A/N Sorry this chapter has taken a while. I think I rewrote like three times until I was semi happy with it. It is also the longest chapter so far. I was originally going to break it down into two parts but then decided to keep it as one long chapter.

Thank you for your continued support, please feel free to drop a review, they are really appreciated.

Warning: This chapter will contain some explicit language and minor violence.


Chapter Nine.

Anna bit her bottom lip nervously, before stifling a yawn. She had been awaiting Captain Gunter's arrival back at the castle for hours. The Princess was eager to convene with the head of the royal guard regarding newly acquired information which King Helmut had been kind enough to divulge. After all, she was adamant it could be the key in helping to find her beloved sister, and the very thought filled her with an unbearable amount of hope and anticipation in equal measure.

The Southern Isles monarch had told them of a remote fortress once used in various battles. After one final war the fortified stronghold had eventually been abandoned and their father had taken up ownership. The previous King had visited many times during his reign, using it solely as a place of sanctuary.

Helmut had then gone on to explain that it could easily serve as the perfect hide out for Hans and his alleged co-conspirator. It was situated only several miles from the town of Caspia and it was highly unlikely they would be recognized by any of the local townspeople.

Once the details had sunk in, Kai had helped Anna obtain a map of the region from the castle library and she now found herself studying it intensely.

Kristoff rested a hand on her shoulder, a look of concern creeping across his face. "Do you really think Elsa could be at this fortress?"

"It makes sense," Anna replied calmly, her eyes still focused on the map.

"But what if she's not?" her husband countered somberly. With Anna suffering terribly these past couple of months, the last thing he wanted was for this possible lead to cause her more upset and devastation should Elsa not be found.

"Elsa has to be there, she just has to be!"

Stroking her cheek affectionately, the blond continued, "I don't mean to dismiss you, Anna, really I don't. I just don't want you getting your hopes up. I'm just worried that even if Hans did take Elsa to this place. There's no guarantee they'll still be there."

"Are you seriously trying to rain on my parade? Do you not want my sister to be found?!" the fiery redhead argued, her turquoise eyes now boring into Kristoff's chocolate brown orbs.

"Of course I do," he defended, although he was berating himself for causing her further dejection and discouragement.

She held her breath, the sense of desolation and despair was overwhelming. "Kristoff, you may be my husband, but I am still your Princess. And you need to learn when to shut up!"

The silence that followed was almost palpable as the ice master took a seat on the opposite side of the room, gazing at her every so often with the slightest hint of animosity.

The Princess stared back, sweeping a few stray strands of red hair from her flushed face. She was mighty glad for the knock at the door which served as a distraction. "ENTER!" she went on to command in a much louder and authoritative tone then intended.

Captain Gunter then sauntered into the room. From his physical appearance he looked extremely unkempt and utterly exhausted, yet he never once faltered in the presence of the Princess. "Your Highness," he announced, sweeping into a graceful bow. "You asked to see me?"

"Yes I did. Thank you for coming so soon. You see recently I have received some very promising news. And now I'm almost certain I know where Elsa is!"

A slight flicker of surprise crossed his face. "You do?"

"King Helmut of the Southern Isles informed me himself. He arrived yesterday and told me everything. But more importantly he suspects his brother, Hans Westergard is the one responsible for Elsa's abduction. He is also confident that he knows where they could be currently residing."

His next look was a rather cynical one. "And he is your only source of this information? The brother of the man who not so long ago attempted to overthrow Arendelle and commit murder?"

Anna's face was alight with fury. "Are you questioning the word of the King, Captain?! Are you insinuating he's lying!"

Captain Gunter's heart began to pound. The Princess' usual sweet demeanor had turned rather hostile. "Not at all, Your Highness. I just don't want this to end up being a wild goose chase. My men are already suffering from low morale as it is."

The Princess was definitely on the offensive now. "Well perhaps if you and your men were doing a better job, then my sister would have been found weeks ago. Better still, if your men had been more vigilante the castle would not have been subject to intruders in the first place! You let this happen. My sister was taken because of your incompetence! And now you stand there questioning the only positive lead we have had within the last three months. Shame on you!"

