A/N: I apologize for the wait for this chapter, but I've been very busy lately. No worries, the story will continue. I know some of you can't wait to see what happens to Helena. I wonder if I should just keep talking here to distract you. Is it working? No? Alright, I'll let you read on! (For those of you immediately concerned, no, it does not contain any graphic descriptions).

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Fetching The Fox

Helena backed a step away from the prince Hugo, her heart rate quickening. "I... I should return to my lady now," she exclaimed, trying to make her voice loud and confident, though it shook as she spoke. "Please, let me pass."

"You want to leave so soon?" he asked, his voice smooth and silky with an undertone of laughter as if he found the situation humorous. "I'm sure she won't miss you for a few minutes."

"I'm afraid she's very strict," Helena lied, swiftly moving for the door, surprised when he moved aside and backed a few steps away to give her free access. She took the handle and jiggled it, but it remained firmly in place, undisturbed by her quick tugging. She turned slowly to face him. "Please..." she repeated, her palms slippery as they began to sweat. "Please let me pass."

Hugo's smile remained ever present on his face, his eyes sizing her up as if she were a prize piece of livestock on display in the marketplace, their color flickering brightly in the light. He chuckled too pleasantly, and Helena caught the glimpse of a glimmering key hanging on a chain which he fingered gracefully in the light. "Ah, the doors in this castle... they do tend to get 'stuck' from time to time, don't they? I suppose we'll just have to wait for someone to miss us. But if we're alone here, we might as well make the most of it until then." Hanging the chain about his neck, he began to advance upon her, one step at a time, as if he were savoring every second.

Helena fled to the opposite side of the room in front of the bed, where her eyes scanned her immediate surroundings for something to use as a weapon to defend herself. If only there was an empty vase, or anything heavy nearby... but she had decided while accompanying Elsa she would prove to be a tidy, neat ladies maid, and there was nothing to be found. She snatched a book off the bedside table, cursing herself for keeping the room so notoriously clean, and held it high. "Don't come any closer!"

Hugo laughed now, tossing his quaffed hair to the side and serving her a smug smile. "Are you going to give me a paper cut? Don't be so stubborn, my dear little ladies' maid. If you just relax, I think you'll enjoy yourself."

"Not likely!" Helena shouted, hurling the book at him with all her strength.

He nimbly sidestepped, the book flying past him and thudding against the door, turning towards her with venom lacing the blue of his eyes. "I think this may be the first time a woman has dared defy me," he growled, closing the gap between them with a quick stride.

"It won't be the last!" Helena snapped, backing up until she hit the wall, fumbling against the stone for a hold on something. She reached for a bookend on the shelf nearby, lifting it high, but Hugo was not in any mood to dodge another projectile. His hands flew to catch her wrists, and he tightened his grip on her until she had no choice but to release the weight with a squeak of pain. Her hands trembled with the pressure of his grip, her pulse pounding in her ears. "Let me go!" she cried, her eyes watering from the stone grinding into her back through the cloth of her dress. "I'll scream!"

"Scream all you like," Hugo hissed between his teeth. "No one will hear you." He tilted his head at a slight incline and leaned in towards the crook of her bare neck, inhaling deliberately slowly through his nose. He closed his eyes, focusing on the faint scent greeting his senses. She smelled so much like a sweet fruit... apricots, perhaps?

"I... I'll tell everyone... you'll never get away with it," Helena whispered, her voice catching in her throat, raspy.

Hugo's eyes flew open, irritated by her talking and snapping him out of his reverie. "Who do you think everyone will believe?" he seethed, his gaze harrowing as he began to move in towards her quivering lips. "The lady's maid? Or the perfectly polite prince of the Southern Isles?" Helena did not answer, and he uttered a breathy laugh. "That's what I thought." Then, confident he'd sufficiently drowned any hopes she had of escaping her inevitable fate, Hugo wrangled her towards the bed, preferring a spot where he could be comfortable examining his prize. He shoved her down on top of the plush comforter, where she bounced once, propping herself up on her elbows, her eyes wide.

Helena looked with horror into the hungry eyes of the prince, her mind flashing terrible memories. Where was her father? Shouldn't he be here to protect her? No, he was gone… he couldn't protect her now. Heins. She loved Heins. If she wanted to stay perfect for him, it was all up to her. Hugo must have thought it all but done, because he raised his eyebrows and smiled triumphantly. "You should feel privileged I chose you. After all, it isn't every pretty girl who gets to spend time with a prince."

