, Baron Kristoff," Hank said with a ceremonial bow. "Elsa, won't it be nice to have a niece or a nephew?"

The Queen nodded very slowly. "Yes."

A tear slid down Anna's cheek. "I was, uh, that is, me and Kristoff were, umm, hoping you and Hank would be the godparents."

Eugene narrowed his eyes satisfactorily. Now that was a secret.

Elsa sobbed and shook in her spot. She hugged herself tightly. Hank rushed to her side, placing one hand on her thigh and the other on her back. Elsa gave him a thoughtful smile through her tears and turned to look Anna in the eyes. "I would love that Anna. I would love that so much."

"Elsa?" Anna asked. The younger girl was trying hard not to cry herself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm so much better than okay, Anna. So, so, so much better!" Elsa rushed out of Hank's loose embrace and swept her sister up in a hug. "We're going to have a family! A real family!"

The sisters wept in each other's arms. Kristoff came back over from the sleigh, looking happier than Eugene had ever seen him. A few tears escaped Hank's eyes, but not Rapunzel's sight. Rapunzel herself was overwhelmed by the emotions and cried. Eugene held her close, smiling brightly.

"I was so worried you would hate me!" Anna cried. "I was so afraid to tell you."

"Never be afraid to tell me anything," Elsa commanded. "I could never hate you. Not after all we've been through. I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, Elsa. You're the best sister in the world."

They didn't bother taking down camp after that. They all just sat around the fire and talked, occasionally throwing more wood on it. Talked about the upcoming baby, their lives, their loves, everything. Even Kristoff talked. The man had renewed vigour from the weight lifted off his big shoulders. Elsa held Hank's hand all day, not even trying to hide her feelings. Hank finally gave Eugene his promised secret. For the first time since arriving in Arendelle, Rapunzel and Eugene felt like they were friends, not guests.

"Hank?" Elsa whispered.

"Yes?" Hank answered.

"Can we have a child?"

He didn't answer. Elsa waited. He still wasn't answering.

"Please answer me, Henrik."

"I would love to have a child with you, Elsa. I don't think we should though. We've talked about this only a few days ago."

"That was before I found out I was going to be an aunt. My outlook has changed. I have absolutely no care now what they're going to say. I want to love you all the time, not just when we're alone. I want to be your wife. I want us to have a son and I want to name him William."

"Elsa, please," Hank begged. He sounded choked. "I don't want to talk about this."

"I don't care, you're my Royal Guard. Do as I say. Explain. Explain everything."

Hank sighed and leaned in to kiss the Queen. It was a quick kiss, but an intensely loving one.

"If we get married," Hank started, "Our relationship will become very…political. It will be more about how we are as King and Queen than how we are as a couple. I love what we have. We're best friends and lovers. That isn't so bad."

Elsa narrowed her eyes at the tired and flimsy excuse. She decided it was the last time she was ever going to hear it. "My parents never had problems like that."

"Neither of your parents was a commoner marrying the Queen of a young and resource filled Kingdom that other countries fight over the rights to trade with."

"Will you stop it with that!" Elsa yelled. "I'm tired of hearing so much about how we can't love each other. How we shouldn't. If God didn't want me to love you, he would've killed me when I left Arendelle on my own!"

"Don't say that!" Hank snapped in a ferocious growl. Elsa shrunk. He was terrifying when he wanted to be. "Don't bring God into this. Nobody knows how He works. Nobody could ever understand. This is between you and me. We have to decide for ourselves what we want." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Elsa. I love you even more every day somehow. I just don't think I'm ready to go any further with our relationship yet. Maybe one day we'll get married and have children, just not right now. Please."

"Okay," Elsa agreed. "We'll take our time." She pulled his body closer to her own. "I love you too, Hank."

He tapped his fingers along Elsa's hip and swirled his jaw around. A telltale sign he was contemplating something. He looked away from his Queen's eyes and tilted his head a tiny bit. "Maybe…maybe I could buy you an engagement ring." It was impossible to hide the excitement in his voice.

Elsa's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes," Hank confirmed. "A subtle ring wouldn't hurt…and it would be nice to see you wearing it."

She jumped on top of him and kissed him deeply. He returned with everything he had. When she came up for air she leaned down, her whispers tickling his ear. "I would really like that, Captain Eriksson."

The snow reflected the light of the stars. This was all Eugene could really think as he tried to come into a sort of understanding with the nature around him. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get it. Nature was beautiful and adventurous and big, but he vastly preferred civilization, especially beds. Beds were so nice compared to the cold dirt. There were no beds on North Mountain so he stared into the ashes of the long gone fire and considered how the white snow was blue in the light of the moon until a tent flap opened and Captain Henrik Eriksson emerged.

"You don't like the ground either?" Eugene asked.

"It's not that," Hank replied. "The cots in the barracks are stiffer than the dirt out here. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Wanna talk?" Eugene patted the log stool next to him invitingly. Hank sauntered over and took the seat. He took a deep breath.

"I think I want to marry Elsa," Hank stated.

"Then do it," Eugene answered simply, realizing that "think" was not really a part of Captain Eriksson's thoughts.

The guard chuckled. "I don't think it's that easy."

"Of course it is," Eugene assured. "Do you think it's the right thing to do?"

Hank swirled his jaw around contemplatively. "Yes. We love each other and want to spend our lives together. You don't need to get married to do that but we want to have children. Every kid deserves a real mother and father. We can't be split up for that. Besides, it wouldn't surprise me if Elsa is pregnant already and we just haven't figured it out yet."

"Wow, all this from the guy who wouldn't tell me a secret yesterday?" Eugene teased. Hank smirked. Eugene slid his arm around the man and gave him the manliest hug Arendelle had ever seen. "I don't think women can get pregnant without knowing, Hank. Don't worry about that."

