"The queen is back!" Someone cheered from the outskirts of the village. Elsa was a bit embarrassed as the villagers came out of their homes to welcome Kjerstin home. With Elsa happy and reminded of love once more, the snow and ice lifted from Arendelle and melted away into the sky. The eternal winter was no more.
As they reached the gates, Kristoff, Oliver, Signe, Olaf, Iduna and her siblings, and Heidi and Celin ran outside to the courtyard to greet their travelers.
Kristoff brought Anna into his arms, squeezing her in a tight hug. And she embraced her children. It was happy reunions all around, especially as Kai was reunited with his mother, free of ice and frost. She covered him in a barrage of kisses, to which he responded in embarrassment since Gerda was there.
Elsa stood off to the side, knowing she had no loved one to return home to. It was fine, though. She took a seat on a bench and simply watched as everyone around her conversed happily.
Jonis shifted his attention to his mother finally, spying her holding the anniversary box in her hands, not doing anything with it. He caught her off guard with a hug as he took a seat next to her. Kjerstin took notice and joined her mother and brother.
"You're not alone, mama." Kjerstin stated, "I hope you know that."
Elsa nodded slowly in affirmation.
"I do… but it doesn't change that your father is gone."
"We know. But, maybe there's something that can help." Jonis offered. He took his mother by the hand, Kjerstin eagerly following, quickly urging her back into the wagon. The two bid their significant others a quick goodbye, assuring they'd be back shortly.
With a snap of the reigns, the horse took off, heading for the royal burial site. This time, Elsa could finally have a proper goodbye, now that she had her children by her side.
As they made their way up the winding rock path up to the royal burial site, perched on a hilltop, it seemed the fog that had nestled during the day seemed to dissipate as the three arrived. Jonis secured the wagon and horse, and Kjerstin led them up to Conrad's burial stone. At the center of the royal burial site, were the late king Agnarr and queen Iduna's stones, to the immediate right, were the stones of Runeard and Rita, Agnarr's mother and father.
And now, to the left was Conrad's.
Elsa finally had the time to process Conrad's death properly, now that she saw his burial stone. With a deep sigh, she placed a hand next to his name's inscription. It was oddly comforting, but it still hurt either way.
"We wanted to wait to bring you home before we buried him," Jonis said, "but we eventually agreed we would bring you back when you were ready, and you could say goodbye to him on your own." He kneeled down next to his mother, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder and neck, much like he did as a little boy. Elsa managed a small smile, giving him a kiss on the forehead, gently running her hand through his hair.
Turning around, Elsa held her hand out for Kjerstin to join them in the hug. Reluctantly, she did, hugging her mother back as tightly as she could. Elsa could sense that something was wrong, however.
"Kjerstin, what's wrong?" The young queen fought back tears, but couldn't hide a single tear that slipped down her cheek. Elsa pursed her lips, cupping her daughter's face in her hand, wiping the tear away with her thumb.
"I just… I was so scared we would lose you too… I wasn't ready to not have a mom and a dad. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you right after losing dad…"
"Oh, Kjerstin… I know… I'm so sorry, I know that I have not been perfect, but I am always your mother, and I'm not going anywhere. We're stuck together, and as you said, we're a family. Nothing will change that. I just… have never processed grief normally, I suppose."
"It's okay mama, you don't have to explain it. We understand. What matters now is we're together and you're safe."
Back in Arendelle, Anna sat down with Heidi and Celin, now that they had their children back with them safely.
"Please, let us offer any sort of compensation for your trouble. I know you all have been through a journey, and I want to offer anything in return, especially for Gerda's help bringing everyone back safely." Heidi's cousin stood off to the side as support for whatever her cousin decided.
Heidi thought for a moment, trying to think of what would be best. Kai sat on her lap, cuddled against her warmly.
"Kai? What do you think?" Kai looked at his mother, then back at Anna, and then Gerda.
