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………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Things used to be happy in the kingdom of Arendelle. The royal family were often in the spotlight, helping the Kingdom during times of need and taking part in national holidays. And then Elsa locked herself int her room practically all the time, his parents locked the gates to the palace and everything changed. Hans couldn’t remember why. Elsa could. ……………………………………………………………………………. Almost two years younger than his sister, Hans would often wake up in the early hours of the morning, running out of his own room and into his sisters, jumping onto her bed and proceeding to jump up and down again and again and again. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” “Hans…” Elsa grumbled, “… Go back to sleep.” “But I’m awake now! I can’t go back to sleep.” Silence. “Do you want to build a snowman?” Elsa sighed wearily, a smile appearing on her face. She should never had said yes… she should have persisted in telling him to go to bed and not moved. But she’d never been able to say no to her baby brother. The next thing she knew, a blast of ice had hit Hans in the head as he jumped from one snow pile to another, falling to the ground as a loud crack echoed throughout the chamber. His memory was removed, and he would never walk right again. And that’s when everything changed. ……………………………………………………………………………. Hans limped past the large windows, ornate walking stick in one hand as he pressed his other hand up against the glass, white lock in his hair reflected in the glass. Snow. As quickly as he could (which wasn’t very quick at all), he rushed to his sister’s room, knocking on the locked door. “Elsa? It’s snowing, do you wanna build a snowman?” Silence. “Come on!” he whined, “I wanna play! I barely see you anymore, you’re always locked in there! We used to be best friends and now we’re not, and no-one will tell me why!” More silence. “Come on Elsa, don’t you want to build a snowman… or something else?” “Go away Hans!” Slightly hurt by the tone, Hans nodded slightly, “Okay… bye.” Maybe he could play knights by himself. Roping some of the servants into playing with him, Hans was left unaware that his sister was watching from above, white gloves on her hands. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Six years passed, and ten-year-old Hans could be found knocking on the door once again. “Elsa, do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride that new bike around the halls?” Silence “Come on Elsa! I’ve started talking to the pictures on the walls! And the rooms are too empty, and the clocks are too loud!” As he chattered eagerly about what he wanted to do, he was unaware that his parents were on the other side of the door, staring at the ice-covered wall in shock and horror. “It’s getting worse!” Elsa hissed, backing away when her mother moved closer, “No! Please… stay away. Get Hans away!” Hans was already limping away at this point, and therefore didn’t hear his name. ………………………………………….. Another 5 years passed, and fifteen-year-old Hans was slowly making his way down the stairs, his new ornate cane supporting him as he leaned on the bannister. At the bottom, his Father and Mother were waiting, his Mother wrapping her arms around him as soon as he made it to the bottom. “See you in two weeks.” He whispered, aware of the figure waiting at the top of the stairs. As his Father drew him into a hug, the older man whispered in his ear. “Take care of your sister. He never thought those would be the last words his Father would ever say to him. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. The funeral was quiet and subdued. Hans couldn’t help but feel a twinge of betrayal as his sister didn’t even show up for it, leaving him to lead the funeral on his own, limping in front of the empty coffins until they reached the gravesite. He was the one who had to explain why the heir to the throne hadn’t bothered to show up, forcing a sad smile on his face as he explained that his sister was merely ‘ill’ and bitterly regretted having to miss the service. Once it was all over, he made his way back to the castle slowly, shuffling up the stairs until he was right in front of his sister’s door. “Elsa…” he weakly called out, “… please I know you’re in there. People are asking where you’ve been… they were all telling me to have courage, and I’m trying to- but please know that I’m right out here for you, just let me in. We only have each other now, it’s just you and me… what are we going to do?” Silence, as he rested his back against the door and slid down to the ground. “Do you want to build a snowman?” On the other side of the door, Elsa was in much the same position, ice lining every wall and all over the floor. ……………………………………………… One year passed, and it was the middle of summer. The early morning sun was starting to rise over the horizon, and Hans was determined to get a few more hours sleep. He’d been up half the night with his leg, trying to massage the sore muscles to a bearable level of pain. Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door, and a nervous voice spoke through the wood. “Prince Hans? Prince Hans?” “Ummmm…. Yeah?” Sleepily, Hans pushed himself into a seated position, wiping the drool away from his face, “Yeah?!” “Sorry to wake you your Highness but- “ “- No, no, no… I’ve been up for hours!” His head slumped forwards towards his chest, eyes falling shut again, before the knocking started up again. “Who is it?!” “Still me Your Highness. The gates will be opening soon, so it’s time to be getting dressed and ready.” “Ready… ready for what?” “It’s coronation day Your Highness, remember? Your sister’s coronation?” “My coronations… sister.” Blearily, Hans opened up his eyes frowning at the sight of the white suit near his wardrobe, an ornate cane resting beside it. It hit him like a flash. “My sister’s coronation!” Within minutes, he was dressed, cleaned up and rushing out of his room as quickly as he could, cane clicking along the ground, beaming and greeting all the servants along the way. “Coronation day! Coronation day!” He beamed when he saw all the windows and door being opened, the natural light (not dull candlelight) of daytime making everything seem brighter. He moved to one side as servants entered the large dining area, carrying over a thousand salad plates. He didn’t even own that many! He slipped slightly as he walked through the newly-polished ballroom, sheepishly accepting some help from one of the servants until they reached the staircase. Once the other man was out of sight, Hans sat on the bannister and slid all the way down to the bottom. Stairs took too long with his leg. It would be so strange to bow to actual people, rather than just these dusty suits of armour, but he was ready, especially as he headed over to the window and watched the ships coming in. Music. Gorgeous lights. A party that would last the whole night long. He sighed happily, and slowly made his way down to the garden, slowly taking a sat on the stone bench as his hunting dogs’ latest litter of puppies raced over, all yipping in glee to see him. After giving them all some treats and making sure that the mother was okay, a sudden thought then occurred to him. What if he met… the one. The one for him, his other half? He could just see it now. Him standing against the wall, near the buffet table and the chocolate fountain, trying not to get caught up in the dancing crowd… and then he locks eyes with a gorgeous girl standing near the opposite wall, the picture of sophisticated grace. They laugh and talk all evening and, well who knows where it goes from there. It was a strange idea to be noticed by someone, but at least now, he actually had a chance. Suddenly, he heard the order for the gates to be opened prompting him to make in way over there as fast as he could. He hadn’t been outside of these gates since the funeral (which didn’t count really). Nimbly making his way through the crowd, Hans started to make his way down to the docks, managing to speed up slightly as he got caught up in all the excitement. And then he was hit by the horse.