Then, savoring the moment, he bent over her body… and was served with a high, hard knee kick shoved into his groin with all the force Helena could muster. He doubled over as he stumbled away from her, clutching his crotch, the air deflating from his lungs with a whoosh and a low, agonizing groan of pain.

Helena vaulted off the bed and fled for the door, glancing back as Hugo met her gaze. For a brief moment, his eyes were a mix of burning hate and triumph, his fingers going to his neck, but then the triumph drained when Helena held up a broken chain, the key clenched in her fist. She fit the key in the lock, turned it, and swung the door open. "You are not a prince. You are nothing but a… a pig!" Then she ran, leaving Hugo behind on his knees, mouth agape, trying to sort out what just happened.

#

Helena kept up the pace until she saw the group of the brothers, who were clearly ready to depart all astride their horses, save one. Heins was standing apart, who immediately approached her, holding the reins of their respective steeds in each hand. "There you are! I was getting ready to come in after you!" The smile on his face wavered. "… are you alright?"

"A-alright?" Helena stammered, forcing her hands to remain motionless at her side. How she longed to throw herself into his arms and sob, telling him every detail. She blinked back tears building in her eyes.

"You're quite flushed," Elsa remarked in concern, nudging her horse closer. "Did you run all the way there and back?"

"Y-yes, your majesty…" Helena replied, her cheeks burning from all the eyes staring at her. I can't tell them the truth right now, not with all of them here staring at me… what would they think of me? What would Heins think?

Harald casually rode up to her and vaguely guided his horse in a circle around her once, pausing only for a moment as he took mental stock of the scratched, ruffled state of her dress in the back. He turned in his saddle as his eyes scanned the present company.

"Oh, Helena… you didn't have to push yourself quite so hard," remarked Elsa, her smile gently reassuring. "Did you bring my gloves with you?"

Gloves. The look on Helena's face collapsed from despair into grief. "I… I couldn't find them, your majesty."

"Fabulous," remarked Harken with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll have died of old age before we finally get to the hunt."

"I… I'm sorry," Helena murmured, wiping at a sole rebel tear trickling down her cheek as she looked at Heins. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Helena… you have nothing to be sorry for!" Heins exclaimed, dropping the reins of the horses and taking her into his arms for a gentle hug, which caused a few of the brothers, especially those who didn't know of their feelings towards one another, to raise their eyebrows. "Really! I can't tell you how many times I can't find supplies when I'm designing something! It happens to the best of us, and you shouldn't be ashamed of anything."

It was at this moment when the stray prince Hugo rounded the entrance of the castle and straightened his posture, walking over to his black horse with a sloppily hidden hobble to his step. He took the reins of his horse and cleared his throat, pretending to smooth down the edges of his shirt while nursing his aching groin. "I regret to say I won't be joining the hunt this year. My apologies, but I misjudged a step on the main stairwell and seem to have pulled something. I would rather not press my luck."

"How unfortunate," murmured Harald, staring at his sibling with a steely gaze. "Well, as much of a pity as it would be to miss the hunt entirely, it would surely not do for you to hurt yourself with the hoist onto your horse."

"Yes, you're absolutely right," Hugo agreed, nodding.

"if you could get into the saddle, well, that's another story, but surely straining your legs by lifting into the stirrup would prove too dangerous," Harald continued, addressing the current company more than Hugo himself.

"Exactly! Thank you," Hugo replied, turning away.

"Which is why I'll be glad to assist you." Harald disembarked his horse and landed with a thud on both feet. "After all, it just wouldn't be the same without you. Let me give you a boost."

Hugo shrank away from his brother with a barely disguised grimace. "No, that's not necessary, I promise, I-" He became quiet as Harald strode over to him, the captain of the guard taller than his brother, the sun casting his shadow over Hugo. "Would rather just not go?" he finished with a whimper.

Harald leaned in close to his brother, slipping his arm around him and squeezing his shoulder with an iron grip. He whispered in a tone so low, it was hardly distinguishable, but far too threatening to forget. "You are going to go on this hunt. Now, you can let me help you into your saddle, or you can fight me and I can strap you to it. Your choice."

Hugo took another long, morose look at his mount and then back at Harald. His voice came out as a thinly-veiled whimper. "Brother, please…"

Harald's nose crinkled in an ugly sneer and he took hold of his brother's ascot, pulling his ear down into hearing distance. "Get… on… your horse. Now."

