Hans sits up. His brows narrow. No, he's not shocked. Just. confused. Queen Elsa— in her beauty and glory— stands in front of her sister (who's still on the ground and harshly rubbing her eyes and coughing hysterically). An ice sword (he briefly notes to tiny designs) in her hand pointed at him. She holds it as if she had many times before (even outside the practicing field).

Wow.

He slowly gets up, never leaving his eyes off her. He takes a moment to look around. It's just them, meaning the Queen hadn't brought guards. She's glaring at him. She looks fierce. And he respects her for the stance she is holding.

"Anna, are you okay?" Elsa asks, not even looking at her. The Queen's voice is even but… strong. Powerful.

Her sister moans and coughs more in response.

"My Queen," Hans address.

"You've made a grave mistake," she tells him, her voice now very dark. He— he likes this.

"My Queen— you do not understand. Your sister is—"

Oh. oh, well, yes of course. It would make sense. How Anna was able to hide her identity for so long. How the kingdom are so blind because she had personal help from the inside. Who else knows? The entire palace staff? This is not good.

He shakes his weapon, to make the fire glow bright, and appear threatening. "I don't want to do this, my Queen." He really doesn't. "If you give me the chance—" to explain myself, I won't have to harm you to get to your sister and face a capital execution. But that's not what stops him from finishing that sentence. It's her smirk. It… baffles him. He knows that royal families tend to keep secrets— together or individually (he has an individual secret— from his family. No one knows that he is an Ignis). His first major clue was the fact that the doors of Arendelle's palace were closed off from the kingdoms and the surrounding kingdom too. Elsa is keeping a secret. He can see that. Right now. She doesn't show bravery whilst she points her weapon at him. She shows eagerness. For some reason, he likes this, he likes this!

"Yield. Or meet my blade," she says coolly.

He knows he can't win; he can't harm the Queen without fearing the severe consequences. He can't betray the Ignis— he can't betray Curtis. He has to lose. But—

But he wants to fight this beauty.

So he charges.

Elsa almost grinned in delight when Hans makes the first move, leaving his chest completely open for a clean penetration. However, Elsa parries his blow with a twirl. She wants to have fun with before having his death. Whoever this man— a prince— will pay.

They spent a few minutes, clinking their swords, Elsa showing off some soft techniques and Hans increasingly becoming frustrated. She does something, twirling again, exposing herself for an attack, and Hans goes for her shoulder. Elsa throws her weapon in the air. She jabs her elbow in his neck— he chokes— and she grabs her falchion by the blade and hit his nose with the hilt of it, causing him to stagger back.

Hans slowly fixture his posture. His hair slowly ignites. Elsa gasps. So he has powers. Like her. But it's fire (honestly, she should have taken his fiery sword as a piece of prime evidence but she assumed that it was strange technology). And here, she thought she was the only one. Alone, with this beautiful gift. And his… can his powers be called a gift? Fire is destructive. Fire is dangerous. Elsa tightens her grip of her handle. No more games and fun. This is serious.

His move is shocking. Hans drops heavily to his knees. With a huff, he tosses his now-extinguished sword aside. Elsa frowns. She thinks he's going to do something special with his fire ability. She has never used her powers with the intention of hurting others until just now— and she only used a sword that she quickly crafted to interrupt the blow he aimed to deliver Anna's head. Elsa prepares her body to release and risk anything to save her sister and herself from Hans' expecting move.

Instead, he says two words. "I surrender."

"Wha— what?" Elsa sputters.

"I surrender," he repeats, yet his hair is still fiery. She takes tentative steps to his form. His green eyes seem… faded. He does look defeated.

"You know what this means right?" she says. "Attacking the princess and the Queen. You know your punishment."

"Yes."

Something isn't right. He's playing something. Hiding something. "No," she firmly says. "I will save you later."

She didn't give him time to respond when she punches him on his temple with all her strength, using a bit of her magic.

