"What possessed the snow queen to travel so far south?" The auburn haired man said from the lined shadows.

"Your family summoned me here for a peace treaty." The icy woman replied. "They were afraid your actions ruined our political relationship."

"That would be a shame…wouldn't it?" he drawled quietly, resting the side of his head on the cold, gray wall.

"Hans, look at me."

Hans turned to her. She wore a heavy, blue robe with silver fringe that made her appear colder, if that was even possible, and her hair in a severely tight, braided up-do. She had strength surging from her being, no more that timid, newly coronated girl he met all those months ago.

"What could you possibly want from me, Elsa?" he scoffed, holding her icy stare for a fraction of a second before he had to look away.

"I wanted to tell you," she began, though it sounded like an ending, "that your family offered the people of Arendelle your head."

His blood froze and he felt his jaw clench. Would his brothers, his parents, really hate him that much? He knew his relationship with them was strained before, but for them to freely hand him over for execution? His shoulders tightened and he glared at the ground. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. It was becoming his new obsession. But as rigid and fearful as he felt, he did not let it show.

"And your decision?" he replied in a strained voice.

"Unlike you," she said, pale nostrils flared, "I do not view death as an appropriate form of punishment. But your kingdom insisted, so I'm taking you into my custody."

He pulled his hazel gaze from the floor and stared into her equally stony eyes. "And what," he sneered, his hate running her through, "will you do with me, your majesty?"

"I don't know."

xxxx

"My Queen," the duke bellowed, bursting into her cabin, "the seas are raging, many men have been washed from the deck!"

Elsa flew up the damp, rocking stairs from her royal cabin. The sky was turning in and out of itself and flashing with light. The rain came as needles, blinding her sight and searing against her skin. Nearly losing her own balance, she was thankful she had chosen to wear traveling boots under her regal robes.

"Captain!" she called, from the deck, the duke holding onto her bracing her against the mast. He handed her a rope and she twisted it around her right arm. "You must go back for the men!"

"My Queen," the captain yelled from the helm, "if we turn now the winds will knock over out vessel. They are lost!"

Another wave rolled over the deck and those left went flying with the wall of water. Elsa gagged as the salt burned her eyes and throat, but she held tight to the tope on her arm. The cord twisted painfully against her skin, but she clung to it tighter, reassured it was working.

The wave passed and she pulled herself up from the deck. She wretched as the salt water churned in her stomach and her eyes stung from what got into her eyes.

"Duke!" She coughed, stumbling to the mast as the ship rocked violently back and forth. "Duke!" But the duke was nowhere in sight. Fear gripped her heart and she felt her hands freezing to the mast. "No!" She commanded herself, pulling them away in disgust, only to lose her balance and fall again.

"Captain?!" she cried, hopelessly, searching for his burly figure at the helm. She noticed a giant lump against the quarterdeck rail. She quickly clambered up the stairs to the collapsed captain and tried to shake him awake. "Captain!"

"Where are the men?" he said groggily, looking around. "Where are all my men?!"

"I don't know!" she said, panic filling seizing her heart. She may be the queen, but she was never trained to captain a ship. She looked around, trying to see if any souls remained onboard. She only spotted three.

"Only five left!" he said, pulling himself back to the helm. "You can't sail a ship in good weather with that many."

"No, there's more." She said suddenly.

Before the captain could protest, Elsa tore down into the ships belly and down into the brig. The air was damp and salty, and a foot of water sloshed where the floor boards were supposed to be. Maneuvering around the floating barrels and crates of spoiled food, she made her way to the holding cells.

"Hans!" She coughed, searching for his cell.

"Elsa?!" his voice called amongst the din. "What's the hell is happening up there?" He stuck his arm through the bars, waving her to his cell. The ship lurched again and she went flying forward. Grabbing a swinging cell door, she remained upright and unharmed, then worked her way to Hans location.

"The ship! We've entered a huge storm and lost all our—," Hans was on the floor, his face submerged underwater. "Hans!"

She reached for the keys but found they had fallen off the hook. Desperate, she bent down and began feeling the wooden floor boards for the metal ring, but she'd never find them in the murky water.

Clenching her jaw, she turned to the lock on the cell and pointed her hands at the metal. Icy blue tendrils swirled from her finger tips and began congealing on the bolt. Frozen solid within second, she grabbed the bars of the cell in her hands and, with adrenaline powered force, kicked the door. The frozen bolt shattered upon her second blow and she swung it open.

Running to Hans she turned him over, and anxiously attempted to shake him awake. His hand shot from the water and grabbed her throat.

"Elsa," he sneered through gritted teeth as he slammed her against the wall. His hand was tight on her windpipe and she gagged, clutching at his arm and unleashing her icy powers. Chunks of frost appeared on his soiled white shirt and in a panicked moment he recoiled from her and let her go.

Elsa pushed herself from the wall and let two icicles form in her hands. "Touch me again, She said, breath shaky but dangerous, "and I will end you."

Hans slowly put up his hands into a defensive position, gently waving them as if he were shushing a tantrum throwing child. "I think," he said slowly, with a sly grin and cocked brow, "It would be in our best interest to work together. Truce?" He stuck out a hand for a shake.

Elsa brushed past it and stalked down the cell hall. "The ship's going under," she said trusting he was following, "So I suggest you help us unless you want to go with it."