A/N: A new chapter!

Pitch sat by the couch, as his son lied there. He watched him and saw how peaceful he looked, despite that he was in the tower. Gothel put a hand to his shoulder and he sighed.

"Why is she so determined to find him?" Pitch asked Gothel, without looking at her.

She shrugged. "Love, I suppose. They did look well being together. He was happy. She was happy."

He scoffed. "How lovely. But, she remembers our agreement, so she won't be an issue. I think I'll pay her another visit later. I'll get rid of her for good."

"Well, as long as you're not late for supper." Gothel smiled.

"Of course, dear. I'll take him to his room now. I'll return in a moment." he said, using his shadows to lift Hans off the couch.

They entered the room and closed the door. Gothel smiled and blew her husband a kiss.

###

Rapunzel had sent her cousin a letter since the incident last night, and awaited a reply. Eugene didn't have any luck locating the stranger, but he assured his wife that he would be found.

"I can't stop reading this journal." she said.

"Looks more like you can't stop staring at it." he said, smiling.

"Well, that too. I'm really worried about all this, you know? I feel like something really bad is going on under our noses." she confessed.

He took her hand. "Hey, listen to me. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. You know that."

"I know. I just can't stop thinking about it. I need to find that prince."

###

The young prince woke up with heavy eyes. He had a massive headache and had to blink his eyes to clear his vision. It didn't help much, since the room was dark. It must've been pretty late. Then, he realized that he was right back where he was before he left.

His hands were shackled once again and he was sitting against his bed. Now, he had a large strip of black tape over his mouth.

The door to his room opened, making him shift where he was sitting. Pitch kneeled down beside him, with a candle in hand. He reached out and removed the tape.

"Glad to have you back. We missed you." he said, stroking his son's face.

The prince was silent.

"So, where is it?"

"Where's what?" the prince mumbled.

"The journal. The one that was in your mother's room. You know which one I'm talking about!" he growled.

"It sounds pretty important. Did you need it?"

"Your mother did. I know what you were doing, and you cannot deny it. You were trying to get help and contact someone that broke your heart."

"No. I was going to do what was right. I belong at her mercy for what I had done. No more than that."

Pitch smirked. "I'm sure you were. But, now's not the time to discuss the matter. I just wanted to come in and make sure you comfortable."

The pale man placed the strip back over his son's mouth and stood up. Hans sat helplessly on the floor and received a strike in the face.

"Get that girl out your mind. She'll forget you in a moment. But, I'll allow you to see her for her last memories of you."

With a wave of his hand, an image out of black dust appeared and the queen was shown in her room. She was now on her bed, in tears. Hans wondered what she was crying about.

Is she crying for me…? No, she can't be...she doesn't love me.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Hans!" she sobbed into her blanket.

Sorry? What's she apologizing for?

He looked up at his father for a response.

"Oh, you don't know, do you? Well, it'll come into light very soon. So, sit tight." he chuckled.

Then, all the shadows gathered and Pitch was gone.

The shadow man appeared before Elsa in her room, as she cried. She looked at him and shot ice from her hands towards him. He dodged them and tisked at her.

"Not a very proper welcome from a queen. And, you'd do well to respect me, unless you want anything to happen to your prince." he threatened.

"You're a monster. How can you do this to him? If you wanted him to be a king so badly, why didn't you let us be together?" she asked, wiping her tears.

Hans made a face at that comment. What was she talking about? He felt a sudden sense of confusion at what was going on.

"I didn't let you be together because you saw something in him that I never wanted him to see. You helped him see that he had something that I once had complete power over."

"What was that?"

"Control. You helped teach him that he could have control over his powers. I sought to make him fear them and have no control over them."

Control...he had power over me? So, I had the ability to control my powers all along. Elsa was right about me...and she wanted to...be with me?

"You underestimated him, and it's costing you so much. Just let him go already. He won't do anything for you anymore." the queen said.

"Don't think I haven't thought of that! You're right about it. I will let him go and I realize that he's of no use to me anymore."

