New chapter! I know the waits are pretty random on this, my summer is lacking a schedule. :/

Thank you to jayleaf1 (I love your thoughts on this!) and spatterson (See my explanation below for an answer to your thought!) for your reviews. I love hearing from you guys, so don't hesitate to review. Even if it's to tell me that you hate this story or something. I hope you don't, though.

Anyway, it's not too long before the story will head in an interesting direction. In this chapter: Just know that even though the characters know that "an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart", no one realizes that Elsa's problems can be fixed with true love. How could they? The only reason anyone knew in the movie was after Anna sacrificed herself. No one would have guessed it otherwise. So just keep that thought in mind.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Elsa tried desperately to melt the snow and ice in her cell all night. But since she did not use a spell or incantation to create the magic in the first place, she knew of no way to reverse the magic. When she created the cold, it always came from a part of her mind and traveled through her veins and out through her hands. It was a part of her mind that allowed her to use her powers when she wished, like when she had built her castle, but when her emotions ran high, all control was lost, resulting in disaster like the events of her coronation day. The Queen tried summoning the cold back into her, thinking warm thoughts, any and every bizarre tactic that she could think of, all to no avail. It certainly didn't help that her hands were still trapped and that she was weakened by her time in the cell. In the end, almost as the sun would be awakening, Elsa gave up and fell into a fitful sleep. She would deal with her remaining options when she woke.

Kristoff had returned to the Valley of the Living Rock two days ago, and was still downhearted, despite his family's many attempts to cheer him. Sure, playing with the kids took his mind off things for a bit, and Bulda was always amusing when she doted on him, but when Kristoff was alone, he couldn't stop thinking about Anna.

Last night, when he'd curled up next to Sven and covered up in a big moss blanket, surrounded by the kids who could never seem to get enough time with him, he'd stared up at the cold, clear sky, at the stars that went on forever, and he mentally traveled back to Arendelle. Anna would be asleep, and Hans, too. Without permission, a thought popped into Kristoff's mind: Would Hans and Anna be sharing a bed? Woah, Kristoff. Where did that come from? Of course they wouldn't. That would be highly improper. In any case, Kristoff was jealous of Hans. The Prince had the one thing that Kristoff longed for. Kristoff's eyelids drooped, despite his swirling mind. The young trolls had worn him out with their wrestling, sledding, and snowball fights. The ice harvester drifted into sleep.

Hans cautiously opened the door to Anna's room. The Princess was sound asleep and snoring, her covers pulled up high against the chilly night. Well, Anna? Are we "meant to be"? I suppose that will be up to your sister, Hans thought, smirking. He quietly closed the door, holding the knob so it wouldn't click. Then he padded down the hall to his own room. He'd go to Elsa soon.

The cell door creaked open. Elsa bolted upright; tired, but not a bit groggy. She'd been dreading this moment. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest, but she kept her face expressionless. The sun was weakly shining through the small barred window, casting the room in a frigid gloom. Hans stepped in, smiling so warmly he could have melted the snow.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

Elsa shuddered in spite of herself before coldly answering, "I don't need you to mock me, Hans." She didn't look at him.

"We're rather icy this morning, aren't we?" Hans chuckled at himself.

Elsa continued to look the other way.

"You know why I'm here," Hans's jovial tone switched to a serious and business-like one. "So, what have you decided?"

"First, I believe I have the right to ask a few pressing questions," Elsa said, turning to look at Hans.

"Fair enough."

"If I decided to marry you but was unable to thaw Arendelle, how would that solve anything?"

Hans knew Elsa didn't have the slightest idea of his real intentions. If she married him, he would become king. Then he would be able to quietly kill her, a bit of poison in a drink, suffocation in bed, and her death would lead to the thawing of Arendelle. This method would probably take the longest as royal weddings and the building of trust take time, but Hans would come out victorious in the end. In all honesty, he did find Elsa beautiful and her cold and serious demeanor was attractive to him, but what would be more attractive would be a crown upon his head. "It would solve everything, Elsa. We would have each other. Arendelle would thrive under our leadership, covered in snow or not," Hans answered, stepping closer to where Elsa sat on her cot and putting a hand on her bad shoulder.

