Jump Into the Fog

Twisting the Structure

Jump Into the Fog

Chapter 3

"I'm only here because I wanna twist the structure of my average day."

-

Elsa sobbed and sobbed, letting her room freeze up until she had no more tears to shed. Her guilt kept eating her up—she was even surprised Hans wasn't getting bored or sick of her. In fact, this whole time he'd barely left her side… He comforted her, holding her when she felt most vulnerable, and whispering sweet nothings in her ear when she blamed herself for Anna's death.

Finally, tired and weary of shedding all she could for her sister, Elsa sat up in her bed, looking out the window. Snow still blanketed the entirety of Arendelle, and Elsa still had no idea how she could ever stop it. It seemed to be all her fault, and everyone pointed fingers of blame without hesitation, easily making her the most hated queen in the history of Arendelle.

That is… except Hans.

Hans devoted the majority of his time to comforting Elsa, making her burden easier, too, by taking over a few of her duties as queen. He seemed so eager to help, where everyone else was so eager to blame. In this dark, stressful time, he'd been the only one considerate enough to ask her how she felt, or bring her tea when she was thirsty, or talk to her about mundane, enjoyable things like the type of books she liked to read and what the most beautiful thing she'd conjured up with her powers was.

"Oh, my palace on the North Mountain," she replied, almost like she missed it. At least in isolation, she could keep herself in a beautiful fortress she'd created. She did miss talking to people, though… And Hans seemed to ease the pain of losing Anna, just a bit. Hans was the only one who seemed to talk about… well, anything with her. He wasn't afraid, she realized, like the dignitaries and the Duke of Weselton were.

"It really was such a thing of beauty," he confessed, laying on his side as he looked up at her.

Blushing, Elsa looked back out the window, remembering that she'd been the cause of all this, though… "You're the only person who doesn't think I'm a monster…" she admitted, choking up a bit. The other had been Anna…

Shrugging, Hans gestured to the room. "Think of all the beauty you could create if you knew how to control your powers," he said. "Ice can be quite dangerous, but it can be quite beautiful as well…" He gave her the most sincere look he could muster up.

This was crazy; he'd been pining for Anna, hadn't he? Why was Hans showing such a sudden interest in her, then? Was it just in his nature to be this nice to everyone?

"I need to learn to control my powers," she insisted instead, staring off in the distance toward the fjord. "This winter can't last…" Her eyes went back to Hans, whose breath she could see. "And I'm obviously making you uncomfortable. You know you're not obligated to stay."

"I want to," he countered, scooting a bit closer to her. "If I leave you alone for too long, they're going to devour you."

Elsa only shrugged, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. The fact that they could carry on such a normal conversation in such an intimate place really baffled her. It was making her a bit nervous, but Hans never tried to advance on her at all. The only time they'd ever really made contact was when Elsa needed it most—when she thought about Anna.

She didn't deny Hans' last statement, though—she did feel that he was unintentionally protecting her. "I do thank you for everything you've done…" she told him. "But you could be back at home, you know."

Looking back, Elsa watched his face fall just a bit before looking back up at her. "Anywhere is better than home," he professed after a moment.

"Even after all that's happened here?" she pressed, conjuring up a snowflake. "Even after finding out about my powers and—" she faltered a bit, "—after what happened to Anna?"