The footprints left behind by Lea as she walked the edge of the beach were rhythmically being washed away by the ocean's waves as they ran up and down the sand. The moon and stars shone their light on the beach, making the little girl glow in an almost divine way. Hans couldn't sleep with freedom just hours away, but he wouldn't have even if he could. During his being stranded on the island with Lea, he had grown more attached to the girl than he could ever have thought possible. The prince loved watching her explore. He loved when Lea ran up to him, heart racing, to share a ludicrous idea with him or to inquire about a seemingly insignificant plant or rock. Everything about the girl resonated with Hans, best as he could tell, in the way it would if she were his daughter. Or, better yet, if she were his friend. The realization was almost enough to make him want to keep things the way they were, and stay on the island. Almost. It was a shame that as soon as he returned to the civilized world, Hans would have to say goodbye to being able to spend the entirety of his days with the girl. I'm sure Lea's parents will let me live near their home. I'll be able to see Lea all the time. The thought brought a smile to Hans' face, but only for a moment. What if they live in Arendelle? The look on his face transformed to one of terror. What if they find out the things I've done?

When the girl returned from the water, she quietly tiptoed her way through the maze of sleeping men and to where Hans lay, sitting down beside her closest friend. She looked at the prince with shining blue eyes, both her hair and freckles glowing red in the light of the fire.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" quipped the girl, pushing a finger into Hans' chest. He sat up, grabbing Lea by her shoulders, and pulled the girl into his arms.

"I was going to ask you the same question," he smiled. She made no move to break his embrace. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Hans. He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"I can't sleep," the girl confided. She looked up into her friend's eyes.

"Me neither," spoke Hans, trying to comfort the girl. "Tomorrow we go home. I'm too scared to sleep." Lea squeezed him harder, her eyes shifting to the roaring black waves.

"But that's just it," she said, the hint of nervousness in her voice was stronger now. "I don't know anything about my home," she said, returning her look to Hans. "What if I don't like home as much as I like it here? What if..." Lea paused for a moment. Hans could see the glisten of water in her eyes. "...what if this island is my home?" She pressed her head against the prince's chest. He could feel a faint sobbing coming from her. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay here, with you." As the young girl cried in his arms, a thousand things flew around Hans' mind. But one thought was stronger than the rest. So do I.

Hans knew Lea would have to leave in the morning, whether she wanted to or not. As would he. The prince deemed that it would be best if she wanted to go, however, for her own sake. He tried to comfort the crying girl.

"It'll be great. There'll be boys and girl you're age to play with, and your house will be a thousand times more comfortable than that silly old cave." Instantly, Lea lifted her head. The words seemed to spark something in the girl. She had stopped crying.

"Two things," the girl said in a mocking tone of authority, raising her hand and lifting two fingers, as if to make certain Hans was clear on the number statements that were to follow. "First, I'm going to live in a castle, not a house. Secondly, the cave isn't silly." Hans chuckled.

"Oh?" he jokingly asked, "And what makes that cave so great?" Lea hit him in the shoulder, smiling.

"It's a nice cave," she spoke, giving Hans a glare that made it obvious how serious she was. Hans continued to jest.

"And since when are you a cave expert?" he asked, unable to hold back a huge grin. The girl blushed, embarrassed.

"Well, I'm not," the girl said in an uncharacteristically shy tone. Then her face lit up. "But I know someone who is," she said, smiling. "The monster." Hans couldn't help but laugh. Castles and cave-dwelling monsters. It never ends. He decided to play along.

"So your monster is a cave expert, eh? How do you know? Have you talked to him?" The line of questioning didn't deter the young girl.

"Well...no, I haven't. But he could stay in any cave on the island, and he picked ours. Explain that." It took Hans a moment to remember she was being completely serious. Not wanting to dissuade Lea from engaging in future feats of her imagination, Hans decided to continue playing along.

"Why don't we go back to the cave, right now? If this monster is there, we can ask him."

"What if he's not there?" bounced back Lea, staring up at Hans with eyes that now seemed green in the firelight. He reached a hand towards her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Then maybe you'll just have to accept that he's moved on," he said, a light chuckle escaping from his throat, "to a nicer cave than ours." Hans realized what he was saying, that he wasn't really talking about monsters. He was talking about himself, about the girl that sat in front of him soaking in every word as fact. He decided to use it as a chance to try and convince Lea that leaving the island was best. "And if he has moved on," Hans began, but he was interrupted by the girl, who spoke in a manner far wiser than her years.

"Then I guess I'll have to move on as well," she succumbed, accepting her time on the island was limited to only a few short hours more, "to a nicer cave."

"To a castle," he smiled. With that, the prince helped the girl to her feet, and they began making their way across the beach, disappearing behind the brush in the direction of the cave.

When the two reached the cave, the darkness in the sky had already begun to fade into a lighter complexion. The ships will be leaving in a few hours. The realization brought a feeling of joy into Hans' mind. I'm going home. This feeling, however, was unmatched by the pure ecstasy that filled Hans as he watched Lea run into the cave's mouth, reminding him of what he cared for the most.

"Find any monsters?" Hans called to Lea, a smile on his face as he approached the cave's entrance.

Silence.

"Lea?" he yelled, stopping to listen. All happy feelings had drained from him, now replaced with a fear of an equal intensity.

Hans heard a shriek from within the cave.

Without a second thought, the prince rushed into the cave, disappearing into the darkness faster than any man had the right to run.