Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!

Even once the sun rose the next day, Hans was kicking himself for kissing Queen Elsa. It was a moment of weakness. She had those soft pink lips, like a flower begging to be plucked. He had finally gotten her back only to scare her away within the first hour. Hans paced in his room, too afraid to see if Elsa had slipped off in the night. He wouldn't blame her.

Finally, he opened his door. The hall was empty. Everyone was probably already gathered for lunch. He had to go knock on her door, had to know if she was even still there.

She opened the door, looking as stunning as ever in her blue dress, which brought out her doll-like eyes. "Is it time for lunch?"

Hans held out his arm to escort her downstairs, astounded she had actually stayed the night. "Yes, though I apologize in advance if my family gets a little...inappropriate."

"I can't wait to meet them," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I can," he muttered. He wished he could prolong their meeting, but it was too late. He took her down to the dining room, where everyone was already sitting, minus Queen Freyja. Hans pulled out the chair on the end of the left side for Elsa, then sat between her and Mila. "Everyone, meet Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Hans' brothers stared at her, some with wide eyes, other narrowed. No one spoke a word. "Manners," Hans chided.

Leif was the first to greet her, his blue eyes filled with fear and wonder. "P-pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I'm Leif, the eleventh brother."

"Pleased to meet you," she said, extending her hand across the table for a handshake.

Leif took it after a slight hesitation, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn't turn to ice. He smiled, but it didn't take all the fear away from his eyes. "Forgive me for staring, it's just that..."

"You're in his seat," Nikolai said bitterly.

"Whose?" she asked, turning to Hans.

His face grew red. "She is my guest. She will sit next to me," he told Nik.

"So quickly you've forgotten," he accused.

"I could never forget," Hans said, the image of Garth swaying still burned into his mind, haunting him. The backs of his eyes stung with unshed tears. Elsa's brow creased in confusion.

"He will not be needing his seat," Hagen interjected. "Drop it."

Elsa shifted uncomfortably next to Hans, so he placed a warm hand on hers. "That's Hagen, our future King."

"Good to finally meet you," the eldest brother called from the other end of the table. "And this is my future wife, Fiona."

Once the introductions were out of the way, the tension ebbed, but remained. Hans Hadn't been thinking about dishonoring Garth's memory. Nikolai was just being a jerk.

"So, do you really have ice powers?" Nik challenged.

"Don't be rude," Hagen warned.

Hans fist tightened around his fork. How dare he interrogate her! Leave Queen Elsa alone.

Elsa, however, was unfazed. "Yes." She picked up her glass of water, and it froze to solid ice in her grip. Leif looked to his own hand in amazement. Jakob latched onto Nikolai's arm, while Mila and Vernon subtly scooted away from Hans.

"If you're so powerful, why did Hans save you?" Nik asked. "Unless he lied to us."

"I didn't lie," Hans insisted. "I already told you what happened."

"He did save me," Elsa said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If it wasn't for him, I would probably be dead. I couldn't have defeated the trolls without his help." She smiled at him, and he was the happiest man in the world.

Nikolai snorted and narrowed his green eyes. "What's so special about him?"

Hans begged Elsa with his eyes not to reveal his fire powers. She caught the look and simply said, "He's stronger than you think." Nik gave them a dirty look while they shared a conspiratorial smile.

"What I want to know is if you're unattached, my radiant Queen," Brandt said, leaning across the table to kiss her hand. Upon feeling her chilled skin, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oooh, what can those magic hands do?" he asked, winking.

"Silence," Fiona barked from the other end of the table, appalled at Brandt's behavior.

Elsa replaced her hand in her lap. "Sorry, I'm not interested."

"Got a sister or three?" Brandt tried.

Hans, exasperated, smacked his own forehead. "It's as if we haven't already been through this."

"Hey, you might be trying to keep those Arendelle girls all for yourself."

"I said, enough!" Fiona snapped, her usually pleasant demeanor shifting.

"Only one, but she's taken," Elsa replied, never losing her cool.

Hans leaned over to her and whispered, "Even if she wasn't, keep her away from him."

"Thanks," she whispered back.

"Butt out," Brandt said to Hans.

"Don't mind him," Henrik told Elsa. "He only thinks with his...well, you know." His face grew as red as his curls.

"There are ladies present," Mila pointed out.

"Yes. You boys need to get used to having a more prominent female presence in your lives," Fiona said. "I do not need to be subject to this kind of conversation."

"Thank you," Mila sighed.

"I like her," Elsa said to Hans.

"Yeah, Fiona's kind of been like a second mother to me," he responded.

"Good," she said, smiling. "Where is your real mother, by the way?" She glanced at the empty seat next to Jakob.

"Yeah... You know how I said it's been a rough week?"

"Yes...?"

"May we be excused?" Hans asked Hagen.

"Of course," he said, then glared at Brandt and Nikolai for causing a scene.

Hans led Elsa outside, and they strolled the beach. Hans found a rock and skipped it. "As you know, we lost the King. Yesterday, we also lost a brother, Garth."

"I am so sorry."

"Mom's been in her room ever since." He threw another stone. "Suicide."

"Oh my gosh... And I was-"

"You didn't know," he said, picking up another rock and chucking it into the waves. "I can't believe he said that!"

"He wasn't that bad..."

"Yes, he was. He and Brandt both crossed a line."

"Hey," Elsa said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm still here, aren't I? Your family couldn't scare me away."

Hans gave her a half-smile. "Just wait till you meet my mother," he muttered.

"I'm sure she's just lovely."

Hans picked up another stone and threw it with all his might. "Ha! No, she's not."

"I'm sure if I could just talk to her-"

"No, you don't understand. As soon as she finds out you have ice powers, she'll think you're a monster, just like me."

"But you're not a monster."

He stared out to sea. "I am in her eyes."

"But it's not true," Elsa insisted. "What happened?"

"The curse happened!" he yelled, his fists glowing orange. Hans took a deep breath to calm himself down. "When I was born...I guess I didn't want to be. I fought against the doctor and midwife, scarring my mother from the inside out. Unable to bear anymore children for the love of her life, she blamed me. The nail in the coffin was when I hurt Jakob as a kid. She wouldn't let me touch anyone without gloves on. She calls my outbursts 'temper tantrums,' even now that I'm an adult. She wants me to have absolute control over my feelings, but it's hard when you're held to impossible standards and not even trusted by your own family."

"They don't all seem bad," Elsa said. "I know what you've been through, and you need to let the past go."

"How can I let it go when they won't stop holding it over my head?"

"Find a place far enough away from everyone, where you don't have to hold anything back or hide. Let it all out. That's the first step."

"I think I already did," he said, massaging his throat, still sore from screaming the other night.

"Then it must not be all the way out."

Hans considered her words. If she could control her storm, he could control his inferno. He needed to.

"I know just the place to do it. Tomorrow, after Garth's funeral, will you help me?" He grabbed her hands, pleading.

She smiled. "Of course."