Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen.

A/N: Thanks to catsmelt who proof read this. All mistakes are still mine, I suppose.

Thank you to everyone was has been reading, reviewing, following, favoriting and waiting for this story to update in my absence. I know it has been a month, so without further ado I present you this chapter.

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As soon as Kristoff swung open the door, Anna caught sight of platinum blonde hair.

"Elsa—"

"—Anna!"

The strawberry blonde took a few steps forwards before realizing that it wasn't Elsa who called out to her. Turning her head slightly, she stared in shock at the figure standing before her.

"F-Father?"

It was Kristoff who voiced for them both, and Anna could hear that he was just as stunned as her. She looked past her father and tried to meet Elsa's gaze, but the latter did not seem surprised by their arrival and only gazed down at her cuffed hands, making no move to acknowledge them.

Kasper ignored Kristoff and strode towards Anna with open arms. Rooted on spot she tried to piece everything together as thoughts raced through her mind. She didn't move when her father approached her with relief in his eyes. She didn't move when he wrapped his arms around her. Her thoughts were still a mess when she heard his distant voice thanking the gods that she was safe and sound, and muttering apologizes for leaving her here in this god forbidden land with the wretched witch.

Upon hearing her father insult Elsa, Anna snapped. Why couldn't anyone try to understand Elsa before making assumptions? She instantly drew up her arms to her chest and shoved Kasper away, watching as he stumbled backwards with a shocked expression.

"Why?" asked Anna, her emotions mixed with confusion and anger. "Why are you here?"

The atmosphere turned dire when Kasper looked over his shoulder and cast his gaze down on Elsa, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "I followed you shortly after you left because I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you with this," He flung out his left arm and jabbed a finger towards Elsa. "this abomination!"

Kasper's face flushed with anger. "I know what she did to you! She hurt you, again! I can't—" He paused abruptly, his hands tightening into a fist and his body trembling. The King took a deep breath before he resumed speaking, his voice suddenly rasp and cracking. "I can't bear to lose you! I almost lost you once and I'm not going to let it happen again—Anna?"

The princess had stopped listening halfway through when she realized what crime her father had committed. She wrapped her arms around herself, desperately wanting to hold onto something. Her lips quivered and tears threatened to spill as she could no longer ignore the truth that was blatantly displayed in front of her.

"You…you helped Hans..."

There was no other explanation, there simply wasn't. At the moment she didn't know what to think, because her father was in the dungeon where the Queen of Arendelle was chained, but he offered her no assistance and was calling her names—was there really a good explanation to that?

She let out a choked sob when the look on his face confirmed everything. The man whom she called father had sacrificed their kingdom's reputation because of his own needs. He put the two kingdom's relationship to risk because he couldn't stand his own daughter being in the hands of the infamous queen.

What happened to being royalty before being you? What happened to putting the people's needs before your own?

A single tear slid down her cheek as she mustered all her effort to utter out a single word.

"Why?"

"It's…" Kasper stared at the ground for a moment. He slowly ran a hand through his hair, pushing back locks of blonde as he heaved a sigh. "…because I can get you back, Anna. I want you home, where you belong." He let his hand drop to his side and his bangs fell back, slightly covering his eyes as he lifted his head to meet Anna's gaze. "When I received that letter of reply from Arendelle, I did not want to let you go. She hurt you in the past, and though she had displayed her power to all the kingdoms and proved that she could control it, I knew there was a chance that things could go wrong."

The man let out a dry laugh before he resumed talking. "Few hours later, I received a letter from the Southern Isles saying that they wanted to form an alliance between our kingdoms by the means of marriage between you and their thirteenth prince, Prince Hans." Anna's eyes went wide at the mention of Hans. He knew yet he…? "I replied and told them that I would be glad to offer your hand to him, but I had a little problem with the Snow Queen…luckily they despised her too, so together we hatched a plan. Alone I wouldn't stand a chance, but two is always better than one. Arendelle will fall, even if they had their witch protecting them." He spat out the word with distaste while glaring at Elsa's direction.

