Chapter 17:

Star-Crossed

"Why don't you have a seat," Dr. Svedsen suggested. Hans shook his head, irritated.

"No, thank you, I'd rather stand," he declined. He chuckled to himself, nervously, as he paced the office like a madman. "This is all your fault," Hans hissed under his breath to Dr. Svedsen. As always, the doctor remained calm behind his oak desk, hiding behind his spectacles and mountains of paperwork.

"Could you elaborate on these feelings, Master Westergaard?" he asked, evenly. Hans scoffed.

"Don't start all that doctor jargon with me. I am speaking to you man to man, not patient to doctor." Dr. Svedsen leaned back, clasping his hands over his large, jovial belly. He nodded, amused.

"Alright, go ahead," he entertained. "What would you like to talk with me about?"

"Anna," Hans said, rolling his eyes, as though it were obvious.

"Of course," Dr. Svedsen sighed. "What is it about this time?" It wasn't that he was tired of hearing about Anna, it had just becoming increasingly clear that Anna was a source of madness in Hans, ever since the day he'd met her. He'd always been borderline, the risk of him falling off the brink had been hardwired into him from his troubled youth, but it was she that threw his world into turmoil, and it was she alone that could cure the madness in him.

But in order to cure ones madness, one had to admit they were mad in the first place.

"You said I should seek her out. You said I should ask for forgiveness. You said that would make everything better," Hans rambled.

"Did it not?" the doctor challenged.

"Of course not!" Hans shouted, irritated. "It just made everything an even bigger mess!"

"Why do you think that, Prince Hans?"

"Because. Because it worked, you imbecile," he spat painfully. Dr. Svedsen took no offense; he knew these were the simply the hurt words of a lovesick man. "Probably more than you expected it to," he said, his voice beginning to calm. "I love her," he added, an afterthought, in almost a whisper. The doctor nodded, as though he'd suspected this might be a possibility.

"What is love to you, Hans?" he asked. Hans neared the sofa, finally beginning to feel his blood pump slower, his heart slow down. He felt the flushness fall from his face and his hands ceased their incessant shaking. Ever since Elsa had gotten there the day before, he'd hardly been able to contain his anxiety. Worse was that Kristoff had come as well, which was hardly what he'd been expecting. He and Anna had gotten good at pretending that the man didn't exist; seeing him there, carrying Anna off to her bedroom, the pure, unadulterated hate in his eyes, just made Hans feel even more hopeless.

What they had been doing was wrong.

Anna was in a serious relationship with Kristoff. Clearly Hans and Anna's feelings for one another had grown past an innocent flirtation at this point. And although he knew that they were destined to be parted, he hardly thought he'd take it this badly when the time arrived.

Elsa and Kristoff had done a good job at barring Hans from being able to see the princess. They'd locked themselves in her room with her, insisting that Hans leave the dining cart outside the door and leaving the princess alone. He had no idea what was happening, whether he fever was back, whether she was eating like she should be.

Whether she missed him.

It was only a matter of hours and he missed her more than he could stand, hence the impromptu meeting with the doctor to keep himself from doing anything too drastic. He had half a mind to try to climb through her window at this point, just to make sure she was okay.

Of course, she was okay.

She was in the company of two people who loved her more than anything, maybe even more than he thought he loved her. But the trial was in three days, the ball would be tomorrow, and he had promised to be her date. He knew that more than likely that deal was null and void with Kristoff's arrival and Elsa's hovering, but by God he would at least give her a dance, at least give her a proper goodbye.

He reflected on the doctor's question, realizing that he'd been sitting in quiet contemplation for far too long.

What is love?