She winced. "You do?"

The pale man snapped his fingers and Hans appeared before them. Only it wasn't the real Hans.

The queen gasped.

The twin had a look of terror on his face, as Pitch took out a dagger from his sleeve. Hans gasped, as he realized what the shadow man was up to.

"No, please, don't! I've kept my end of the deal." Elsa said, with watery eyes.

"You have and I am indebted to you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You told me to let him go and that's what I'm doing. He's of no further use to me."

"No, that's not what-!"

A choking sound silenced her. The twin fell to the ground dead, with a slice at his throat. Elsa let out a loud shriek and fell beside the dead twin. Hans muffly screamed Elsa's name and watched her weep over his twin.

Pitch disappeared with his shadows and left the queen alone. Hans watched silently as she cried out his name. Although she wept, he heard nothing but the sound of his heartbeat. Anna burst into the room and put a hand to her mouth at the sight she saw. She appeared to be screaming someone's name, but it was inaudible.

The vision faded and the young prince was alone again.

###

The queen held onto the dead body of her prince and wept bitterly. Anna came into the room after she heard a scream and gasped at the sight before her. Her sister was crying over the dead body of their prisoner.

"Elsa? What's going on? Kristoff! KRISTOFF!" she cried.

The mountain man came running into the room and was shocked to see the queen crying beside a dead body. He squinted at the body and looked at Anna.

"Anna?...Is that…?" he asked, shocked.

She nodded. "Elsa, what in the world is going on? What's wrong?"

Elsa stood over the body and then looked at her sister. She wiped her tears and sniffed.

"He's dead." she mumbled.

"Well, I know that. But, what happened?" Anna asked.

"He was killed..." she sobbed.

Kristoff walked over to her and helped her to sit in a chair. Anna took her hand and got on her knees beside her.

"Elsa, tell us everything." Kristoff said.

###

"Any luck yet?"

Eugene gave a shrug. "We may have found something, but we're not one hundred percent sure."

Rapunzel sighed and gestured for him to tell her.

"Okay, well, some of the guards were out in the forest when they heard a faded scream." he said.

"A scream? Where'd it come from?" she asked, persistently.

"The men said that they can't be sure, but they were close to where the tower is when it happened. But, it's just a theory, you know? They can't be sure if it was a scream or not. But, I'm sending them back tonight, and I'm going with them." he replied.

"Why didn't they check the tower then?"

"I guess they got a little spooked since there's still some gypsies running around over there."

She scoffed. "Then, you better go with them, and I'm coming too."

"Fine, we leave in an a few hours."

She blinked. "Wait, you're letting me come?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not? You wanted me to not let you?"

"No, no, it's just that I thought you'd be more protective of me." she said, frowning.

"I know you'll be in good hands." he smirked.

She raised an eyebrow at him and giggled. He hugged her and assured her that they would figure everything out very soon.

"By the way, have you heard from Anna or Elsa?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope. Maybe I should write her again."

"Oh! I've learned more about his guy. Apparently, he tried to kill them."

She blinked. "WHAT?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill your cousins for the throne, but failed. He was thrown into their prison, but obviously he's not there anymore. He must've escaped somehow."

"But, that still doesn't explain why he wanted to see me."

"Maybe he's trying to get back at them through you."

She shook her head. "I don't think so. How would giving me my journal help him claim a throne?"

Eugene shrugged. "You never know, but I'll keep you updated."

"Thank you. We head out to the tower tonight."

###

"So...you like him?"

The queen nodded. "I liked him."

"So, the shadow man just killed him like nothing?" Kristoff asked.

"Yes. He broke his promise….he said he wouldn't…" Elsa said, breaking into a sob.

Anna smiled. "Don't worry, we won't let him get away with this. We're going to-"

"No, Anna. I don't want to deal with him anymore. I think that's what he wants, anyway. It's what I want. To forget everything." Elsa said.

"But, you said that-"

"No." Elsa said, sternly.

