Hello. Hi. How are you? I am so sorry this took so long. Just I have been so busy and in so much pain that I literally couldn't even think about sitting down with this story in particular. Not saying that I'm not writing. I have twelve other stories that are all in weird various stages and I hate it. However, this one I kept getting more and more frustrated with because I felt like I wasn't doing the storyline justice.

Redemptions are hard to write. They are hard to get everyone on board with and I understand that, but it's not fun to see messages saying that people don't understand why I think Hans is redeemable. Though I understand that I shouldn't let people's opinions matter to me…it hurts. Do we, as humans, truly believe that every single bad person doesn't deserve a second chance? I mean yes…very much there are ones who don't. There are people in this world that deserve every terrible thing that they got thrown at them, and there are many people that don't deserve a second chance. But this is Disney, and hasn't Disney taught us that behind every fake facade someone is hurting underneath? We learn from the Frozen Heart book that Hans suffered so much a child and we learn even more in the Frozen movie. I know that doesn't mean that he needed to become a bad person, but hell as someone who has a master's in psychology and counseling with a specialization in Trauma and Grief…I get how he became the way he did. I don't know…maybe it's just the big ol' softy heart in me that wants to see the hurting little boy in him have a happy ending.

Well anyway…I hope you like this chapter. To be honest, it made me cry because it refused to corporate with me, but hey…here you go. These two will be the death of me.

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


Shadows

Elsa wiped away the tears from her eyes as she rode Nokk hard towards the settlement. What were you thinking? He tried to kill you and Anna. Her tears don't stop flowing despite trying to will them away as she puts distance between her and the redhead she left on top of a cliff. She places a hand on her chest as she thinks about Hans alone up there, but still, she rides on. As soon as the settlement is in sight, she thaws Nokk and runs to her tent.

"Elsa!" She hears Honeymaren's voice call out from behind her as she disappears behind the walls of her tent. She quickly grabs her bag and starts throwing her belongings in wanting to get away before Hans came back. "Elsa?" She hears Honeymaren enter the tent.

"Go away, Honey," Honeymaren looks around and sees Elsa frantically throwing things into her bad, flurries of snow falling all around the tent.

"Where are you going?"

"Arendelle," Elsa once again wipes her face to rid herself of the ever-falling tears.

"You aren't due there for two weeks,"

"I should be there helping Anna, it is my birthday party after all," Honeymaren takes her wrist causing Elsa to timidly face her.

"Oh, Elsa," Elsa looks away from Honeymaren's concerned gaze still feeling ashamed of her actions on the cliff, "what happened? When you left here, you and Hans looked so happy,"

"It's nothing," Elsa pulls her arm free, going back to her task, "it was my fault,"

"Where is Hans by the way? Did you two have another fight?"

"No, it was nothing like that,"

"What did he say? I swear if you need me to…"

"I kissed him," Elsa grips the sides of the small table that sat in the back of her little hut, "I kissed him, and I didn't hate it," Elsa turns back to see Honeymaren looking at her with concern. "What?"

"Elsa, I don't understand why that's a bad thing,"

"I kissed a man who tried to kill me, willingly I might add," Elsa flops down to sit on her bed, "what is wrong with me?" The tears start flowing anew, and Honeymaren quickly gathers the blonde into her arms.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with you, Elsa. You and Hans have been spending a lot of time getting to know each other this last month. You two have a lot of common. It seems like it's only natural…" Elsa rips herself from Honeymaren's comforting embrace, pacing her tent.

"He tried to kill me, Honey! I'm not supposed to feel this way about someone who tried to kill me," the snow begins to fall harder as Elsa encases her arms around her.

"And how do you feel, Elsa? Put it into words maybe that will help,"

"I feel like there are a million butterflies in my stomach whenever I talk to him or think about him. I want to spend time with him because no matter what we're talking about the always brightens my day," Elsa goes back to the table and looks at the little wooden snowflake sculpture that Hans had made her a few days ago, she traces the edges with her fingers. "I want to hear his laugh or see his smile. I want him to get stronger and grow into the person I know he can be. I want him to hold me and to never let go,"

"It sounds like…"

"It sounds like the same thing that Anna felt when he fooled her," Elsa picks up a glass that sitting next to her sculpture and throws it against the wood of the shelter. She watches as the shattered pieces fall towards the floor, her breathing heavy with rage, "I need to go,"

"Elsa, it's late,"

"I can't be here when he gets back,"

"Elsa…" Elsa closes the bag with a definitive snap.

