A.N. Warning! Violence! Even towards animals! And lots and lots and lots of angst! No happy endings to be found here! Sooo... let's get started...

Shadow Prince

Home. Where was it? Did it even exist for him?

He growled out his frustrations; at Elsa, at Anna, at the blasted world as a whole. In a way, his anger seemed a waste. It's not like they did anything wrong to him. No, that was the worst part of all; he was to blame for just about everything.

"Why oh, why did I stop and gloat?" Hans sat irritably at the table. He peered at the ornate chess set he had already prepared. Yes, he was in prison, but there were some advantages to knowing his warden.

Warden Busby and Hans Westerguard had known each other for almost a decade. Their relationship had become a friendship during the latter's tenure in the navy. Busby's family owned an island whose primary purpose served as a prison. Captains could drop off pirates, mutineers, or political prisoners, resting safe in the knowledge that there was nowhere for the prisoners to go.

Indeed; the island was itself surrounded by jagged rocks, sharks, and metal wiring to keep people from taking a swim. Hans was in no real danger. His current accommodations were pleasant enough. (Although, it was no castle.)

Hans idly picked up the white queen. He'd always liked it, always chose white. A year ago, he'd played Busby...

(flashback)

"I go first!"

"Of course Hans..."

"Think you'll finally win one?"

"I doubt it! I just want to go home, friend. I can work and work, and work... but eventually, every man in the world just wants to go home."

(end flashback)

...Hans finished reflecting on the conversation that day. It was then that he'd decided to settle down. Find a home for himself. And, given his taste for power, he knew he was going to be a king. Hans had been out at sea for too long, seen what happened to men who didn't settle into a home. They became empty inside. Maybe it was too late for him...

He threw the white queen aside, to angry and confused about why he was so fixated on it. He was on this prison island until his family could figure out what to do with him. Not even they knew where he belonged anymore.

There was a knock at the door. Hans felt something akin to regret for casting away the white queen. On this forsaken stretch of lifeless rock, he could use all the distraction he could get, and Busby, though unskilled, would play chess for hours.

knock, knock, knock...

Opening the door, Hans almost fell over from shock; it was not his warden standing there, but a haggard old woman.

"Please... please..." She groaned...

He slammed the door in her face and went back to his musings. The island was practically uninhabitable. Even pinnipeds avoided resting here. Vegetation was scarce, and the mountain was difficult to scale. The accommodations currently housing the prince had cost a small fortune to set up. (Considering how many royals got into trouble over-seas, it was a price that each kingdom was willing to pay to ensure their children were given decent quarters, even as prisoners.)

During his musings, it struck Hans as odd that anyone would be outside, let alone an old woman.

knock, knock, knock...

He opened the door again.

"I'm just an old woman, I know I'm nothing to look at, but please allow me into your home-"

"It's not my home," He cut her off with a wave of his hand, and slammed the door.

Now, where was he in those musings? Ah yes, his current residence.

knock, knock, knock...

NOW WHAT?!

"Please?" She said, "But consider the beauty of this rose..."

Hans rolled his eyes, "I don't care about beauty, really." He pushed the offered flower back to its owner.

"REALLY?!" The old woman transformed herself into a beautiful enchantress. She had long, gorgeous hair framing an angelic face. Her bright blue eyes were like stars on her face, which was molded to perfection. Her whole body held any audience captive, especially considering the captive that currently served as her audience.

Hans blinked for a second, a bit surprised, "...I've seen better."

The woman's eyes blinked, shocked, "Magic?! Or beauty?!"

He thought for a second for a diplomatic answer, but, (a.n. I love the guy, but let's be honest here, we know where he's going with this) being an arrogant jerk, decided to give his snarkiest, "Both."

Slam.

knock, knock, knock...

He opened the door again.

"I'm sorry," She intoned with just a touch of sarcasm, "What was that?!"

Hans sighed, and walked away from the open portal, "I don't know why you're here, but I'll entertain you for awhile."

"Entertain me?"

He nodded. She took this under consideration, and walked in.

"So... you just go around asking princes if they want flowers? Doesn't that make you a bit of a stalker?"

"I'm trying to teach them lessons."

"About avoiding salespeople, no doubt," Hans inclined his head caustically.

"So, if not beauty, what does interest you?"

The young prince's eyes went blank for a moment, recalling a single moment when he first laid eyes on...

"Power. Power interests me," Hans cleared his throat, "Is that what you wanted to know?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Oh, you're one of those. Well, it has been awhile, and I did lose the comb that went with it, but..." from behind her back, the enchantress withdraw what was the greatest piece of craftsmanship Hans had ever seen. If he spent all the money in the Southern Isles he may be able to make something of the like.

