Anna stood back-to-back with Hans, counting five, six—no, seven wolves closing in on them. That did not include the distant howls of other pack members deeper in the forest. Were the wolves really so emboldened to venture this close to the road?

"I'll cut through the one blocking the road. Then we'll run," Hans said.

Anna heard him draw his sword. She paled at the thought of fleeing with who knew how many wolves at her back. There was also a chance that the absent pack members could cut them off farther up the road.

"Wait," she said, an idea coming to her. It was just crazy enough for her to think it might work.

Hans choked. "For what?!"

"Hey, you know," Anna sang. "Can you feel it in your toes, the things that grow…when the winter goes?"

"What are you—"

"It's true," Anna interrupted, keeping her voice perky in spite of the dangerously nearer proximity of the predators. She swung her satchel out in a half-circle in front of her to dissuade them from coming closer. "The land is frozen white around you—"

"You too," Hans chipped in. The wolves snapped their jaws.

"But it thaws… into green and blue."

Hans rolled his eyes, lunging forward and swiping his sword towards the dark wolf taking up the space between him and the road. The wolf yelped and leapt to the side. Hans grabbed Anna by the hand and hauled her towards the road.

"The birds," Anna continued. "Squirrels, foxes, even bears, I'm sure they've heard… nothing quite compares."

"To spring? Must you sing? This is not the place or time, I'm sure you know," Hans barked, though with a frown he realized how poorly he had emulated Anna's tune and rhythm.

Neither one dared look behind them, running straight ahead along the road.

"It was worth a go," Anna answered.

"You're gonna get us killed," he snapped. He pulled so hard on her hand to make her keep up with him that Anna was convinced that her arm would pop off.

Anna peeked over her shoulder. "Hans!"

"What?! Come on!"

"Hans, the wolves."

"Yes, they're going to catch up if you don't hurry!"

Anna peered to her left and then to the right. But the wolves were nowhere. Not behind them, not to the side. Where on earth had they gone?!

"Hans, stop!" Anna cried, growing nervous now.

Surprising her, he did stop. She almost fell on her face because of all the momentum, but she steadied herself just in time. A low growl just ahead of her made her look up. Several wolves stalked out into the road, blocking the way.

Hans cursed. "You shouldn't have distracted me with that stupid singing. Now we have no choice."

Anna wondered what he meant by not having any choice. But as her eyes darted around, she saw wolves in the trees off the right of the road. There were a few coming up behind her now too. She gulped and glanced to the left. The trees there looked clear of wolves, but it also looked like the land dropped down into a ravine.

The wolves at the front snarled and suddenly charged at them. Hans let out a fearsome cry. Unlike Anna, his eyes facing the attack ahead did not see the wolves charging in from the right and behind them. Anna dug into her satchel for the knife, but the wolves were already upon them when she grabbed it. She gave up on that and grabbed Hans's arm, hauling him to the left side of the road.

"What—hey, stop!" Hans protested, his being pulled away interfering as he slashed away two wolves that snapped their jaws at his knees. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Running!" Anna yelled, bracing herself as she tugged him down the slope through the trees. Some of the wolves chased a little after them, but many stayed on the road. Anna clung to Hans's coat as she stepped through the snow, trying to keep up the pace without rolling face-first to the bottom. Suddenly her boot stomped down too far through the snow. It must have been slippery dead leaves, she wasn't sure, but she slipped. Squealing at the top of her lungs, Anna grabbed Hans and pulled him down with her as she fell sideways, tumbling down and down. Hans cursed and yelled the entire time—which felt like forever-until they came to a violent stop at the even ground at the bottom.

Anna looked up, watching Hans rub at a scratch on his face from the fall. She was about to apologize but he looked up. Her eyes followed. Wolves stared down at them from the higher ground. It was at least a dozen feet up, but Anna had no doubt the wolves would come down after them. She grabbed Hans again, ready to run. But the wolves suddenly turned away, disappearing from view.

"They're not following," Anna thought out loud. She said it again, now grinning with relief. "They're not following!"

"Don't get too excited," Hans muttered. He looked around them. The ravine stretched on a ways in either direction. He sighed. "There's probably a reason they didn't follow."

Anna gulped. "A reason? What reason?!"

"Where's your map?" he asked, choosing not to explain.

Anna reached into her coat for her satchel only to find it was missing. Her eyes grew wide. She had been swinging it to ward off the wolves. The last time she held it, she'd been digging around for her knife. She looked up at the slope. Could she have dropped it?

"Don't tell me you lost it."

"Be quiet, okay?!"

"You lost it?" he asked, throwing his hands up. "Here I thought you'd be useful, but you've been nothing but trouble. What was all that singing about anyway?"

"It… it worked before, okay?! I scared a wolf off with my singing!"

Hans raised his eyebrow and broke out laughing. "Your singing's not that bad."

Anna narrowed her eyes, giving as little reaction as possible. "Anyway, my satchel's gone, which means the map is gone."