"I'll see you in two weeks for the party. Goodbye, Honey." Honeymaren watches with defeat as Elsa leaves the tent without even looking back, and cringes when she hears the distinctive hoof beats of Nokk riding away.

"Be safe." Honeymaren feels a tear run down her cheek as she exits the tent, watching the white figure in the distance.


Hans rushes back to the settlement as fast as his legs could take him. Elsa had a good head start on him, but if he was quick enough, she wouldn't have time to run. A few branches hit his face causing cuts, he can feel blood running down his cheek. He can hear the howling of the wolves, but he could care less. He had to get to Elsa. He stops in his tracks and spins around trying to get his bearings.

"Which way? Which way?" Suddenly a little grumble gets his attention, and he looks down to see a little salamander looking at him happily. Hans looks at it curiously before it erupts in flames, nonchalantly. Hans yelps and backs away, but the little ball of pink fire follows. "Bruni, right?" Bruni gives a small nod while spinning in circles, "can you take me home?" Bruni burns a brighter before running into the forest, Hans hot on the salamander's heels.


"Elsa!" Hans slides into her tent and watches the spirit jump into one of the piles of snow that littered the small room, "Elsa?" Hans walks around the snow-covered dwelling and hears the crunch beneath his shoes. He looks down at the shattered glass.

"Hans," Hans jumps and turns to see Honeymaren leaning against the entryway.

"Elsa is she…"

"She's gone, Hans, she left for Arendelle not ten minutes ago," Hans leaps forward.

"If I go now, I can still…" Honeymaren catches his arm.

"Don't," Hans sags his shoulders as he looks at his friends, "let her cool off,"

"But she doesn't have to be there for two weeks,"

"She's dealing with a lot,"

"No, she's hiding," Hans sits on a log, wringing his hands together, "that's what she does when she's afraid. She runs and hides like a scared little girl,"

"Hans, you don't mean that,"

"Of course, I do!" Hans buries his face in his hands, "she's being selfish right now. Running after doing…well, doing that!"

"Kissing you,"

"Yes, kissing…wait she told you?" Hans looks up at Honeymaren, who smiles and nods softly at the confused Prince.

"She did,"

"What'd she say?" Hans pulls Honeymaren down next to him, taking her arms into his hands, "please tell what she said,"

"She's confused, Hans. She has feelings for you, but she is conflicted about your two's…past,"

"Because I tried to kill her and Anna," Hans sighs in defeat. "Poetic, though really. The frozen-hearted Prince finally thawed by the Ice Queen to just have her freeze back up,"

"Hans, neither of you are frozen," Honeymaren looks at the red-head with sadness in her eyes when she sees tears trailing down his face.

"I love her, Honey, more than I thought a person could love someone. Words can't even describe what I feel for her," Hans sees the water of his tears staining his pants, "and then she kissed me, I felt so alive. For those brief moments, everything felt right in the world. For once, there were no flashbacks. No pain. No worrying about how to act. There was just Elsa and me. It was magical,"

"Just give her time," Hans looks over to his friend, "she just needs to be able to sort this out,"

"I'm just supposed to wait? I don't know if I have the strength to wait. She left me on a cliff after a pretty terrible nightmare, it took all my strength to follow her and not fling myself off the edge,"

"I believe in you, Hans," Honeymaren takes his hands into hers, "I believe that you will wait for Elsa because if you love her as much as I think you do, you know that she'll come back,"

"It just…"

"It hurts, I understand, but just let her move at her own pace. You've had plenty of courtships and lovers over the years, am I wrong?"

"Remind me to kill Ryder for spilling my secrets,"

"Well, you already know he has a loose tongue when he starts drinking, but am I wrong?"

"No," Hans grumbles rather bashfully.

"You are Elsa's first…well, you're Elsa's first everything,"

"That can't be true, have you seen her? She probably has suitors lining up outside of her door,"

"I'm sure she does but she hasn't formally courted anyone, and she certainly hasn't kissed anyone,"

"Why would she waste that on me? I'm not worthy of it,"

"Because I know deep down, Elsa feels the same way as you do. It's just her head is telling her that it's all a trick. That you are just using her to get to the throne because that's what has been drilled in her head since you left four years ago. It's going to take a minute to unwind all of that,"

"What do you mean? She doesn't have a throne for me to take even if I wanted it," Honeymaren looks around and finds a ball of yarn, handing the loose string to Hans and spreading his hands apart.

