I'm giving you guys some unrealistic update times. They will probably slow down soon…at least I hope they will. I haven't been sleeping much lately, so instead of passing the time by staring at my ceiling, I've been writing. Thus, many updates in a short amount of time. Don't get used to it…I'm not this good. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. It really means a lot. It is super encouraging, and I love it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the stuff I create, and to be honest, Disney owns most of the things I love anyway.


Homeward Bound

Elsa absently watches as a myriad of fabric passes her. She hadn't been getting a good night's sleep as of late because of her dreams involving a certain redhead. Trying to keep the demons at bay telling her what a bad sister she was and how her sudden attraction was insane. She didn't know where these feelings were coming from. She had barely spoken to the man when she met him. Sure, she felt a little affection for him considering what he had done for the people of Arendelle and he did save her that day on the North Mountain, but he had tried to kill her and Anna. Last night's dream that had been particularly involved.


Elsa found herself pressed into the wall with a shirtless Hans pinning her from head to toe while his hands freely roamed her body and his tongue fought for dominance over hers. She was in the lovely dark blue gown that her sister had planned for her to wear at her birthday ball in the next month, and Hans was making quick work of the silk bodice ties that decorate her back. Her nails lightly rake down his bare chest earning a moan from him while the last bit of string allows the offending garment to fall to the floor. Their mouths detach from each other to catch their breath, smiling brightly at each other. Hans' hands delicately run down the hard bone of her corset and Elsa wishes she could feel the heat from his touch as she watches their path. As if reading her mind, Hans quickly starts to do undo the ties of her skirt and layers of petticoats, letting them pool at her feet one by one.

"Women have too many layers," Hans whines in frustration as the last petticoat falls to the ground leaving her in nothing more than her short shift, corset, and stockings. Hans steps back and Elsa suddenly feels exposed. She begins to move to cover herself, but Hans quickly captures her hands, "don't." Hans slowly unhooks all of the eyelets the hold the silk corset in place. Her eyes watch his face as he focuses on the disappearing layer. As soon as the corset hits the ground, Hans follows to his knees. His hands roaming her less constricted figure. Caressing her sides, her behind, her thighs, almost like he was worshiping her. Elsa runs her hands lovingly through his auburn locks as he nuzzles her abdomen.

"Hans," Hans eyes flicker up towards the blonde above and smirks, mischievously. His teeth pull at one of her ribbon garters while the other one is disposed of by hand. He continues his journey upward, placing open mouth kisses and nips along her inner thigh while he disposes of her socks. "Hans." Elsa moans as she feels his warm breath of her womanhood since she had forgone any type of knickers for the ball. She felt his hands grip her thighs and the vibrations from his soft chuckle.

"Tonight…I shall have a glorious feast."


"Elsa!" Elsa is pulled from her memory by her little sister.

"Yes, Anna?" Elsa tries to make sure her voice doesn't give way to her thoughts.

"I asked which fabric you think is better for the linens at your party?" Elsa looks between the two light blue fabrics. One is plain with silver tinsel woven through it while the other has a subtle snowflake pattern adorning it.

"Anna, you don't need to make such a big deal about my birthday. I would much rather have it just be us…"

"Nonsense," Anna waves her hand at her sister, "the whole kingdom is looking forward to it, and it will be nice to see the Northuldran people again. Plus, it's nice to have a distraction from all the wedding stuff,"

"I guess," Elsa runs her hands over the fabrics, lightly tracing the silver lines, "I like this one more,"

"Excellent! And we can have the fifth element symbol embroidered on it," Anna squeals in delight and drags Elsa out of the room towards the counsel room, "now it's time for the council meeting about…"

"Anna!" Elsa stops her sister.

"What?"

