A/N: …Did I lose any of you back there? Boy, some of this chapter sounds familiar to me… a thank you to all my new watchers, favorites, and most of all, reviewers! You guys are so kind; I am so happy to get such awesome feedback for my work! (Especially all you new reviewers, I don't know what to say under such praise except thank you! ;-; )

-Chapter Nine-

The Official Ice Master and Deliverer

"Quick! Get the rope! Throw him a lifeline!"

Terror shattering his mind, Hans stood fixed to his spot. The shock of his brother disappearing sent him spiraling into a deep whirlpool of dark memories. His present surroundings faded as they were swallowed by the past, and he stood staring straight ahead as his body stiffened into immobility.

The first five seconds were like a terrible surprise he never could have predicted. First there was an unsteady crackling noise beneath his feet, then shards of ice flying out at both sides, and finally the unexpected drop away from solid ground, the surface below him disappearing.

Cold. Everything was so cold. His chest seemed to tighten around his lungs, the ribs crushing his organs and causing his screams to turn into hoarse shrieks. He flailed for something to grab onto, hands splashing against the surface uselessly, body bobbing up and down as he gasped desperately for air. His heart worked overtime, his veins constricting in the freezing temperatures and shutting off blood flow to his limbs within the first fifteen seconds.

"Mama! Mam-" his cries for his mother, more instinct than reason, were suffocated with a swallow of the icy water, burning his throat as he choked on it, sputtering for breath. Thirty seconds, and his limbs were useless. Steadily losing his ability to breach the water for air, Hans felt agonizing pressure of his body crying out for oxygen, panic shocking his system, leaving him helpless to prevent his drowning.

Suddenly, he was above the surface again, his cries coming anew as sharp, distressed wails. His palms slapped wetly against the thin ice, his breath coming in half-choked sobs. "Ma-ma!" he gulped out between cries, which were little more than thin pants in the wind. There was a thrust, a rough shove, and he was lying on his back, his body numb from head to toe, the only noise in his ears the weak thump of his frozen heart.

Almost in a trance, Hans lay on his back as his perceptions wavered in and out. It could have been seconds or an eternity, but as his eyes flickered open, he was suddenly aware of the brightness all around him. The white glare of the sun was reflecting off the frozen surface of the pond and he saw shadows seeming to run by out of the corner of his eye. His vision focused on a sodden streak of red extending off the ice into the ripples of the water. His weakened mind pondered the familiarity of the object, but he couldn't place it. He was suddenly aware of the stillness in the air although echoes of a familiar voice screaming for help still seemed to ring in his memory. It was so hard to breathe; his exhausted eyes finally lost the battle to stay open as he sank into an enveloping blackness.

"You! The weighted rope! The rope! Get the rope!"

The frantic cries suddenly jerked Hans back into awareness of his surroundings, men waving to him wildly as they crowded around a safe distance from the gaping hole in the ice, careful not to be caught themselves.

A single thought exploded in Hans' reality.

Heins.

Hans thrust himself into the back of the wagon and threw tools wildly in all directions until he managed to snatch the end of a rope as directed; lifting it to discover it was affixed to a piece of lead. Vaulting onto the ice without thinking, his feet slipping unsteadily on the surface, he hurled the thick cord to the group of men ahead of him. The man who drove the wagon to the harvesting spot took hold of the weighted end and inched closer to the hole until he dared move no more, tossing the lifeline out to the hole's watery depths, where it sank out of sight. The men braced themselves.

For a few horrible moments, nothing happened, and then, there was the faintest tug of pressure on the line.

"Pull! Everyone put your backs into it! Pull now!"

With the combined strength of five men straining, Hein's body emerged from the waters quickly, but his grip on the rope's fibers went slack a few moments later, his skin ghostly pale, dabbed in frost, eyes only half-open. The driver slipped his arms under the prince's armpits, dragging him onto the ice to safety, the others dragged him closer to the wagon, grabbing all the spare dry clothing and material they could spare to cover him. Hans leaped from the back of the wagon, frantic as he knelt by his brother.