"Think of it like this. This is Elsa's ideas about you," Honeymaren runs her fingers over the soft yarn, "they are twisted and confusing. They are overwhelming, but with time and patience, it can start to unravel," Honeymaren starts untwisting the ball, wrapping the string around his hands. "So just be gentle and patient, and eventually everything will be undone,"

"I just…"

"No," Honeymaren looks up at him with a glare, "be patient, Hans. You two have already started the process now let Elsa get to you when she's ready. Don't rush her or you'll find yourself on the side that you don't want to be on."

"Okay." The two friends sit in silence, unwinding the ball until both decide to retire to bed.


Elsa feels the trails of tears running down her face as she pushes Nokk to their limit.

"Just a little farther, Nokk." Elsa sees the side entrance to the castle get closer and closer. She just wanted to be home. Far away from everything going on up North. Far away from Hans and the feelings that he was stirring inside of her. Far away from feeling out of control. When they finally arrive, Elsa quickly dismounts and waves Nokk away. She runs down the familiar halls of the castle, winding through them to her room.

"Now, Olaf," Elsa's breath hitches when she hears her sister talking with her creation. She holds her breath and clutches her bag close to her chest as she presses herself close to the wall around the corner from the two, "Elsa told you no sugar before bed,"

"I know," Olaf's little snow foot brushes innocently against the carpet, "but it's so good and she's not here,"

"I get it, believe me, I do," Elsa can't help but make a silent pitiful laugh at her sister's remark among her quiet tears. If anyone loved chocolate and sugar, it was Anna, "but it's not good for you. Plus, I don't think just because she isn't here doesn't mean her rules don't apply,"

"But I'm a snowman," Elsa peeks around the corner to see the two. Her heart swells with the familiar feeling of love but it is accompanied by the guilt rising inside her, "for all we know, it's good for me. Plus aren't you Queen now? You can make new rules!"

"Olaf…" Anna lets out a chuckle while Elsa lets out a sob, covering her mouth, but it was too late. The sound had left her. "Elsa?" Elsa appears around the corner, and she sees Anna's eyes full of worry and Olaf looking at her with concern. Elsa takes in the sight of her sister in her nightgown and braided pigtails and can't help but remember her frozen in front of her.

"I'm sorry." That was all she could say before sprinting to her room.

"Elsa!" She hears Anna call after her, but she needs to put as much distance between them. She needs to hide. Conceal, don't feel.

Anna watches as her sister rounds the corner, a trail of ice following her.

"What do you think happened?" Anna looks down at Olaf's wide eyes.

"I don't know, Olaf, but I'm going to find out," Anna begins to make her way to her sister's room.

"Oh!" A smile appearing on his face and begins to follow her, "I'll come along,"

"No, Olaf," Anna crouches down to the height of the small snowman, "I need to go talk to her,"

"But I want to help. I don't like seeing Elsa sad,"

"I don't either, but I think it's best if I do this alone for right now. Do you understand?"

"Yea," Olaf's face falls, "I guess I'll just go ask Sven to read to me." Anna smiles at the snowman.

"Sounds like a good plan. I'll see you tomorrow." Anna watches as Olaf leaves rather sullenly but she turns to continue her mission.


Elsa hears her sister's distinctive knocks, but just curls around her soft pillow. Maybe I should have gone to Ahtohallan. I would have been alone. The warm fabric of her nightgown is constricting, but she didn't have the energy to conjure anything and she didn't want to be in the clothes that Hans had touched. She didn't want to be reminded of the man who was slowly claiming her heart.

"Elsa?" Anna does her tell-tale knock on her sister's white door again, "Elsa, it's me…please let me in." Anna hears another sob through the door, so she gently opens it. The room has a thin layer of frost, and on the large bed, she sees her sister's shaking figured curled up on the bed. Looking so small and vulnerable, nothing like the Elsa she knew. "Oh, Elsa," Anna closes the door to keep this small sanctuary that Elsa has away from prying eyes.

"Go away, Anna," Anna ignores her and rushes to her bedside. She crawls in behind her, snuggling her, her chin on her shoulder.

"No, Elsa, I'm not going anywhere," Elsa's lips tremble as she turns in her sister's embrace, cuddling deeper into her chest, letting the sobs go more freely. "Scooch in and cuddle close," Anna gently pets her sister's hair as she feels the fabric of her nightgown dampen, "I've got you, Elsa,"

"I know," the guilt eats away at Elsa even more with every second she spends in her sister's loving embrace. "I'm so sorry, Anna, I am so, so sorry," Anna rubs gentle circles in her sister's back while humming their mother's lullaby until Elsa's sobs recede to light sniffles and whimpers.