"A day after you set sail to Arendelle I followed, bringing a few of my best men. By that time the Southern Isles had already rallied their troops and they managed to reach Arendelle the same day you did, along with Prince Hans." He paused when Anna's mouth hung open in surprise. That meant the Southern Isles ships were frozen in the fjord, but did that matter? Their men were already here, prepared for war while the soldiers of Arendelle weren't.

"Don't be so shocked, my dear. It's time that someone put an end to the witch's reign." Kasper quickly spoke again before Anna could voice her thoughts. "Fear not, after everything is over we'll be on our way back to Romsdal. I only want you home, Anna, which is all I wished for since you've left."

You say you want me home…but after this you will offer me to the Southern Isles as their reward?

"Please come back, Anna, to where she can't hurt you anymore." There was desperation in his voice as his face consorted into pain, the pain of losing a loved one. Anna observed her father intently, suddenly realizing that he looked so weary and worn out. Since when did he have gray hair? He looks so pale…has he been doing well?

Anna stopped her thoughts when she gazed at her father. Suddenly she saw it again in his eyes, the love that wasn't meant for her. She felt like now was the time to get an answer from him, about a certain question that she always pondered on since a few years back.

"Are you sure it's me that you want…and not the illusion of Mother?"

As she grew up, she realized from the portraits that she very much resembled her late mother who passed when she was a baby. Anna did not question the love her father had for her mother, but as she underwent puberty and blossomed into a beautiful young woman, she couldn't help but noticed in Kasper's eyes the love and adoration that was clearly meant for his queen. She came to the conclusion that her father was seeing the image of her mother on her, instead of seeing her for who she was.

He blinded himself with the illusion and wanted to be given a chance, a chance to rescue the one he failed to save years ago. She had heard that someone attempted to assassinate her parents when she was a baby, but they only managed to kill the queen and escaped before the royal guards could capture them.

If he thought he could, in some way, redeem himself by saving Anna, then he was wrong.

Kasper's brown orbs widen a fraction at the question. He blinked for a few seconds as if the thought never occurred to him, and then chuckled. "What are you saying, Anna?"

She saw denial in the fake smile plastered on his face. Denial, denial, denial...it seemed like everyone was doing that. Kristoff denied the fact that she could be happy in Arendelle, Elsa denied herself true happiness, and Kasper was denying the reality that he was seeing his queen in her.

Anna, on the other hand, would not deny herself of what she wanted.

The strawberry blonde didn't answer Kasper. Instead, she strode past him and walked towards queen closed her eyes and turned her head away from the princess, lips thin and body tense. When Anna came to a stop in front of her, she knelt down on one knee and reached out a hand to gently cup Elsa's cheek.

She could feel Elsa clench her jaws together as she slowly stroked over the light dusting of freckles on her cheek with the pad of her thumb. Anna waited patiently for Elsa to turn and look at her, and when she did she smiled warmly at her. She gazed strongly into those crystalline blue eyes that held uncertainty.

"Elsa," Anna said in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear. "I won't leave you and I won't let you go…this time, I've got you."

Without waiting for a response she turned her head to look at Kasper, whose face became paler than before at the exchange in front of him. "Father," she started, surprised at the sudden confidence in her voice. "I don't care if it's Mother or I that you see standing before you…whatever happened in the past stays in the past and there's nothing that we can do to change it, but," Anna inhaled deeply before continuing. "I am sure that it isn't too late for you to turn back," she noticed that Kasper's expression was slowly replaced by anger with each passing moment. "we can still make amends, you can still right your wrongs!"

A split second later, a hysteric laughter filled the cold dungeon. Anna stared at her father, no, the man in front of her who seemed so desperate and broken. The laugh sounded so hollow and empty, the kind that chilled and seeped into people's bones, the kind that were fit to haunt people's dreams.

Abruptly the laughter ended and Kasper sprang into action. In an instant he had his sword unsheathed and lunged towards Elsa, ready to cut her down.

"No!" Kristoff and Anna shouted at the same time; but as soon as the word left their lips, their father cried out in pain and let go of his sword, creating a harsh clang that echoed as it hit the dungeon floor.

Before anyone could register what happened, half a dozen soldiers came rushing in. One of them grabbed Kristoff and shoved him against the wall while the other pulled Anna towards the door. Another soldier pointed his sword towards Elsa's neck, and the rest surrounded Kasper.

