Feel, Don't Conceal

(A/N: And now a serious training session with Mael and Elsa. Not entirely happy with this chapter, but enjoy anyway. I actually inserted the story 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier' into this chapter in keeping with authenticity, so enjoy that little Easter Egg as well.)

Elsa sat with Mael in the courtyard, visibly distressed. "It isn't your fault, what happened between Edvard and Hans. They would not have gone through with murdering each other anyway," Mael said.

"I still feel responsible," Elsa said. "It happened in my own palace. I'm supposed to be able to stop things like that, aren't I?"

"A castle is so large. A ruler can hardly be expected to be aware of all that is going on in their home at all times," Mael said.

"I know," Elsa quietly said. There was silence a moment. "Hans… Is he…?" she began.

"I'm alright, Your Majesty," Hans's voice said from behind. "Don't worry for me. I hurt you, not the other way around."

Elsa quickly turned, eyes wide. She rose and went towards him. She almost reached out to embrace him before stopping herself and pulling back her hands, instead looking down. She looked up at him again. "That thing that happened between you and Edvard? Never again, Hans," she warned.

"No promises," Hans replied. "What needs to be done and said and all that. I had it coming. Frankly, I'm glad it was him who confronted me and not the Duke of Weselton." The man was a spitfire if he wanted to be. Nowhere near his skill level, but fiery enough to make him very uneasy should the little old man get riled up.

"Never again," Elsa firmly repeated.

Hans frowned at her then sighed. "Very well," he relented, nodding. "Never again." At least not in this way. "Really, Elsa, it wasn't even as bad as it seemed. We were basically just roughhousing." Albeit maliciously. She had never said she'd forgiven him yet, he inwardly noted to himself. He cringed. Hopefully in time she would.

"I don't care," she replied, turning her back on him again and looking over her courtyard.

Hans shifted uncomfortably, after a moment of silence. "Mael, you came here intending to help Elsa more with her gift, didn't you?" he asked.

Mael turned around curiously and looked at Elsa, who now was looking at him hopefully. "Is that true?" Elsa asked.

"It is," he confirmed. "But I was waiting for the right time."

"Now is as good a time as ever," Elsa said. "I want to know. I want to learn and improve. Please. Teach me."

Mael tilted his head. "Very well," he soon replied, nodding. "Let's begin." Elsa lit up, grinning.

Frozen

Hans leaned curiously on the railing of a low veranda, observing the training session curiously. Sitron was close by, munching on the grass beneath said veranda. Hans reached out, lightly patting the horse's neck, and focused on Mael and Elsa.

"Your first lesson was feeling and not concealing your powers, which you did well. Your next lesson will be to let yourself feel and not conceal the emotions that spark them to light. Emotions are a powerful driving force behind power. You have an advantage in that you were born with them. You need not conceal your emotions any more than anyone else. If you can work your powers in harmony with them as the compliment they are. Your true potential will be realized through your emotions, and you will feel free of all setbacks. You can control your powers even while giving into your emotions, and it will only enhance your abilities. It will take practice—I had to work to the bone on that quite literally, as they were not naturally a part of me—but it will be doable," Mael said. "As I said, you need not conceal your emotions any more than anyone else, and when you lose control of them, it will be for good reason and your powers will only help you then. Following so far?"

"I am," Elsa confirmed. "More or less." She felt fairly confident she got what he was saying, at least.

Mael nodded. "We will start with the easier to control emotions. Ones such as happiness. Even in the most euphoric of states—with only a rare exception—your powers could never be ill-used. As we progress, we will tackle the harder ones to handle… I have to warn you that this will not be easy. There will be triggers. There will be hurt and fear and anger and pain. Perhaps you may even feel betrayed at times. By me. Because the things you will see and the things I will project… Let's just say I will seem more an enemy at times than a tutor… In the end I only want to see you live through this and see you free of whatever hinders and tasks you…" Mael said.

"I understand," she assured, nodding to him seriously.

"Then let's begin," Mael said to Elsa. Immediately he conjured up a mass of locusts and gnats. It became thicker and thicker, enveloping the courtyard in an impenetrable mess and darkening the area slightly, though light continued to come in from above. Mael had left an opening. "There is a good chance that you will pass out by the close of this lesson. A lot of power will be used up, to say nothing of the emotional impact this will have. It will be exhausting. Let's start easy. Happiness." He conjured up and image of Anna and Kristoff and many palace servants and subjects on skates. They spoke and laughed together and frankly enjoyed their every minute. Anna, ice dancing with Kristoff, soon pulled away from him and skated over. She took Elsa's hands. "Elsa, Elsa, come skate, please? Don't just stand to the side. I'll race you. It'll be so much fun! Then we can build a snowman, Olaf would love to have a snow friend, and later we can go inside, sit by the fire, and drink hot chocolate. Look at them all, sis. They're so happy. Now finally you can be like them too. No more hiding, Elsa. Things can be like they were!" The conjuration of Anna laughed, hugging Elsa tightly. "Come on, let's go!"

Elsa, at first flustered and confused, gasped as Anna pulled her towards the crowds. For a moment she looked uneasy, but soon allowed a wary smile to come as Anna chattered on. Soon enough, though all the world in this place was a lie, she couldn't help but feel happy as the people greeted her cheerfully, as children brought her flowers and cheered her. Before she knew it, she was swept up in their celebration and was conjuring up various ice decorations, grinning and wishing it would never end. She thrust up sculptures of the most beautiful of forms, and caused snow to come. Anything she desired for her pleasure, and the pleasure of the people, went up until the whole area became like an ice garden.

