Frozen Hearts

By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty

Chapter 25- A road to redemption

Sitting at the Orken's pub, in the middle of consuming his fourth peg of wine, Hans tried to replay the whole thing in his mind.

His initial meeting with Duke was accidental. Hans was young and immature, and had been subjected to a public humiliation by his brother Henry. His fiancée called him a loser. She preferred Henry over him because he possessed more share of their father's company than him. And it made him desperate. He was eager to prove himself to the world, he wanted money. Then he met Duke who promised him to let himself prove to his brothers when he returned to USA. Hans was blind, he accepted it. He made his initial plan involving Anna, dreaming to become Arendelle's president one day. Then he knew Elsa being Arendelle's true heir, he planned to dispose Anna and went after her. Duke set all the plans, and fortunately it involved a business meeting between Anna and Henry. Hans knew Anna's action would make Elsa troubled, and he knew what to do.

That night, the night before Anna's accident, Sofia came to his flat, threatening him to tell Anna everything about his ploy. They had a bad argument afterwards, and he threatened her with a pistol. Sofia was screaming and cursing, and the next thing he knew she was lying at his feet, lifeless with a bullet hole in her chest. Panicked, he accepted help from the only person who was by his side then- Duke Weselton, and they entered into an impossible deal in the return of his secrecy.

Hans combed his fingers roughly through his mussed ginger locks as he took another sip of his wine. The liquid burned his throat, his eyes shut tight as he tried to steady his thoughts.

Duke's plan would work if Hans remained the man who made the deal. He would not hesitate to kill Elsa the second she became a threat to his plan. He was so desperate to prove himself, and to escape prison. He was ready to do the meanest thing to save his skin. He wouldn't mind being a villain.

And then the worst thing happened.

He fell in love. Hopelessly. He never imagined he would. And it changed him.

Changed him for forever.

Unfortunately, his bullet did not kill Sofia. He never fired his gun. He deluded himself as a murderer and let himself to be sold to Duke.

He shook his head trying to think straight. All he could remember Elsa's face. The way her eyes lit up when she gazed up at him. Love was a dangerous thing.

He stilled, suddenly, and his hands fell from his hair to rest around the back of his neck. "I was blackmailed." he said. "Can you imagine I was blackmailed by Duke all the time?"

Rapunzel's eyes flitted away abruptly, and he knew, immediately, that she understood what he was implying. Her husband was at the counter, buying two more drinks for them. Hans called Eugene soon after his encounter with Duke, and the Fitzherbert couple came to his aid immediately.

"You can talk with Elsa." She said, sympathetically, her one hand rested on her pregnant belly.

"It will be of no use." Hans settled down his glass on the table, and shook his head helplessly. "She hates me. So does Anna. Duke made me to believe myself as a fugitive and used me against them, didn't he?" He said, his finger pointing at her accusingly. Rapunzel coiled back with a surprised gasp, and Hans blinked a few times, stunned by the menacing tone his voice took.

"Hans," she said gently, patting his arm, "Don't be so hard on yourself. People make bad choices when they are mad or scared or stressed. It was same for you too. You just made a mistake." Though she knew this friend of her husband for only a few months, but she already began to grow with him. When she heard about him from Eugene, and his scarred past, she began to feel more for him. He kind of reminded her of her lonely childhood, being shut out from everyone. He made a mistake, and was trying hard to redeem himself. He was so much like Eugene in that way.

"My mistake ruined my life." Hans poured more wine from the bottle and took a huge gulp from it.

"That weasel was fast. We're in the middle of processing your bail, but he bailed you out already." Both them startled by a voice speaking from behind. They turned to find Eugene coming towards them with a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. "Can't any of your brothers help? He asked, settling the bottles on the table.

"No," Hans chewed the inner side of his bottom lip, and watched Eugene as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "I tried to meet them, but they never let me in."

"My God!" Rapunzel gasped softly, accepting the lemonade Eugene brought for her. She wasn't allowed to have alcoholic drink at this stage of her pregnancy. "What kind brothers you have, Hans!" She said sipping from the metal can.

"Very nice!" Hans drawled sarcastically, "Henrik, Magnus and Karl pretend that I am invisible. Hagrid cut me off all the allowance after daddy's death, and Harvard threw me and mummy away. Henry wooed away my ex-fiancée. Harold wishes I never exist."

"They are a bunch of asses." Eugene grimaced, offering Hans his bottle, but Hans gently turned him down. He was the not one for strong drinks.

"Nonsense!" Eugene slumped in the coach beside him, pouring himself more, "You still act like a beginner when it comes to drinking. And act like a complete asshole when it comes to taking decisions."

Hans gazed at the amber liquid, and then back at Eugene, "I feel like I'm standing at the edge of a cliff with no way to return," he said simply.

"Then jump in, my friend," Eugene said and threw back his glass. "It will not hurt much."

