Embers of a Frozen Heart - 1
Summary: He was the 13th son. Always overlooked, always a last resort, for the people's safety. But he was the only one available when the Queen of Arendelle's Coronation came.
I finally watched Frozen and this came out of it.
He could hear soft murmuring from beyond the door when he approached the light wood. "Are you sure about this? He hadn't been out of the Southern Isles before, and for a good reason," his father way saying.
"We can't go right now when our people still need us. It was your idea to let Ivan and Garole go see the world. He is our only option left, and available. If we send a diplomat of all things to the Coronation it will look like we don't care about our allies. Not to mention the implication that we can't uphold to simple courtesies. Everyone else is away-"
He decided he had listened to the two of them long enough. With a sigh he grabbed the metal handle, always metal ever since he could grab onto them. His parents had changed that little detail of the castle when his powers showed. He pushed it open, stepping into the large throne room. "Father. Mother," he spoke softly, inclining his head to each in turn.
"Hans." His mother turned swiftly to face him. "It is our wish that you go to Arendelle for the Coronation of their Queen, presently Princess Elsa to represent the Southern Isles."
"Of course, mother," he replied, dipping his head lower than before. He had never once dared to wish that they would let him off the Isles after all this time. Hans was close to grinning when his father spoke.
"Do not forget your manners and be on your best behavior." From the look in his father's eyes he wasn't just talking about proper etiquette. "The ship leaves in an hour. Be ready before then."
"I will," he assured his father before standing back up and leaving through the open door, closing it behind him.
Hans made his way back to his room, pulling hard to open the heavy metal door and step inside. The crackle of flames from the hearth greeted him and he grinned. He would finally be leaving here. Actually going out to see the world! Sure, the Isles were beautiful but out of all his brothers he hadn't left his homeland once. All of his brothers must have left more than a handful of times for one reason or another. And now he would as well.
Though after this Coronation he would have to come back... That thought made him frown. He didn't particularly want to come back here, where even some of the servants forgot he was here and he was a Prince. Not some commoner. Even though he was royalty he hadn't ever really felt like it. Not in the castle anyways.
The townspeople would do their traditional bows and curtsies, call him sir and Prince Hans, and then they went on with their daily life. He was the youngest, the thirteenth son, and they knew that. They would respect him like any other royalty but they knew his brothers better, respected them more. That's all there was to it.
Perhaps there was a way to stay in Arendelle and not have to come back. He pondered over it as he packed fancy suits, ties, boots, and other formal wear. His gaze would drift to the clock countless times as he worked, wishing the little hands would move faster. The trip would take at least a day and a half. It should give him plenty of time to think of something.
When the clock hit the the forty five minute mark he was on his feet with a bag in each hand walking out the door with a permanent smile on his face.
He stopped at the stables, setting the bags down as he walked inside, breathing in the scent of hay, worn leather, and wood. "Sitron," he called, a loud whine coming from one of the stalls and with a chuckle he went over to see the fjord horse, creamy fur covering it's body that turned black on the nose and the top of his white mane and the bottom of the horse's white tail. "Hey, boy. We're going to Arendelle today."
Hans unlocked the stall door, grabbing the bridle from the wall and fitting it onto the horse. He took hold of the reins leading the horse out from the stall and over to the saddles along the wall at the front of the stables. It took a few extra minutes as Sitron seemed to sense his own excitement at leaving, which just fueled the animal with energy as it clopped in a circle, throwing it's head from side to side. Eventually Sitron calmed down and stood still long enough for him to get the saddle on.
He chuckled, patting his friend's side before fetching a short rope to tie the seperate ends around the bags before throwing them over the horse's back and a moment later sat into the saddle, grabbing the reins again and making sure the horse walked rather than ran to the ship.
"Prince Hans." A ship-hand at the stern stopped, calling to him, waving a hand toward the vessel.
Hans dug his heels into Sitron's side, urging the horse into a trot up the flat piece of wood and onto the ship. He slipped from the side a moment later, boots connecting with the wood of the boat. Hans kept hold of the bridle as he walked towards the stern, handing off the reins to another ship-hand before starting up the steps of the ship. "Are we ready to set sail?"
The ship-hand nodded. "The Captian will be out of his cabin in a few minutes and we will make for the port of Arendelle. He mentioned you haven't been on a ship before."
"I haven't." It was unlikely that a ship-hand would equate a small boat to this large vessel. The one wood craft he had been on before.
"You might experience some sea sickness, and it's a good idea to stay away from the sides of the ship until you get the hang of walking on it after we set sail. The waves can make it unsteady and I doubt your mother or father would treat us kindly if you were to fall over."
Hans laughed. "Don't worry about that. My balance isn't terrible."
"Then would you like to go to your room below?" The ship-hand asked.
"No. Not yet. I would like to see the ocean."
"It is a rather big puddle."
Hans grinned at the ship-hand before bidding him goodbye and walking back down the steps. There was one good thing about being the youngest, the people that would interact with him usually didn't interject his royal status into every sentence.
He walked along the deck as the ship's crew ran about, opening the last few sails, pulling the anchor up before one went and got the Captain. Hans went to keep the man company as he steered the ship away from the harbor, talking about the lands the man had seen and listening to the tales of exotic rainforests, massive desserts, and finally Arendelle. A mountainous region that was green during the summer and covered in ice in the winter. Both the seasons were distinct and sounded wonderful. The way the Captain painted the details of the land in his mind was like a fantasy storybook. He could hardly wait to actually see the kingdom and experience it all himself.
Hans would ask for more stories and the Captain eagerly indulged him, sometimes shouting orders to the ship-men below continuing on. The more he heard, the more he wanted to stay there instead of heading back on the ship. He didn't tell the Captain this in case he sent word back of his intents to his parents. They couldn't exactly call him back but they could demand he returned right after the Coronation instead of staying behind a few days. Which he fully intended to do.
It was night when he retreated to his room below the deck, sitting on his bed and staring up at the ceiling, just listening to the rolls of the waves that rolled into the ship, full from the meal he had shared a few minutes earlier with the crew.
If he was to stay away in Arendelle and not leave in the Southern Isles there was only one thing he could really do. He had come to the conclusion an hour before. Hans would have to marry one of the sisters. It was a permanent solution and once that was done there would be nothing stopping him from seeing other lands as well. His parents wouldn't have a say in his life anymore if he didn't live with them. A few of his older brothers had married into separate kingdoms. His parents were currently looking for a suitable match for his seventh brother when he inevitably took the southern Isles throne considering the others had gone to different kingdoms or had other duties they were pursuing.
Yes, that would be the solution to his problem. It was perfect.
He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.