CHAPTER 38
QUENCH WITH BLOOD

Hans' eyes fluttered open. He knew he was in a different room. The light receding from the windows was coming from another direction than the one he'd gotten used to. He was lying in a different bed – bigger, with dark, velvet drapes hanging around it. He was weighted down with blankets – lots of them. There was a fire in the fireplace. He couldn't feel its heat, but he could see its light and hear its crackle.

He felt a towel being pressed to his forehead. Everything that touched him hurt. The towel, the blankets, the fingers that brushed against either side of his jaw as they pulled the covers up closer to his face.

Grandfather?

No, wait. He's dead.

Hadewych…?

The face of the person standing over him slowly came into focus. It wasn't Hadewych standing over him, but the man looked familiar. He knew him. He'd seen him before. With Anna…in the palace. He was the one who carried her to him after she returned from the North Mountain. What was his name again? Hans remembered Elsa saying it once or twice.

"Kai will come looking for me soon."

Kai.

He tried to speak but no sound would come out.

"You're awake. If I help you, do you think you can sit up? You should have some broth or some tea. Something to warm you up," he said.

I don't think that's going to happen.

But he nodded and Kai carefully peeled back the covers just enough to help Hans ease himself into a sitting position. He sank back into the pillows Kai quickly rearranged behind him. Every movement felt like knives piercing his skin, blades locking into every joint in his body. He wasn't hungry, but he needed something to wet his tongue and give him back his voice.

He wanted to ask how he got here. He must have been unconscious when he was moved. He briefly flashed back to carrying Elsa in his lap as he rode down from the North Mountain back to Arendelle after she knocked herself out trying to dodge the chandelier. The one he'd fired the crossbow at in an attempt to get it to fall and shred her to ribbons as she stood beneath it. He squeezed his eyes shut, pained by both having to open his mouth for the cup of tea Kai brought to his lips, and the memory.

God, I'm disgusting, he thought.

But she forgave you. She forgave you for all of it.

"Hans Lind Westergard, I forgive you."

The brand on his chest glowed beneath his shirt, albeit very dimly. It hurt like hell.

It's killing me.

But he found he didn't mind. He'd been a decent person for just over three months – the change in him happening the second he fell in love with Elsa. She had reached into his chest and turned his heart right-side up. She had taken its blackness and made it blue, scattering the darkness with brilliant light. If he died tonight, he would die loved. Not just loved but loved by Elsa – one of at least two people in the world he had terrorized and caused more harm to than anyone else in his entire life. She had no reason to love him, none he could perceive. But she did. She loved him.

"Where is Elsa?" Hans asked hoarsely. He realized the terrible mistake he'd made the second the words were out of his mouth.

You idiot.

Kai paused, still holding the cup of tea to Hans' lips. The man looked at him curiously, and Hans looked back at him, eyes wide like a deer with an arrow nocked and aimed at its head.

"Queen Elsa will be leaving shortly for a special event. She will be out all evening. She left you in our care - in my care. If there's something you require –"

"No, I just…"

Hans decided it would be best to stop talking, though he was sure it was coming about three spoken words too late. He watched Kai carefully, taking another sip from the cup the man continued to hold up for him. If Kai suspected anything, his face betrayed none of it.

"Are you comfortable?"

Hans blinked. Not that he'd been abused in any way since he'd first been brought here from the prison, but not once did someone ask him if he was comfortable. He nodded, though that wasn't even close to the truth. He felt like his entire body was just one big open sore, and everything around him, everything that came into contact with him was an irritant. Even the tea was blistering as it moved down his throat. The heat of the blankets, the tea and the fire were all having the opposite effect on him than what was probably intended. He couldn't exactly describe what was happening. He was freezing to death, but it was like his body wasn't just rejecting any attempts to make him warm again – his body was actively warring with those attempts.

He tilted back, silently signaling that he was done with the tea. Kai moved to readjust the pillows so that Hans could lie back down, but he shook his head.

"It's okay. Thank you."

"Of course, sir."

He sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry, sir?"

Hans cast his gaze down to his lap. "For almost taking them from you."

Kai leaned over and tilted his head, encouraging Hans to look him in the eye.

"Sir, I couldn't love them more if they were my own children. I watched them grow from infancy into the strong, benevolent rulers they are today. I trust Queen Elsa implicitly. If she is willing and able to embrace your earnest appeal for forgiveness, I hardly see any reason why I shouldn't do the same." Kai spoke honestly. His eyes softened, "But I appreciate your apology. Those two young women…they are my family."