###

The group of guards followed the prince and princess as they walked through the forest. It was dark but the moon shined bright enough for them, so they didn't need torches.

"Are you sure it's this way, Eugene?" Rapunzel asked.

"Sure, I'm sure. Now, come on, we better hurry. We don't want to meet up with any gypsies or other weirdos." he said.

They hurried and reached a small cave. They went through and stopped when they had discovered the tower. Eugene looked out and remembered how many times he had been there.

"Brings back old memories, huh?" he asked.

Rapunzel shuddered. "I'd rather not remember, honestly. Come on, we better move."

Eugene nodded and walked ahead of all the men. They arrived at the tower and looked up. The sky was dark and there was silence in the air.

"Well, how do we get inside, Your Majesties?" one guard asked.

"I remember there was a secret passageway behind the tower. Let's see if it's still there." Rapunzel replied.

The men followed her and, sure enough, they found it. The door was locked, however. Eugene sighed and gave it a hard kick. The door slammed open and he walked in.

"Brilliant idea, Eugene. Now, we're definitely going to get caught." Rapunzel whispered to him.

"Don't worry about a thing. We've got this under control. If anyone had heard us, they'd be here by now." he said.

They walked up the large flight of stairs and entered the tower. The men were told to stand guard, while the two royals entered alone. Eugene had a sword with him and he stepped out first. The tower had a single candle lit on a table, and it was quiet.

"So, where to?" Eugene asked, quietly.

"We should check all the rooms, first. I'll check this one and you check upstairs."

Eugene nodded and told her to be careful. The brunette entered a room and noticed how dark it was. She looked around quickly and shrugged. It was an empty bedroom. As she stepped out to leave, she heard a sound. Someone was inside.

She closed the door quietly and was now in darkness, but she wasn't afraid. The sound she heard was someone breathing deeply. It was too dark, so she left the door open a crack.

Quietly, she made her way around the bed and slightly gasped. There was a young man sitting beside the bed with his hands shackled behind him. On his mouth, was a strip of tape.

He was asleep and looked very uncomfortable. Rapunzel bent down and gently shook him. The young man had fiery red hair and a pale face. He opened his eyes tiredly and he gasped. She shushed him gently and removed the tape.

"It's okay, you're safe now. I'm here to help you." she whispered.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She smiled. "Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

He gasped. "Princess? Then, it's you. You're the girl who lived here and had the journal."

"You know me? Then, you're the one who tried to give it to me. What was your name again?" she asked.

"Prince Hans. But, how did you find me?" he asked.

"You left the journal in the castle and the guard remembered your name. I came here to find clues as to why you brought me the journal." she replied.

Hans let out a sigh of relief and couldn't believe what was happening. Rapunzel's green eyes stared at him as he had so many questions to ask.

"Look, you can't be here. My parents will return soon and you-"

"Parents? Your parents know you're like this?" she asked, motioning to the shackles.

"It's complicated, but they'll be back soon. I can't let them see you here or you'll be in grave danger."

"Okay, but I'm not leaving without you. You can't stay here." she said.

"Wait. You can't take me with you." Hans said.

"Why? You have to or you'll die. Your face is pale and you obviously haven't eaten in a while."

Hans hated to admit it, but he was starving. There was no changing the girl's mind, so he agreed.

"Alright, I'll come. Do me a favor and take my gloves off, please." he said.

Rapunzel blinked. "Huh?"

"Take my gloves off. Trust me." he said.

She sighed and reached behind him to take the gloves off. They slipped off and he grabbed his shackles. They snapped as he burned them off, leaving Rapunzel in complete shock.

"H-How did-"

"We don't have time . Come on." Hans said, taking his gloves back from her.

He dragged her out of the room, and met Eugene.

"You found him?" Eugene asked Rapunzel.

She nodded. "He's in danger. We have to go."

Eugene led the way to the back exit and they made their escape. Once they met with their men, they all headed for the forest. Hans glanced back at the tower and cursed it.

