a.n. As promised, reviews get chapters. I've finished the next one, but not the one after that. Yes, this one is short, but 74 is quite long, so it all evens out. Enjoy!

Now Anna had done it. Elsa fled the balcony in terror. If Hans had been a problem before, this would give him every excuse he needed to completely destroy her. Their complex power game was coming to an abrupt and bitter end. The mighty Protector would not allow this insult to pass.

Elsa paced her room nervously, trying to think of something that would appease him. There were several things she had that he had long lusted after; namely Arrendelle and the respect of her people. Arrendelle was currently under his control, and her people thought her long since dead.

There were other things she had bargained for. Money to spend on the party which she no longer had control over. She'd lost little bits of her body, like a slab of expensive meat, letting Hans control more and more of her.

She tallied up ever last right, every last bit of value she had left to give him and realized that it all fell far, far too short.

A nightmare image popped in her head. Hans, driven mad in his quest for power, took his revenge on the people closest to her. Anna, tortured to death. Her subjects put to death under the oppressive heel of the Westerguard's boot. The International Consortium had already been embarrassed at her deposition. There was no way she could combat this now!

And worst of all, she was powerless.

For the first time in her life, Elsa clutched her hands and wished to death for ice powers. Drawing her hood off, the ex-queen's regrown hair flowed out darkly against her neck. Gone. All of it was just gone.

As it turned out, her power wasn't nearly as excessive as she used to think. There was only so much she could use, and she'd used it all up months ago. In a way, it made sense. Her ice powers weren't unlimited. After freezing Arrendelle, building an ice castle, and then refreezing Arrendelle when it was invaded, her store of energy was just gone.

She tried not to think about it. Hans was under the impression that if she really wanted to stop him, she could. Elsa had no reason to dissuade him from believing that. How much further would he take their 'private time' if he knew just how weak she truly was?!

She paced her room restlessly. The party had died down by now. Whatever chance she had at nipping this particular nightmare in the bud was about to pass her by.

The woman took a short brave breath.

There was one thing Hans wanted that she'd always denied him. One last line he had never crossed, something, someplace he, nor any man, would ever, ever get to. She had remained composed throughout her entire ordeal, from insistent suitors, to psychotic pirates, to anyone and everyone who tried to seduce her. The answer was always "no". That was the only thing she truly had that he wanted. Elsa opened her door and forced her legs to walk down the long hallways to his bedroom. Cracking the door open, she asked herself if she still had the courage to go on. The answer?

"Yes."