"Oh my," A voice spoke with mock surprise. "King Kasper, are you out of your mind? You attempted to murder the Queen of Arendelle?"

The sound of boots hitting the floor slowly came closer, each step planted firm and heavy, echoing though the dungeon. "As a trade partner of Arendelle, it is only fitting that I stop you…don't you agree?" The figure strolled leisurely into the room, flashing his pearly whites at Kasper.

"Hans! You—" Kasper couldn't finish his sentence because he was now coughing blood. "It seems I need to work hard on my aim," Hans said as he did a throwing motion. "Oh, but I was in such a hurry to save the Queen! I panicked, so I couldn't aim well." His eyes traveled to the dagger that sunk in Kasper's shoulder. "Good thing I applied poison to the dagger, otherwise you would still be able to fight back."

Hans turned his attention to Kristoff, who was struggling against the solider who subdued him. "Prince Kristoff!" He addressed with a smile, though his voice was laced in mock disappointment. "It saddens me to see you like this! I thought you were better than your father, yet here you are, helping him with his attempt to murder the Queen."

Kristoff eye's flashed with anger, his voice of protest muffled by the solider who had gagged him with a cloth. "What did you say?" Hans walked closer and cupped a hand to his ears. He then stepped back and gasped with mock horror. "You're telling the soldier beside Queen Elsa to kill her while he still has a chance?"

Anna tried to resist the tight grip the soldier hand on her, but to no avail. She glanced towards the solider standing beside Elsa, and was shocked that he donned the colors of Romsdal—and was the only one wearing it. With no doubt he is from the Southern Isles!

Hans spoke to the solider. "You still have a chance to prevent your mistake. Put down the sword and the Southern Isles will do you no harm." The solider threw down his sword and bowed towards Hans. The Prince gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and then motioned another soldier to come forth. The soldier presented a sword in its sheath, and Hans grabbed onto the hilt, slowly pulling it out. As the blade was inching its way out of its sheath, the prince smirked as his eyes traveled from the guard of the sword to the tip of the blade.

Kristoff struggled violently at the sight of the sword and Anna knew why. The sword belonged to Kristoff.

After revealing the sword in its full glory, Hans pointed it towards Elsa. "Oh look! Prince Kristoff has knocked down all the soldiers and decides to strike down the Queen himself!" He made a faint swinging movement, causing the blade to inch closer towards Elsa's pale skin. If he pressed hard enough he would be able to draw blood. "No! He killed the Queen! Ah my heart wrenches with such pain, not being able to save her!"

Hans threw Kristoff's sword to the ground and pulled out his own, swinging it dangerously close to Kristoff's throat. "With anger overcoming my senses, I pull out my sword and kill the Prince, taking revenge for the fallen Queen."

"What about Princess Anna?" He questioned. "Princess Anna was unknowingly sent as a pawn by her father, because he knew that Anna could lower the defenses of the Queen who loved her dearly. Princess Anna found out about her father's plan but was too late, and when she arrived—" Hans paused and made a sweeping motion with his arms, gesturing towards the whole dungeon. "Everyone was dead, save for Prince Hans who stood there, mourning for the Queen."

The Prince chuckled darkly to himself. "Pretty nice story isn't it? This is my farewell gift to all of you. I hope I covered everything…wouldn't want to miss out on the details would we?"

"Bastard!" Anna spat. "Why did you leave me out of this, Hans? Why are you sparing me? So I can marry you and you can gain control over Romsdal too?"

Hans looked at her, his eyes softening. "I told you before, Anna. I love you, and this is my plan to save you."

"I don't believe you, not after everything you've done!" With that said the strawberry blonde turned her head away, suddenly finding the sight of Hans revolting.

The prince seemed a bit distraught at her declaration as he put his sword back in its sheath. "I confess that I didn't plan on marrying you at the beginning…but after I met you, Anna, I was instantly dazzled by your beauty and how similar we are." Hans now stood in front of Anna and took hold of her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. He brought up his other hand and caressed the side of her cheek. "Anna, you know we're meant to be. Remember what you said? You said we were the same because we were both alone for the longest time we could remember, even though we were surrounded by countless of people."

