Heyyyy !

So here it is, the final chapter.

Hope you enjoy !

There are always people who feel sad, depressed in spite of themselves, even during festive days. Birthdays, weddings, random parties... People who feel like the whole world is against them, chasing happiness away.

Souls that belong somewhere else without even knowing exactly where. Lost souls that cannot be reunited.

Colorful clothes hiding beaten flesh, forced smiles plastered on once genuinely joyful faces, tearful eyes hidden behind a veil, and gone unnoticed in the middle of such excitement from people that do not know what they're talking about.

Lonely souls, torn apart from the ones they cherish, care for, feel like having to protect even if that means putting their own lives in jeopardy, against all odds. Putting somebody other's needs before theirs at all costs. People that don't really understand how others can be happy while they seem to carry the world on their shoulders, a burden they cannot get rid of. While they are filled with regrets at hardly 25.

(And another life's going straight to waste.)

"Elsa ?"

"You shouldn't be here." she says without bothering to look at him, her voice barely a whisper. "Your ship is departing in less than a hour."

"I know." he pauses, sucking in a deep shaky breath. "I simply wanted to bid you farewell, Your Grace." he explains trying his best to steady his voice as he bows deeply in front of her.

He doesn't care whether she sees him or not.

"And I also had to thank you—"

"What for ? she snaps, spinning around and meeting his eyes. "For sending you straight to your demise ?"

So, she knew about it.

"No." he swallows the lump in his throat.

Her bright blue eyes are welling up with tears he is well aware she does not want to display, but that are here anyway.

"Then, what for ?"

"For allowing me a glimpse of hope before I fall back into the darkness.

Her eyes widden.

He does not want his voice to show any hint of sarcasm because there isn't any.

(A life without her isn't worth living, anyway.)

A sad smile crosses his lips as he recalls their last encounter.

Why this sudden change of behavior ? How has he grown so close to her without being allowed anywhere near her most of the time ?

She is the only one who has ever allowed him to hope for something better than anything his life had always been made of. The only one who doesn't back away anymore when they meet, albeit it has been a matter of seconds for the Gods to decide if she was going to live or die.

Live or die.

He can now call himself the happiest man on earth for having the time to bid her goodbye, since he'll most likely never see the light of day ever again. His brothers don't want to make any fuss of it all. He had always been a disgrace to his family, well, that's all he had been told for his whole childhood, so he would leave this world exactly as he had arrived in it : as a nobody.

But she is the one who will be carrying the burden of his death on her shoulders added to her own, one she's been carrying for years. And that very thought is so excruciating.

He stares at the dark starry sky from the barred window of his cell. The sounds of the party taing place in Arendelle to celebrate the newly wed couple are nothing more than a blur as the ship sail further and furthar away from the realm.

It is nothing more than a mere matter of hours now.

(And his soul will be wandering around here till the end of times.)

What about her ? The frail woman that is now married to a man she cannot even stand and who surely is fighting against him to prevent him from doing it tonight and save the little dignity she has left. Because she's not ready yet.

Nor will she ever be. she has said.

They forced their Queen, a very powerful Queen, into an arranged marriage, the aftermaths will be disastrous. They don't know what they've gotten themselves into.

Her soul will be wandering around here, too.

Her wedding has been a very awaited event which has gathered thousands of dignitaries and peasants from the kingdom and other countries. A day awaking happiness in their souls, but not in the two of them's.

They will dread this day for the rest of their lives.

He won't ever forget the look deep into her eyes, minutes before walking down the aisle. It clearly reflected the fear of a lifetime wasted because of one stupid decision from the Council, and one from her to-be-husband. One that absolutely doesn't want him around, which is completely understandable. The truth is that their lives were bound to be wasted before they were even born. It was written already. Wasted, like so many others. Their souls lost in between painful memories and dark thoughts.

They could have shared so much more than each other's company. If the lords had allowed it, they could even have been friends. People just there to listen to each other like they had already done.

Farewell, Your Majesty.

"We will meet again, Hans."

He can feel her gaze melting under his. Her expression softens.

"In the afterlife, maybe, but I am sure we will."

"Why ? How can you be so sure of that ?" he inquires, inching even closer.

She smiles. It's not more than a shy smile that quickly disappears.

"If the Gods have put you in my way again, I don't think they did it to play with our souls. We were never supposed to meet again, yet we did."

"And here we are." he snaps, not even looking at her.

The expression on her features is too hard to bear.

"You know, this was going to happen, with or without you being sent back here. They want their King, so they don't even let us enough time to meet someone."

Her eyes are grey. Like the clouds in the sky, like the thoughts in their brain, like the feelings in their hearts. To each one this day somehow means the end of their lives.

Arendelle.

This place he has started loving even more than himself, even more the kingdom where he was born. Now it is nothing but a light in the background. A light he cannot see anymore. It is being swallowed up by the darkness of the night without moon. Stars. Stars are all his pupils can distinguish. And the last thing he'll see.

Their lost souls will wander around this dreaded place as long as they aren't reunited.

Yet they will find one another again one day, as long as it may take.

(Because what goes better together than cold and dark ?)

Author's Note :

Okay,

First, I want to say, I know I'm not good at endings, but stay stuned, now it is official, there will be a oneshot about what happens next, a few years or so later.

Hope you'll wait for it :)

Thanks to all those who read, even those who started but didn't continue, and those who will read the upcoming oneshot.

Please, share your thoughts about this story so far, I love to hear of you, and I hope to meet you again for others stories.

LOVE YOU ALL !

LauraOf Arendelle