Hans felt a lump in his throat and swallowed it. It felt like broken glass tearing a path into the pit of his stomach. "I know. And I'm sorry you nearly lost them."

Kai lightly touched Hans' shoulder. "I know you are."

"How did I get here?" he asked. "I don't remember being moved."

Kai took the towel he'd held to Hans head earlier and walked across the room to the fireplace with it. Taking up a set of tongs from the mantle, he held the towel just close enough to the fire to heat it up.

"It was at Queen Elsa's behest. You were so cold, and that room was coated floor to ceiling with ice. You were unconscious when Queen Elsa called for me. She was able to stay just long enough to see that you were safe and settled."

"You carried me here?"

Kai chuckled. "Unfortunately, no. My back made that impossible, though I did make an ill-advised attempt to. I enlisted the aid of two guards. One will remain outside your door, the other at the entrance of the hallway leading here. I'll be checking in on you periodically. In the meantime, you should rest."

Hans nodded, feeling miserable. Elsa must have been desperate to save him to reach out to Kai. She was taking a huge risk of him finding out about their feelings for each other. Kai returned to his bedside with the heated towel. He reached for Hans' hands and wrapped them up in it. Hans winced, hissing his discomfort.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your fingers are blue. I'm sure it's very painful, but we need to keep you warm."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Kai smiled. "It's my duty, sir. And I am honoured to have been entrusted with your care. Her Majesty is…You must be very precious to her."

He does know, then.

"Precious," Hans murmured. "I could die right now, and…I'd be precious to someone."

He didn't know why he said that out loud. Kai smiled as he picked up the teacup and saucer from the small bedside table.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." He turned and glanced out the window. "It appears Queen Elsa will be leaving shortly. I'll return soon with some broth. In the meantime, I'll dim the rest of the lamps so you can get some sleep."

Hans stared in the direction of the window. The sun was beginning to set. He could hear crowds of people below. "Will Queen Elsa –"

"I'm sure Her Majesty will check in on you as soon as she returns. Forgive me for insisting, sir, but for her sake I want you to focus on getting better." He started moving from lamp to lamp, lowering the wicks on some and completely putting out others. "Now, close your eyes."

Hans almost laughed, but he obeyed the man and let his eyelids fall closed. As soon as he heard the doors shut, though, he opened them again. Slowly and stiffly, he folded back the covers and climbed off the bed. He winced as he dragged his feet along the floor, each step sheer agony. He grabbed the windowsill to pull himself up, and it immediately crackled with frost that spread from the palms of his hands. The freeze raced through his veins and surged from the tips of his fingers, causing him to cry out in pain. But when he leaned forward, he was able to straighten up and crane his neck enough to be able to spot Elsa.

She looks beautiful.

Her white hair was down, waves of it draping over her shoulders and down her back, which was unusual for her. The dress she wore glittered and winked like a cluster of stars. He clenched one of his fists, remembering the feel of her hair woven through his fingers, and the snowflake over his heart lit up brighter than it had been able to in ages, causing him to bite back a gasp.

Kristoff, Anna's hulking suitor, swayed back and forth on the spot, causing Hans to occasionally lose sight of Elsa. Anna stood between them, waving to the crowd. Even from this far away, Hans could tell from Elsa's body language that she was nervous. He stared sadly at her, his heart aching. It was probably the worst pain of all. He wished he could be by her side, to offer her his arm and tell her some sort of stupid joke to make her laugh like he usually did, but he knew that was something that would never happen. And even if there was the slightest chance that it might have eventually been possible, he knew that if his health continued to atrophy, he wouldn't have the time left to find out. At this point he could only hope he'd be able to see Elsa one last time - to tell her he loved her, to thank her for loving him, but he was sure he wouldn't last through the night.

"I'm not sorry, Elsa," he whispered. "I lied when I said I was, but I'm not sorry." He closed his eyes and when he slowly opened them again, he was surprised to find they could still produce tears. "I'm not sorry I kissed you that day. Selfish, I know, but I'm sure you're used to that by now."

His life was an iron chain made up of one bad decision after another. Over the years it had wrapped around him, and he could lie and say it trapped him into being the horrible person he was, but that wasn't true. He could have broken that chain anytime. But it wasn't until the moment his gloved hands tangled themselves in Elsa's hair and his lips touched hers that she became the link that snapped and forced him to shake those chains off of him so he could pull her closer.