Releasing a choked exhale of submission, Hugo straightened, facing his other siblings with complete indifference. "I've thought it over… and I've decided, for the good of the family tradition, I will be attending the hunt."

"Oh, bravo, good show, Hugo," Helm encouraged with a nod of approval. "The more the merrier, that's what I always say."

"Yes. Good show, indeed. Now, allow me to help you into your saddle, brother." Harald swiftly hoisted his sibling up and over into his saddle, an audible groan coming from Hugo as he settled himself into the concave leather forming his seat. "Everyone ready now?"

"I think I am," Helena said, watching Hugo's thinly-veiled expression of pain with a satisfied smile as Heins helped her onto her horse.

"Well, it's about time," Harken stressed, taking the lead on the group and putting his fingers to his mouth, uttering a shrieking whistle. "Pay attention, everyone. This may and most likely will be the only glimpse you'll get of the fox before I win today's hunt." Two servants carried over a square shape covered in a sheet, setting it on the ground and lifting the sheet. Behind the steel bars of the cage cowered an arctic fox, its pristine fur glinting in the sunlight. Blue eyes peered at the camaraderie of brothers, the animal shrinking against the back of the cage and flattening its ears. "This little beast is our quarry today, imported from the further, colder lands of unfeeling ice. We all know the rules, but to be sure there's no confusion, I'll repeat them. At the sound of the first gunshot, the fox gets a headstart of five minutes exactly, and we begin after it when we hear the second gunshot. The first to find and capture said fox wins the game. Guns are to be fired only when the fox is sighted, and you only have one shot."

Elsa stared at the terrified fox before her, wondering how on earth someone had classified it as a fair sport. She felt a likening to the creature, so afraid of the people around it, so helpless under all these eyes. How can they call this a game? Even Helena seemed repulsed by it all, though Elsa couldn't help but wonder if it was for the same reason. The poor thing… I wonder if it must be caught at all… perhaps it will outrun-

BANG!

Elsa jumped a few inches, clearly startled at the sound of the first marker even more so than the horses, only a few of which responded. She stiffened at the feel of a hand on her shoulder, and turned to look at Hans, who let his fingers slip away. "Just the first shot…"

"It startled me," Elsa retorted in a soft murmur, staring after the fox as it dashed away into the undergrowth of the woods.

Hans followed her gaze, lingering on the spot where the animal had disappeared. "It's… it's only a game, Elsa…"

"A game?" Elsa repeated, turning to meet his gaze her tone low. "Is that what you're calling it? You think it's fun to hunt down something innocent when its done nothing wrong?"

"No one gets hurt," Hans said, still looking at her, questioning whether he was trying to reason with his conscience or reason with her. When she didn't respond to him, Hans released a thin exhale through his nose, guiding Sitron towards the gaggle of his brethren to hear what they had to say.

"What's wrong?" questioned Harken with a grin, half of his attention focused on the pocketwatch attached to his vest as the minute hand made its rounds. "Queen giving you the cold shoulder?"

"She doesn't like the hunt," Hans mumbled, frustrated he'd been unable to make further headway with her after helping her onto her horse.

"At least she's showing her face," Harken said, eyes fixed on the woods. "Otherwise you wouldn't even know she was here."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Heinrik from nearby, raising his eyebrows.

"I mean, I haven't seen her since the night we rid ourselves of that bothersome princess Orion," Harken replied. "Though it was quite entertaining."

"I bet she'll be joining us for dinner again before she leaves," Heinrik interrupted, nudging his horse up to meet Harken.

"You sound so sure. I doubt she'll give any of us the time of day, no one's gotten anywhere with her," Harken grumbled, eyes focused intently in front of him.

"Care to make a bet on that?" Heinrik asked, catching the attention of some of the other brothers as he looked back at Elsa, keeping his voice low. "I wager that the victor of the hunt wins the seat next to the Queen at dinner tonight."

"Is that all?" Harken scoffed. "Hardly a prize worth working towards."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Heinrik sighed, shooting his younger brother an annoyed look.

"Something I want to actually win," replied Harken, leaning forward in his saddle. He scoped out his siblings, from the eldest to the youngest, lingering on Hans. Slowly, a smile crept onto his lips. "I have just the thing. The winner of the hunt decides how the fox dies."

"What? What kind of bet is that?" Heinrik grimaced, shaking his head. "We've never killed it before, why start now?"

