The iceman's sharp cry cut through the air faster than Katharine's sword could, happening so quickly that it had no change in the direction things were going. He would die for Hans. He was ready to do it, and knew what would happen to him, but Kristoff didn't care. The prince had given up everything for him, it was time to pay him back, using the very curse that plagued the both of them.
He threw his hand up to block the sword, his fingers rough and grey as the sword gained momentum. The burning heat faded from his chest momentarily as the heat blackened his heart like a steak left on the grill too long. The pain was little compared to what Hans would feel if he hadn't moved at all.
The grey, flaky texture climbed his chest like a wildfire, the flesh melding to solid ashes. His insides felt hollow as it spread throughout his body. The man's clothes frozen in a sheet of gray while his vision blurred to blackness. Kristoff's choked scream faded to nothingness as a blast of pure heat broke free from his body, leaving him a shell of congealed ash.
The sword glowed a molten orange like it was in a blacksmith's kelm as it continued to descend, the molten metal striking the tip of the dying mans fingers, solidified for the moment; enough so to leave a deathly whistling noise as the molten metal fell to pieces. Katharine's mocking and maddening smile disappeared as the sword broke, the blast of pure energy flinging the queen back into the mast of the ship, knocked out again. Only this time, a steady stream of blood began falling from the back of her head, the singed ash brown hair now matted with scarlet.
Kristoff's gaze was frozen in horror like a victim of Medusa, his irises glowing like two coals for a matter of five seconds before fading; a smoky cloud filtering from his open mouth, his soul escaping his frozen body.
Terror gripped Elsa as she watched in silence, her friend gone forever; sacrificing himself for Hans. She didn't even notice when Olaf walked up to her, nuzzling her shoulder. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as Pedar moved in with Olaf, gripping her shoulder softly as the reindeer began to lick her tears dry like when she was a little girl.
Hans held his sadness in, knowing Katharine was behind him. But he didn't care. In his eyes, it was a life for a life, one he would trade for his deceased friend.
Imagine his shock when nothing happened, a whooshing sound colliding with his back. He opened his eyes, still seeing the black glass in front of him. Hans lifted a hand to his forehead, wondering if this was all some horrible nightmare, and that he would wake up in his bed, on Erik's coronation day. He wished that was it.
But it wasn't.
The prince took all his courage to turn his head, and when he did, he saw a grey hand only a few inches from his back. It was rough and black, the palm engraved down to the smallest detail. Hans' tears ceased, the frown forming into a gasp of pure shock. Kristoff was gone, and this was all that was left, the statue of ash blocking him from the psychopathic queen. "Kristoff!" Hans cried as he stood up, facing the god like statue.
Every detail was beautiful. His muscled chest and arms, his hair graceful and thick, his face frozen in fear, protecting him. The prince felt his throat swell shut, the loss breaking into him for the third time. But there was no return from this. His curse had killed a man, and not just any man; Kristoff. The one person who never gave up on him, stood by his side, irritated him into hysterics crossing the boundaries he'd erected, was dead. The proof stood in front of him, so delicate and weak Hans feared touching it. "Kristoff; no," Hans' voice cracked. "No, please;"
But when he did, it didn't break, fall, or flake. It stayed strong; like the real Kristoff. The expression dug into his skin, tears brimming in his brown eyes. The prince couldn't bare to look, tears streaming down his red cheeks as he collapsed onto the ash statue, pressing his face into the shoulder, the surface becoming spongy from his crying. His shoulders shook in heavy sobs, unsure what to say or do.
Ashley, now reformed, waddled up on the group, her eyes sad and dormant. "Kristoff?" She wondered aloud, her once smiling face drooping into a frown.
And for the first time in a long time, the world was still…
Kristoff felt light, free, his body growing smaller and smaller as he forced his eyes open, his skin a normal shade, the pain gone from his heart, and memories restored. The world was bright, silent, absolutely still.