All the while Hans watched silently, lips parted in awe at what was going on. Mael himself couldn't help the smile that was pulling at his lips. Part of him wanted to join her in her glee, and those with her, but his smile fell soon enough. It was all false. There was no use in falling in love with a world of dreams. They had to move on.

Frozen

Slowly the images of the happiness began to fade away. Elsa's grin slowly fell with them, and she felt suddenly very hollow. She looked down sadly. They were right here in the palace and her land, her sister wasn't far away, and yet even still she missed all of it. It felt so very isolated, in this prison of locusts. She believed it was in part an illusion of Mael's, her feeling this way. On the other hand, he said he didn't do illusion. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't do simple ones, right? Perhaps she was overthinking, though. She had to focus now.

"Now, awe and wonder," Mael said. Immediately he released a wave of dark magic in the form of millions of butterflies and birds that swirled all around in a spectacular scene, flying around Elsa and ascending towards the skies. Through them, dancing couples could be seen laughing and singing. Elfin or human, it was hard to tell. Children raced around, trying to capture the butterflies that danced and flew through the winds. Music of a strange sort was playing, and thousands of beautiful and wondrous formations moved about the scene in celebration of some unheard of festival. Hans watched in wonder and disbelief. Some of the butterflies flew around him. He looked at them in surprise, spinning with them as they flew about. One landed on his hand and beat its wings a few times before flying upwards with its fellows, going towards the sun above. Hans gasped, looking after them. So free. So untamed… He almost wished he was one… There was nothing restraining them. There was nothing hurting them. There was no pain or suffering for them. Not for now, at least. Hmm, another story was coming to mind. He would pen it later.

"Create whatever it inspires in you," Mael said to Elsa. Elsa watched in awe. She almost didn't want any of this to go! She called forth an icy tree to serve as a perch for the creatures, and something for the children to climb and the families to picnic beneath. It wasn't much, but it didn't feel like much was needed, in this instance. Just something simple but beautiful. Soon the last of the images faded away. "Now something a little more powerful and motivating. Love," Mael said. Again images sprang up. Anna with Kristoff, hand in hand. Children running about their legs, one of which was drawn most to Elsa and hugged her, looking up at her adoringly before offering flowers to her without a word.

Elsa blinked down at the little one before smiling and kneeling to take the flowers. "Thank you," she said to him. The little boy giggled and hugged her tightly before racing away to join the other children.

"Everything is so wonderful, Elsa. I'm so happy. I have Kristoff, I have you. What more could I possibly ever want? I love you, sis," Anna said, hugging Elsa tight as she and Kristoff came up to Elsa and the child. "For the first time in forever, everything is amazing," Anna added. The child giggled as Kristoff tickled it playfully.

"Lookit the snowman!" the child excitedly said, pointing out a laughing and waving Olaf. Swiftly the little one pulled away from Elsa and ran to him to play, laughing in glee.

Anna grinned at Elsa. "You and me, just a sister's night tonight, okay? Feels like forever since it was just you and me. Not that I'm complaining, we were alone for so long, but it's nice to have down time with your sister."

"That would be wonderful," Elsa replied, drawing back a little. Her eyes, though, were sad, because she knew and saw this wasn't her sister, not in flesh; but still it was, in a way, wasn't it? A conjuration, but Anna nonetheless. Her image… She recalled the Duke's words about shadows, during the Shadow fiasco, and her smile fell to a worried and troubled look. She would have to make this dream scene a reality, she decided. When the training was done, she was planning a girl's night with Anna and nothing was stepping in her way. With all the suitors around, she'd only found the briefest of moments to be with her sibling. It was time Anna got a day instead of a man.

Frozen

Suddenly one of the children that had been running around Anna and Kristoff screamed in terror. Anna gasped, spinning. A group of bandits were riding around the little ones, grabbing them up one by one! The only one safe was the one a flustered Olaf was standing in front of. The little boy who had gone to Elsa with flowers. "No!" Anna cried out, racing towards the bandits to try and save the children.

"Anna, don't!" Kristoff cried out, trying to run to her. He screamed in pain as an arrow caught him, downing him and leaving him writhing, gasping away his life.

"Kristoff!" Anna screamed, looking back in fear. A bandit suddenly seized her from behind and she shrieked.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed, immediately attacking at the man with an ice spike. He fended it off, moving out of the way and holding Anna as a shield of sorts. Elsa began freezing the ground beneath the man, hoping to make him slip.

Hans, until then watching solemnly, started and looked sharply at Mael in surprise. What? Now? Lars seriously was picking the love phase to make things take a darker turn?

Mael watched expressionlessly as Anna struggled, crying for help. "Anna!" Elsa cried out in terror again, realizing her current tactics weren't working. She had to try something else! She had to stop this. Hans straightened up, hand automatically going to his sword as if ready to pounce.

"Let me go!" Anna screamed at the bandits, kicking back at the one who'd seized her and hitting him where it hurt. He cried out in pain and she jerked free. "Kristoff taught me that," she said. "Leave the children alone!" The other bandits dismounted and lunged at Anna. She tried to fight back, but it was apparent she stood no chance. Seizing her, they struck her viciously.

