Chapter 15:

Doors Reopened

The moon hung low in the mid-winter sky, the stars sprinkled out in all directions. The world around them was white, illuminated and glowing from the brightness of the moon. The earth was silent, aside from the crisp sound of Sitron's hooves cutting through the snow as they rode along. Anna pulled herself closer to Hans, gripping onto him as the chilly night air nipped at her cheeks and nose. Hans smiled as he felt her pressed up against his back. He glanced down to see her gloved hand clutched to the front of his navy blue riding cloak, and he gently placed his own upon hers.

"Hyah!" he yelled, snapping the reigns, Sitron picking up the pace.

Sitron carried the two up the mountainous terrain, which was vastly different from Arendelle's. The Southern Isles were full of rolling hills, all gradually leading them up towards the mountains, unlike Arendelle that was full of sharp, jagged pieces of earth that jutted upwards and towards the sky. Instead of evergreens and pine trees, The Southern Isles were inhabited by huge, naked maple and oak trees, sticking out of the cold earth like skeletons, their twisted and knotted limbs covered with white, pristine snow.

Uncharacteristically, Anna was quiet for most of the ride. Hans didn't mind; it only made the moment that much more special to him. He liked that they could just be; they were simply two people sharing in something that didn't need words.

After some time, they finally reached the top of a hill, under a sprawling and snow-covered oak tree. Hans pulled on the reins, bringing Sitron to a halt. Without a word, he threw his leg up and over, hopping off and landing into the fresh powdery snow that went midway up his riding boots. He turned towards Anna, who still sat all bundled up on Sitron's back, and reached up, gently taking the princess into his hands and helping her down and off of the horse, slowly. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, both of them smiling shyly. Hans cleared his throat and looked away nervously.

"Thanks," Anna said quietly after her feet touched the ground. Hans didn't respond, simply turned her out towards the viewpoint. From the spot on the hill, they could see the whole kingdom, dimly but warmly lit, out in the distance under a star-filled sky. The view was incredible, even in the dark night. "Wow," Anna breathed. "It's so…beautiful." She was awestruck as she looked out onto the darkened horizon.

"This is my favorite place in the whole kingdom. Maybe even the whole world," Hans assured, glancing down at the astonished princess as she stared out into the distance. "Especially now," he added quieter, although he hadn't intended on saying that part aloud. Anna broke her gaze outward to glance up at him, smiling weakly and pulling her cloak around her tightly, trying to warm up.

"You're as smooth as ever," she said, blushing. Hans looked out into the void, the rest of the world looking so small.

"I come up here a lot…to get my mind off things. Clear my head," he divulged.

"I can see why," Anna said, glancing up at him once more, her smirk growing into a toothy grin. "It's amazing up here." Hans nodded in agreement before scaling his way down the other side of the hill a bit, where Anna noticed a small lake at the bottom, frozen over and glistening in the moonlight. She followed him carefully, trying not to slip. She watched as Hans neared the bank of the ice lake, stepping onto it's slick and glossy surface. He almost slipped, but regained his footing quickly, turning towards her and beaming at his own success.

"Come on," he coaxed, his smile bigger than ever as he extended his gloved hand out towards the princess. She eyed him skeptically.

"Are you…sure it's safe?" she asked hesitantly, quietly wondering if he was just one wrong step away from crashing through the ice.

"Trust me," he said. "I've done this hundreds of times and I've only fallen through the ice twice," he stated, coolly, as if it were something to brag about. She hoped he was joking.

"Oh, well…that' s…comforting," Anna deadpanned. Hans chuckled and shook his hand impatiently towards the princess, beckoning her onward.

"Come on," he insisted in almost a whine. "It's safe, I assure you."