Gerda had to wear a shirt with the sleeves thick of padding. It's for protection from Anna's thick sharp nails as she princess' grips the older woman. Anna's head was leaned back into a basin. It hurt as the woman tried to wash whatever was in her eyes. The water with some lemon concoction burned. And crying! It burned also— though Gerda, with her soothing voice— encouraged it. Crying will help get the poison out. So Anna cried, groaned, grits her teeth and tried her best to not scratch or grip Gerda too hard. (she failed) (but Gerda didn't seem bothered).

Now, she lies on her stomach, on her bed. She clutches the pillow under her head. Despite the soreness of her eyes, she can finally see. The thirst isn't there anymore. It's hunger now. It bites at her tummy. Not her mind though (—which she takes as a fortuitous aspect of this entire ordeal). There are much greater things biting at her mind—

How can she be so stupid? So gullible? Falling for a man who premeditated to kill her. He knew that she was a vampire— and pretend not too— (—how did he know? Because he's a vampire hunter. She didn't know those types of people exist. The stories never mentioned vampires hunters. Well, actually they did. There's this one sad fictional story about the town folks burning alive young females vampires for entertainment. Aside from that fictional story, there have been accounts of men and very, very few women fighting vampires— but they didn't claim themselves as vampires hunters. She figured that normal people are quite fearful to go search and hunt for vampires).

He said she would doom humanity. How?! How can little ole me be a threat to everyone, she thinks. I mean sure, I'm a vampire. But! but only half one. She's a good vampire. She always has been. Perhaps he was exaggerating his reason to kill a princess. He's crazy, she concludes. But that would make her crazy for wanting to marry someone who wants to kill her.

All of sudden Anna is hit with a wave of sadness. She loved him. But he wasn't her true love. He used her to get closer— to sway away whatever defense she had— so he could— could easily kill her. Anna bites her pillow. Her fangs— already at its full length— punctures the satin material. Oh yes. She is stupid. And gullible. If only she focused on this strange attraction of her sister. She wouldn't have faced death.

Faced death.

How bitterly funny. She wouldn't think she'd faced death until age 80.

Anna removes her teeth from the pillow, revealing the punctured holes. She curls in a ball. Anna has never questioned her existence. She always accepted how she is. There's nothing she can do or say to change this. The natural evil side of her and the natural pure side. She is the perfect dualism. But tonight— tonight she asks, why me?

Why me?

The door opens and softly closes. She can smell who it is that has entered the room. Anna feels her bed slightly dipping with the Queen's weight. She can feel the heat of a lit candle. She doesn't face her sister. She can't. She's embarrassed. Hurt. guilty. Surely Elsa will keep her inside for many years because of this incident. Anna was mentally preparing herself for this consequence the moment she was crashed onto her bed. The gates will be closed again.

All because of Anna's stupid mistake— falling in love ((with the wrong person)).

"How are your eyes?"

"They're okay," Anna answers quietly.

"Oh. Good. Did he hurt you more?"

"Just my eyes." And my heart—

"He's locked away," Elsa says. "He'll be punished accordingly. He can't hurt you anymore."

There's silence. Anna would think that Elsa had left if it wasn't for the small sparkling snowflakes floating around.

"Anna—" Elsa hesitates. The princess feels… dread. It wraps around her throat, teasing to her oxygen. Here goes nothing.

"Anna, what happened?"

Yes, here goes nothing. Anna sits up. No more lies. She opens her mouth and tells Elsa everything. She tells her how she met Hans, their dances, how they confess their love for each other. She knew he was the one for her, but she knew that they should wait. She hesitantly begins that she snuck off castle grounds into the square village and met two vampires and how they mistook her to be the queen (opting the fact out that they killed a woman. That information isn't important for right now. There was never news brought up about a drained body.). She admits that she willingly brought Hans to the secret garden. To be alone. To be proposed to— when he pricked his finger. And yet he was fine with it. Because he knew. He knew she was a vampire. Because he is a vampire hunter. (— "He even started spoke Latin, praying as if he— he was a priest!").

