ifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: So, what do you all think? Any ideas on where Zani's going with this? I'd love to read your theories, and I know Zani would too.

Written: 2019 - Licia

Sleep had claimed him less easily tonight than most nights. Elsa's reaction to the legend of the tinderbox had startled him, to say the least. She'd been exceedingly invested in it from the start, and had only become more so as the story had gone along, drawing her own conclusions quickly, especially when it came to breaking the curse. The fact that she had even suggested 'true love's kiss' first had surprised him, for he hadn't thought a woman as logical and bookish as Elsa would go the route of fantasy, even though it was the most common explanation- this was a legend after all.

He lay in bed, thoughts going back not to the box, but to Elsa herself. Yes, she certainly appeared different, more... mature, and yet, somehow, someway, she had gained back some of her childishness. It was evident that she had grown up in the last few years; her slender, lithe figure filling out a little more with age, for she was no longer the naive, innocent twenty-one-year-old he'd met at her coronation all those years ago, and she appeared to be more relaxed in her body, embracing her womanly figure, and the way she turned heads. But again, the question still lingered-

Why was she no longer in Arendelle? Yes, it was none of his business, but even so, he couldn't imagine Elsa just abandoning her kingdom to live in the forest; Anna, yes, because Anna was a flighty, innocent, pathetic child, no matter the years that passed, but Elsa? She was as devoted to Arendelle as they were to her. She was the queen, the woman they turned to, their sovereign, always at their beck and call. Anna was a little girl, and Elsa, a grown woman; though they shared blood, their goals were not the same- Elsa was devoted to her people, to her country and kingdom, and Anna, to her own life, her own heart, desperate for love.

And he hated that he'd taken advantage of that fact. Especially when he'd been more interested in the young queen, newly crowned, than her sister. He couldn't describe it, but he'd been drawn to her, from the moment she'd entered the chapel that day. He'd intended on approaching her after the ceremony, ask her for a dance, but Anna had latched herself onto him and he'd figured maybe he could get her to introduce them, but then the redhead had had other ideas. And then, everything had gone horribly, terrifyingly wrong-

His eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up at the muffled commotion outside the hut.

"No! Bruni, no! Get over- damn it, you little fire starter, come here!"

Hans watched in silence as the flap of the hut lifted and Elsa stepped in, a cloak draped around her shoulders, something in her hands. Her cheeks were flushed, as though she'd been sprinting, her hair was falling out of the braid as it hung over her shoulder, and she appeared to to be in-

A light blush peppered his cheeks as he realized she was in her pajamas. The ice garments only further served to accent her shapely hips and small bust even more. A moment passed before his green gaze darted up to hers. "Um... Elsa... what...?" He started when the little lizard that was Elsa's pet poked his head out of the top of Elsa's head, where he was snuggled in the thickness of her braided hair. The lizard stared at him, and after a moment, she sighed, quickly waving to get his attention. Slowly, Hans pulled his gaze from the little fire spirit, turning back to Elsa's blue gaze. "What are you doing here? I thought you-"

"I did, but I found something you need to see." She dropped to her knees beside him, her cautiousness from the last several weeks disappearing as she sat beside him and unfolded the letter she held. A moment passed, before she handed it to him. He sat up now, taking it cautiously. "It's the letter my mother left for me the day of my coronation, along with this." Hans glanced up as her small fingers reached into the pajama top, pulling out a pendant shaped like a sun. "It's tradition that every queen leaves a pendant for the newly crowned queen on the day of her coronation; each pendant represents the best aspects of the newly crowned queen, and is seen as a symbol of good luck. I was the light of my mother's life."

He nodded, tearing his gaze from the pendant and turning back to the letter. He felt vile, for invading her personal property, but that all vanished when his gaze landed on some very familiar words. He sucked in a breath, and she bit her lip, knowing he'd found what she needed to show him. She watched him in silence, saw how his green eyes widened, how the color drained from his face, before he gripped the letter tighter. Silence settled between them before he finally choked out, "We... we were to be... betrothed?"

A moment passed, as she glanced down at the letter, nodding. "Looks like it."

"But..." He stopped, the wheels turning in his head. "But it doesn't make sense. I was never told... when I came to Arendelle, it was because I volunteered. I was..." He took a deep breath. "no one else in my family wanted to go, and I saw it as a chance to get out of the Southern Isles, even for a little while, and so I said that I would attend your coronation as the representative of the Southern Isles." Elsa narrowed her gaze; she had a hard time believing that, but it did make sense, as to how he ended up with the banner. "I intended on approaching you that night, asking you to dance-"

"Because your parents told you to?" She demanded, and he shook his head.

"No. Because you looked absolutely lovely, standing on the dais in that dress and I wanted an audience, however brief, with the newly crowned queen. But... but I met your sister before the ceremony, and she was so... so giddy and chipper and-"

"Desperate?"