"Oh, alright," Anna caved, although her voice was still laden with suspicion. She reached her hand timidly, slowly, towards his, and without warning Hans gripped onto hers tightly and pulled her into his arms, quickly. "Whoa!" she yelled. She'd slipped instantly, of course (as all of the time Hans had ever known Anna, she hadn't been all that graceful), but Hans was ready for her. His stance was concrete upon the slippery ice, his arms ready to catch her. He clutched her closely to his chest, protecting her from falling, her face a mere few inches away from his. She gulped, staring into his intense eyes. They were greener than she'd remembered. It was this moment that she was reminded just what it was about the charming prince that made her fall in love in the first place; his eyes were warm, his smile goofy but dashing all at the same time. She missed this man, the one that reminded her of the man who'd hit her with his horse. If she'd been completely honest with herself she would have noted that being swept up in his arms simply took her breath away.

"Hi," she choked out, her voice almost inaudible, as if she were discovering him all over again.

"Glad I caught you," he replied teasingly, remembering back to the night of the coronation. The familiar phrase made her stomach drop, but in the best of ways, the way that reminded her that she was alive and that this was really happening; something she'd imagined would never happen after that cold day in Arendelle, when he'd confessed to her that it was all a lie. She tried not to think about that day anymore, especially since she'd forgiven him, but she couldn't help but find little bits of that night creeping up on her, still. She smiled through the memory, regardless .

"You're ornery tonight," she observed, pushing herself away from his chest gently and attempting to find her own footing. She almost slipped again, Hans catching her once more, by the arm this time.

"Must be my company," he suggested wryly, helping her to her feet before turning and walking towards the middle of the lake.

"Hey, wait!" Anna turned as well, attempting to follow Hans, who seemed to have a good grasp on walking across the frozen lake. Anna, on the other hand, was having a difficult time scaling the slippery surface, especially trying to catch up to Hans. Ultimately, Anna's clumsiness got the best of her, and in her haste one of her legs flew up in front of her, slamming the princess down hard on her tailbone upon the ice. "Ouch!" she yelled. "Oh, that hurt!" she sobbed, laughed, and whined all at the same time, turning onto her side and rubbing her lower back. Hans turned back quickly, watching in horror as Anna writhed in pain. He rushed over, sliding back to her. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Anna! Are you alright?" he asked, worried, hovering above her. He was relieved to see that amidst the tears, she was mostly laughing. "Here, let me help you," he offered, holding his hand out. She peered at him with a devious look in her eyes before she reached up and gripped onto his hand, pulling it as hard as she could, and sending the prince toppling down almost completely on top of her. "Whoa!" Hans yelled as he fell to his hands and knees, eyeing the princess coldly as she laughed even harder beside him. "That's not very nice, princess," he mock-scolded, dusting himself off. Discretely, Hans took a handful of snow and smashed it into her unsuspecting face, playfully.

"Hey!" Anna shrieked, quickly wiping away the cold wetness with her mittens; Hans laughed now, deep and heartily, collapsing upon the ice beside her. "You, sir, are no gentleman," she gasped, still shaking off the snow. Hans couldn't contain himself.

"I wasn't aware I'd ever claimed to be one," he mused, finally calming and laying on his back, still trying to subdue his chuckles. He stretched out, putting his hands behind his head as he stared upwards at the plentiful and bright stars, suddenly feeling more alive and at peace than he'd felt in all his years. Anna lay beside him, snuggling up under the guise that she was just trying to stay warm, which was partially true. It was, after all, freezing. But in all reality she just wanted to feel close to him. She leaned her head on his chest, staring upward as well, the two sprawled out upon a blanket of ice under the winter moon. There were no bright streaks of Northern Lights in the Southern Isles for Anna to admire, but she suspected that she'd never seen so many stars in the clear, night sky.

"The sky's awake," she whispered to herself.

"How's your...uh…your butt?" Hans oh-so-eloquently asked, somewhat awkwardly. Anna scoffed.