"ANNA!" Kristoff barked, rising from his seat. Clearly he was embarrassed by her treatment towards the man.

A trace of guilt suddenly appeared on her face, yet Anna did not regret her words. It seemed the royal guard were just as inept now as they had been two years ago during the eternal winter.

"I offer my sincerest apologies, Your Highness. What would you have me do?" the Captain of the royal guard then asked.

She shifted uneasily, more feelings of guilt now starting to bubble up inside of her as she gave her orders. "Well...I'd like for you to assemble a group of your finest soldiers and make haste to the town of Caspia."

"Caspia, Your Highness?"

"Yes," she confirmed, handing over the map. "Now I understand it's at least a several days journey at best, so I'll have Gerda pack you plenty of supplies. Once you reach the town, ride due south. I've been informed there is an old fortress in the region where there is a high probability my sister is being held captive by Hans and one suspected accomplice. You'll need to approach with extreme caution. They could be considered dangerous and I don't want to give them any excuse to hurt Elsa. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness. If Her Majesty is in Caspia, I will find her and bring her home. I won't fail," the Captain genuinely promised.

"Then you are dismissed," Anna concluded.

Captain Gunter bowed respectfully and then quickly left the room whilst the quivering woman stood there, willing for her unshed tears to subside.

Kristoff slipped an arm around his wife and escorted her from the room. The redhead attempted to hide the tears that were now beginning to form. After taking a slow, deep breath, she began to sway slightly until her husband steadied her. "Come on, let's get you lying down."

Walking forward, her hands trembled uncontrollably. "I didn't handle myself very well in there, did I?"

Kristoff was tempted to agree, but in spite of Anna's outburst earlier he chose to remain faithful and defend her actions. "You were upset. Anybody could see that."

It was true she was upset, however her behavior had been totally unacceptable. "I can't keep using that as an excuse, Kristoff. Captain Gunter has been remarkable throughout all of this. I feel terrible...Elsa never would have acted that way."

"Elsa's the Queen," the ice master added hastily. "She's been expertly trained to handle these kind of situations, you have not. Also you're pregnant and right now your body is trying to cope with a lot of changes. It's natural for your emotions to be all over the place."

Coming to a halt at the foot of the staircase, Anna brushed the remaining tears away. "Thank you, Kristoff. I think I'll be fine now."

As husband and wife both prepared to climb the stairs they were interrupted by King Helmut. Anna even let out a small gasp of surprise at the sound of his irritating voice. The foreign King hadn't even been in the castle for more then twenty four hours, yet her tolerance of him was beginning to expire.

"Your Highness, I'm so glad I caught you," he chimed. "I've just sighted Captain Gunter departing through the courtyard. I do hope my information will prove useful and they are able to find Queen Elsa...and my troublesome brother."

Anna slowly revolved on the spot to face the sneering noble. "Me too. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to lie down."

"Your Highness, before you go..."

The Princess smiled sweetly, yet silently losing her patience. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize for my recent behavior and to thank you for your continued hospitality. I really do hope the both of you bear no ill will towards me and we can remain good friends."

"We thank you for the apology," Kristoff replied quickly, his jaw grinding together in anger.

Feeling her husband's tension, Anna placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Come on Kristoff. Let's just go."

As King Helmut watched the young couple ascend the stairs, the monarch felt a sudden urge to continue with his mockery. "You know what shocks me the most though, Princess? Is that Queen Elsa would give her blessing to someone so unrefined when she wouldn't even consider granting it to my brother."

Anna froze, drawing in a deep breath. With barely-concealed rage she turned to face Helmut once more. "You think you have the right to stand there and judge my sister's decision? I for one am glad that Elsa didn't bless the marriage. At the time I was so mad at her, but now I realize in doing so she stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Kristoff may be unrefined as you put it, but at least he hasn't tried to kill us."

"Well at least not yet, anyway," Helmet retaliated with a smug grin.