Looking around, there were clouds, and two people standing in front of him. A man and a woman. The woman was thin, wispy, and pale with soft grey eyes. Her crystal blonde hair was loosely braided, reaching down to her waist in two bubble pigtails. The man was large, had broad shoulders, brown hair and goatee streaked with bits of grey, his brown eyes elated. Both were dressed in traditional Sami mountain wear, elaborate detailed stitched into the gatki and coats. And both had smiles on their faces.
Henrik and Gidda, his parents.
Kristoff had spent years thinking about what they would be doing up here after they died, probably happy to be together again. But surprisingly, they looked in wonderful condition despite how they ended. No words were spoken between them for a moment, Kristoff running to them and hugging them both as tight as he could.
Gidda stroked his hair lovingly, Henrik hugging him just as he once did. "Kristoff," His father said after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "What are you doing here?" He asked as the three broke from the hug, Gidda tearing up at the sight of her son.
"I-I'm… dead." Kristoff stuttered.
"You may be, but it's not your time yet." Henrik frowned at him.
Kristoff looked down, seeing his body encased in ash, Hans draped over him, Elsa and Ashley staring in awe. It was so close, yet so far. "But," He started. "I want to be here; with you."
Gidda stroked his cheek, smiling as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Kristoff, we are always with you. You belong with them, with Hans." She blinked the tears away, embracing Kristoff again, planting a kiss on his neck.
"You need him," Henrik held his shoulder. "Just like he needs you." He nodded.
Kristoff felt broken, his mind blank and confused. "He's never needed me-" But Gidda hushed him. "Kristoff, your ties with him have, and will remain strong for as long as the two of you are alive. Without you, he will never be happy." She said softly.
The iceman ran his fingers through his hair, which was blonde again. "And neither will you, my son." Henrik added. "We will always have a place in your heart. Gidda and I will be fine. With any luck, you won't see us again for a long time." He chuckled and patted his son on the back.
"But; this is all I ever wanted." Kristoff looked sadly into his families eyes. Both Henrik and Gidda gave him a look that called his bluff.
"This is not what you want, dear. You love Hans, and the sooner you go back to him, the better your life can be." Gidda grinned at him understandingly.
Kristoff frowned, but nodded. The family embraced one last time before Kristoff blinked, and he felt them slipping away, his soul coming back to his body, the warmth replaced by a comforting cool flash…
The soft cold enveloped his heart, balancing out the searing heat, the love he held within him cooling his body to a safe degree. Kristoff felt the warmth dimming from hellish to comforting, the ashy cover dissipating from his chest outwards. Hans was still draped over him like a shroud, protecting him from anything like a friend should, shaking with quiet sobs. He felt the last bit of Hans' magic leaving his soul, the grey streak in his fringe glowing bright to a golden blonde. A tingling sensation entered his left shoulder as the blotch-like scar healed itself, fading back to a milky white skin. The fire was out, and with a breeze of cold air Kristoff held the warmth of the prince, breathing a breath and drawing his outstretched hand back to his side, shock and awe setting in as Hans felt the iceman move.
He looked up at Kristoff, his hands gripping his forearm and shoulder. "Kristoff?!" Hans gasped and broke into a smile. He threw his arms around his friend in a tight hug, never wanting to let go. Kristoff graciously accepted the hug, not remembering the last time they had hugged.
A sigh escaped the prince's lips, relief flooding his system. He was okay. Kristoff was okay.
"I'm glad your back Hans." Kristoff sighed as he placed his head on the prince's shoulders, the coal jacket not staining his face like it had others.
They let go after what felt like years, Hans still gripping the icemans hands tight. "You sacrificed yourself for me?" He asked in awe at Kristoff's sincerity.
Kristoff took a deep breath and smiled, ready to admit what he had denied all his life, like GIdda had told him. "I love you." He said looking into the princes eyes. Said eyes opened wide with surprise, then melted into an understanding and reciprocating gaze. Hans smiled softly at his friend, not needing to express his feelings in any verbal way. It was obvious how he felt.