"Please, a bit of sympathy here," he said, and winced when he sipped his drink. "I'm suffering major life ennui here. Please give me the details of the Kingsley's accounts, and the bank loans."

Eugene picked up his phone; the browser opened to the tabloid page, and looked at it thoughtfully. "Twenty million dollars," he said. "Although truth be told, I kind of think there is more, including the mortgaged properties." He thumb ran across the screen and he pressed his fingers against his temple, his brown eyes narrowing. "It is roughly forty millions."

Hans gasped. There was no way that Elsa or Anna could collect that much money in a short time,

"So what do you think?" Eugene put down his phone on the table, and gazed at Hans questioningly. "What you'll do?"

Finishing his drink with a painful gulp, Hans swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "I'll pay back the bank loan."

His answer made both Eugene and Rapunzel stare at him for a moment. Rapunzel's mouth hung open. Eugene teased his glass of whiskey against his teeth, but didn't take a sip, instead placing it back onto the table to rest his elbows on his knees.

"You are drunk, Hans." He said finally.

"I'm damn serious." Hans reached for his wine and emptied it in one swig. He reached for the bottle and watched the amber liquid slosh over the rim of the glass as he roughly poured.

"No, you are not," Eugene said gently. "You don't have enough money to do that."

Hans let the wine burn his throat in a steady stream. "Then help me to find a way."

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Anna had no idea how long she sat there in the waiting room, until her phone stopped ringing. She looked down at the screen. It was Kristoff. Why he didn't want to give up? Why was he coming back only to be hurt by her?

She wanted to forget him. She wanted to keep him away from her cursed life. She wanted to run away from him.

Still she missed him.

She wanted to wrap his arms around him again. She wanted to feel his lips against her own. She wanted to hold him forever, and cry her heart out. But she couldn't. It was like she was trying not to love after being burned by Hans and confused by the concept in general. She wondered if she could love anyone again.

Anna picked up the phone, ready to throw it to the wall opposite to her when a pair of feet slowed down before her. She lifted her eyes, using her hand to shield bright fluorescent light from her eyes, as she inspected him carefully.

Kristoff.

He was wearing a pair of old jeans, and a loose t- shirt which hung loosely from his shoulders. His hair was messy, and covered with dust. She thought she could smell his familiar cologne when a gust of wind tickled beneath her nose. It was like he knew that she was here, and he came here for her.

"Anna?" he said.

Was the world really that small? Or her eyes were playing another trick with her? For a split second, her feet felt rooted in the ground—then she whirled and ran, hurt and shock propelling her with unusual speed, but she still couldn't outdistance him. Kristoff caught her just as she neared the gate and pulled her back around, his hands clamped on her arms.

"I know you are here. Peebie told me. He works here." Quietly he said, still holding her arm, "I know what happened to you. You're all over the newspapers."

"Let go of me!" Anna cried, her chest heaving with each tortured breath. Her cheeks were still stained with tears, and her voice was still heavy from the cry.

"No," He said. "Not until you listen to me." He paused for a while, gazing at her for second. Anna felt that her breath caught inside her chest for a second. She never thought that she would feel that feeling again. What that feeling called? Love?

"I'm not here to say sorry." He said. "I'm here to talk with you. I'm not letting you go until you talk with me."

His words shocked Anna. She looked at his face, those brown eyes. They held the same warmth and tenderness. And love- the assurance of safety, the promise of warmth. It felt like old times again. It took her a moment to catch her breath, and she stared down at her feet as if it were the most important thing in the world. Closing her eyes tightly, she licked her lips before she spoke. "Look, Kristoff…" She took a deep breath, and waited a few minutes to speak again. She chanced a glance at him. Watched as he pursed his lips and nodded a few times, as if he was just as lost in this conversation as she was. She saw the hopeful look in his eyes, and it twisted her heart in a weird way. "I think…" She took another deep breath, looking at Elsa's cabin. She couldn't hear her cries anymore.

"I know what you think. And we need to make things clear..." Kristoff said, sighing as he clenched his jaw. "Do you maybe want to take a walk?"

There was a certain determination in his voice, and Anna knew she had no way but give up. "Yes," Finally, she found herself saying without comprehending the question.

"Well."Anna felt the pressure on her arms was released, and she rubbed her arm. Together they walked along the corridor leading towards the hospital canteen. She could feel Kristoff's keen eyes watching her, assessing her, making sure that she wouldn't run away again. When they reached the canteen, Kristoff ordered two coffees for them, and they sat together, face to face. Anna watched the way the fluorescent light reflected on his sun-blonde hair.

"I know things happened between us was a mistake." Kristoff rested his nervous hands on the table, his eyes were focused on something in the distance, "Both of us fooled ourselves into thinking it was real, to the point that we didn't know what was real anymore."

