Chapter 2:

Love is an Open Door

Hans was trying to forget what Lars had said earlier, although it was hard to shake the words out of his head. Less than one amazing day in Arendelle and he was already being reminded of just what he was running away from. He clenched his fists and tried to keep his composure as he dressed for the party, pacing around his room. How could he have dropped the ball already? How could he have been deterred from his mission so quickly?

I really am a failure, he thought to himself.

Luckily, Lars had left him alone with his thoughts, which gave him time to find some kind of composure. He stared at his reflection in the mirror: he didn't recognize himself, which he didn't mind. He wanted to be someone else, that's all he'd ever hoped for. His green eyes were brighter, his face lightly sprinkled with freckles, a gift from his mother. He needed to get his head in the game, he needed to go to Elsa and ask her to dance, get to know her and forget about the strawberry blonde with gem-toned eyes and a green dress.

The ball itself was as lavish as he imagined it would be; tapestries, gold and music filling the room with the aroma of chocolate and decadence. Everyone seemed to be having a grand time, perhaps slightly warm from the free-flowing wine and gourmet food. He stood alone, no one really engaged him in conversation aside from idle small-talk and introductions. Lars still seemed sore, standing in the back of the room and watching as usual, his purple cloak exchanged for a white and gold one. Now that he'd had the time to calm down, he remembered that Lars really was just trying to do his job. He did it well, otherwise he wouldn't have been his father's most trusted confidant for the last 30 years.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" they announced proudly. Hans clapped with the crowd, picking up a flute of champagne as a server walked by. He took a big swig of it, liquid courage, and started towards the front of the room to join an assembly line of people anxious to greet her.

"Princess Anna of Arendelle!" they announced next. Hesitantly and ever-so-awkwardly, Anna joined her regal-looking sister near the thrown. Hans stopped, eying them intently; they talked quietly, shared a moment. He began to forge towards them again when he was abruptly cut off by a waif-like, dwarfish man in a bad toupee. Hans ran a frustrated hand through his hair; he'd have to wait. He then watched in slightly amused horror as the man led a reluctant Anna to the dance floor. Hans gave up, retiring to the back of the room to rejoin Lars.

Lars seemed to have calmed down as well, clutching a goblet of red wine in his long, pale fingers.

"Are you enjoying yourself this evening, your majesty?" Lars asked, although Hans could sense a lack of sincerity in his voice.

"As well as expected," Hans responded. "Those girls are hard to get to," he observed.

"That is why we set up the meeting," Lars said curtly, but grinned anyway. "You know, the one in which you did not attend?" Hans ignored the jab and shook his head.

"I'm not sure what to do." The men's eyes went to Elsa, who was standing like a statue in the front of the room, talking to no one. "Why is she like that? Has she always been this way?" Hans asked, slightly annoyed at his difficult task at hand. "Is it because she lost her parents?"

"It happened long before that. No one really knows. She's always been a timid girl," Lars divulged. Hans sighed loudly. "I am sure you will have time to engage with her at the luncheon scheduled tomorrow afternoon; we are supposed to discuss trade with her there, you remember correct?" Lars asked. Hans nodded again.

"Right, right. I got it."

"Just enjoy yourself, it doesn't look like the Queen is up for socializing much this evening."

With Lars' blessing, Hans began back out into the crowd, picking up another glass of champagne. He was never really one to drink, but his nerves had him slightly on edge and he was trying his best to ease his worries. He smiled and waved to the party guests, making his way across the crowd when he saw something fast, a flurry of green and gold, fly by him. Out of reflex, he threw his hand out to catch it, only to face a blushing and nervous Anna. He couldn't help but smile at her, yet again tripping over herself.

"Glad I caught you," he uttered, pleased to realize just how smooth he sounded.

"Hans!" she exclaimed happily. Hans set his drink down, pulling her up to his chest. It was in that moment that he realized that the music was playing, impulsively pulling her into a waltz.

She was actually surprisingly graceful, something he didn't expect at all from the times he'd seen her. In that moment, Hans felt content; happy even. She stared at him with stars in her eyes, totally trusting and infatuated, like he was special. Like he could do anything.

She didn't know his past or his life before her; all she knew was a handsome, charming prince was holding her and twirling her around a room full of people. And she let him.

It's just one dance, he said to himself. I can meet Elsa tomorrow. This doesn't have to mean anything.

Without paying attention, Anna flung her arm out, accidentally smacking a server as he walked by. The impact caused a chain reaction. Glasses from the waiter's tray went tumbling down, crashing onto the floor, causing a scene. Anna quickly brought her hands to her mouth, mortified at her seemingly-constant clumsiness.

"You really are awkward, aren't you?" he laughed lightly, remembering her words at the boat earlier that day. "Wanna get outta here?" he suggested quickly.

"Yup!" she nodded enthusiastically, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the party and to an empty sitting room. Hans continued to chuckle, happy to be out and away from the crowd. After a brief silence, Anna turned to face him. She forced a nervous smile, Hans adjusted his white jacket and smoothed his hair. They glanced out towards the party in time to see a woman slip on the spilled beverages on the floor, a crowd starting to circle around her.

