Synopsis: Hans Westergard, formerly Prince Johannes Andersen of House Westergard, ruling monarch of the Southern Isles was exiled and stripped of his titles pertaining to the events of the "Great Thaw". His heart ached for vengeance and anger festers in his heart, he moves East into the arms of those that would help him attain his revenge. The Ottoman Empire.
January 22nd, 1843
"Prince Johannes Andersen Westergard, thirteenth child of the Late King Ulrik Westergard. You stand here today," boomed the harsh voice of Count Baard of Jurtenhein as he read the charges pressed against him. "of crimes committed against an allied Kingdom to the North. The charges are as follows."
Hans grit his teeth as each of his charge read out reminded him of how close he was. So close to finally getting a throne. Of being King. Of being wanted. Of being…loved. Now his brothers hate him even more, the people were out for his blood as trade between his nation and Arrendalle had suffered. Honest businessmen could no longer make income for the time being with Arrendalle.
"Attempted Regicide," The crowd roared their disapproval.
"Attempting to supplant the Royal Family of Arrendalle,"
"Supporting and arming various rebel factions against the Crown of Arrendalle." Wait…what? Hans' eyes widened, no, that's not what he did! That's not-
"Defiling the second princess of Arrendalle, Princess Annabelle Agdarsdotter,"
LIES!
"Murder,"
Now the jury were screaming for him to be strung up. "No! No! I did not murder anybody, I did not commit rape!" His words were drowned out by the snarls and shrieking of the angry citizens. Count Baard, the acting Justice of the Court simply ignored him and raised his voice.
"And finally High Treason, for which the punishments of such crimes is regrettably death. Prince Hans, have you any words of defence against these charges laid out against you?" A taunting smirk pasted on the Count. Hans should have known, Baard was a supporter of his eldest brother, Crown Prince Harald, there was no escape.
His eyes searched frantically for his brothers, and there they were. Standing at the top of the balcony, all 12 of them, solemn expressions and ornate suits and…her. Helena, the peasant woman whom he truly loves, everything that he did, he did for her, for the life that they could finally build together without scrutiny of the people.
She could only stare weakly into his eyes, her mesmerizing blue simmered in sadness and disappointment before she looked away. Harald, there he was, the bastard who ruined his life from the moment he could walk.
"Harald! Harald you dishonourable, lying bastard!" cried Hans, immediately silencing the mob within the courthouse. Harald's arms were folded and his eyebrows were raised, displaying his amusement at dear brother Johannes' outburst. "Tell them! Tell them the truth you cad! My only crime was only trying to save Arrendalle from becoming a wasteland of ice!"
Harald chuckled, his voice low and condescending, "Why, I am simply retelling what you told me, brother," that last word came out like he had spat out scum. "Did you not leave Princess Anna, second child to the late King Agdar in the room with no fire so she may die of the cold, did you not have your sword above the head of Arrendalle's Queen no less to behead her?"
All eyes seemed to be on Hans, the crowd watching the situation unfolding intently. At least they've gone silent.
"I…well, yes but-"
"Then the charges are true, what more do you want?"
"But, rape? Supporting various rebel groups? Murder, those are NOT my crimes!" Harald narrowed his eyes, "Details that you missed out, brother, those charges came from Queen Elsa Agdarsdotter herself, take it up with her, now, Count. Pass on the sentence."
The crowd erupted again, once more drowning Prince Han's pleas and cursing.
"I hereby sentence you to death by hanging on the neck until dead. May God have mercy upon your soul. This sentence is to be carried out immediately,"
Rough hands gripped Hans from both sides and they literally dragged a screaming, thrashing Hans into the execution chamber, its doors closing to the citizens and the guards outside prevented anyone else from entering. Hans could only think of the times he spent with his mother, those were happy times and of Helena, his lover whom he met while exploring the wilderness in his teens, those were even happier times.
They roughly pulled the sack over his head and jammed the lever down, however as he dropped to what would seem to be a short drop and a sudden stop, he fell into a room.
A set of hands pulled the sack off and he stared into the dark brown eyes of Harald, an insufferable grin stretched from ear to ear, "Hello again, baby Hans,"
"You!" he attempted to claw the crown prince's eyes out, anything, even a scratch to the nose would do. "Calm yourself, baby Hans, you should be thanking me."
"Thanking you? You ended my life! Everything is over!" wailed the 13th prince in despair. "Not yet, the citizens think you're dead and cold and off to meet the Lord. I have a different punishment in mind."
"You punished me enough, 22 years of humiliation, is that not enough for you?" muttered Hans bitterly.
