A Twist Of Fate

Chapter 22

Sitron neighed and stomped around in his stall at the sight of his master and the Queen. "I'm here, I'm here," Hans laughed and went to his buddy, opening the stall door and letting the great Fjord Stallion walk out. Elsa waved shyly and giggled, going over to another stall.

Wait... The Snow Queen of Arendelle had a horse..?

"Hey there, girl." Elsa pet the white and black horses muzzle. It looked exactly like Anna's horse...

"This is Kløsset. She's Anna's horse, but I ride her sometimes; I don't have my own.." Elsa smiled shyly and did the same, opening up the stall door to let her out and get onto her with surprising ease. "Alright, Admiral. Lead the way." Elsa looked at him with a grin as he perched himself on Sitron. Hans matched her grin before riding off will Elsa following.

~

"Oh my- Hans! This is gorgeous!" Elsa hopped off Kløsset and tied her reins to a nearby tree branch. And really, it was gorgeous. In the light of the sunset, Elsa could see a small pond framed with a few trees and some rose bushes, then a more open area with green grass and some pretty flowers here and there. The open area was on a cliff, but it was rather close to the ground, so that if they jumped off, they wouldn't break anything. It was a very enclosed space, which she liked. "Oh!" Elsa giggled and tried to catch a firefly that passed by her. Hans stood by the same tree Sitron and Kløsset were tied up to, watching the Queen act like a curious girl. He couldn't fight the smile that grew on his face. She really was a goddess, with a kind heart to match.

Oh, if only I hadn't agreed to-

"Hans!" Elsa called, waving for him to come over. She was seated at the edge of the cliff, looking up at the starry sky over Arendelle's fjord. A willow tree- smaller then Elsa's favorite but still big -loomed over her. "I'm glad I found this place," Hans whispered to her, grinning. Elsa grinned back and nodded. "I'm glad too," she tapped his nose playfully. "I could stay here forever... Ugh, to just get away from wedding plans, mounds of paperwork, and needy fiancé's." She sighed dramatically and flopped back, the only thing fulling her eyes were stars. Hans mimicked her and fell back as well, placing his hands behind his head. "I could be worse, you know," Hans bit his lip. "You could still be locked up in your room. You could still be loosing control of your powers. You could-"

"Not know you?" For who you are?" Elsa tested the waters, turning her head to look at him. He blinked up at the sky and furrowed his brows. "I'm sure you could have lived without knowing me.." He pressed his lips into a firm line. "Oh, I don't know about that.." Elsa furrowed her brows as well. "I like your charm. And your intelligence. And your attitude." Elsa smirked and finally made him look to her. "Oh?" He turned his head to match her smirk. "Says the all-sassy Snow Queen of Arendelle." He laughed at her surprised expression before a snowball suddenly came in contact with his face. He snorted and sputtered, wiping the snow off his face. Elsa was clutching her side, laughing so hard. "This means war, Your Majesty." Hans smirked and rolled the snow that hit his face into a ball. Elsa squealed and ran behind the tree, making snowballs of her own while she coated the ground in soft snow. "You're no match for an admiral, Your Majesty!" Hans teased, laughing heartedly. Elsa blushed and giggled behind the tree- she loved his laugh! "Oh yeah?" She peaked out with a smirk, then walked out, showing the huge snowball floating above her head. Hans yelped and looked for a place to hide, but it was too late. He was buried in the giant snowball as Elsa threw it on him, leaving him shaking snow out of his red hair, laughing all the while. "I have beat the.." Elsa paused to think of a nickname for Arendelle's new admiral. "The red lion! Yes!" She giggled and toppled over, plopping down next to him. "Red Lion? Hm, I could get used to that," Hans grinned.

For many hours, the two were either having a snowball fight, conversing about literature, or talking about places they've been and wanted to go to. "You've been to Baltia?" Elsa looked at Hans jealously. "I've always wanted to travel there. I heard it's beautiful, and the King and Queen very kind." She mused, smiling. "Yes well, the King is my brother. And he actually is a kind man. His wife is nice... Most of the time." He chuckled while Elsa scooted closer, eager for more information. "Anna told me you had twelve older brothers. Are the rest of them nice, too..?"

"Not many. But I'm no longer living at home, which I am grateful for." He gave the Queen a lopsided smile. "I'm sorry," she bit her lip.

"It's not your doing." He replied simply.

"Nor yours either, I presume." Elsa offered a soft smile. Hans blinked, slowly returning the smile. Suddenly, Elsa caught something out of the corner of her eye. "Look," she pointed over across the pond, where a doe and her fawn were drinking the water. After a moment, the doe brought its head up and nudged the fawn, who shakily stood up. It was clear it was a young one. Elsa bit her lip as she smiled, silently gushing over how cute the two deer were. Hans grinned and watched the deer with Elsa until they eventually walked back into the woods. Elsa's eyes drifted from the place where they were, to her hands, folded and resting on her thighs, as both were sitting on their knees. Hans watched her, both silent. It wasn't really awkward, just... Calming.

"You really are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He murmured, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the Queen. Elsa blinked and looked up, a strawberry pink blush gracing her cheeks. "Well, I'm sure if you traveled all over the world and saw every single girl, there would be some more fair then I."

Hans furrowed his brows before grinning mischievously to himself. "You're right," he said and turned, looking as if he were about to get up. Instead, he turned back around with a pale pink rose in his hand. He scooted closer to a confused Elsa, and placed it in her hair, behind her ear. "There. Now you're the most beautiful woman in the world." He said proudly, making her snicker. "Well, I thank you for that." Elsa murmured, matching his grin. Hans continued to keep his hand behind her head slightly, his thumb stroking her cheek. "I'm serious. You're an amazing person, and not just for your looks. I know that for a fact." Hans said quietly while Elsa just gazed at him in wonder. Her hand went to his thigh, where his own hand rested. She took it and laced her fingers with his; a familiar, calming feeling. His thumb moved to run across her bottom lip, and he was sure his cheeks matched his hair; her cheeks certainly matched the rose.

"Elsa,"

"Hans,"

The two were breathless as their mouths collided, fingers taking through hair, cold hands skimming down a warm chest, warm hands caressed curves. It wasn't rough, no, it was full of bottled up passion that was finally being released. Elsa found herself straddling his lap to get closer, impossibly closer, as they hummed and breathed to the heat of their kiss. Finally. They didn't know how long they had been at it, but soon they pulled away to catch their breathes and slow their rapid heartbeat. Elsa rested her forehead against Hans', while his arms remained protectively around the Queen. Neither said a thing; they were too lost in the blissful aftermath. After a moment or two, Elsa spoke.

"I've..." She blushed even deeper and smiled sheepishly.

"Been wanting that for a long time? So have I," Hans breathed in return, earning a small giggle and nod from Elsa.

"Elsa, I-"

"Well well," Rolf peaked out from behind a tree before fully stepping out. "Now that you two are finally done," he made a disgusted face at the two shocked speechless royals. "There's business to take care of."