Hi Everyone! Did not expect to hear from me ever again, did you? Well, here I am! I am still alive! In all seriousness, I do sincerely offer my apologies to each and everyone one of you for my long hiatus. Without going into too many details, there has been a lot of turbulence in my life for the past year and a half. I have developed some health issues that has sent me to the hospital on numerous occasions as well as a couple serious health scares from my family. It has been a stressful time for me to say the least. Finding time and/or inspiration to write during this time was quite difficult, hence my long delay. However, I did promise that I would never give up and leave this story unfinished and I intend on keeping my promise. I understand that many of my readers have grown tired of waiting for this next chapter and moved onto other stories. I honestly do not blame you. But for those who have stuck by me, I have no words that can express the gratitude that I feel towards your undeserving loyalty. I ask for your forgiveness and a second chance as I recommit myself to this story and try to do these characters and this story line some justice. I guess the silver lining is that I have previously written up and published summaries of this story that basically lead up to this chapter, so feel free to take a peek at those if you want a refresher. Alrighty! Let's get started! I hope you enjoy the next chapter and above all else...HAPPY READING! :)

Chapter 13

The summer air was cool and crisp as the morning sun's rays stretched over the sleeping kingdom of the Southern Isles. It was still early in the morning as bits of sunlight streaked through the castle windows and rested upon Hans' sleeping face. He squinted from the light in his eyes which caused him to stir and glance over at his clock that read 5:32. He sat up with a tired groan and blearily rubbed his eyes, noticing that he had not changed clothes from last night. He decided that since it was still rather early and he was feeling gross from the day before, now would be a good time to wash up and take a quick bath. He started the bath before grabbing some fresh clothes from his wardrobe so that the water could warm up a bit. Once in the bathroom, he stole a quick glance in the mirror and grumbled at his exhausted appearance. He had never been hit by a train but he had been punched by Anna and he felt worse now than he did when she gave him that solid jab. He was not only physically worn but his mental and emotional health was also weak.

Once the water temperature was to his liking, he disrobed and slid into the warm refreshing water. He gave himself a good scrub before resting his head back against the edge of the tub and letting the relaxing aromas subdue his stress. With his eyes closed, he let mind start processing last night's meeting with his father. He knew that he had to send the letters he had written but there was absolutely no way he was going to have them delivered on time. He needed to find another way but he was stumped. There was literally nothing he could do.

His thoughts then shifted over to Annaliese and her progress in finding the conspirators. He figured that she had not found them or any more information on them yet or else she would have come straight to him. That is when he remembered that he was going to have a brief talk with her and her recently strange behavior. He noticed that the more time they spent in the Southern Isles, the more this new and emotionally stoic version of Annaliese had progressed. Hans worried that she was beginning to harden like he once did when he walked his dark and criminal path. In fact, their encounter last night was the first time since the arrival breakfast fiasco that she had acted like her usual animated self that he grew up knowing. He really needed to get himself and Annaliese back to Arendelle soon before they started to grow accustomed to his jaded family habits.

With his eyes still closed, he cleared his mind of all things Southern Isles and he let himself pretend that he was back in Arendelle. Back in his and Elsa's on suite bathroom, soaking in their tub. He imagined hearing Anna's laugh as she and Kristoff played with Sven and Olaf in the courtyard. He even imagined hearing Elsa's sweet voice in the bedroom, humming one of her many songs that she liked to sing when she was feeling relaxed and content. Feeling a wave of peace and joy wash over his tired soul, he even let himself hum along with Elsa's song. Letting his imagination fully takeover his senses, he heard a gentle knock on the bathroom followed by a delicate voice, "Hans? Are you in there?"

Hans smiled at the thought of seeing Elsa, "Yes, come in."

He heard the bathroom door open up and a couple of light footsteps walked onto the tile floor, "Prince Hans, I-whoa!"

Hans suddenly opened his eyes and realized that the young woman standing in the bathroom was not his wife, "Leila?! What are you doing in here?!" He abruptly splashed as he sat up in the tub, spilling water all over the floor.

Upon seeing Hans in the tub, Leila immediately diverted her eyes upward in order to give him privacy, "In, uh, my defense you told me to come in."

"I thought you were someone else." Hans instantly cringed at his response, "I mean, I thought you were Elsa." He noticed the amused look on Leila's face even though she was still silently staring at the ceiling, "Look, I was letting myself believe that I was back in Arendelle and I guess I let my imagination run a little too wild. I imagined that Elsa was in the other room and so when you knocked I just assumed-"

"You don't have to explain, Your Highness, I get the idea." They awkwardly remained in their spots for a few seconds before Leila uncomfortably laughed, "Um, I had something to tell you, but first, do you need me to get you a towel?"

"I can get it myself if you would just turn around, please?" She happily obliged as he carefully climbed out of the slick tub and cautiously hurried over to the towel cabinet across the room, careful not to slip on all of the water splashed onto the floor. Once he reached the towels, he swiftly dried off and tightly wrapped the towel around his waist, "Alright, I'm a little more decent."

She turned around and gave him a quick up and down glance, taking in his athletically slim body with his broad shoulders and chiseled chest and abdomen, "Hmm. Elsa's a lucky woman." She teased with a playful wink. Hans rolled his eyes but she could see a little bit of pink stain his cheeks in embarrassment. Leila's teasing mood subsided when she noticed Hans' scars, "Where did you get those?"

"Oh these…" Hans mentally slapped himself for not covering up his Sperca wounds as he searched for a shirt or robe to put on. He could not find the clothes he grabbed from the wardrobe earlier and that's when he remembered that he forgot them on his bed. Then he realized that Leila was still standing by the door, staring at his scars in curiosity, "I got these from an expedition." He mindlessly responded as he glanced past her and spotted the clothes on his bed.

"Where did you go?" She curiously cocked her head.

"Um, I don't remember. It was a long time ago."

She crossed her arms in doubt, "Uh-huh."

"What?" Hans returned his focus on Leila and her skeptical expression.

Leila started to carefully walk towards him in order to get a better look without slipping on the slick floor, "By the looks of them, those scars resulted from some serious injuries and serious injuries do not tend to be easily forgotten."

"Like I said, it was a long time ago." Hans nonchalantly shrugged as he tried to leisurely walk past her.

"I don't think so…" She stopped directly in front of him, glancing up and down his abdomen, "Seems to me like they're still in the early stages of healing. I'd say maybe a year or two old, tops." She casted her eyes upward to meet his, a knowing look on her face.

Hans sighed as he reluctantly gave in. He knew that he could not fool her, she was the head nurse after all. "Okay, fine, you're right but I don't like to talk about it." He tried to walk around her but she was staying persistent.

"Let me see it. I might have some ointment that could help them heal up in no time."

"No thank-ahh!" Hans was not paying attention where he was stepping as he accidentally stepped back onto a very large and slick puddle that cause him to start falling backwards. Leila's eyes grew wide as she lunged for him and grabbed his wrists. Unfortunately, Hans' heavier weight and stronger momentum was too great for her to counterbalance, especially since she was unable to find her footing on the slippery ground. So as Hans fell to the floor, he accidentally dragged Leila with him and the two landed with a loud thud. However as Hans' body hit the floor, his head did not. Once on the floor, Hans blinked a couple times before realizing that Leila was on top of him with her hands interlocked with each other behind his head as they provided Hans with a makeshift pillow.

Leila looked down at him in alarm, "Prince Hans, are you alright?" She was completely unaware of how her entire body was resting on top of his or that their faces were only a breath away from each other.

"I'm okay." Hans breathed with an embarrassed smile, "But, uh, could you please get off of me?"

"Oh!" Leila gently released her hands as Hans' head was place on the floor. She swiftly rolled off of him and then helped him sit up, "I'm so sorry, I saw you slip and it was just a reflex reaction to intervene-"

"Don't apologize." Hans chuckled as they both stood up and recomposed themselves, "That was pretty impressive what you did with your hands." Hans walked into his bedroom and grabbed the clothes spread out on his bed before heading behind the changing screen.

