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I do not own these characters, with the exception of any OC's. I do not profit in any way from this story.
Two days after the Great Freeze, as it was now known, found Elsa smiling freely while Olaf marched around in a little top hat made of ice. Anna laughed and shouted out more costume changes which the Queen created without hesitation, no matter how silly. The three of them fell into a giggling mess when Olaf tripped over his frilly snow skirts. Anna's head landed in the crook of Elsa's neck and Olaf's twig arms squeezed themselves around her midsection.
It had been so long since Elsa had been embraced with as much love as these two gave her. There was warmth that she hadn't experienced since childhood, but too many years without human contact had her feeling anxious. The urge to push them both off—to fight for space so she could breathe—was nearly overwhelming.
Anna felt her sister stiffen beneath her cheek, with a sigh she rolled herself onto her back, lacing their fingers together to ensure she wouldn't make some excuse and run off. Elsa turned her head, embarrassment in her eyes and an apology ready on her lips but Anna only grinned as if nothing was wrong.
It was too good a day for her to push boundaries too far. Besides, Olaf was still blessedly ignorant to the tension flowing off Elsa in waves. He remained firmly planted against her torso and didn't seem ready to release the warm hug he craved. Elsa wasn't going to get far with a snowman latched against her side.
So Anna said nothing merely leaned her head back and closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of the sun. After so many days of bone-deep cold she wasn't sure if she would ever take the sun for granted again.
Glancing over at Elsa to see if she was still ready to escape, she smiled to see her sister mirroring her actions, enjoying the sun's rays. She wondered if Elsa could even feel the warmth like she could—being a creature of cold after all. Before she could voice the question aloud they were interrupted.
"Your Majesty!" A frantic Kai called out. Elsa jumped up at his voice, dislodging Olaf from his hold on her, concern written across her features. "A ship is coming, bearing the flags of the Southern Isles; do we let them dock?"
Anna wanted to screech and stomp her feet. 'No no NO!' she wanted to demand, but she was not a petulant child anymore (most of the time anyway) and she would not embarrass herself or her family by doing so. Instead she waited calmly for Elsa—The Queen—to make the decision. Her sister had a mask of calm schooled across her features, but Anna wasn't fooled. Not when she gripped her fingers together so hard the knuckles bulged white.
"Allow them to dock, but detain them. I'll speak with their leader." Anna made a groaning sound, the only argument she would voice aloud, Elsa crooked a half-smile in her sister's direction as Kai hurried off to relay instructions.
"Well," Anna drawled, trying to come off as optimistic, "maybe they're here to apologize."
"Unlikely," her sister scoffed. "It takes days for news to travel from here to the Southern Isles. There hasn't been enough time for them to learn of Hans's actions."
"Then why would they be here?"
"If I were to guess I would say Hans had called for reinforcements, most likely even before the fjord was frozen over."
Anna's stomach dropped to her feet. "But that means...if there's one ship—"
"There could be more on their way," Elsa finished for her sister. Without another word she walked off to prepare herself for their 'guests'.
Anna stood unmoving. This wasn't supposed to happen; she was supposed to get her sister back and she and Kristoff were going to explore this new thing between them, and everything was going to be perfect. They weren't supposed to plan battles and worry over losses, or anything else that came with war. Not over a selfish prince who thought he was entitled to more than he deserved.
She jumped back when she felt something grasp her hand but realized it was only Olaf, still dressed in his silly costume. It didn't seem so funny anymore.
"Do you need a hug, Anna?" he asked innocently, grabbing her hand once more. Anna didn't answer, simply sinking to her knees and gathered him against her chest. She supposed that she should go ready herself as well but before that she needed to regain her composure.
Anna would not let them catch her off guard again.
It didn't take long for Elsa to get ready, and she was beginning to wish she had taken longer. Just sitting there, anxiously waiting for news that the visitors had arrived was giving her enough time to doubt herself. She wrung her hands together and bemoaned the missed opportunity to meet them at the docks. It would have been so much easier to send them right back onto their ship, ordering them away from her country.
Before she could worry about it further, there was a knock at the entrance of her private rooms. She flung the door open and strode through the hallway before her serviceman could speak. It was time to get this over with.
Elsa had expected the meeting to occur in the great hall, but only made it to the foyer before she heard loud arguing.