He opened his mouth to speak, and instead, only nodded, for Elsa had hit the nail on the head. "Very, very desperate." They lapsed into silence again, before he spoke once more. "I wished to get to know the new queen, not for any political alliance my parents wished for, but for myself, to meet the woman beneath the glittering new crown. Unfortunately, your sister latched onto me and wouldn't let me go."

Elsa gave the most minuscule of nods; she remembered that day clearly, the surprise when Anna had asked for the blessing of their marriage, the argument that had followed, and the reveal of her powers before her escape. But as she thought back on it now, she realized there was something she'd missed- a glimmer, faint though it was, of relief when she had told them that she would not grant the marriage. "You were relieved, when I told Anna 'no' that night."

"So relieved." He swallowed, meeting her gaze. "This is nothing against your sister, Elsa, but Anna is-"

"Is?"

He bit his lip. "She's..." How exactly did he go about describing the girl who'd put so much faith in him? Who had fallen in love more with the idea of being in love than anything else? "She's... naive-"

The snort that escaped the Snow Queen startled him, but not nearly as much as what came out of her mouth next. "Naive? Try immature, manipulative, sneaky, nasty, weak, insecure, inept, jealous, conceited-" Hans watched as she climbed to her feet and began to pace, hands waving as she spoke, small flurries of snow escaping her palms. The little lizard, Bruni, as Elsa called him, had snuggled back down into her hair during their conversation, but now that she was up and moving, he poked his head out of her hair to watch him as she paced. A moment passed, as Hans furrowed a brow, now completely confused.

From what he could gather, Elsa adored her sister; she was the lighthouse in the storm that had been Elsa's turbulent child-and-young-adulthood. It had been Anna Elsa had clung to that long ago day on the fjord, embracing her sister's frozen body as her grief and guilt overcame her. The girls had become each others' pillars over the years, making up for lost time-

So... why exactly was Elsa all but cursing her beloved little sister's name? What had happened to put such... animosity between them?

He knew it wasn't his place to pry, so he didn't ask; instead, he snapped his mouth shut and let Elsa continue her rant. The ice pajamas she wore moved as though they were made of silk and not a deadly element of the earth, brushing against her skin as she moved. She waved her hands, lifting her arms in annoyance, and the top lifted, exposing a slender slice of porcelain smooth skin. The bottoms she wore settled gently against her hips, and the light cloak she wore brushed barely mid-thigh on her, the black texture of ice brushing gently over her shoulders. If anything, the black made her skin and hair all the paler; a ghost in living form. With her messy braid tumbling over her shoulder, and her cheeks flushed with emotion, he felt as though he were staring at the mythical bean sí, vengeful women of the fairy mounds, who foretold death with their wails.

Except she's far too beautiful and kindhearted to foretell death.

"Hans!" He looked up, surprised to find she'd stopped talking and stood staring at him expectantly.

"Sorry?" A blush crept over his cheeks, and he quickly averted his eyes, gathering his wits about him before returning his gaze to hers. "I wasn't... paying attention."

She raised a slender eyebrow. "Obviously." He glared at her, and she returned it. A sigh finally cut through the silence. "Look-"

"If I'd-"

Both snapped their mouths shut as they tried to speak in unison, and after a moment, she motioned for him to continue. He swallowed, trying to remember what he was going to say. Elsa waited, patiently, for him to continue. Bruni, who'd been watching from his perch in her hair, scampered down her braid, hopping into her hands. She giggled softly, reaching down to scratch his chin, and the lizard gave off what sounded like a contented purr.

"Elsa," She tore her gaze from the fire spirit, meeting his. "My intention the night of your coronation wasn't to capture Anna like I had." Her gaze narrowed at mention of her sister's name. "My intention was to approach you and ask for a dance, get to know you, and possibly, over time, request permission to court you. It was you I was interested in, not Anna." She winced, and Bruni turned to look at her. "I had heard stories of the mysterious Crown Princess of Arendelle, and I wanted to get to know her for myself. I had hoped I would be able to at the ball, and then-"

"And then everything happened the way it did." He nodded. She sighed. "Look, just because we were to be betrothed then, does not mean it can happen now. You are a... a criminal, no matter how former it may seem, and I am-" She stopped, and Hans noticed how she bit down hard on her lip in nervousness.

"Be that as it may, I accept my past sins, Elsa; I-" He stopped, something striking him. "You're what?" Her teeth retracted back into her mouth, and her lips soon followed, thinning into a near invisible line. "Elsa?"

But she didn't speak, instead, she strode over, snatched the letter out of his hands, and then turned, stalking out of the hut, unknowingly passing by Yelena in the process. The chief had awoken at the sound of Elsa's voice in the camp, and she watched as the young woman stalked out of the camp, towards the waiting frost-covered Nokk. She watched as Bruni launched himself from Elsa's hand, scampering with a yip towards the cooking fire, clearly hurt by her harsh command to stay here. Yelena and Bruni both watched as Elsa knickered at the Nokk, before the two disappeared towards the Dark Sea