"Can we stay here? Queen Elsa is really nice and I think she needs more friends." Anna chuckled. Children were so blunt. With her mother, Gerda nodded eagerly in agreement. Celin knew her daughter would go wherever Kai did. They were inseparable, truly shown when she bravely journeyed to bring him back to his mother.
Heidi saw the collective agreement.
"We'll stay." Kai leaped off his mother's lap and cheered, hugging Gerda. Celin and Heidi laughed.
"Let's get our husbands and families and bring them here." Anna clapped her hands together.
"It's settled then! Ingdis will help you all get settled in the village and find you housing. When my sister returns with my niece and nephew, you can talk to her as well, if you'd like to, of course." Heidi nodded graciously.
"Thank you, your majesty." Anna bowed her head.
"Though, when my niece gets back, you'll get to talk to her as well."
"That's right, she's queen now."
But now was time for another action to be made. Anna dismissed the women and asked two guards to join her as she went through the back corridors down to the palace's dungeon.
"Your majesty?" One of the guards spoke up, wondering what was going on.
"It's time for Hans' fate, Valdimir." The guard nodded and straightened up as they reached the cell door. Anna got another good look at Hans again. Dirt stained his clothes, along with blood spatters… She knew that was Conrad's blood on him.
His sideburns were starting to turn into a grayed mess of a beard. He looked terrible. Not that she felt any remorse for him. He slowly craned his neck up to look at her.
"Here to decide my fate?" He asked flatly, "what is it gonna be? Firing squad? Hanging?" Anna raised an eyebrow, clearing he had been expecting this. And he was prepared, accepted what would happen to him.
"How you will meet your end is not my decision to make. But there is someone I want you to talk to before we go any further. I've requested him to meet with you before your death. Are we clear?" He nodded in affirmation, already knowing he would be facing his son for the last time.
In the past few weeks sitting in the cold, damp cell, he had time to think as rats slowly nipped at his clothing. He was fully ready to accept whatever end he would come to. He knew he deserved it.
The following day, Robert made his way down to the dungeon, requesting to go alone. He was understandably nervous, but he was also just… angry. Angry for his father ruining everything for his own personal gain.
Once he was outside Hans' cell, he retrieved a chair and sat outside the iron gated door. Hans sat in the corner of his cell, sulking and watching his son.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Robert demanded. Nothing. Hans continued to glare at his son, crossing his arms like a child punished for misbehaving.
"I know you know and understand your actions, what they have done to the people around us, and how that has affected our families. First, you brought disgrace onto your own family, trying to kill my mother in law and her sister, just for the crown that you would never have. Why couldn't you have just accepted you would never get anywhere? All my uncles have told me growing up you were terrible with official decision making, and the one time you did make one, was sentencing the queen to death." Hans listened to his son recount his crimes and actions for him.
He finally had enough.
"You try being the youngest of 13!" Hans shouted, his voice echoing down the stone halls. Robert did not flinch, he was used to his father's outbursts.
"That was never my fault. Yes, our family is deeply flawed and has their own issues to sort out, but you've brought these issues onto another royal family that had nothing to do with it. Your projection onto others has severely harmed them. Don't you see that?" Hans rolled his eyes.
"None of that matters anymore. Once I'm gone, I'll be remembered as the villain, and there's nothing that can be done." Robert raised his eyebrows slightly, not having expected his father to be so calm and accepting about what he was going to be remembered as. No going back.
"At least you accept it." With that, Robert stood, put away the chair, and started making his way back up. Before he could though, Hans came to the door of his cell, his calloused, dirty hands clutching the cold iron bars.
"Is your mother here?"
"Yes. But she wants nothing to do with you, and she is not coming down to talk to you. Anna
gave me permission to be the last family member you speak to personally." Hans swallowed hard. This was it. With a heavy sigh, he sat down in his cell, taking in the last of the smell of seawater, the ambiance of the dungeon, even the rats and mice. It was over.