Hello everyone! I Had a sudden inkling to write a "Hans' Revenge" fic, but then it blossomed into something a good deal bigger. This has become just as much a historical fanfiction as a Frozen fanfiction, so if you see that I've made some historical mistake in the story, please tell me!
I've tried to keep the characters as In Character as possible, so please tell me if I veer off with that too.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
I Don't own Frozen or any of the other bits and pieces of Disney movies that will probably show up her, they all belong to Disney.
Hans hated Yule. When he was a boy the loud and insufferable singing of the people in the city streets below his window prevented him from getting any measure of sleep, or any sort of relaxation for that matter. When he had grown a bit older, it prevented him from completing his studies in time or in a satisfactory fashion.
It was just so damn pointless! It was a festival meant to bring good harvests mainly, or military victories, when the Southern Isles was caught in a war, but Hans had never seen it to do either of these things.
He had hoped that as the missionaries of that southern god, Christ Jesus, slowly converted the land, the celebration of Yule would fade, but no. The people had chopped down Jolnir's sacred ash trees, but then they had simply carved crosses from them and claimed Yule was now the birthday of their new god. The Holiday had a new name, sure, but it was still Yule, and Hans still despised it.
However, as bad as it had been from the bedroom window of a pampered prince, it was far, far worse from the window of Hans' new cell. The prison cells built into the castle were much closer to the main square of Skagan, making the singing and the celebration that much louder, that much more unbearable.
Hans was certain Gustav had shut him up in the northern tower on purpose, what were the odds he would be gifted the cell nearest to the square by pure coincidence?
Hans' trial, if it could be called that, had been rather brief. Half of his brothers hadn't even bothered to look up and acknowledge him as the charges were pressed, and the sentence declared.
When the old bastard of a judge had stood to condemn Hans, not a single one of the princes, or the King himself had bothered to say a word in his defense.
"Prince Hans Eriksson of the Kingdom of the Southern Isles, by committing the heinous and despicable crimes of treachery, and attempted regicide, you have sinned against your noble family's name, and against God himself. You are sentenced to imprisonment in the northern tower, until a more fitting punishment might be found to deal with you."
When the guards had come for him, he had screamed and kicked, digging his heels into the marble floor and refusing to go calmly or quietly, as the judge had insisted.
"God damn you all!" He had shrieked.
"I am a prince! You cannot treat me as you would some common horse thief!"
His protests had been futile, as the powerfully built soldiers easily dragged him from the court, and tossed him into his new chambers with very little ceremony.
"Welcome to your new living spaces your majesty, I hope you find it to your liking!" The older one had cackled, slamming the barred door shut and locking it in place.
"I'll kill you when I'm free! I'll hang you from the castle battlements and then slice the flesh from your bones and throw it to the sharks in the harbor!"
Spittle flew from Hans' mouth as he ranted. Little remained of the calm, devious Prince who had nearly schemed his way onto the Throne of Arendelle using only his charm.
Almost.
Almost. If only his sword arm had been a moment quicker, the witch would be dead, and so would her sister. If only he had made sure Anna was gone, smothered her with a pillow, something!
Arendelle and its' citizens occupied most of the prince's thoughts these days. Fantasies of revenge filled his mind day and night, his only escape from the humiliation and torment of his imprisonment.
How he would like to march into Scandinavia with an army, set fire to every building in Arendelle, slaughter its' people, destroy its' priceless temples, spill the guts of its' priests in the streets.
And the Queen…she would wish she'd had the good fortune to die from a single sword strike. He would make her death as agonizing as he possibly could. Perhaps he would take a dagger, straight from the blacksmith's fire, and use it at his leisure, making long cuts in her skin with the heated blade. He imagined how beautiful the spilled crimson would look, in stark contrast to her ivory skin. It would be like a work of art, almost.
Perhaps Anna could watch, before she followed her sister into the frozen wastes of Hel.
Yes, they were just fantasies for now, but they would remain so only as long as it took him to be free himself. And he would be free, and then Arendelle would burn.
"Then it's settled, in exchange for unrestricted trade with Great Britain and her many, many colonies, Arendelle will come to the defense of our nation in the case of war, or any other acts of hostility by a foreign nation. Likewise, the armies of Great Britain will do the same for you. You can expect any and all important ships leaving Arendelle to be under the full protection of the Royal Navy."
Elsa took up her ornate quill from the table, and with a flourish, marked the trade agreement with her unique and ornate signature.
"I hear tell you may not have many of your colonies across the Atlantic for much longer."
William Pitt looked taken aback by the statement, but the Prime Minister quickly composed himself.
"I assure you, your Majesty, the situation in the Americas will be resolved, peacefully I might add."
"Perhaps", Elsa said. "Even if not, there's still India, of course."
Pitt smiled. "Of course", he replied.
With that, the Englishman bowed to the Scandinavian Queen and with his delegation in tow, took his leave from the castle.
He was the sixth delegate from a foreign government that Elsa had received within a month, and he certainly wouldn't be the last. Word of
Elsa's abilities and the winter they had caused had spread across Europe and beyond incredibly quickly.
Arendelle was suddenly the center of all Europe's attention, and the Queen wasn't sure how she felt regarding that. Already she had received dozens upon dozens of marriage proposals from kings, princes, and noblemen across the continent. She had turned each and every one of them down, but they continued to arrive, and she did not see an end to it anytime soon. On the other hand, Arendelle now had more trading partners than it could possibly handle, and in most of those cases all she'd had to do in return was promise to defend these nations against attack if necessary.
'
However, for all those who hoped to gain her favor there seemed to be just as many who condemned her. Elsa had been denounced as a witch, a harlot, and a servant of the Devil, variously.
She made her way to her balcony, breathing in the fresh morning air. Summer was coming to an end in the Kingdom, and it seemed the people were determined to make the most of what was left. In the streets below, she caught sight of Olaf playing with several peasant children, who all quickly stepped aside as Pitt's delegation passed through, flanked by menacing British Regulars brandishing muskets.
As she saw Pitt nervously skitter away from the living snowman when he tried to come in for a hug, she couldn't help but giggle. People always seemed afraid of Olaf at first, but they usually warmed up to him.
Elsa turned from the balcony and made her way down to the great dining room of the Castle, Anna had said she'd had the cooks prepare something special. She'd worry about the storm clouds she'd inadvertently caused to gather over Europe later, politics could wait.