The crown was lighter than Anna was expecting as the Bishop placed it on her ornately braided head. The redhead blinked and lifted herself carefully as if the object would fall from her at the slightest too-sudden movement. She reached for the orb and scepter, then turned toward to face the dignitaries, townsfolk, guards and friends in the pews behind her.
Oddly, some part of her expected to see Elsa among them. But it had already been three years since that frightening, bewildering, heartbreaking incident in the forest north of Tarfala.
Hans, of all people, had come to her rescue… with Elsa in tow. Anna had never forgotten the cryptic words exchanged between the two of them. At that time, she had honestly expected Elsa would explain everything.
Unfortunately, it turned out that she didn't know her sister very well. Shortly after Kristoff fainted, Hans had leaned over Elsa's shoulder to whisper something to her. Anna hadn't heard a word, but she would never forget the shock in Elsa's eyes. At that moment, Elsa had dropped down in the snow to hug Anna. Hans wandered off somewhere. Anna remembered being fixated on him more than she should have been, otherwise she might have felt the goodbye in Elsa's embrace.
Should have, might have, hadn't. None of it mattered now.
"Sem hon heldr inum helgum eignum ok krýnd í þessum helga stað ek té fram fyrir yðr...Queen Anna of Arendelle..."
Kristoff and Olaf gave her their best 'atta girl smiles. Everyone else seemed rather solemn, but she couldn't blame them. Two coronations over just a few years was a reflection of chaotic times in Arendelle.
Why did Elsa have to leave her with all of this…?
She only hoped she'd be good enough.
Elsa paused outside the entrance to her new ice palace. Funny that she still thought of it as new even though she had created it a few years prior when she went with Hans to live in isolation atop the North Mountain.
He had said no one would find them there. For the most part, he'd been right.
There were mountain climbers who occasionally wandered too close. Elsa had to scare them off for their own safety. That was easy enough with her ice yetis.
The new ice palace felt like a cage at times. Oh, she could leave for good at any time… if she wanted Hans to take over Arendelle.
He can't make you love him, but he can cage you like a bird.
He didn't see it that way, of course. Hans had taken on his old role of magical mentor, whether or not Elsa wanted that from him. They studied the stars at night. During the day, they pit their magic against each other's.
At first, she fought in earnest. She was so angry that he would keep her from Anna that she wanted nothing more than to wipe him out with her power. Unfortunately, even though her power far exceeded his, she did not have quite as much control.
That, and she was still afraid of herself. What would it mean if she deliberately destroyed him? Did she have it in her?
Did she even want to?
"You're back!" He greeted her from the work station he'd created for the two of them, an open book lying on the desk.
"Yes."
Sometimes, she let herself relax around him. He was, after all, probably the only person who completely understood her. It was all too easy to let her guard down, especially when he shared stories with her the way he had years ago.
But not today. Today, she'd had to watch the burden of the crown be transferred to Anna. She couldn't even be there to counsel her, thanks to Hans.
She removed her cloak and hung it on one of the hooks in wall. Rather than provide unnecessary warmth, the cloak was enchanted to hide her from the other coronation guests. When she turned, she saw his gaze linger on the cloak before he looked back down at his book.
"You went to Arendelle," he remarked, his tone completely neutral.
She stopped on her way to her room and glanced back at him.
"It wasn't the first time," he added.
Oh, so he knew? She said nothing and merely studied him as he turned a page. But the fact that he did not look up at her made her nervous and, for a moment, her heart raced in a panic.
"Don't worry. I know you didn't talk to Anna."
She balled her fists. Of course, he knew. He saw her hang up the enchanted cloak. Technically, Anna wasn't a part of their arrangement. But they both knew that the moment she broke no-contact, Anna would convince Elsa to come home. Then, neither Anna nor Arendelle would be safe.
Hans's lips curved into a faint smile, but still he did not look up. If Elsa didn't know better, she might have thought he was actually reading.
Months swept by. Elsa always had the same thought. If only she could let Anna know she was near. She had hoped that Olaf's continued presence might spark some realization in her sister. But Anna had never been quick to pick up on things.
Months swept by. Elsa could only watch. There were fights between the queen and the ice harvester, tension from neighboring kingdoms who wanted a wedded alliance with Arendelle and, worst of all, Anna's loneliness. Even surrounded by people who loved her, she hadn't been raised to rule. The learning curve was tremendous. Elsa watched Anna falter every time she made an error, watched her question herself. She watched her put distance around herself just to decompress, a habit she herself knew too well. But unlike herself, that went against Anna's nature and took its toll.
