For a moment, the Prince contemplated abandoning the island and swimming out to certain death. It would be a better fate than that which waits if I stay here. He decided against it. Instead, he turned away from the crashing waves and began to make his way up the beach and toward camp. The white sand felt pleasing between his toes. How did I end up here? It had only been a few days after leaving Arendelle that Southern Storm had encountered, well, a storm. And now the ship that was meant to take me home lies not eight-hundred yards away, at the bottom of the ocean. Most had died quickly, drowning beneath the power of the waves. But the others. They were smashed against the rocks like a snowball thrown against a castle. Hans was one of four to make it to shore on a piece of the wreckage. The first had died from a wound to his stomach before the sun had set on the first night. The other two had abandoned Hans in search of other survivors. Am I really that poor of company? It was a thought that had troubled Hans up until he had met the island's inhabitants.

Six in number, the people had welcomed him with open arms, and he them. Deep within a cave, their home had proven unexpectedly comfortable. Not only was there a surplus of food, but a mountain stream that ran through their camp gave plenty of fresh water. There were even beds crafted from animal furs, though only six. This left Hans to sleep on the cave floor at first. They had been kind enough to give him blankets until they had finally made him a bed of his own. Now, after what seemed like a year, Hans had grown rather fond of these people, but the girl in particular. Nearly four years old, Lea had lived her entire life on the island. The three men had been protective of Lea, keeping sure not to let Hans near her, but slowly that changed as the group accepted Hans as one of their own. Hans was the closest thing to a friend the little girl had, as the others were always much too busy working to play with her. Hans, however, had always relied on Lea for support, whether she knew it or not.

By the time Hans had made it to the cave, the moon was already casting its glow on the island. He made his way through the dark, no longer needing sight or other guidance to maneuver his way to the others. When he reached the lit camp, Lea ran up to him. The girl's auburn hair was thrown wildly around her face. He bent down and gave her a hug.

"What'd I miss while I was away?" asked Hans, pushing a stray hair from Lea's face to its proper place on her head. A look of excitement jumped to the girl's face.

"Oh, I almost caught that monster, but he got away just before I reached him," Lea giggled. It had been her obsession for weeks, the monster that dwelled in their resident cave. Although, as it seemed to Hans, Lea never got more than a glimpse of its shadow before it disappeared.

"Well, next time, you should try using this," spoke Hans in a joking voice, handing her a conch shell he had found on the beach that morning. "This will make you fast enough to catch that monster."

"How does it work?" eagerly asked Lea, her bright blue eyes open wide. Hans could tell the girl was excited.

"Well, when you see the monster, if you just believe in the magic of the shell, it will work."

"I'm going to find that monster!" exclaimed Lea, running off into the cave.

"Be careful," Hans yelled, laughing. Growing up on the island seemed to have made Lea smarter than most four year olds Hans had seen. But that didn't mean she was immune to childish fantasies. As he made his way toward the camp, and Lea's mother, Hans noticed a strange look on the woman's face.

"Is something wrong?" asked Hans. He sat down next to the woman.

"No," she said. Tears began to fill her eyes. "It's just you're so good for Lea. If you weren't here, she'd be all by herself."

"That's not true at all," Hans replied. He almost put his hands around her for comfort, but decided against it.

"Yes it is," she said, crying now, "Her father and I are too busy keeping the camp running to be able to give her the care she needs. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but if you hadn't been shipwrecked by that storm on...what was it?"

"A trade voyage," lied Hans. He had decided when he first met these people on the island to keep his past a secret. It would do no good telling them of what he'd done. "I was on a trading voyage."

"If your ship hadn't wrecked on that trading voyage, if you hadn't ended up on this island, I don't know what would have happened to Lea."

"I'm sure it would have fine-"

"No, it wouldn't. I'm surprised she was happy as long as she was by herself-"

"Stop it," said Hans, gently. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad, you and your husband are excellent parents."

"Are we though?" she asked. Tears running down her cheeks, she walked into her tent, leaving Hans alone. What was that all about? Hans stood, dusted the dirt off the back of his pants, and made for his tent.

Hans awoke to the sound of footsteps in his tent. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, only to find Lea sitting on the bottom of his bed.

"Morning already?" smiled Hans. It didn't seem like he'd been asleep for long. Lea leaned over and put a finger over his lips.

"No," Lea whispered, her hair even messier than before, "it's the middle of the night."

"And you're still up?" joked Hans, "isn't it past your bedtime?" Lea hit him in the stomach, causing an unexpected amount of pain. She looked at him and smiled.

"Come on, I want to show you something," she said, pulling Hans out of bed. He followed her to the cave's exit.

"We're going outside?" he asked. What could this be? "You know you're not supposed to go out by yourself-"

"Just a little farther," she said in an anxious voice. They were going toward the beach. "Close your eyes." He obeyed.

When they finally stopped walking and Lea allowed Hans to open his eyes, they were standing in the middle of the beach.

"I see sand," joked Hans. Lea giggled.

"Look, silly. Over there," Lea pointed at the ocean. Not two-hundred yards away was a ship. "What is it?" asked Lea, sitting down on the sand. Hans didn't sit. Hans didn't speak. "Well?" Lea asked impatiently. It took Hans a moment to gather himself, and when he did, he only said one word.

"Home."