"Still. It feels kind of wrong."

"Why?" Eugene wondered, genuinely curious about how pre-marital sex could feel wrong. "Are you a religious man or something?"

"Somewhat, yes," Hank said. "Enough to feel guilty about it. My mother raised me that way."

"Well, what I always like to say is that a man who's never done it has no jurisdiction judging it. God never had sex, did he? He couldn't even man up enough to have his son in the proper way!"

"That isn't funny."

"Maybe not," Eugene conceded, "But you see what I mean."

"No, I actually don't."

Eugene threw his arms in the air in a joyous celebration of the universe. "Live life to the fullest, Hank! Do as your heart desires!"

Hank smiled. "Sound advice from a thief."

"Sound advice from a husband," Eugene corrected. "It wasn't easy marrying Rapunzel, you know. I'm an old man in the eyes of Corona marrying their seventeen year old, newly returned mind you, Princess. The outcry was amazing! Her parents have always accepted me and were onboard with it from the start but the people flipped out. Not to mention the threats from trade partners at the 'waste of the only Princess.' It was definitely looking like we shouldn't get married. I'm sure you have similar fears."

Hank looked down at his feet. He thought his situation was bad but at least he was known in Arendelle as a lawman. Someone they could trust. Eugene was an outsider who came out of nowhere. "What did you do?"

"I married her anyways," Eugene said proudly. "I don't give a damn what others think. I married the woman I love and we're happier than ever. It all worked out too, the people came around and the trade partners were throwing empty threats. It was the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just trying to tell you that it is okay to be selfish sometimes. I bet Jesus was getting second thoughts as he carried that cross."

"Probably not, actually," Hank refuted. "I'm no Jesus though."

"Exactly! No offense."

"None taken, I did mess you up something good," Hank bragged.

"Something bad, more like it. I can't believe you've forced me to go so long without my amazingly handsome face."

Hank shrugged. "Your nose is too big."

Eugene's demeanor dropped. "That was a joke, right?"

His answer came from behind him in the form of a low growl. The sound echoed across the clearing, seeping into every space and burrowing into the bones of the men. They turned around simultaneously and were faced by a large brown bear. It didn't look fierce as much as it looked like a stuffed animal. It was hunched on all fours and was eyeing the campsite curiously. Hank and Eugene froze, afraid to move a muscle.

"Isn't he supposed to be hibernating?" Eugene whispered.

"It isn't winter yet," Hank answered. "Just stay calm and he'll move past. He's kind of cute."

The bear pulled its lips up into a snarl, bearing its sharp teeth. It opened its mouth wide and roared. Hank and Eugene jumped back as far as they could, placing any sort of distance between them and the animal. Sven stood up straight from his place by the sleighs and caught wide eyed sight of the approaching bear. He jumped behind the nearest sleigh and hid. Noisy rustling could be heard inside the tents.

The bear jumped towards the direction of the tents, catching the men off guard. Hank dived forward to try and meet it halfway but only succeeded in barrelling into the bear's furry neck. The animal grunted and swung its massive body around to face Hank. For his part, the guard looked like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

Eugene took advantage of the bear's pause and dived into his own nearby tent to wake his wife. If Hank kept the bear occupied long enough, he would be able to grab Rapunzel and get out of there. It wasn't fair to Elsa, Anna, or the others, but Eugene was an opportunist and he would be the first to admit that he wasn't afraid to put his own desires over those of others.

Hank caught Euegene's dive out of the corner of his eye and was happy that the man sprung to the rescue instead of running away. He could only feel this satisfaction for a second, as the bear brought up one of its big claws and slapped Hank's lower back.

CRACK

The soldier bit his lower lip hard, breaking the skin, and held in his scream. The pain was the second worst he had ever felt, but he didn't want his loud noises to aggravate the animal further. With any luck, the bear would find the food near the sleigh and leave without harming anyone. Hank fell to his knees, defeated, and prayed with everything he had that Elsa would be safe.

The bear obviously wasn't satisfied with Hank's loss, as he brought his claw up again and slashed at his victim's chest. Hank's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. The hot sensation of blood running off of his chest and staining his uniform was surreal. He looked down and watched the thick red liquid gather at the long cuts from his shoulder to his stomach and slowly begin spreading over his whole torso. The only thing he could think to do with his last burst of strength was quickly remove the clasp of his cloak and throw it away. He wouldn't let it get ruined by something as stupid as blood.

"Hank!?" he heard a shrill yell. It was distant, and he couldn't tell if that was because of the ringing in his ears. It was music though, his favourite voice. He turned to the source and realized that it might not be the ringing. Elsa looked so far away. Her hair was free and flowing in every which direction with the light wind. Her light green sleeping gown was dishevelled and loose on her feminine frame. She looked just as beautiful as ever. This was a final sight he did not deserve.

She ran towards him and his descent into unconscious halted. There was still a bear here and Elsa was running, making sudden movements. She arrived at his side quickly; the bear's interest was piqued. Digging into the very depths of his will, Hank forced his body to move and push Elsa away. The claw barely grazed her immaculate cheek. His stomach sank at the sight of blood pooling where the bear had connected to her face. It was terrible, seeing something so absolutely perfect being damaged like that. It was worse that he had let it happen.

He was her protector, her guard, and he had let her get hurt. He had failed. He stole a final glance at the woman he loved and saw more rage than he had ever imagined a human being could have carved into her smooth features. It was terrifying but comforting. Elsa would live. He knew it. Even though he had failed she would go on. It was a good thought to die with. Too bad he was dying a failure.

His head hit the ground with a thud.