The group made it into the forest and made the journey back to Corona. Hans let go of Rapunzel's hand and sighed with relief. He was free again, but he didn't know for how long. Once they were a little distance away, Rapunzel remembered something.

"You tried to kill them, didn't you?" she asked, glancing at Hans.

He looked down. "...I'd rather not talk about it. It's a very complicated situation."

"Well, we're listening." Eugene said.

"How did you get into that tower?" Rapunzel asked.

Hans sighed. "I tried to kill Anna and Elsa in Arendelle. I failed, not knowing that there was a dark power inside of me. I tried to fight it back, but it took over and I nearly killed them. In prison, a man visited me, claiming to be my father. He took me to meet my mother and we lived in the tower."

"Who were these people?" Eugene asked.

"Pitch Black is my father and Mother Gothel is my mother." Hans replied.

Rapunzel froze. "She's your...mother? That can't be true."

"Why?" Hans asked.

"She told me that once, but it was all a lie." Rapunzel replied, looking at the ground.

"She did? That's...but how did you end up there?" Hans asked.

"I was the princess of Corona, but she kidnapped me when I was a baby. She raised me as her own and never told me of my past. I grew up in that tower, and wasn't allowed to leave it. Until, one day Eugene came and we had this crazy adventure together." Rapunzel replied.

"Why did she steal you? She obviously wasn't interested in you being a princess." Hans asked.

"For my magical hair. My hair was much longer before and it had the ability to heal people. Gothel used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years. My mother grew ill and my father used the flower to heal her, while she was pregnant with me. The magic was given to me when I was born and it went into my hair." she replied.

"That's...amazing! I see that you cut it."

She nodded. "Eugene cut it after Gothel stabbed him. He chose to set me free, instead of getting himself healed and losing me forever."

"It sounds corny, but at the time it wasn't." Eugene said, smiling.

"No, no, not at all. It sounds...amazing." Hans said.

"So, why did you come to find me?" Rapunzel asked Hans.

"Oh, well, I was going to escape the tower a few days before but I remembered that my mother never let me into her room upstairs-"

"Upstairs? That's my room! Well, it was." Rapunzel said.

"Well, I went inside and found your journal. I read it and realized that you knew my mother. You called her your own mother and I thought you were my sister or something. Elsa had told me a little bit about you when we were together, but I-"

"Wait! Elsa knew you were here?" Rapunzel asked.

He nodded.

"Well, we have to get you to Arendelle! You guys were...together?" Rapunzel asked.

"Uhh, blondie, I think that's a little personal to ask." Eugene said.

"No, it's okay. Yes, we were together for a while. But things got-"

"Complicated?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes. We broke each other's hearts. But, it was my own fault. I never should've gotten her involved in all of this." Hans confessed, rubbing his face.

Rapunzel put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. He appeared to have no one left in his life and they both suffered a lot from Gothel. He was definitely Gothel's son. He had her bright green eyes and smooth skin.

"Everything will be fine. You'll see. You can be my big brother now." she said, smiling.

Eugene blinked. "Wait, what? You just met him."

"I...I can?" Hans asked.

"Well, sure! I don't have other siblings, anyway. Plus, we have a lot in common, after all. And, you seem to be more than what people tell you."

Eugene expected Hans to shoo Rapunzel away like she was a small child, but he didn't. He let out a happy gasp and hugged her tightly. Rapunzel's eyes grew wide, but she hugged him back and smiled. She wasn't sure, but he sounded like he was crying a bit.

"I never thought...I'd be anyone's older brother." he said.

"You are now. And, you're safe." Rapunzel said.

Hans pulled out of the hug and thanked them.

"Now, come on. We have to get you back to Elsa." Eugene said, with a smirk.

Hans gasped. "Elsa...she thinks I'm dead! We have to hurry!"

"She does?" Rapunzel asked.

"I'll explain on the way, but we have to hurry." Hans said.

###

A/N: Oooohhhh, hurry back to Elsa! I haven't updated in FOREVER! Sorry, guys, but thanks for reading!