I'm Afraid of What I'm Risking if I Follow You

Part 3

I'm Afraid of What I'm Risking if I Follow You

Chapter 3

Bruni never turned even a bit hostile around Hans; if anything, the little guy just wanted to settle up to him like they were old friends. Traitor. If he caught fire, nothing happened. Once Bruni noticed he couldn't affect Hans in any way, he extinguished himself, then settled wherever he felt comfortable—usually on his shoulder. Hans would brush his long hair to the side and talk to him, and occasionally they'd hear the voice and stare, looking for the direction.

But his wounds hadn't healed completely yet; Elsa refused to take him anywhere until she had some answers here from the forest. Fine, so he hadn't been living as a prince for a few years now. He ran away from his ignorant brothers, and in all that time, he didn't seem like he was coveting any sort of crown.

She couldn't keep those defenses down, even if the voice wanted him for whatever reason.

Hans had the Northuldra wrapped right around his finger. He was pleasant with the children (good with them, even, never making them feel small or inferior to the adults), made decent suggestions. Yelena smirked on occasion around him. Honeymaren even laughed at a joke he told about Ryder's obsession with reindeer. And Elsa felt like the closed off stick in the mud, as per usual, her arms permanently resting across her chest. Anna's old itching feeling to say or do something crazy just to get away was starting to look more and more reasonable.

The voice was good—she'd proven it on her last adventure and freed this forest. It showed Elsa her calling as the fifth spirit. What could it possibly show Hans, who had done something as awful as attempted murder?

Elsa sat at the edge of the river, slippers to her side, pants rolled up to her knees as her feet dipped in the water. While winter didn't affect her in the slightest, summer was welcome, the sun kissing her skin with warmth. Behind her, she could hear the children giggling with the snow she'd provided to help them cool down, making their own Olaf replicas. They kept goading Hans to watch them play and build.

Gale whipped by her, and Elsa sighed. "No letter this week either," she said. All right, fine, she certainly contemplated writing Anna, several times. But what could she say that wouldn't bring Anna rushing out here and leaving Arendelle? Hans had returned. Hans was injured. Hans heard the voice and she couldn't. And while she could really use her sister's support, the only insider who truly understood what he was capable of, Arendelle needed their queen more. And Arendelle needed this newfound connection with Corona, where Anna still was, and would be for a few weeks. She could handle this—how hard could one former prince with a connection to the spirits be, after all?

Yelena kneeled beside her. "You've been an absolute joy to be around," she teased. "He really isn't that bad."

"That's because he doesn't want anything from you," Elsa retorted. "You don't have a crown to steal, or a kingdom to run."

Shrugging, Yelena moved into a sitting position, looking out over the river. "I told you before: we listen to nature. And clearly nature is calling this man, yet you do nothing about it as the fifth spirit and the bridge."

"It's not my job to help him or change him."

"I never said it was." She took a deep breath, then continued. "I understand he did something horrible to you and Anna. But three years is quite some time, especially out of his former position. You have the opportunity to guide him toward something just and good. And who knows? It's not like you'll want to stay here forever."