1. Forfeit

I still remember the sun
Always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now...

Evanescence. Field of Innocence

With the voice of the merchant booming through the tent, Hans was finding it exceedingly hard to remember how it felt when each part of his body didn't hurt.

Well, except 'Hurt' would be putting it kindly. His body felt like he'd been split to pieces and then assembled again after being rubbed with salt and rolled over sharp corals. Hardly deserving of the price written on the price tag around his neck, but he guessed they were charging for his good looks. They had made a remarkable job sparing his face, after all.

Still, to think he was being sold as a slave! Him! Prince Hans of the Southern Isles!

Or, just Hans now, he guessed; because having his body all but pulled apart by ropes, his back lashed, and being half-drowned, beaten half to death, pinched with needles, burn with red-hot steel, starved and dragged around like a mutt on a leash was proof, as if he still needed any, that he was not a prince anymore. Well, he couldn't get any more anti-prince-like than kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room in a bunch of rags that couldn't even cover the wounds on his flesh, his hands tied behind his back with a rope held by this stereotypically gorilla-like thug, could he? He half-wished he still cared.

Because initially he'd fought, bit, punched and kicked his tormentors, but his will had dried out pretty soon as he realized it only made things worse. That and it wasn't like he actually could escape or even defend himself. Any semblance of hope or perseverance he'd ever held was now replaced with listlessness and exhaustion.

So much that he didn't even look up when screams erupted on the room, when the hands that held his rope released it and fled for dear life, or when the cold wind sprinkled with snowflakes brushed through his hair, giving him chills.

What finally made him look up was the sound of his name after weeks of not being referred to with anything but insults.

"…Hans?"

Yes, Queen Elsa knew an attack of Ice Giants was most definitely NOT the best way to deal with slave merchants.

But the whole concept of depriving a human being of their freedom –for money, no less- made her so mad that when she was informed that a caravan of this vermin was seen upon the limits of Arandelle she couldn't help but heading there herself to give them the fright of their lives (And just a fright, even when she was disgusted by that kind of people, Elsa wouldn't dream of bringing real harm to them) but most of the court had spoken against it, deeming it too risky, too unfitting. Elsa had been tempted to freeze the ink inside their ink pots to prove a point on how she was anything but helpless, but Anna had won the matters for her by assigning her a protection, which happened to be coincidentally the one most likely to become her brother-in-law, Kristoff.

And it was Kristoff who'd pointed out at the man in the middle of the room and the chaos spurred by Elsa's Ice Giants, his face falling with shock, because he recognized him immediately, despite the fact that he looked more dead than alive, his hair was slightly longer, he was unshaved and dirty and his body was black and blue and angry hues of brownish-red. The former prince had looked up when Elsa betrayed herself in shock and uttered his name and given them an incredibly indifferent look.

"Queen Elsa" he said with a painfully hoarse voice and a frighteningly calm tone before dropping his head lazily again "Of course it's you. Out of all people, you would be the one to find me like this"

Kristoff made a motion towards him as if he were a piece of rotten carrot and asked in a hurried whisper what they were going to do with that. Elsa took a while to reply, trying to appear indifferent despite the fact that her eyes were tracing the markings on Hans body and try as she might to feel that he deserved it, she could only feel pity at their sight.

"Free him and send him home as soon as possible, the same as everyone else"

The anguishing sound of Hans trying to laugh made them squirm uncomfortably as he rose his head, just enough to pin his eyes on them with a sickly grin plastered to his sweaty face.

"Are you for real?" he managed out, incredulous. The Queen had the man who broke her little sister's heart and almost killed her at her mercy and of all things she was sparing his life?!

"I can understand how human decency surprises you, seeing as you are devoid of it" Elsa countered coldly.

"Oh, I'm so hurt I forgot to cry" he retorted flatly, letting his face fall to his chest again "Well, I guess it doesn't matter, it'll amount to the exact same result"

The last sentence was heavy with hidden meanings and neither of them could hold back the uneasiness it caused them.

"…what do you mean?" Kristoff ventured, and Hans seemed to consider whether to clarify or not for a few moments before speaking.

"Say, how do you figure I ended up here?"

Kristoff and Elsa exchanged a puzzled look, mentally numbering the possibilities.

"Oh, come ON" Hans cut their thoughts impatiently, interrupting himself with a cough before continuing "I'm not so sure about this oaf here but I know you aren't stupid, Queen Elsa"

"Hey!"

"Enough" Elsa said, raising a hand to appease a disgruntled Kristoff "We are not playing this game with you"

"It was the Royal Family"

They both stared at him in silent bewilderment.

"What?" Elsa hissed, breathless.

"My family. The Royal Family of the Southern Isles gave me away to the slave merchants, but I'm sure if you send me home they'll realize they shouldn't have feared staining their hands with my blood and finally do what they should have done from the beggi-"

"That's a lie!" Elsa snapped at him, a gust of cold wind slapping his face and it seemed to take him a moment to realize why she was reacting like this to his words, but he did "You expect us to believe your brothers, your father and mother, your own family would-?!"

"Oh- ohhh, right. True love, was it?" Hans mocked dryly, and then he turned and tried to spit in the ground to show his thoughts on it, but his mouth was dry. Why was he saying this? Exasperating Elsa wasn't a smart move in his situation. He could be very well throwing away what little chance he had to get away with his skin.

But perhaps he was just as tired of pretending as he was of everything else, even trying to stay alive sounded too much an effort.

"You're lying" Elsa insisted, albeit weakly. It felt too much like he was trying to earn their sympathy. She had been manipulated by him once, she wasn't about to fall for it twice.

Still...

"You're free to think whatever puts your pretty little head to rest" he continued in a barely audible voice, because suddenly even his own words seemed distant. Even the act of taking breaths felt like a titanic one and spots swam before his eyes like a multitude of flies. But among this haze he could see blue fabric, and legs bending and then Elsa's wary face, and he could hear the Ice Harvester (What was his name, anyway? He was sure he'd known it at some point) growling something in alarm. And then Elsa spoke.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Hans" her voice was low and heavy with threat "Was it really your family that did this to you?"

He hesitated for a moment, because he wasn't sure if it would bring him any good to accept it, but ended up nodding groggily, because suddenly he felt like he could throw up if he tried to speak and shock, disgust and oh, no, not pity of all things crossed her face.

"Oh, come on, this isn't any of our business!" Kristoff protested, despite the fact that he was looking down at Hans with the same shock and disgust and revoltingly raw pity as the Ice Queen "Let's just patch him up quickly and drop him on the next ship for the Southern Isles, I'm sure he can brainwash someone back home into—"

Hans hacked, trying to laugh and the noise suddenly made him fragile at the eyes of his enemies.

"I have no home. Never did"

C.C (a) the author here.

Helsa.

FUCKING HELSA.

I barely finished one fic on them and BAM new plot bunny. I don't know, guys, this one looks like it could have at least five chapters, despite the fact that I want to keep it simple because otherwise it'll NEVER GET DONE, I KNOW MYSELF.

Either way, comments and reviews are welcome.

C.C, out.