No, he wasn't sorry he kissed her. He didn't have much of a "never" left, but he would never regret kissing her.

Behind him, he heard the door open and shut. Kai was back sooner than he was expecting, and he knew he'd be disappointed that Hans hadn't heeded his request. He was about to apologize when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Prince Hans."

Hans moved slowly to see who was speaking, feeling bones cracking and joints popping as he settled back, continuing to lean heavily against the windowsill. It was the only thing holding him up.

An Arendelle soldier stood across the room. For a moment Hans thought it might be the soldier Kai had told him about – one of two guards who had carried him to this room. Most likely the one assigned to guard his door. Then he noticed that the man's sword was drawn.

"I couldn't help but notice earlier as we carried you here…" the soldier began, his voice eerily calm and cool. "…that you aren't wearing a wedding band."

Hans stumbled towards the bed, grabbing hold of one of the bedposts to keep him on his feet. He stared steadily back at the soldier despite the darkness and his vision going in and out of focus.

"You're late," he said. "My father must not have picked you for your punctuality."

The man's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. "No. He picked me because I'm very, very good at my job. I wasn't expecting that you'd be brought into the palace. I thought maybe that meant the kingdom would soon be celebrating a royal wedding. I had to make some changes to the plan, figure out a way to get in here, pal around with the other guards. The queen did a marvelous job spiriting you away and keeping you hidden. Lots of rooms here, so it took some time to locate you. I did get to see some of the sights while I was here. Town Square, the cathedral…I got to visit a few food stands and sample Arendelle's cuisine. I even got to see a play." He started strolling towards him, rolling the hilt of the sword in his hand. "One thing I didn't see, though, was a wedding."

Hans let one hand drop to his side. He gave his fingers a shake, testing to see if he could still summon the freeze.

No.

There wasn't enough in him to disarm the man. As he drew closer, Hans squinted his eyes, trying to see if he recognized him. No, I don't think so.

But then hired assassins weren't usually known for their desire to be the centre of attention.

"What's with the sword?" Hans asked. "Wouldn't it be a little more subtle to just poison my food?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Your father asked me to make this special. You're his son, after all."

Hans let go of the bedpost and lurched backwards, arms behind him as he felt around for the windowsill.

"Your father wants this to be messy. He's not a stupid man. He knows a performance when he sees one. He knows you're in love with her. He knows seeing your head severed from your shoulders, your blood painting the walls, will destroy her."

Her.

Elsa…

Of course his father was never going to just leave Elsa be. He knew that. It was one of the reasons he had begged her to let him go – so he could get as far away from Arendelle as possible and take his father's cruel eyes and vicious intentions with him.

Hans finally found the windowsill. He gripped it tightly and looked back over his shoulder. He could see Elsa being escorted to the carriage on a man's arm. He couldn't make out who it was - he was too far away, and his eyes were beginning to fail him. Not that it mattered who would be escorting her tonight.

It was never going to be me.

He couldn't let Elsa see him that way, in two pieces lying in a massive pool of blood. It was a fitting death – it was the way he was going to dispatch Elsa that awful day on the fjord. But he knew Elsa wasn't like him, could never be like him. His father was right – seeing him that way would destroy her. She would never stop blaming herself for bringing him to the palace, for not listening to him when he told her over, and over again that she had to let him leave Arendelle, and last, but not least, for leaving him alone tonight. She would never be able to forgive herself. He couldn't let that happen.

The soldier – his executioner – began to raise his sword and haul it back to make his swing. Hans' eyes flashed quickly from the soldier to the fireplace behind him. Hans put his hand over his heart, gathering anything left of the freeze from bone, vein and muscle into his palm, electrifying the tips of his fingers. He could only hope it would be enough.

"I love you, Elsa." he whispered under his breath.

He delivered a jolt more powerful than any he'd previously summoned directly into his heart. The last thing he saw before his eyes went black was Elsa looking back over her shoulder before disappearing into the carriage.

He didn't see the assassin's sword strike his neck. He could only hope in the second before the blade collided with its mark that the same thing would happen to the man that had happened to himself when the blade of his sword hit a frozen-solid Anna that day on the fjord.

He didn't see the assassin's body get blown back across the room when his sword connected with Hans' frozen body and shattered. The man smashed into the mantel over the fireplace with so much force that it broke his neck. His lifeless body slumped and fell into the fire beneath it.

By the time Kai returned to the room and shouted for someone to help him douse the flames, the corpse was burnt beyond any recognition.