Chapter 6: Once More With Feeling

Hans started grabbing whatever clothing he could, dismissing the annoying little snow creature. He had far more important things to worry about at the moment. Namely, tracking down the Queen of Arendelle and then sticking a sword in her before he froze to death!

But he couldn't track her down without something warm to wear. He'd nearly died from being out in the cold before, and the very thought of going back out there without something to keep him warm sent a shiver down his spine. No. He couldn't even think about leaving without more layers, but the wretched little snow thing had scattered his clothing about like a child.

"I think I'm supposed to try and stop you." The snowman lisped and backed away when Hans turned and growled at it, snatching his cravat off its neck before pulling on a second pair of pants. He was going to look ridiculous, clothes on top of clothes, a puffed-up mess, but he didn't have any other choice. It wasn't like he'd brought proper winter clothing to a spring visit, and by the time he found a fitting winter outfit the trail would be lost to the snow.

On went another shirt, and then another for good measure the finely tailored fabric stretching at the seams, and his jacket on top of that. He almost ran from the room before remembering his gloves, snatching one from the floor but that was the only one in sight. He cursed, giving up and charging for an exit. Hopefully one of the all too few servants had would be able to point out which way she ran. The peasants had at least been useful as watchful eyes if nothing else, assuming he could find one.

He pulled the doors to the courtyard open and his breath was stolen from his chest. The cold hadn't really bothered him before, but now it sat like an oppressive weight. Even through multiple layers of clothing, it was daunting to open the door to the elements, let alone leave the castle and it wasn't even particularly warm inside. At least not compared to the summer isles. He found himself standing like a statue, unable to step forward when, of all things, he saw a man mounted on a reindeer cantering towards him. For a moment he wondered if he'd lost his wits, but as they drew nearer, he had to assume he hadn't lost his mind. The rough and rugged natives of this frozen hell must use the things as mounts. In his stupefied state, he barely registered as the man dismounted in front of him, "Are you okay?"

Even if the peasant didn't have a sense of propriety when speaking to nobility, at the very least the man's question jarred him back into motion. "Fine." He cleared his throat, "I'm fine. Queen Elsa has run away again, we need to find her as quickly as possible." The man looked dumbfounded for just a moment before nodding. Not a complete fool then, that was good enough for Hans. "Did you see her leave? Are there any horses available?"

"I think I saw her, I saw something blue moving through the snow." He glanced over his shoulder, "The stables are almost completely covered, and even if they weren't I'm not sure the horses could get through this. We should take Sven." At the name, the reindeer leaned in and... smiled?

This was it. This was how Hans was going to die. Hallucinating in the cold. And he hadn't even left the castle proper yet. He shook the thought off. "Can it take two riders?" The man looked at 'Sven'... and the reindeer nodded like a person. Hans let out a breath that turned cloudy in the cold and forced a smile, "Let's go then."

Hans had to give the beast and its primary rider credit. They were able to get through the snow easier than he would have expected; the beast seemed moving through the heavy snow with ease, especially given that there were two riders. Regretfully, he could only tell by the steady rise and fall of its back as it moved. As mortifying as it was to have to cling to the peasant, but he didn't know how to guide the beast, and it had seemed insistent on the peasant getting on first. That left his vision mostly obscured by the hulking young man, not that it stopped the wind from freezing his face whenever he'd dared to look around. He'd given that up too and was only taking brief moments of looking up as he shivered into the back of the man's coat.

He'd expected to need to help find and follow the trail, but even that proved unnecessary. Either the beast was smart enough or the rider was experienced enough to catch it and follow himself. So much for all his accumulated tracking skills he'd expected to use. Just as well, it wasn't like he had hounds with him as he did during fox hunts. Thankfully, they were gaining on her, and it wasn't just idle speculation on the man's part either. During the few chances, he had taken to look up, rather than bury his face in the warmth of the man's coat, the tracks looked fresher.

She'd been limping when he'd last seen her, the leg wound the duke's men had inflicted upon her had taken its toll and would likely be their savior. A pity both of them were thoroughly dead, otherwise, he would have thanked them. Actually, no, he wouldn't have, that would have raised eyebrows and lead to awkward questions if anyone found out, but he would have been thankful.