Hans closed his eyes and turned away from her. Anna thought she heard him counting.

"So… what do we do?" she asked. She thought it might be wise for them to turn back, all things considered. They could backtrack along the ravine and climb up cautiously, checking for wolves before they returned to the road. Then they could go back to Arendelle and request a larger party. Horses wouldn't hurt, either. Hans had insisted on traveling by foot so they could hide more easily if necessary.

"We try to reach the saw mill. They may have a map there," Hans decided, already walking.

"Wait, what? We're not going back to the castle?" Anna asked, hurrying behind him.

"I have a reputation to protect."

"Curse your reputation, Hans! It's not even yours!" she retorted. "What about the wolves?!"

"They don't want to come down here, you saw so yourself. So we'll just take the ravine until we find a slope that's easier to climb back up."

They walked in silence for some time. Hans kept his eyes ahead whereas Anna kept looking over her shoulder and upwards. She didn't trust the wolves not to make a second stealthy attack.

Eventually, Anna asked, "Why are you really doing this?"

"I already explained that. I feel indebted to the real troll hunter," Hans said.

Anna snorted. "Please! Like you'd ever feel morally obligated to do anything."

"Fine. You've got me there. Happy now?" There was an irritated edge to his voice now.

"I just want to understand why you're doing this. I'm here to help… because it's technically my kingdom. I have an actual obligation." But even as she spoke, her mind whispered, Liar. You just want the trolls to send you home. She shook the guilt away. She did genuinely want to help King Olaf and Queen Elsebet. She even hoped that there would be another chance for her to speak to Kirsten.

"When I came to this Arendelle and everyone mistook me for the real troll hunter, they all welcomed me as a hero. I hadn't felt that since you left the other Arendelle in my care." He paused to stop her from walking any farther. Then he pointed to the right. This part of the slope had fewer trees and looked easier to ascend. It was just as well they went up this way. The ravine was starting to curve to the left and would have drawn them away from the road.

Anna nodded and started making her way up behind him, listening. "People… depended on me."

I depended on you, she thought. But she said nothing.

"I'm not sure how I ended up back in time, but there must be a reason," Hans finished.

"Why aren't you trying to find a way back to our own time instead?"

Hans stiffened as they climbed to the top, where the land leveled off into the road again. They both looked to the left up the road.

Anna gasped and pointed. "Oh! I think that's the path to the sawmill up ahead!" As they came up to it, Anna recognized the trail for sure. She smiled and hoped luck was now on their side. The moment was ruined by the sullen expression on Hans's face. "What is it?"

"Forget it. Let's go," he said, starting to pass around her to take the smaller trail. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Why did you do it? I won't ask any other questions. I just want to know why you betrayed me and my sister."

Anna dropped her hand when Hans looked down at his arm in disapproval. But much to her surprise, his eyes softened just a little when he looked at her.

"I know you won't believe this, but I don't really even remember. Everything just sort of escalated after you asked me to kiss you. I knew the kiss wouldn't work."

She took a step back from him, her face hardening. "You didn't even try."

"It wasn't true love. It wasn't even love."

'You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me, just like that,' he'd said before.

Without a word, Anna sprinted up the trail past him.

She had accepted that it wasn't love. But in that moment in the library with him, she had not known. She had believed her connection with him—the fun, the loneliness, the romance—was genuine. He had treated her so cruelly. Now he claimed not to remember. That it had just…escalated because he knew his game with her would be up when the kiss didn't work? That was no better than if he had planned everything from the start, which he too had claimed at the time.

She thought of Judet again. But there would be no helping Hans. He was evil. The only thing to do was to reveal his wickedness to those who could punish him.

"The mill…" His voice startled her. He'd come up behind her, now pointing across the clearing.

As they rushed closer to investigate, Anna could tell the building had been destroyed. Part of the roof had been torn away. Windows were smashed. Logs lay snapped and jumbled all about the mill yard.

"Hello?!" she called out, hoping no one had been there when it happened. "It looks like a storm blew through it…" She brought one hand up to her mouth as they stepped over the wreckage.

"Keep your voice down. There could be trolls," Hans whispered. He peered into the building through one of the broken windows. "No one in there… but there's blood."

Anna swallowed to keep from whimpering.

"It leads out a door in the back," he said, beckoning her to follow him carefully around the mill. Anna looked all around for any sign of giants or wolves or anything else that might spot them. Then she crept after Hans, keeping low.

The blood did lead out the door in back; it was a lot of blood. There was an entire trail of it leading it into the forest around the creek. Anna gasped and wanted to look away when she realized how far out the blood trail went.

Instead, she said, "We have to follow it." Her eyes lingered on red hand prints smeared all over the wooden steps at the open door.

Hans groaned. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

"If you want to be treated like a hero, you should start acting like one!" she yelled, actually shaking in fury. He was the idiot who decided they would go after the trolls in the first place. Why was he acting like a coward now?

"…fine. But first we check for a map. And this time, I'll hold onto it."