"I told you before; I'm just here to see my brother because we were getting worried." The speaker came into view when she rounded the corner. He was obviously a prince of the Southern Isles judging by his white, gilded uniform and scarlet sash – the way he called for his brother was also a key indicator. When their gazes locked, he ignored whomever it was he had been trying to reason with, instead stepping towards the queen. He didn't get far before gleaming sharpened swords aimed menacingly at his chest. His own guards looked ready to jump into the fray with their prince, despite their lack of weaponry.
"Okay, let's try this again." He huffed in irritation, stepping back from a blade that was uncomfortably closer than the rest.
"Your Majesty," He bowed deeply at the waist, twirling his wrist in a mocking gesture. "I am Prince Nicolaus of the Southern Isles, and it would please me so if someone could just tell me where my brother is."
Elsa cocked an unimpressed eyebrow in his direction. "Greetings, Prince Nicolaus. I would be more than happy to tell you where your brother is. Currently, he is enjoying the hospitality of our dungeons."
The prince reeled back, clearly shocked by this news. "But...I don't understand. What happened?"
"He tried to kill our queen and he left me to die." Elsa was surprised that she hadn't sensed Anna's entrance; the fury rolling off her in waves was nearly palpable. She'd thrown her copper hair into a simple twist, a style that served to make her look older than the twin braids she had favored for most of her life.
"But I—I just don't—that just doesn't seem like him," he stuttered, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
"Well, whether it was like him or not, his attempt to murder me is akin to treason. I assume he must have summoned you, judging by how quickly you traveled here after the Freeze." Elsa hoped that her face did not betray her uneasiness. She had never dealt with a possible war in her week as reigning queen.
"Freeze? What freeze—you know what? It doesn't matter." He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "My brother never summoned me. Our family was just worried because we hadn't heard from him. It's his first political trip alone, and he was only supposed to be here long enough to represent us at the coronation and then sail home. When he didn't return or send any word, we were concerned. The king sent me to check up on him."
"To see if your plan to take the throne was still in place?!" Anna's voice broke noticeably at the end, and Elsa couldn't blame her. The attempted coup cut her deeper than it had the queen.
"We don't want your throne," he sneered, his lip curled back. Elsa could tell tensions were running too high. Anna's face was twisted in fury and she looked ready to leap at him and judging by the way he shifted the weight in his feet, Nicolaus would not go down without a fight.
"Bring up Prince Hans," she called to one of her guards, hoping that if the brothers saw each other, it would ease the situation enough to allow a smoother discussion. However, a flicker of betrayal shone in Anna's eyes, and Elsa felt the guilt leap at her. She had promised her sister that she would never have to see the traitor again after all.
"Okay, can we be a little more specific now?" Nicolaus asked in a reserved tone as a few of the guards walked away to follow their queen's orders. "What exactly did Hans do?"
"Well, if holding a sword over the queen's head isn't a serious enough act," Anna spoke slowly through gritted teeth, "He locked me in a room when he knew I was dying, and told everyone that we had performed our marriage vows before I had supposedly expired in his arms. Thus making him the new king after Elsa—I mean Queen Elsa—was dead."
Nicolaus looked more confused than ever; his eyebrows were practically disappearing into his hairline. His bewilderment seemed sincere enough that Elsa was almost tempted to believe him, if his brother hadn't proven just how untrustworthy princes of the Southern Isles could be.
"Look, I'll make this simpler for you," Elsa began waving her sister off from continuing to throw accusations around. "Your brother came here under the pretense of peace and tried to create an alliance with my sister in order to gain the crown. When he asked her to marry him—"
"Wait," Nicolaus cut her off, which only served to make Elsa bristle under the surface and cement the decision that she did not like this man.
"Hans asked you to marry him?" He pointed to Anna who only nodded in response. Elsa could now see that he was fighting back a smile. "And you accepted?" If she had doubted before, she could tell for sure by the prince's incredulous voice that he was amused.
"If you serve to mock my sister, sir," she hissed, "I swear your stay here will be all the more unpleasant."
"Oh, no mockery here, Your Majesty," He held out his hands in a pacifying gesture, though she could read on his face that he didn't mean a word. "It just seems that if Arendelle wished to forge a marriage alliance with the Southern Isles, they could have done so with a prince closer to her highnesses age. I mean, we have plenty to spare."
"What are you talking about?" Anna spat out.
"Oh, nothing much, just that Hans might have been a little young for you, but whatever you prefer is not up to me to judge."
"My preferences run within normal limits, sir. And besides, Hans is older than I am, so it would have been socially acceptable anyway!"
Anna continued to scold the prince, but he wasn't paying attention. Elsa watched his mouth open to throw out another insult but he hesitated for a moment, thinking things over, and the confusion on his face turned to panic.