"Thanks." She followed him back into his room and sat on the edge of his bed as he got dressed, "A fall like that could have done some damage to that noggin of yours."

"Well, then I guess I should be thanking you then." He stepped out from behind the changing screen, fully dressed with a charming smile on his face, "Thank you."

"Protecting the well-being of the royal family is my job." She let her eyes give his body the once-over, "But in all seriousness, you are okay right? Nothing hurts?"

"I'm fine. Really."

"If you're sure." She shrugged.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Hans sauntered towards his full length mirror in order to check his appearance.

"It's about Annaliese."

Hans used the mirror to look at her concerned face, "Is she alright?"

"I don't know. I was supposed to have breakfast with her this morning but she wasn't in her room so I thought that maybe she came by to talk to you." She glanced around his room, "Have you seen her?"

"The last time I saw her was last night. I'm sure she's fine. She must have been caught up in doing something for me and just forgot about breakfast."

"So you're not worried?" Leila inquisitively cocked her head at him, her blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"No." Hans finally turned away from the mirror in order to face Leila, "Are you?"

She timidly shrugged, "Well, if you're not then I won't be."

As she stood up and headed towards the door, Hans could not help but inquiringly watch her calm composure, "Well that was easy."

Her hand paused on the door handle, "What was?"

"Letting go of your worry, controlling your emotions."

She glanced over her shoulder to look towards him, "Your Highness, I work in the medical field and as the head nurse I find myself in a lot of stressful and emotional situations so I am quite used to quieting my emotions in order to think clearly and work efficiently." She turned back to the door but something was nagging her, "Can I ask you something?"

Hans propped his foot up on the chest at the base of his bed as he slid his boots on. "I suppose." He nonchalantly shrugged.

"Annaliese told me about how your brothers used to abuse you while you were growing up here."

"Is that the question?" Hans quipped as he continued to keep his focus on his boots.

"No, it's just…" She turned away from the door to face him again, "I've been watching you for the past month and you do not act like a man who experienced an abusive childhood."

Hans let out a tired sigh, still keeping his eyes focused downward, "There is no easy way to answer that statement."

She thoughtfully furrowed her brows together as if trying to decipher his ambiguity, "Are you not afraid of your brothers anymore?"

"Not really." Hans humorlessly chucked with a half-smile, "They've already done their worst to me and I'm still here so I don't think there's anything they could do that would phase me now."

Leila leaned back against the door and curiously tilted her head, "Then what worries you?"

After a long pause, he finally lifted his head and met her curious eyes, "The safety and well-being of my family back in Arendelle…Annaliese included as well."

Leila lifted her brows in surprise with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, "Hm." She seemed to hesitate as she tried to find the proper response to such an honest and heartfelt answer, "You know what? I'm glad that you ended up being the King Consort of Arendelle…you seem to really care about your people and that makes all the difference." She shyly dropped her eyes downward towards her feet as she timidly played with a loose strand of her hair. Her behavior reminded Hans of Anna which made him miss his Arendelle family even more. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Leila quietly speak up again, "So, um, if you see Annaliese before me, could you tell her that I was looking for her?"

"Absolutely." He nodded with a sincere smile.

"Thank you." She properly bowed, "Good day, Your Highness." After he bowed his head in return, she turned and left his room, making sure to close the door behind her. Hans stood there for a couple minutes as he let himself process what had just happened. The longer he thought about Leila and her Anna-like behavior, the bigger his nostalgic smile grew on his face. Even Leila accidentally falling on top of him in the bathroom reminded Hans about the first time he met Anna at the docks in Arendelle.

He certainly missed everyone back in Arendelle, even Kristoff, although he would never admit that to him. As much as he and Kristoff liked to banter, Hans always knew that Kristoff was loyal and trustworthy to a fault and he would do anything to protect those he loves.

The smile on Hans' face disappeared as he remembered the troubling news that he fell asleep thinking about last night. There were multiple possible terror attacks brewing in Corona, Arendelle, and the Southern Isles and he could not warn their allied kingdoms. Perhaps he could talk to Viktor about this and they could possibly find another, more trustworthy way of transporting the news. He was relieved that he and Viktor seemed to be getting along very well during the past month and that Hans could trust him with the on-going investigation. However, Hans had still withheld the information about Vortex and the run-in they experienced in London, but considering the situation he was in, he might have to reveal the entire truth to his brother.

Feeling conflicted, Hans wandered toward his nightstand and opened up the top drawer that contained the two letters he wrote to Corona and Arendelle last night. As he reached down to pick them up, he heard a light tapping sound. Hearing this strange noise, Hans instantly froze where he stood with his hand lightly resting upon the letters. After a few seconds of silence, Hans continued what he was doing as he grabbed the letters and sat on the edge of his bed, closing his nightstand drawer with his free hand. Hans stared down at the letters as he tried to figure out how he could send these in time and without getting on his father's bad side. As his mind continued reeling, his thoughts were interrupted by the same tapping sound, this time louder than before.

Hans' head snapped up and his eyes cautiously scanned his room in order to find out where that noise was coming from. Finally, he noticed a seagull happily perched upon his window sill. He did a double take when he noticed that the bird was intensely staring at him, followed by it leaning forward and gently tapping on the glass window, as if it were knocking. Hans was so stunned by the sight that he quickly rubbed his eyes to see if he was just imagining it. But once he removed his hands, the seagull was still there, this time it was curiously cocking its head side-to-side.

Feeling curious as to the bird's persistence, Hans slowly stood up and cautiously walked toward the window. He unlocked the latch and warily opened the window, noticing a small pendant hanging from the bird's neck. "What's this?" He carefully reached towards the bird in order to get a closer look at the pendant and to his surprise the seagull did not even flinch at his touch. Hans examined the pendant and noticed an intricate 'A' engraved on one side and a symbol of a trident engraved on the other side. "I've seen this symbol before…" Hans thought out loud, trying to remember where he saw these symbols. His eyes slowly grew wide as realization struck him, "This is the symbol to the mythical underwater city of Atlantica. I remember reading about this in one of my mythology books as a child." Then he remembered something that Anna had mentioned after coming back from visiting Rapunzel in Corona, "Oh and mermaids exist! Yeah apparently mermaids are real-"

He glanced down at the seagull and curiously raised his eyebrows at it, "Are you supposed to be a messenger from Atlantica?" The bird cheerfully squawked before stretching out its wings and giving them a quick flap as it leapt off its perch. Hans watched in fascination as the seagull flew into a nearby tree and in a matter of seconds, it returned with an envelope in its beak. Hans hesitantly reached for the envelope, still pretty freaked out by what was happening. The seagull seemed to sense his hesitation as it lowered its head and dropped the envelope onto the window sill. Hans smiled when he noticed the seal of Corona on the back of the envelope. He could not open it fast enough and his smile grew even wider when he noticed that the letter was addressed to him.

To Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, King Consort of Arendelle,

We sent you and Queen Elsa a letter about a month ago but we have not received any response. Therefore, we have surmised that either our letter was never received or your response was never delivered. This, of course, would mean that someone does not wish our kingdoms to correspond with one another via traditional means. As a result, we have decided to entrust any further communication into the hands of the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. Eugene has corresponded with a couple princesses from Atlantica and they have agreed, with their father King Triton's blessing, to help us with our endeavors.

It has come to our attention that there has been some suspicious activity occurring in the Southern Isles and thanks to the help of the Princesses of Atlantica we were able to find out about your impromptu trip back to your homeland. We hope your father is doing well as he is a respectable ruler and a fierce ally of Corona. Rapunzel recently came forward and explained to me about the trouble you and your family ran into while in London last fall with the terrorist organization Vortex. She has also feared that their leader, Thomas Sullivan, is planning to seek revenge on both our family and yours. In that respect, we hope that you stay alert to this possibility of an attack.

We hope to hear from you soon, as confirmation that you are safe and that you have received this letter. We have also sent a letter to Queen Elsa in hopes that she may confirm this as well. Rapunzel and Eugene send their regards and hope you are well.