"What happened? What are you so sorry about?"

"I can't tell you, Anna, not yet." The sisters embrace each other a little tighter.

"When you're ready. I'm here." Within a few minutes, Anna hears Elsa's steady breathing. She looks down to see her sister had fallen asleep, face still wet with tears. Anna smiles while untangling herself, placing a pillow in her place, before slipping out to go find Kristoff.


"…Elsa?" He searches her face for the sudden change in her mood, but his confusion is quickly answered when her lips cover his, both of their eyes fluttering shut. Hans revels in the cold touch and holds her tightly at the waist. As the kiss builds, her hair falls down around them like a golden veil, hiding them from the outside. However, as quickly as it started, it came to its natural end. Hans' eyes flutter open and he is met by Elsa's panicked expression, "Elsa?"

"I shouldn't…we shouldn't" Elsa goes to get up off of him, but he tangles his fingers in the loose tresses of her messy braid and pulls her back to him.

"Be selfish, Elsa," Elsa once again captures his lips and Hans can't help but moan in relief. Despite the nightmare he had just had, he was in heaven with this angel of a woman above him. As the kiss once again begins to heat up, Hans manipulates them, so Elsa is straddling him. Elsa pulls away, rather reluctantly, and looks down at him, her bottom lip captured by her teeth.

"You'll freeze out here," Hans rubs her thighs gently, noticing the icy fabric evaporate away like in his dream.

"You're worth it," Elsa quickly untangles herself from him, earning a moan of disapproval from him, "noooo. Come back, Snowflake,"

"Build a fire pit," She thaws a circle of the ground underneath as he watches as she disappears in the treeline. Hans eyes the point that she disappeared into, but slowly does as she says by digging a circle and lining it rocks. Suddenly, a clear ice sphere appears around the grassy oasis, as Elsa reappears with firewood in hand. She smiles bashfully as she enters through a small opening, depositing the wood into his makeshift firepit.

"I can't have you freezing on me," Hans eyes her curiously, but jumps as the pile of wood bursts into flame.

"What the…" Hans watches as a small salamander crawls out of the flame, smiling proudly at the woman next to him.

"Thank you, Bruni." With a flick of her wrist, Elsa conjures a wind of snowflakes that the creature happily chases. Hans watches as Elsa closes the enclosure and turns her attention back to Hans. Hans looks around the impressive structure. The ground beneath them bears no chilly remnants of the winter probably because of both the fire and Elsa's magic, and the clear dome still provides a beautiful of the sky. Hans feels Elsa shift next to him, and he turns his attention back to her rather than her impressive feat. He sees her tuck a traitorous strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hans, I'm sorry if this was…" Hans reaches up and pulls at the braid, unraveling it. He watches as the pale golden hair falls to her waist.

"I like your hair down," Finally, Hans threads his hand into her hair, bringing her mouth once again to his. Elsa sighs into his kiss, the prickling of his beard causing her hands to grip his shoulder blades as the feeling of pleasure shoots throughout her body. Before long, Elsa finds herself pressed against the firm ground beneath them with Hans' weight above her. She lets out a whine as his lips leave hers, but it morphs into a moan when his kisses travel to her neck.

"You know what I love most about ice," Elsa feels Hans smile between his gentle kisses and nips down her neck and collarbone.

"What?" Hans chuckles.

"It melts," Elsa gasps as Hans' lips lock around her nipple, melting the icy fabric around it. Elsa arches her back to press herself more into the man above her. The sensation causing a ripple of pleasure to cascade over their two bodies.

"Hans," Shuttered breaths leave the ice queen as his hands run down her body, melting the fabric slowly, as he switches to the other breast lavishing it as he did its twin.

"Yes, Elsa?" Hans' emerald eyes lock with hers and she closes the distance between their lips. She quickly undoes the clasp of his tunic and tries to rid him of it without much success. Hans takes her hands into his, "are you sure?" Elsa is touch by his softness and concern.

"I trust you, Hans." She watches as Hans takes off the top, her mouth watering slightly at the sight of his chest and abdomen. Hans trembles as her pale fingers caress his body. He looks down and sees her looking at all the scars with sadness, but he brings her fingers to his lips, kissing the tips gently.


Elsa and Hans wake up with a gasp. Hans looks over and is disappointed to see the pale beauty from his dream not by his side while Elsa curls up in a ball, clutching a pillow wishing Hans would replace it. That night both wept for the beautiful dysfunction that was their hearts.