"I don't want to go to another council meeting this week," Elsa hangs her head, "I didn't like going to them when I was Queen, and I definitely don't like going to them now that I can't make any decisions,"

"You're still a princess of Arendelle. You have a say in the well-being of the kingdom, and I value your input…"

"And I will always give you it when you ask, but Anna," Elsa takes both of her sister's hands into hers, "you are doing a marvelous job as Queen. Arendelle is thriving. I know a lot of things are happening all at once, but I wouldn't have left Arendelle in your hands a year ago if I didn't think you were capable of doing amazing things,"

"But…"

"No buts," Elsa holds up a finger to stop Anna, "I need to get back to the forest. It's been a week and I can feel the spirits getting restless," Anna hangs her head. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want you to forget that I need you, too,"

"Oh, Anna," Elsa pulls her sister in for a hug, "I'm always here when you have questions or you're scared, but you're Queen now," Elsa hears the door to the counsel room open and sees one of the lords pop his heads out with a scowl on his face, "so go show them what an amazing Queen you've become,"

"Promise to come for family game night next Friday," the sisters release each other.

"I wouldn't miss it,"

"And don't forget that your party is in a month and a half,"

"I know,"

"And that I…"

"I know, Anna," Elsa laughs, "I love you, too. Now go before you're late."

"A Queen is never late," Anna turns dramatically, swishing her skirt, "everyone else is simply early." Elsa watches her sister's retreating figure and gives her a brief wave as she enters the room. She lets out a sigh.

"Time to go home." Her face splits into a grin before running up to her room to gather her things.


Hans tied off another string on the trap he had been working on. It had been a week since he had woken up, and the Northuldran people had taken him in. Helped him build up his strength so he could do something useful. He was still weak, walked with a limp, so he couldn't go out with Honeymaren and Ryder to hunt or herd the reindeer. He definitely couldn't go out with Mikko to harvest ice, so he stayed in settlement mending things, making traps, tending to the winter crops. His brothers would have made fun of him, said that he was doing women's work, but Hans was just happy to feel useful. To feel included. No one here knew who he was, well, no one except Honeymaren, Ryder, and Yelena, but they didn't treat him like he wasn't some sort of villain. He did wonder who this Fifth Spirit was though. People constantly talked about her and when she was going to return, but for now, she was just a shimmering figure that Hans had yet to meet.

"Nice, Hans, you're a quick learner," Eiven, a man who had become like a father figure to Hans, patted the young man on the back. Hans winced in pain, causing Eiven to withdrawal his hand, "sorry, I forgot, do you need…"

"No, I'm fine," Eiven looked at him with worry, causing Hans to feel a warmth bloom in his chest. Eiven was concerned about him. Hans had never had that before except form his mother on a rare occasion. "Are you sure this is right?" Hans gestures to the tie.

"Yep! Now just loop this over here, and viola, a trap!" Hans looked down at the cage trap on his lap, and his eyes go wide as his mind flashes back to his punishments.


Hans looked around at the vaulted ceilings that he was hanging from. His arms and legs hanging out of the tiny cage he was in. Soren's choice of punishment was more uncomfortable than anything. It had come over a month after Filip had decided to put a bunch of rocks on his chest, and one-hundred more cuts from Runo. The tininess of the cage coupled with the fact that it was digging into some of his wounds was making this not fun, however, it was only day one.

After day five, things were starting to get dire. Hans had little water and no food, but his body had given up on the need for the later, and the hot mid-September rays were starting to roast him. Now he understands why Soren had him dressed in wool. It kept him warm at night, but he couldn't take it off when the sun's rays shined on him.

After day seven, Hans was ready to die.

"Hello there, Hans," Hans looked down from his hanging cage to see Soren looking up at him with a seemly innocent smile. His hair was darker than Hans' but lighter than Filip's, however, he and Filip did have matching blue irises that could freeze you with one look. "My, my, look at you. You don't look well at all," Hans tries to speak but his dry throat made sure nothing came out. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you," Soren flips a switch and Hans' cage plummets to the ground from its fifteen-foot perch. Hans lets out a groan as Soren unlocks his cage. "Come, come, little brother, out of the cage," Hans crawls out and notices Soren handing him a glass of water, which he greedily drinks. "And they all thought you wouldn't suffer from my punishment, but here you are, looking entirely broken. Come now, Runo is waiting for you."


"Hans!" Eiven shook him, "you need to breathe!" Hans looked from Eiven to the trap, and he quickly drops the cage as though it had burned him.