Sincerely,

King Frederic of Corona

Hans reread the letter over and over again, amazed and slightly stunned by what was transpiring. He slowly lowered the letter and rested his gaze onto the seagull staring attentively at him. "So um…" He could not help but feel silly talking to a bird, "Do I give you my reply?" The seagull seemed to understand him as it squawked and flapped its wings. "Alright…well…"

Hans strode over to where he left the letters on his bed and grabbed them, shaking his head in disbelief, "I can't believe I'm entrusting these important letters to a bird." As Hans walked back over to the seagull, who was still patiently waiting on the windowsill, he awkwardly asked, "Um, I actually have two letters that need to be sent. One to Corona and one to Arendelle. They're rather urgent so if there's any way these can be delivered before the week's end that would be great."

He chuckled at the bird's intense expression, as if it were actually understanding what he was saying. "Here you go, I guess…" He hesitantly outstretched his arm and offered the bird the letters. The seagull calmly leaned forward and grabbed both letters in its beak before giving Hans a subtle head nod as it flapped its wings and took off towards the sea.

Hans rested his elbows on the window sill as he watched the bird fly away in intrigue. "I've officially lost my mind." He chuckled to himself, "I just placed the safety and future well-being of Arendelle and Corona into the beak of a bird."


"Come on, Henry…" Elsa groaned as she sat at the dining table with a crying nephew on her lap, "you have to eat something." She tried to urge a spoonful of mashed bananas into his mouth but the unhappy prince kept turning his head away while continuing to wail.

"Elsa make him stop…please." Anna moaned from her spot at the table with her fingers massaging the temples of her forehead.

Elsa threw her sister a tired, irritated look, "What do you think I've been doing all morning?" She gently grazed a cool finger across Henry's warm, red cheeks, "Poor little guy is teething and I can't imagine it feels very comfortable."

Kristoff curiously glanced over at the two-year old, "I thought he already went through his teething phase?"

"Only his lower teeth have come in so far." Elsa placed the spoon down and softly put her finger to his lips. The coolness of her finger caused Henry to open up his mouth so that she could place her cold finger along his upper gum line which seemed to sooth the irritation and stop his crying.

"Thank goodness." Anna laughed with relief, "You just have to keep your finger in his mouth for the entire teething process."

Elsa lightheartedly rolled her eyes, "Anna that is neither effective nor hygienic."

Kristoff curiously looked over at Elsa, "Have you asked Doctor Omsorg for some ointment to help with the irritation?

"Oh yeah!" Anna immediately perked up with realization, "I remember Annaliese rubbing some sort of gel onto his gums when his lower teeth were coming in!"

"Perfect." Elsa stood up with Henry in her arms and walked over to Anna, "I need you to watch him for a couple minutes while I go visit the doctor."

"B-but won't he start crying again?" Anna suspiciously eyed the child.

"Not if I chill his breakfast…" Elsa picked up the bowl of mashed bananas and lightly chilled his food, "There." She positioned the bowl in front of Anna, "Take a spoonful and let him nibble on it while I'm gone." She placed Henry on her sister's lap and let go when Anna took hold of him, "I'll be back soon…this shouldn't take too long." Before Anna could object, Elsa swiftly turned around and promptly exited the dining room.

Once in the hallway, Elsa took a moment to enjoy the quiet of the morning. She had been up since three thanks to her nephew's irritated gums and she did not get a single moment of peace and quiet until now. Enjoying the peaceful morning, she took her time as she strolled through the corridors towards Doctor Omsorg's office. During her relaxing stroll, she stopped at her favorite portrait of her and Hans together.

Elsa was wearing a dress that looked like a mixture between her coronation gown, her wedding gown, and her ice dress that consisted of a dark green strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline along with a thin light pastel green lace that covered her shoulders and arms as well as overlapping the strapless gown that extended into a long lacy trail. Hans was wearing his full dress Admiral uniform that consisted of dark green double-breasted tailcoat with gold buttons worn with black trousers with gold stripes down the side, sword belt with sheathed sword, and gold epaulettes. Elsa was seated with her crown on while Hans stood at attention beside and slightly behind her left shoulder.

This painting was made shortly after Christmas and perfectly represented their roles as the monarchs of Arendelle. Elsa smiled at the painting as she remembered how hard it was to keep a straight face while the artist worked because of how Hans kept making her laugh. Even the final result of the portrait showed hints of a smile tugging at the corners of their lips and their eyes glimmered in cheery amusement. Elsa hesitantly reached out and gently ran her fingers over the painting, letting the nostalgia of the moment morph into her wistfully longing for her husband. It has been a little over a month since his departure and although she figured she would not receive any news from him, there was a part of her that wished she would receive some sort of news about his health and progress.

"Good morning, Queen Elsa."

Elsa quickly dropped her hand and turned around, "Oh! Good morning, William." She sheepishly smiled, "How are you this morning?"

"I am well, Your Majesty. I was just headed off to oversee Mister Jagger's food preparation and deliverance." He noticed the slight hint of pink on her cheeks, no doubt feeling embarrassed about being caught off-guard while thinking about Hans, "How are you this morning?"

"I am well…" She tried to suppress a yawn, "Henry has been keeping me busy with his newfound teething pains."

William smirked, "Is that code for you being up since early this morning and you are exhausted?"

"Maybe?" Elsa shrugged as they both laughed for a brief moment until the awkward silence returned.

"It's alright…" William gave her a knowing look as he glanced up at the painting, "I miss them too."

Elsa looked at him with realization. She had forgotten how much William cared for Annaliese and how he must be feeling the same amount of stress and anxiety as she was. "Have you received any word from Annaliese?"

"No…" He sadly shook his head, "I wasn't expecting to though." He glanced over at Elsa with hopeful eyes, "Any word from Hans?"

She broke his hopeful gaze as she looked down at her hands, "No. But I was not expecting to receive any news from him either."

He dejectedly nodded, "I see…" Another awkward silence fell upon them as William anxiously brushed his hand through his hair, "Well, I suppose I should get back to the task at hand."

"As should I." They briefly locked eyes with each other in a way that expressed the apprehension of the situation and with an understanding nod they both left in separate directions feeling a strange sense of relief that at least one other person in the castle knew exactly what they were going through.

As Elsa continued her walk towards Doctor Omsorg's office, she could have sworn that she heard the squawk of a seagull fly by the corridor windows. Although seagulls flying around Arendelle was not abnormal, there was something strange about this seagull's squawk. She walked closer to the window and watched as the bird continued to fly by every castle window, seemingly looking through the windows of the castle as if it were looking for something or someone. She stood there and watched the strange bird for another minute until it finally perched itself on the castle roof, intelligently observing the castle staff as they tended to their tasks in the courtyard.

Elsa leaned forward on the window sill as she examined the bird's behavior until the strangest thing happened…the seagull looked directly at her, cocked its head ever so slightly before flapping it wings and headed straight for her. In fear that it would hit the window, she swiftly unlocked the latch and pushed open the windows as the bird gracefully landed on the window sill.

She and the seagull continued to stare at each other until Elsa subtly glanced around to make sure that she was alone before she timidly spoke up, "Were you looking for someone?" In response, the bird bobbed its head up and down as if nodding "yes" to her question. Elsa could not help but smile ever so slightly at the bird's sweet behavior, "Were you looking for me?" Again, the seagull 'nodded' before leaping off the window sill and flying into a nearby tree. In a matter of seconds the bird returned with two letters in its beak.

Elsa picked up the first one and her eyes widened when she realized that the letter was from Corona. She practically tore it open and read through the letter that King Fredrick had written to her about what Rapunzel had dreamt and feared about Thomas Sullivan's return and about how they managed to secure a safe means of communication through the help of the mermaids of Atlantica. Elsa's smile grew as she remembered her encounter with Aquata back in the Northern Isles and she could not help but think that Aquata must have played a part in this development.

Then Elsa reached for the second letter but as she read the envelope, her hand froze…she immediately recognized the handwriting which belonged to her husband. She could not believe it. He managed to smuggle out a letter after all. The seagull gently nudged the envelope into her hand and once in her possession, Elsa practically tore open this envelope as well.