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The impact of the horse and his wobbly leg sent Hans flying to the side, a female voice crying out in alarm. His bad foot landing in a bucket, he fell into a row-boat, glaring up at the figure on the horse. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” A young woman, with hair a lighter shade than his own, jumped down to the ground, hands fluttering in front of her face in dismay, “Are you alright? Please tell me you’re alright!” She was beautiful. Slender with fair skin, and eyes as blue as the ocean. Her cheeks were flushed slightly (possibly in excitement), which only enhanced the freckles on them, white teeth nibbling on her lips, and strawberry-blonde hair tied up into a bun. Part of the hair was braided and used as a headband. She was wearing a gorgeous dress, with a black sweetheart bodice, with dark-green off-the-shoulder straps. It had rose, teal, blue and purple prints on it, with greenish gold trim, a black satin-laced necklace. Her skirt was olive green and pleated, with sashes in the colours of asparagus green, with pink, crimson, dark olive green, regular olive green and blue centres. Her shoes were simple flats, in the colour of black. She looked gorgeous. “Hi…” he whispered, “… Y-yeah, I’m okay.” “Are you sure?” She cautiously moved closer, into the rowboat, “It looked like a really nasty fall.” “I-I wasn’t looking where I was going and with this leg…” he gestured to it with a self-deprecating smirk, “… the slightest bump can send me flying. I’m fine though.” The woman sighed in relief, “Oh thank goodness, I thought I’d crippled someone on the first day of being here! Not that you’re a cripple or anything but- “She shook her head and held out her hand, “- here, let me help you.” As Hans slowly got to his feet, the woman curtseyed, “Princess Anna, of the Southern Isles.” Hans bowed in return, “Prince Hans of Arendale.” Anna seemed stunned at this, eyes widening slightly, “Prince? Your Highness!” She curtseyed low, only to lean forwards too far and stumble forwards, prompting Hans to catch her. Unfortunately, he dropped his cane at the same time and fell backwards, her landing on top of him. “Oh wow, this is awkward…” she whispered, “… not that you’re awkward, I’m the one who’s awkward, you’re gorgeous.” She flushed and pushed herself away, clearing her throat and nervously adjusting herself, “Anyway, I-I’d like to formally apologise for hitting the Prince of Arendale with my horse…. And for every moment after that.” “No, no, no!” Hans held up one hand, in a silent gesture for her to stop, “It’s all fine! I-I mean, I’m not even the important royal! If you’d hit my sister, it would be a completely different story because of the whole… you know. I’m just the cripple.” Anna seemed devastated by this, but before she could say anything, the sound of bells echoed in the distance, and Hans frowned. “The bells… the coronation!” he waved his apologies, “I-I need to get going! I can’t be late!” And then he was gone, only vaguely hearing the splash behind him. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. The coronation was a dull affair, and Hans felt like he was going to collapse because of it. The sight of Princess Anna waving at him from the pews was the only thing getting him through it. The coronation party was not a lot better. Forced to stand next to the sister who had ignored him for years, Hans resisted the urge to shuffle from side to side. His leg was really started to hurt now, and there was nothing for him to sit on… except the throne of course. “Can’t you stand still.” Elsa sighed, “It looks like you’re bored, and don’t want to be here.” Hans didn’t reply for a few moments, not actually believing that his sister was speaking to him. When he realised that she was, his face flushed slightly, “My leg hurts.” He whispered, “It’s uncomfortable.” “At least try to control yourself.” Elsa then seemed to realise that she was being a bit harsh and took a deep breath, “So…. This is what a party looks like.” “You should try the chocolate cake.” Hans whispered, pleased to turn his attention away from the subject of his leg, “It’s really, really good.” Before Elsa could reply, someone cleared their throat. “Your Highness… the Duke of Weaselton- “ “- Weselton!” the Duke scowled, the young girl behind him scowling at the poor butler, “It’s the Duke of Weselton, and my beautiful daughter of course.” His daughter could have been beautiful, if it hadn’t been for the permanent sneer on her face. “I was thinking that it would be nice for your brother and my daughter to dance together. As a sign of our continued relationship between Arendelle and my trading posts.” Before Hans could say anything, Elsa nodded in agreement and Hans was dragged onto the dancefloor, his cane hitting several people along the way. “I was hoping for someone with a little more grace, but you’ll have to do.” The woman sneered as they slowly twirled around the dance-floor, “It’s nice to see the gates finally open again. Why were they closed for so long?” Hans frowned, “I-I’m afraid I’m not sure…. If you wouldn’t mind excusing me.” They hadn’t even been dancing together for a minute. “That was a little bit rude.” Elsa sighed as Hans re-joined her, “She didn’t seem that bad.” “She was.” Hans answered shortly, before sighing and shaking his head, “Sorry, I just- wish that it could be like this all the time.” Elsa frowned and turned away, “Me too… but it can’t.” “Why not, I mean we- “ “- It just can’t!” Hurt by his sister’s harsh tone, Hans straightened up, falling into his perfect prince persona. “Fine. If you will excuse me Your Majesty.” Without giving her the chance to respond, he limped into the crowd, only to yelp as he was knocked to the floor, taking someone else down with him. “Oh, not again!” Princess Anna winced, helping Hans to a seated position, “I am so sorry!” Hans couldn’t help but chuckle, slowly getting to his feet, “Hey, at least I knocked you over this time. We’re even now.” She flushed slightly, as Hans took her hand. “May i… interest you in a dance?” Slowly, they made their way out onto the dance floor, Anna not seeming to care about the speed that Hans was moving. They talked in dark corners, with Anna almost hitting him in the face with how much she was gesturing. It was a little bit endearing really. As the room got too crowded for Hans to move around safely, they headed out into the garden, taking advantage of the peace and quiet. “So… what happened to your leg anyway?” Hans glanced down at the offending limb, before shrugging. “I was born with it as far as I know… although I had nightmares for years about how I was attacked by trolls.” Thankfully, Anna just giggled, and they changed the subject matter to her. “How many brothers do you have?” “Twelve older ones!” Anna sighed, “All from my Father’s first wife. I came later from his current one…. From his non-arranged marriage.” Knowing that she sounded a little bitter, she sent Hans an apologetic smile, “Sorry… ever since I could remember, three of my brothers ignored my very existence because I was the ‘perfect’ child, the one that Dad wanted. The other’s didn’t hide their hatred for me.” “That’s horrible!” Anna shrugged, “I was told that’s just what brothers do.” “And sisters.” Hans sighed, “Me and Elsa used to be really close as kids, but one day she just… shut me out. I never knew why.” Slowly, Anna reached out and took Hans’s hand, sending him a soft smile. “We should have brought some of that punch out here…” she whispered, “… we could have had a toast to bad siblings.” Hans couldn’t help but laugh, before nervously clearing his throat. “So… can I just say something crazy?” “I love crazy!” “For years, the only company I’ve had are closed doors and pictures… and then I ran into you, and I realised just what I was missing.” Anna nodded in agreement, “I was thinking the same thing, and maybe it’s all this excitement, but… I feel like we were meant to be together.” “Yeah, I mean, it’s crazy!” “What is?” “We finish each other’s- “ “- sandwiches!” Hans cackled in delight at the statement, watching as Anna flushed slightly, “Yeah…” he whispered, “… that’s what I was going to say.” “I’ve never met someone who thinks so much like me!” The pair chattered eagerly for the next hour or so, and Hans knew what the next step had to be. “Can I… say something crazy?” he nervously asked, smiling as Anna smirked and nudged him in the side, “Would you please accept my offer to court you.” Anna flushed bright red for a few moments, before a shy smile appeared on her face and she nodded. “Can I say something crazier? Yes!” They took each other’s hand and made their way back into the main ballroom, knowing that they needed to get the Queen’s permission before they continued with this. The problem was, that it was a little crowded in this place. “It’s a shame you can’t just hit them with your stick.” Anna whispered, as they pushed through the crowd. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it.” Hans strained to peer over the heads of everyone, “Oh, there she is!” Gently pulling Anna along, Hans called out for his sister, “Elsa!” When she turned around, raising one eyebrow in silent disapproval, Hans winced. “Sorry, sorry… Your Highness.” He wrapped an arm around Anna’s waist, “May I introduce Princess Anna, of the Southern Isles.” Anna smiled and curtseyed, “Queen Elsa.” “We would…” Hans nervously cleared his throat, “… we would like your permission to start courting. Officially.” Elsa frowned at the pair of them for a few moments, before holding up a hand and shaking her head, “Alright… I’m a little bit confused.” “Courting… you know, getting to know each other in a romantic sense and seeing where it goes from there.” Hans cleared his throat nervously at the look on his sister’s face, “Anna could maybe stay for a few weeks here, and then I can travel to the Southern Isles and- “ “- Woah, woah, woah!” Elsa held up her hands, “You can’t court Princess Anna, Hans!” Hans frowned, with Anna letting go of him in shock. “Well… why not?” “You have been engaged to Duke Weselton’s daughter, of course.”