"Wow," he breathed, astonished at what a mess she'd made. "I hope she's okay…"

"Um. Yeah. I'm really sorry about that," she stammered.

"It's fine," he reassured.

"No, it's like, REALLY not fine. I am so emb-" Hans cut her off, gently putting his hands on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes and smiled warmly.

"No, it's like, REALLY fine."

"Oh," she smiled, bigger this time, her eyes falling down and over to his hands resting on her shoulders. She seemed to be at ease under her hands, finally calming down. Hans walked over to a serving tray, bringing her back a glass of champagne along with one for himself.

"Here, this will help," he said, extending the glass towards her.

"I- uh. I dunno. I don't really drink. I mean…I haven't ever drank," she explained, pointing to the glass sheepishly.

"I guess it's time you try something new," he suggested, nudging it at her again. She giggled a bit, taking the glass. Without much thought, she shrugged her shoulders and brought the glass to her lips, taking a small sip. She mused for a second, her face registering the taste.

"Hmm it's…bubbly," she described.

"It's champagne, it's suppo-" Hans' words trailed off as he watched her tip the whole glass back and drink it all. "Well. Ok. Yeah, that's one way to do it."

"I like it," she nodded, her eyes large and excited. "Like, I could drink a whole bunch of this stuff!"

"Whoa, now. Simmer down. I think one whole glass in less than ten seconds is plenty for now," he laughed. "For an amateur, at least." He took the glass from her and set it down on a nearby table, turning to look at her again. She wrinkled her nose and laughed when their eyes met again, beginning to fan herself with her hand.

"Wow, it's hot in here. Is it hot in here or is it just me?" she spoke quickly.

"It's just you," he smirked, instantly noting the double meaning behind the words. "So, this is your palace, huh?" Hans said, attempting to change the subject. He glanced around, noting the impeccable taste. "What a dump," he teased.

"Hey!" she giggled, hitting him lightly on the arm. "It's not much, but it's home," she joked back.

"Lots of space for just the two of you."

"Well, I mean, it wasn't just us." She began to fidget with her hands, unable to ever stay still. "There were the maids and the butlers of course. Not to mention there were always foreign dignitaries in and out, Kai, the elders than had control until Elsa was of age."

"I bet you two have wonderful memories running around this place," Hans wondered aloud. Anna's face suddenly changed from bright and cheery to somber, leaving Hans curious if he'd said something wrong. "What? What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Anna said, waving her hand. "I mean, Elsa and I- we're-" she paused, gnawing on her lip, trying to find the right words. "We aren't that close, is all. Not anymore, at least. She didn't spend much time out of her room growing up. Like… Ever."

"Ever?" Hans asked in disbelief. Anna nodded weakly.

"I mean, I still entertained myself! I had a lot of fun. I often had the whole parlor to myself to slide…" she said excitedly, so much so that her arm sprang out and smacked Hans right in the face.

"Ouch!" he laughed, rubbing his face. She instantly brought her arms up to him.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright? I am so-"

"Sorry? Yeah. I know," he finished.

"I think that champagne went right to my head. Would you…" she paused, a wry smile crossing her face, "like to take a walk?"

The two of them entered the courtyard, Hans made an instant note of how perfectly lit up the sky was between the stars, the lights from the village and the moon. He also couldn't help but notice just how lovely Anna looked in the moonlight, but he tried to shake that thought out of his head as soon as it entered.

They talked. Well, mostly Anna talked. A lot. Hans didn't mind though, the less she knew about him the better, and she seemed to have no problem telling him all the stories of her childhood, what had happened to her parents, how Elsa never left her room. He figured getting insight on Elsa was a good idea, but the more Anna described her the more he realized that there was almost no way he was going to be able to penetrate her emotional armor. He was happy, however, to see such lightness in Anna. It was refreshing to see someone who had been the product of such tragedy, and to go through most of it completely alone, was such a normal, functioning, even happy human being.

"…And so how long have you been in the Navy?" she asked him.

"About 5 years so far, but I took fencing and horseback riding since I was a child so I was used to the discipline."

"…And your physique helps I'm sure, too," she noted aloud. Hans rose his eyebrows, and Anna looked slightly mortified for saying it.

"What can I say? You're right. I've got an amazing body," he joked, Anna laughed. He gently nudged her with his arm, she gently nudged him back.

No. No. NO NO NO.

This is not the plan. This isn't how this is supposed to happen.

I need you to take Arendelle by any means necessary.

His fathers words loudly repeated in his head, over and over again. And yet, in this same conversation King Elias told him that he just wanted him to be happy and loved somewhere. THIS couldn't be love. A couple of fleeting hours with a beautiful girl that made him laugh and puzzled him with her quirky habits and clumsiness couldn't possibly be love.

Could it?

He didn't know anything ABOUT love. For all he knew it was the champagne making his heart beat faster and his stomach flutter. Why did it have to be Elsa? Why couldn't the first in line for Arendelle be THIS princess? And more importantly, did it really even matter?

