Hi guys!
A little author's note to those who have doubts regarding the last chapter:
Hans was the rightful heir to the Southern Isles throne, because when his father abdicated he CHOSE Hans as his successor, instead of giving the crown to his eldest son.

I hope that cleared things up.
Enjoy!

Elsa's POV:

I pulled on the reins and Sapphire gently came to a halt. I knew I was going to find him there. Sitron was tied to the solitary tree, while Hans was sitting in front of the lake where we almost shared a kiss. His back faced me as he stared into the water thinking about what had just happened. I gave Sapphire a gentle kick and walked to the tree. I knew Hans had heard me, but he didn't move a muscle. I got off Sapphire and tied her next to Sitron. Hans remained still, his shoulders slightly rising as he let out a long breath. Quietly, I made my way to him, not really knowing what to say, and kneeled behind him. My arms slid around him as I rested my chin on his shoulder. I felt Hans's breath hitch for a moment, but then he hesitantly brought a hand to cover my arm, lightly tilting his head towards me.
I didn't plan or decide to hold him like that, I just did. It came out natural. After what he had just discovered he needed comfort. I had no idea of how he must have been feeling right now, but Hans wasn't fine, he was very far from it. All I knew was that I couldn't comfort him with words, simply because I couldn't possibly imagine what this kind of betrayal felt like. I couldn't even try to imagine it if Anna did it to me, because that would be another level of betrayal all together.

Words were not spoken between us. We just stayed there like that for a few moments, with the gentle autumn breeze touching our embrace. Hans slightly tilted his head back down, but his hand kept stroking my arm. My arms gently tightened around him, turning my face nestling my nose in his silky locks. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and inadvertently breathed in his clean, musky, sweet scent. Hans took in a deep shaky breath, his hand finding mine and taking it in his, his head once again slightly turning towards me, suddenly finding our heads gently pressed against one another. Hans's green orbs stared empty into the ground, glassy and wounded.

Hans's POV:

I was far from okay in that moment. I didn't even know myself what I was feeling. All I could define in that devouring feeling inside was disgust and sickness and a void. All I wanted was for something to hit me hard enough to either send me in an endless sleep or wake me up from this nightmare.
Rejection. Betrayal. Hate. Self-loathe. Shame. Were these the only feelings I was allowed to have and receive? Will I ever be able to fill in this black void that now only seemed to grow darker and lonelier? I couldn't tell, but this is what my life has been. I was a prince, my father had chosen me to be king even if I was 13th in line, but it doesn't mean anything when your own family doesn't love you and does everything they can to make you miserable. I lived in a golden cage, the same one that held Elsa prisoner for 13 years. We were free, yet prisoners of the same golden cage: her side created by fear, mine hand-made by my kin's betrayal.

I then heard her horse come closer, I heard her hop off Sapphire and quietly walk to me. I only came to my sense when Elsa's caring arms slid around my shoulders, locking on my chest. My breath hitched as I realized she was holding me in a comforting, warm embrace, resting her chin on my shoulder. It took me a moment and hesitantly, brought a hand upon her arm slightly turning my head in her direction. I could feel her soft breath on my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

Elsa didn't speak, but her touch suddenly made me realize how much I needed that embrace. Not just someone's: hers. I needed Elsa now. I needed her and here she was when I thought I was going to resign to keep everything bottled up. I was grateful that she had come looking for me, but even then, I tried to keep everything in. It was pathetic really, and if I started crying in front of her like beaten child it was going to be an even more squalid sight. I knew she was there to listen, but if part of me was yelling at me to let the feelings out and share it with her, there was a part that was terrified of doing so.
Elsa's arms gently tightened around me as she nestled her small nose in my hair. That closeness was more than enough for me. I wanted to turn around and hug her as tight as I could but didn't dare to push for more than what I was receiving, scared to lose this connection.

Thoughts clouded my mind as did fear of looking Elsa in the eyes, when once again I remembered my crime. I had managed to turn towards her, to move my hand to find hers, but I couldn't lift my gaze to her, not yet at least. I still needed a moment. This wasn't about what I did, it was about my family. Thinking about it with a clearer mind, for how clear it could be right now, somehow, I was relieved... It was then that I managed to lift my head up and look at meet Elsa's crystal eyes.