Every time she wanted to convey a message—not necessarily sure how-she remembered Kristoff's blade half-way to Anna's throat.
Hans never pressured her to deepen their…relationship. She was afraid for a time that he might. But other than studying magic, taking meals together and sharing a living space, she was free to ignore or interact with him as she pleased. They kept separate sleeping quarters. In fact, Hans was absent a lot of the time, likely making the most of his reclaimed freedom after centuries of being sealed away. Elsa never inquired on where he went. Partly, this was because she was afraid of the answer. Mostly, she did not want to be obligated to tell him where she went in return.
He probably knew it was always Arendelle.
On the other hand, she frequently felt his eyes on her. Sometimes, she'd look up to find he'd been studying her. At first, this frightened her, until she realized he would never initiate or cross any boundaries without invitation.
Over time, she grew used to his scrutinization. She even enjoyed the hint of hunger in those forest green eyes that locked onto her. He could look all he wanted. She would never be his in that way. At times, the glee she felt in denying him alarmed her. It gradually turned into a game of returned cruelty.
She would conjure up a dress that exposed just a little more of herself or brush her hand against his when she went to reach for something. Then there were other times when she would pretend to have fallen asleep in the study just to avoid having to speak with him. If he lingered, she'd toss and turn with the faintest of moans until she heard his footsteps retreat from the room.
It was dangerous to tease him like that, perhaps. But his frustration was her consolation. Too often, she'd let her weakness show and fall apart. She never meant to cry in front of him; she hated the very idea of letting her enemy see her so defeated.
But Hans had the annoying knack for always being near when she felt most vulnerable.
"Elsa…"
"Go away!"
It was getting worse. Her episodes of weakness were growing more and more frequent, and she hated him for being there every time.
She stood at the edge of her balcony, a maelstrom of glittering ice shards whirling around her to keep him at bay as he approached.
He took another step. She made the ice shards stop in place, prepared to fire.
"Don't take another step, Hans. I've had it. Enough. I can't do this."
"I've only been trying to help you," he said. She thanked the stars when he stopped in his tracks.
"H-help me? By keeping me prisoner here?!"
He had the decency not to argue that. But it didn't help.
"Did you think if enough time had passed, that I'd just… what, be happy? Do you even know what happiness is?!"
"I did, once."
"That's the other thing! The only reason we're here is because I remind you of your dead wife! It's not my fault I was born with this power. I didn't ask for this…!"
His face hardened at the mention of his wife, but that wouldn't stop her.
"If you want my magic so badly, here. Take it. I don't want it."
Suddenly, the shards turned inward on herself. She was shaking with fury she could not help. In another heartbeat, she might have let go.
But then Hans was on her, a shower of flames snaking down around them to melt every shard. She yelled and beat him on the chest for seeing her at her worst. Her nails raked down his shirt as he gripped her waist too tightly.
They both looked down in surprise at the frost and then ice spreading across his chest. With a blink and shake of his head, his magic shattered the ice. Then, he yanked her by the wrist to walk her back into the palace.
She dug her heels against the floor and tugged back, using her other hand to weave a sheet of ice beneath them. Hans didn't even slip. He glared down at their feet, his attention alone enough to revert the floor back to normal.
More than frustrated now, she pulled back and sculpted a lance of ice in her hand, her fury completely taking over. Lightning-fast, Hans grabbed the arm with the weapon and held it away while his other hand closed fast around her neck. His fingers squeezed in an iron-tight grip.
Elsa threw the lance down and clapped her hands over his, clawing at his fingers to pry them loose. She tried to gasp, but the pressure was too much. Still, she growled and struggled, kicking at him, though that seemed to have no effect. She finally scratched at his face and coughed the moment he let go. His hands went to his eyes and she took advantage, knocking him over with a wintry gale.
Finally, she towered over him, glad to see a thin red mark across his cheek when he looked up. Their eyes met… she expected to see anger, but instead there was only hunger, that familiar hunger.
She laughed, surprising herself as she lowered herself to lean over him… to gloat, to threaten, she didn't know.
Beneath her, his breathing grew ragged, each steamy exhale curling up from his lips in the chill that enveloped them, hot and cold.
"There it is. The only power I have over you."
Then, she gripped his face with her frigid fingers and slammed her lips against his in a kiss that knocked away her own senses. His hand went up to her hair as her fingernails dragged down the sides of his neck. Each pulled and scratched at the other as their lips parted, tongues met, heads reeling. She breathed him in and writhed on top of him, desperate to destroy him but melting with every flick of his insistent tongue in her mouth. His hand slid down her back, his fingers pulling at her dress as she felt him moan, the sound reverberating through their kissing. She gave him one rough squeeze between her thighs and then tore herself away, her hand coming down the next instant to slap him.
