"Help," John croaked as the ice inched up his neck. Hans looked around as the ice grew more large spikes as if the walls had a skin disease. He knew they would all die if he didn't do something quick. He remembered Elsa saying "love will thaw" when Anna ended up saving Elsa and thawing the frozen country by an act of true love. He looked over at Elsa who seemed to be frozen by the past traumatic events. He ran over to her and lifted her chin. Her blue eyes were clouded by confusion, guilt, and fear. He kissed her so softly like a snowflake landing on her lips. The ice began to melt and John gasped as his throat was released.

John stared at Elsa as he fell to the floor. His hand touched his throat as Viktor shook his head. Elsa repeatedly muttered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"What do we do now?" Viktor asked Hans as the sun peaked his yellow head over the horizon. The room was illuminated in beautiful colors found in the sunrise.

Hans wrapped his arm around Elsa's shoulder and looked at the sun. "She needs to rest. Let me get her upstairs, and then we can talk." He escorted her up the spiral staircase and into her bedroom. He laid her down on a snow bed and watched her wrap her arms around a pillow made of snow. He smiled as she drifted to sleep then returned to his brothers.

John stood up and said quietly, "I guess it wasn't meant to be."

"John, we need you. These two deserve to be together, and I'm sure you can see that. Help us convince Evan and Isaac to give him a second chance at life," Viktor said kindly as the older brother sighed and stroked his chin.

"I agree, but his sentence will be far from Arrendale. You understand that, right? We can save his life, but I can't promise that they won't be separated," he responded.

Hans sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He replied quietly, "Is there a chance we can be reunited?" John shrugged. The brothers decided they would return to Arrendale whenever Elsa awoke. John would speak to the blood-thirsty Evan and Isaac, and Viktor would speak to the angry Anna. Hopefully, they would be able to convince them to banish Hans from Arrendale for at least five years and allow him to live in poverty. At the end of his sentence, he could return as a new man and with a promise of love.

When they returned to Arrendale, the brothers were congratulated and Elsa was embraced by her sister and future brother-in-law. Hans felt like an outsider and wished to disappear back into the castle. He knew he didn't have much time with his beloved ice queen, and she didn't know about their plan. Viktor nodded over to John and they asked Hans and Elsa to give them some privacy. The couple agreed and vanished into the library.

"Elsa, I want you to know that I will always love you,"Hans said as he took her hands in his and brought them to his chest.

"You sound like you're on your death bed," Elsa joked as she met the sorrow looming in his green eyes.

"Our plan failed. We acted rashly, and John doesn't think they will allow me to stay. I still deserve harsher punishment for my crimes. They want to separate us for five years," he replied somberly as Elsa looked down at her hands. Her smile fell flat as her blue eyes glazed over.

"Will we be able to return to each other?" she asked.

"I don't know yet."

Meanwhile, Anna yelled "What?" at their plan. She looked at Viktor as if he was a dog that pooped on expensive carpet. Her face was red and hot. Viktor held his breath as if exhaling would cause the princess to explode.

"Your sister is in love, and Hans makes her happy. You will be gone and happily married by the time, they are able to reunite," Viktor responded steadily as Anna crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. Her jaw became unclenched as her mind raced.

Anna looked up at him and replied, "I love Elsa and want her to be happy, but Hans deserves a longer and more severe punishment for his crimes against Arrendale and for escaping imprisonment."

"I understand," Viktor replied calmly.

John had more success with the Westergaurd heirs. Although malevolent and ferocious, Evan and Isaac were firm believers in true love and hoped to find romance. They agreed to allowing Hans to returning home and living in poverty. They would welcome Elsa into their kingdom and allow her to visit. They jokingly commented, "We'd rather disown him than having to deal with his carcass."

They all joined Elsa and Hans in the library. They all seemed to tower over the couple. "Hans,you will return to the Southern Isles for ten years. You will have no royal privilege or contact with your family and live a life of poverty. Elsa, you are free to visit our country at your leisure, but he may not return to Arrendale until the end of his sentence," John announced as the couple looked at one another. "We leave tonight."

"I'm sorry we can't do more for you," Viktor responded quietly as Evan and Isaac left to go pack and inform the sailors of their boat. Elsa turned to Hans and grabbed the back of his shirt and buried her head in his chest as Viktor left to help the others. Hans stroked the back of her soft hair.

"I will wait for you," she murmured into his chest.

He kissed her forehead and promised, "I will write to you everyday. Elsa, we are going to make it. " She looked up at him and prayed he was telling the truth.

-Five years later-

Elsa wandered through the outskirts of the Southern Isles. Small shacks surrounded the small sidewalks. She gripped the envelope in her hand as if it contained life's secrets. Finally, she found a small house with one window at a distance from the other houses as if the owner was shunned from society.

She knocked on the chipped painted red door. Hans, now much thinner,opened the door. His beard was trimmed but his clothes and skin was dirty and wet. The smell of fish and salt water clung to his body. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and smiled. "My queen, what brings you here?" he asked as he took her hands in hers.

Elsa smiled and replied, "I thought I might stay here for awhile."

"What about Arrendale?" He asked as he welcomed her inside. There was a small table inside with two chairs and a bed.

"It's a kingdom of isolation without you," she responded quietly. "I'm only here for a month so can I stay?"

"Of course."