Elsa's POV:

He was on the verge of crying. I could tell. He was torn both in feelings and soul. He was trying not to feel and conceal, something I knew far too well. Unlike what others might have thought, or wante to see, Hans was just a man. He was a man far more sensitive than he appeared. He wanted to let it all out but was bottling everything in because he was taught that emotions were a weakness.

"Hans, talk to me" I said gently, not even realizing my free hand had trailed up to cup the back of his head, my fingers carefully running through his hair. He didn't reply and remained still, taking in another breath as if he was somewhere else with his mind "Hans, look at me. Talk to me… please" I insisted gently. Slowly lifted his head to meet my gaze. His eyes glassy and wounded, but there was something else behind them. Those emeralds that were usually calm and gentle were now spent and betrayed, but there was a small light behind them and it gave me hope. I encouraged him once again to speak with me, my voice barely above a whisper, shifting beside him. My arms still around his shoulders, as he let go of my hand, locking his arms around his knees and looking back towards the lake.

"It's okay to have feelings… cry if you need to, I won't judge" I told him softly.

"I deserve to be punished because of what I did to you and your sister… but I didn't deserve to be betrayed by my brothers like this" he started. He held back from crying, but tears slid down his cheeks anyway "I always thought my father didn't care. I thought he considered me worthless… a-and now I find out that he considered me good enough to rule the kingdom" his voice cracked, but Hans inhaled deeply to keep it all in and went on "I was 11 years-old when he wrote down that document… and he believed I was more suitable for the throne than my older brothers… My father thought I was worthy of ruling. Choosing us as heirs had been his way to tell us: 'Hans, Sky, I think about you! You matter to me! You're more than you believe you are!'… The crown, no matter the weight of it, was his gift to me because I somehow earned it… and my brothers robbed me of that along with my life" he paused looking away from me. I didn't say a word, giving him all the time he needed to let out his feelings.

"You know… part of me is relieved" he continued "Now I know why my brothers hate so much. There have been times, growing up, that I thought my brothers hated me so much because in reality I was a bastard just like Sky, but had been lucky enough to be male and take after my father to easily pass as another 'official' Westerguard. A few years after my sister had been kicked out of the palace I even asked my mother directly because of how frustrated I was!" his voice cracked once more as he breathed in deeply again.

"And she didn't tell you anything? Do you think she knew about the clauses?" I asked softly.

"She assured me that I was hers, but didn't say anything about the abdication document… but after today, I think she knew but kept quiet" Hans responded "When I came to her I was desperate for an answer and all my mother said was 'that's what's brothers do' and minimized to normal brotherly rivalry. I didn't even tell her everything because I was ashamed of having to resort to run to mommy and daddy, because 'a real man deals with his problems alone, if he doesn't he's a weak bug'" he paused. I couldn't believe what more I was hearing. I had seen with my own eyes how much hatred those monsters had for their brother, but it was still beyond my understanding

"Now, thinking about it, memories of that day came back as if it happened yesterday, and I remember that… when I asked her why… why did they hate me so much if we shared the same blood? She looked at me in a way that just now I realize was panic. Panic because she didn't know what to say" he stopped once more wiping the tears away from his eyes, before that bitterness turned into anger.

"I'd like to know why the hell my father thought it was a good idea to tell my brothers?!" he erupted frustrated "He could have told Theodore, after all he was the eldest and deserved to know, but why would he tell the others? How the hell could he think they would suddenly come down from the pedestal and 'take me under their wing'?! It is so controversial and stupid that by trying to punish them for their crap behavior in general, he ended up punishing me instead!" tears once again fell from his eyes "I am relieved to finally have an answer! I am grateful, happy even and shocked in good way to learn that in that snake pit palace I had to call home, I mattered to someone! I was worth something to someone! But at the same time, I'm furious because this has ruined my life! Because of a crown I didn't ask, my brothers did all they could to make me believe I was worthless or not enough for simply breathing! That's how they made me live every single damn day! And I am such a pathetic, naïve, gullible idiot!" he said roughly standing up and taking a step away from me and closer to the water's edge, running a hand through his hair

"Hans don't. That's not true!" I finally interjected, standing up myself.