"I'm sorry…I can't…" Hans tried to calm his breathing to no avail until Eiven gently starts rubbing his back.

"It's okay, Hans, just deep breaths. In and out. In and out," Hans follows his instructions feeling a calm rush over him.

"It's pathetic really,"

"What is, my boy?"

"I'm twenty-eight years old and I'm having nightmares without even being asleep,"

"You've been through a lot,"

"It's a sign of weakness," Hans clenches his hands into a fist, letting tears prickle his eyes.

"You aren't weak," Hans looks up at Eiven's smiling face, "there is nothing wrong with showing your emotions. Bottling them up never does any good," Hans lets out a laugh and looks up towards the clear blue sky.

"Love will thaw,"

"That's what the Fifth Spirit always says," Eiven rises from the stump, "time to go set the traps," Hans follows suit, and grabs his trap plus a couple of the ones Eiven had finished before venturing with him into the woods.

"Who is the Fifth Spirit? Everyone talks about her,"

"She's what connects us to magic," Eiven takes one of the traps and sets it before continuing. "She came to us over a year ago with a traveling party," Hans sets another trap to a location that Eiven had motioned to, "we were wary at first, but watching her tame the other spirits was a sight. If I was twenty years younger, my boy, I would try to bed the girl," the old man laughs before the two men lull into silence while setting the rest of the traps.

"That's all?" Hans brushes off some snow off his shoulder that had fallen from a tree.

"Yelena asked to keep details about our young spirit from you,"

"So, Yelena doesn't trust me…" Hans' face falls. Yelena had been kind to him, strict but kind, taught him about customs and the dos and don'ts. She had told him that she knew about his past, but since he committed no wrongdoing against her and the tribe, she didn't see fit to punish him but instead allow him to atone for his sins.

"No!" Eiven quickly ends Hans' line of thinking, "she just feels that you and the Fifth Spirit need to make your own introductions. Nothing more,"

"Oh,"

"Apparently," Eiven pulls back a branch that leads back towards the clearing of the settlement, "you already know the spirit,"

"I do?"

"Papa! Papa!" Eiven's young daughter comes barreling into his arms, "you're home!"

Flora!" Eiven holds the twelve-year-old in a tight embrace. "What are you doing this far away from camp? You know better,"

"Mama told me to come and find you," Flora looks up to her father's face, "the Fifth Spirit has returned, and Yelena says to bring Hans back."

"Oh," Eiven turns to the young man next to him, "looks like it's time to go home." Hans smiled at the word. It had taken some getting used to, but he was happy to have a little space to call his own.


Elsa dismounted Nokk in the heart of the Northuldran settlement and Honeymaren quickly embraces her friend.

"You were gone for so long this time,"

"This visit was all about planning my party, so Anna refused to let me leave,"

"She misses you,"

"And I miss her, but I missed being here. How is he?" Elsa starts walking towards the community tent.

"He isn't in there," Elsa turns with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? Where is he? Is he okay?" Elsa quickly runs back to her friend, gripping onto her arms. Honeymaren laughs and pries Elsa's hands off of her.

"He's fine. You were gone for a long time," Honeymaren guides Elsa to some nearby stumps to sit. "A few hours after you left, he awoke and stayed up. We've been working with him, building his strength up. He's by no means ready for ice harvesting or reindeer herding, but he's stronger now. Can't stomach a lot of food, yet, but he's getting healthier,"

"Have you told him about me?"

"No," Honeymaren takes Elsa's hands in hers, "we all figured you would want to talk to him first,"

"Where is he now? Can I speak with him?"

"He's out setting traps with Eiven." Honeymaren looks around the camp, "Lena!" An older woman looks up from her stitching.

"Yes, Honey,"

"Can you send for Eiven? He must almost be finished," Lena smiles and whispers to the young girl next to her, who quickly takes off running.

"Flora will fetch him."

"Thank you." The lady nods before returning to her task.


Hans fidgets with the ends of his furs while he limps back into camp where he met with the stern stare of Yelena.

"Yelena," Hans takes off his cap, nodding to the elder. Though he hadn't been a proper Prince in four years, he still remembered the lesson of respecting leaders.