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“You have been engaged to Duke Weselton’s daughter, of course.” Hans felt like his blood had frozen in his veins at these woods, “W-what?” “You’re engaged to Claudia.” Elsa gestured at the young lady in question, “It’s been in agreement for almost a year now.” “A year?!” Hans’s grip tightened around his cane, “When were you ever planning on telling me?!” “We were going to tell you tonight, but you ran off before I could say anything!” Elsa sighed, “Look, maybe we should talk about this in private and- “ “- No!” Hans shook his head, his raised voice catching the attention of others surrounding them, “Anything you want to say to me…” he gently took a stunned Anna’s hand, “… you can say to both of us.” Elsa was silent for a few moments, before straightening up. “Fine. You are not allowed to break off your engagement, and start courting someone you’ve only just met.” “Yes I can! Especially if the engagement was made without my knowledge! Yes, I might have only just met Anna, but it’s just courting! It’s not like I’m asking her to marry me!” “The engagement was arranged by me… your queen and your sister.” If Elsa hoped that the remainder that she was his sister would calm him down, she was sadly mistaken. “My sister!” Hans felt like his blood was boiling, “You’re more my queen than you are my sister!” “Hans- “ “- For years, you have ignored me. And when you’re not ignoring me, you’re belittling me! I can’t help having a limp! It’s not my fault that I’m not the perfect prince everyone seems to want me to be!” Now everyone was definitely watching. Elsa just frowned, “You want to break off an engagement to court Princess Anna, and I said no. Now, if you will excuse me- “ “- Your Majesty!” Anna reached out, “If I could just- “ “- No! You should leave now Princess Anna.” She then raised her voice slightly, “This party is over. Close the gates!” “Elsa no!” Hans limped over as quickly as he could, reaching out to grab her hand, only to pull one of the gloves off. His sister’s eyes widened in panic, and she tried to grab the glove. “Give me my glove!” Hans ignored her, too busy trying to reason with her. “Elsa, please, please you can’t do this! I can’t live like this anymore!” “Then leave.” Hans took a step back in shock, eyes widening as his sister glared at him and continued on her rant. “Leave! Go be with your precious princess! But know this… once you leave, you will never be allowed back in.” Having stunned her brother into silence, Elsa moved to leave. “WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!” Hans’ scream sounded desperate and full of pain, echoing through the room. Everyone was definitely paying attention now. “Enough Hans.” “NO! Why? Why are you always shutting me out?! Why are you always shutting the world out?! What are you so afraid of?!” “ENOUGH!” Elsa spun around, sweeping her hand around as ice shot from the tips of her fingers, giant icicles shooting up from the ground, with one shard snapping Hans’s cane in half. “Sorcery!” The Duke of Weselton hissed, “I knew there was something dubious going on he- “Before he could finish, ice wrapped around him until he was nothing more than a frozen block of ice. “Sorry.” Elsa didn’t look sorry… in fact, she almost looked thrilled, “But it’s treason to insult the queen.” “Daddy!” Before Claudia could reach her frozen father, she too, was frozen solid. “The engagement is off.” Elsa announced, smirking at her stunned brother, “You’re welcome.” Without another word, she turned and strode out of the door. The crowd outside all cheered when they saw her, only to flinch back in fear when she reached out and casually froze the fountain. “Look at you all…” she whispered, “… so scared of me. Of your Queen.” When guards rushed out to her, she blasted them away, face like a statue as the crowd shrank even further back. “So small minded.” Elsa hissed, “So afraid of someone different…. Father was scared of me, and maybe he should have been.” As Hans limped his way outside, Elsa took off running, heading out of the castle ground and down towards the lake, “ELSA! ELSA, WAIT!” She ignored him. By the time her brother had managed to stumble down to the lake, she would be long gone. Just as Hans appeared at the top of the stairs, begging for her to stop, her feet made contact with the water and the ice formed underneath them, allowing her to run. Hans tried to catch up, only to stumble on the last step, falling forwards and impacting heavily on the ice, his leg having crumpled out beneath him. “Hans!” Anna cried out, rushing over to help him as Hans watched his sister disappear from view, her glove still clutched in his hand. “The Fjord!” Stunned, the pair watched as the lake completely froze over, cold winter winds blowing in, mixed in with snow. Helped by Anna, they made their way back to the courtyard, where everyone was panicking about the snowstorm in the middle of summer. “Are you alright?” Anna asked, her voice barely a whisper. “No.” “Did you know?” “…. No.” As they moved closer to the palace, three tall, red-headed men were standing in a circle. Anna tensed up at the sight of them, especially when the older of the three spun around. “The queen has cursed this land!” he announced, “She must be stopped! Someone has to go after her!” “No!” Hans immediately protested, ignoring how Anna tried to pull him back. “You!” The three men sneered at Hans, “Is there sorcery in you too? Are you a monster too?” “Sorry to disappoint.” Hans nodded his head in thanks at a servant, who had rushed to grab his spare cane, “But I’m completely ordinary.” “Caleb, Rudi, Runo.” Anna spoke up, a pleading tone in her voice, “Please.” What she was begging for, Hans didn’t know, but he did notice the familial resemblance between the three men and Anna. “Brothers of yours?” he asked her gently, reaching out to take her hand as she hung her head, almost in shame. “Prince Hans…” Anna began, suddenly formal, “… meet Prince Caleb, heir to the throne of the Southern Isles, and the Princes Rudi and Runo. My brothers.” “Half-brothers, Anna, half-brothers.” Caleb was quick to remind her. His tone rubbed Hans up the wrong way, and he found himself shifting forwards, moving in front of Anna protectively. “Still a sister.” He snarled, “And you should take care how you describe my sister. We wouldn’t want relations between Arendelle and the Southern Isles to crumble completely. I hear you’re going through some hard times?” The three brothers straightened up defensively. “Your sister has already killed two members of the royal court.” Rudi reminded. “We don’t know that they’re dead.” “They were still attacked!” “It was an accident!” Hans protested, “She was… scared. She didn’t mean it, she didn’t mean any of this!” “Really… she looked like she did.” Hans shook his head, “No. Tonight was my fault, I pushed her too far. The issues between my sister and I should have been discussed in private.” He straightened up, “This is my fault, so it’s up to me to go after her.” “What?!” “Someone bring me my horse!” “Hans!” Anna reached out and gently grabbed his arm, “It’s too dangerous! You saw how she froze that Duke and his daughter!” “Elsa can be cruel… but I don’t think she’s truly dangerous.” Hans pulled away, “I don’t think she’ll hurt me. I’m going to bring her back and we’re going to make this right.” “T-Then I’m going with you!” “No.” Hans smiled gently at her, “Thank you for the offer, but I think someone needs to be here to watch over Arendelle.” “And you think it should be me?!” She shook her head, “I-I have no experience ruling a country!” “No better time to learn.” Donning a large winter coat, Hans was helped onto the horse, “I leave Princess Anna in charge!” He then announced, as the crowd murmured in confusion. “Do you honestly believe she won’t hurt you?” Anna hissed, “She broke your cane!” “She did me a favour… I hated that cane!” And with that, he was riding out of the courtyard, leaving a stunned Anna behind. However, before she could even think about taking control of the situation, a large hand landed on her shoulder. “Well…” Caleb leaned in close, “… this does work to our advantage, doesn’t it?”