My Dearest Elsa,

Things have been quite bleak and uneventful here and I desperately wish that I may return home to you. My father has put me in charge of finding his assailant which has increased my access to resources greatly. Recently, Annaliese informed me of some chatter she picked up in town about explosive elements amongst the Southern Isles, Arendelle, and Corona. What really concerned me was how all three kingdoms are holding their special summer events on the same day this year. This may be a coincidence but it also seems like the perfect target for Vortex to do something with these so-called "explosive elements". At first I thought that perhaps cancelling these events would solve the problem but if what Sullivan said was true and that there are undercover spies in our kingdoms, then this would only tip them off that we are aware of their presence and are looking for them. We must continue on with our celebrations but with high vigilance and a keen eye on things out of the ordinary. Perhaps these events will draw out the supposed "spies" and we can capture them for questioning. With any luck we may be able to complete this plan sooner than later and then I can return to Arendelle.

Elsa, my love, I miss you and everyone else back in Arendelle so dearly. No matter how hard I try to keep focus on my given tasks, every night my mind wanders back to you. Thinking about you is the only thing keeping me sane here. I fear that Annaliese is starting to grow accustomed to my brothers' foul behavior in that her soft deposition has started to callous. We are both in good health though and our façade seems to be holding up well. I hope you and everyone else is safe and healthy as well and I hope to hear back from you, my love. Please stay safe and be careful when attending The Great Thaw celebration in the upcoming week. Be prepared for whatever Vortex may throw at you and remember what they are capable of and how dangerous they can be. I love you so much, Elsa, and I hope to see you soon.

Your Loving Husband,

Hans

Elsa lowered the letter and stared out of the window with a mixture of emotions swirling around in her heart. She was relieved that he was alright but she was also worried about the upcoming festival that was going to be taking place tomorrow. Her mind was reeling with so many thoughts that she did not realize that the bird was still perched on the window sill in front of her until it let out a small polite squawk. "Oh! I apologize I forgot you were still here…" She glanced around the hall again to make sure that she was alone, "I am not prepared to send a reply but I should have a letter written up by lunch. Would it be possible to meet up here in a few hours?" The seagull "nodded" its head once more before flapping its wings and flying off into a nearby tree. "Okay then…I guess you'll be waiting for me there."

As Elsa turned to leave for her study in order to begin writing a response, her previous thoughts rushed back to her. Oh my gosh! I forgot about Henry and Anna! She quickly turned around and headed back toward Doctor Omsorg's office. With her renewed sense of urgency, she reached the door fairly fast and lightly knocked on the door, "Doctor Omsorg? It's Elsa. May I come in?"

The door immediately swung open as the doctor graciously smiled and ushered her inside, "Of course Your Majesty. Come on in." He closed the door and walked over to his desk, "What can I do for you, Queen Elsa? Are you feeling alright?"

"I am well but Henry on the other hand…" She continued to describe the situation with her nephew, "Anna and Kristoff recalled some sort of gel that you gave to Annaliese that should help soothe the discomfort?"

"Ah yes! I know the one! Let me go into the medicine room and grab you a fresh dosage."

As the doctor was busy in the next room, Elsa could not help but let her eyes wander around the doctor's office. She smiled as she saw the numerous amounts of drawings and letters that were proudly hanging on the wall behind his desk, no doubt gifts given to him from the children he used to attend to before he started working at the castle many years ago. Elsa then casted her eyes downward and although she had no intention of reading the files left on his desk, there was a certain file that caught her eye…

PRINCESS ANNA

Elsa found it odd that the doctor would have her sister's file out since she had not received any medical attention since she caught that dreaded plague a couple years back. At least not that I know of…
Curiosity got the best of Elsa as she picked up the file and slowly pulled the most recent entry out inch by inch. The first line read the usual information such as name and date of birth, but then it started to get interesting. The next line read the date of visitation which was about a month ago, about the same time of Hans' departure. That's odd, I don't remember Anna telling me that she had met with the doctor…I hope she is alright. She then pulled up the paper to the next line which had the reason for her visit.

Elsa's body went numb as she read the bold lettering: PREGNANCY CHECKUP

It felt as though someone had just knocked the air out of her as her stomach began to twist and her heart dropped. "Anna's pregnant…" She whispered to no one in particular, "That's why she didn't tell me about her doctor's appointment. She didn't want me to know that she was pregnant." Elsa wanted to continue reading the report but she could hear the doctor's footsteps grow closer so she quickly shoved the papers back into the folder and placed it back onto the desk, exactly the way it was orientated previously.

"Here you go Queen Elsa." Doctor Omsorg handed her the cylinder of gel, "Just gently rub this onto the area of discomfort whenever Henry seems to be growing agitated." Elsa mindlessly grabbed the container and thanked the doctor as she made her way towards the door. The doctor noticed her strange shift in behavior and curiously cocked his head, "Your Majesty, are you sure you are alright?"

Elsa snapped out of the dazed she was in and stared at the doctor's concerned expression, "Yeah, no, I'm fine. My mind is just busy juggling so many things right now."

"I understand, Queen Elsa. With everything going on with James and trying to care for Henry, while also trying to run a kingdom without Hans' assistance…" He kindly chuckled, "And of course the festival tomorrow on top of everything else. You should try to set aside some extra time with Princess Anna. She always seems to brighten up your day."

A tight smile pulled at Elsa's blank expression, "Yes, you're right. I should definitely spend some special sister-bonding time with Anna today." There is quite a lot of things I wish to discuss with her.


"Kristoff, I'm beginning to worry." Anna anxiously fidgeted at the table with Henry still on her lap, happily chewing on his lightly frozen banana breakfast, "Elsa's been gone for quite some time."

"I'm sure she's fine. It's not like she got lost in her own castle or something." Kristoff chuckled as he took a sip of water.

Anna frowned, clearly not pleased with her husband's sarcastic answer, "Okay smart guy, then what's taking her so long?"

Kristoff shrugged as he put down his glass, "Perhaps she ran into someone in the hallway and got distracted with one of the many tasks she has been overseeing." He gave her a comforting smile, "Like I said, I'm sure she's fine."

"Hmm…" Anna bit her lip as she continued thinking about what could possibly have happened. Her thoughts were broken with Henry's babbling as he waved at Kristoff. "Oh Kristoff, look! Henry's waving at you!"

Kristoff chuckled as he gave a small wave, "Hey there buddy…are you enjoying your bananas?"

In response to Kristoff's recognition, Henry happily squealed and clapped his hands, making Anna giggle, "Keep talking to him, I think he likes you."

Kristoff slightly blushed at her compliment, "I don't know what else to say?"

"Well, why don't you hold him?" Anna stood up and began walking towards Kristoff's side of the table.

"Anna, I don't know about that." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "I've only ever held baby rock trolls and I take great comfort in knowing that if I drop a baby troll, they won't get hurt."

"Oh come on. Don't be so dramatic." She rolled her eyes as she placed Henry on his lap, "We're going to be parents some day and you'll need to feel comfortable around babies of our own species."

"But-" Kristoff froze as he gently held Henry on his lap, "Oh hey…this isn't so bad." He began bouncing Henry up and down on his lap, making him giggle and squeal with delight, "This is actually kind of fun."

Anna happily clapped as she bounced up and down on the balls on her feet, "See?! Told you!" She could not stop smiling as Kristoff stood up and began spinning around the dining room with Henry going up and down in circles.

Kristoff started to laugh, "This is great! He's so much lighter than baby trolls!"

Anna decided to join in as they both ran around the dining hall while making ridiculously silly noises that made Henry squeal and giggle in glee. However, little did they know that Elsa had been watching them the entire time through the cracked dining room door. They are going to be the best parents. I haven't heard Henry giggle this much since Annaliese and Hans left. Elsa sighed as she watched the trio laugh and play around the table, thinking about her sister's pregnancy. Part of her was truly happy for the couple but there was also a part of her that was jealous at how easy it was for her sister to get pregnant, and another part of her was hurt that Anna had kept all of this a secret from her and she also felt some regret and sadness from her own miscarriage.