"It was my lower back," she corrected. "And it still hurts," she added in a whimper. Hans let an arm go free to pull her closer, holding her fragile and petite body against his, comfortingly. He leaned his face down and instinctively placed a kiss upon her head; Anna felt her eyes well with involuntary tears, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

Neither spoke for a moment, knowing that they didn't need to speak. And each wished silently that this moment could last forever, because looming in the distance were far too many things that they didn't want to think about; Elsa's arrival, the trial. Hans knew that their time was short, and that he was foolish for letting himself fall for the princess. Because that was just what he'd gone and done: fallen in love with Anna all over again. Hadn't he learned his lesson the first time? Better yet…

Hadn't she?

No, they knew their time was limited. In a matter of days the trial would have begun and ended. Hans tried not to think about having to face the woman he attempted to murder, and he certainly tried not to think about Anna walking down the aisle to marry another man.

They both tried to forget about Hans being shipped off to Corona…or something much, much worse. Hans shuddered, but he wasn't convinced it was from the cold.

"Hans?" Anna asked, meekly.

"Hmm?"

"What's…going to happen at your trial?" she choked, hoping the prince could ease her mind a bit, let her know that he was expecting a stern talking to and a slap on the wrist. But then again, Hans' punishment from Arendelle had already been dished out, and that punishment was exile. Any crimes Hans was to be judged upon now would be crimes against his own kingdom.

On top of worrying about the trial, Anna was plagued with guilt. She felt more than disloyal to her own sister at this point, actually hoping that somehow the court would have mercy on Elsa's attempted murderer, a man she knew better than to feel anything but hatred for… And yet, here she was, snuggling beside him on a lake of ice under the stars, wishing that things could be different.

"I can't…really answer that," Hans responded somberly, honestly. He swallowed hard, suddenly noticing that the princess that lay in his arms had begun to weep. He reached down and pulled her chin up, making her face him. "What is this about?" he asked, chuckling a bit, wiping away a tear from the princess' round cheek.

"I'm so sorry I came here, Hans," she sniffled. Hans was taken aback. He knew what she meant by the vague statement, but he didn't want to think about what life had been like before she'd come here, nor that her choice to do so had become one she was beginning to regret.

"Don't say that," he contested.

"King Elias wouldn't be pushing for a trial if I hadn't insisted upon it," she argued.

"Anna-" he began, trying to find the right words. How did he tell her that her coming back saved him? That it changed the way he saw the world, that it was the single most important thing in his life?

"I should have just left it alone," she said sadly. "I never should have come here." Hans shook his head, propping himself up with his elbows.

"Anna, no," he breathed, shaking his head. "You coming back was the best thing that has ever happened to me," he finally spit out, feeling very foolish for laying it out so blatantly. More so, he felt very foolish for allowing himself to actually feel that way. Anna's eyes widened, she sat up a bit, propping herself up as well.

"What?" she asked, bewildered at his semi-confession. Hans sighed, taking her hand and placing it upon his heart; Anna could feel it beating fast, even under the layers of clothes. Her mouth went dry, her own heart rate quickening.

"I didn't know how much I needed your forgiveness-" he paused, reaching up and placing his hand against her cheek, softly, "How much I needed you…before you came back. You came back for me."

"Hans, I don't-" she tried to speak, but Hans brought his hand towards her mouth, shushing the flustered princess.

"You believed there was still good in me. You didn't give up on me…I don't think you know what that means to me, Anna. Even after I fought it, even after I pushed you away time and time again…you never gave up on me." Anna felt flushed; she couldn't think, couldn't speak, she could only listen to the prince's heartfelt confession.

"Well, I care about you," she finally whispered, trying to shrug the words off with less care and emotion than she was currently subduing. She was feeling more and more nervous under his intense and loving stare. Her eyes wouldn't meet his, so he sat up and took her face in both of his hands, forcing her gaze upon him to emphasize the sincerity in the words he was speaking to her.

"The biggest mistake I have ever made in my whole life was hurting you, Anna. And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, you have to believe me."

