Of all the places in the world, the Southern Isles could have arguably been the least welcoming. Even within the kingdom, there was a constant conflict over trade, and while it was never outwardly stated, everyone knew that they were on the brink of civil war. And, of course, with such internal struggles, why would the king and queen possibly be bothered to make connections with anyone? They were barely even able to bond with their thirteen children; how would they manage an entire other kingdom? But one day, they had no choice but to leave the safety of their palace to attend a ball in celebration of Princess Elsa of Arendelle, who was turning five years old. Most of the princes looked forward to the event, for they had never even ventured out of the kingdom before. Now, they would be able to experience new places and meet new people. None of them could imagine anything that may possibly be more exciting. Well, except for one of them. The youngest brother, on the other hand, wanted little to do with the ball, or with Arendelle. He wanted nothing to do with anybody. But, he had no choice. The royal family had already decided that it wasn't optional. They had missed every other birthday, including the literal birth days of both Princess Elsa and Princess Anna. They couldn't skip this one. So, they set off on a ship to the unfamiliar kingdom, and arrived in perfect time. The princes watched as their parents exchanged formal greetings with the king and queen of Arendelle, and their daughter eagerly rushed out to meet the strange newcomers.
"Hello!" She said eagerly. "I'm Elsa. Who are you?" She nodded and curtsied as each boy stated their name until she reached the one that most intrigued her. Unlike the rest of his family, he had fiery red hair that fell to his shoulders, and bright green eyes that shone like the stars themselves if you looked beyond the dark circles underneath them. He shuffled nervously and avoided eye contact; staring at the floor and letting his shaggy hair fall over his face. "And who are you?" The little princess asked, as perkily as ever. The prince seemed to recede inside himself like a turtle into his shell. His brothers scoffed, and their mother looked down at Elsa, who seemed confused, and a bit hurt.
"I'm sorry about him, dear. We haven't gotten him to say a single word in months."
"Oh. Why not?"
"Because he's a freak!" One of the princes replied with a sneer. Elsa was taken aback by the cruel statement. Why, if someone she loved refused to speak for months on end, it would undoubtedly worry her. And even if it didn't, she would never be so mean to anyone. She glanced at her hands and sighed. If they considered this kid a freak, what would they think of her if they knew the truth? She looked up at the king and queen of the Southern Isles, expecting them to ridicule their son, but neither of them batted an eyelid. So, being a very protective girl, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
"You can't say things like that!"
"You're not the boss of me. I can say anything I want! Besides, I'm only telling the truth. Isn't that right, loser?" He chuckled, pushing his little brother to the ground. Elsa glanced up at her parents, who looked just as disgusted as she was. "That's it. We're getting out of here." She took the little boy's wrist and led him to the other side of the ballroom. "Don't listen to him. He's just mean. And don't worry; you don't have to talk to me. I understand." A small smile formed on the child's face, starting at the corners of his mouth, though he still made no eye contact with the princess whatsoever. "Well, I guess I'll get going. Come get me if your brothers start being mean to you again." She turned around and started walking towards her parents and little sister triumphantly, for such a young child always saw such a conflict as an incredible victory that could be shared for ages to come. But before she could get halfway there, she was cut off by a little voice behind her.
"P-Princess Elsa?" It called out nervously. She turned to see the little prince looking at her timidly.
"Wait a second. Did you just...talk to me?"
"Y-yeah." He stuttered quietly. "I-I just w-wanted to s-say th-thank you. N-no one's ever s-stood up for me like that before."
"You're welcome." Elsa replied, walking back towards him. "Now, I don't think I ever learned your name."
"Oh, r-right." The boy replied. "I-I'm Hansel. And I already know w-who you are." Elsa blushed.
"Hansel." She repeated to herself. Upon remembering what her father had taught her, she curtsied, and replied: "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Hansel."
"I-it's a pleasure to meet you, too." He replied; his anxiety slowly fading. This girl seemed nice enough. Maybe there was no reason to worry, after all. He glanced nervously at his family, to see a couple of them staring at the two, wondering how on earth this girl got their timid little brother to actually speak. "C-can we go someplace else? Those guys are making me uncomfortable."
"No problem." Elsa replied, taking his hand once again. "Come on! I know just where to go." She led him outside, to the palace gardens. The clear sky was full of stars, and a gentle breeze blew over the land, preventing the summer night from being unbearably warm. They sat down on a small bench next to the duck pond, and swung their dangling feet back and forth in perfect synchronization. Hansel let out a small chuckle and looked Elsa in the eye for the first time.
"You know, you really don't have to waste your time with me. It's your birthday party. Go out and have fun."
"I'm already having fun. I actually like spending time with a small amount of people, but my parents are famous for holding great parties, so they don't really have a choice. Everyone would be really sad if they didn't have one."
"Oh." Hansel replied, breaking eye contact. "But don't you want to spend time with your real friends?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that nobody likes me. And you don't need to tell me that you like me, because I'll know that you're lying."
"But it's not a lie! I really do like you!"
"Why?"
"Well, you're nice to me, and you're fun to talk to."
"Try telling that to my brothers. They just think I'm a freak."
"You're not a freak, Hansel."
"Yes, I am." He sighed, sliding off the bench and walking towards the pond. "I always have been, and always will be."
"Why do you think that?"
"My whole life, I've been different." He replied quietly. "When my brothers want to have a swordfight, I want to stay in and read. When they want to go on adventures in far away kingdoms, I want to stay in the stables with the horses. It seems like everything they like, I'm the opposite."
"Well, your brothers don't seem like people that you want to be like, anyway." Elsa replied, walking up to stand at his side. "From what I've heard, your whole kingdom is pretty messed up."
"You can say that again. I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to leave the Southern Isles for good."
"Why would you leave? Don't you have to stay there?"
"Why would I have to stay there?"
"Well, you're a prince, right?" She asked. Hansel nodded confusedly. Where was she going with this? "So that means you're going to be king, doesn't it? And kings can't run away to other kingdoms."
"Well, you would be right, if it wasn't for the fact that I have twelve older brothers. But, because of them, I will probably never be king of anything. I mean, if I married a queen, it would be a different story, but what are the odds of that happening? You need to be in love to get married, and I'll be lucky if anyone ever loves me."
"Don't say that!"
"Why not? It's just the truth. Everyone but you hates me, and I'm not so fond of any of them, myself." The young prince sighed. Elsa walked up behind him and grabbed his hand.
"Well, that's the thing about the truth, Hansel. It can change. Kind of like how you're talking to me, even though you didn't want to talk at all before."
"Well, actually I did want to. But, if I ever talk with my brothers around, I just get teased and beaten up."
"That's really mean."
"It's what brothers do." Hansel sighed. "Just promise me one thing, Elsa."
"Yeah?"
"Promise me you'll never, ever be mean to your little sister."
"Of course! I don't like it when anyone is mean, so I won't ever be mean to Anna."
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."