I am a horrible human being. I am so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. I've just been so uninspired and I at least wanted to give the final chapter the justice it deserves. I hope you guys like it. In case any of you are wondering, I have been thinking of writing a sequel for a while now but it probably won't BE for a while. Well... happy reading.

"He is a traitor and a criminal."

"He is my fiancé."

"He tried to kill you and Princess Anna."

"He was not successful."

"He was inadvertently the cause of your death."

"He was sacrificing himself for me. My 'death' was my own fault."

"You are the queen. Do you realize what controversies will arise if this affair continues?"

"I do."

"Your Majesty, you have responsibilities. Do not let your emotions – however clouded they may be – overshadow your priorities."

"He took care of my people."

"Excuse me?"

"Are your minds truly as old and withered as your appearances? As members of the Arendellian Council I should hope your age is getting the better of you. Or do you really not remember how Prince Hans – personally, I might add – cared for my people when I had doomed them all to an eternal winter. While his intentions were wrought with contempt and thirst for power, he did, in fact prove his worth as a good, strong ruler. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Name one stuck up, narcissistic, psychopathic prince – for that is all that is being offered these days – that would make a better king than Hans would."

"…"

"…"

"Well…"

"The wedding shall fall in April."

Elsa smiled fondly at the memory – she remembered how Anna laughed when she heard how disrespectful her sister had been to all the members of the council. The Queen and wife-to-be mindlessly played with the diamond encrusted gold band around her finger. It was 3 a.m. when Elsa finally stood from her desk and exited the study. It had been just over a fortnight since her "awakening" and even longer since she slept in a proper bed. She had always been restless, even as a little girl, but for the past six nights, she had been content with a total of four hours sleep. She didn't feel right in her bed, or even on her room for that matter. Everything was too… comfortable. But what confused Elsa more, was that her insomnia seemed like the only side effect of the entire traumatic ordeal.

She silently wandered the halls of the palace, dressed only in a light blue, silk night gown. She found herself standing in front of Anna's bedroom. They had grown even closer than ever after Elsa returned, barely being out of each other's sight for more than two hours. Elsa raised a loose fist to knock on her sister's door when she heard the soft murmur of a man's voice. Curiosity got the better of her, as she pressed her ear against the wood door.

"You have got to be kidding me," the voice said, it was only after she heard him laugh that Elsa realized it had been Hans, "How did you beat me again?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, we don't want to wake anybody… unless you want this to be a public beating."

"And here I thought I was good at chess," Hans grumbled. Anna and Hans? Playing chess… together? Elsa thought, But she hates him. Not as much as Kristoff hates, but still.

"Come on, Hansey ol' boy! Best out of seven, or are you really that much of a sore loser?" Anna taunted, which elicited a soft laugh from Elsa.

"Fine, but I don't think my pride can take much more of this." She heard the shuffling of pieces before either spoke again, "Your turn first… again."

"So," Anna spoke in the tone she used when she wanted to interrogate someone, "We never really talked about it."

"Talked about what?" there was a silence, "Oh that. Yes, well… Anna look, what I did before was…"

"Unforgivable, sociopathic, evil? Choose one or all."

"All – check."

"So why did you do it?" Anna asked, before adding in a lighter tone, "Regarde your queen."

"Power. It was always about power. And anger. Over all the things my brothers did to me… and those who I held dear."

"Yeah… Elsa told me about your sister. I'm truly sorry."

"Thank you. She wouldn't want me to dwell on it… you just lost your rook."

"Damn. You know, the day you came back, I had already forgiven you for everything you had done," Anna paused before continuing, "Life's too short to hold a grudge, you know? But after I found out what happened to Elsa, I was beyond reason and you were the perfect person to blame."

"You had every right to blame me. I blamed myself. Check." Elsa was growing increasingly invested in her sister's and fiancé's conversation, as she had been somewhat left in the dark over what had happened while she was dead. The Queen leaned in closer to the door, thanking God that it was early in the morning and no servant would find her eavesdropping on a private conversation.

"Haha, you just lost your queen. But, that's not my point. You're a very skilled liar. I know that – I've experienced that. But what you said the night before Elsa's… funeral…"

"I meant every word."

"I know."

"My point is…"

"What?"

"Is…"

"Anna?"

"HA! Check mate!"

"Really? All of that talking just to distract me?" Hans huffed, annoyance clear, though his tone was light, "You are a sneak, Princess." Elsa heard her sister laugh evilly.

"I trust you with her." Elsa's eyes widened and she was sure Hans' would have too.

"What?"

"I trust… you. With Elsa. And me." Anna confessed, "I know it sounds gullible, and Kristoff is telling me all the time that I should be cautious around you, but I know that's just because he's protective of me. And I should hope so. We're getting married next week," she paused to take a breath, "I like you better as a brother than my potential killer. I've always wanted a brother" For the umpteenth time that night, there was complete silence.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." Elsa was too wrapped up in the joy she felt over her sister's statement to realize, the footsteps she was hearing meant she might be caught. She barely prevented a gasp, when she saw the doorknob turn slightly. "It's quite chilly tonight, isn't it Anna?"

"Mhm."

"How long have you been out there, Elsa?" Hans asked, swiftly opening the door to let her in.

"I… just got here?" she tried lying, but the unimpressed look on Anna's face told her there was no point, "The whole last game of chess…" she mumbled, looking down at the floor, "I know, I know. It's unlike me to eavesdrop, but I couldn't sleep, so I came here and I was going to knock but then I heard talking…"

"Oh my God," Anna scoffed, "You little sneak! Whatever happened to, "Words said behind closed doors are left for the speakers to be revealed". And here I thought you never went against anything Papa taught us."

"Sometimes curiosity gets the better of us," Elsa said, trying to defend herself, "You of all people should know that." Anna sat down on the foot of her bed, letting a short content laugh escape her lips.

"Relax Els, I'm just messing with you!"

"Nevertheless, I heard what was said," Elsa walked over to Anna and enveloped her in a hug, "Thank you."

It was not long after Elsa was found out, that she pressured Anna to get some rest. Just as Elsa was closing her sister's door, she felt Hans brush his lips against her ear and murmured, "We need to talk". Hans then continued to grasp her hand and drag her down the hallway before finally pulling her into a small castle library. Elsa was well out of breath by the time they reached their destination, and she was beginning to grow frustrated at Hans' lack of talking.

"You were the one who wanted to talk," she spat out in-between pants, "Talk."

"You heard everything." It wasn't a question, and from the insecure glimmer in his eyes, she knew what he was insinuating.

"She meant every word," Elsa stated warmly, claiming his hand once again and giving it a squeeze, "Anna wouldn't lie about something like that. Even for my sake. I don't even think she can. It's one of her greatest flaws really – not being able to hide her utter disdain for another human being. It's why she hates politics." Hans let out a light chuckle but Elsa could tell he wasn't totally convinced, "Just because Kristoff still hates you, doesn't mean Anna does. His opinion does matter to her but that doesn't mean she'll change her own."

"I know. I just… before you and Anna, I've never known anyone so willing to forgive." An amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"I know. I've met your family."

Thank you to all my followers, favourites and reviewers for sticking with this story through to the end! You guys will probably hear from me soon, with one-shots and hopefully - and I mean hopefully - a sequel to HD,HM.

Till next time,

Heidi