She stopped herself at the last second.
They both stared at one another; Hans panting with his fingers tangled up in her hair, Elsa with her hand in the air. Then she stumbled to stand and back away from him, her cheeks flushed as she stared at him breathlessly, satisfied at least to see that he was equally astonished.
"Please…"
She blinked rapidly, shocked to hear him say the word. And as much as his body clearly betrayed how much he wanted her, his eyes reflected a new emotion, one that terrified her even more.
She shook her head adamantly. It could never be. They could never be.
She hated him.
"Elsa…"
But she was already turning her back to him and fleeing, running as fast as she could from the balcony, out of her room, down the stairs and through the halls to get out, get away, far away from him.
She was only gone for a couple of hours before she worried that Hans might take her flight as breaking their arrangement, and so she had to return.
Luckily for her, he wasn't home. She didn't know whether to be frightened or relieved, but she went straight to her room.
Surprisingly, she fell asleep moments after she lay her head down on her pillow. But when she woke, she could feel Hans was home.
When on earth had she gotten to that point?
She debated for a long while whether or not to go out and face him. In the end, she opted to close her eyes and drift back to sleep. That was safer.
It was days before they spoke to each other again. Until then, Elsa tiptoed around the ice palace, avoiding him as much as possible. When they did bump into one another, she couldn't bring herself to meet his face. But eventually, it seemed he decided enough time had passed.
"Elsa," he said one evening as she sipped from her soup spoon. She dropped the utensil into her soup bowl and watched the liquid freeze over as she panicked. Then, she slowly turned in her seat.
He stood in the doorway of the dining room. Even if she wanted to run away, she would have to go through him first. She gulped.
"You should go back to Arendelle."
Elsa blinked several times. Had she heard right just now?
"What?" she said.
"I want you to go back. Being here, with me, it's not what you want. I'm sorry that it took me so long to respect that. I'd been alone for too long…"
Elsa looked down at the floor, the meaning of his words piling over her quite suddenly.
"I don't know how to be good anymore. I should have died a long time ago. I let all the wrong things keep me alive."
She had to look at him then, his words startling her.
"But I have no regrets. I got to meet you."
"Hans… where are you going with all of this…? You make it sound like you're going to, err, pass on… but you're immortal, aren't you?"
He walked up to the table, but she didn't recoil the way she expected herself to.
"Again, it all comes back to you. You're powerful enough."
"Powerful enough…? What?" Her brow furrowed. She knew what he was not saying, but she didn't want to say it.
"You can freeze me. Permanently."
She shook her head. First of all, no, she couldn't. She couldn't do that to someone… on purpose. Secondly, he was so much stronger than her.
"I can't. And I wouldn't, anyway. You couldn't ask me to do that."
She stood up, happy for the excuse to leave the room. She didn't need him to see the impact the conversation was having on her.
But he grabbed her arm before she could pass him. In seconds, he had dropped down to his knees.
"I'm not a regular man anymore, Elsa. I don't think I can live without you. But I also can't live seeing you long to be rid of me."
He reached as if to take both of her hands, but he stopped himself and just smiled.
"Have mercy on both of us."
She frowned.
"Please."
The word sounded so different coming from him now.
Anna shivered as she looked out the window at the snowfall over Odin's fjord. Many hours had passed since Kristoff kissed her good night and headed down to the stables to pack Sven up for an overnight trip to the neighboring kingdom. She much preferred when he could stay the night with her, though they had to be sneaky about it or the castle staff would gossip.
She and Kristoff had never done more than kiss and hold each other all night long. But that would change once she could get the kingdoms of Madrir and Emerys off her back with aggressive marriage proposals. She sighed and made a hopeful wish on the brightest star in the sky before she turned around to get into bed…
…and found herself face-to-face with her lost sister, Elsa.
"Anna…"
Her eyes welled up in an instant, but she didn't even hesitate. Anna lunged forward and threw her arms around Elsa, certain her sobs would wake the entire castle as she felt Elsa hug her back.
"Shhh… it's all right now. I have so much to tell you…"
The sisters stayed up for hours. It took quite a while for Anna to calm herself enough to be able to listen to Elsa's story. She was devastated to hear that Elsa had no intention of returning to rule Arendelle.
"Why didn't you tell me of this magician a long time ago!?"