"She's in there." Hans looks between her and the two siblings, who he had grown so fond of.

"By myself?"

"We all think it would be for the best." Ryder smiles at his friend as Hans begins his timid hobble towards the large tent.

Hans closes the tent behind him and scans the room before his eyes fall on a lady in white facing away from him.

"Hello, my name is…"

"Hans Westergaard," Hans gasps at the voice. He knew it well, and his jaw drops when she turns to reveal the Queen of Arendelle in front of him, "I know,"

"Queen Elsa," Hans quickly falls to one knee, his face contorting in pain.

"Hans!" Elsa quickly runs to his side, inspecting him. His eyes eventually study her worried brow, confused by the kindness, "are you alright?"

"I don't deserve your worry after what…"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not fond of you, but that doesn't mean you deserve to be in this much pain,"

"Well deserved pain,"

"No," Elsa helps Hans sit back as she inspects his knee. Her gentle caresses of his knee cause Hans to take an intake of breath, "it isn't,"

"Your majesty…"

"It's actually just your Highness now,"

"What?" Hans' expression morphs into one of confusion when her blue eyes meet his.

"If you are going to be formal with titles, technically, mine is your Highness,"

"You're the Queen of Arendelle,"

"Former," Elsa smiles and lets out a giggle, "former Queen of Arendelle. A lot has changed in the four years since we last saw each other, Hans," Elsa conjures some ice and puts it in a cloth before placing it on the man's knee.

"I don't understand," Hans puts his hand on top of hers, and she jerks away when she feels the familiar sparks. She nervously tucks her hair behind her ears while licking her lips.

"A year ago, Anna and I ventured into these woods trying to find a mysterious voice that had been calling to me. Along the way, we figured out our mother was Northuldran, and she had saved our father when they were younger. We also found out our parents had actually been lost in the Dark Sea not the Southern like we thought," Elsa wiped away tears that had started to fall. The revolution wasn't new, but it was still painful.

"I'm sorry," Elsa steels herself when she hears the compassion in his voice. He's still a monster. Elsa takes a deep breath trying to put away the images of her dreams and remember that the man in front of her had tried to behead her just four years ago.

"They had been looking for answers about me. My powers. They thought they could find them at Ahtohallan,"

"Ahtawhat?"

"Ahtohallan, a river of ice," Elsa flicks her wrist and does a flurry of ice for dramatic effect, "and even though they didn't get there…I did. I found the answers I'd been looking for,"

"What were they?"

"All of them were me. I'm not a curse like I thought I had been for most of my life," Elsa looks at her hands, watching as she conjures flurries of snow. "I'm a gift. The start of a bridge between here and Arendelle,"

"Where does the bridge end?"

"With Anna. She's Queen now and doing an amazing job," Hans laughs at the irony of the situation.

"So, now you're here,"

"Now I'm here. Connecting the North to Arendelle and the people to magic,"

"Quite a lot on your plate," She smiles warmly at him.

"I like my plate a lot more now…" Elsa's face falls as she watches Hans' face contort in pain as he shifts. Hans looks up to see her sad eyes watching him.

"What?" A pregnant silence fills the room before Elsa pulls Hans into a hug, burying her face into his neck as she starts to cry. Hans holds his hands up, a little more than confused about the situation, before wrapping his arms around her, petting her head. "There, there, snowflake,"

"I am so, so sorry, Hans," Elsa struggles to get out between her sobs.

"What are you sorry for? If anything, I should be the one saying I'm sorry," Hans pulls Elsa away from him, holding her face in his hands. She lets out another sob and places her hands over his.

"It's all my fault," Hans uses his thumbs to wipe away her tears. Elsa feels affection bloom in her chest, and she hates herself from it. She wants to see him as a monster, but all she can think about how she was one.

"Elsa, what's your fault?"

"…you're pain,"

"You had nothing…"

"I knew!" Elsa crumples into a ball, her head resting on his lap. Hans looked at the other end of the tent with a blank look, "…I knew, Hans," Hans didn't know what to do with his hands. Touching her felt like being scorched with fire.

"You knew?"