"I believe you," Anna said quickly, taking in a staggered breath. Her heart drummed in her chest, her hands felt shaky. She wasn't completely sure what was happening, but the look on Hans' face made her realize whatever it was, it was going to be big.

"Thank you. For everything," he said seriously. "I mean that." Anna smiled weakly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, nervously.

"I-I don't know what to say," she whispered, quietly.

"Then…don't say anything." Anna was paralyzed, watching helplessly as Hans neared her, gently pressing his lips against hers ever so softly: a taste, a teaser. An invitation for her to continue, if she wanted it.

And oh, how badly she wanted it.

He pulled away slowly, his eyes begging her for some kind of resolve, some kind of approval of this brash action. Anna was both more confused and clear-headed than ever, the line drawn between what she felt she had to do and what she wanted to do. In this moment, the rest of the world and those worries that came along with it seemed to melt away, along with any hesitation she'd been holding onto. They were drunk on this moment, letting themselves succumb to whatever was in the cards for them.

Anna leaned forward, on her own volition, passionately and pressing her lips back to his once more, somewhat desperately. It was as if she knew this may be the only chance she would ever get to feel the way his lips felt against hers, to drink him in. She gripped onto his cloak, pulling him closer to her and pressing her whole self against him. Hans reciprocated, honestly shocked that she'd been so receptive, albeit welcoming. He ran his hands through her hair, pulling her close. Anna practically climbed on top of him, her arms wrapping around his neck and pushing him down onto the ice.

"Ouch," Hans said quietly into her lips when he felt his head collide with the ice, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, oops, I'm sorry," Anna said worriedly, bringing her hand to the back of his head and rubbing it comfortingly.

"It's fine," Hans sputtered off quickly, pulling her back in. They didn't care about the consequences, they didn't care about what they were going to have to face tomorrow, all that mattered to either of them in this moment was being able to get lost in one another, no matter how short-lived they knew it would be.

Then, suddenly, Anna stopped. She took in a sharp breath, reluctantly and painstakingly prying herself away from his lips. She sat up and away, touching her lips with her fingertips in awe of what had actually just happened, as if she'd been broken from a trance.

"Are-are you alright?" Hans asked, turning towards her and trying to comfort the shaken princess.

"I-I feel dizzy," she whispered. Hans paused, a weak smile crossing his lips.

"Me too, actually," he responded, lowly. Anna's face was serious.

"No, I mean… I really feel dizzy," she reiterated.

"Oh," Hans said. "Oh!" he repeated as he realized she meant she was feeling ill. He stood quickly, scooping the princess up into his arms.

"Whoa!" Anna exclaimed, being tossed up into his arms like a rag doll. Hans stared down at her, she shyly peered back at him, nuzzling into his chest.

"We're been out in this cold long enough, let's get you home and warm," he insisted, carefully trekking back towards the bank of the frozen lake, where Sitron was now waiting. Hans placed Anna upon Sitron's back, both of her legs dangling off the side of him. He climbed up as well, keeping the princess cradled in front of him, in case she needed to sleep. He snapped the reins, Sitron taking off into the wee hours of morning, back down towards the sleeping kingdom.

Anna wrapped her weak and tired arms around Hans's waist, feeling safe and comforted in his arms as they galloped back towards the kingdom. She was dozing on and off as she glanced out into the distance to see the pink and orange lights of the sunrise beginning to appear over the peaks of the mountains.

Had they really been gone that long?

Involunatarily, her thoughts started to veer off towards the last time she was carried like this, on the back of a great animal in the arms of a man who loved her.

Kristoff.

She hadn't thought about him in quite some time; she'd pushed him out of her mind over and over again to the point where it almost felt like he didn't exist anymore. But he did. And he still loved her. And he was still waiting for an answer, one that was going to be even harder to give, especially now.

These thoughts lulled her to sleep in the arms of another man. One that had hurt her more than she'd ever thought possible, but who still had her heart. And she wasn't sure she was ever going to be able to get it back.