"It was Hans, Anna… all along… how could I possibly explain that? I didn't understand anything until it was too late."
Anna studied her fiercely before she broke into sobs yet again, clinging to Elsa as if she feared her older sister might disappear again. Elsa wanted to cry along with her, but one of them needed to be a pillar for the other. Anna had been through enough.
"Anna… I hope you understand. I'll always be in your life. But you are more than capable of ruling Arendelle! I know because I've been watching."
Anna pulled back and scrunched her face up as though she was going to argue.
"And you can visit me any time at the North Mountain!" Elsa added.
"But why… why won't you come back?" Anna sniffled. "Why exile yourself all over again?"
Elsa chuckled and rubbed Anna's hair until it was properly tangled. "Don't think of it as exile, sis… think of it as freedom!" She held her arms out, surprised she could bring herself to be so whimsical. But that was the effect Anna had on her.
Anna smiled, seeming to feel a bit better. They got to talking about the future. Of course, Anna brought up Kristoff… and the challenge of being in love with someone below her status.
"A queen and an ice harvester… the council of lords and ladies is totally against it. It's just never happened in Arendelle."
Elsa nudged her. "So what? Be the first."
Anna raised her eyebrow, her old smile slowly shining through as she soaked up her older sister's encouragement.
"Be the first, huh?" She mulled that over, her freckly face grinning more and more. "Maybe we will…"
Every once in a while, Elsa would visit the figure encased in thick ice in the palace study. She avoided it for as long as possible, but curiosity got the better of her from time to time. Hans looked so peaceful frozen, almost like he was sleeping.
She bit her lip, staring at him woefully. She knew perfectly well he wouldn't wake. He'd begged her to put him to sleep permanently.
At first, she was sure she'd done the right thing. He'd taken lives centuries ago, she knew. He'd hurt Anna, threatened herself and took her life away. He was just one reason she couldn't return to rule over Arendelle. For as much as she enjoyed her freedom, Elsa would have felt obligated to fulfill the duty she was born to…
But she'd killed someone. And now she would have to, literally, live with that.
She frowned as her gaze traced as many of his features as she could see. The side burns, the long eyelashes, broad chest and auburn tint through the blue ice.
"Here lies my magician," she murmured. "In thirty inch thick ice. You know, I used to imagine we'd have adventures together. Go traveling, see the world. Before I knew what you really were."
She put her hand up to the ice, hesitating just a fraction of a second before her palm rested against the slick, frigid surface.
"You wanted me to be great… but I was just scared and sad all the time. Even so, you… you…"
She thought back to her weakest moments.
"Even when I didn't want me as I am. And I… never pictured this. Being the snow queen."
She went on to tell him about Anna's rule over Arendelle. A year had passed since the coronation. People were finally growing relaxed under Anna's reign. Elsa was so grateful that things were going well for her sister.
She went back a few days later. This time, she told him about her travels around the world, as if he could hear her.
She went again, and again. Soon she was making it a daily visit. Usually to tell him stories. Something about it gave her peace. She couldn't put her finger on it.
Some of the tales were ones he had shared with her years before. Others were made-up, or picked up during her travels. The story she told the most, however, was of how her sister had saved her… and how Anna had saved herself through that act of true love.
Then, she came up with a different story one day.
"Once upon a time, there was a snow queen who was prisoner to a wicked magician," she began. She stuck her tongue out before she continued. "The wicked magician had helped the snow queen learn how to use her magic when she was a girl. But over time, he began to covet her and her power… until he took her for himself, nefarious fellow that he was." She paused as if expecting the figure in the ice to object. "She hated him at first, but… over time, she began to realize they complemented each other." Her hand slid down the ice. "He wanted power, she wanted to be rid of it. He had been all over the world, she'd imprisoned herself in her own room for years. She abandoned her kingdom, he took care of it in her and her sister's absence… But the truth is, I didn't even get to know you. And you knew me too well. It's… it's just not fair…" She pulled her hand away as something tickled her palm, looking down to see a droplet of water.
Was the ice melting?
She looked up again and gasped at the green gaze breaking through the ice.
Hans, her magician, was awake.
A/N: This has been a real writing exercise for me, especially since I'm a Hansanna fan down to the bone. :3 But to tell you the truth, I had a lot of fun writing a Helsa fic!
Originally, I was going to leave him frozen, but I liked this ending better. I like imagining them trying to explore whether or not he can be a decent person, her getting to know him, re-freezing him whenever he misbehaves too much XDD But I've got other stories to focus on, so I had to end this somewhere. Thank you for reading!