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“Elsa? ELSA!” Hans groaned as the cold caused his leg to ache, as his horse pushed through the snow. They’d been travelling for hours now. “Elsa, it’s me! Your brother! Your brother who didn’t mean to make you freeze summer.” He shivered, “I’m sorry!” The forest was deadly silent. “Of course…” he then muttered to himself, “… none of this would have happened if she’d just told me her little secret. She’s such a- WOAH!” As a snow-covered branch suddenly fell in front of them, his horse reared up and sent him flying, landing heavily in a nearby snow-bank. And then the horse raced away, leaving Hans shivering in the snow. “It just had to be snow…” he growled, stumbling to his feet and pushing himself up the hill, “… I’m in pain, I can’t walk, and I’m going to freeze to death because this suit is not designed for winter! She couldn’t have had magical tropical powers that covered the land in white sand?” And then in the distance, he spotted steam rising into the air, “Fire!” It should have been a dignified descent down the hill. Instead, his leg gave out form underneath him, and he went rolling down the hill, landing in the freezing river.“Cold!” Hans crawled out, frowning when he realised that his leg was now so numb, that he couldn’t feel the pain. Slowly, he headed towards the wooden cabin, “Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!” Stepping onto the porch, he knocked the snow off the sign. “Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post… and Sauna!” Making his way inside, he spotted a large man sitting behind the counter, a beaming grin on his face. “Yo-hoo, big summer blow-out. Half off a swimming costumes, clogs and sunscreen of my own invention, yah?” Hans forced a small onto his face. “Great… how much for some proper boots? And warm winter clothes?” “That would be in our winter department.” The man gestured over at a small corner, where only a few items sat. “… Right.” Hans slowly made his way over, picking up the few clothes that there were, “I don’t suppose you’ve seen… the queen nearby?” “The only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you.” The man then seemed to notice Hans limp, “I’ll throw in a sturdy cane for free?” Before Hans could thank the man, the door was thrown open and a familiar figure shuffled in through the door. “Well, you and this lady. Yo-Hoo, big summer blow-out!” “Anna?!” Hans walked over, “What are you doing here, I left you- “ “- in charge, I know, I know!” Anna was wearing a medium-length, dark blue skirt with lavender around the hem, roses and periwinkles were sewn onto it. The bodice was black, with gold trim and green, red, yellow, and purple rose prints on it. Underneath was a light blue, long-sleeved blouse, with black heeled leather boots with gold lining and magenta soles, “But my brothers have a lot more experience, and I trust them.” “Where did you- “ “- One of your servants lent it to me.” Anna explained, “I think it belonged to… your sister.” “I- “ “- I also borrowed a sledge.” Anna gestured outside, where a large sledge sat, “Some ice delivery guy who was ranting about the weather lent it to me. He also pointed out that the storm seems to be coming from the…. North Mountains?” Hans straightened up and clapped his hands together in excitement, “Great! All we need is something to pull the sledge. The North Mountains has to be where my sister is.” “Your horse?” “… Not a fan of snow apparently.” “Ummm, excuse me?” The friendly shop owner piped up again, “I have some moose in my stable? Special discount for insanity?” “Insanity?” “We’ll take it.” Hans interrupted, handing the shopkeeper some extra gold coins, before limping back outside., “The sooner we get to the North Mountains, the sooner this will all be over.” As he attached the moose to the sledge, he had a sudden realisation. “Ummm…” he turned to Anna, “… Do you know how to work one of these?” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… It turns out, she did. Hans clung desperately onto the side of the sledge as they raced over the snowbanks. “We have a lot of snow in the Southern Isles!” Anna whooped in glee, “I was kinda hoping to see some sun for a change, you know?” “Y-Yeah!” They slowed down slightly as they approached a wooded area, with Anna sighing wearily. “I can’t believe your sister freaked out at the mere idea of us courting. It’s not like we were getting engaged, we barely know anything about each other! Last names, favourite food, foot size- “ “- foot size isn’t important is it?” When she smirked and glanced over at him, Hans felt like his face could cook an egg. “Sorry…” She seemed actually apologetic about embarrassing him, “… But, she still had no right to act like that. We wanted to get to know each other first, what if I hated the way you ate, what of you hated the way I picked my nose, which I don’t do…. Because I’m a princess.” “O-Of course.” Then, a piercing howl echoed through the wooded area. “Ummm…” Hans frowned, “… did the man you borrowed this sledge off mention anything about wolves.” “… Maybe.” “And what, exactly, did he say?” “That we should be fast. Try not to fall off and get eaten.” “Helpful!” As the wolves got closer and closer, Anna suddenly grabbed Hans’s walking stick, spinning around and striking on the beasts in the face, knocking it out instantly. “Woah…” Hans whispered, before the sledge wobbled uncertainly, almost sending him flying into the snow, “… WOAH!” “Hang on!” Anna leaned over the back of the sledge, setting fire to a blanket, before throwing it at the pursuing wolves. “We might have needed them!” “Sorry!” When they both turned back around, Anna yelped at the sight of the cliff-edge. “We have to jump!” she grabbed a hold of the reigns, only for Hans to snatch them off her. “Get on the moose!” He ordered, almost throwing her onto the creature in question, climbing on slowly himself and slicing through the reigns, removing the weight of the sledge from the moose. Thankfully, the moose made it to the other side…. The sledge was not so lucky. “I’ll get Christoper… Kristoff, a new one.” Anna winced, hearing something explode down below, “A really nice new one… and everything in it.” Hans dismounted from the moose, shaking his head wearily. “This is dangerous…” he whispered, “… and we haven’t even reached my sister yet.” He turned to Anna, “I understand if you don’t want to come any further.” She rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the arm, “You won’t get rid of me that easily.” …………………………………………………………….……………………………… They walked for what seemed like days, but, was probably only a few hours, up treacherous hills and empty forests. As the sun started to rise over the horizon, Hans turned, eyes widening at what he saw. “Arendelle.” He whispered in shock, “It’s completely frozen!” Glancing over, he spotted the worried look on Anna’s face, “But don’t worry… Elsa will just thaw it out.” “Will she?” “I’m reasonably convinced. Come on, we need to keep going.” The North mountains could be seen high above the trees in the distance. After another few hours of walking, they came across a clearing where waterfalls had frozen solid and ice covered the willow buds, hanging like diamonds. When brushed against one another, they sound like chimes in the wind. “I’ve never seen a winter this beautiful.” Anna whispered. “yeah… I feel like there should be a snowman or something. A magical talking- “He cut himself off as Anna glanced at him, “- Never mind. Let’s hurry up, I want to get there before nightfall.” “Magic snowman?” “It’s stupid.” …………………………………………………. Back down in Arendelle, the citizens were starting to get tense, with fights breaking out over the amount of wood each person was getting for their fires… or even the right way to store it. “Cloaks!” The three brothers of the Southern Isles called out as they walked through the streets, “Does anyone need a cloak?” “Arendelle is indebted to you Your Highnesses.” One old lady cooed, taking a cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders. Caleb bowed, “The castle is open and there is hot soup in the great hall. Here- “ he handed the cloaks over to the guards, “Pass these out.” The Duke of Weselton and his daughter were still being thawed out in another part of the castle, and it wasn’t a comforting sight. Once everyone was out of earshot, Rudi and Runo huddled closer to their brother, “Do we really have to stay here and freeze while you give out all the tradeable goods?” Rudi hissed “Rudi- “ “- And how do we know that the Prince and Sorceress aren’t in it together? That they’re not going to just leave us here to die slowly?! Anna is probably already dead!” “He loves her.” Caleb waved away the concerns, “And you saw the way the Queen treated her brother. There’s no way they are in it together. She kills him, and then we can have her banished or executed for murder. And then Arendelle is ours for the taking. Stick. To. The. Plan.” And then Hans’s horse came charging into the courtyard, sending people running away in a blind panic. And then the whispering stared. “That’s Prince Hans’s horse!” “Where is the Prince?!” “What if he’s hurt?” The opportunity was seized. “Prince Hans and my sister are in trouble!” Caleb called out, “We need volunteers to help us go and find them!” As multiple people called out that they volunteered, Caleb turned to his brothers. “Be prepared for anything.” He whispered, “And should you encounter the Queen, you are to put an end to this winter.”