The strawberry blonde shivered when she noticed Hans's voice go low. "I want you, Anna…and no one can stop me from getting you…" Anna's eyes went wide when she realized Hans was closing in, wanting to kiss her. She tried to struggle, but he placed his hand around her waist and held her there firmly. No, no, no! Stop—

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

The sound of chains hitting the floor interrupted Hans and relief flooded through Anna. In that moment, the temperature changed drastically and ice spread across the floor rapidly. The strawberry blonde could practically smell the fear coming off the soldiers, hearing them scream when ice began to encase their feet. She looked down at Hans's feet and realized that ice was consuming him too; however, he calmly pulled out his sword as if he anticipated this, and pressed the blade against Anna's throat, causing her breath to hitch.

"I believe you should stop, Elsa, before someone gets hurt."

With a wave of the queen's hand the ice encasing their feet disappeared, and Hans scoffed as the soldiers scampered quickly out of the dungeon. As soon as he was freed Kristoff ripped out the gag in his mouth and rushed over to Kasper, who had sunk to the floor in excruciating pain. Anna looked with despair at the state her father was in. Life was slowly trickling away from him, and if the antidote wasn't given soon he would die. He's going to die right in front of me and I can't do anything but watch!

"That's better." Hans walked around Anna so he was now behind her, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist as the sharp blade edged close to her pulse point. "See, Anna?" He whispered in her ear as he jerked her body uncomfortably close to his. "Do you see how easily you can influence Elsa? Her every move depends on you, my dear Anna, and that is what makes you more valuable."

"Let her go, Hans." The platinum blonde said through gritted teeth.

Hans only laughed. "God knows what you'd do to me the second I let her go. It's a bit unfair too, isn't it? Three against one…" He spared a glance at Kasper and snorted before continuing. "Two and a half against one, I suppose. Still, you have the upper hand."

Elsa bared her teeth at Hans and growled at him. "I can take you down alone. You know what I'm capable of."

Anna couldn't see Hans's expression, but from his voice she knew he was dead serious. "You make one move, Elsa, and I'll take her with me." He paused and chuckled. "Actually, that is a good idea. If Anna doesn't want to be with me in this life time…perhaps the next would be a more suitable place for us to meet."

"Are you crazy?" blurted Anna. Is he seriously thinking about suicide and bringing me with him? Or is he just going to kill me? Either way, he's gone insane!

"Crazy?" Hans actually took a moment to ponder the question. "Crazy…" He murmured the word over and over again until his lips tugged into a sadistic grin, as if he was satisfied with what he was hearing. "Yes! I love crazy, and for once I should be crazy! I should let loose and do things on my own, not by the whim of my parents or brothers! I should take matters into my own hands!"

"You know the reason why Elsa didn't free herself earlier?" Hans continued, directing his question to Anna as he stared straight into the icy gaze of Elsa. "Because she chose to submit, she chose to surrender peacefully to us because she wanted the best for you. Little did I know you brother dearest here decided back out on our deal and help you instead. If he hadn't, Arendelle would have already belonged to the Southern Isles and we would be married, happily ever after."

The feeling of Hans's breath on her cheek made Anna squirm. "Don't you want a normal life, Anna? Don't you want a life where you can marry me and live freely, instead of having to put up with the desires of a woman and live to follow her each and every whim?"

"You know she doesn't love you." Hans hissed in her ear. "She has plenty of women who would gladly come and go at her bidding, Anna. You think you're different from the others because Elsa and you shared a past together?"

Anna could see Elsa deflating with each and every word, her confidence wavering with each passing moment as Hans continued. "The Snow Queen is cruel and everyone knows that. How do you know if she's not playing mind games with you? Maybe she's tricking you into opening up to her, making you think that you're special, only to crush you into pieces and—"

"Elsa would never do that! She would never, ever, do that to me," stated Anna through clenched teeth as she glared menacingly at Hans.

Anna knew that the rumors held a certain degree of truth, and she wouldn't be surprised to know that Elsa was more…experienced in a particular area. In fact, she had seen it on the first day too, hadn't she? Elsa pushing up that maid against the wall, hands roaming all over in a feverish way that now made her feel bitter.

