A/N: Sorry for the delay in update; life got in the way. Thank you for the reviews :) I read every one of them.
Frøken - Miss in Danish (I think)
My Dear Elsa,
This is agonizing! Never before has it seemed time has passed so slowly. I miss you more than I can express in mere words, but they are all I have for now. I miss your wit, your kind heart, your conversation. Your laugh is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard (even when you adorably chortle). I miss the way you step on my feet when we dance, the barely visible freckles that have the privilege to grace your fair skin, the depth of your sapphire eyes that hint at the brilliance of the mind behind them. Your mouth, I have no honeyed words that can come close to describing such a wonder. Your smile is the light that illuminates my soul. Your kiss awakens a fire that courses through me and ignites things within that would be entirely inappropriate to describe.
I must confess that I still struggle with the knowledge I almost took the life of the beautiful winter rose from this world. I am able to distract myself with a decent amount of success during the day, but when the sun slips below the horizon and I lie in bed, my demons are my only company. I owe Anna more than I can fathom.
I cannot pretend to know how you could love me, but I will do all that I can to make you happy. I realize that includes facing what I have run from for so long. It will not be easy, and I pray you will not be too heavily burdened with the mess I am likely to become at times.
If my melancholy musings haven't entirely dissuaded you from committing yourself to me, I shall count the hours until I am able to bask in your light again.
Love,
Hans
The simplicity of their names meant as much to her as the letter's contents. She knew she was in for a long, hard fight against the damage done to him by the mirror and his own mind, but the spoils of war far outweighed the trial of battle. She smiled as she lightly ran the tips of her fingers over his name feeling the indentions the pressure of the pen left in the paper.
"Must be good," Anna said with a mischievous smirk peeking over Elsa's shoulder, "you're grinning."
Elsa quickly folded the letter, rose, and shoved it into the desk drawer, "Really, Anna?"
Anna laughed as she watched her sister blush, "You're the one who left a bite mark under his collar. I don't know what you have to be bashful about."
Elsa gave a shocked gasp, "That was a trick of the light!" she turned away as the heat in her face began to overtake her ears, "You heard Queen Adelaide's apology."
"Oh, I heard it, and like everyone but Queen Adelaide I didn't believe it," Elsa remained silent, "So," Anna sashayed over to her sister and set her chin on her shoulder, "What did you two do while you were up there?"
Elsa stiffened and walked away, "We do not need to discuss this."
"This is still pretty weird," Anna said as she fed Sven another carrot.
"Your sister getting married?" Kristoff asked.
"Yes. Well, just who she's getting married to."
"If you have a problem with it, you should probably tell her before the wedding."
"No! I don't have a problem with it. It's just that he's the last person I would have ever expected. I would have seen her marrying Olaf before Hans."
"That might be carrying the snow thing a bit too far."
"You know what I mean," she playfully nudged his side with her elbow, "he's not the guy who came to her coronation four years ago. That guy I could never see her marrying. It's still hard to wrap my head around he was two people in the same body."
Kristoff gently smiled and pulled her into his arms, "I don't think that will ever get any less weird."
My Hans,
I know the time apart after such a short time of enjoying each other's true feelings is painful, but we will have the rest of our lives to do so. That does not mean that I do not long for you at present. I see your bright chartreuse eyes, charming smile, adorable freckles, and auburn hair whenever I close my eyes. I can still feel the heat of your skin on my fingertips and the softness of your lips on mine. I find the memories of the moments in the tower I spent in your firm embrace to be very distracting. My dreams are filled with images of you and interactions with you far too intimate to record on this page. Besides, I am well aware that you possess an entire novel of such things to appease you for the time being.
The time for me is passing rather quickly. I believe that is due to all the wedding preparations. The invitations have been sent out, the cake has been ordered, the officiant has been scheduled, the decorations and dress I will take care of the day of the wedding. I have tried many styles and believe I have found the one I will craft for my bridal gown. Anna and Rapunzel will be dressed in pale blue, those dresses have to be sewn by Fru Sorenson since I am the only one impervious to the cold. I assume your mother has already taken care of Klaus' and Eugene's clothing; she told me there were several things that would need to be handled in Baltia and I do not know what she is referring to.
I know I take you with a wounded heart that will be more difficult to mend than any physical wound you have received. This is no deterrent. You have fought to save the lives of many and now it is time for us to fight for yours.
Love,
Elsa
"Such a spectacular failure," the creature hissed as it entered his cell, "it is disappointing considering how well you manipulated the situation. I couldn't have guessed that the queen had ice magic, but using the emotional vulnerability of the ice witch to bring her to her knees was a thing of beauty. If only you had waited to ensure the princess was dead."
"What do you want from me now?"
