Kristoff's eyes widened and he released the redhead, letting him fall to the ground without the slightest bit of care.
"¡Kristoff!"
Anna's voice echoed through the forest. He turned, praying it wasn't a hallucination, and searched for the source of the voice. Then, from the branch of a tree that led to the edge of the road, Anna jumped directly into his arms.
As he watched her fall, he couldn't help but get intoxicated by her. She was dirty, her hair down and a little tousled, dressed for action, and absolutely stunning. How could she be so beautiful?
The hit knocked him to the ground, but he couldn't feel the pain, he only felt how his tears flowed completely uncontrolled with relief when he saw Anna healthy and safe.
"Anna," he whispered with the only thread of voice his body allowed out of his throat. "I'm here," she said caressing the blonde's cheeks while noting his tears. Her touch was soft and warm and made the terrible heat he felt build even faster, but he didn't care.
"Thanks God you are okay. Has he done something to you?"
"Well, he tried, but he wasn't ready to face this woman," she said with a proud smile.
"Nobody is," he added with a smile full of tenderness as the tears began to stop.
"What has he done to you? It seemed like you had him cornered, but you have a horrible face." Anna, with a look of concern on her face, continued stroking Kristoff's cheeks and hair, who, with these last words, felt again the scourge of the terrible information he had for her.
"He told me that he had done horrible things to you and… I felt like my world was ending."
"That vile liar…" she said as she glared at Hans's body with the slight doubt if he was still breathing. "I'm sorry he hurt you. But don't worry, it really hasn't done anything to me at all."
"Anna…" he interrupted almost without strength.
"Let him marry me, he said. Can you believe it? I'm sure he would sell his soul to be king. If he has that kind of thing, of course."
"Anna…" he tried to interrupt again.
"Then he threatened me, but I mocked him in the most absurd way. You're going to laugh your head off when I tell you."
"Anna!" he finally said with a slightly higher tone and holding the girl's face towards his, at last getting her attention.
"What's the matter?" she answered, surprised by the seriousness of his tone.
Kristoff gave her a slight smile, he adored this talkative woman. She hadn't spoken to him with that energy for so long…
"I am so sorry, Anna. In fact… I think my world is indeed ending."
"What?" Anna's face lost energy and paled slightly.
"The truth is that… Hans…"
Without letting him continue, a familiar voice spoke behind them.
"Kristoff, my boy. Is in you…"
On turning around, they both saw Grand Pabbie staring at Kristoff with a tear in the corner of his eye and the soul broken.
"Grand Pabbie! What's happening?" Anna asked scared.
"Anna… I have arrived here following the trail of powerful magic that has been activated."
"Magic?"
"Yes, it is ancient magic designed to end clean hearts. It sets fire within them and their bearers... end up bursting into flames."
"What? But… What has that to do with Kristoff?"
"Anna, Hans has taken control of that magic and…" Kristoff made an effort to clarify, looking for the care that the situation required.
"No!" she yelled with terror sensing what he had to say.
"I'm sorry. I was careless…" he said lowering his head.
Anna shook her head over and over and then knelt in front of Pabbie.
"Please, Grand Pabbie, tell me there is a solution," she asked desperately under Kristoff's sad and resigned look.
Grand Pabbie lowered his head and reviewed his thoughts for a few seconds.
"There could be a solution, but I don't know if I want to see how it is done."
"There is?!" the two said in chorus.
"Whatever it is, Pabbie! We'll do anything!" Anna affirmed urgently as she gripped Kristoff's hand tightly.
"Is not so easy," the troll said shaking his head. "Just as love thaws a frozen heart, it is the darkest feelings which cool a burning heart. Anger, hatred, greed, envy, revenge… Only acts guided by those feelings are what can save your life now…"
"Then, does that mean if I do something cruel, I won't die?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Okay, we don't have so much time," Kristoff said, feeling the heat choking him. "That's not so complicated…"
Kristoff approached Hans determinedly and knelt beside him. The redhead slowly regained consciousness and came face to face with Kristoff's brown gaze. That look harbored anger, fear, insecurity, and determination at the same time. The redhead understood in a second what was happening and his stomach fell.
"Kristoff, son" Grand Pabbie interrupted, "it is not an easy decision, and probably neither option is the right one, but remember that if you decide to do it, you will never be the same again.
"And if I don't, I'll never come back," he said unable to meet Pabbie's eyes.