"This," She stated dully, "Is a collar of great power," Noticing that she had his attention now, the woman continued, "It makes even the greatest of men as obedient as mere dogs."

"Yes!" Hans greedily watched the collar. It had six different kinds of precious stones, cut perfectly, interwoven with gold, silver, and platinum.

"And I am giving it to you," She stated, handing it to him. Hans' eyes light up.

"It's mine?"

She nodded.

"For free?"

She nodded again, "If I may so ask; what do you want to do with it? What's your goal?"

Hans lifted himself, allowing her to put it on him, "No real goal; revenge, glory," he paused, feeling a rumbling in his stomach, "and bacon."

She laughed merrily, "And bacon you shall have. A word of warning; love not what the collar does for you, but what you can do for others. Only a fair, noble maiden may remove this from your neck."

It fastened with three clicks.

click, click, click

Hans immediately felt the power of the collar coursing through him.

"Whoa..." It was like fire. He pulled against it, making sure it would not budge loose, "Men like dogs, huh? Kind of pathetic."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Dogs are nice creatures; loyal, compassionate, and loving." She glared in his direction, "Make you think of something, your highness...?"

Hans closed his eyes to let the power take him over, "Yes! Oh yes! I'd like to- ugh!"

He doubled over as his stomach convulsed. A weaker man would have lost his lunch, "AH! AH! Aaaaah!" What before was a fire-like feeling quickly morphed into a burning sensation, "You've cursed me!"

"You've cursed yourself!"

Hans doubled over, his spine snapping and rearranging itself. His teeth screamed in pain as they lengthened and sharpened. To his horror, his fingers grew into sharp talon-like claws. The man twisted and turned, knocking over shelves, books and the chess set as he struggled to embrace the loss of his humanity.

"NO!" Rushing to a mirror, the young prince watched as his handsome face warped with a snout. He ripped off his clothes as his new body was formed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOW!" He screamed/howled. Hitting the ground with a thud, Prince Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles had finished transforming into a wolf-like dog.

The enchantress was gone.

"What was that?" A familiar voice called.

Busby! Hans thought. He shook his furry head and focused on saying the name.

"Ruh-ree!" he howled. Without a human mouth, Hans was now rendered mute. The place was a mess; overturned furniture, smashed glass... it looked like an attack.

Warden Busby and Prince Gunther burst into the room.

"What the-" Whatever curse Hans' older brother was about to share with the group was cut off as his eyes landed on his kin.

Hans shifted nervously. Everything was... new, different, explosive, unnatural. Colors had faded but smell, was- oh, wow, could he smell. His nose was like a fine-tuned machine, snuffing out the air around him.

Warden Busby let out a low whistle, "Where did you come from, you great beautiful beast you?"

Hans snorted; this was why 'beauty' was a pointless, it lay much in interpretation.

Out of the corner of his mouth, Gunther mouthed, "He's one of yours, right?"

Busby shook his head, "No, but what's that around his neck?"

Simultaneously, both of the men realized the price the prince was carrying. They pounced. Hans, never one to give up anything, ran between the two. His brother latched onto him, getting dragged along. After the two bounced off a couple of walls, the human Westerguard remarked, "It's stuck! The blasted thing is broken or something!"

Busby produced a short sword, "I'll take care of this...!"

Speaking softly, he approached the beast, "Hey there, beautiful, I don't know how you got onto my island, but I guarantee you, that tomorrow the prisoners are going to eat well..."

To make matters even further confusing to Hans, the new body came with a new mind. The dog part of him was calming down (finally) leaving Hans to realize what the big oaf was implying.

Oh no, Hans thought to himself, this prince is nobody's dinner.
Waiting for the last second, the hound bounded for the intruder's leg, snapping onto it with force.

"Yaaaah!" Busby was sure his leg was snapped in half. He dropped the sword, screaming, "Guards!"

Seeing back-up coming, Hans fled, leaping away from his friend and brother, and past two guards, through a window, and over a cliff.

Gunther rushed to the window.

The warden hobbled up, "Is it gone?"

Gunther nodded.

"...doesn't this change the plan?!"

Gunther shook his head, "No... now, prepare yourself to capture Hans' queen." The prince walked to the fireplace, and picked up the white queen, "It's almost a boon to Hans that he won't suffer through what we were going to do to him..."

A.N. Dun dun duuuuunn! Read and review please!

This is based loosely on the fairytale; The Collar and the Comb

Read and review for a chapter.