Hans' eyes crack open to the mid-morning sun streaming in through the cracks between the wood slates. He groans at he flips over, trying to shake the restless night filled with visions of a certain blonde, but a sudden pressure causes his morning grogginess to fade away. His many explicit dreams had cursed him with a morning erection. He looks down at the bulge in his pants and sighs, what was one more fantasy of the Snow Queen who had left him alone on a cliff?


Elsa opened her eyes slightly when she hears Anna come dancing in, singing a lively tune, mid-morning judging by the light in her room.

"Elsa?" Elsa doesn't need to see her sister's face to know that there is confusion on it. Elsa wasn't one for sleeping in late, but after the tumultuous night, she had with her dreams, waking seemed like a chore. "You're still in bed,"

"Go away, Anna,"

"No," Elsa's face contorts into one of anger as she springs up from the bed to glare at her younger sister. Elsa notices that she is dressed down for the day wearing her hair loose with a braid crown and a less regal dress.

"Go away," Elsa throws a pillow, which Anna easily dodges.

"No," Anna gently crawls up Elsa's bed, settling in next her. Elsa's eyes connect with her sister. Anna wipes away the tears that Elsa hadn't even felt fall, "I don't know what has you so upset, but Kristoff and I think the best course of action is to distract you from whatever it is,"

"But…" Anna pulls her out of bed and sits her down at her vanity, picking up her brush.

"There are still things that need to be done with your party and the yule preparations, and I could use another eye because let's admit this…Kristoff and Olaf still aren't super helpful with the planning. Plus, I have a few questions about a trade deal I have that I can't quite sort out." The sisters laugh as Anna does Elsa's hair into a Dutch braid.

"Okay." Anna loops her arms from behind her older sister and hugs her tightly as if to say I'm here whenever you're ready.


After handling his morning problem, Hans moved around the settlement at a rather melancholy pace. He hated these knots in his stomach. However, his attention is grabbed by the rhythm of metal on metal. He wanders into the outskirts of the camp to see a blacksmith's hovel. Hans had stayed so sequestered in certain parts of the camp for the last month that he hadn't even noticed the little hovel before. He watches the burly man pound away at something. Hans watches as the man turns back to the kiln making the metal turn back to a bright red and as soon as it's pulled away from the kiln, Hans lets out a scream.

"No!" The dark-skinned man looked up at the wide-eyed prince, who was visibly shaking.

"Excuse me?" The Northuldran man placed down his tools and went over to confront Hans.

"Please no, not again," Hans drops to his knees, using his arms to shield himself, "please not again. Please don't brand me again,"

"Whoa, buddy," the man holds up hands and walks towards Hans, "I don't even know you,"

"Please, Rudi, no,"

"Who is Rudi? My name is Otto," Hans looks up the man, who was crouching down to his eye level, "you're Hans, right?" Hans looks at him with fear in his eye. Otto was a large man probably only lightly older than Hans, his dark hair covered in sweat, he was tall and lumbering. Nothing like Rudi. However, Hans still couldn't form words, so he simply nodded to the man's question. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Hans, you're safe here,"

"O…okay," Otto stood up and held out a hand for the man to take. Hans looked at Otto's hand, taking it cautiously. The two men walk over to Otto's blacksmith hovel, "what…what were you making?"

Otto smiles and gestures for Hans to look. Hans looks and sees beautiful metalwork curled and twined in the form of a school of fish, detailed to a degree that Hans had only ever seen in his mother's jewelry. "My wife, Mimi, likes to decorate our hut so I make whatever she designs,"

"It's beautiful,"

"Thank you," Otto takes the art piece out, causing Hans to flinch slightly, striking the "water lines" with his hammer. The movement causes Hans to flashback to another one of his punishments.


Hans looks around the open marketplace. The citizens had gathered around the circle to see the disgraced prince receive his seventh punishment. Franz liked the attention. He was a master showman with his dark blonde hair done up in a ponytail, his green eyes glimmering with delight as he watched the masses come, a smile etched on his face underneath his beard.

"This is going to be fun, Hans," Hans looked up at his brother with sad eyes, but instead of pity he receives a wink. Even though Franz was eleven years older than him, you could never tell by his face. Franz looked like he hadn't aged since his late twenties.