"Sadly, your brilliance will now be wasted as you will not be my puppet much longer," it sighed, "The loss of you forces me to rethink my strategy; I had planned on having you obtain the crown of another kingdom since the events have been hushed up, but with the mirror removed the control spell they were enchanted with will be removed with them."
"I look forward to it."
It laughed, "You say that now, but you have no idea what you are in for. Guilt, fear, regret, all the emotions you have been protected from will soon come flooding back and tear at your heart like a rabid animal."
"They do not seem to bother you."
"That is because I do not regret or have guilt for the decisions I have made. I have made them in order to further myself and that's all that truly matters. I do admit I am curious about the man you really are, which is why I will allow you to live, but to make sure you do not remember me," the being produced a needle, put its hand over his mouth to muffle his screams, pushed the needle into his left eye and slowly removed it.
Hans sat bolt upright in bed trying to catch his breath.
"So she'll be wearing white and…?"
"Blue," Hans answered his mother as she circled him while the tailor fitted his uniform.
"What shade of blue?"
"Pale blue."
Queen Adelaide sighed, "Yes, but which one? Do you realize how many colours could be called 'pale blue'?"
"No," he rolled his eyes weary of both his mother's questions and holding his arm out for an extended period of time.
"You're little help. I should be able to write to her and receive a response in time," she mumbled to herself as she left the room.
"She acts as though she hasn't done this twelve times already," Hans sighed as she left the room. Frøken Isben giggled as she pinned the cuff of his sleeve. "Will there be much more after this?"
The young woman removed the straight pins from between her lips, "I need to adjust the cut of the coat and put in some waist darts; probably put some back darts in the shirt and the waistcoat. Oh, I need to adjust our trousers."
"My trousers? What is wrong with my trousers?"
"Nothing's wrong with them, but I plan on making this fit well enough to make all the woman, and maybe some of the men, in attendance wish they were in Queen Elsa's place for at least that night," Hans blushed profusely and let the seamstress continue her work in silence.
The anticipation was making him a nervous wreck, "How did you handle this?" Hans paced the library while Klaus sat on the couch and watched.
"I was nervous too, but it will all be over with soon."
"I was hoping for more help than that," Hans sighed, "I'm more worried about will happen after the wedding."
"You eat cake, you dance; I've seen you do both quite well."
"Neither of those are my concern."
"The coat ceremony? It only takes a few minutes and you just mostly stand there."
"No! I mean the wedding night!"
"Oh," Klaus' eyes widened at the realization, "Most men are usually more excited than nervous about that."
"Yes, well most men have at least some experience."
"I didn't."
"I did say 'most men.'"
"You're making yourself a mess over nothing. Just pay attention to her; there will be clues as to what she likes by the sounds she makes and the way her body reacts, and afterwards you can always ask her about it. There is no shame in wanting to be a better lover. Besides, you must be doing something right; our parents are the only ones who believed the story about how Elsa's lipstick ended up on your collar."
"I deeply regret this conversation."
"So it appears you will have the throne of Arendelle after all, dear brother," Reinvald drawled, "A rather complicated way of obtaining it. Was the initial failure part of a larger plan?" his spiteful smile made Hans' blood boil.
"My interest is in Elsa's heart, not her crown," he said through clenched teeth.
"She must be a saint to not only forgive, but then willingly share her bed with the man who would have stolen the crown from her severed head before her blood cooled on his skin," he had hit his mark. Hans stood with a look of horror, "It honestly doesn't seem possible and I encourage you to abandon this endeavor." Pain burst in Hans' head as something kept trying to crawl from his memory, "Think. Isn't it convenient how she was present for three attempts on your life?"
"Are you implying that she orchestrated them? If she wanted me dead I would have been in my grave long ago."
"Possibly, but what revenge on you would be complete without betraying you the way you betrayed her sister? I only wish to prevent you from suffering the fate of pain and death you would have had them suffer."
"She is not a monster."
The pain in Hans' head was starting to make him nauseous. Reinvald stood toe to toe with him wearing an insufferable smirk, "Perhaps she wishes to wait until after the wedding to find if you are worth keeping to satisfy her carnal desires and will dispose of you if you do not."
Hans's eyes narrowed, he stepped forward and leaned into his brother, "You disingenuous, pompous, blackguard! How dare you speak of her in such a manner!" Fear flashed momentarily in Reinvald's eyes as he backed away from Hans and found his back against a wall, "If you were not my brother…"
"You would try to kill me as well?" His smirk returned and his tawny eyes bore into Hans'. Hans' stomach twisted, images flashed phantasmagorically over Reinvald's face too quickly for him to process. Hans stepped away from him, turned, pressed his back to the wall and slid down with his eyes closed, breathing heavily. "It is unfortunate I cannot dissuade you from this," Reinvald said with a hint of sadness, "it makes things complicated," he stepped over him and walked down the corridor.