Heins' skin held no warmth, his breath only a drift of vapors gone with the wind as they passed his lips, which were a faint blue. "You're okay, Heins… I've got you…" Hans slid his brother's head into his lap, cradling him for as much heat as he could provide. He began to shake as the cold seemed to seep into his own body. "We have to get him warm, right now!"

"You men, over here! Help me lift him into the back of the wagon and I'll take him to the safehouse!" shouted the driver, running to the front and re-hitching the horses to the wagon.

"Stay with me, Heins… stay with me. You can't leave me like this, do you hear me? I won't let you." He clasped his brother's limp hands tightly; removing his own mittens to replace the soaked ones of his brother's. He followed up with draping his overcoat over his brother's body, leaving Hans unprepared for the weather, a shivering wreck.

Despite his best efforts, Heins' chest continued to rise and fall only slightly with weak, shaky exhales.

"Hyah! Move up, there! Hyah!" The driver shouted and snapped the reins of the horses against their backs with a crack, guiding them away from the lake with a jolt of speed. Hans focused on keeping Heins steady so he did not jar against the side of the wagon, completely disregarding the shivers wracking his body.

I can't lose you, Heins. I can't, I can't. Hans bit his lip, the erratic bumping of the wagon drawing blood with it.

"Almost there, hang on!" the driver called behind him as they climbed a hill. Hans could see a billow of gray smoke rising just beyond the crest of the hill, praying they would arrive in time. Smoke. Where there's smoke, there's fire. Fire means warmth. Stay with me, Heins. Stay with me. We're almost there.

#

They pulled up alongside the rustic cabin, the driver vaulting from his position to run around the back and take Heins' legs in his arms. "You get his upper half; we have to move him inside quickly!"

Hans obeyed, slinging his arms under his brother's armpits and hefting him up as they crunched through the snow up the stairs of the cabin.

The driver kicked the door open behind him, backing them inside where the temperature was comfortable and warm; the fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. "Set him down over here!" Hans lowered his brother onto a cot nearby the fireplace. "Get those wet clothes off him; strip him down to his underwear!" Doing as he was told, the men soon had Heins covered by several layers of blankets, the thickest around his chest, the driver set on stoking the fire to a roar. "Keep him warm," the large man grunted, getting to his feet. "When he wakes up, make a hot drink and have him sip it slowly. I'll be back. I have to spread the news of what happened."

Hans nodded mutely, eyes trained on his brother. He felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at the man.

"He'll be alright. He might be a little delirious when he first wakes up, but he'll be alright."

Hans grasped his brother's hand, squeezing tightly as the door shut, leaving them in silence. He could not focus on what was going to happen to him next, or whether he could have stopped his brother's fall. All he could hear in the silence of the room was the pounding of his heart and snap of the ice shards, forever fixed in his deepest fears.

#

It wasn't until an hour later with little change from his brother that Hans finally rallied to take stock of his surroundings. The cabin was roomy enough to house a group of at least six or seven, with two side rooms. In the main sitting area, where he had been perched beside his brother, there were several armchairs, a few side tables, a picture or two, and a steadily ticking wooden clock. Hans watched the pendulum of the clock swaying for a long time before moving his expedition on to the other two rooms.

The first room on the left was a kitchen of sorts, with enough supplies to make several simple meals. On the right was a bedroom, half the size of the main foyer of the cabin. Hans walked into the kitchen to heat some water, rummaging through the cupboards until he found a half-empty container of hot chocolate mix. Stirring the powder into the water within the pot, he noted with amusement how much personality the little kitchen seemed to have.

Hanging from a hook in the middle of the wall beside the stove was a backpack, stocked with an ice pick and some rope, and beside that, a ribbon. Colored a mix of half purple and half green, in the middle of the ribbon hung a silver medallion emblazoned with an intricate snowflake design. Purple and green… Arendelle's colors. He turned around, eyebrows furrowing as he noticed two bulging bundles of carrots on either side of the door. Odd choice of decorum.

