Heated Ice (Helsa)

Chapter Three: The Ice Castle

With no luck at finding Hans in the two or three packs of ice miners, Elsa was becoming restless. It became too dark to head back to Arendelle without being attacked by wolves so Elsa headed towards the all too familiar ice castle she had built to escape Arendelle.

She made a small ice stable for Bastille and gave him two of the carrots, took the sack from his saddle and kissed him goodnight before heading up the ice stairs and into the castle.

The castle looked the same as she left it but there were a few items of furniture that were man made that cluttered the castle. She walked through the house nervously, waiting for Hans to pop out of a corner and take her life. As she looked through the house no one was to be found so she went upstairs to where her sitting room was.

In the room was a small bench that lined the crystal blue wall and a pile of long, neatly organized wooden planks that looked like it would be used for a bed. Elsa settled down onto the bench and opened up the brown sack of different items that Anna thought up for Elsa.

The various items included a large red blanket, a few candles and a few matches to light them. There were also different types of food like a few apples, a banana, and a sealed bottle that had a purply, red coloring to it, it must've been wine. The other foods were small cookies and a few wrapped chocolates. Elsa sat and giggled to herself about Anna being so keen on chocolate and how much they both loved chocolate.

Elsa readied her bed and laid uncomfortably in the dark, staring up at the ceiling of her once solitude castle and sighed at how lonely she felt. She laid there and wondered how exactly she managed to stay here and how things would be if Anna never came to get her or if Hans never brought her back to Arendelle, even though it was in chains. She shook her head, throwing out the thoughts of Hans and fell fast asleep.

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Elsa stirred slowly in her sleep and as she was becoming conscious she could hear someone rummaging around and heard the creaking of wood. Elsa sat up immediately and looked around, seeing the infamous Hans sitting down on the bench a few feet away in front of the bed, a few feet away from Elsa. Elsa shrieked and tucked her knees back to her chest, pulling herself away from Hans, even if it was only a few inches.

"Did I wake you, Queen Elsa?" He asked, a small smirk spreading across his lips.

"This is my castle, I hope you do remember that."

"Well, of course. The last time I was here, when I imprisoned you and took you back to Arendelle in chains, we can't forget that. I thought what a lovely home this would make." He said and stood from the bench. Once he stood straight Elsa noticed how tall Hans actually was but still not as tall as Kristoff. "Oh, Elsa." He said and brought himself to the end of the bed and sat down. "This is a lovely home. You should have been an architect."

"Stop playing games with me, Hans." Elsa snapped at him and noticed how nervous he actually made her.

"That's what I do though. I play mind games and trick people." He said and adjusted his pristinely white gloves. He was wearing a white overcoat, navy blue trousers and a pale gray undershirt, he left a few buttons at the top of the shirt unbuttoned, making Elsa slightly blush at his pale, lightly freckled skin. "How's Anna?"

"How dare you ask about Anna!" Elsa yelled and sat up a little, feeling the room get colder and felt the wall and the bed beginning to freeze.

"It's fun to see you angry." He mused and smiled at her.

"I suggest you cut your act, Hans. I'm going to end up killing you and I don't want to do that."

"Oh? Really. Well that ought to be fun." He said and watched as Elsa threw her face into her hands and began to lightly sob. "Elsa." He mumbled and began feeling bad for making her cry but couldn't let his tough guy façade be let down. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I defended you." She said and looked up at him, tears streaming down here face. "Anna called you a monster and wondered why I would even bother to come find you. Why did I? I should have let you freeze to death up here!" She yelled and felt herself losing control over her powers. "But no, I care for you and your well being as person and I came to find you."

"Elsa-" He said and sat there stunned. No one has ever cared enough about Hans to come look for him, check up on him or to not think he was evil or the walking devil. No one except Elsa.

"No, Hans." She said and threw the blanket from her and walked hesitantly over to the sack and threw it over her shoulder. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have looked for you. Maybe Anna is right and you are a monster." She snapped and wiped her cheeks one more time. "And I thought you had a good heart."

"Elsa." He said and stood up. "Can I say something?"

"I think you've said enough. I'm leaving now. You can keep the blanket." She said and gestured towards the blanket then brought her arm back to her side. "Please let me leave alive. I would like to return back to Arendelle."

"You can go. I won't try anything." He muttered and looked down at his feet then back up at Elsa. "I won't hurt you."

After awhile of standing there Elsa said: "If you want to return to the Southern Isles you need to come with me now. You'll be locked in a jail cell until your brothers come to get you and take you back home."

"My brothers are coming?" Hans asked, his eyes opening wide.

"Two of them, Edward and Leo. They sent word that they'll be here tomorrow."

"I'll come back to Arendelle. I'll go back to the Southern Isles with my brothers." He said quickly. Elsa gave him a strange look and wondered why he had a sudden change to return home. She watched as Hans looked around, then he remembered he had no items to take back to his home and Elsa could see him visibly deflate then he looked over at Elsa and straightened his back up and was once again Hans.