"Isn't it?!" he shouted "I let them manipulate me like a puppet! They made me believe that by getting a throne with any means possible I would finally be one of them, when in truth they only set me up to go do something repulsive and stupid so that they could get rid of me because they never hid that I was garbage to them! Now, they must be really proud of themselves because that is exactly how I turned out!" he shouted but his voice chocked

"Hans, stop" I said taking a step closer to him, but he was on a roll, finally letting out all he felt, but I didn't want him to talk about himself like that.

"I've wasted my entire life trying to prove something to people who never gave two craps about me! How is that not dumb?!"

"Stop it" I said soothingly

"There's something rotten in my brothers and they wasted no time to share it with me! They did an amazing job in turning me into a psycho, caged beast! They turned me into them!" He was crying at this point, letting all his repressed anger out.

"Hans, stop it! Stop" I said gently taking his face in my hands

"Elsa, no…" he complained trying to push me away "Don't…" I pushed his hands away and went back to hold his face

"Hans, stop…" he struggled weakly "Stop, stop…" he quieted down giving up and finally crying it out the moment I pulled him into a tight embrace. Hans hesitated at first, but then he wrapped his arm around me, burying his face in my shoulder. This cry wasn't about the news he had just received, he was letting out all the feelings he had bottled inside. It was cathartic, he needed this. It broke my heart to see him like this, I couldn't do anything but hold him tight and allow him to let all those repressed feelings out. It was all I could do, for it was all I wanted all those times that fear, the isolation, the longing for love and the pressure of being the future queen felt all too much. Those few moments, holding him like that, brought me back to those nights in which I cried myself to sleep when I couldn't keep everything in anymore. I felt my own eyes water when that thought crossed my mind.

"I didn't deserve it, Elsa" he sobbed, his voice cracking "All I ever did was trying to win their love and fit into my family… I just wanted to belong… I didn't deserve it…" I cupped the back of his head, tightening my embrace. A tear slid down my cheek. I had to rub it off, immediately, I couldn't let Hans see it. This moment wasn't about me.

"I know" I said gently "I know... but don't talk about yourself like that. Don't you remember what I told you at this very lake? You're not like your brothers" I paused, quickly wiping the tear away as Hans pulled his head back up, pulling away from our embrace, doing the same with his.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, drying his eyes.

"Don't apologize, it's okay. You don't have to be afraid of your emotions, believe me, I know…" I told him taking his hands in mine "You're right to be mad, but don't you dare think for a second that you have something rotten within you. You're not evil and they haven't won. They'll win if you give in to rage and hate like them… we wouldn't be here right now if you had. You're away from them and you're alive. They already stole your childhood, don't let them steal the rest of your life with this" Hans remained quiet, looking towards the ground, before meeting my gaze again.

"Let my sister go" he said softly "Please, Elsa…" his eyes were pleading.

"What?"

"I know you can let her go. She has a kingdom to run, there are people who depend on her. She can't stay stuck in a kingdom that isn't hers for my crime. Please, let me stay here, but please let her go" he pleaded

"She'll leave once you're redeemed" I said

"That's why I'm begging you to let her go… it's pointless to have her stay here" he said

"You don't think you'll ever redeem yourself" I said. It was a statement. By asking me to send Skylynn home, Hans was telling me he didn't believe in his redemption. He didn't believe he could be a better man.

"I know redemption is not possible… all these months I've always known, I just deluded myself I could find it" he said with a sigh "You've already done so much for me, Elsa. I feel like a different man from the one who came to your coronation… but nothing is ever going to change what I did… manipulated like a puppet or not, I acted just like my brothers… what I did is unforgivable" he said looking down at our intertwined hands "It hurts to know I'll never have forgiveness when I think about the friendship we've built, or our almost-kiss that plays back in my mind every single day" I felt my heart clench when he said those words, for I too kept thinking about it "…and it hurts to look at you and find these memories, but no forgiveness in your eyes"

"And you won't find it until Anna forgives you" I reminded him. Maybe it was cruel now, but it was the truth and I was not going to hide it from him "She's the one you wronged most, she gets to decide your forgiveness"

"And I wouldn't have it any other way" he responded with his voice gently bitter "But do you really think redemption is possible?" he asked. I felt his hands slightly tighten around mine. He didn't even realize it as his green eyes stared back at me. I didn't speak immediately, but I had seen enough of him to know that the answer was clear to me. He didn't move a muscle and just stared into my eyes when I let go of his hands and cupped his face between my palms once more.