"Because otherwise the bet is useless, and who knows, it may encourage some of you to actually give me some challenge this year." Harken's smile broadened into a grin, and he rose from his saddle slightly. "But I doubt it."

BANG!

Suddenly the standstill was a flurry of activity, and with a shout from Harken, a gaggle of dogs were released, and the brood of brothers took to the chase. Harald's eyes snapped back to keep tabs on those behind him, especially wary of Hugo, who was lagging at the back of the pack with a look of explicit discomfort on his face as he bounced up and down in rhythm with his horse. "Come on, Hugo, keep up, we're going into a canter!" The prince's groan that followed was drowned by the baying of the royal hunting dogs, already hot on the trail of the fleeing fox.

"Hyah!" Harken, who was already far ahead of the rest of his brothers and even some of the dogs, turned a sharp corner and disappeared from view. One by one, many of the others followed suit, taking to their own vices or following their choice hound as some split from the pack. Soon, the numbers had dwindled and some were left behind. "P-please!" Hugo finally called, grunting as he put a hand to his mouth to call to the lead of the pack, "Harald, can we slow the pace?"

Harald rolled his eyes, but turned back in his saddle to yell. "Won't the first time you've lost the chase, will it, brother?"

An ugly sneer curled Hugo's lip and he twisted his reins, jerking his horse to the side into the underbrush.

Heins, who had the capability to win the contest, but little desire, rode next to Helena taking up the rear, helping her to keep her balance as the horses alternated from a trot to little bursts of cantering side by side. Although she'd ridden a horse before, Helena had not made it a habit in any case, and jerked with every movement, her hands tight on the reins, braid flaying out behind her much like her horse's tail. "I- I'm sorry I can't keep up with your brothers!" she exclaimed breathlessly, watching Elsa perform gracefully in the distance at her own canter and fighting jealousy of her skills. "If you don't leave me behind, you'll lose for certain at this rate!"

Heins turned to look at her from his saddle, and pulled back to let the others go further ahead, his small ponytail going limp behind him as he smiled at Helena. Kalk's hoofbeats slowed to a steady trot and he snorted in pleasure at the rest. Helena looked at Heins with a bewildered expression, the others forging through the woods ahead. Tilting the reins to guide Kalk closer to Buttercup, his smile only broadened. "Oh, darn… would you look at that… I think I've just fallen into last place."

"And yet… you're first in my book." Helena murmured, shifting Buttercup to bump against Kalk, leaning over in her saddle and hooking Heins' collar in a finger to bring him into a kiss. When she released him, he was a flush pink in both cheeks, and she giggled. "You're turning red… at this rate you won't even see when they catch the fox…"

"Catch what fox?" Heins asked dreamily, all his attention on Helena.

"The contest? The one we're out here to participate in?" Helena reminded him with a breathy laugh. "Your brothers are already disappearing." Heins seemed to snap back into reality and had just started to reply when a yipping noise sounded from nearby.

"Sounds like one of father's dogs," Heins remarked with a smile and a shake of his head. "Probably lost its way. I'll see what happened, wait right here for me, I'll be right back."

"Okay," Helena replied, watching him ride ahead at a trot and sink into the surrounding landscape. She waited as he had asked, letting Buttercup wander a little ways to graze in the meantime, absently stroking her horse's mane as she thought private thoughts about her future. What will the others think when they learn that Heins loves me? That he wants to make me a princess? What about his parents? Will they be supportive? The clip clop of her horse's hooves was suddenly accompanied by a sloshing, splashy sound, and Helena glanced downward to see Buttercup had walked into the midst of a sludgy clearing of mud to reach a small tuft of grass. "Ohhh, Buttercup, come on, you're going to get your coat all dirty," Helena murmured, giving the reins a little tug. "Come on…" Ignoring her, the horse continued to graze. "Buttercup, please!" Helena exclaimed. "Heins told us to wait back there, not over here!"

All at once, the sound of rustling came from nearby and Helena jerked up in her saddle, Buttercup's ears flickering one way and then another. "Heins?" Helena asked, receiving no answer. "…Heins?"

"I don't give up easily, you know." From the shrub a black steed emerged, hooves squelching into the mud as Hugo rounded her. "When I want something, I persist."

"You," Helena breathed, stiffening in her seat. "Don't you come near me!"