"I think I hear something..." The man murmured, and Hans forced himself to look up and listen. They were heading into the woods, snow was falling steadily. It was very quiet, save their breathing and that of the beast. The snow dampened sound, but listening carefully he was sure he could hear a voice nearby. "That sounds like..."

Hans blinked, sitting up straighter, "Anna?"

Her voice was distant, but after hearing so much of it, he doubted he'd mistake it for another. Had she snuck away after her sister again!? He groaned inwardly. Just what the peasantry needed in a time of crisis, a complete lack of leadership. So very like her though. "Hurry, please."

The man nodded and the beast resumed moving at speed. He was spared the worst of the biting wind, but his naked hand felt like it was on fire. That wretched little snow thing had been successful in hiding one of his gloves, and even holding it under his other hand and against the peasant's chest, it still burned despite the icy chill with every gust of wind.

"Anna, please-" Elsa's voice cut through the air, thick with desperation.

"No!" Anna shouted, cutting off her sister. The word seemed to reverberate in the air, causing both mount and rider to stiffen. "You aren't going to abandon me, I won't let you."

"If I stay," Elsa pleaded, "Arendelle will freeze."

"And if you leave, you'll just spread your misery to others." Anna spat, her voice laden with contempt, "You'll be freezing them just like you did me." There came an edge of malicious glee that sounded very unlike the chipper girl Hans barely knew, "Or will you make it quicker, like with the Duke's guards?"

"They were trying to kill me!"

"Maybe they should have!"

The wind began to pick up. Hans forced himself away from the dull warmth of the man's coat and looked to the sky to find them darkening once more. Hans swallowed a hard knot in the back of his throat, "Get us there." He whispered, "Now."

The man jerked as if suddenly reminded that he wasn't just on the other side of a door listening in, and Sven leaped into motion. "You almost killed me!" Anna shouted, barely audible as the wind began to roar, "You froze my heart!"

"Anna," Elsa's voice came out in a plaintive whine, "please, you're hurting me."

A chunk of ice slammed into the ground ahead of them, followed by another. Above them, branches cracked from strikes. "Anna!" Hans shouted as the reindeer bounded around a tree and charged for a clearing in the distance, "Stop! You're making it worse! Look at the sky!"

"Prince Hans?" The sisters asked in unison, desperation in Elsa's voice, shock in Anna's.

The hail began to fall like hammer blows, each part a staccato punctuated by snow erupting where the ice struck. Hans shivered as they passed one, in the bare second he had to look at it he had to guess it was as large as his head. A tree ahead of them shattered from a strike, toppling over lazily. His eyes widened as he realized it was falling directly in their path. "Turn!"

"We have to get to that clearing," The rider shouted back, "it isn't hailing there!"

Not far enough for Hans to see they'd have to run under the tree, "We'll be crushed!"

"We'll be crushed by ice if we don't!" The rider leaned forward and dragging Hans with him. "Sven has this."

Hans turned his head, snow cascading from the falling branches nearly blinding him. Wood cracked as branches collided with those of nearby trees, sheering them away. Others were coming right for them, running under them with mere inches of space. He shut his eyes, trying to block out his impending doom. Reality reasserted itself as he felt some scratching his back, one branch caught his cheek, clawing against his face as it hooked away.

An almighty crash finally forced him to open his eyes, looking at the tree bounce slightly before it settled against the snowy earth. They'd made it. The reindeer had managed to see them through. He rose, a giddiness filling him as he looked into the clearing.

The sensation left him in an instant as he caught sight of the scene before him. Elsa was prone on the ground, hands held above her as she cowered before her sister. And Anna...

Anna was made entirely of ice.

Author's note: Eh, three years between updates isn't too long, is it? It is? Darn. Well, I'd like to say this is finished, but it isn't. There are a few more chapters left. I'll try to wrap this one up though.

To preempt a few other questions: Why didn't Hans ask Kristoff for his coat? He doesn't know how to control Sven and Kristoff would not leave without a coat. Why was Kristoff in the area around the castle? That's a very good question. Why did it take me three years to write an update? That's also a very good question. I won't lie, someone on FF . net asked me to explain what I intended to happen, and I thought about it, and decided to just write it. Here's hoping the next chapter doesn't take nearly this long.