He looked into Hans's frightened, crystalline eyes, into his trembling lips and his pale sad skin. Clearly, however miserable his life was, he did not want to lose it. He put her hands around his throat, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Then, he focused on thinking about who it was who was trembling in his hands. He was the man who was trying to kill him, he was the one who played on Anna's feelings and then let her die and he was the one who had come close to murdering Elsa. He had tried to take over the kingdom based on lies and traps, and not happy with that, there he was again, in search of the throne, killing everyone he encountered in his path. He was undesirable. He did not deserve the beauties of this world, he did not deserve the smiles that Anna gave him. He probably didn't even deserve to breathe.
And then why couldn't he do it?
"¿Kristoff?"
Anna's fearful whisper reached the boy's ears almost imperceptibly, but it was enough to make him not be able to make a minimum of force against that neck that he encompassed perfectly with his hands. Then, helplessly he released him, got up, and took some ropes from his sled with which he tied hands and feet to Hans who was still trembling with fear on the ground. Then he walked straight to Anna.
Planted before her, all red and drenched in sweat, he took the hands of his beloved hers soothingly, bit his lip, and finally made up his mind to speak.
"I'm sorry, Anna. I can't do this. I don't want you sharing your life with someone like him."
"I… I see." Anna's face showed a combination of terror and relief. Then, through tears, she caressed Kristoff's face again and smiled painfully. "I prefer you this way."
Anna hugged Kristoff tightly without being able to hold back her tears as he lovingly caressed her back.
"I'm sorry I left: it was a terrible mistake; I'm sorry I hurt you; and I'm sorry I'm doing it to you now too."
"Don't you dare to apologize!" she answered without moving a millimeter away from his chest. "It was all my fault. If only I had had the courage to talk to you, none of this would have happened."
"Anna…" Kristoff stared very seriously at his queen. "Find someone who really deserves you and be happy, okay? It's the only thing I want."
Anna jerked away from his chest.
"No!" she snapped angrily. "Don't you understand? You are the only one for me! Only you can make me happy!"
He clenched his fists and closed his eyes tightly as his tears flowed again.
At that moment, the suffocating heat began to burn inside him and his strength failed to cause him to fall to his knees.
"¡Kristoff!" Anna yelled feeling the end was near. "Pabbie! Please! Do something!
Her desperate screams only made the hearts of everyone present shrink more with each second.
"Anna" Grand Pabbie said with pain, "there is nothing I can do."
The troll burst into tears and Kristoff made an effort to speak.
"Pabbie, thanks for everything. You guys have been the best family." He paused, trying to catch his breath as Anna cried on her back. "Sven, bud," The reindeer, crestfallen and tearing, moved closer to him until he could feel her snout against his cheek. "Without you, I wouldn't even be alive. Thanks for sharing your life with me. Don't be sad, okay? I need you to give Anna strength." Kristoff laid her head on his side over his friend's. "Sven, I actually have one more favor to ask of you." The reindeer gave a low, low roar. "Yes, I know I can count on you. Please take Anna and Pabbie out of here."
"No way!" Anna yelled again as she pressed against her back even tighter.
"I don't want you to see what is going to happen, Anna. I don't want you to have that memory of me."
He struggled to his feet and kissed Anna's lips in a sweet, inevitably ardent kiss.
"Anna…" he whispered then.
"No" she replied sharply.
"Anna…" he repeated again asking her with his tone to be reasonable.
"I said no! Obey your queen!"
Kristoff laughed, using his last strength. "I love you."
After that last whisper in the girl's ear, he collapsed back to the ground, about to succumb to the flames growing inside him.
"No! Kristoff! Stay with me, please! I love you!"
A smile of comfort spread across Kristoff's face. Surely the last smile from him.
Anna rested her head on his and kept whispering over and over again:
"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."
Hans admired the bleak scene with some discomfort: Kristoff now only had the strength to gasp and fight for breath, Anna, the troll, and the reindeer seemed to die of grief, and Elsa remained standing, watching the scene as if trying to understand the situation.
"Wait, Elsa?!" he exclaimed in surprise at the young woman's presence.
Anna looked up when she heard Hans and saw her sister standing a few feet from them and with the decision nailed in her pupils.
"Elsa?" Anna said in a small voice.
"Kristoff, wake up," Elsa ordered, regaining the air of a queen that she had years ago.
Kristoff, not understanding anything and terribly exhausted, did his best to stand up to the woman. He did not have the strength to speak to her, but at least that way he would show her the respect, affection, and gratitude that he felt towards her. At his attempt, Anna and Sven helped him upright.
Once he was on his feet, Elsa didn't waste a second.
"This is why you and I know."
With a cold gaze and in front of everyone's stunned glares, Elsa unleashed a powerful beam of ice against Kristoff's heart who instantly collapsed to the ground.