However, she knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Anna realized that to her, Elsa was captivating, more than Hans could ever be. Granted, she had thought Hans was charming when they first met; but Elsa was simply alluring. It wasn't because of her title as queen or her gorgeous appearance or magnificent powers; it was because of the truth she had learned about during these past days.

Elsa was different from the rumors, and it was definitely a good different. The rumors had made Anna believe that she was a perfect example of freedom but in reality she was just as imperfect as anyone. She let out a laugh when she saw the stupidity within her. To think that a simple logic like that had never crossed her mind before was just laughable.

Her laugh angered Hans and confused Elsa. "What's so funny?" growled Hans.

"You are no match for Elsa," said Anna loudly. "You've never been and never will be. Call me crazy too, but if you're willingly to die along with me just so we can be together…" she paused and looked at Elsa. "then I'm willingly to die for her, so she can be free."

"No…" Elsa whispered as she shook her head desperately. "No!"

The prince snarled and held the blade closer to Anna's neck. "You want to die for her then so be it, Anna! I'd rather kill you before she can have her way with you!"

Anger flashed through Elsa's eyes. "You wouldn't dare! You know what will happen if—"

"Of course I do!" He smiled eerily. "As thirteenth in line, no one cares if I live or not and I have no say in anything the Southern Isles is planning. I am merely a pawn for them to use at their expense, so if I had to choose I would choose to die with the woman I love!" Anna knew her own expression mirrored Elsa's, a look of pure shock. This man has gone insane!

"Go ahead and kill me, Elsa!" Hans's shouted with glee. "I could care less! At least I get to die along with Anna, but you will have nothing left! You might be able to save Arendelle later; however, the one you love will die along with the man you despise, and whatever you do cannot change the outcome!"

His lips twisted up into a cruel smile as he glanced at Kristoff and Kasper's direction. "I'll give you and your family a last parting gift, Anna, something I happened to have stumbled upon by pure accident." Hans let out a small laugh before continuing. "Do you want to know who killed your mother?"

The dungeon was silent, save for the whistling of the wind outside. "Yes, it was the Southern Isles that ordered the assassination…but I have to thank them for their failure. Had they succeeded, you would have been dead too, Anna. My father is not a man of mercy, I'll have you know. He would have wiped out all of you and claimed Romsdal, it was one of his long time goals after all."

Anna watched as Kristoff flushed with anger and Kasper flared up with pure rage, if looks could kill, that was it. She met Elsa's gaze and the latter was surprised by her calmness to the revelation. A beat later the platinum blonde eyes widen with fear when she seemed to realize what the determination on Anna's face meant.

It's now or never.

Suddenly the strawberry blonde leaned forward, wincing when the sharp blade bit into her neck but she didn't stop. The remaining three stared at her in shock as she continued, blooding trickling out of her wound and dripping along the edge of the blade. However, before she could lunge further Hans withdrew the blade and let her go, pushing her away from him.

Elsa was quick to catch her, holding the girl in her arms. Anna noticed that the platinum blonde was trembling slightly and nuzzled into the crook of her neck as she leaned against her. In return Elsa strengthened her hold and held on to her protectively, the moment of weakness gone and replaced by an air of superiority. She had put on her queenly façade and resumed her role as a Queen, a Queen who was prepared to strike her enemy down.

"You win."

The abrupt statement from Hans baffled them all. "You win," he repeated softly as he looked at the hand that had just held Anna minutes ago. Hans closed his hand into a fist and repeated his words again: "You win, Anna."

"Why? Elsa asked with uncertainty. Anna too was unsure as to why Hans had decided to give up so easily. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

The prince muttered something that they couldn't hear. They watched as his eyes flicked back and forth from Anna to Elsa with a look that neither could comprehend. Hans closed his eyes with a grin and seemed like he was contemplating something. When he opened his eyes something had changed, but Anna didn't know what. "I'm a prince. I can do things without reason, right?"

Hans threw down his sword. "What are you going to do now, Elsa?" he asked as he pulled off his white gloves and discarded them to the floor. "Arendelle is now under the control of the Southern Isles. I doubt that my life is of any importance to them…" he trailed off as a tinge of anger flashed through his eyes, "…using me as hostage would be useless. So what will you do? Kill and behead me as a warning?"