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“So, how exactly are you planning to end this weather?” “I’m… going to talk to Elsa.” Anna frowned, “That’s your big plan? Everything’s riding on you talking to your sister?” She then yelped as she almost ran right into an icicle, “Aren’t you scared of her?” “No? Why would I be?” “Because…” Anna frowned as Hans ploughed forwards, “… she could kill us?” Eventually, they came to a dead end, with a vertical cliff face right in front of them. “Alright.” Anna sighed, “What now? That cliff is way too steep, and that man only gave me one rope, and really, neither of us know how to climb- what are you doing?” Hans had awkwardly shoved his cane in the gap of his belt, ignoring the ache in his leg as he attempted to climb the cliff face. “I’m going to see my sister even if it kills me.” “You know that it might? Right?” Hans ignored her. “How do you know that Elsa even wants to see you?” “Anna, please- “Hans sighed. “- most people who disappear into the mountains want to be alone!” “No-one wants to be alone!” Hans then gasped in pain, his sore leg knocking against the sharp rocks, “Does the air feel a little thin up he- WOAH!” Leg spasming, Hans fell right into the cold snow. Gently, Anna helped him back to his feet. “Let’s have a look around.” She whispered, “Your sister must have left something behind, a clue as to where she’s gone.” As they rounded the corner, they spotted a shining, ice staircase, that led up to a giant castle, ornate and completely made of ice. “Woah!” The pair of them exclaimed at the sight. “That’s… amazing!” Anna whispered, eyes wide in shock, “It’s like all the castles you hear about in fairy-tales.” When they went to climb the staircase, Hans found himself slipping and falling onto the hard edges with a loud BANG. “Here…” Anna helped him to his feet, pulling his arm around her shoulders, “Let me help you.” It was a slow journey, but eventually, they made it to the top of the stairs, with Hans knocking on the doors. As the sound echoed throughout the area, the doors slowly swung open. “Well, that’s a first.” Hans muttered, slowly unwrapping his arm from around Anna’s shoulder, “You should probably wait out here. Last time she met you, she froze everything.” At Anna’s perplexed look, Hans sighed. “Just… give me a minute.” “A-alright.” She took a seat at the top of the staircase, as Hans slowly limped inside, the doors closing behind him. It was a gorgeous layout, complete with chandeliers, fountains and two staircases. “Woah” He whispered, before clearing his throat nervously, “Elsa? Elsa, it’s me? Hans… I- WOAH!” He almost slipped on the ice again, only just managing to straighten himself out. “Hans?” Gasping slightly, Hans glanced up at the top of the staircase, where Elsa was staring down at him in surprise, clothed in a gorgeous, light-blue dress. It was a lot more revealing than the dresses she always wore back in Arendelle, and yet she didn’t shy away. Her hair was down in a long plait, instead of being tied up in the stern bun, just as she used to have it when they were children. It didn’t even look like his sister anymore. “Woah…” He whispered, “… Elsa, you look… different!” He cleared his throat, “It’s a good different though, it’s a really good change! And this place is amazing!” “Thank you.” Elsa still looked at him in suspicion, “I never knew what I was capable of.” Carefully, Hans made his way up the first step, “I’m sorry about what happened back at the party, if I’d known- “ “- It’s fine.” Elsa was backing away, “You don’t really need to apologise. Now, I think it’s time for you to leave.” “But, I just got here!” “And you belong back in Arendelle.” “So do you!” “No.” Elsa shook her head sadly, “I belong here… alone. To be who I’m meant to be, where I can’t hurt anyone… again.” “Do you mean the Duke and his daughter, because they think they can thaw them out.” But Elsa had stopped listening, already thinking back to the worst night of her life. //”Catch me Elsa! Catch me!” “HANS!” \\ “Leave me alone!” She begged desperately, back away from her earnest brother, “Leave. Me. Alone!” “Elsa! Wait!” “No! I’m just trying to protect you!” Slowly, Hans followed after his sister. “You don’t have to protect me! I’m not afraid!” Silence. “Please don’t shut me out again Elsa! Please don’t slam the door, you don’t have to keep your distance anymore!” He managed to make it to the top of the stairs, following his sister into another room. “I finally understand now, and- and we can fix this! You don’t have to live in fear, because I-I’m going to be right here!” “Hans.” Elsa sighed wearily, “Please go back home, you have a live back there. Go and enjoy the sun, open up the gates like you’ve always wanted.” “Yeah, but- “ “I know you mean well, but you need to leave me be. I may be alone, but I’m alone and free! So, stay away and you’ll be safe.” “Ummm… not quite.” Elsa frowned, “What do you mean?” “I get the feeling you don’t know about- “ “- Hans. What’s going on?” Hans winced, “Well… Arendelle’s kind of covered in snow. Deep, deep snow.” “… What?!” “You’ve kind of set off an eternal winter, everywhere.” “Everywhere?!” “It’s okay, you can just unfreeze it!” Hans tried to give his sister a reassuring smile, but it didn’t work. “No, I can’t!” She was starting to panic, the wind swirling all around them, “I-I don’t know how!” “Sure, you can! I know you can!” For a time, they both tried to speak over the other, the wind getting stronger and stronger, snow swirling all around. “You don’t have to be scared Elsa!” Hans cried out, “We can work this out, reverse everything!” “Hans, you’re only making everything worse! You’re not safe here!” “Everything’s going to be alright, we can stop this- “ “- I CAN’T!” Elsa spun around, hand slashing forwards as a blast of magic shot out, hitting Hans right in the chest, sending him flying to the ground. “Hans!”
