Author's Notes: The full A/N can be found on my Tumblr (link on my profile page). This fic is inspired by Calenheniel's drabble Broken (also found on this site).
The people of Arendelle were happy to have some good luck at last – what with the eternal winter blanketing young Queen Elsa's coronation, her marriage to some minor foreign prince – rumours said he had been previously engaged to the Princess Anna, but no one knew it for sure, what with the chaos of the Queen's winter – the princess' subsequent elopement with some commoner, and finally Queen Elsa's abdication in favour of her sister due to grave illness.
Queen Anna of Arendelle had only wielded the scepter and orb for a few years, but she ruled with wisdom and grace far beyond her years.
'Tis to be expected from a woman who conjures ice and snow; bad things are bound to happen, said the men in hushed voices over their tools. She was a fine queen, despite it all, and what became of her was a tragedy.
Princess Anna had run away to get married for love because her suitor was a common man, an ice harvester. It was an incredibly romantic tale which was popular even in neighbouring kingdoms, especially among the young women. While the details varied from storyteller to storyteller, they generally involved an escape under the cover of night, the young couple running into the forests to carve out a life for themselves away from the scandal of their incompatible social statuses.
Despite Princess Anna having renounced her birthright, Queen Elsa had forgiven her, and the then-King Consort, Prince Hans, had personally brought the wayward princess home. The ice harvester was made a prince, and he now ruled by the Queen's side.
It was a good thing the sisters had reconciled, for when the queen fell ill, she had passed her throne to Princess Anna. Instead of reigning with his sister-in-law as was his right - and to the disappointment of the councillors as he was an able ruler - Prince Hans had given up his title as well to remain at his wife's side.
Soon after the new queen took the throne, the royal couple was blessed with the birth of a daughter, the Princess Lise.
With lovely, caring Queen Anna at the head of the kingdom, Arendelle's fortunes changed for the better; despite being of the same blood as the Snow Queen – the new name that Queen Elsa became increasingly known by. The new prince – he insisted on simply being a prince instead of king-consort because of his low birth – was a rugged man of humble origins, well-placed to understand the people's concerns. Both monarchs were often seen among their people, unlike the distant former queen.
Aye, our Queen is a wonderful lass, nodded the matrons as they bent over their needlework. In spite of her tender age and womanhood, she has brought prosperity to Arendelle. They fondly remembered the then-Princess' visits to their homes, the genuine warmth and affection she showed them, and how she remembered their children's names.
They spared few thoughts for the Snow Queen, and fewer still for her husband. Despite his unpopularity with the people because of the scandal during the former queen's coronation and his subsequent dizzying rise, Prince Hans had won quite a few supporters with his decision to abdicate the throne to spend his days caring for his poor young wife.
They were rarely seen in public; Princess Elsa being too ill to be out of doors, and Prince Hans in semi-seclusion with her.
The Queen gives us chocolate and the Prince takes us for rides in his sled, giggled the children as they played in the streets. Queen Anna is the best queen.
Prince Hans was inseparable from his wife, both when she was queen and even now. On the rare occasion that the entire royal family attended a public event – save for the fragile former queen, of course – he appeared wan and gaunt, his formerly rich auburn hair prematurely grey.
Worn to a shadow of his former self, sick with worry for his beloved wife, sighed the young girls over their chores. If only I could marry a man like that.
Unlike Prince Kristoff, the former king-consort had been raised and educated as a member of nobility. It was Prince Hans who greeted visiting dignitaries and presided over balls, freeing Queen Anna to mingle as was the feisty young woman's preference.
Every inch the nobleman he is, murmured the statesmen and diplomats among themselves, it is a pity he did not remain king – not to say that Her Majesty Queen Anna is not a fine queen, but still. A pity.
What the people of Arendelle saw, of course, was radically different from the truth.