"Caleb wrote to me," Elsa chokes out between her broken sobs but sits up, not meeting his eyes, "before I sent you back,"

"Did he…"

"He told me that he had planned for you to receive a punishment from each brother," Elsa locks eyes with Hans' and grabs his hands, "but I swear I didn't know what they were going to do!"

"You knew…" Hans rips his hands away, "and you sent me back,"

"I couldn't hold your life in my hand," Hans stands up and glares down at the blonde.

"So, you condemned me to death by another's hand instead! How is that any different?!"

"I didn't know what they would do!"

"All you had to do was ask Anna!" Elsa looks at Hans in shock when she hears her sister's name come out of his mouth, "I didn't keep the cruelty of my family life from her. I didn't give her details, but she knew Elsa! She knew how cruel they could be,"

"I couldn't leave the decision to her. I would never put that burden on her," Elsa stands, squaring off with Hans.

"You didn't have to! You were Queen. You made the decision, but I didn't realize that meant you couldn't have asked," Hans' shoulders drop.

"Anna was so angry, and she had every right to be!"

"Of course, she did! I tried to kill her, but I didn't, did I?"

"Not without trying, Hans. Just because it didn't succeed doesn't mean that all is forgiven?"

"Have I asked for forgiveness, your Highness?"

"No…"

"All I want to know is why? Why would you send me back?"

"I didn't want…"

"Cut the bullshit, Elsa!"

"I wanted you to suffer!" The other shoe dropped, and snow beings to flurry around the tent. Hans looks at the raging blonde, "I might not know what they had planned, but I wanted you to suffer, so maybe, just maybe would have an understanding of the pain you caused me,"

"By trying to kill you?"

"By trying to kill Anna. Telling me she was dead. In those brief minutes that I thought I had lost her, my whole world broke. Everything hurt, and I wanted you to feel that pain," Elsa narrows her eyes, looking at the shocked man, "over and over again. So, yes, I sent you back because I wanted you to suffer because if I had made the decision you would have spent your life in the dungeon,"

"I would have rather spent a million years in Arendelle's dungeon than gone back to the Southern Isles. My family is cruel, Elsa. I didn't have loving parents like yours who tried to make sure I was taken care of. My father pitted us against each other, all thirteen of us, while my mother sat in the back like nothing was happening. So, you wanted me to suffer. Good for you. I didn't suffer, though, after four months of their punishments. I was numb because I didn't want to feel anything anymore because it was all too much from the guilt that plagued me to the pain that coursed through me. The cruelty you sent me back to is nothing compared to what I did to you. I just want to leave that place more than anything,"

"That's your excuse for what you did!"

"I have never excused my actions. I owned up to it,"

"That doesn't make you any less of a monster, Hans!"

"No, but you knew…" Hans' eyes turned cold as spins on his heels to leave the tent, "so in the end you signed my death warrant and became the monster everyone thought you were." Hans storms out leaving a shocked Elsa behind.

Queen Elsa, don't be the monster they fear you are. Elsa reflects on the words spoken to her from the same man. She thinks back to the day they found in the sea. The scars and his pain. Her dreams. It was all too much, it kept her rooted. Unmoving. The snow continues to fall until her anger quells itself as she reflects on all of the harsh words said.

"Hans," it's barely above a whisper, but it's enough to break her out of her trance to get her running out of the tent. She looks around, panicked, trying to find the red-haired man. Her eyes finally settle on his retreating form as he heads into the woods, "Hans!"

"What, Elsa?!" Elsa grabs his hand.

"It's almost dark. You can't go…" Hans once again rips his hand from her grasp.

"I can go anywhere I want. You aren't a Queen here, and last time I looked, I'm a free man,"

"It's dangerous,"

"If I can survive four yours of torture," Elsa's eyes well up in tears again when she hears the coldness in his voice, "I imagine I'll be just fine in some woods,"

"You're hurt…" a small group of Northuldran gather around the scene, murmuring to each other. Honeymaren clutches her hands together as she watches her two friends.

"I don't need your help or your pity," Hans does a mocking bow, "Princess." Hans turns and disappears into the forest's tree line. Elsa feels her legs give out, collapsing to the snow-covered ground.