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“HANS!” The storm died down as Elsa took a step back in shock, Anna running into the room and sliding to Hans’ side, as he gasped desperately for breath. “Are you okay?” Hans nodded weakly, “I’m okay… I’m fine.” The ice started to darken all around them, as Elsa backed away. “You need to leave.” She ordered them. “No! I know we can figure this out Elsa!” “How?!” Elsa snarled, “What power do YOU have to stop this winter? To stop me?!” As the ice started to crack, Anna grabbed Hans’s arm. “I think we should go now.” Hans ignored her, pulling his arm away, “No, I’m not leaving without you Elsa!” “Yes. You, Are.” She waved her hands, and out of nothing, a gigantic snow creature was created, empty eyes staring at them as it grabbed the pair, heading towards the door. “ELSA! ELSA!” Hans screamed, “Hey, put us down!” “Go. Away.” The creature threw them down the stairs, the sound of Hans yelping in pain as his bad leg hit the ice echoing through the mountains. As they landed in the snow, Hans lay in the snow for a moment, wincing in pain as he waited for the ache to stop. In that time, Anna rolled up a ball of snow and hurled it at the snow creature, causing it to roar in anger. “Nice.” Hans sighed, glancing at the furious creature, which was now charging towards them. He then yelped as Anna helped him into a seated position, pushing at his shoulders, causing his to slide through the snow until they reached a steep slope. “ANNA!” Hans yelped as they careered down the mountain. As the creature landed right behind them, Anna grabbed his shoulders once again and continued to push, ignoring Hans protests. “THE EDGE! THE EDGE!” Thankfully, Anna managed to stop them just as they reached the cliff edge, Hans sighing in relief. “That was too close.” He gasped, “Way, way too close.” He then frowned as a rope went around his waist, tightening harshly, “Hey! What are you- “ “-I’m making a snow mount!” “Okay… and if we fall?” “There’s like… twenty feet of fresh powder down there, it’ll be like landing on a pillow…. Hopefully.” Hans was not reassured as Anna turned to smile at him, before she suddenly pushed him off the edge of the cliff, the pair of them working together to get to the bottom. And then they stopped. “What’s going on?!” Hans yelped as they were pulled back up into the air, coming face to face with the snow creature once again. “DON’T COME BACK!” “Don’t worry.” Hans grunted, lifting up his cane, “We won’t.” He struck the hand of the creature, forcing it to let them go, falling straight down with no assistance from the rope. It felt like they were falling forever, before they both landed with a thud. There was no pain though. “You were right.” Hans gasped in relief, “Just like a pillow.” Anna just nodded, her face pale as she pushed herself to her feet and helped Hans to his feet. “Is that cane unbreakable?” she asked. “Reinforced steel. Very helpful.” Hans smirked, “Thank you. That was… a little crazier than what I was expecting. Are you alright?” Anna nodded, “Yeah… yeah I’m okay. What are we going to do now though?” “I-I don’t know.” Hans winced, “She threw me out, literally! I can’t go back to Arendelle, not when the weather’s like this and- “ “- What’s wrong with your hair?!” “We just fell off a cliff, your hair isn’t actually looking it’s best right now either.” Anna frowned, before shaking her head, “No! I mean your hair is turning white.” Spotting a hint of white out of the corner of his eye, Hans pulled a lock of his hair into view, wincing at the sight. That was a lot whiter than it was before. “She hit you.” Anna whispered, “That’s why it’s doing that, isn’t it?” “… Does it look bad.” There was a moment of silence, before Anna quickly shook her head. “No, no, no!” “You hesitated.” “I didn’t hear you at first.” Nervously, she cleared her throat, “We should get back to the palace. Think of another plan.” ………………………………………………………………………………. Elsa knew she was panicking. She’d hit your younger brother again, who knows what would happen this time? The sound of ice cracking echoed throughout the mountain, the wall red and stormy all around her. “Get it together.” She hissed, “Control it! Don’t feel, don’t feel, don’t feel!” It didn’t work. Elsa watched in dismay as jagged icicles started to grow out of the walls. ……………………………………………………………..…………………………………. Hans felt like his insides were turning to ice as they slowly made their way back to the palace. The snow was making it even harder for him to walk, having to pull his cane out of the snow with ever step. “Are you cold?” Anna asked, noticing his shivers, hand automatically moving to unclip her hooded cloak. “A little- no, no, no!” Hans stopped her from removing her own winter gear, “It’s nothing that I can’t- were those rocks there the last time we were here?” Anna glanced to the right, frowning as the rocks started to rumble and roll towards them. “I-I don’t think they’re just rocks.” When the first one popped up to reveal a small figure, Anna gasped, “Trolls, they’re trolls!” But Hans didn’t reply, and all Anna heard was a grunt and someone landing in the snow. “Hans!” Falling to her knees beside him, Anna winced. “He’s cold as ice.” She turned to the trolls, who were watching with wide eyes, “Please, is there anything you can do to help?” They all turned to one another, splitting down the middle as an older troll trundled forward. “There is strange magic here.” He muttered, gesturing for them to move closer, “Come, come! Bring him closer to me.” When Hans was in front of him, the older troll took his hands, “Hans, your life is in danger. There is ice in your heart, put there by your sister. If it’s not removed, you will freeze into soli ice forever.” “What?” Hans muttered weakly, “No!” “But you can remove it, right?” Anna begged, “I’ve heard stories of trolls, you- you can remove it!” “I am sorry, but I cannot.” The old troll shook his head, “If it were his head, that would be easy. But only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” “An act of true love?” “Like a true love’s kiss!” Another troll called out, prompting Hans and Anna to look at one another. Before Hans could say anything however, he shuddered, more of his hair turning white as he slumped against Anna, shivering in the cold winter breeze. “We’ve got to get back to Arendelle.” Anna gasped, “We need to get you home!” “Anna, you need to- “ Before he could finish the sentence however, everything went black. She needed to kiss him. ………………………………………………………………………. Caleb, Rudi and Runo stared up at the ice palace in awe. “We’re here to find Prince Hans and my sister.” Caleb announced, voice echoing through the mountains, “Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the Queen. Understood?” Unless of course, his brothers got a moment alone with her. As everyone nodded, they all moved closer to the ice steps, only to jump back as the giant mound of snow beside the steps suddenly moved, revealing a monstrous creature made out of ice and snow, two glowing eyes in the face. As everyone fired at it, throwing spears and arrows alike, the creature just seemed to get angrier and angrier. When one swipe sent Rudi and Runo flying into a snowbank, the pair seriously considered making a run for it. Until they saw the Queen in the doorway of the castle. “The Queen!” Rudi hissed, helping his son to his feet as they grabbed their weapons and raced past the creature, who was busy with the rest of the guards. Spotting his brothers making a run for it, Caleb moved to follow them, only to be blocked off. The twins burst in through the doors, chasing the Queen up the icy stairs and into a large room, which looked almost golden in the light. “Leave me be!” Elsa hissed as Rudi and Runo aimed their weapons at her. When one of them fired, she blocked it with ease, wincing as the arrow pierced right through the ice. “I mean it. Stay away!” She waved her hand again, forcing the pair to dive to the side to avoid being frozen. “FIRE! FIRE!” Rudi screamed at his brother. Back outside, Caleb grunted, only just managing to dodge a giant foot, slicing it off at the knee as he finally managed to get past the creature, the other guards following him. In the palace, Elsa pinned Runo up against the wall, one ice spike going right through his shoulder as he screamed in pain. “RUNO!” Before Rudi could leap to his twin’s defence, he was blasted through the balcony doors, only just managing to keep himself from falling off the edge as Caleb burst into the room. “Queen Elsa!” He called out, “You’re only proving yourself to be the monster everyone thinks you to be.” “I am no- UGH!” There was a sharp pain at the back of her head, and everything went black.