King or not, Kristoff was livid with his disrespectful behavior. He lunged forward, ready to strangle the man. "Now you wait a minute. Are you implying what I think you are...? Because I'll have you know that I would never hurt either Anna or Elsa. In fact I'd protect both girls until my last dying breath."

"How noble," the King jeered. "Well let's hope you're right."

Anna glanced at the monarch curiously. In that very moment she almost regretted inviting him to stay. Reluctantly though, she decided she would have to put up with him a little longer. At least until Elsa was home safely.

"I really don't like him," Kristoff admitted as they entered their bedchamber a few moments later.

Collapsing into a heap on the bed, the Princess nodded. "I have to agree. Hopefully though once Elsa is found she can get back to dealing with the old creep."

"Or perhaps you could convince her to turn him into a cool palace decoration," Kristoff happily suggested.

Anna giggled, pulling Kristoff down beside her. "I could certainly try," she said, before whispering in a sultry tone. "Now kiss me."

The blond moved closer, happy to oblige. Leaning forward he gently cupped her cheek with one hand whilst pressing his lips to hers.

"Wait!" Anna suddenly shouted, causing him to break away. "Did you mean what you said to Helmut? Would you really protect us until your last dying breath?"

A soft sigh left Kristoff's lips. "Of course I meant it. You and Elsa are my family. You both mean everything to me."

Anna smiled, before planting two hands on his chest. "I love you, Kristoff."

Despite his coiled tension, Kristoff smiled, capturing her lips once again. "I love you too."


Elsa groaned as her head rolled from one side to the other, her chin resting on her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sounds rushing in her ear. She couldn't quite make out the noise she was hearing or what was going on, only that it felt like her head had connected with a hammer and the nausea she was experiencing hit her ten fold.

She groaned again as she attempted to lift her head, yet her neck was stiff and just didn't want to cooperate at this precise moment. She even tried to swallow, but her throat felt as dry as a scorched desert.

Finally, she tried opening her eyes, blinking several times, frantically getting them to focus. As her vision slowly cleared she vaguely became aware of someone leering down at her. She swallowed, testing the dryness of her mouth again. Perhaps she was more dehydrated then she thought. Perhaps she was hallucinating.

"Elsa, can you hear me?"

HANS! After realizing that she wasn't hallucinating her eyes widened to the size of saucers and her breathing increased rapidly, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps.

The younger Westergard shakily reached down to touch her face, before speaking to her softly. "It's okay, Elsa. It's just me, Hans."

The Queen flinched at his touch, shaking her head as she attempted to move away. "Stop! W..What are you doing?"

Hans, feeling a sharp stab of pain at seeing her so frightened, carefully cupped her face in his hands, trying to calm her, his voice soothing. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you."

She felt like she should hate him. But that voice - as it entered her mind, it just sounded so profound. Yet he continued to instill a certain degree of fear in her. So in desperation she squirmed out of his grip. "Of course you're going to hurt me. That's what you do!"

His gaze slightly softened as he lowered his face even closer to hers, until she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. "If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I could have done it already? I mean you've been unconscious for almost five days."

Elsa inhaled deeply. "Five days? What happened?"

"You almost died, that's what happened!" Hans exclaimed. "I was so worried about you. At one point I didn't think you were going to make it, but then Halberd came through once again...he saved your life."

After a long, thought provoking silence she quietly uttered, "You should have let me die. After everything that's been done to me, death would have been a welcome respite."

His smile faded. "You don't mean that?"

"Yes I do!" Suddenly, the young Queen felt a jarring pain seize her body. "What was that?!" she cried out in a rather icy tone

Hans ever so slightly winced at her sudden cry. "What was what? Are you alright?"

Her face paled. "It felt like...no it couldn't be!"

A brief spell of anxiety overcame the former Prince and he found himself gripping the blonde's arm. "Elsa?" he whispered urgently.

Almost instantly, Elsa felt the urge to vomit, her stomach convulsed painfully and tears sprung to her eyes. "Something's wrong?"

Hans' mind was racing now. "What do you mean?"