Elsa chuckled from where she stood, Pedar still holding tight to her. "Come here you;" She turned to her lover and pulled him into a kiss.
Ashley giggled and Hans looked down to her. "An act of true love can quell the flames!" She repeated Grand Pabbies warning with a giddy tone.
Hans let go of Kristoff and looked around him, at all the destruction he'd caused. The harbor was covered in glass and ash, the sun covered by his smoke, forests ravaged by his fires. Volcano caused by his emotions. What if this bond was just what was needed? Was the answer really that simple?
"Love can quell," He looked down at the little ashgirl, her endearing smile as innocent as ever.
"Hans?" Kristoff asked in a concerned tone.
"Love," The prince said again. "Of course!" He lifted his hands up in focus and happiness, a confident smile entering his face.
"Love!" Hans repeated and threw his hands up, the ash and smoke scattering from where they rested to his commands.
Kristoff looked down in awe as the obsidian glass began to thin, a red glow coming from beneath Hans and him as the prince focused his gift, the heat and smoke dissipating quickly with his control. Elsa and Pedar took a cautionary step back, Olaf noticing the transformation and trying unsuccessfully to catch a glowing ember like it was a snowflake.
Ashley squealed with joy as the glow grew, the individual chunks of basalt and obsidian crumpling into chunks and dust as it floated above to Hans. As the glassy surface dissipated, the hot air fell to a colder temperature and water began to appear in the bay once more, and the six of them watched the burned ship loose its black color and dryness at it floated to right itself in the filling harbor as the ships that were now free from their glassy prison.
Every piece of ash every created by Hans out of fear was being pulled back to him, the burned trees and dry forests springing to life again as the cooler air returned, the countryside flashing green from above as the winter began to return. The city and castle were affected too, the hot air and smoke receding back to its source as the townspeople looked up in awe at the sudden transformation. The volcano by the west wing of the palace receded back underwater, the fires of the roof extinguishing at if never having happened.
The prince smiled, satisfied when every flake of ash and every inch of smoke was high above him. Orchestrating into the shape of a circle before Hans allowed it to dissipate away naturally in a matter of seconds, no remnants of the heatwave remaining in the area besides the radical group. "I knew you could do it." Kristoff smiled and patted Hans' shoulder. Four people, a talking sculpture of ash, and a reindeer.
Well, five people.
Katharine stirred from where she lay, her hair shortened, but back to normal, and jagged and blotched scars where the burns once were. She was still a complete mess, yet slightly less than she was only five minutes earlier.
The ship was left floating like all the rest of them. The world was right, the heatwave was over. Her plan had failed, just as Kristoff had said. And, also as he said, when Hans found out she would pay. The queen groaned and stood up, rubbing her cheek where the third degree burn had been, her eyes bloodshot. The iceman looked at his prince, whose eyes were dark and angry.
Hans shot a blast of fire from his hand directly at the queen, who screamed and backed up to the end rail before she toppled back over it and into the marina, the splash heard well from where they all were.
"That;" Hans laughed. "Felt great." He grinned.
"Hands down, this is the best day of my life," Ashley smiled happily at the pair as a sharp gust blew across the ship's deck, speckled ashes flying away like snow powder. "And quite possibly the last." Her body beginning to disintegrate in the wind.
"Ashley; hang on." Hans gave a wave of his hand at the ashgirl, a small glow entered her speckled torso, the ash that was scattering reassembling to her body and head. "And:" The prince nodded and lifted his hand up, a red, glowing scarf wrapping out of her neck from the cold air. "So you don't get too cold for-"
"Snow!" The little sculpture squealed as snow began to fall over the area, a white dusting soon covering everything in a flawless, light layer of crystallized ice.
Kristoff felt that invisible barrier between the two shatter and break as he hugged Hans again, peeking over at Elsa and Pedar, who were kissing passionately. All in time, he thought to himself as the hug continued. All in time.