"I think you and I have different definitions of fun." Hans looks down at his bare torso, exposing his cuts, scars, and burns from his other punishments. Some fresh. Some not. He felt more exposed than ever. A collar around his neck chained him into a huddled position facing the cobblestone streets, his hands also bound by cuffs.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Hans flinches at his brother's booming voice, "I welcome you to this public flogging of my brother, Prince Hans, for his crimes against Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle. A little under two years, my brother unsuccessfully tried to take both of their lives, and Queen Elsa in here wisdom released him back to us. Now, I am the seventh of brothers to punish Hans for his crimes, but I am the first to show the public our progress," Franz gestures down to the young man on his knees, "as you can see my brother is suffering so you can be rest assured that he is being properly punished for his crimes against Arendelle but also the Isles and all we stand for,"

"Get on with it!" An unknown face screams.

"Yea! We want to see a beating!"

"Make him scream!" Hans' eyes fill with tears as he hears the publics' cries. People who had once supported him, people he had walked among and gotten to know were now screaming for his head.

"As the public wishes!" Hans hears Franz catch the thin wooden plank as its thrown to him. "I hope you are ready, baby brother." Franz whispers down to the red-head, and Hans steels himself for the first blow. Every hit earns cheers from the crowd. Hans can only imagine that his back is red and covered in cuts and blood. It isn't until the seventeenth flog that Hans finally screams.


When Hans comes back to the present, he sees Otto looking at him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"Just memories,"

"Well, I've found that hitting things can help," Otto begins to heat a scrap piece of metal and hands him the mallet. Hans takes it and looks at it with confusion until Otto places the red-hot metal in front of him. "Don't worry, it's just scrap. Just go ahead and hit it. Might make you feel better to have some sort of control."

Hans looks up at Otto, and without a second thought, he swings. He thinks of his brothers. He thinks about his father. His childhood. Hit after hit, manipulating the softened metal into what he wanted. He thinks about his crimes. He thinks about Elsa and his feelings. As soon as her name passes through his mind, Hans stops and breaks down in tears. Otto takes the hammer and brings the man into a hug. As soon as Hans' sobs subside.

"Feel better?" Otto pulls back and smiles down at the man. Hans nods with a weak smile.

"Yea, I do,"

"Anytime you need to hit something, I can help you out,"

"Thank you,"

"Not a problem. My father said there is nothing like kicking a piece of metal's ass that won't fix a problem,"

"No wiser words have been spoken," Hans looks at all the other things in Otto's little hideaway. Delicate necklaces, clasps, and chains adorn the walls, as well as swords and shields, "did you make all this?"

"My sister and I," Otto appears next to Hans, "why?"

"How did you get so much detail in something so small?" Hans taps once of the necklaces hanging from the rafters.

"Patience and practice. Lots and lots of practice," Otto lets out a deep belly laugh.

"Can you help me with something?"

"What is it?"

"A present for a…" Hans starts to blush, "a friend,"

"Must be a pretty special friend."

"She is." Hans and Otto quickly do some sketches, and the two men happily chat and work until late into the evening.


Caleb laughs as he takes another sip of his beer on the deck as he watches his brother and son stumble around in a funny dance, twirling around each other by their arms.

"Be careful, Vlad, my boy, your uncle can't hold his liquor well,"

"No one asked you, oh great one," Henrik sticks his tongue out at Caleb.

"Be careful brother, I'm a king now. Sticking your tongue out at me can be a punishable offense," Caleb smirks and lets out a soft chuckle.

"Oh no," Henrik pretends to cower, "don't punish me like Hans," all the men laugh, knocking their drinks back again.

"I miss Hans," Runo twirls his knife in his hand.

"Why?" Henrik spurts out with a laugh.

"He was so much fun to play with," Runo does a quick cut on Henrik's arm, earning a yelp from his older brother, "see, you're too big of a baby. It was always fun to see how long it would take to get Hans to scream for mercy,"

Henrik goes to lunge at Runo for his assault, "Henrik, leave him be," Caleb's booming voice bounces off the boat's boards.

"But he…"

"It doesn't matter, your king…"

"My king who is at the mercy of the Queen of the Shadows," Caleb closes the distance between Henrik, towering over him.

"I take orders from no one,"

"Except your whore," Caleb pushes Henrik backward, so he is pressed against the rail of the ship. Caleb pushes him back so the top part of him is dangling over the edge. "Caleb! What the hell are you doing?!" Jurgen, Runo, and Vlademar watch the scene in horror but make no movements to stop it.

"I am the King, Henrik, and I think it is in your best interest you stop forgetting that."