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When Elsa next opened her eyes, it was a surprise to her. She honestly expected to be killed. The cell had a slim window, and even from that view, it was obvious it wasn’t summer. Stumbling to her feet, she moved to peer out of the window, to see if what Hans said was true. Had she really cursed Arendelle to an eternal winter? Halfway there, she was stopped in her tracks, the rattling of chains making her all too aware of the cuffs around her hands. Cuffs that blocked her powers. A sickening feeling rose up in her throat. No one at the coronation would have had time to prepare and make cuffs like these, which means that these were in place before hand. Only her parents knew about her powers. Which means that her parents were the only ones who could have made these… just in case she lost control. Trying a different angle, she managed to look out of the window, eyes widening at the sight of the frozen sea, frosted over ships trapped in the solid ice. “Oh God…” She whispered, “… What have I done?” Before she could dwell on this, the door creaked open, to reveal one of the men who’d attacked her. A Prince of the Southern Isles if she remembered correctly… the oldest one. There was a reason she didn’t want Hans to have anything to do with that family. “You didn’t kill me.” She stated matter-of-factly, hiding her surprise, “Why? Why bring me here?” “Kill you?” The Prince smirked, “Why would I kill you?” “… I’m a danger to Arendelle. Get Hans, he- “ “- Your brother has yet to return. Same with my sister.” The Prince shrugged, “Before the end of the day, we can have you charged and executed for the death of two royals. If you want to be spared this fate, end this winter now.” “Don’t you see… I can’t!” Elsa snarled, “You really think I would let this go on if I had that much control over it?! Let me go! Hans will come back, he can be crowned King and- “ “- Oh, Your Highness. It’s not going to be that easy.” As the Prince left, locking the door behind him, Elsa glanced down at the cuffs, whimpering at the sight of the ice breaking through the solid metal. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. Anna forced the moose to go faster, glancing down at an unconscious Hans, white hair was nearly completely white now. “Hold on.” She whispered, “Please hold on.” They arrived at the palace gate in record time, hearing a guard call out their arrival. The gates were flung open, as several guards rushed out, two supporting Hans between them. “We need to get him warm and- “ “- Don’t worry sister dear.” Caleb grabbed her arm, stopping them from following, “Everything will be just fine now.” “Caleb, what are you doing?” She yelped as she was pulled in another direction, “You don’t understand, I need to- “ She stopped, remembering what the trolls had said, “- I need to kiss Hans, I need to kiss him right now!” “How sweet.” Caleb continued to pull her away from where Hans was being taken, “Don’t worry. Rudi will take care of him.” “You don’t understand! I-I think Elsa hit him with her powers and now- “ “- So, the Queen is responsible for her brother’s state.” Caleb seemed almost pleased about this. “She-she froze his heart, and now only an act of true love can save him, so you need to let me go so that I can- what are you doing?!” Anna yelped as she was thrown into another room. “True love’s kiss will save the Prince.” Caleb mused by the doorway, “Almost like a fairytale.” A wicked smirk then appeared on his face, “If only there was someone out there who loved him.” “But- But… I do!” But it was too late. The door had slammed shut, the clicking lock indicating that she was now a prisoner. “Caleb! CALEB!” ……………………………………………………………… “Please…” Hans whispered, weakly staring at Anna’s brother as he closed the curtains, “… Anna. I need Anna!” “Do you know my sister is thirteenth in line to our throne?” Hans fell silent, shrinking back as the brother turned and glared at him. “There was no chance of her ever becoming Queen… unless she married into it.” The brother gave Hans a pitying look, “Why else would she get close to you?” “That’s not… she’s not like that.” “True. And that’s why she’s weak.” The brother walked over to where a jug of warm water had been laid out for them, “You two are practically engaged though. With your sister facing charges of attempted murder and you dying right here in front of me, she’s the perfect choice for Queen. With a little bit of brotherly advice, she could be a proper Queen, one that will make us proud.” He then poured the water over the fire, sending the room into temperatures below zero. “Please…” Hans rolled off the sofa to try and stop him, “… No!” “Honestly, after you and Anna got married, we planned to have the Queen have a little accident, but then she pretty much did our job for us, and you were stupid enough to go after her!” He strode over to the fallen prince, smirking down at him, “And now all that’s left is to kill the Queen, and bring back summer.” “Y-You’re no match for Elsa!” “No, you were no match for Elsa. I don’t know why you thought you were… a cripple against a powerful sorceress? How could you ever think it would go well for you?” As Hans stared up at him, the other prince smirked. “My brothers and I on the other hand, we are going to be the heroes who saved Arendelle from destruction. This kingdom will forever be in our debt.” “You won’t get away with this!” “Oh, Your Royal Highness.” The other prince smirked, “We already have.” He closed the door behind him, locking it with a decisive CLICK as Hans weakly crawled over, the pain in his damaged leg building to unbearable levels. “Please! Please, someone help!” Collapsing to the ground, he was barely aware of his hair turning completely white. ……………………………………………………………………………………….. “It’s getting colder by the minute!” One of the Dukes muttered, as Caleb watched in barely concealed amusement, “If we don’t do something soon, we’ll all freeze to death!” Things were all going according to plan. Elsa was already in trouble for the wounding of Rudi, and so long as Rudi did his job properly, everything would fall neatly into place. As if on cue, the door creaked open and a ‘devastated’ Rudi stepped into the room. “Rudi!” Caleb fell into his role as concerned older brother, “What’s wrong?” “It’s Prince Hans…. He’s dead.” Everyone in the room gasped in shock, not one of them noticing the sly look exchanged between the brothers. “How did it happen?” Caleb asked, helping his brother into a chair. “He- he was killed by… Queen Elsa.” The dukes all gasped, “His own sister?!” Rudi nodded wearily, “Him and Anna just managed to say their marriage vows, before he passed on. Anna was distraught.” “Then it’s decided! Queen Elsa is a monster and must be stopped.” “I concur.” Caleb straightened up, “And it’s up to my sister to pass the sentence, agreed?” The dukes all nodded, and that was that. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a guard raced in. “It’s the Queen!” He gasped, sucking in a deep breath, “She’s gone!” ……………………………………………………………….. Anna’s throat was raw from all the screaming, her knuckles bruised from them hitting the door. Outside the storm raged, and with the temperature dropping, she knew Hans didn’t have much time. If he was even still alive at all. She needed to get out of here. At that moment, the wind blasted the window open. …………………………………………………………….. Hans needed to get out of here. It was only thanks to sheer stubbornness that he managed to get the fire going again, huddling as close to it as he could, the pain in his leg reaching an almost unbearable level. When the wind blew the window wide open, he groaned, dragging himself away from the fire in order to shut it as quickly as possible. As he went to shut it, he spotted a familiar figure sliding down the roofs from another window. “Anna!” He had to get to Anna.
