When Hans finally reached the cave's exit, he was surprised by the sudden, blinding light of the sun. Only now mindful of exactly how much time Lea and he had been inside the cave, the prince began to follow the path in front of him, making his way back to the beach at the fastest pace his swollen knee and dizzy head would allow. Hans had not expected to feel even the slightest bit of discontent for what he had just done. He hadn't expected killing a man to leave him overcome with feelings of regret. But it did. And no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he had done it for the safeguarding of Lea, Hans knew the only real reason that a man laid lifelessly on the dark floor of the cave behind him was a reason built purely on selfishness; Hans didn't want anyone on the island to know about his past.

Making his way out of the jungle and across the blistering white sand, Hans approached the crowds of men carrying supplies from the beach to the few boats that waited in the water. It was happening; he was going home. Lost in thought, the prince failed to see Lea and her father walk up to him. The man's voice surprised him.

"Lea tells me you two were on a little adventure," he spoke to Hans, a grin on his face. There's nothing little about it.

"Yeah?" replied Hans, hesitantly. He bit his lip, having forgotten entirely about having to explain the events of the previous hours to his fellow campmates. "What'd she tell you?"

"Well," the man looked to his daughter in a playful tone, and she faced him with a small giggle. Lea's father was speaking in a voice too pleasant to have been told anything by the girl. He continued. "The young lady here won't tell me anything. She says it's a matter of the upmost secrecy, information to be disclosed strictly on a need to know basis. I thought I'd ask you if I do, in fact, need to know." As he said the last words, maintaining his light demeanor, he gave Hans a look that made it clear he wanted to know where they had been.

"I think you do need to know," Hans proclaimed, matching the lightheartedness of the two standing before him, "where we were, I mean." Though he looked to Lea's father, he couldn't help but notice the girl wink at him before he continued. "We were back at the cave. Her Majesty wanted to say goodbye to the monster before we left the island," he looked to Lea, "And while he was nowhere to be found, the only reason we didn't find him was because-"

"He's moved on to a different, better place," Lea interrupted, looking straight to Hans. She knows what I did. It took Hans a moment. Of course she knows what you did, she asked you to do it. The prince couldn't help but feel that murder wasn't what Lea had meant when she had asked Hans to hurt the man, but he pushed the thought out of his mind.

"A different cave, I'm afraid," he spoke to the girl's father now, "he's left the island."

"And now we have to leave too," Lea added, looking down to her feet. She stood there in silence for a few moments before looking back up to Hans, "to a better place." She smiled as she spoke, clearly having an easier time now accepting the finality of the departure. Her father nodded, and then looked to Hans, a look of approval on his face. Undeserved approval.

"Well, if everyone's gotten their closure, I think it's about time we got this show on the road. Lea, go find your mother." The girl ran off in a heartbeat, disappearing into the haze of moving bodies on the beach. Before Hans had a moment to say anything, Lea's father too disappeared into the business of people.

Hans faced the jungle, sitting atop a rock by the edge of the beach as clouds moved against a tangerine and violet sky above him. The sun would be setting within the hour, moving all the supplies and people to the ship had taken longer than anyone had expected. As he sat there, staring into the jungle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't deserve the trust of Lea's father. I killed a man, and lied about it. But that wasn't what was bothering Hans the most. He had moved past that, deeming that both the act itself and the lie that had ensued had been the correct course of action. That wasn't what was bothering the prince at all. It was Anna. I left her for dead. I left her for dead and then went to kill her sister. His thoughts were interrupted as Lea's father approached.

"I'm ready to go if you are," the man spoke, and Hans turned to face him. He hadn't noticed until now that there was no one else around but the two men. After Lea had gotten on the first boat with her mother, Hans had stopped paying any mind to the happenings of the beach. Now, empty and deserted of all but a small boat, he and Lea's father would be the last two to row out to the ship.

"We'd best get going then," exclaimed a buoyant Hans, brought to life by the realization these footsteps would be his last on the island, "wouldn't want them to leave without us." Lea's father let out a hearty laugh, slapping Hans on the back as the two made their way to the boat.

Once inside, the two men began to row.

"How's it feel?" asked Hans, "To know you're finally going to get Lea home?" The man chuckled, answering Hans' question.

"Better than you can imagine. But I can't help but feel..." he trailed off, unsure of himself.

"What?" asked Hans, not sure what the girl's father was trying to say, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the man replied quickly, returning the conversation to normal, "It's just that Lea's spent her entire life on the island. I'm not sure she'll adapt well to-"

"Everything will be fine," Hans comforted, "she'll do fine. Lea's a great girl."

"Smart too," the man added.

"Yeah," grinned Hans, "she is, isn't she?" Lea's father didn't say anything; he only smiled, staring out across the water as he worked the paddles. The two sat there a moment, in equal admiration for the little girl waiting on the ship. "Did you know she wants to live in a castle?" jokingly asked Hans, interrupting the silence. The man looked to Hans.

"What girl her age doesn't?" he remarked, laughing.

"I didn't have the heart to tell her castles are only for two types of people," Hans admitted, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Royals and their servants," he agreed, "love to be one, hate to be the other." At that moment, Hans wanted more than anything to tell Lea's father who he was. To tell him of his royal bloodline. To tell him The Southern Isles would always have a castle with open doors for Lea and her family.

"You know," Hans began, but he decided against it. Now wasn't the time. Covering for himself, he changed the subject, "you never told me, where exactly are you and your wife from? Before you were on the island. Before Lea." It was the question Hans needed to ask, and it only had one bad answer.

"There's something I need to tell you," replied Lea's father, ignoring Hans' question, "something the captain is going to tell his crew as soon as we arrive at that ship." The prince was partially agitated by the man's disregard for his question, but his interest in what the girl's father said now allowed him to ignore that.

"I'm listening," he responded, desperately hoping the news wouldn't be half as bad as the man in front of him was making it out to be, "what's so important?"

"Once we board that ship," he said, staring at Hans intently, "we're heading straight for Arendelle. Do you know why that is?" Hans could think of one reason, but it did not entitle a happy ending for the prince.

"Why?" he asked, dreading the answer, "do you live there?"

"Well, yes," spoke Lea's father. He smiled as he spoke his next words, "I'm the king."