Elsa flinched and pulled away from his touch. "It still doesn't make sense, Hans. With the mountains almost completely impassable, how would the other monarchs get home? And what of food? I knew about the preparations for my coronation, and the whole kingdom was going to be relying on the fish and vegetables and summer-time resources while we had our grand dinners. The kingdom has to be running low by now, and if it's not it will be soon. Marrying you really would not solve anything, not to mention the disgusting fact that it would certainly break my sister's heart beyond repair, which is something I would never willingly be a part of. So no, Hans, I will not be marrying you."

Hans let only a fraction of his fury show through to his face. Enough to hopefully make an impression on Elsa, but not even close to the burning in the pit of his stomach. "Fine," he said with forced casualty. "Then you have two remaining options. Which do you choose?"

Elsa's heart began to pound harder than it already had been. She honestly didn't know what to do. She couldn't melt the snow. She didn't want to die. Not now, and in front of her own kingdom. But did she have any other choice? It's the best option, really, a voice in her head said. Was it? What did she have to live for now anyway? What did she ever have to live for? Anna. Anna would be devastated if you were gone. You would break her heart, something you just said you wouldn't do. But Anna had been able to live apart from her for years. And she'd have Hans, too. If Elsa were to marry Hans, Anna would be dealing with her broken heart alone. If Elsa were to die, Anna would have the help and comfort of everyone else. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I have to do this. Dying had to be her choice.

"Hans," Elsa said, carefully choosing her next words. "I am unable to reverse what I have done. I don't know why, but something has changed within me that I can't explain, and I am no longer the little girl whose magic could be temporary. As I will not marry a man who I do not love, and who is engaged to my sister who I love dearly, the only other option that you gave me was death. And while I do not want to die, if that is what must be done, I will do through with it." Elsa had stood up as she talked, still in the shackles that kept her connected to the floor, but now she sat back down. Her stomach was churning and her mind was reeling.

"A noble choice, Your Majesty," Hans said with the slightest hint of mockery. "I will then announce that you murdered the guards to give the officials ample reason to execute you. I would assume you will die tomorrow. Goodbye, Elsa." And with that, Hans turned swiftly on his heel and exited the cell.

Elsa sat, stunned. She'd just willingly put an expiration date on her life. It was doubtful that she would speak with Anna again. A few tears slid down her face, freezing to her skin before they could fall any further.

Anna walked down the hall in her nightgown and winter robe, warm woolen stockings on her feet. It was probably mildly improper, but when was she worried about being the proper princess? As she turned the corner, she heard muffled voices from behind a closed door. Eavesdropping wasn't proper either. So naturally, she didn't give it a second's thought as she went to the door to listen.

"…And it was with a look of guilt that the Queen told me she had murdered the two guards. I am so sorry, Duke. I truly am." The voice belonged to Hans, whose voice made Anna's heart leap. She still had such a little girl crush on him. But what were they saying?

"Then the only correct thing to do is sentence the Queen to death, Prince Hans. It is an exceedingly awful thing to have to do, but it is right, is it not?" This voice belonged to the Duke of Weaselt- Weselton.

The other royals muttered agreement. Suddenly, the full force of what they were saying hit Anna. Her stomach dropped and her heart beat quickly with panic. She remembered Elsa telling her she'd turned into a monster and killed the guards. From what Anna had just heard, the monarchs hadn't known about that until now. Anna had pushed it out of her mind, and nearly forgotten it after finding out that her memories weren't what they seemed. But it what these men were saying was true, Elsa was to be executed for this crime? Was that even allowed? Could a queen be killed by her own kingdom? And did Elsa know the fate that was in store for her? Anna's mind was racing. There had to be some way to stop the winter, even if Elsa couldn't do it. Wouldn't that be enough to pardon the crimes? Anna took off towards the dungeons once again.