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“ANNA! ANNA!” His leg hurt even more from his descent down the snow-covered roofs of the palace, and with the cold winter wind biting at his face, he had never so cold in his life. “ANNA!” He knew his words were being drowned out by the wind, but it never hurt to try, despite the fact that every time he opened his mouth, it felt like he was being frozen from the inside out. Oh… wait. Glancing down, he noticed how the tips of his fingers were turning to ice. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he continued moving forwards, not aware that Anna was doing the same not too far away. …………………………………………………………….. “Anna!” The cry was weak, but Anna heard it nonetheless, glancing around as the snow swirled all around her. “Hans?! HANS!” She ran off in the direction that she heard the call coming from. ………………………………………………………………………………….. Elsa ran through the storm as quickly as she could, hands up in the air in a desperate attempt to step the snow from stinging her eyes. Behind her, she spotted three shadowed figures getting closer and closer. “Elsa!” Caleb cried out, “You can’t run away from this!” “I don’t care what you do to me!” She snarled back at them, “But Hans is my heir! You can’t so anything to change that!” “Your brother?” Caleb turned to his brothers in amusement, “He returned from the mountain, weak and cold. He said that you froze his heart!” “No! I- “ “We tried everything, but it was too late.” Elsa felt like her own heart was breaking at the news as she desperately shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be about to say what she always feared would happen. “His skin was ice! His hair turned white… your brother is dead! Because of you!” “No.” Elsa felt like her limbs had turned to jelly, as she stumbled backwards, before falling to her knees. The instant her knees hit the ice, time seemed to freeze. Snowflakes stopped mid-air and the wind stopped completely, clearing the air, meaning that everything could now be seen. ……………………………………………………………………………. Hans couldn’t move another inch. If it weren’t for the fact that he was still breathing, he would believe that he’d turned into a solid block of ice. And then he spotted someone in the distance. “Anna!” He tried to call out, his voice only coming out as a whisper, as he tried to walk forwards. “HANS!” She ran towards him, and Hans couldn’t help but sigh in relief… and then he heard the sword being unsheathed. Glancing over to the left, his eyes widened at the sight of Caleb striding towards the form of his crumpled sister, sword at the ready. “Elsa.” He whispered, glancing back at Anna as she slipped and slid on the ice in her effort to reach him. He knew what he had to do. Grunting in head, he used the last of his strength to reach his sister, skidding in front of the sword and holding up his cane to try and stop the blow. “NO!” He saw the sword coming towards him… and then everything went black. ………………………………………………………………………………. Elsa heard the sword shatter and the three brothers cry out in alarm. Slowly, she opened up her eyes and turned to see what had happened. The first thing she saw was the ice blue hand of her brother, stretched out as though trying to shield her. “Hans!” She pushed herself to her feet, reaching out to touch her brother’s cheeks, only to wince at the sensation of touching cold ice, “Oh, please no.” She begged, throwing her arms around the frozen figure, “No, no, no! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” “Hans?” She heard Princess Anna whisper behind her, clearly on the verge of crying herself. “Hans, please.” Elsa begged, starting to hum the old song she had heard her brother sing so often, outside her bedroom door. “Yes, I want to build a snowmanI’m sorry that it took so long.I didn’t know, I needed you… I really doAnd now you’re gone. Please just ask me once moreJust one more time… I promise I’ll open the door.Yes, I wanna build a snowman.” The quiet song echoed off the ice, as everyone bowed their heads in mourning. And then Elsa felt the body she was curled around, soften and warm up, a quiet gasp escaping closely followed by a yelp of pain as Hans crumpled to the ground. “HANS!” Elsa wrapped her arms around him, clinging onto him tightly, as his eyes widened in shock. “E-Elsa? What are you- “ “- Why?” Elsa pulled away to look her brother in the eyes, “Why would you sacrifice yourself for me like that?” “Well… You’re my sister. I love you.” Behind them, Anna gasped. “That’s it! An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!” “Love…” Elsa pushed herself to her feet, stretching out her arms as Hans frowned in confusion, “… of course.” The snow and ice started to rise into the air, a ship rising beneath their feet as a snowflake appeared in the sky, before disappearing, revealing the warm blue sky of summer again. “I knew you could do it.” Hans beamed, allowing himself to be helped to his feet, thankful that his cane hadn’t been broken after blocking the sword with it. And then they heard the groans and moans of pain from the three brothers. Elsa stepped forwards, a look of pure anger on her face, only for Anna and Hans to grab an arm each and hold her back. “I think we can handle this.” Anna beamed, striding over to her brothers, who stared at Hans in shock. “Prince Hans?” Caleb whispered, “But… she froze your heart!” “The only frozen heart around here is yours.” Anna interjected, “And I will be telling Daddy about this.” “But- “ As Anna punched her oldest brother in the face, sending him careering into the sea, Hans tripped Rudi and Runo, until they went over the side of the ship as well, everyone cheering from the balconies. Shyly, Hans turned back to his sister and held out his arms, beaming when she went in for yet another hug, Anna watching fondly from the side-lines. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Caleb, Rudi and Runo were sent home in disgrace with the King of the Southern Isle’s promise that they would be severely punished for their actions. Once the Duke of Weselton and his daughter were successfully thawed out, they too, were sent home in disgrace, the engagement broken off, as well as any trade agreements. Hans eagerly led Anna through the streets as they avoided people and poles alike. “So, did this Kristoff appreciate the new sledge you bought him?” Hans asked. “Yep! He tried to return it, but I explained that the Prince’s orders that he keep it.” Anna smiled, “He said he was so happy that he could kiss me.” “D-Did he?” Anna looked amused, “Why? Jealous.” Turning red, Hans tried to look away, only for Anna to grab his collar and pull him into a spine-tingling kiss. “The only person I’m kissing, is you.” She whispered, “Got it?” “Got it.” “Good. Now come on, I think your sister is making an ice rink in the main courtyard!” “Ice…. Great!” ……………………………………………………………. “Ready?!” The crowd cheered as Elsa beamed, slamming her foot down on the ground as ice covered the cobblestones. The water in the fountains froze into beautiful sculptures, and snow gently fell from the sky. As the crowd all started to skate around, Hans slowly made his way over to his sister, almost falling into her arms. “I think I’m going to practice making little paths for you.” Elsa seemed unwilling to let him go just yet. “I’ll get used to it!” Hans protested, finally steadying himself and beaming at his sister, “I really like having the gates open.” “I promise, that we will never close them again.” Elsa then smirked, “Now hold on.” She grabbed her brothers’ hands and started to skate backwards, giggling as Hans panicked slightly. “Elsa, I- “ “- I’ve got you.” She reassured him, “I’ve always got you.” A promise she was determined to keep.