A/N: It would be a spoiler if I say anything at this point, so... just read.

The howling wind had died. The falling snow, stopped. Elsa and Hans, both mounted on Sitron's back, now rode home in silence. They managed to apprehend the shorter of Weselton bodyguards, but the other one with the moustache had escaped. With no telling what might happen with him on the loose, Hans had ordered the guards on maximum alert. But Elsa needed no such things. Being held in his arms was enough. It was the safest and most secure place she could ever hope to be in. The same went for Hans; with the Queen on his side, he had never felt more complete.

All the guards around them would have probably smiled on how love was in the air if the situation wasn't so dire. Even for a moment, the Prince had the urge to mercilessly tease her about how she was snuggling up to him – and even more on her breathstopping new look. And of course the braid. Especially the braid. He cursed himself for having such thoughts when they were still not yet out of danger.

It was still a long journey, but with the wind at their backs, and that they now had each other, it felt surprisingly short. Soon, they were once again at the outskirts of Arendelle, overseeing the castle.

"Arendelle… it's completely frozen," Elsa lamented.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out together," Hans assured her. She nodded and smiled weakly at him. They continued to ride slowly until they reached the gate.

"Queen Elsa has come back!" Hans shouted. "Open the gates!"

At his beckon, the gates gradually swung open. Hans promptly dismounted and helped Elsa do the same. As they walked inside, concerned citizens greeted them.

"Queen Elsa!"

"The Queen has come back!"

"Welcome back, Your Majesty!"

Elsa bit her lips to hold back her tears. Her heart was stirred; how did the people come to love her this much still when she had brought nothing but pain and misery to them?

Good job on persuading the people, Karl. But I didn't think they would love her this much still, even after this terrible mishap.

The Prince felt his heart rising; the affection his Queen now was now at its peak.

"Her Majesty needs a rest!" he said to the masses. "Our apologies, but please grant us a moment of peace. We will figure out how to quell this winter soon, I assure you."

At his request, the mass made a pathway for them. They continued to walk quietly until they reach the inner sanctum of the palace, where there waited four men.

"Queen Elsa! Welcome back!" Kai the butler was the first who greeted them. Karl and Edvar followed behind him, quietly smiling and nodding at the Queen. The sight of the fourth, however, brought his blood to boil.

"Your Majesty!" the Duke of Weselton said. "You've come back! Now if you'd please put an end-"

"Duke of Weselton," Hans cut in. "You are hereby placed under the charge of attempted murder on the Queen! You shall be taken into the dungeons where you shall remain until further notice."

Hans jerked his head towards the guards, who promptly moved to seize the duke.

"What!? What is this!?"

"Duke of Weselton, your men had purposely attempted to inflict harm upon us," Elsa said icily (Hans noted the particular use of the royal 'we' - she had to be furious beyond reason), "As Prince Hans and our guards can attest, your men had employed deadly force in an attempt to subdue and capture us, the Queen of Arendelle. Therefore, we hereby charge you for treason. Take him away."

"You! You are all fools! You should have finished her off! You should have finished the monster off, do you hear me!?" the Duke screamed in protest, arms flailing as the guards dragged him off. Hans gave him a final, scathing glance before he turned to Elsa and smiled.

"Monster?" Edvar scoffed. "Clearly he must be blind to not recognize such beauty. You look even more stunning now, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," Elsa blushed.

Hans shot him a very annoyed look; he had been waiting for the right moment to say it himself and now his boorish brother had ruined it. Edvar, in return, shot him a teasing wink. Elsa let out a feeble chuckle at the silent banters between the two brothers.

"Everyone… I'm sorry. For everything."

"Her Majesty needs medical attention," Hans said. "Kai, could you please fetch Prince Erik and Doctor Leiv?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The steward quickly turned and scurried about.

"Do you not need it yourself?" Edvar jerked his head towards Hans' shoulder – the wound from the falling chandelier. It was not quite deep, but the gash was wide and he had only applied perfunctory first aid on it.

"Let's get inside first," Karl suggested. "Stories and explanations can wait for later."

Low groans slipped Hans's lips as he tried to endure the pain. He made sure to take a mental note to avoid getting sewed without anaesthetics next time; the searing agony on his shoulder hammered the point home.

"Ah! Can't you please be gentler!?" he snapped at one particularly excruciating stitch.

"Sorry," Erik smiled, "but it wasn't me who brought this to you."

"I know," Hans wheezed, "just be more careful, please."