"With Anna?" he asked. Dr. Svedsen made no indication whether that was what he meant or not, just sat quietly and patiently awaiting Hans' response. "Love is…" he paused, his face complacent as he tried to find the right words. A weak, lovesick smile parted his lips. "Love is the sound of her laugh, or the way she blushes when she is nervous. It is the way her voice sounds when she just wakes up. It's the way she folds her arms when she is pretending to be angry with me, but her smile giving her away," he explained. He sighed, knowing well that he sounded pathetic, but he couldn't help it. It was all true. "Love is the way she looks at me when I am being hard on myself, or the way she fidgets with the buttons on my jacket while I read to her. She IS what love is to me, Dr. Svedsen. Something I never knew I could feel, something I will never feel again. But most of all…it is her ability to make me earn her. Because she is worth it."

"That is all very touching, Master Hans. I am glad to see that you were able to experience these feelings and emotions before-"

"Before I get sent away? Before she sails home and out of my life forever? Dr. Svedsen, I hate you for encouraging me to feel…anything for her."

"But, isn't it have better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all?"

"Was that your lesson?" Hans asked, dumbfounded. "Because it is cruel. And if I wasn't insane before, I certainly am now!" Hans fumed, beginning to feel himself heat up all over again. He stood, indignantly. "You have to tell me what to do, you have to tell me how to keep her in my life-" Hans demanded, desperation in his eyes.

"I can't do that, Hans. She is not yours to keep, only she can decide if she wants to be with you," Dr. Svedsen explained. Hans cupped his hands over his ears, frustrated. He didn't want to hear that.

"You're my therapist, you're supposed to guide me," Hans lamented, beginning to pace once more.

"I have given you the tools you need to make your own decisions, Hans." Hans furiously leapt at the doctor, grabbing a hold on the lapels of his jackets and pulling him up towards him, violently.

"No, that's not the answer!" he yelled. Svedsen eyed him carefully, warningly, his face unmoved by Hans' bullying. "Tell me what to do," Hans choked, his eyes full of angst. He realized just how out of line he was, slowly letting go of the silent doctor's shirt and taking a step back, terrified of his own outburst. Dr. Svedsen cleared his throat, adjusted his vest and wrote a few things down on the papers in front of him.

"We will continue this next week," he muttered, never looking up at the forlorn prince.

"There won't be a next week," Hans swallowed, before turning on a heel and leaving the office, slamming the door behind him.

Anna stared out the window, trying to push down the ever-growing sense of longing in her chest. The snow-covered ground looked soft and pillowy, and she would have given anything to be out in it instead of cooped back up in her room. The memory of she and Hans, sprawled across the frozen lake flashed in her head, but only for a fleeting moment. She sighed, her eyes glancing quickly to Elsa and Kristoff who sat chatting by the fireplace, hoping that they didn't notice her sulking.

They didn't.

They'd seemed to have really bonded over the course of the last few weeks, which she was both confused but delighted with. Neither had been all that forthcoming to one another before, and it was nice to see them getting along so well.

Still, she couldn't keep her mind off of Hans too long before it would wander back towards him. She missed him, and she felt silly for feeling that way. She'd known better. She knew that she shouldn't have allowed herself to feel anything for the prince, especially after all that had happened. She glanced down in her hand, cradling the ivory knight chess piece in her hands. She sighed again, slipping in into the pocket of her nightgown and settling back into her bed.

"Anna, do you need anything?" Elsa asked, peering concernedly over at her from the sofa. Anna didn't answer, just shook her head, silently. Elsa knew something was wrong, but she just hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. She stood, walking towards the princess' bed slowly, Kristoff watching on. "Are you sure? Some tea?" she offered. Anna shook her head once more.

Elsa felt awful that her sister was so sick, but worse as knowing that something else was wrong with her as well, something she wasn't saying. She watched Anna shoot Kristoff a sideways glance, one he missed as he stared down at his hands. Elsa turned towards him, her eyes kind and her smile warm.

"Kristoff, could you give my sister and I a moment, please?" Elsa asked, sweetly. Kristoff swallowed, eyeing them intently. He wasn't sure what it was they needed to talk about, but he was never one to hover around when he wasn't wanted. He opened his mouth to speak, before simply nodding his head obediently and leaving the room.