"Leave her alone!" Elsa screamed, racing towards them and using her ice viciously, lashing out at whatever bandit tried to get in her way; and whatever bandit she spotted trying to seize a child. She began to summon forth a storm to swirl around the area and around her. A storm she fully intended to use against these men.

"Elsa, Elsa, save the little ones!" Anna cried out frantically as they were pulling her towards a horse to take her away. "Forget about me, save the little ones!"

Mael watched stonily on, jaw twitching slightly. He was impressed. Elsa was doing exceedingly well thus far. But what happened if he threw a wrench into it all? "Let my sister and the children go!" Elsa shouted furiously, attacking the bandits with her powers, eyes blazing. "Let them go!" Anna screamed in pain as she was struck, doubling over. "Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, shooting an icy spear at the man who had struck her sibling. Lars clenched his jaw. Now the wrench. Suddenly another bandit grabbed a child, the little boy who had brought Elsa the flowers, moving in front of his fellow and placing the little one, tears streaming down its face, as a human shield. Or if nothing else, as another life to be skewered along with his own. Elsa's eyes widened in horror. "No!" she screamed, covering her mouth.

Frozen

All at once a gunshot rang out and the icy spear shattered. Elsa gasped, spinning around. Hans stood on the veranda with gun smoking and teeth clenched. Her eyes widened. The storm grew around her while she slowly began losing a handle on it, confused and afraid with all that was happening. Hans turned sharply to Mael. "What are you doing?! This is supposed to be love, not terror or anguish or hatred!" he furiously yelled at his brother.

Mael sharply looked at Hans, eyes sparkling dangerously. "Stay out of this, brother," he warned. "This is for her own good."

"Whether it is or isn't, isn't yours to decide, it's hers," Hans retorted, pointing at Elsa. "This is too much too fast! Stop it! Can't you see she's scared?!"

Mael glared at his sibling, then looked at Elsa a long moment. "Very well," he finally relented, making the children and Kristoff vanish. Unless Elsa requested otherwise, she had only Anna to worry about now. He also toned down the bandit attacks. Hans was right, after all. Terror, anguish, and hatred would come soon enough. On second thought, rather than just toning it down, he made the image vanish completely. Perhaps now was time to go over a lesson instead of practical work. Hans breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the porch railing. Now it was up to Elsa to calm the growing storm. Or Mael could, if Elsa didn't get a hold on it.

Elsa, shaking and willing herself to breathe deeply and calm down, was slowly stopping the storm. She turned to Lars. "What happened?" she asked, still shaken and confused at the sudden change. Why had he stopped himself?

"Love, while among the most powerful of all emotions we will explore, along with anger, is also one of the most controllable and easiest to get a handle on, if you know the tricks. Love and anger, while running hand in hand, are near to totally tame. You strike out in your anger out of love, and so the ill-effects of anger are for the most part negated. It is much the same for love and terror, depending on how they're handled. Unless something goes wrong," Mael said.

"Like it would have had the child you made the bandit put in the way of the icy spear been struck," Elsa realized.

"Precisely," Mael answered. "Throw grief into the mix, or guilt... Enough said. I stopped because I was pushing you towards love mixed with anguish and guilt before you were ready. That Hans kept the spear from striking the child was good. I was moving too fast, and you were not ready to face that challenge. Not without warning. Grief, guilt, and anguish mixed with love will be among the last mixes to be tackled."

"Will I be able to do them?" she asked, looking down.

"You will be able to do them," he confirmed. "I know you will. It will just be better to ease into them instead of leaping right in. Love and terror are proving a difficult combination for you to master, I see; though when you do master the mixture, it will be as tame as love and anger can be… What threw you off, Elsa? The child's demise wouldn't have been your fault, or the fault of your powers. It would have only been circumstance and bad luck. You were controlling them fine until the end. What made you lose yourself?"

"How was it not my fault?" Elsa questioned, not even registering the question he'd asked after those words.

Mael tilted his head. "You may control snow and ice, but you do not control the thoughts of wicked men or their actions. You do not control what they are willing to do. There was danger long before you unleashed your powers. People, Elsa, are more deadly than anything you could ever hope to call forth. People were the monsters in this scenario. You were the savior. It was them that chose to snatch up the child and use him as a meat shield. It was them who tried to kidnap others and take your sister away. It was them who shot Kristoff. Do you want to know what would have happened had you not acted? Kristoff would have died. Your sister would have suffered heinous crimes, to say nothing of the little girls. The little boys would have been kidnapped and sold into slavery or killed. That child they snatched up and used as a shield? He would have died either way, even if you hadn't acted to try and save them all. You panicked. That was your only error, and still you were the least of the threats present in that situation… Stop seeing yourself as the monster. Stop seeing your powers as the enemy. They are everything you want them to be. They don't control you, you control them. You're getting a handle on it. You've almost mastered them and have learned to control them, for the most part. There's still a ways to go, but you're almost there. Feel, don't conceal. Trust in your powers and yourself and your emotional cues… Always trust your powers and yourself, and they'll never let you down. When you start seeing yourself as a monster, when you start panicking as to what to do, when you start trying to hold your emotions and abilities back, that's when they become less predictable," he answered.

"I was a danger not only to my enemies, but to myself and all the innocents! What if I do panic like this in a truly dangerous situation? They'd be better off without me, then! What if I lost control and ended up hurting the people I was trying to protect?!" Elsa asked.