Well, if things hadn't been complicated before…now everything was a damn mess. Hans chastised himself the whole way home. On one had, he was liberated, ecstatic that he'd had the night he'd had with Anna. Over the course of the last few days, he'd been on such ride with his thoughts and emotions, trying to decipher between what he wanted to happen and what needed to happen.

He wanted to marry this girl. He wanted to make things right in her world forever, offer her as much happiness as was humanly possible. He didn't care where they lived or what power he forsake, he just wanted to live out his days with her by his side.

But he needed to let her go. He was a sinking ship, and if he let her love him again, something he'd probably already accomplished, she was just going to get hurt in the wreckage. In the pit of his stomach, Hans knew that Elias had it out for him. This trial, whether Anna spoke well of him or not, was not going to end well. Especially once Elsa arrived to drive home the final nail in his coffin.

It wasn't that he didn't have faith that he would be able to sway the queen, apologize sincerely and make things right with her, no. It was that Elsa owed the prince no kind of mercy, no kind of leniency. He was already lucky that she hadn't had him shot in front of the Arendelle firing squad back this summer, let alone to come here and bless his union with her baby sister.

Well, if she hadn't approved of our union before…

No, he knew that Elsa was going to be livid when she arrived. Not only would she find that he was spending every waking moment with Anna, which she'd forbidden, but that they'd used that time together to heal and forgive and even fall in love?

And is that was this was?

Love?

He hadn't really been throwing that word around lightly, especially after the first time, but this sensation in his chest was strangely different than anything he'd experienced prior.

Was love when you wanted the best for the other person? When you genuinely cared about their happiness and well-being? When you would sacrifice your own wants for theirs?

If all of that was true, then Hans was a man in love.

He glanced down at her peaceful, sleeping face. His chest ached, but his lips smiled. How did he get to be so lucky, as to be able to call her his just for a little while? His smile faded as he thought about how hard it was going to be for her, having to say goodbye.

How hard it was going to be for him.

She deserved to be with someone who could actually be with her, someone that would never hurt her. A safe bet.

Someone like Kristoff.

The castle was still quiet, mostly dark. Hans was relieved they'd made it home before his brothers had awaken. Hans whisked the tired and weak princess under his arm, leading her down the corridors and back towards her chamber.

"Wait, Hans," Anna said, breathing heavily. He stopped turning towards her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Anna didn't respond, simply began to collapse into his arms. "Anna!" Hans exclaimed, pulling her up and back into his arms. In a panic, Hans realized that his room was much closer than hers, which was clear on in the opposite wing of the sprawling castle. "Hold on," he instructed, carrying her the rest of the way to his room.

He opened his door, hurrying in and setting her down carefully into his bed. He sat beside her, taking her hand in his. He reached for her forehead, hot to the touch once more.

"Hans-" she whispered.

"Anna, I'm so sorry. I never should have taken you out in the snow, I don't know what I was thinking-" Hans stammered, feeling awful for sending the ailing princess into yet another relapse.

"Hans, no-" Anna tried to interject, repeatedly interrupted by Hans' heartfelt apologies.

"I am going to go get Dr. R-"

"Hans!" Anna said, her voice substantially raised. He stopped talking, looking down at the now-smiling princess. She raised up her hand, setting it softly on his cheek, her fingertips tracing down onto his lips. "Thank you," she said sweetly. She leaned up, placing a soft, innocent kiss on his lips. Hans smiled, squeezing her other hand tightly.

"For what?"

"Tonight…was the best night of my life," she acknowledged.

"Mine, too," Hans admitted, sheepishly. "Now get some sleep, I'll be right here if you need me," he promised, leaning down and kissing her once more, before climbing onto the bed beside her and holding her in his arms as she began to drift into a deep, deep sleep.

A/N

I am trying to cram as much fluff into these upcoming chapters as possible! I hope you guys liked it!

Leave me some lovin' why dontcha?

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