Elsa smirked, rolling over. Hans lay asleep across the bed from her. Marriage was proving... pleasant.
She giggled. Her whole life she'd believed there was someone out there who was coming to take away the loneliness. When Anna had claimed she would be the first to do so, Elsa had been... doubtful. With the mental blocks in her mind gone, Elsa had to come to one conclusion; Hans was the one for her.
The weird part was, she loved him because he had loved her for so long. He had loved her before meeting her, had fought for her and her interests time and time again, always treading a careful line between saving her and keeping her safe from himself.
In his sleep, Hans kicked his legs like a dog. Elsa let out another giggle. There was so much she had learned about him...
"You've never been afraid of me, have you?" She asked him. His response was just to lie there and sleep. The queen brushed his hair from his face.
Hans was different now. But in a sense, he was the same person she had known all along; an underhanded murderer who would do anything. But now he would do anything to protect the one he loved.
She walked over to the chess board, and looked at the pieces left. Hans had played hard, taking as many kisses as he could get before they ran into a problem; stalement. There weren't enough pieces left to win or lose.
She kept the board this way to remind her what had brought them together. Life, after all was... difficult. People were little more than pieces moving across the board. Frozen heart, warm hearts... did it matter?
Strong arms encircled her waist.
"When I was young... I would dream about holding you in my arms," Hans murmured, "And I always wondered what it would be like to touch a snowflake that didn't melt in my hands."
He kissed her. She let out a sigh and fingered the ring she had gotten from Sophia.
"Who said I wouldn't melt."
He smiled, "Go to bed. You're tired."
"And you?"
"...are quite sure that the drainpipe outside your window hasn't been dealt with. I want to know how Gunther got in here last time, and make sure it won't happen again." He stared out the window, "Elsa... I-"
She cut him off, "Hans... I know."
He gave her a questioning look, "I... loved you, always. But why do you love me?"
Elsa didn't even turn around, "Because... someone promised that I would always be loved. Even though he's not around to follow through on his promise, I know you're the fulfillment of it."
The queen went to bed, assured that all was right in the world. She was happy, loved, safe, and a mother.
Hans went over to the chess board, his heart filled with an unfamiliar warm feeling. All those years playing games to get ahead. Trying to 'win'. What did he learn?
He put his finger on the black king, and tipped it over. The pipe could wait until morning. It was dark out, just starting to lighten, and he was as tired as a dog.
the end
(For those of you who are wondering, tipping your king in chess means you surrender.)