"That danger, that risk, was always there and will always be. Not only for you, but for everyone. What you do is weigh those risks. Ask yourself if, in the end, that chance is worth taking to try and save those you love," Hans stated from the porch in answer. Elsa looked over at him quietly, taking in his words, then turned to Lars again.

"He's right. In the end will they really be any worse off than they would have been without you?" Lars asked her.

"I certainly was worse off when it came to you and me," Hans muttered to his brother.

Mael tensed and frowned, looking down. He understood what his sibling meant. The day he had shown his brother how to 'kill the pain', he had weighed the risks involved... He had judged horribly, horribly wrong... He looked over at Hans solemnly. "I know…" he answered. He looked absently at his arms. "I've regretted it ever since I taught you about killing the emotional pain with physical…" Elsa started, eyes widening as she caught on. Quickly she looked at Hans in shock and worry. Hans avoided her eyes, focusing on Sitron. She opened her mouth, trying to find something to say. She couldn't. Mael looked at Elsa again. "There is always the chance that your help will give the other parties involved something else they need to be wary of," he said, getting Elsa's attention back onto him. "There is more of a chance, though, that your refusing to help will lead to their dooms anyway. Weigh the risks. That is a very hard thing to master, correctly judging things such as that. It's something you can never truly get a handle on, not anyone. Judgement calls are always give or take. Sometimes yes, you'll judge wrong and something bad will happen, but so it is with everyone... I've made very, very, very bad choices in my past… More often than I'd like to admit, I have caused more pain than good with my abilities; but they are still part of me, and in the end they have always been more a help than a hindrance. In an abstract sense…"

Elsa was quiet, head hung low. "I understand," she said quietly after a moment. She wished she didn't, but she did.

Mael nodded. "Now comes the true difficulty. Hatred, grief, fear," he murmured to her. "Prepare for it."

"I'm ready," she answered, preparing herself. Hatred, grief, and fear… She dreaded them, but she was ready. He nodded.

Frozen

A conjuration of Anna again. She was running, stumbling rather, towards Elsa in desperation and exhaustion, clothing in tatters and bruises visible implying she had been attacked violently. "Elsa!" she screamed in misery and anguish, fleeing right into her sister's arms, sobbing. "Elsa, they-they killed him! They killed Kristoff! They-they… it was right in front-in front of me!" she sobbed. "They made me watch. They took me to their camp and… oh gods, oh gods, Kristoff!" she wept, shivering. To the side stood a group of men as if being viewed at a distance, laughing cruelly and pushing Kristoff's body into a hole in the ground.

Oh there was hatred now. It was reflected plainly in Elsa's eyes. Anna continued sobbing in her arms, the men continued laughing and boasting up what they'd done. They promised to do so again and again. Elsa was beyond done with them. Immediately she attacked with a furious shout. The attack would have struck hard and obliterated them all with extreme prejudice, but suddenly Mael was there, blocking it. Protecting the men. He was protecting those monsters! Elsa caught her breath, eyes widening. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Get out of the way!"

Mael stayed firmly in place and the men became a pack of dark wolves. "See me as their chief," he answered. He immediately attacked her, sending out the pack of dark wolves, howling and snarling with intent to rip apart the sisters and drag them away from each other. They began morphing into humanoid figures again, laughing. Anna was fighting back, screaming and kicking. Mael drew her all the faster towards himself. He attacked again with a new wave, this time a flock of crows sent to tear at them. "Watch me become the thing you hate!" Mael shouted at Elsa. He sent forth a poisonous serpent which slithered quickly towards the struggling Anna. "To stop it, you must stop me! Come on, Elsa. Your pacifist tendencies are sweet but impractical for this test! There's no room for mercy here. If you must attack to hurt or kill, you will hurt or kill because there was no other way. Best you learn that limit now."

He couldn't imagine her—nor would he want to see her—killing or injuring for any reason other than having no choice, and he wanted to be sure her powers reflected that… Not so much him… That was a fact he didn't care to look on and didn't care to share. Cursed with the abilities, he had always been more inclined to abuse them and use them for what they had no right being used for. He vaguely wondered if maybe this was one of those situations before ignoring the misgiving and guilt… Given who and what he was, and his family line, he supposed the risk of abusing any form of power had been present long before he'd been cursed.

Elsa struggled to keep up. "Anna!" she cried out. Immediately she sent out a wall of icy spikes, flying across the space separating them. They drove themselves into the wolves and impaled the crows, bringing the beasts down. Hans watch on tensely, warily keeping an eye on the enemies Lars was calling forth. Elsa used her powers to break free of the creatures holding her as well, and ran to try and reach Anna. A wall of ghostly apparitions sprung from the ground and floated around her sister, trapping her between them.

"Elsa, don't come near them!" Anna cried out. Elsa scowled, determined to free her sister. Mael suddenly sent out a dark leopard that pounced from the ground, bringing her down viciously.

"Did you not hear me, Elsa? To stop this, you stop me!" Mael called to her, immediately making the leopard vanish before it could hurt her; or more likely try to.