"I am careful," Erik chuckled. "Between the two of us, who is the one with a big, nasty gash on his shoulder? Playing a knight in shining armour is fine, but know your limits, little brother," he added.

"There's no limit of what I can do when it comes to her," Hans said stubbornly.

"Is that so? Then why is it that we are hiding from her just to do this?" Eric teased.

"That's…!" Hans turned red.

The doctor made the last sew and deftly cut the string.

"Well that's it. We are done here," he said, putting away the needle and scissors. "We should be able to take that off in a week. Just don't go and get yourself more injuries, though. It might not end with just a mere sewing the next time." The doctor put all the used tools into a basin of alcohol and moved to wash his hands.

"I'll keep that in mind," Hans grunted. "Thank you."

"Never you mind," said Erik. "Let us be on our way, then. I am certain they are waiting for us."

As the two walked out of the room, they found Kai had already been waiting for them.

"Prince Hans, Prince Erik," he said, "The Queen wishes to see you. She requests your presences in her room."

"Her room? Not the conference hall or the meeting room?"

"Yes Sire, Her Majesty said this is a private matter."

"Very well."

Without further questions, they swiftly made their way to the Queen's room. Doctor Leiv had just come out of the room; he smiled and nodded as they walked past him. Kai gestured to the guards standing by in front of the room, and they let them pass.

"Here at last," Edvar said as they stepped inside. He and Karl were already seated, and on another chair was Elsa. "Is your arm all fine, then?"

"Shoulder," Hans corrected. "And yes, it's painful but mending."

"Good," Edvar grinned. "Wouldn't want Her Majesty here to worry so much, do we?"

Hans felt heat rising to his cheeks as he furrowed his brows, shooting a 'mind-your-own-business' look at his brother. Yet he was surprised (and a little delighted) that Elsa's face too, turned pink.

"Now, about this winter," Karl cut in. "I believe something has to be done to quell this. Your Majesty?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do," Elsa said, shaking her head. "This has never happened before. And I haven't the slightest hint to undo this…"

The room fell silent. Only the ever colder air reminded them that they were still not yet out of danger, and thus the tension kept growing. Yet under tension, Hans's mind worked best – the idea suddenly flashed through him.

"Elsa!" he said, reflexively getting up from his seat. "I mean, Your Majesty. Did an 'accident' similar to this not happen before?"

"What? When?"

"Thirteen years ago! The very night you had to go and hide your magic!"

Elsa's eyes widened; her hands covered her mouth as realization hit her.

"You're right! Something similar… when I couldn't control my magic!"

"How did you get out of that situation?" Hans asked. "What did you do?"

"Papa… I mean, my father, the King took us to someone who could help! The trolls!"

"Then it's settled," Karl said, "We should go and see these 'trolls'. They must know something that we don't. Something that may help us." He turned to Elsa. "Your Majesty, do you still remember where they are?"

"Yes I do," Elsa nodded. She could never forget it; the memory from that day she could recall like it was only yesterday. The memory that tormented her for thirteen years, now was about to become useful. Who would have thought? "We shall go immediately."

"Is it far from here?"

"Not quite. We should be able to make it within one hour of ride, even in this condition."

"Then I will go with you," Hans said.

Elsa paused for half a second before nodding.

"I'll go and prepare the men," Kai said. They all were about to leave the room when they noticed the Queen was still rooted onto her chair.

"Your Majesty? Is something bothering you?"

"Anna… she hasn't come back, has she?" Elsa whispered. The men shook their heads; she bit her lips and hugged herself.

"Kai, tell the men to look for Princess Anna instead," Hans said. "The Queen and I, we will suffice to see the trolls. Spare no force to find the Princess. I want no corner left unchecked, no stone left unturned." He turned to Elsa. "Would that be alright, Your Majesty?"

"Yes please."

"Understood, I will-"

"YOUR MAJESTY!"

A soldier had come beckoning, his silhouette slightly visible from the ajar door. Kai reached for the handle and opened the door for all to see.

"Rolf? What is the matter?"

"The – the Princess!" the soldier panted, "Princess Anna is back!"

Elsa instantly darted out of the room, pushing through everyone who was still in daze from the news. Hans followed closely with all his might, but he was unable to catch up - it was as if the wind itself was carrying her feet. Before long, they had arrived at the Great Hall. In there stood the mountain man Kristoff, who appeared to be carrying Anna in his arms.

"Anna!" Elsa shrieked as she saw her sister in full. Whatever hope that they had from Anna's return now turned into complete despair as they beheld the condition she was in. Her hair was white, her skin was ice. Each gasp of breath she took seemed like agony.