Trying to keep her emotions in check, Elsa fully opened the door and stepped inside, "Well, what's going on here?"

"OH! Hi Elsa!" Anna laughed as Kristoff froze in embarrassment. The red-headed princess took Henry out of Kristoff's hold and skipped over to Elsa, "We were just playing around. Did you get the gel?"

Elsa held up the cylinder, "Yes I did." She tried to keep a normal composure but a couple hot tears stung her eyes in frustration with herself and her situation, "Here." She practically shoved the container into her sister's hand and turned to leave before she made a fool of herself.

But it was too late, Anna could easily tell that something was wrong, "Elsa, wait!" She hurried over to her sister and stood in between her and the door, "What's wrong? What happened between now and earlier this morning?"

"I-uh…" Elsa did not want Anna to find out that she had accidentally read her private medical file, but she was also tired of lying to her sister. With a deep breath, Elsa tried to get the truth out as fast as possible, "While waiting for the doctor to give me the gel, I found your file sitting on his desk. I didn't mean to, but I was curious and worried that something was wrong so-"

"Woah, Elsa, slow down." Anna kindly smiled with a small giggle, "I don't know what you're thinking but I can assure you that I am fine and healthy-"

"I know that you're pregnant!" Elsa quickly covered her mouth, shocked at her own sporadic behavior.

Both Anna and Kristoff froze and then looked at each other with wide eyes. "Kristoff…" Anna hastily handed Henry over to her husband and put the gel on a nearby table before addressing her sister, "Elsa, I don't know what you read, but I do know that I am not pregnant."

Elsa furrowed her brow in confusion as she shook her head in denial, "But I read the report and it said you were there for a pregnancy checkup."

"Yeah, as in I was checking to see if I was pregnant..." Anna grabbed her sister's hand and led her to a nearby seat, "And given by your reaction I assume that you did not read the results." She sat Elsa down and knelt down on the ground in front of her, firmly grasping both hands in hers, "They were negative, Elsa. I'm not pregnant."

"I-I don't understand. You must have thought you were because why else would you go for a checkup?"

Anna let out a small embarrassed laugh, "Yes there was a brief moment when Kristoff and I thought that I could be. I mean, I was showing the signs of a possible pregnancy but Doctor Omsorg reassured us that my strange symptoms were due to the stress I was under."

Elsa's eyes clouded over with worry, "Stress? What stress? Are you okay?"

"Elsa! I'm fine!" She gently squeeze her sister's hands, "I was worried about you when all of this was happening."

"Me?" Elsa rapidly blinked her eyes in surprise.

"Yes, well, given what had just happened with the miscarriage and then Hans abruptly leaving on such short notice to attend to some possible unknown Vortex plot…" She let out a tired huff with a smile, "So, yeah, I was worried about you."

With a groan, Elsa retracted her hands and covered her face in shame, "I'm so sorry Anna. I didn't mean to cause you so much stress-"

"Don't apologize, Elsa." Anna reached up and moved Elsa's hands away from her face, "I know that you didn't mean for any of this to happen. And you should not feel guilty nor responsible for my worrying about you. I love you and care about you and if stress and worry is the price I must pay to have my sister back in my life, then that is a small price to pay. I would do anything for you, Elsa."

Elsa lifted her eyes to look at her sister, "I know." She got off the chair, knelt down beside Anna and threw her arms around her sister, "I love you."

Anna happily returned the hug, "I love you too."

Their warm embrace was interrupted by the sound of Henry spitting up some of his breakfast. The sisters look over at Kristoff who was holding Henry with a slightly surprised and guilty look on his face, "Umm…I guess spinning him around after eating breakfast wasn't such a good idea, huh?"

The sisters laughed as Kristoff grabbed a napkin and began wiping the spit up from Henry's chin. Suddenly Elsa perked up as she remembered what had delayed her this morning, "Oh! You two won't believe who I just received some letters from or how I received them."


It was the day before the Festival of Lights took place in Corona and every single person in the kingdom was bustling around with last minute preparation tasks except one…the Princess. In the past month, Rapunzel had been busy caring and keeping watch over the twins to the extreme extend of hardly sleeping at all. Ever since she had that nightmare about Thomas Sullivan breaking into the castle, kidnapping Evie, and getting herself killed, Rapunzel could hardly sleep without having any sort of nightmare. She knew that something terrible was brewing and her nerves were thoroughly exhausted as she felt that all they could do was wait until that terrible something did happen.

Evening was approaching as the sun had begun to set on the quaint kingdom. Rapunzel was calmly rocking in a cushy rocking chair with the twins sitting on her lap, reading to them in the nursery. The twins were fully engrossed by the colorful pictures as Rapunzel flipped to the next page and was about to start reading when she heard their bedroom door open. As an instinctual reaction, she froze and her body tensed up until she heard a familiar voice, "Rapunzel? Are you in here?"

"In the nursery, Eugene." Rapunzel let out a relaxed sigh as her husband popped his head in.

"Well aren't you all a beautiful sight for sore eyes?"

Rapunzel giggled as he sauntered into the room and gently kissed her cheek, "Let me guess…long day?"

"One of the longest of my life." He plopped down onto the other cushioned rocking chair with a long tired sigh, "Not having you there was especially difficult. After receiving Hans' letter this morning and everything else that's happened I wish I could be by your side at all times."

Rapunzel shrugged as she slowly closed the book, "Unfortunately that's not possible when you're helping my parents protect the kingdom while simultaneously planning one of the biggest celebrations of the year." She covered her mouth as a large yawn escaped from her lips, "Which is a shame because I could use an extra set of hands when dealing with these two."

Eugene reached forward and plucked Flynn from Rapunzel's lap, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I wish I could be of more help." He glanced back towards their bedroom, "Speaking of helping hands, where is Rebecca?"

Rapunzel held onto Evie as she gently bounced her on her knees, "I forced her to take a break so she could rest up and pack." She lowered her voice and looked towards her husband, "I think the poor girl is more tired than I am and we cannot afford Rebecca to be out of sorts when she leaves tonight." She opened her mouth to say something else, but she quickly decided against it as she turned her focus back to her daughter.

Unfortunately, Eugene's interest was already piqued, "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing." She sternly shook her head, "I was just thinking…never mind, it's a dumb thought."

Eugene chuckled as he gently ruffled Flynn's dark brown hair with his fingers, "I don't know about that. It could be. I haven't heard it yet." Rapunzel rolled her eyes with a smile but he could tell that whatever she was thinking about was really bothering her, "Rapunzel? What is it?"

"It's…the plan." She tentatively watched his expression cloud over with concern before continuing, "Are you sure we should go through with it?"

Eugene sighed, "Rapunzel, we've been over this several times. As much as it pains us to be separated from the twins, they cannot stay in Corona during the festival. Especially after receiving Hans' warning that there is the possibility of an attack tomorrow. They will be safe in the tower and well taken care of in the hands of Rebecca." He reached forward and took one of her hands into his, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, "And it's not like we are leaving them in the tower for a long period of time. They will be back in our arms by the next day…assuming that it is safe for them to return."

Rapunzel briefly smiled at his comforting touch, "I know you're right." Unfortunately the worried look in her eyes returned, "But…it's just that we haven't been away from them for that long of a time. What if something happens and they need us?"

"Rebecca is more than capable of taking care of them. You said yourself that she spent several years serving as a nurses' aide in town. I mean, she even helped deliver the twins. I don't know anyone more capable in watching our children."

"Yes, you're absolutely right." She anxiously sighed as she stood up to place Evie into her crib, "I guess I'm also worried about something going wrong at the festival and something happening to one of us, or worse, both of us."

