Of course, Hans knew the gift could never erase what had happened all those years ago. No wrapped package, no carefully chosen words, no amount of regret could undo the pain he had caused. Yet he had brought it anyway. Not because he expected forgiveness, but because doing nothing somehow felt worse.
The realization struck harder than any blade ever could.
Once, those eyes had lit up whenever he entered a room. Once, they had looked at him with warmth, trust, and affection. Now there was nothing but distance. It felt strange, almost cruel, that he could remember every detail so vividly while she looked at him as though he were a stranger she had tolerated for too long.
Something twisted painfully in his chest.
Hans coughed lightly into his hand and lowered his gaze. He did not entirely know why he had come. He had spent hours debating it with himself. Part of him knew he should have stayed away. Another part had simply needed to see her. Needed to know she was still there.
This was the woman he had once loved more deeply than he had ever thought possible.
And now she looked at him the same way he looked at the stable boy's shovel after a long day of cleaning horse manure.
The comparison almost made him laugh.
Her name left his lips softly, barely louder than the wind around them. It lingered between them, suspended in the silence.
"I just... wanted to say something."
"No. It's important that you hear this."
His fingers tightened around themselves behind his back.
"Thank you for being born."
A weak smile touched his lips.
"Thank you for leading this kingdom. Thank you for becoming the woman you are today. And..." His voice wavered. "Thank you for loving me, once."
The words hurt more than he had expected.
He looked away for a moment, gathering what little courage remained.
"I cannot pretend that I don't regret what happened. Not a day passes that I don't think about it. Not a day passes that I don't wish I could go back and change it."
How could he explain something that sounded impossible?
How could he tell her that the ice had reached deeper than anyone realized? That Elsa's magic had frozen more than flesh and bone? That the cold had wrapped itself around his heart until he barely recognized himself?
That he had pushed her away not because he had stopped loving her, but because he had become incapable of feeling what he once had?
The explanation sounded pathetic even inside his own head.
And perhaps it no longer mattered.
The damage had been done.
Anna had built a life without him.
So Hans simply shook his head and let the unfinished words disappear.
"I..." He exhaled slowly. "I suppose none of that changes anything now."
Another silence settled between them.
He offered a small bow, more respectful than royal.
"I wish you a pleasant day, Anna."
His voice had become quiet again.
"I only wanted to make sure you were alright. To see that you were happy."
For a brief moment his eyes met hers, and despite everything, there was still tenderness there.
The kind that never truly leaves.
The kind that lingers long after love has become a memory.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
And for once, the words carried no excuses.
ellievsbear
theartofmadeline
baratheonpilled
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
izzy806
janainaart