The Queen looked at him, forcing herself to speak the words. "The baby... I felt it move...and kick."

Hans stared back at her, shocked. "Kicked? Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." Although far from experienced with a woman's body during pregnancy, she had read countless books in the library on the subject. It was highly unusual for a first time mother such as herself to feel movement until at least the fourth or even fifth month of pregnancy.

"May I take a look?" he then asked, continuing to speak in a caring voice.

Elsa hesitated briefly, before finally nodding. As he eased the blanket down, her eyebrows drew closer together and her breathing hitched as her midsection was uncovered. The Queen then gasped as she stared at her stomach, noticing immediately how it had increased in size.

Hans looked equally surprised. "Well I sure as hell wasn't expecting that."

There was a poignant pause as the blonde tried desperately to collect her thoughts. "What does this mean? What's happening?"

He had no words to explain, except he had a nagging feeling that his brother might have an idea what was going on. After meeting her troubled gaze, Hans rose from his chair. "I need to go and speak with Halberd. But don't worry, I'll be right back."


What the hell have you done now, Halberd?! As he stormed through every passageway of the fortress, Hans' blood was boiling. He was starting to distrust his brother more and more, and even chastised himself for ever agreeing to his help in the first place.

"HALBERD! HALBERD WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, BROTHER?!"

As if out of nowhere, the elder Westergard appeared, sporting a rather haggard expression along with dark circles underneath his eyes. "There's no need to shout, Hans. I'm right here. Now what seems to be the problem?"

Hans spared little time pondering over his brother enigmatic appearance. Instead his eyes flashed maliciously. "Elsa's awake."

A grin appeared on Halberd's face. "Well that certainly is good news. So how is our little crown jewel?"

"Upset, scared... confused," Hans growled, cutting through the thick atmosphere. "Should I go on?"

The older man immediately feigned concern. "Oh the poor dear. I'd better go and check on her right away."

Hans took a deep, shuddering breath as he stepped in front of his brother, using the full weight of his body to prevent him from making any sort of movement. "You're not going anywhere until you explain to me how it's possible that Elsa just felt the baby kick."

Halberd attempted to hide his surprise at this newly unveiled information. "The baby kicked? Well that is..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Hans cut him off. "Is what?!"

"Unexpected of course. However, I'm not the least bit alarmed. It obviously has something to do with her powers. Or perhaps in her emotionally and fragile state of mind she simply imagined it."

"Look, brother! I maybe naive, but I'm not stupid. You did something, didn't you?" Hans said, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"So what if I did?" Halberd replied coldly.

Hans was suddenly nervous, nauseated and furious, but somehow not surprised. "That's why you've been locked away in the basement. I know the kind of things you've been hiding down there. I've seen it with my own eyes," he admitted.

"Perhaps then it would be wise for you to stop this line of questioning," Halberd rumbled dangerously. "The less you know the better."

"You're dabbling in some kind of black magic. And now Elsa's pregnancy seems to be progressing faster then normal."

A loud congratulatory clap resounded through the hallway. "Would you give the boy a gold star! However you do know that your knowledge of this will have no bearing on what is to come," Halberd quickly reminded his sibling. "What's done is done."

Hans looked up with a blank expression. "So how long now before the baby comes?"

There was a slight pause as Halberd attempted to provide an answer. "Well seeing as the Queen has already experienced movement within five days of me administering the potion, then I'm estimating two...maybe three months."

"Two or three months?! And once the baby is here, what happens to Elsa?"

Halberd's loud chuckle made Hans jump. "I think you know what has to happen. I simply cannot allow the Queen to live. She is far too powerful and would only stand in our way.

"So after all of this, you're just going to kill her?"

"What further use could she possibly provide?" Halberd reasoned. "I mean it's not like any Prince or nobleman would ever want to touch that used up little whore. She'd have to abdicate her throne or watch herself being cast out. Now I understand why you'd want to keep her around. After all you're quite used to fucking dirty harlots, aren't you? Unfortunately for you though, the only way you'll be getting anywhere with her is by fucking her dead corpse."