He stared at her, his eyes smoldering, speaking as if he hadn't heard her at all. "My brothers always said my persistence would be my undoing if I were the type to hold grudges. I may be a persistent man… but I'm not a patient one." His hand went to his saddlebag, but Helena could not see what he was doing, her hands guiding the reins and trying to encourage Buttercup to back away. "The fact is… I don't hold grudges for long. When I encounter an obstacle… I find a way to overcome it." Helena watched as he grunted in pain, resettling himself in his saddle. "And you, my dear…" He lifted his hand from the bag, and clenched within it was the handle to a firearm, the muzzle shining dully in the light. "…are quite the obstacle."

"Oh my God… no… no, please! Please, don't!" Helena dropped the reins to shield herself in an instinctual flinch, her face twisted in horror.

"I've figured out the problem, you see… you're too desirable to resist. So… the answer is clear. I just have to make you…" Hugo's lip curled and he raised the gun into the air, firing one shot with a resounding crack. "Undesirable."

Helena screamed, but the sound was drowned out by the shrill whinny of her horse, who reared back, throwing her rider off where she landed with a splash in the mud. Shivering from the shock of the sudden action, Helena rose carefully, sputtering, soaked in grime from her hair to her clothes. She looked up at the prince who towered over her on his horse, his expression wickedly pleased as he bent over her and hissed, "Who's the pig now?"

Helena was still gaping when Kalk burst through the woods into the mud, sliding to an abrupt halt. "Helena!" Heins exclaimed, vaulting from his horse to the mud and bending down to his knees to help her up, smearing mud on his outfit as he did. "What happened? Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"What's going on?" came more voices as the other brothers approached, Harken the first to arrive, splashing into the mud and sending some of it splaying onto Helena before he got control over his mount, Attila's nostrils flaring. "What happened? Who fired?"

"I thought I saw the fox, so I fired my shot," Hugo said with a shrug of his shoulder, jerking his head towards Helena. "She didn't have a firm grip on her reins, and Buttercup threw her."

"You liar!" Helena practically screamed as she lunged towards him, slipping and holding onto Heins for support as she pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. "You did it on purpose!"

"Enough!" Harald shouted as several others rounded the corner, Hans one of the firsts with Elsa just behind him.

Before Elsa could get down from her saddle, she felt a hand on her own and looked to see Hans shake his head, getting down himself into the muddy overgrowth and wading over to soothe the frazzled Buttercup, bringing her back to Helena. She blinked, looking from the compassion in Hans' face to the fierce anger in Helena's. "Helena..." Elsa began sympathetically, somewhat at a loss herself, "are you alright?"

"I'm alright," Helena said, nodding and still pointing to Hugo. "But I'm telling the truth; he did this on purpose. He fired his shot so I would fall."

Harken took one look from his brother's black horse to the filthy ladies' maid, and then posed a simple question which proceeded to disarm Helena completely. "Why?"

"I…" All eyes faced her, and Helena flailed for a response. I can't tell him about what happened… I can't! Not in front of everyone, it would kill Heins… not to mention what everyone would think of me… what it make Elsa look like… "I can't…" she mumbled to herself, conflicted.

"Well, that clears it all up," Hugo remarked sarcastically, wrinkling his nose as he looked down on Helena from a safe distance away.

"It doesn't matter right now how it happened…" Heins soothed, bringing Helena over to his horse. "We'll find out once we get you cleaned up… your elbow is bleeding; you must have scraped it in the fall. We'll have doctor Helen take a look at you when we get back to make sure nothing's broken. I should have known better than to expect you to be able to ride as well as we do. I'm so sorry, Helena; I should have thought…" He took Buttercup's reins in his own and tied them to the harness on his saddle to lead the horse behind him, helping Helena up first. He addressed his brothers as he guided his horse back towards the castle in the near distance. "I'm going to take Helena back home to get cleaned up. We'll see you back there when you return."

With various murmurs, the brothers agreed and began to disperse again, some quicker than others. Soon only three of the siblings were left in the clearing: Heins, Hans, and Heinrik, who was still watching where the others had gone. Hans approached Kalk's side and leaned in towards Heins, keeping his voice low. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"I know," replied Heins, looking downcast. "But… I'll talk to Helena when we get to the castle. I'll figure out what really happened… even if… I have to tell everyone the truth about us."

"Okay. Hey, don't worry… I'm sure everything's going to turn out fine. It's got to happen eventually… and when it does… I'll be right there with you," Hans encouraged, squeezing his brother's shoulder once and turning to go back to Sitron, who had stubbornly refused to enter the mud pit.

