Fear will be your enemy [Jelsa]

Epilogue.

Arendelle, 30 October. (Three weeks after the battle.)

Hans looked from the balcony to the courtyard below, looking at the celebrating people of Arendelle. After weeks of cleaning the mess the battle had left behind, and cleansing his name from Treason on the Crown, people had begun to accept him... more or less. He supposed the distrust would never fully cease....

"I thought I might find you here..."

Hans blinked, and looked behind his shoulder to see Rapunzel come towards him. The man stayed silent and waited for Rapunzel to talk.

Rapunzel glanced to the people below, before glancing back to Hans. "How do you feel?"

"Good, thank you." The air got warmer after that, and Hans now locked eyes with the young princess.

"you are a terrible liar, you know that?"

" I'm done with lying..." said the man back. " I'm done with everything..." the man clenched his hands deeper arround the wooden carvings, and dark sand began to spread across it.

"You want to leave, like Elsa did." Said Rapunzel as she saw the pain in Hans' eyes.

"Yes... you're probably here to convince me not to" spoke Hans as he let the sand dissappear.

"I'm not. If that's what you want... nobody is going to stop you."

"Then why have you come if not to persuade me?" asked the Nightmare King confused.

"I just want you to know, that you'll always have a place here, with us." Said Rapunzel as she nodded to the others inside.

"That's very kind to say...and I appreciate it but..." Hans trailed off, as he didn't know how to put it in words.

Rapunzel put her warm hand over his, and pinched it. "-but you need time. I get it."

Hans' lips curled up. "Thank you" He embraced her tightly. He had never really spoken to her as much as Elsa or Anna, but he liked her directness towards him.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to Triss?" asked Rapunzel as they parted from their hug. She had seen, like many others, that the prince was very close with her...

Hans 'smile faded a little. "I'm not really someone who loves goodbyes..."

"Hans, she..." Rapunzel bit her tongue. She didn't want to say it, as it was Triss who had to decide when she would tell him. "She's going to miss you. I heard she was going to Dunebroch... Perhaps-"

"Triss is better off without me." Interrupted Hans.

"Without letting her decide for herself?" said Rapunzel with a raised eyebrow.

Hans grumbled at her remark. "I don't –" Hans stopped himself before he would get into a fight with Rapunzel. "She'll understand" said Hans finally.

Rapunzel frowned at his words, but decided not to push the man. "Alright then..." She leaned in and gave a small kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourself."

"always."

Rapunzel watched the Nightmare King dissappear, before turning arround to see Anna.

"He's isolating himself, like Elsa did..." Spoke Anna worried .

"He just needs time Anna. Its a great deal he had to go through..." Rapunzel then saw the krumkakes Anna had brought. "Oh.... Krumkakes!" exclaimed the girl. Like always, she was curious about new things. "Can I have one?"

"Sure" smiled Anna and she gave one to her.

Meanwhile Elsa was talking with Triss in the ballroom. The Queen was quite interested in Triss' travels, as she had never been out of her borders before – Corona didn't count, as it had been a diplomatic trip – And was now trying a few words in Danish. Which she failed horribly in. Triss often had to re-pronounce the word Elsa was stumbling on to pronounce.