"No… please, Anna, no…" Elsa whimpered.

"Get her to the doctor now!" Hans shouted. "Erik!"

The doctor-prince stepped in to get a closer look.

"This is bad… I have never seen anything like this before," he said. "There's no time to get her to the hospital. Bring her to my room quick!"

Kristoff reluctantly let the guards take the unconscious Anna away; the doctor rushing with them. Almost immediately after, Hans tackled Kristoff and pinned him against the wall.

"You bastard! What have you done to her!?"

Kristoff did not answer and instead sank his teeth into his own lip.

"You were supposed to keep her safe! And now this happened! What became of your oath!? Answer me you son of a-"

"Hans! Stop!" Elsa cried. "Please, stop now! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Hans slackened his grip, but still did not let go. "What do you mean he didn't do anything wrong!? Clearly he failed to protect Anna, this arse-"

"No! Please…" Elsa wept. "I am… the one who did this to her."

"What?"

The grip on Kristoff's collar was relinquished; the mountain man crumpled to the floor, despairing.

"She came to me before you… Asking me to go home with her. I should have listened. And instead, my magic… my powers did this to her. I did this to her. I froze her heart."

Hans felt like sinking into a bottomless pit. Why? How could this happen at all? Who was really at fault here? Elsa? Kristoff? Himself? What if none of them was really at fault, and that this was simply fate's cruel play?

Still, he would not so easily give up.

"Let's go to Erik's room. We may have hope still; he is the best doctor I've ever known."

He took Elsa's hand.

"That means you too," he said to Kristoff, who was still down on the floor. "Or is your love for her so shallow that you would so easily give up hope?"

Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed without so much as a sound. They kept standing quietly in front of the door to Erik's room, their hearts uttering silent prayers. Finally, the door opened with a small creak, a figure clad in white stepping outside.

The grim look on his face was all the answer that they needed.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I have done everything I can. But she was frozen from the inside out."

"No…" Elsa gasped.

"The damage was done by magic; there is nothing in my medical knowledge that can counteract it."

"Magic? Then how about the trolls? They must know something!" Hans said.

"… No." All eyes were now fixated at Kristoff. "We have gone to them. I hoped that they would be able to do something for her… but no. It is her heart that is frozen, and only an act of true love can save her."

"An act of true love? Then why don't you do something for her? You were supposed to be her true love!" Hans snapped.

"I have tried..." Kristoff gasped. "I have tried everything… even kissing her. But she would not thaw…. She would not…"

All of them stood in silence. Only Kristoff's occasional hiccups were heard amidst the painful stillness.

"There is still time…" Erik finally said. "She is awake now. It would be best if the ones she loves the most can stay beside her."

The door opened again with a silent creak. The Princess was lying on the bed, each second that passed seemed to heighten her suffering. But when she saw her elder sister, a smile formed on her face.

"Elsa… you're here."

Elsa did not reply, merely cupping her hand onto her mouth – tears rolling from her cheeks.

"And Hans… and Kristoff… I'm glad you are all here."

"Hey Anna…" Hans forced himself to smile. "How are you feeling?" He cursed himself a hundred times over for uttering such a pretentious phrase.

"I'm okay…. Just a little cold," Anna smiled. "I should have brought Hans with me. Then maybe he won't have to come up the mountains by himself."

"Oh, Anna…!" Elsa sobbed, hugging her little sister's now almost frigid body. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"Sssh Elsa… it's okay…" the Princess said, gently patting her sister's back. "I'm just glad that finally… we all could gather again like this. And Kristoff?" she turned to the ice harvester. "Don't be so sad that the kiss did not work, okay…? It simply meant that our bond was not strong enough this time, but we have the rest of our lives… to know each other better."

That smile. A smile so sincere and full of understanding. Anna's smile. At the sight of that smile, an icicle pierced Elsa's heart. Her hands began to shake. The temperature around her began to drop.

You

You did this to her

"N-no! I would never-"

Your sister will die

Because of *you*

Snow.

The snow that had stopped flowing since Hans got to her now started to fall again. No, it wasn't a mere snowfall. It was a blizzard. Soon came a typhoon - so violent that it shook every surface in Arendelle. Even frost began to creep throughout the castle interiors, expanding at an exponential rate.

"Elsa! Get a hold of yourself!" Hans tried to calm her down. But soon a barrier of wind so strong formed around her that it knocked him off his feet.