"Well…" Eugene stood up to place Flynn into his crib, "Then I guess it's a good thing that our children won't be around to suffer through whatever happened to us." Once he placed Flynn down, he turned to look at his wife who was nervously twirling her fingers through Evie's golden locks, "Rapunzel, please stop worrying. Tomorrow is coming no matter what and the only thing we can do is be prepared and stay vigilant at the festival." He stopped talking as he analyzed Rapunzel's anxious behavior as she seemed to be lost in thought. He could not quite understand why she was so doubtful about their plan. They had gone on numerous voyages that were just as dangerous, if not more so, than what could happen at the festival.

He carefully wandered over to his wife in order to avoid startling her, "Rapunzel?" She silently looked up at him as he reached up to gently caress her cheek with his hand, "We've gone through so many death defying adventures. We've fought off Lady Caine, the Stabbington Brothers, Varian's automaton attacks, the Baron and Stalyan, navigated through the Forest of No Return, survived the monsters and evil idols on Tirapai Island, fought our evil doppelgangers in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow, captured Zhan Tiri and his minions, and followed the Black Rocks to the Dark Kingdom. Need I say more? And every single time we have come out stronger than before. Why is this time weighing so heavy on you, sweetheart?"

Rapunzel took in a shaky breath as she pulled her face away to look at Evie and Flynn, "Because when we did all of that we didn't have babies depending on our survival. The stakes are much higher, Eugene."

"I agree…but think of it this way. Everything we've gone through together has prepared us for this moment." He gently turned her face back towards him so that he could lovingly look into those beautiful green eyes of hers, "I know I've said this before but I'll say it again, we will do what we always do…we stick together, we fiercely protect our loved ones, and we fight. Whatever Vortex throws our way, we throw it back at them."

Rapunzel briefly nodded as she let out a cleansing breath, her eyes filling with determination, "Then I guess we'd better go pack our kids' things."


After a couple hours of preparing and packing the twins' things for their voyage to Rapunzel's old tower, the time for their departure had finally arrived. They had waited until it was very late at night to ensure that the majority of the staff and the citizens of Corona were asleep before Rebecca made the trek. As midnight approached, Rapunzel led Eugene and Rebecca, with twins in tow, down a long, dark spiraling staircase which led to several storage rooms that filled the basement level of the castle. There was one special room in particular that hid a secret passageway to the outside of the castle.

"Well, this is extremely creepy…" Eugene commented as Rapunzel led them through the murky tunnel, "How exactly did you find out about this, Blondie?"

"Cassandra showed it to me the night before my coronation." She turned up the lantern in her hand as she continued to navigate their way through the dark, "You had just proposed to me for the first time and I was feeling overwhelmed about the awkward way I declined and I told her I needed to get away from here for a little while without any guards following me. So she led me here and then outside the walls of Corona."

"Hm. Cassandra. I should have known." Eugene scoffed, "Of course she never told me about this."

"Well it wouldn't remain a secret if everyone knew, Your Highness." Rebecca quietly remarked with a smirk which made Rapunzel smile. Rebecca was keenly aware of her place and was not one to usually jest with royalty, but she had begun to feel comfortable enough with Rapunzel and Eugene to poke some fun at them once and awhile.

Eugene was about to respond to Rebecca's comment, but Rapunzel quietly hushed them, "We are coming up to the exit." They walked through the large gutter-looking doorway and found themselves standing at the edge of a lake. Across the lake stood the entrance of the bordering forest of Corona where Rapunzel's tower was hidden. Rapunzel let out a bird-like whistle and in a matter of seconds, a gallant white horse trotted over to them. She gently rubbed his snout, "Hiya Max, thanks for meeting up with us."

Eugene rolled his eyes, "Great, even the horse knew about the secret passageway before I did."

"Of course. He came with me when Cass and I snuck out that night." Rapunzel glanced over to a large raft that was docked on the shallow edge of the water, "And this is where we part ways." She then focused her attention to her lady-in-waiting, "Maximus knows the route to my old tower. He will take you there but he must return back to Corona for the festival. However…" She lifted up the black cloak that was resting on her shoulders and revealed her life-long best friend, "Pascal will be keeping you company in the tower. The twins have gotten very used to him scurrying about, plus he knows every inch of that tower as well as I do." She reached up and Pascal hopped into her hand, "Please be safe." She whispered to her oldest friend who chirped and saluted in response before climbing onto Max's back.

Rapunzel then gazed upon her two beautiful babies who were fast asleep in the baskets they were nestled in to help keep them hidden. She had already said her goodbyes to them in the nursery but even now she still had to fight the urge to pick them up one last time, knowing that they could wake up and cause a ruckus.

"Rapunzel?" Eugene gently whispered, "It's time, sweetheart."

"Okay…" Rapunzel brought Rebecca in for a warm hug, "Be careful. Please keep them safe, as well as yourself."

"You have my word, Rapunzel." Rebecca reassuringly smiled as she pulled away, "You ready to go Maximus?" The noble horse nodded as he walked over to the raft and carefully climbed onto it.

As Rebecca made her way to the raft, Rapunzel urgently whispered, "Rebecca wait!" She hurried over to her and unclasped her cloak, "You should take this. It would probably be best that your identity be concealed in case someone should see you."

Rebecca gratefully smiled as she fastened the Princess's cape around her shoulders, "Thank you." She regarded her friends one last time, "Stay safe and please be careful tomorrow. I don't know what I would do without you two." She then climbed onto the raft with the twins in tow, "I'll wait for news that it is safe to return which I hope to receive in a day's time." She waved as Eugene helped push them away from the shore and the royal couple watched them disappear into the fog.

"They will be safe now…" Eugene cheerfully tried to lighten the mood, "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Rapunzel wrapped her arms around herself and despairingly shook her head, "I've got a terrible feeling about this."


The moon illuminated the midnight sky as the citizens of Arendelle were all fast asleep in their beds, eagerly anticipating the festivities of The Great Thaw celebration that would start taking place in the morning. Although this festival was a new tradition among the kingdom, it was beloved nonetheless by both the citizens of Arendelle and the royal family. Not only did The Great Thaw save the kingdom from an eternal winter, it also resembled the true start of Queen Elsa's reign and the prosperity that had come with it.

Unfortunately, the royal family was not as excited for the celebration this time around thanks to the rumored news of a possible attack. Therefore, unlike everyone else in the kingdom, they were still awake and practicing with the newest model of James' weapon creation.

"Nice shot, Princess! Now try it from the farthest marker. That'll prove how good of a shot you really are." James instructed with a small smile on his face as he watched the red-headed princess excitedly trot over to the 50-yard marker.

"This is it! My moment of triumph!" Anna expertly reloaded her revolver and slid the barrel into place. She inhaled a cleansing deep breath as she lifted the gun and took aim at the first target. She released her breath as she pulled the trigger, watching as the bullet ripped through the outer most ring. "Ugh, that was a terrible shot." Anna groaned.

"Try it again, Anna." Elsa coached from the sidelines, "Don't let it get to you. You have four bullets left and four targets remaining, make them count."

Anna readjusted her position and gave it another try. She blocked out all the distractions and lifted the revolver again, taking in another deep breath as her finger tightened around the trigger. Four gun shots later, Anna proudly placed a hand on her hip, "Mhmm…not too shabby if I do say so myself."

Kristoff let out a low whistle as he inspected the targets, "I'm impressed. You actually hit the bullseye on your final shot."

Anna raised a challenging eyebrow at him, "What do you mean by 'actually'?"

"Umm, I think it's Elsa's turn." Kristoff quickly tried to change the subject in order to avoid the wrath of his wife.

Elsa's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "My turn?"

Anna lifted her chin in a challenging way towards her sister, "Yeah, we haven't seen you take a single shot yet! What gives, sis?"

"I-uh…" Elsa stammered nervously. She did not want to admit it, but she had already been practicing with the different versions of weapons that James had been working on. She was actually the one who decided which revolver Anna and Kristoff would train with. However, Elsa did not want to tell them that bit of information so she nonchalantly shrugged, "I don't need to use a gun. I've got this…" She lifted her hands and expertly flicked her fingertips in a way that released an array of extravagant swirls of snow and ice.

Anna pursed her lips together in amusement, "As impressive as that is, why do I get the feeling that you're just trying to avoid the question?"