The water had begun to boil now, and Hans bent over it to savor the smell of the chocolate rising faintly, a scent he greatly enjoyed. He stirred in slow circles, lifting a spoonful to his lips to test the heat of the beverage. Upon contact with his tongue, he shuddered, the warmth surging through him as he swallowed it down gratefully. Yes, it was ready.

He poured a cupful of the drink, carrying it back into the living room, stopping short.

Heins was sitting up on the cot, hugging the blanket around himself with both hands. He smiled faintly at his brother and spoke in a hushed stutter. "H-hi…"

"Heins!" Hans quickened to his brother's side, bending down on one knee and putting a hand to his brother's cheek to feel his temperature. "You're so cold…"

"I'm s-s-sorr-rry…" Heins gasped out between shivers, his teeth visibly chattering. "I s-should-should…" he paused for breath, huddling closer under the blanket. "-s-shouldn't have…"

"Whoa, whoa… slow down…" Hans held out the steaming mug of liquid to his sibling. "Drink this… a little at a time."

Accepting the offering, Heins took a sip, and then another a moment later, sighing shakily. "Th-thanks… h-hot ch-chocolate is…m-m…m…" He took another sip, "m-my…"

"It's your favorite, I know…" Hans said with a half-smile, relief flooding him. For the first time, he now truly believed what the man had said. Heins was going to be alright.

It took another hour for the stuttering to become less noticeable, and Hans was amazed at his brother's quick recovery time. Twice in the same journey his brother had almost died, and twice he'd brushed it off as if nothing had ever happened. As curious as ever, Heins was currently absorbed in the quaint outdoors atmosphere of the cabin as Hans busied himself in the kitchen to prepare something to eat. "Hey, l-look at this!" Heins peeked around the corner for a moment only to see his brother had pulled out a red lute from nearby the fireplace. "It's a t-tiny guitar, how cute is that?"

Hans concealed his smile, returning around the corner and correcting his brother with a loud voice. "A lute!"

"Bless you! S-say, Hans, where are we?"

"They called it the safehouse," Hans replied, too busy to bother teaching his brother the difference between a guitar and a lute. He was far too absorbed keeping an eye on the soup he was whipping up in the kitchen, a simple hot meal to go down following the smooth chocolate drink from earlier. "I think it's a place for the ice harvesters to take shelter in case of emergency. Someone might live here, too. There's a bedroom on the right, and the kitchen is pretty well stocked."

"What are you making?" Heins called, a waver in his voice, "Y-you know what happened the last time you tried to c-cook!"

Reminded of his past failures when it came to culinary arts, Hans felt his skin flush, stirring the broth a little faster. "It's just some soup, Heins, now stop trying to talk and conserve your energy instead." Although at first his brother was compliant, it wasn't but ten minutes later he heard Heins' voice continue in a low murmur.

"You know, the last t-time he tried to cook, he burned everything. Even the c-castle dogs wouldn't touch it, and we teased him about it for days."

Hans stopped stirring the broth, frustrated with his brother's inability to remain reserved. "Heins, who are you talking to?"

"The pictures on the walls," his brother replied from the other room in an almost sing-song voice, with an added incoherent giggle following, "they're very good listeners, but they don't t-talk much."

"I keep telling you to preserve your energy, Heins!" Hans stuck his head around the corner to glare at his brother, who was clearly not thinking completely straight. "You almost drowned."

"But I feel f-fine!" Heins protested, the corners of his lips forming an obstinate pout.

"Heins…"

"What am I supposed to do all alone in this empty room by myself? Just sit and watch the time go by?" the excitable Heins lamented loudly, flopping back on the cot with his arms splayed dramatically out on either side.