"Yes!" I said gently reassuringly "You have to believe you can earn forgiveness. You must at least give a shot to the chance you have. You've been doing up to this day, so don't give up now. You have suffered and warred with yourself enough, it's time for you to win. Even if Anna doesn't forgive you, you'll be at peace with yourself knowing that you tried your best… and now are your best self" I said gently, my eyes lingering into his "If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't be here for you" Another silence followed. Hans lowered his gaze in thought, before his eyes met with mine once more and this time, he gently smiled back at me.

"I'm sorry for vanishing without saying anything" he apologized shyly

"It's okay" I said "You needed some time alone. I understand" He silently and gently nodded "Are you ready to go back to the castle?" I asked. Hans took in a breath.

"Yeah" we smiled to one another once more and walked to the horses.

Hans's POV:

Elsa and I walked side by side. She had no idea how much her words had meant to me. Hearing her say that I could find redemption was more than enough to make me believe that I still could. It was then that something came to my mind: I had never apologized to Anna. I knew that it probably wouldn't mean anything to her and now it was probably going to mean even less and look bad. I had to do it, though. I had to do it somehow. I had to try and when she would have refused my apology, I was going to have to prove to her I had changed. Elsa was right on everything. I could still prove I wasn't like my brothers. I had to prove it to Anna, Elsa and myself. I couldn't give up now! This isn't just about forgiveness, this is about being at peace with myself by trying the best I can to make it up to the sisters and the kingdom.

"I'm sorry about your brother" she said breaking the silence.

"So am I" I replied

"Are you alright?" she asked. The question was natural, but if once I would have felt like I would disappoint her with my answer, now I knew she would have understood.

"No" I said stopping, Elsa halting her pace beside me "…but not because of grief" I replied "I'm upset, he was the least worst of my brothers, but I don't feel anything… or at least I don't feel what I should in mourning a brother… blood alone doesn't make family" Elsa remained quiet for a few seconds. Her eyes showing sympathy with no words needed. I could only reply with a small grateful smile.

"Thank you" I voiced, meaning it "Thank you for everything… Thank you for being here"

"Always" she said, her lips in a warm smile. My hand reached up and caressed her face gently, as if living on its own. My thumb delicately stroking her cheek. Elsa unconsciously leaned into my touch. Her eyes dancing upon my features, meeting mine. Tearing my gaze away from hers, I watched as my own hand moved to place a stray hair behind her ear and then head down. Once again, her crystal orbs followed my moves as my hand gently cradled her braid, my fingers slowly brushing her thick, silk-like locks, my thumb occasionally touching the small ice crystals that adorned her hair. Elsa's hand came up to touch my own, my eyes trailing back to hers to find the look, once more. We remained still and silent, but it was then that we seemed to both wake up from that moment. I dropped my hand as Elsa took as small step back.

"We should go" she said, awkwardly clearing her throat.

"Yeah" I agreed, scratching the back of my neck and turning back to the horses' reins. I untied Sapphire from the tree branch and helped Elsa up on her horse before climbing on Sitron and together we rode back to the palace.

We rode back to the palace like strangers. Not talking and not looking to one another, unless you counted the occasional glances. When we arrived back to the stables, we were welcomed by the guards. Elsa had promptly stopped them and covered for me when the Captain asked where I was and what took us so long. She didn't say anything, but just reminded him she was the queen, therefore she didn't owe explanations to anyone and that the important thing was that I hadn't fled. Last I saw Elsa that day was when she walked away without glancing back, escorted by a few guards, while I resumed my stable duties.

And here it is another Helsa moment! Thank you all for your reviews on the last chapter, I appreciate it.
What did you think about it? I hope you didn't get the idea of Hans being a wimp or something, but I felt like he needed this moment to just let everything out. The way I see crying is not just to express sadness, but (as Elsa says) it is cathartic, a way to let out feelings repressed inside for a long time and Hans really needed this.
And oopsy! Hans and Elsa are making sparks again. I have already decided, but I want to know how long do you think they will be able to hold themselves back?

Apart from that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what are your thoughts on it and your Helsa thoughts on this ;-)
See you next chapter!

The Princess of Stars