Zilla watched the scene play out in her mists and chuckles to herself. She twirls the glowing blue crystal in her hand, a smirk playing across her face.

"Oh, my little King, I think you forget," Zilla's pale hand clenches around the crystal turning it black causing the blue in the Borealis to disappear from the sky, "I'm the one in charge."


Suddenly, the sky goes dark and the waves begin to toss the ship side to side.

"What the…" Caleb looks around at the sudden storm and pushes Henrik back towards the other, "get below deck you three." The other three quickly hurry below deck as the crew and Caleb busy themselves with preparing the ship for the coming storm.

Remember who is in power, Caleb. Caleb watches as one of his men does overboard, and quickly loses him among the waves and heavy rain.

"You win, Zilla! You have the power!" Caleb shouts into the open air, and as quickly the storm came, it dissipated. The young man who had been lost at sea was now on the deck as though nothing had happened.

"And don't you forget it." Zilla appears in front of Caleb, a coil of shadows and smoke, placing a kiss on his cheek before disappearing herself.


Elsa looks around the dining table, the loudness of the hall getting to her. Diplomats and royals from all over had made their way here after finding out the former Queen would be there to thaw their path into the frozen fjord, so Elsa and Anna's preparations over the last few weeks had doubled. The light blue of her dress contrasts the darkness of the room making her feel like she is standing out even more than she knows she already does. Her hair done up in a braided crown and a small diamond tiara settled behind it. She had gotten so used to not looking like a royal, she kind of hated looking like one again.

"Your Highness," Elsa looks over to see a man probably in his late thirties next to her. His hair and beard are dark and well maintained, and his brown eyes have a certain eagerness behind them that Elsa can't quite explain, "how are you faring this morning?"

"Fine. Just a little tired, Sir…"

"Baron von Heberstein from the Anidia Kingdom,"

"Anidia," Elsa's ears perk up at the name. The kingdom was just East of Corona. It bore a striking resemblance to its neighbor, but it had many more mountains and forests which made it an ideal partner for trade in both ore and wood. "I remember visiting your country during my tour,"

"It remembers you, too," the man smiles pleasantly at Elsa, but it still unnerves her, "you should come back for a visit some time,"

"Maybe, I have a lot of duties…"

"You aren't Queen anymore, what kind of duties does a Princess hold?" Elsa hardens her expression. What now that she didn't make rulings, she was just meant to stand there and look pretty?

"Well, Baron," Elsa places her napkin and cutlery on her plate, signaling to the staff she was done eating, "I am the protector of the Enchanted Forest, and I still hold a seat on the council if Anna needs me, so no, I am not Queen, but I still have plenty of duties. If you will excuse me." Elsa gets up and walks away but is only stopped by another man. This one is younger with black hair and green eyes, and Elsa immediately recognizes him as one of the Dukes from Andorra.

"Are you alright, your Highness?" Elsa raises her hand to him to ask him to step back. For the last two weeks, she has wanted nothing more than to run and forget about the party along with everything that came with it but remembered who was there. There hadn't been a night that Hans hadn't been on her mind, and there hadn't been a moment that he didn't plague her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Duke Enric, just need some air,"

"Do you need me to deal with that man?" The younger man puffs out his chest, trying to show Elsa that he can defend her. She can't help but roll her eyes are the display of masculinity. As if she needed his protection.

"No," Elsa looks back at the Baron, who still seems a little struck by her departure, "I can handle it. I will see you later." She curtsies and quickly runs to the library.


As she shuts the door, she is relieved when the noise from all the visitors dies down. Her mother's scarf lays on the couch in front of the fire, and Elsa wraps herself in it, reveling in the comfort.

"Oh, Mother, what do I do?" Elsa hears a gently tapping at the door to the balcony, and Elsa goes over to inspect it. She spies a flurry of snow and paper, "Gale!" The doors quickly fly open and Gale makes their entrance. They spin and swirl around the library before spinning around Elsa, ruffling her dress and hair. "Oh, Gale, I've missed you. How is everything back home?" As if answering her question, Gale drops a few letters on her lap and disappears out the door. Elsa reads some of the letters. One is from Yelena talking about the politics, another is from Ryder telling her some funny story about the reindeer. As she comes across the third letter, she traces Honeymaren's script with the tips of her finger.

Elsa,

I hope you are well, my friend, and your time away has brought you some clarity about your situation. I'm sure others have told you that everything is fine here in the Forest, but I know the reason you left, and I will tell you that it isn't fine.