"Yes!" exclaimed Hans in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. "Yes, Heins, yes! Just… just sit there quietly, watch the clock, and wait until I bring you some soup." Hans went back to the stove, bringing a spoonful to his lips to taste it. Soon it would be ready, but it still needed a moment more before he felt it was warm enough to feed to his recovering brother. It gave him enough time to think back and start berating himself. I froze out there! My brother could have died, and I just stood there watching! Now they all know the truth. They'll know we aren't ice harvesters.

There was a restless tick-tock sound echoing from the other room, a clicking of someone's tongue imitating a clock.

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hans exclaimed in an irritated tone, dipping the spoon into the pot to gather some of the broth.

It was at this moment the door to the cabin swung open with a bang, chilling mountain air whooshing inside and causing Heins to grasp the blanket around himself tightly in response.

"Hey! Are you okay?" A bulky man rushed inside, tugging down a handkerchief which had been covering his face, his brown eyes wide in concern as he jogged over to Heins, who pulled the covers up even closer over himself, stunned by the sudden appearance of the stranger. "I heard what happened from Gunter; falls through the ice can be really nasty, especially if you don't carry the tools you're supposed to carry. What were you thinking going out there without your gaff on your back? That's what we use it for, in case we fall through the shelf!"

Heins just shrugged his shoulders innocently, his green eyes vulnerable as he managed a shaky, "s-sorry?"

"You could have been killed out there! You're lucky they got to you in time. Are you warming up alright? If I'd have known we had new harvesters out there today, I'd have come down to help you myself." There was a pitiful grunt of frustration from the doorway and the man turned to see a reindeer trying to poke its head through the front door with some difficulty, the antlers making it a complicated effort. "Hey, hey, easy there, buddy." The man's tone became softer, the wind tousling some blond hair as he approached the reindeer and scratched him under the chin. "You know you can't fit in here."

As he gave the reindeer a good scratch, his voice shifted to a longer, more drawn-out tone, as if he were speaking for another person, his face looking sorrowful. "But I want to come in there with you where it's warm."

"Sorry, Sven. Until we get a reindeer door in here you have to wait outside."

"Can I at least have a snack while you talk?"

He bent down before the reindeer's face playfully. "What do you say?"

"Pleeease?"

The man chuckled and walked towards the kitchen, eyes locked on the reindeer as he reached around the kitchen corner and snagged a bundle of the carrots, breaking one off. "Okay, okay, buddy. Here you go." The reindeer snatched the carrot and slid it halfway into its mouth before the man frowned. "Ah, ah, ah… you know the rules about sharing." The carrot returned partway as the man snapped it in half and took a bite, disregardful of the slobber from the animal's mouth and giving him a pat on the side as the animal retreated into the front yard. "Good boy."

He turned around to see Heins staring at him with a shocked look, a look he'd received many times before from other people. "Sorry, erm, let's start again. You alright?" He approached Heins with a smile.

Heins leaned away from the man with a wary look on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Official Ice Master and Deliverer of Arendelle, at your service," rattled off the man, pointing to himself as he finished.

Heins raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Is that really a thing?"

"Okay, I agree, it's really not even my idea -well, nevermind. The name is Bjorgman. Kristoff Bjorgman. Just call me Kristoff."

Heins' smile expanded into a grin. "Okay… Kristoff."

"And you are?" asked the man as he shed his gloves, tossing them on a chair nearby.

"Oh, of course, forgive me! My name is Prince Heins, from the Southern Isles. And this-" Heins gestured to Hans as he came up behind Kristoff, carrying the bowl of soup, "is my brother, the Prince Hans, from the same."

Kristoff turned, inhaling a gasp as his expression darkened, eyebrows furrowing, his words carried as a sneer beneath grit teeth. "You…"

The last thing Hans saw was the knuckles of the man's fist connecting with his face.

A/N: Dat ending tho. You guys, oh my Lord, I can't even- I have fanfic art now! Visit InkedVigilante's page (or m.n.t., as the blog is known), and check it out! It's too amazing for words- saviourless dot tumblr dot com/image/78817068159