"No…! NOOOOO!"

With a final, ear-splitting scream, the Queen once again vanished.

"Elsa, wait!" Hans tried to catch her, but the barrier of wind pushed him away from her. Still, he went and chased her with all his might. His mind was now filled with the thoughts of his Queen; he would never let her go again. His vision was limited, all surface was not covered in white. He could not even open his eyes fully, for the hail will pierce his eyes if he did. Yet he knew that she was close. In fact, far closer than she had ever been. Soon they were running across the frozen fjords as the wind howl harder with each second that passed by.

Then he stopped. No, not exactly. It was she who stopped first, and he only did stop because he sensed it.

"Elsa!?" he shouted hard as not to be drowned by the piercing sounds of the wind. "You are there, aren't you? Please, talk to me!"

"Hans." Her voice seemed to echo from many directions. "It is time."

"Time for what?" he asked, dread filing him. His instincts told him that something far worse was about to unfold. "I cannot see you! Please, don't leave me again!"

Yet he did not have to look far away, for there she was, standing right in front of him. Her figure seemed to glow and shimmer in the midst of the storm. As if she was the eye of the storm itself. Elsa, the Snow Queen.

"It is time to put an end to all this," she said. Her air was so unnaturally serene it was frightening.

"Don't say that!" Hans said, shaking violently, but not from the cold. It was complete and utter fear that made him shiver that much. "We can still figure something out!"

"No, Hans," Elsa shook her head. "This is the only way I can think of. Now I am going to make good of your promise."

"No…"

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, I hereby name you the last of my three requests. Take up your sword and pierce my heart!"

"No… NO! I WILL NOT!"

"Prince Hans of the House Westerguard, are you not a man of your words? Does chivalry allow you to renege on a promise to a lady?"

"Chivalry be damned! And my House can burn for all I care! I don't want to lose you again, Elsa, no matter what happens!"

"Hans, please understand. This is the only way we can stop this winter now."

"We can still find a way. No, we WILL find a way, just like we always do!"

"There is no time. At this rate, everyone will freeze to death. Anna, you… everyone."

She was right. His frost covered body told him so. If this did not stop soon, everyone… will die. With a heavy hand, Hans drew his sword from its scabbard. He tried to lift and point it at her…

"I cannot," he gasped, his sword arm falling limp. "I love you too much to lose you." Tears were now falling down his cheeks, and he did not bother to try and stop it. What was the use to pretend at this time? He knew he could never live without her.

"Please, Hans. If you truly love me… then you have to let me go," Elsa pleaded. "Please, end my torment."

She was right. Elsa had suffered enough. Far enough for a lifetime. And then the Dark Voice rose from his heart. If Elsa were to die… and Anna, too, then wouldn't he, as the Queen's fiancée be the strongest candidate for the next monarch? He could have claimed that they have uttered their marriage vows before she died. Or even better, get her to do it now, so that it would exactly be the truth.

But no.

I… am the master now. You can control me no longer. You and your poisonous tongue. If I cannot live with her, then I might as well not live at all.

That was the answer he arrived at.

"Very well," Hans said, looking straight into Elsa's eyes. "I will do it."

Elsa smiled and nodded at him.

"But I will not let you go alone. After this blade pierced your heart, I will turn it to pierce mine as well."

The smile on the Queen's face faltered; horror crept in its place.

"What are you saying...!?" she cried, shaking her head. "You can't! You have to live on!"

"What purpose is there to live without you?" he walked towards her. And this time, he could finally reach her; he could embrace her. "In good and in bad. In happiness and in sorrow. Not even death can do us part. Remember?"

"But… but…" The Queen sobbed. Why did she have to drag him down with her again? Why? However…

"I love you."

That simple statement. The statement that made her the happiest person on earth. The statement that made her feel as if she could face anything. And this time, it was she who reached for him. She took his face close and felt his lips against hers. The warmth of it.

Their last kiss.

Scintillas of a second turned into aeons. Thus when they let go, there were two hearts no longer, but one. The Queen closed her eyes as the Prince lifted his blade. He was finally about to deliver the blow. To strike the one person he held most dear. So as he brought his blade forth, he screamed all his rage, all his fury against the heavens. Against fate for playing such a cruel edict.

And the citizens of Arendelle would not soon forget the Prince's heartrending howl that day.

A/N: I'm very sorry for the confusion last time, I had meant to say the chapter, not the story, ends here. :'(

We still have some left to see before the climax unbound, but... reviews? Pretty please...?