Frozen

Hans watched uneasily as the battle went on, his misgivings going wild. He heard buzzing coming closer and gasped, turning. Mael was shrinking the battlefield! Hans, not about to be locked out of it, leapt over the railing and ran towards the duelling pair, stopping a little ways away from them. Mael's attacks were getting more and more vicious while Elsa was sticking to defence. "Elsa, something's going wrong! Don't ease up on him!" Hans called. "You can't afford to now. I think he's losing himself!" Elsa looked sharply back, eyes wide. Mael sent out a dark boar, tusks sharp like javelins, to gore her. Hans caught his breath, seeing it coming. "Elsa!" he exclaimed, surging forward and pulling her out of the way. Mael suddenly took on a dark form and let out a vicious energy surge at them, demolishing all previous conjurations say for the dome of gnats and locusts. "Dammit, put up an ice shield!" Hans said. This thing they were facing now? It wasn't his brother anymore. Quickly she sent one up swiftly, and they crouched behind it, hearts pounding. "See this? This is loss of control. In one sense. When you don't see you're hurting others, or you do see it but can't bring yourself to care, it's a form of losing control. Perhaps the most dangerous one, because you're still technically in control. That's what's happening to Mael now."

"What's wrong with him? How can we stop it?!" Elsa demanded. Hans was quiet. He didn't know. Another energy surge was released. Wicked snarling of some dark creature not of the known world was heard. Hans paled. Oh boy. Suddenly the ice shield they were behind was struck and began cracking. One more strike and it shattered.

"Move!" Hans exclaimed, seizing her hand and bolting with Elsa as it collapsed over them, sharp and jagged shards and edges falling towards the two. There was a drop nearby. Hans, catching sight of it, made it their destination. It would serve as something of a trench in which to take cover. From most things, at least.

They dove down into the nearby bank and pressed themselves into it, panting for breath. As the otherworldly roars sounded from the creatures Mael was calling forth, the two gritted their teeth and waited, trying to figure things out. Trying to stay calm. "There were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers. They were all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered their muskets and looked straight ahead of them, splendid in their uniforms, all red and blue," Hans murmured half to himself and half to her.

Elsa looked curiously at him then peered over at Mael. It sounded like a random ramble. But was it? Or was Hans referring to his family? Who could say? Hans, for his part, listened closely for the sound of his brother. Could they keep on running and hiding until Mael stopped? He honestly didn't know. He didn't know if Mael would stop.

Elsa ducked down again. "We can't keep running," she said.

"Wanna bet?" Hans asked.

She frowned at him. "It's only a matter of time before he catches us, either the beast or Mael," she argued.

"We have no choice but to hide," Hans said.

"How about we fight?!" Elsa snapped. "Sit here and cower all you please, Hans, but I'm going to stop this."

"Elsa wait, you don't know what he's capable of!" Hans exclaimed, seizing her arm.

She jerked roughly away. "But I know what I'm capable of," she replied. "Mostly."

"If you go out there you'll die!" Hans sharply said.

"If we stay here and do nothing, we both die!" she retorted. "I have to do this, Hans. I have to. Let go. I can take care of myself."

He was silent, watching her and obviously reluctant to let her go. Finally, however, he released her arm. "Don't make me regret this," he said to her.

"What do you have to regret?" she replied coldly.

Rising, she raced out onto the field again. Hans watched after her with worried eyes and looked up at Mael, floating in the air now. "Everything," he whispered after her. But right now he had to believe. Time to think up a plan while she played distraction. Hmm... This might work.

Frozen

Elsa gritted her teeth, unleashing her powers to keep Mael's back. She was rash in doing this, she knew she was, but she couldn't sit by and do nothing! She closed her eyes, feeling dizzy. Lars was gaining ground. She let out a powerful surge of her abilities with a cry and fell to her knees, spent and panting for breath. Mael, recovering from the blow, saw her weakened state and threw out a powerful surge again, in the form of a Phoenix rising from the ashes. It screeched, diving at her maliciously. Elsa looked up and caught her breath.

Suddenly Hans raced forward and slid to a stop between her and Lars's attack. He held his sword out width wise and the Phoenix crashed into it, shattering with a shriek all around. "Hans!" Elsa screamed. The sword sent a surge of agony though the Prince's hand, and with a cry of pain he dropped it, holding said hand. It was bleeding, he noted. Badly. He looked back at Mael with a hurt and worried expression.

Mael's gaze fixed on him. "Keep out of the way, Chameleon Prince. This is not your affair," the man warned.

Hans tensed at the nickname, but didn't back down. "Enough!" he shouted at his brother.

"Get out of my way!" Mael roared at him, sending forth another energy surge in the form of a swarm of furies. Hans stiffened. He had no blade this time.

"I won't let you do this anymore! Come back, Lars, Come back!" Hans called to his sibling.

Mael started at the use of his given name. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Never call me that," he growled darkly.

"You're going to kill yourself!" Hans shot. Or him, or Elsa.

"Who is to say I don't want that?" Mael darkly questioned. Hans felt his heart dropping on hearing this. "Traitorous Prince, get out of my way," Mael warned.

"Sorcerer Prince, forget it," Hans answered with a scoff. Immediately he fired at Mael with his gun, purposely missing. Mael let out an enraged growl and lashed out at Hans. Hans moved quickly. At least his brother's focus was on him now and not Elsa.

"You can't face me, Hans!" Mael shot. "You never could! Always good, never good enough. A stranger to yourself. Battling a darker side. Torn within your heart and mind over so many other things. What use is fighting me? You have nothing to live for anymore! Give up, little brother. Crawl into that ditch you clambered out of and die! This is not your business! Only in death will you have respite."