Anna tightened her grip around her body, a chill striking her that wasn't from the cold. "Kristoff, I–."

"I'm not angry." he said, the earnestness filling her with unexpected warmth.

Anna gave him a surprised look, but Kristoff continued, "I know you are upset. I know the past you discovered is much harder than the little game we played. And I know it too that after what you've gone through our relationship can't be like before. But running away doesn't solve the problem."

Anna gasped at his straightforward confession. There was no lie, no pretenses. And that was another reason which made her to feel guiltier. But he was right. Running away wouldn't solve the problem, not when both of them had feelings for each other, and were well aware of it.

"I'm sorry I've not answered you texts," Anna said, finally.

He laughed again, lifting a hand to scratch behind his ear. "I know. You're busy." Then he looked into her eyes, and asked, "How is your sister?"

"She will survive." she looked at her hands, and examined them for a while.

"I'm sorry about what happened to her."

The coffee had arrived, and Kristoff offered her a cup. Anna took a sip from the paper cup, and looked at the man sitting opposite to her. How different he was from Hans. Maybe he lacked his addictive charm, but he had a charm of his own, and that was his simplicity. She felt that he was watching her too. Their eyes met and she found it hard to breath. She looked away, her voice catching in her throat.

"How are you?" She asked, almost unceremoniously.

Kristoff sipped from his own cup, and shrugged. "I'm good. I'm better now," he smiled.

"How is Sven?"

"He is good too. Just misses you."

"And Grandma Bulda?"

"She is worried."

"Oh!" Anna smiled and sipped her coffee. It was too hot. So she put the cup down, and looked at him. His blonde bangs were falling over his forehead, and she felt a strange urge to touch them. His feet were only an inch away from her under the table. They were sitting so close, yet none of them dared to cross the distance. It was hard and awkward after the passion they had shared only a month ago. She could feel the worries about saving her papa's property almost consuming her every thoughts. Her every happiness….. Kristoff probably sensed her worries too, because he asked, "Anna?"

Anna was so much consumed with her own thoughts, that she hadn't heard his question. She jolted back to the reality when Kristoff's hands touched hers.

"I'm also here for another reason." he said, stopping her from her thought.

"What reason?" Anna was puzzled; her fingers were tingling from his touch.

"To help you to collect money for the repaying your bank loans." He grinned almost nervously, opening his backpack, and settling down a DSLR camera on the table. "I heard you're a great photographer. Peebie wants to hold your solo exhibition in the Valley of Living Rocks Gallery. All the money that will come from selling your photographs will be yours."

Anna couldn't determine whether she should feel happy or sad, whether to kiss him or punch him. She looked at the camera on the table, and lifted her gaze to meet his, his brown eyes twinkling from the light above their heads, and his soft lips lifting into a half grin. She felt her heart catch in her throat, and tears welled up from her eyes.

"Do you like the idea?" He asked.

She looked into his eyes. They were narrowed with the grin he was trying to prevent from appearing. She felt overwhelmed by the urge to touch him. To rest her head against the warmth of his chest and feel his strong arm wrap around her waist. To feel the soft sweetness of his lips on hers. The more she wanted to avoid him, the more she longed for his touch. She loved his simplicity, his awkwardness, his little mistakes, everything.

"Very much," she choked out, "I'm taking the contract."

Kristoff's eyebrow arched curiously, and he watched her carefully for a moment before finally saying, "Okay." His eyes seemed to appraise her and his mouth tilted into a wider grin. "It was really nice seeing you again, Anna."

He finished his coffee and settled the cup on the table. Anna watched him to push back his chair and rise from his seat. He was about to head towards the door, when the words slipped desperately from her lips. "Kristoff, I missed you too."

Kristoff paused and spun around. Anna's heart was racing in her chest, desperately wishing that he hadn't heard her declaration. But when their eyes met, she saw the smile there, and she could help but smile in return.

"I don't – I'm not sure," she admitted. "But maybe we will – maybe we will have an excellent time together."

"I'd be looking forward for it," He said. His eyes fell to her lips, and the breath caught in her throat. Hoping he would kiss her, but relieved when he offered one last curt nod, saying, "See you, Anna." before he stepped out of the canteen.

Elsa was asleep when Anna returned to Elsa's cabin. She looked exhausted from all the cry and pain. Dry tears stained her cheeks, and her face was as pale as the bed in which she was lying. Anna sighed, and settled down the camera on the bedside cabinet, and walked beside her. Even her face hinted pain in her sleep.

One mistake! Just one mistake led both of them here. She sat beside her bed, and brushed back a stray hair from her face. She wouldn't let her sister suffer anymore. She would do anything for her to make her smile again. Even it meant sacrificing herself.

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on her sleeping sister's forehead. "Everything will be alright, Elsa." She whispered, leaning her forehead against hers. "I'll make it alright for you."

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