"What does he look like?" he interrupted Anna, stepping forward and once again ignoring the raised swords. "My brother, what does he look like? Does he resemble me at all?" His voice was frantic now, and his fear was starting to concern Elsa.
"Well... no, not really." Anna was right. Elsa looked at the prince closely and couldn't find any similarities. Where his hair was dark and curly, Hans' was auburn and straight. Their noses didn't match, nor did their jawlines. Moreover, while Hans had bright green eyes, which were easily noticeable and striking, Nicolaus had blue. At least she assumed they were blue, since they didn't really draw much attention.
He didn't look like Hans at all.
"But what does that have to do with anything?" Anna asked, but Elsa was beginning to understand, and the distress the prince was exhibiting was worming its way through her own thoughts.
Before Nicolaus could say any more, a set of doors opened with a bang, startling everyone. Elsa even felt her sister jump at the sudden interruption.
The guards brought forth the prisoner. His head was covered, and Elsa watched Nicolaus draw in a shaky breath. Even before the cloth covering was removed, a myriad of emotions crossed his face—anger, confusion, and fear. A lot of fear.
When they revealed his face, Nicolaus stepped back as if burned. He reeled around to his own guards who seemed just as shocked as their prince was.
"Search the ship they arrived in! Look for any sign of Hans!" His voice rose in such desperation that no one moved to stop the guards as they scrambled out of the foyer, nearly tripping over themselves in their frantic haste.
He turned back to the prisoner who was grinning maliciously, not at all repentant of his crimes.
"Where is my brother?!" Nicolaus surged forward, and although they no longer held their weapons against him, her own guards held him back. She was momentarily glad for their quick thinking, because the prince looked ready to spit fire.
"Couldn't say really, there's just so much ocean between here and the Southern Isles. Easy place for someone to go missing," Hans laughed as Nicolaus fought against the hands holding him back.
"He was barely more than a boy, you insignificant cur!" Hans struggled continuously, fighting and tugging as those who were in charge of the prisoner fought to drag him back to the dungeons, but he was obviously enjoying this too much and stood his ground.
"Which made it all the easier to get rid of him. He fought back; you would have all been so proud!" The glee in his voice made Elsa ill, and she stood frozen to the spot. Too much information to process—and some of it she didn't even want to fathom.
They were all too preoccupied with their charges that no one noticed Anna step forward. The sound of fist meeting flesh jarred everyone to a standstill as the prisoner howled and attempted to bring his chained hands to his visibly broken nose.
"That's the second time you've hit me, princess. Not a very lady-like thing to do." He snarled through clenched teeth. Anna was breathing heavily and tears spilled down her cheeks, though she made no move to wipe them away.
"You are a wretched man. An awful, vile, despicable man," Her voice was steady, despite the tears. "And I can't believe that I—I..." She didn't finish, and everyone stood aside as she ran away.
It was silent, save for the prisoner's breathy complaints of pain. The prince seemed drained, as if finally realizing the implications; that his brother might actually be dead. Elsa stepped forward in an attempt to take charge of the situation.
"What is your name?" Time stood still for the answer, and Elsa schooled her features into a mask of indifference.
"Well," he drawled in a voice that was a little muffled from the broken nose. "I suppose you could call me Loki."
The god of tricksters—how fitting. "Is that your real name?"
He didn't answer, only grinned through the blood trickling down his face. She gestured for the guards to take him away, and then turned to face the still-silent prince. Their eyes met and he pulled himself away from those holding him, but he stumbled forward, gripping her shoulder for balance. It must have been too soon. She placed her hand over his wrist to steady him.
"Sorry," he mumbled in a voice devoid of any emotion as he stepped back.
"So am I," He nodded in understanding and walked toward the entry hall. She assumed he was going to join the search for any clues pertaining to his brother's fate on the ship.
"Your Majesty," One of the lieutenants stepped forward. "Should we follow him?"
"To assist in the search only. He is free to go whenever he chooses," The soldier bowed and motioned for a few of his men to accompany him after the prince.
Elsa sighed heavily and wished she could weep. For the lies that continued to tear at her family, for her sister who had fancied herself in love with a monster, for Nicolaus and his lost brother. She tried to imagine herself in that situation with her own sister, but she nearly lost control of the ice thrumming just under the surface.
She dismissed the remaining spectators to their normal duties and walked in the direction of her sister's room. She suddenly had the urge to hug Anna and never let her go.