"Damn you!" Hans screamed at his brother furiously, anguish briefly reflecting in his eyes. He gasped as the shock wave of an impacting attack caught him, throwing him back. He cried out in pain, striking his head off the ground with a resounding crack and sliding. He groaned, slowly sitting up. He hissed in pain, gingerly touching the spot he'd stuck. He took his gloved hand from his head and started. Blood. Dammit. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as it seemed. The fact he felt suddenly woozy wasn't testament to that hope, though. He staggered up and wavered dizzily. He inwardly cursed again. Mael bitterly chuckled. He suddenly cried out in pain as an ice spike struck him a glancing blow. Viciously he whirled to look at the one who'd attacked.

"Are you okay?" Elsa called to Hans.

"Fine," Hans answered. He looked at Mael, who was charging up another dark energy wave to fire at the queen. "For now," he added under his breath. Mael let the dark attack go towards Elsa, a creature in the form of a bull, and Hans lunged immediately. He slid in between the bull and Elsa and looked sharply at his brother. Mael would know he couldn't survive this one. Mael would act. He hoped.

"Hans!" Elsa exclaimed.

Mael's eyes flew open wide in a moment of terror and recognition. He let out a pained cry, suddenly reabsorbing the dark energy into his own body. All around him the dome of locusts and gnats crashed down, entering into his soul again at a breakneck pace. Mael dropped to the ground with a cry, holding his head. Everything re-entered his body and a shockwave went out from him. Hans planted himself firmly in place, covering his face with an arm and bracing for the impact of the shockwave. There was a sound of something forming. He looked quickly up. Elsa had raised a barrier! The shockwave tented off of it, leaving him and her unscathed… Then there was silence…

Frozen

Hans, heart pounding, panted for breath and looked at his sibling kneeling on the ground, breathing quickly but seemingly unscathed. He turned around to look at his saviour in surprise. Elsa. His eyes widened. She was wavering! With a sigh she suddenly fell towards the ground, drained. "Elsa!" Hans exclaimed, racing back and catching her before she hit, gently lowering her down. She opened her eyes, looking at him, then sighed, closing them again. Hans looked quickly towards Mael, who was rising shakily to his feet. The elder prince blinked at the scene, then slowly approached his little brother and the queen. "Well played. Both of you," he murmured to Hans.

"I'm just glad you remembered who I was," Hans answered.

"Of course I did," Mael tiredly said, shaking his head and looking at Elsa. "Come. We need to get her inside."

Hans looked down at her. "Will she… she'll be okay, right?" he asked.

"She should be," Mael answered.

Hans was quiet. "Someone should… someone should get Edvard…" he muttered softly.

Mael was quiet. "Bring her inside," he said. Hans didn't move. Soon, though, the youngest sighed and picked her up bridal style, bringing her inside according to his brother's order. She stirred slightly and he tightened his grip on her reassuringly. They came to her bedroom and Hans laid her gently on the bed. He stepped back so Mael could tend to her.

Mael looked her over carefully. "She'll recover," he soon said. "She just needs to rest."

Hans hung his head. "I'll… I'll ride to get Edvard…" he said. He believed the man was in the woods with a hunting party. He looked at her again. "You'll be alright, my queen," he murmured to Elsa.

She shifted slightly. He looked down and started to pull away. Her hand reached out suddenly, catching the sleeve of his coat. He stopped and looked back. Her eyes were open partially. "Stay," she whispered to him.

He bowed his head. "I can't," he answered.

"Please," she pled. "You can't ride a horse in your condition."

"I will ride to get Edvard," Mael stated. "Stay, Hans. Watch over her. Tell a story. Keep her awake as best you can in case there was a head injury." He looked his brother over. "Like yours," he added. "You stay awake too."

"Mael, I can't just…" Hans began. Mael was already out of the room. Hans blinked after him then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He pulled a chair up to the bedside and stayed there, watching over her. "Fine," he said to her. "So then… a story?"

"I'm listening," she said, looking over at him.

Frozen

Hans was quiet, thinking of what tale to tell. After a moment, he began. "There were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers. They were all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered their muskets and looked straight ahead of them, splendid in their uniforms, all red and blue.

The very first thing in the world that they heard was, 'Tin soldiers!' A small boy shouted it and clapped his hands as the lid was lifted off their box on his birthday. He immediately set them up on the table.

All the soldiers looked exactly alike except one. He looked a little different as he had been cast last of all. The tin was short, so he had only one leg. But there he stood, as steady on one leg as any of the other soldiers on their two. But just you see, he'll be the remarkable one…" Hans began, trailing off as he felt his eyelids drooping. He blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake, but it was a little hard to. "He'll be the remarkable one…" he repeated in a murmur. That was how he had always tried to feel as the thirteenth, disillusioning himself into believing he was worth something… Just you see, he'll be remarkable one… And he had been… He had been… In all the wrong ways…

"Hey, stay awake," Elsa said softly to him.