"Elsa!" Honeymaren runs to the spirit and gathers her into her arms, holding her close as she cried.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault," Honeymaren squeezes her tighter.

"No, it isn't. Hans is just angry,"

"He has every right to hate me. Nothing he ever did to me will ever compare to the torture I sent him to,"

"You aren't cruel, Elsa. You didn't know what they would do."

"Didn't I?" Honeymaren's heart breaks as she hears the brokenness in the soft whisper from the blonde. Elsa pulls herself away from Honeymaren's embrace and makes her way to a stump, scattering the gathered crowd. As she sits, her eyes flicker up to the spot in the tree line that Hans had disappeared at. Through blurry eyes, Elsa sees a wooden ring and some string. She remembers watching others use the supplies to weave trinkets for protection from all sorts of things. Nightmares. A long journey. Illness. She takes it gingerly into her hand, knotting the string at one end, and whispers the only protection prayer she can remember.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen." Honeymaren watches as silent tears fall down Elsa's face as she weaves the protection wreath, slowly, as she repeats the words without skipping a beat. After the third time, Honeymaren sprints away to find Ryder.

"Ryder!" Honeymaren nearly tackles her little brother.

"Whoa, Honey," Ryder looks at her with concern, "what's wrong? What happened?"

"Hans, he…"

"Did he do something to Elsa?" Ryder goes to grab his stick to ready himself to go fight the Prince.

"He went into the forest…alone,"

"He's in no condition,"

"Elsa and he had a fight and he just stormed off. Ryder, it's getting dark. He still has so much healing left to do. He shouldn't be out there,"

"I'll go look for him. He's not going to get very far," Ryder grabs a lantern before heading to the direction Honeymaren had come from.

"Ryder!" He turns back to his sister, who has worry plastered all over her face.

"What?"

"Bring him home." Ryder smiles and nods before heading out to find his friend.


Hans' knees hit the elegant tile of the ballroom. His eyes rise to meet the eyes of Rolf, Runo, and Caleb. Rolf was the next brother to dish out his punishment with his blue eyes glinting in glee. He smooths back his red hair and walks around Hans, inspecting him.

"Hans,"

"Rolf,"

"You know why your here?"

"Well, it's been almost two months since Soren put me in a cage and I forget the number of cuts I'm up to," Runo smiles.

"316."

"316. So, with all that information I can only imagine that you are going to make me waltz with Runo?" Hans smirks up at his brother, "we both know he is a terrible dancer, so it would be the worst form of punishment to make me dance with him," Runo growls and cracks his knuckles causing a familiar chill to run down his spine.

"Cute, Hans," Rolf kneels and smiles, "but no. I also didn't want to do this alone which is why Runo is here,"

"And Caleb?" Caleb walks up to the throne and lounges on it with his wine.

"I like to watch," Caleb smiles while taking a sip, "get on with it, Rolf. I have other things to do today."

"As you wish, brother dear." Rolf grips Hans' shoulder and delivers a swift punch to his gut earning a groan from Hans.

Hans doesn't know how long the beating lasts. It feels like hours but, in reality, it was probably only thirty minutes. Between the blows and kicks of his two brothers, Runo got two dozen more cuts in leaving Hans even more bloody. He hissed as the doctor moved his hand.

"Appears you have a fractured wrist, as well," the doctor tsks at the young Prince and he splints the appendage, "I'll be back to check on you tomorrow to apply for ointment for the cuts, as well as, check on your leg and ribs. Try to not move a lot tonight." The doctor closes his kit before leaving Hans in his lonely cell. Hans watches as the colors of the sunset decorate his room as he lets the sleeping draught take over.


I'm not a hundred percent happy with the fight, but hell, I've been tweaking that part for the better part of two days, and I'm still not overly content with me. So, I probably never will be. I was also super hesitant bringing Christian religion into this, but from the coronation scene in the first movie…we definitely know that the monarchy at least follows some sort of Christian based religion.

Well, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a comment because they give me life. Favorite and follow because that at least lets me know that people think my story is somewhat interesting.

Love,

KMA