Once the door latched, Elsa neared her sister. Anna glanced up at her, forcing a weak smile. Elsa smirked back at her, placing her chilly hand on Anna's forehead. The medicine had been helping Anna keep the fever away, for that she was grateful. But in all of her years, Elsa had never seen her sister like this. She was somber, much more than just sick. She was sick in an entirely different way.

Lovesick.

"Anna," Elsa breathed. "What's going on?" she asked, sitting down beside Anna upon her bed, rubbing her leg comfortingly. Anna shrugged. How was she supposed to tell her sister she'd developed feelings for the last person in the world she was ever supposed to fall in love with? How did she tell Elsa that she didn't want to go home, that she was torn in two; one half ecstatic to see her sister, the other half wishing she still had time with the prince.

How did she tell her that seeing Kristoff elicited no feelings at all…other than guilt?

"Anna, you've never been one to shut me out, that's my job, remember?" Elsa smirked, trying to lighten the mood. Anna was unrelenting. She felt too weak and tired to put on a charade for Elsa, no matter how hard it was going to be to explain her feelings for Hans.

"Why did you bring Kristoff here?" she asked, quietly. Elsa froze; she hadn't suspected that was going to be the first words uttered from Anna's mouth. She let out a nervous chuckle, shaking her head.

"Because…he loves you. And you love him, remember?" she explained, her eyes serious, intense. Anna sat up.

"I do…"

"…but?" Elsa coaxed, even though she thoroughly didn't want to hear the end of Anna's thoughts on this subject.

"But…he wants an answer. And I still don't have one for him," Anna confessed, sadly.

"He wanted to make sure you were alright, he cares about you, Anna."

"I care about him too," Anna sputtered, terrified that she was coming across as flippant; that was not at all what she was trying to do.

"Then what is it?" Elsa laughed, trying to ease the tension. The air was thick with tension; Elsa watched as Anna fidgeted with her hands, nervously, as though she were trying to muster up the courage to say her next words. "Hans," Elsa sighed, knowingly.

"I forgave him, Elsa," she choked. Elsa's face fell, her stomach dropping quickly.

"I- I don't think we should talk about this right no-"

"Then when, Elsa?" Anna said through tear-filled eyes. "When should we talk about this? The ball is tomorrow, his trial is right around the corner-"

"Don't you realize that this is exactly why I didn't want you to come here!?" Elsa's voice rose, the room dropping drastically in temperature.

"Elsa, you need to calm down," Anna warned, her eyes narrowing. "You can't just freeze me out of talking about this." Elsa turned from her sister, frustration coursing through her veins, pacing the room. "You asked what was wrong, I am trying to tell you," Anna explained. Elsa turned to Anna, her face flushed.

"He almost killed us, Anna!"

"I know that!" Anna said back, passionately. "He looked into my eyes and told me he never loved me. He doused a flame and almost let me die, cold and alone. He held a sword over your head and tried to take over our kingdom."

"Exactly! Those things are unforgivable," Elsa croaked, her voice hoarse.

"But I do. I do forgive him. And if you even took the time to get to know him, to talk to him-"

"No." Elsa said, "I can't," she said, shaking her head sadly. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but realized that any attempt to gain her sister's blessing would be futile; her mind was made up. Not that she could blame her.

During the whole fiasco, Elsa had very little contact with Hans. She didn't know any of the goodness in him, only the bad. But even with the bad, there was hardly anything at all she actually had witnessed. In the times that they'd communicated, Hans had always been kind, gentlemanly; warm, even. Even as he clutched the sword high over his head to end her, Elsa's back was turned. It was Anna that had witnessed the very worst in Hans, and the very best.

And yet still had still found it in her to forgive him.

She lay back on her pillows, trying to keep herself from becoming any more emotional than she'd already become. Elsa stood, walking away towards the sofa to try to calm down, herself. Her fingertips tingled under her gloves as she felt her frustration manifesting as frost upon them.

"I-I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you," she added, knowing full well that this was not a battle she was going to win, not now.

Not like this.