Hans looked at her a moment then sighed, nodding. It would be so much easier to sleep. "On the table with the soldiers were many other playthings, and one that no eye could miss was a marvelous castle of cardboard. It had little windows through which you could look right inside. And in front of the castle were miniature trees around a little mirror supposed to represent a lake. The wax swans that swam on its surface were reflected in the mirror. All this was very pretty, but prettiest of all was the little lady who stood in the open doorway of the castle. Though she was a paper doll, she wore a dress of the fluffiest gauze. A tiny blue ribbon went over her shoulder for a scarf, and in the middle of it shone a spangle that was as big as her face. The little lady held out both her arms, as a ballet dancer does, and one leg was lifted so high behind her that the tin soldier couldn't see it at all, and he supposed she must have only one leg, as he did." Elsa giggled a little. Hans smirked, chuckling too.

"Go on," she prompted.

"'That would be a wife for me,' he thought. 'But maybe she's too grand. She lives in a castle. I have only a box, with four-and-twenty roommates to share it. That's no place for her. But I must try to make her acquaintance.' Still as stiff as when he stood at attention, he lay down on the table behind a snuffbox, where he could admire the dainty little dancer who kept standing on one leg without ever losing her balance.

When the evening came the other tin soldiers were put away in their box, and the people of the house went to bed. Now the toys began to play among themselves at visits, and battles, and at giving balls. The tin soldiers rattled about in their box, for they wanted to play too, but they could not get the lid open. The nutcracker turned somersaults, and the slate pencil squeaked out jokes on the slate. The toys made such a noise that they woke up the canary bird, who made them a speech, all in verse. The only two who stayed still were the tin soldier and the little dancer. Without ever swerving from the tip of one toe, she held out her arms to him, and the tin soldier was just as steadfast on his one leg. Not once did he take his eyes off her.

Then the clock struck twelve and – clack! – up popped the lid of the snuffbox. But there was no snuff in it, no. Out bounced a little black bogey, a jack-in-the-box. 'Tin soldier,' he said. 'Will you please keep your eyes to yourself?' The tin soldier pretended not to hear. The bogey said, 'Just you wait till tomorrow.'"

Elsa frowned. This didn't sound good. "What happened then?"

"I'm getting there," Hans replied, smirking. "But when morning came, and the children got up, the soldier was set on the window ledge. And whether the bogey did it, or there was a gust of wind, all of a sudden the window flew open and the soldier pitched out headlong from the third floor. He fell at breathtaking speed and landed cap first, with his bayonet buried between the paving stones and hi one leg suck straight in the air. The housemaid and the little boy ran down to look for him and, though they nearly stepped on the tin soldier, they walked right past without seeing him. If the soldier had called, 'Here I am!' they would surely have found him, but he thought it contemptible to raise an uproar while he was wearing his uniform."

"Not a very good reason," Elsa deadpanned.

"No, it wasn't," Hans admitted. "Soon it began to rain. The drops fell faster and faster, until they came down by the bucketful. As soon as the rain let up, along came two young rapscallions. 'Hi, look!' one of them said, 'there's a tin soldier. Let's send him sailing.' They made a boat out of newspaper, put the tin soldier in the middle of it, and away he went down the gutter with the two young rapscallions running beside him and clapping their hands. High heavens! How the waves splashed, and how fast the water ran down the gutter. Don't forget that it had just been raining by the bucketful. The paper boat pitched, and tossed, and sometimes it whirled about so rapidly that it made the soldier's head spin. But he stood as steady as ever. Never once flinching, he kept his eyes front, and carried his gun shoulder-high. Suddenly the boast rushed under a long plank where the gutter was boarded over. It was as dark as the soldier's own box.

'Where can I be going?' the soldier wondered. 'This must be that black bogey's revenge. Ah! If only I had the little lady with me, it could be twice as dark here for all that I would care.'

Out popped a great water rat who lived under the gutter plank. 'Have you a passport?' said the rat. 'Hand it over.' The soldier kept quiet and held his musket tighter. On rushed the boat, and the rat came right after it, gnashing his teeth as he called to the sticks and straws: 'Halt him! Stop him! He didn't pay his toll. He hasn't shown his passport!' But the current ran stronger and stronger. The soldier could see daylight ahead where the board ended, but he also heard a roar that would frighten the bravest of us. Hold on! Right at the end of that gutter plank the water poured into a great canal. It was as dangerous to him as a waterfall would be to us. He was so near it he could not possibly stop. The boat plunged into the whirlpool. The poor tin soldier stood as staunch as he could, and no one can say that he so much as blinked an eye. Thrice and again the boat spun around. It filled to the top and was bound to sink. The water was up to his neck and still the boat went down, deeper, deeper, deeper, and the paper got soft and limp. Then the water rushed over his head. He thought of the pretty little dancer whom he'd never see again, and in his ears rang an old, old song:

Farewell, farewell, O warrior brave,

Nobody can from Death thee save."

Elsa listened, fully attentive. "What happened to him?" she questioned quickly.

Hans smiled softly. "And now the paper boat broke beneath him, and the soldier sank right through. And just at that moment he was swallowed by a most enormous fish. My! How dark it was inside that fish. It was darker than under the gutter-plank and it was so cramped, but the tin soldier still as staunch. He lay there full length, soldier fashion, with musket to shoulder. Then the fish flopped and floundered in a most unaccountable way. Finally it was perfectly still, and after a while something struck through him like a flash of lightning. The tin soldier saw daylight again, and he heard a voice say, 'The Tin Soldier!' The fish had been caught, carried to market, bought, and brought to a kitchen where the cook cut him open with her big knife.