Your decision to leave has hurt a lot of us. I understand why you did it, but your decision has had consequences. Bruni is getting a little out of control, but thankfully with it being winter, we can keep them at bay. The Earth giants are growing restless, and so is Gale. I had to give them the task of delivering you these letters, so the settlement will have some peace from their mischief. Nokk hasn't been seen since you left, so I can't even report to you on them. You are supposed to be here bringing peace to this place, but your absence has been felt.

I, however, simply just miss my friend. I miss our late-night conversations or our morning walks. I've been sad, and don't even get me started on the reason why you left. If he isn't sulking around the camp, he's at the blacksmith's hovel doing who knows what…he won't tell me. Says that it's a surprise. Speaking of him…he's written you a letter. I've chosen to include it with all of our other letters. I don't know what it says, but he wanted to make sure it got to you.

I hope you sort your thoughts out soon because we miss you. I will see you at your party on Friday.

Your Friend,

Honey

Elsa sets down the letter on her lap with a sigh. Honeymaren was right, she had selfishly run away from her problems and in turn, caused a lot more. She shifts the papers around until she finds the note she's looking for. Her name adorns the outside in an elegant script, and Elsa takes a deep breath as she unfolds it.

Elsa,

I miss you.

Love,

Hans

Six simple words are what broke Elsa. She cries over the paper, clutching it tightly to her chest. God, she missed him. She missed him so much, and she wanted nothing more than run right into his arms. She had spent the last two weeks hiding, and it had done nothing but cause problems with the people she cared about most. Sure, Anna is less stressed because the planning wasn't being placed all on her and Kristoff and Olaf were happy to have her back for family game night, but this wasn't her home anymore. She understood that more and more as she roamed the empty halls while Anna was in meetings.

"Whatcha got there?" Elsa nearly jumps out of her skin when Anna comes in.

"Nothing," Elsa wipes away her face and folds up Hans' letter, gathering the others into her hand as well.

"You don't normally cry over nothing,"

"It's just letters from everyone back home. I just miss them,"

"Elsa, you're home now, though," Elsa turns to Anna with a weak smile. She can see the hurt on her little sister's face as she calls somewhere other than Arendelle her home.

"I have two," Elsa pulls Anna in for a tight hug. "What brings you up here?"

"I saw my sister disappear after being nearly chased down by two suitors, figured I'd check on her. You okay?"

"Yea," Elsa loops Anna's arm in hers while they make their way out of the library, "it's just a lot more people than I was inspecting,"

"Me, too, seems like everyone wants to celebrate your birthday,"

"Or they want to see how a royal is still unmarried at twenty-six,"

"Don't be ridiculous," Elsa quirks a small smile. She knew of the rumors surrounding her. She had heard the gossip and the council's wagging tongues. She was an ice cube, unfeeling and unromantic. She was barren so useless to any throne. She would freeze any man that tried to bed her. The list went on and on, and though all of the gossip was uncorroborated that didn't stop the spread of it.

"I mean you know what they say about gossiping tongues,"

"That they bring nothing but ruin. Are you sure you're ready to put your Princess face on?" Anna looks at her sister with concern. She knew Elsa had a lot of anxiety surrounding large groups.

"Born ready,"

"Good because the Southern Isle dignitaries just arrived," Elsa tenses. Hans' brothers were here. She felt a deep hatred start to boil deep in her belly for the people who had hurt Hans so terribly. She barely registers any of Anna's words, only catching the tail end of her rant because of the blood whooshing around in her ears, "I know we don't have the best relationship, but I think it's worth it to try, right? And now that Hans' isn't here…it should be easier."

"Anna, I have something to tell you…" the library doors open as Kai steps in.

"Your majesty and your highness, the Westergaards are waiting for you in the throne room."

"Of course. Let's not keep them waiting, Elsa, you can just tell me later." Anna pulls Elsa down the hall to go greet the new guests.

"Hopefully." Elsa reluctantly follows. Conceal, don't feel.


Okay! If I had known that just watching Frozen 2 would get writing juices flowing, I would have cracked that Blu-Ray open when it got here. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Post a review, give this story a like and a follow. I would appreciate it. I like to think that I'm writing this story for more than just me.

So, Andina is essentially Poland while Andorra is a REAL place near Spain. I just like how it sounded, so I didn't change it.

How do we feel about some of Elsa's suitors? Huh? Huh? God, I'm gonna hate writing for this stupid ball. Maybe the Coronavirus will kill me first.

Love,

KMA