The stranger drew ever nearer, but they knew Elsa was aware of their presence and still didn't act, so she didn't want to say anything knowing it would only scare Anna and upset Kristoff.

They had been walking for hours, with a few stops on the way. Kristoff and Anna stayed in the front while Elsa remained in the back, she wanted to keep an eye on their pursuer. It was then when Elsa felt it, her stomach growled, she was hungry, and judging by the way the two in front were walking, they were hungry too. Elsa thought long about how they would get their food, of course, there was the option of hunting, but without weapons it could be near impossible.

The sky grew darker with each step and they knew that night was upon them.
"We should stop here" Kristoff finely said but then Anna ran ahead and called back, "I think I see a cabin of sorts!"
The two ran to meet her and she was right, there was a cabin. As they drew closer they realized it looked to be only a stable, without lights or a proper door.
The floor was filled with hey and dirt but it was a shelter nonetheless.
As they got ready for bed a feeling crept up Elsa's spine, she didn't know what it meant but she knew it wasn't good. She looked around and examined the place but found nothing.
The three of them lied side by side and after a few minutes of chatting they all went out one by one, like a light, though Elsa fought against it.

Rustling. It came from outside. Elsa opened her eyes and was bombarded with the sight of a group of dirty men surrounding the stable, they had scares and wore matted fur coats. Elsa stood to her feet, trying to look dignified. She looked at the men and took a deep breath, "who are you? What do you want?" She tried to keep the fear out of her voice but she wasn't too sure if it actually worked. Anna and Kristoff woke with a jerk from the suddenness of Elsa's voice breaking the silence.
"We are humble thieves," the biggest man in the middle said politely with a slight bow as if mocking her. "And we have come because you are in our home." He paused "not everyone has the luxury of living in a palace, your highness." Elsa looked to her companions, wondering what they should do, but they just looked at her hopeful, thinking she would use her powers...if only they knew. One of the guys with filthy red braids noticed Kristoff reaching for a stick and held a knife to his throat. Anna squealed and one of the men held a knife to her as well. They stayed still as the one that seemed to be the leader walked forward and stepped inside the cabin. "So are you going to impale us with circles or freeze us solid?" The man paused and when he saw that Elsa hadn't made a move to attack he chuckled "what's wrong, all out of ice?" The leader then began to walk back and forth. "what do you have on you that we might want?"
The Queen stood still trying not to tremble but not succeeding. The man then looked her up and down and smirked. "Something just came to mind," he said while running his forefinger down her cheek.

Suddenly they heard fast-paced footsteps, running and getting closer.
The man was puzzled and turned around only to see a dark silhouette draped in black cloth break through the other thieves and without a second to react the stranger punched him in the stomach.
Time seemed to slow as this person went from man to a man hitting and knocking them to the ground in different ways.
He hit one in the throat as another came from behind him and hit him in the side, instantly he turned around, dodged the man's second blow then went for the ribs. Elsa could have sworn she heard a crack.
If it was a better situation she would have cheered.
One by one the men were dropping like flies by this mysterious saviours hand.
Finely it went silent. The unconscious bodies lied to the left and right of the man who was facing away from them.
"You guys are really bad at keeping a low profile aren't you?" He said.
'I know that voice' Anna thought. It was a voice she would never forget, and she never wanted to hear again. all at once she wanted to scream and run but didn't know if it was to him or from him. all the moments of her dreams flashed past her eyes, but she shook her head.
Without a noise, she crept from Kristoff's side and slid into the darkness.
The man continued without turning around
"Wherever you three go, disaster follows." He chuckled, and with that he turned towards the two but over his face was a shadow cast by his hood. "The three of you -" he stopped short as if puzzled "wait, where's An-"
'BAM!'
A sound came from behind his head, then a moment passed in silence before the man fell limp onto the floor. Elsa's jaw dropped, Anna was standing behind the man and had hit him with a thick log over the head. Elsa grabbed her sister by the shoulders about to scold her,
but Anna's attention was much more focused on their now unconscious saviour.
"I knew it," she cried, her hand outstretched pointing to the man.  Elsa looked down in horror.
His hood had fallen off, and his face was revealed, this was no mysterious stranger that had saved them...
It was Hans.