Hans hunted her, she now realizes. Gained her trust, waited to get her alone before he could pounce.

As she continues. The temperature of the room steadily declines. Anna can see the breath billowing from her mouth). Yet Elsa's face never once changed expression. And when the princess was finished she took a deep breath waiting for her sister's response. She expects anything really.

The silence is slowly killing her. This moment is worse than the moment she was on her hands and knees, coughing and facing death. "Elsa, please say something!" Anna begs.

The Queen clears her throat. "I— I am upset, Anna. I'm just concerned— and… and more happy that I got there in time before…" she trails off, though she didn't have to finish the sentence. "But I am angry at you. How can you fall— in love with— you can't marry the first man you meet."

"Well you can— if, if it's true love," justifies Anna.

"Anna, you've been in the palace for so long. For most of your life— how can you possibly know about what true love is?"

"Because it's— it's instincts," says Anna frowning. "I followed my heart—"

"—and look where your heart got you to," Elsa retorts, rolling her eyes.

This— this causes heat to spread rapidly through Anna's face and neck. She pulls her knees up to her face and rests her forehead on her knees. Elsa is right but also wrong. Anna is right but also wrong. She didn't follow her instincts. Her attraction is for the queen. And she couldn't follow that because she knows that it's… it's unusual. Forbidden (is a sufficient word?). No one would understand. She wouldn't dare to think about the ignominy she will have to face. They'll immediately condemn her (after they abhor her to be the horrifying monster she is). So she is right for indulging in Hans. But of course, it had an unexpected cost… (does that make sense?)

"I'm sorry Anna, don't cry." Elsa's voice is concerned and full of regret. But there's nothing to regret. "Please don't cry…"

"I'm not crying," Anna replies in a strained voice. "I'm just— I'm just— you're angry at me."

"Well yes, I am angry."

At those words, Anna, if possible, buries her head deeper in her knees. She's trying to fight off the tears. A hand softly pets her head.

"But, but I'm more glad that I got to you in time. I don't know what I'd do if I di— didn't… I don't know…" Elsa trails off. Anna slowly lifts her head up to look at her sister to see her shakes her head. "I don't wanna think what could've happened."

Yeah, that would be for the best. Anna reaches out and grabs Elsa's hand and squeezes lightly. Elsa smiles, and says, "You're here and that's all it matters. Here and safe." She never once thought how this night affects Elsa.

"What happens now?" Anna asks in a small voice.

It's like someone snapped their fingers as Elsa switch from her warm concerned person to the queen-ly authoritative persona. "You must carry on as this never happened, Anna. As if you never met him. I don't need chaos among the public. Especially during the festivals."

She didn't like the sound of that, but she nods. "Carry this as nothing happened; gotcha."

"You have a curfew at eight—"

"Eight—"

"7:30" Elsa counters back and Anna laughs.

"Hahaha, funny, I was thinking eight too." She rubs her neck. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. Today's events have made me tired. And I have a lot to deal with tomorrow." Suddenly, Elsa does look tired now, contradicting the purposive demeanor when she first walked into the room.

"You should sleep," undertones Anna, glancing down on the bed.

"So should you,"

She wasn't planning to go back to the party and pretend that this night hasn't happened. She can do that tomorrow. Right now, she wants to stare into the darkness and not think. Not feel. So Anna nods.

Leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek, Elsa tells her that she'll see Anna in the morning. Anna didn't respond nor have a reaction to the kiss (as she would have done if it weren't for this night). She just wants to be bathed in the darkness. Alone.

Eventually, she does get her wish, when Elsa leaves.

GTG: Sorry for the long wait, but college is a hassle. My second year, and I've not had the time to write or edit my stories (I'll get to the editing later during the winter break). Good thing I kinda wrote the first half of this. However, I am proud to say that I did notice a sharp increase with the views of my story. now only if I can get an increase with my reviews...