"You didn't think I knew how to fight with a sword, but I proved you wrong." Elsa glanced around the lab, briefly making eye contact with Captain Edward Stephen.

"Okay so..." Anna grabbed five more bullets off the counter and easily reloaded her revolver before handing it to her sister with a smirk, "Prove us all wrong again."

"Fine." Elsa grabbed the gun from her sister and strode over to the 50-yard marker, "You are going to regret challenging me." She lifted her arm and took aim at the first target, pausing slightly as she calmed her heartrate and cleared her mind of any distracting thoughts, before squeezing the trigger. The next few seconds were a blur as Elsa confidently sauntered from one target to the next, striking the bullseye each time without even missing a beat. After the sound of the final gunshot finished ringing throughout the lab, only stunned silence filled the air as everyone stared at their queen in amazement. Elsa calmly lowered the revolver and sashayed over to her sister, handing her the gun with a smirk, "Told you."

Anna continued to blink at her as the surprise wore off, "What just-? How did you-?"

Elsa grinned as she rubbed her hands together, "Don't feel too bad. I've had quite a bit of practice."

"With guns?"

"With icicles." With a quick flick of the wrist Elsa shot an icicle towards the target, nailing the bullseye once more, "the two are more similar than one would think."

Kristoff stared in wonder at the targets, "We still have so much to learn." He shifted his gaze towards Elsa, "Do you really think we'll be ready for tomorrow?"

"I think we are much better equipped than before. We've come a long way…" She glanced towards James, "Thanks to you, Mister Jagger. We would not be here without you."

James humbly bowed his head with a sincere smile, "It is I who should be thanking you, Your Majesty. For I would not be here without you."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Elsa's normally indifferent expression, but the heartfelt moment abruptly ended as the clock struck one. "Oh my! Is it that late already? We must be getting some sleep if we are to be at our best tomorrow." She gently navigated Anna and Kristoff towards the door as she addressed the few guards still on duty, "Thank you gentlemen for your services. I bid you all a good night."

The guards respectfully bowed as the royals exited the room. While the trio walked through the hallway, Elsa thoughtfully observed her sister and brother-in-law's abnormally quiet behavior, "How are you two feeling about tomorrow?"

Anna worriedly glanced between her sister and her husband, "Honestly? I can't help but feel like we are walking into a trap. We don't know what to expect, we just know to expect something."

"I still feel like we are not prepared." Kristoff nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "We only have about a month of sword training and a week of training with guns. Is that enough?"

"It will be more than what they are expecting." Elsa stopped walking and turned to them with a serious look on her face, "Listen, for tomorrow, the only ones you need to worry about protecting is each other. Let the royal guard and I worry about everyone else."

Anna sternly shook her head, "Elsa, no-"

"This isn't up for discussion Anna. That is an order."

"You're my sister, Elsa, and as your sister I cannot-"

"I'm not ordering you as your sister, I am ordering you as your queen." Elsa softened her tone as she saw her sister recoil with a hurt expression, "I'm just trying to protect you." She glanced up at Kristoff for support, "Both of you."

Kristoff picked up on the hint as he placed a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder, "Elsa's gotten us this far. I don't see why we shouldn't listen to her."

"Fine." Anna pursed her lips, clearly not pleased with the situation, "I need to get some sleep. Goodnight." She didn't wait for a response as she spun on her heels and stormed down the hall.

Once she turned the corner, Kristoff raised an incredulous eyebrow towards Elsa, "You and I both know she won't follow that order."

Elsa met his gaze with a look of determination, "That's why I need you to make sure that she doesn't do anything rash tomorrow. I could not live with myself if something happened to either one of you."

"Hmm…" Kristoff thoughtfully nodded, "I am willing to bet that Anna feels the same way. She wants to keep you safe just as much as you want to keep us safe."

"I know. That's what worries me." As she noticed Kristoff's perplexed expression, she lowered her voice, "I am prepared to do anything to keep you two safe. She already died trying to protect me once, I am not going to give her the chance to do it again."

"Elsa, I understand, but she promised Hans that she would take care of you and she doesn't take that duty lightly-"

"Why won't you two just do as I say?!" She tiredly ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, "Listen, Kristoff…before Hans left, he and I had a long discussion about what to expect and how to handle these sort of situations. He is very much aware of what I am willing to do to ensure your safety." She hesitantly placed a reassuring hand on her brother-in-law's muscular forearm, "I appreciate what you and Anna are trying to do, truly, but this isn't the time or place for heroics. We are entering unknown territory here, a war-zone if you will, and the best thing we can do is stay focused and listen to the orders we are given. I am desperately trying to do my part to the best of my abilities and I would feel a whole lot better if you two would do the same."

Kristoff understandably nodded, "Which would be to listen to your directions without second guessing you?"

"Precisely."

"I suppose we can do that." He glanced down the hall towards the direction his wife had just left, "However, it's not me you have to worry about convincing."

Elsa let out a tired huff, "Remember the talk we had in London a few months ago? The one by the St. James' Palace?"

"You told me that someday I'm going to have to grow a backbone and say no to Anna, to stand my ground with her." He guiltily gave her his signature lopsided grin, "This is that time, isn't it?"

"Now is just as good of a time as any." She gave him a small, but reassuring smile, "I really am doing what I think is best for you two."

"I know…and I think Anna knows that too. She's just feeling stressed and frustrated that she can't do more."

Elsa let out a humorless laugh, "Trust me, I feel the same way."


It was also about one in the morning by the time Hans had entered his bedroom after having finished a long chat with Viktor about everything he knew regarding the possible terror attacks on the Southern Isles, Arendelle, and Corona. Since his hear-to-heart talk with Viktor in the infirmary, he felt that he could trust him the most out of all of his brothers and since then that trust had paid off. Viktor continually kept his word and kept secret every theory and development Hans had revealed about the possible plot Vortex might be executing. He was aware that Hans truly loved and cared about his family back in Arendelle and he even knew about the adventures in London and Sperca, with minimal details. And through it all, not a single secret had slipped to his father or any of his brothers.

As Hans got ready for bed, he felt a little more at peace now knowing that someone else was on the same page as him and that there was someone else watching his back. But there was still a few things nagging at him, the biggest one being that he had not seen or heard from Annaliese in a week. When he asked the castle staff earlier, most claimed that they saw her coming and going from the castle throughout the week but he was surprised that she did not come find him at least once to discuss the plan for the Mid-Summer Festival that was taking place in the morning. She was the one who found out about the possible attacks at the festivals and yet, it almost seemed like she was trying to avoid talking to Hans about the investigation.

Hans was so lost in thought that the knocking on his door startled him, making him jump, "Yes? Who is it?"

"Hans? It's me."

Hans immediately jumped up from his bed and hurried to the door, for he recognized the voice, "Annaliese?" He quickly ushered her inside his room before closing the door, "Where have you been all week? I was getting worried-"

"You cannot go to the festival, Hans."

He furrowed his eyebrows in concern, "What did you find out?"

"It's a trap, Hans. They are setting a trap for you." She anxiously paced back and forth, a look of fear in her eyes.

"Who is?"

"I don't know. But they don't want to kill you."

Hans tiredly shook his head in confusion, "'Liese you are not making much sense." He gently led her to the small sofa in his room and had her sit down.

She was so tired that she nearly collapsed onto the couch from exhaustion, "I know, I know. I've been running myself ragged all week trying to make sense of the rumors myself." She wearily rubbed her face as she collected her thoughts, "All I know is that they are going to bait you somehow and capture you with the intention of using you."

"Who is using me for what?" Hans tried his best to stay calm, but he could not hid the sense of alarm in his voice.

"I-I have no idea." She finally snapped out of the panic she was in and looked up at him, "Please…" She pleaded, "Promise me that you will not attend the festival."

"You know I can't do that." He sat down beside her, gently taking her hand and giving it a friendly squeeze, "If I don't show up then they'll know we're onto them. This could be our one chance to grab these conspirators, get the information we need, and close this investigation for good. We could finally go back home-"

"No." She humorlessly laughed, "There's no 'going back home', there's no way we're going to come out on top."