"Correction, 23 years, 3 months. Now, I hereby exile you, and strip your title as prince, you are never to set foot in this land for the rest of your miserable life." Before Hans could protest Harald shoved a small purse filled with gold coins into his hand. "Here's a sack of gold, should last you a month if you're thrifty. A horse is waiting for you by the stables, I've paid off the stable boy and the palace guards. Now go on, I want you out of my Kingdom by sundown."
Hans stared at the pouch in his hand, then back at his eldest brother. "I don't understand, you condemn me yet you're helping me. Why?"
"At the end of the day, you're still my brother and I would not see you, anyone of us face his end by the gallows. Mother made me promise her to look after all of us. Consider my oath to her fulfilled and this the start of a new life for you. Get a job, get married or have your revenge against those two loathsome wenches in the North."
Elsa and Anna. The thoughts of those two reignited a burning sensation in his heart, his breathing came slowly and ragged, his expression darkened. He squeezed the purse given to him so hard the coins inside threatened to burst free.
"Hans!" A much more feminine voice lit up the room. "Helena!" A petite frame embraced him as tightly as he could. "I was just leaving," muttered the Crown Prince as he swept his cape and left.
"You knew about all this?" Hans placed a gentle peck on her cheek and wiped a strand of blonde hair away from her forehead. "Of course, Mikhail thought of a way to save you and the others agreed."
"They did? I thought they hated me,"
"No, well, they do but they couldn't let you die…you do share the same blood as them so they came up with this idea to punish you."
A slap came without warning. "Helena! Christ, ow!" Another one.
"That hurt, woman what is wrong with you?"
"It was supposed to hurt! How could you be so selfish, you…left Princess Anna to die and, and you nearly killed the Queen!"
"I did it for us! Harald, the Council, my brothers, this damn kingdom, would never let us wed. A royal and a commoner marrying is inconceivable so if I became King, I could make my own rules and we could be –"
"Johannes stop it. If killing others just so we could have the life we want is not something I would ever wish to be a part of."
"I know, my beautiful Helena, I know. I'm sorry I got us into an even further rift."
"Was it true Hans? Did you really force yourself upon Princess Anna as well?"
"Lord, no! I would never rip the innocence of a woman away, it was all false. You're my only one Helena, I love you so much."
The two embraced for what seemed like an eternity before Mikhail burst in, brother number 7 and the only one who genuinely cares for Johannes.
"Come with me, Hans, hurry!"
Hans looks to Mikhail, and then Helena, "Come with me, we could roam the world together, have the life we've always wanted outside these walls."
"I cannot, I can't leave my papa, my brothers and sisters. I'm sorry,"
"Wait for me, then. Please for God's sakes will you wait for my return?"
"I don't know Hans I-," They shared a passionate kiss before he left her, once again.
"It seems we are unfortunate in this life then, perhaps in another life?" Smiled Hans sadly, his hands clasped around the slender forearms of his beloved.
"In another life," She agreed and as she watched her prince leave her, never to return again, a single tear fell forth.
As Hans climbed aboard his old horse, Sitron Mikhail gave him a gentle pat on the back, "Take care, brother."
"You too Mikhail, and thank you for everything, I heard from Helena this was your idea."
"Don't thank me, its my job to pull your arse out of the fire everytime you create one. But, Hans, did you really mean it? To kill Elsa and Anna just so you could be King?"
"…Yes."
"Why?"
There was silence as he held on to the reigns of Sitron who was rearing to go. "Because I would finally have a place on my own, I would have a Kingdom to love and rule, I would have Helena by my side and we would be happy. I just wanted to feel…wanted."
Mikhail gripped his hand, "I understand, what you did was stupid," Hans chuckled, "and reckless and selfish but I understand. Be on your way now, and know that my love and Helena's would always be with you."
Hans nodded and left. As he rode out of the Kingdom's borders he fought back tears. Tears for leaving Helena once more, tears for never seeing his brother again, and tears that he could have avoided all this had he been more ruthless in his scheming to rule Arrendalle. He felt it again, the drums of war beating within his very being as they lusted for the blood of the two sisters and he knew how to slake it.
In the far East, stretching forth from the Mediterranean and spilling into Eastern Europe there lay an Empire so large and so powerful the once mighty Roman Empire itself paled in comparison. The terrifying sign of the Crescent lay dominant within those lands, the heretical Saracen religion spread by their even more terrifying fanatical soldiers. They were known throughout the world as the Ottoman Empire and their help would secure the demise of Arrendalle.
And there you have it folks! Something that I have been wanting to do for some time. Hans will not be a pathetic, helpless prince and the story will be AU for history, namely one I won't have the Ottoman Janissary Corps completely abolished. You'll see and I will be adding OCs in later chapters. Rate and Review, thanks!