Hans rounded the corner, swearing bitterly under his breath, pushing the dinner cart down the hallway. Without his hours tied up with chores and Anna, he'd been left with far too much time to sulk and reflect on just how down he was really feeling. He wished he could go back to not feeling at all, the numbness that used to comfort him through the times he was feeling low, but unfortunately (and fortunately) Anna had changed that in him.

He glanced up, noticing Kristoff sitting outside of the bedroom chamber, soberly.

"Oh, great," he muttered. He didn't particularly care to be forced to interact with the man he'd been helping Anna betray, nor was he under any certain terms that Kristoff was all that fond of him as well. The blonde man glanced up as well, doing a double take when he saw the prince nearing him.

"That's close enough," He said sternly, "I can ta-"

"Take it from here?" Hans finished, flatly. "How did I know you were going to say that," he said rhetorically with a roll of his eyes.

"I think you've done enough, don't you?" Kristoff snipped, harshly.

"So, you're guarding her door now? Making sure I don't get in to see her?" Kristoff's hardened face fell a bit, his eyes failing to withhold the melancholy behind them. Hans stared at him, before a look of realization spread across his face. "She sent you out, didn't she?" he asked, attempting to subdue the hopeful tone.

"No!" Kristoff snapped, "No. They are discussing private matters right now," he corrected. Hans pushed the cart forward, just to feel it stop abruptly. He glanced down to see Kristoff's foot in the way of the wheel.

"I need to take this to her," he said, trying to keep himself from getting too worked up.

"I said, they are discussing something privately," Kristoff reiterated.

"I have orders to serve her, you can't stop me-"

"I believe your initial orders were to stay away from her, if I am correct."

"She doesn't seem to mind my company," Hans spat, instantly regretting the words as soon as the escaped his lips. Kristoff grimaced, turning away from the prince and retreating to his chair outside the door. Hans sighed, feeling guilty. Kristoff looked genuinely sad, and if there was anything Hans knew, it was how complicated and saddening love could be. He was sure it couldn't be easy for the guy to be here, so far from home, and at his girlfriend's ex-fiancé's castle, nonetheless. He tried to muster up some compassion. "Look, I just mean that I have been helping take care of her for weeks now, I am not a threat to her," Hans clarified. Kristoff shrugged.

"No, you're a threat to me," he mumbled. Hans swallowed hard, trying to pretend he didn't hear that part. Suddenly, the door flung open. It was Elsa, glancing over towards Kristoff.

"Kri-" she stopped when she saw Hans, standing nearby the with dinner cart, clearly caught off guard. "Uh…Kristoff, you can come back in now," she said quietly, never taking her eyes from the waiting prince. Hans drummed his fingers atop the dinner cart, waiting for instructions. He assumed he'd be sent away, as he had every time since the day before. But, to his surprise, Elsa wordlessly opened the door wide, nodding him in subtly, clearly against her own wishes. Hans was surprised, but grateful. He pushed the cart forward, following the Queen and Kristoff into Anna's bedroom chamber.

Hans peered past the two, catching the sight of Anna laying in her bed. He couldn't help but feel a strong tugging at the corners of his mouth when he saw her; it was as though years might as well have passed, he was so relieved just to be in the same room as her once more, even with a less-than-thrilled audience. He kept his composure, as Kristoff and Elsa eyed him intently.

He cleared his throat, and Anna glanced up at him. Her eyes widened, her face lighting up.

"Hans," she exclaimed with a smile, the first one she'd had since she'd last seen him.

"Princess," he replied, a weak and inconspicuous smile on his own face. The four looked from one another, awkwardly. Hans looked to the ground, pushing the cart over by her bed. He wanted to reach out to her, touch her, but he knew better.

"How are you," she asked, quietly. She reached her hand out and took hold of his arm, her eyes worried. He gave her a comforting smile.

"I'm fine," he assured. "I'm more worried about you," he added, bringing his hand to her forehead. "Is the medicine helping?" he asked. Elsa and Kristoff watched on, trying to keep from looking too uncomfortable with Hans and Anna's hushed and seemingly private chat.