"How do you know? I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

She looked down at his hand holding hers, "Hans, I care about you a lot. But please, for once in your life, take heed of my warning and stop thinking that you can win this."

"I promised my wife that I would do anything to ensure that I come home and if going to the festival is going to get these criminals to reveal themselves and possibly end this, then I will do it."

Annaliese yanked her hand away from Hans with a huff and let out a groan of irritation, "You're so exasperating! I am trying to protect you!"

"And I appreciate that, really, but I can handle myself. Besides, I've got Viktor watching out for me now." He realized his mistake in revealing that information when he saw the shocked and hurt expression on his best friend's face.

Annaliese recoiled slightly, "Wait, you told Viktor everything?"

Hans slightly hesitated, not knowing how she would react to the truth, "Yes…I trust him."

"More than me?" The scowl on her face deepened.

"Huh? No of course not-"

"Then why do I get the feeling you have been keeping secrets from me, Hans?"

He shook his head in bewilderment, "You're speaking in tongues, Annaliese, what are you talking about?"

"Does the name 'Vortex' sound familiar? And don't you dare try to lie to me, Westergard. Remember, I know all your tells." She scooted away from him and firmly crossed her arms, clearly trying to read Hans' reaction.

Fortunately for Hans, he had been practicing keeping a straight face even more so since he arrived to the Southern Isles, "No. Why? Should I have?"

"Hmm…" Annaliese paused for a moment as she narrowed her eyes at him, trying to find any sort of tell that he was lying. After a couple seconds passed and she didn't notice anything suspicious, her body language relaxed as she leaned back on the sofa, "Well, I get the feeling that these 'Vortex' people have got something to do with the attack tomorrow. I heard that name get thrown around a couple of times."

"Well whoever they are, they will not succeed."

"How can you be so sure?" She rested her head against the sofa, causing a couple loose strands of hair to fall out of her bun.

He gave her a small smile as he leaned back against the sofa as well, resting his arm along the back of it, "Because thanks to you, I am now aware of their plans and I'll make sure to keep my guard up at the festival." He gently tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, "Thank you, Annaliese. You have been an amazing help to me throughout this month and a half. I don't know what I would do or where I would be without you."

She returned his small smile as she diverted her eyes away from his, "Don't get soft on me now or else I might start feeling bad for yelling at you."

Hans chuckled as he stood up and offered his hand to her, "Get some sleep. You've definitely earned it."

"Same goes to you." She smirked as she accepted his outstretched hand and he helped her off the sofa. Once she was on her feet, she turned to him with a serious look on her face, "I expect to be filled in on whatever plan you devise by morning. I promised Elsa I would take care of you, keep you safe, and I intend on keeping that promise."

Hans nodded in affirmation, "You have kept me safe and you will be debriefed. I trust you, Annaliese." He leaned forward and enveloped her in a hug, "Goodnight."

She could not help but smile as she let the warmth of his body bring a sense of comfort to her, "Goodnight." She made her way over to the door, giving him one last wave before letting herself out. Once outside in the corridor, she wiped the silly smile off her face and let out a dejected sigh, "This is really going to be a lot harder than I thought."


Black smoke enveloped her into a cloud of chaos as a high pitched ringing and the burning sensation in her lungs overpowered her senses. Her head was pounding and the world was spinning as she fought to stay conscious. She could feel the heat from the flames surrounding her grow hotter as she struggled to get to her feet. Disoriented from the dark clouds of smoke encircled around her, she tried her best to get a bearing on her surroundings. Off in the distance a small clearing could be seen and she desperately tried to run towards it, her legs still weak from the trauma. Finally, she managed to gain some ground and broke through the constricting smoke. She frantically looked around for any signs of survivors but found none.

As the burning sensation in her eyes wore off and the ringing in her ears subsided, she managed to take another look around but again she found no survivors, only corpses. She did not recognized who these people were but they seemed familiar, like she had seen them once before. She wanted to cry and scream in horror but her mind was in such shock that she could not fully process the massacre that lay before her.

The eerie silence was finally broken as she heard someone call her name, "Elsa!"

Elsa frantically looked around, she knew exactly who that voice belonged to, "Hans?! Hans, where are you?!"

"Elsa!" Her husband emerged from the shadows and hurried over to her, "Are you alright?!" Elsa tried to withhold her tears as she embraced her husband, feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she buried her face into his neck. He gently combed his fingers through her hair, "What have you gotten yourself into? What are you doing here?"

Elsa reluctantly pulled away from his embrace so that she could look up at him, "I-I don't know." Something felt off as she continued to stare up at her husband, "What are you doing here?"

He gently brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, before resting it on the nape of her neck, "I came here for you."

Again, something felt off about that comment. Normally she would have found that to be endearing and comforting, but for some reason she got the distinct feeling that she needed to run and get away from him. Hans must have noticed the shift in her behavior because before she could make a move to escape, his hand that was resting on her neck suddenly shifted and he firmly grasped her throat, knocking the air out of her as he pushed her up against a wall.

"My dear Elsa…" He leaned forward and growled into her ear, "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. You have no idea who you are dealing with." Her eyes widened in fear as she desperately struggled to break free from his grasp. She did not know if it was her conscious or something else that was keeping her from using her powers, but she could not retaliate. "You really are just as naïve as my father predicted. Did you truly believe a hardened killer such as myself could magically become this heroic self-sacrificing prince charming overnight?"

"How could you do this to me?" Elsa gasped.

"You made it too easy. You were so desperate for someone to understand you that you were willing to believe whatever comforting lies came out of my mouth."

Brokenhearted and angry, hot tears began to sting her eyes, "I trusted you, you fraud."

"I'm a fraud?!" He furiously tightened his grasp around her throat, "You're the hypocrite here! You act like some benevolent ruler and pretend that you did not kill your sister with those treacherous powers of yours. You are not much better than I am."

She tried to loosen his grip on her but it was no use, she was losing consciousness and her strength was failing. As her vision blurred and the world around her began to go dark, she managed to whisper one last heartbroken thought, "I loved you, Hans. Was any of it real?"

He sneered, "It was only an act. That's all it was and that's all it was ever going to be. I never loved you. You are unlovable." Hatred filled his eyes, hardening his merciless expression as gave the final squeeze, "You are a monster."

Elsa awoke with a gasp, her breathing rapid and a small amount of sweat lined her forehead. She sat up in her bed and placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She then wiped away the unusual amount of sweat on her forehead with her fingertips, looking at them in bewilderment. She took in a shaky breath as she glanced around her bedroom, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She knew it was a dream, but it felt so real that she was not sure that it was only a dream. "No…" she whispered to herself, "There's no way that dream could become a reality." She glanced over at the crib by her bedside and watched Henry's steady calm breathing, finding it to help her relax as well. She leaned back on her pillow and tiredly rubbed her face as several thoughts raced through her mind. She felt a mix of emotions swirl inside of her, wanting nothing more than to be enveloped in a warm hug and cry into a loved one's shoulder.

All of this preparing for the unknown Vortex plot was beginning to take a toll on her, both mentally and emotionally. She knew that Anna made it a point to remind her every day that she was always available to talk if she needed to get something off her chest. However, she did not want to trouble her sister any more than she already was. Besides, the only way she could possibly ensure her family's safety at the festival would be to act like she was not concerned so that in return Anna or Kristoff would not worry about her and feel like she had to be protected by them. But she was also tired of putting on a brave façade and pretending that everything was under control, when in reality she knew deep down that anything and everything could go wrong at the Great Thaw Celebration in the morning.


Thank you again for your patience with me while I have been going through this rough patch. This truly means a lot to me, perhaps more than you you know. I have kinda made a self-enforced deadline to get the rest of this story written and published before Frozen 2 is released in November (I feel like the movie is going to create so many plot holes in my stories haha). Therefore stay tuned and I will get the next chapter out soon! Lots of excitement and adventure coming up in the next couple of chapters! I wish everyone a relaxing and safe weekend! Take care and please review!