Hans' anger turned into pure fury. He had never felt such rage before. It was white hot like the heart of the very sun. Without warning, he took his brother by the throat and slammed him roughly against the hard, stone wall. "You're a vile excuse for a human being," he roared, his hand squeezing around his neck tighter and tighter. "I despise you. I despise everything you've done and everything you're going to do. I only pretended to be cordial with you because I needed your help. But you see, I don't need you anymore. I'm going to do the right thing, whatever the consequences."

The older man's eyes narrowed as he struggled for breath. "And what exactly is the right thing?"

"Taking Elsa back to Arendelle."

"You stupid fool!" Halberd spat, viciously. "You'll be executed as soon as you set foot in that Kingdom. I highly doubt you'd be shown clemency this time. Or do you think that by playing hero to the Queen that you'll somehow escape the hangman's noose?"

Even with the prospect of facing such a death, Hans wouldn't be deterred. He had made his decision. "I don't care what happens to me, as long is Elsa is safe from you!"

Halberd was seething as he struggled against his brother's strong, vice-like grip. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let you take the Queen out of here whilst she's carrying my child. You'll have to kill me first."

For the briefest of moments, Hans loosened his grip on his brother. "I'm not going to kill you, Halberd."

Taking advantage of Hans' break in concentration, Halberd brought his knee up until it connected with his brother's groin. The impact sent Hans sprawling to the ground with a guttural shriek.

"I'm not going to let you ruin my plans!" Halberd warned, delivering a harsh kick to his brother's abdomen, knocking the wind straight out of him. With Hans temporarily incapacitated, the older Westergard whipped out his trusty dagger - the same dagger he had used once before. Only this time he wasn't aiming to maim, but to kill.

It took Hans only a split second to realize that the deadly and sharp blade of a knife was being aimed towards his heart. "Cheater!" he retorted, instinctively raising his hand ready to intercept the weapon. Fortunately, due to his lightning fast reflexes he was able to prevent the fatal blow, but in doing so he received a pain slash to the hand.

Halberd licked his lips, enjoying the sight of his brother's blood dripping down his hand along with his obvious grunts of pain. Although he felt a small sense of satisfaction, a cut to the hand was not nearly enough to quench his blood lust. He wanted Hans to suffer for daring to oppose him. So in one swift motion, he positioned the knife once again, swinging it downwards, ready to plunge it into his brother's heart.

The knife was again only mere inches from piercing his precious organ, when Hans managed to roll out of the way. Whilst Halberd was busy stabbing thin air, his younger brother pulled back his good arm and swiftly struck his older sibling's head with his fist.

Halberd took a sharp intake of breath as the knife slipped from his hand and clattered to the stone ground, whilst his head collided with the wall. Spots filled his eyesight and he barely registered Hans now standing over him, knife in hand. "You and I both know you're not going to kill me," the evil Prince quipped. "You just haven't got it in you."

A hateful sneer twisted Hans' lips as his arm drew back, ready to finish what Halberd had started. "It appears you underestimate me, brother. You see there is nothing I'm going to enjoy more then to see this blade jutting out of your flesh." And with those words spoken, Hans breathlessly thrust the knife down. A torturous scream immediately filled the air followed by an encompassing silence.

Letting out a whimper of pain, Hans then wrapped his bloody hand in a piece of his tattered clothing and took off down the hall back to Elsa's room. As he staggered inside, the Queen was still awake, her piercing blue eyes staring at his blood soaked makeshift bandage.

"What happened?" she asked with a hint of concern.

Shakily reaching down, he ran his fingers from her chin to her ear and whispered, "It doesn't matter. What matters now is that you're safe and I'm getting you out of here."

There was a small amount of panic evident in her voice. "Wait, what? Where are you taking me?"

"Where do you think? Home...back to Arendelle..back to Anna."


A/N Well this is where things will start to get a little darker, but it is also where Elsa and Hans' relationship will start to grow. I can't say whether Halberd is really dead or not, I'm going to keep you guessing until the next chapter.