"Do you want some tea, Anna?" Kristoff asked, nearing the cart, stepping between Hans and Anna.

"Uh, sure," Anna said, quietly. Hans scoffed under his breath, not unaware that Kristoff was purposefully breaking up their conversation. He stepped back away from the princess, turning away towards the empty lunch cart from the meal before, beginning to clear the dishes off, quietly. He glanced sideways as Kristoff began to pour her a cup of tea, then at Anna who was staring back at him with a weak, knowing smile. He looked back as Kristoff raised the cream to her cup.

"She doesn't like milk," Hans said, lowly from the other side of the room. Kristoff paused, glaring at Hans. He exhaled, annoyed, setting the cream back down gently, staring at the tea tray. "Two sugars. No cream," Hans instructed, much to Kristoff's irritation.

'She can speak for herself," Kristoff spat.

"Kristoff," Anna breathed, scoldingly. He looked at the princess, unable to conceal the hurt in his eyes.

"Are you serious, Anna?" he asked, astonished. She swallowed nervously and didn't say anything. Hans smirked to himself, pushing the other food cart towards the door.

"Good evening, Anna. It was good to see you," he said politely, bowing to Elsa. "All of you," he added, before pushing the cart out of the room and away from their staring eyes.

Hans tossed and turned; no position in his bed could bring him any solace of sleep. His mind was too loud, too busy, for him to even try to shake off the events of the day. He stared at the vacant space beside him. It wasn't as though Anna had made a habit of filling one side, more so that she would never fill that side of the bed. He tried his best to not think of such things, to push those little reminders out of his head, but they kept creeping back up on him.

He glanced at the grandfather clock across the room: 3:00 am. He was certain that at this rate he wouldn't sleep a wink. He sighed, throwing a pillow over his head to try to drown out the loudness in his brain, but it didn't seem to be working. Suddenly, he felt a cold, clammy hand on his forearm. Startled, he sat up quickly, throwing the pillow from his face.

"Who's there?" he shouted.

"Shhh!" Anna's voice hissed. "It's just me," she said. His eyes adjusted to the dark, but sure enough her beautiful face was illuminated by the moonlight pouring in through his giant window.

"What are you doing here?" he gasped, half confused, but half ecstatic. He didn't wait for an answer, simply grabbed hold of her and clutched her to his chest in a strong hug. "Anna, you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be out of bed!" he scolded.

"I know, but…I-" she stammered, her voice full of emotion. She brought her hand to his cheek, placing a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. "I had to see you," she breathed. She clutched onto him her shoulders heaving in heavy sobs. "I've missed you," she sniffled into his chest, her tears beginning to soak through his night shirt. He rubbed her back comfortingly, struggling with the exact same angst she was.

"Anna, you shouldn't be here," he reiterated, although it pained him to say the words aloud. All he wanted was this moment, it had been all he could think about for the last tedious, grueling hours that they'd been apart. But he knew she didn't belong here, he knew that nothing had really changed.

His trial was still coming. Her sister would never allow it. She was supposed to be engaged to another man.

So many reasons they were doomed.

"I know…could I just…lay here with you…for a little while?" she plead. He hesitated, but of course he couldn't say no to her, he was becoming incapable of it. He smirked, pulling her in for a long, lingering kiss.

"Just for a little while, but you have to be back before dawn," he warned. She gripped onto him, laying her head upon his chest.

"I'll take what I can get," she whispered, before falling asleep to the sound of his steady breathing.

Wow, I was kinda on a roll today, guys. I usually update once (maybe twice) a week but I am too excited to churn the next couple chapters out, hence why you are getting two updates in less than 24 hours!

I have a pretty clear, laid-out plan on how the story will wrap up, and I promise you that you guys will not be disappointed!

You guys are seriously the best. Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews/favorites/subscriptions! It means a ton to me.

VVVVVVV You know what to do! VVVVVVVV