She picked the soldier up bodily between her two fingers, and carried him off upstairs. Everyone wanted to see this remarkable traveler who had traveled about in a fish's stomach, but the tin soldier took no pride in it. They put him on the table and lo and behold, what curious things can happen in this wold. There he was, back in the same room as before! He saw the same children, the same toys were on the table, and there was the same fine castle with the pretty little dancer. She still balanced on one leg, with the other raised high. She too was steadfast. That touched the soldier so deeply that he would have cried tin tears, only soldiers never cry. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and never a word was said…"

"It's beautiful… What happens to them? Is this another happily ever after? You're getting into a rut, your Grace," Elsa said, smirking. Hans was quiet, expression solemn. A worried frown pulled at her mouth. "Hans?" Hans tensed and looked up at her. "What happens to them?" she asked, now starting to dread the reply.

"Soon enough you'll wish I was in a rut," he answered. He trailed off, looking up, then at her once more. "They die," he said. Elsa felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"What?" she asked.

"They die," he repeated, looking down. "Not every story has a happily ever after, does it…?"

"But… but how?" she asked.

"Just as things were going so nicely for them, one of the little boys snatched up the tin soldier and threw him into the stove. He did it for no reason at all. That black bogey in the snuffbox must have put him up to it. The tin soldier stood there dressed in flames. He felt a terrible heat, but whether it came from the flames or from his love he didn't know. He'd lost his splendid colors, maybe from his hard journey, maybe from grief, nobody can say. He looked at the little lady, and she looked at him, and he felt himself melting. But still he stood steadfast, with his musket held trim on his shoulder. Then the door blew open. A puff of wind struck the dancer. She flew like a sylph, straight into the fire with the soldier, blazed up in a flash, and was gone. The tin soldier melted, all in a lump. The next day, when a servant took up the ashes, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But of the pretty dancer nothing was left except her spangle, and it was burned as black as a coal," he finished.

Elsa looked down. "It's sad…" she murmured after a moment.

"I know," Hans answered. "Sometimes there is no happily ever after…"

Elsa was quiet, looking out the window. "I know the feeling," she admitted, rubbing her arms. Hans nodded. "But it isn't about the ending. It's about the journey," she added.

Hans tilted his head curiously. He… liked that, actually. "Then let the journey never end," he answered. She smiled gently at him. They were too close, she suddenly realized, and drew back a little ways. As did he.

Meanwhile

Mael rode the distance towards the forest and where he suspected the location of the hunting camp to be. As he trotted through the woods, a voice called out, "Who goes there?!"

"Mael of the Southern Isles!" Mael called back. "I seek Sir Edvard!"

"Come then, Prince Mael," the voice called back. A figure stepped into sight, Harald Scharff, Mael was pleased to see, and took to leading him to where Edvard was.

Edvard looked up from his place, muttering with an obviously distracted Duke Carl over a hunting strategy, only to see Mael enter the tent. "Prince Mael? Why are you here?" Edvard asked, surprised.

"It's… It's Elsa, my friend. She isn't hurt, not badly, but… we went through a training session that got a little out of hand and dangerous. She exhausted her strength with her powers and is very weak and tired now. We thought it only right to find you and inform you. No doubt you want to be at her side through this. I haven't told any of the others, say for you, Carl, and Harald, because she is very fond of you." That, and Iscawin was out of camp it seemed. He would have to learn a little later.

Concern filled Edvard's eyes. "Take me to her," he immediately and worriedly said, swiftly going to Mael.

"Lars, are you and Hans alright?" Harald worriedly asked.

"I'm recovering. I need to get back and check on Hans to be double sure. He sustained a head-wound, but it seemed relatively minor. Still, in case he gave himself a concussion I need to keep an eye on him," Mael answered.

"Dammit," Carl said with a breath. "Harald and I, and whatever brothers of yours are still here or returning to this camp, will ride behind you when all is settled. For now, get Edvard to Elsa's side."

"I will," Mael answered, bowing to the Duke then quickly leading Edvard out.

Frozen

"Don't fall asleep," Elsa coaxed, noting Hans drifting off. "Not yet." She was almost asleep too, but there was less risk to her as she slept than there was to him.

He blinked tiredly up at her, weakly lifting his head. "I want to," he answered.

"You can't," she replied. "Stay awake. That's an order."

Hans chuckled tiredly, cracking a weak smirk. "If you command, my queen," he answered, bowing his head to her. He fought to hold on to consciousness… Oh he felt so tired…

"Hans!" a voice called from downstairs, startling him awake. Mael. He had returned with Edvard.

"Elsa!" Edvard worriedly called out. Footsteps were racing towards the room. Hans sighed and forced his body to cooperate and get him to his feet. He turned to the doorway just as it was thrown open and Edvard and Mael hurried in. "Elsa," Edvard gasped, going to her and kneeling at her bedside, taking her hands in his. She smiled affectionately at him.

"I'm okay," she reassured.

Hans looked quickly away, closing his eyes. "Come, brother. We have to tend to you. Again. The things you get into," Mael said with a hopeless shake of his head. "It's a miracle you made it to adulthood."

"I know," Hans replied. He turned to Elsa. "Rest well and recover, your majesty… You have mastered your gift. Or at least have come very close now." Elsa watched after the two princes as they left, then turned to Edvard with a smile less enthusiastic than it had been before. She didn't question why that was so. Perhaps because she was afraid to see the reason for it...