Anna looked up at Elsa, wonder what she would do. Rumors had it that the lives of people who angered her were made into a living hell, some even died when no respect was shown. She knew fully well that Elsa could kill, and would if she needed to.

The strawberry blonde's gaze shifted to Kristoff when he stood up. He marched towards Hans with a look of fury, ready to give Hans what he deserved. Both he and Anna were surprised when a short wall of ice erupted from the floor, stopping Kristoff from moving forward.

"He leaves."

"Why?" Kristoff shouted in exasperation. "After everything he's done, everything he's told us?"

Elsa directed her chill gaze towards Kristoff and he faltered a bit. "He leaves," she announced her decision again, her voice resounding in the cold dungeon and filled with such authority that left no room for argument. Hans seemed utterly surprised at her decision, his jaw slack with shock. A few moments later he recomposed himself and stood tall with his back straight.

"If that is your decision, then so be it. I will take my leave."

Han turned with his back facing them. He paused when he walked a few steps forward and looked back over his shoulder. When he opened his mouth to say something, it came out as a strangled cry. Before anyone could register, Kasper had picked up the sword on the ground and using the last of his strength he plunged it straight through Hans. The prince fell to the ground with a thud and Kasper let go of the grip of the sword with a triumph laugh.

"Serves you right, you swine!" Kasper spat weakly as he stumbled and fell. Anna couldn't believe what he did. She watched as Hans pushed himself off the ground and try to pull the sword out of him. His hand blindly grabbed for the hilt of the blade and pulled, inch by inch until it came out. Anna heard a chuckle from Hans as he dropped the sword to the floor and rolled himself over so he was facing the ceiling. For some insane reason she wanted to rush over and help him, but Elsa pulled her back. The platinum blonde shook her head, her eyes telling Anna that it was too late to do anything.

"Love…"

Anna's eyes widened at the last word that Hans murmured as he closed his eyes, a smile gracing his lips. She saw a glint of something in his hand, and realized that it was a little bottle. The antidote? The antidote! The strawberry blonde rushed over and took the bottle out of Hans's hand, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before turning away to her father.

"Father, here, the antidote!"

She cradled her father's head in her lap and opened the bottle, holding it near his lips. Anna looked at her father with disbelief as he pushed her hand away. "I know what I did, Anna…and I shouldn't have done that but," he coughed up more blood and wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, "either way I don't deserve to live."

"You can't mean that!" cried Anna. "We still have time to make up for everything, we still have time to live together as a true family, a happy family!" Tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks. She cried even harder when she thought about the things that they wouldn't be able to do once her father was gone—the things they could have done together.

Kristoff knelt beside her and put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. She knew that her brother was trying to fight back his own tears. Despite what happened between their father and them, they still loved him because they were family.

They would always be, no matter what.

"Elsa…" Kasper called softly. The platinum blonde tentatively approached him and knelt down on the opposite side of Anna. "No words can describe how sorry I am…but I want you to tell you, if I still have the right, that you are welcomed to the family. I know that Anna loves you very much, and I finally see that you love her too," he gave Elsa a small smile, "promise me that you will treat her well."

The platinum blonde nodded slowly but firmly. "I will."

"Thank you..."

With that, Kasper closed his eyes and ceased to breathe. Anna's hands searched for signs of life as she caressed his cheeks. She sobbed when the reality sunk in. Kristoff held onto her tightly, his own tears began to rolling down his cheeks.

Elsa stood up and turned away from them. "Both of you, stay here," she spoke softly, "I will be back soon, after everything is over."

Anna cupped the back of Kasper's head with her hands and lifted him from her lap, gently setting him on the floor. She wiped away her tears furiously and stood, her brother following suit.

"You're not going alone. We're going together."

"We have no clue of what's going on right now…" Elsa stated, "so be prepared to brace for the worst outcome."

Anna didn't know what she should be prepared for.

All she knew was, to fight and live.

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know the ending is a bit choppy and weird, I have had a hard time figuring out how to end this chapter.

The next chapter is Hans's POV.