His smile halfway returned, Heins hoisted himself up into his saddle behind Helena, caring not for the muddy grime she spread to him. "Come on, Helena… let's go home."

She looked back at him, biting her tongue to keep both the truth and tears at bay as they left the clearing, heading back to the castle. "I'm sorry I ruined the hunt for you…"

For a moment, there was no reply, and then, there was the gentle press of his lips against her ear followed by his whisper, "I love you."

#

Heinrik waited until after Elsa and Hans resumed their ride, joining Hans just behind the queen. He leaned over and began to speak, his tone low. "Hans… something stinks here, and it's not the smell of that mudhole."

"You think Hugo did it on purpose like she said?" Hans asked, guiding Sitron closer.

"I do. I just don't know why…" Heinrik murmured, fretting his lip as his eyebrows knitted in thought.

"He was riding very high on his horse." Both princes blinked in surprise and looked ahead at Elsa, who turned to glance behind her. The smallest hint of a smile flitted over her lips and she pulled the reins to match their pace. "Did you notice?"

"He never does that," Hans said, trying to put the pieces together. "And he asked to slow the pace. He's usually the first out of the gate. He's wanted to win the fox hunt back ever since Harken took the lead all those years ago."

"Helena would never fail with something I asked her for," Elsa added. "She knows how important those gloves are for me."

"Gloves… important for you?" Heinrik asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Harald made him come, too," Hans quickly interrupted, saving Elsa from explanation. "Did you notice that? I'm pretty sure Hugo wanted to drop out, which is unlike him, but then Harald seemed intent to make him attend. The question is… why?"

"Are you sure Harald wasn't just being a bully?" Heinrik asked. "He's good at that."

"It seemed… like more…" Hans said quietly.

"Harald's good at hiding things," Heinrik mused, blowing a piece of his unruly hair out of his eyes. "Kind of like Harken pulling that kind of sh…" he trailed off as he locked gazes with an inquisitive Elsa, "sh…tuff about the winner of the fox hunt at the last minute."

"What shtuff?" Elsa asked, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"The whole bet about the winner choosing how to kill the fox… we've never done that before, but the deal's been struck, and knowing Harken, he'll find the most gruesome way to kill it possible," Heinrik elaborated with an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, the joys of having a sadistic sibling."

"Kill it?" Elsa repeated, her eyes widening in horror. "What do you mean, kill it?"

"What I said, kill it. End the life, send it home, however you want to say it." Heinrik scratched the back of his head absently. "Believe me, I wish there was something I could do, but no one can compete with Harken when it comes to the hunt."

"Maybe not alone…" Hans turned to Elsa and he took a breath, readying himself for the challenge. "Is this important to you, Elsa?"

Elsa met his eyes and nodded, her lips parted, blue eyes intent, searching him. Is there any part of you that's kind? What your mother said about your sister… could you feel the same loss I felt for Anna then? Can I trust you, even enough to do this? Hans… have you ever had a frozen heart?

"Then I'll do it."

"Hans," began Heinrik, trying to talk sense into his youngest brother, "you'll never catch up now, they have too much of a head start; it's impossible!"

"I have to try!" Hans exclaimed, leaning forward in his saddle and giving Sitron a little urging kick in the flanks.

Heinrik urged his horse onwards until he met pace with Hans, and nodded. "Then count me in! Come on, we're wasting time!"

"Me too!" Elsa exclaimed, her platinum braid flaying out behind her in the wind. We can do this if we work together; we have to. She turned to see the concentration in Hans' brow, his eyes focused as he nimbly maneuvered his steed past shrub, his body taut as he successfully jumped taller brush hedges in the way. "H-hans!" she called, catching his sharp eyes with her own. "T…thank you!" For a moment their gaze lingered, and then he nodded, setting his sights back on the goal. Elsa decided that she would help him win this hunt, and then, when he stood there triumphant in the face of his brothers, she would see more of what kind of man he really was… because when the heart was exposed to raw, unbridled emotion, that was when it was most vulnerable for all to see.

A/N: Oh snap, so much speculation, so much action. Hope you all enjoyed it just as much, thanks as always for the love and reviews you give me; keeps me going strong! Next chapter: Hans becomes a runner in the chase to win the foxhunt, secrets come to light, unexpected weather forecast for the Southern Isles.