YES IT MATTERED.

You're a failure. They are all expecting you to fail. The voice that had been quieted for most of his voyage returned to his head, and with a vengeance. They knew you couldn't do it, they should have sent another brother. A smarter brother. A better brother.

Hans desperately tried to ignore the painfully aggressive self-doubt plaguing him while he walked beside her; luckily she didn't seem to notice his internal struggle, just seemed to ramble off more about her life and her dreams, her aspirations.

"I used to want to be a dancer," she was saying. He tried to focus back in on the conversation. "But, I am not sure if you know this, I am not that graceful all the time." Hans stared at her, noticing a long, thick chunk of white in her hair that he'd never noticed before this point.

"What's this?" he asked, gesturing towards it. Anna recoiled a bit, ashamedly patting it.

"I was born with it, although I dreamt I was kissed by a troll," she smiled, embarrassedly.

"I like it," Hans uttered. It wasn't until after he said it that he realized that he really did like it. He liked everything about her.

"Have you ever had krumkake before?" Anna suddenly asked, snapping Hans back to reality. Attention span of a flea, he remembered.

"I can't say I have," he replied.

"Come on! You don't know what you're missing!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the party. She hurried over to the desert table and began filling a large, gold-plated dish with as many sweets as she could. Hans stared at her in disbelief.

"You really like sweets, huh?" he asked. She glanced over at him, her cheeks full of some sort of cake. She nodded happily as she continued to sift through the desert table. "Me too," he laughed, helping her put a few more delicacies on the plate. The two of them hurried off, retiring to a quiet balcony.

Once outside, Anna sat the tray down between them and began grazing it, unsure where to begin. Hans shook his head.

"You really wiped that table out, didn't you?"

"I can never decide what I want, so I just take it all."

"This is literally enough to feed my entire family, and I have twelve older brothers!" he laughed. Anna picked up a rolled desert with whipped cream in the middle and brought it up to his face.

"Here, eat this. This is krumkake, you have to eat the whole thing all at once," she instructed.

"Well, aren't you the expert," he said rhetorically, taking the desert from her waiting hand. "Just like this? The whole thing?"

"Yeah! The whole thing! You got it!" she said, cheering him on. He did as he was instructed, not at all disappointed with the deliciousness she'd promised. She laughed at him struggling the eat it, then refocused. "Okay, wait, wait. So you have HOW many brothers?" she asked, surprised.

"Twelve older brothers. Three of them pretended I was invisible…literally…for two years!" He tried his hardest to say this particularly hurtful sentence as lightly as possible, and it seemed to work. Her eyes saddened, sympathy painting her face.

"That's horrible," she said sadly.

"It's what brothers do." He almost believed it.

"…And sisters," she divulged. Hans couldn't help but relate to the sadness in her eyes as she spoke. "Elsa and I were really close when we were little. But then, one day, she just shut me out, and I never knew why…" Hans reached for her hand; he didn't think about it before he did, it just seemed like the right thing to do. He wanted to touch her, to relate to her. This was the first time in his whole life that he realized that someone out there knew his pain, related to him on this level. Elsa may not have been cruel like his family, but the feeling of being alone with no one to turn to or talk to was so unbelievably damaging.

"I would never shut you out," he said, the words spilling out before he had a chance to stop them. Her eyes found his again, softer and hopeful, she smiled meekly, a little desperation in her voice.

"Can I just…say something crazy?"

"I love crazy," he said happily.

She went on to tell him about how lonely her life had been and how much their interaction had meant to her over the course of the last couple hours. It was easy to get swept up in the moment. For once in both of their lives, someone was there to offer a hand and a sympathetic shoulder, to say "I get it. I understand."

To say that they got carried away was an understatement. They spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, even singing. They danced, they drank more champagne and ate more deserts. They narrowly escaped guards as they roamed the halls of the castle. They acted like children at play, something they never particularly got in their youth.

Hans was falling in love, or at least, what he thought was love. It was so quick and so hard that he didn't even realize when it happened. The plan, Elsa, Lars, his father and his family, all of that was the last thing on his mind when he was with her.

When Hans was with Anna, he wasn't an Admiral. He wasn't a swordsman, a prince, a royal representative. He wasn't a failure. He was just… Hans. The person he wanted to be.

And wasn't that the real plan, wasn't that all his father wanted from him?

Their last stop of the evening was a cliff side, by a waterfall. He was drunk on their newfound infatuation. He wrapped his long arms around her, holding her close and taking in her scent. He turned around in the excitement of it all and uttered,

"Can I say something crazy…? Will you marry me?" Anna's eyes widened, her smile bright and beaming.

"Can I just say something even crazier?" she asked. Hans nodded. "Yes!"

And in that moment, Hans was happier than he'd ever been. He wasn't thinking about consequences. He had his ticket out of his miserable life, whether he would be king or not. But deep in the pit of his stomach he knew Lars was not going to be happy about this…