When Claes was told that he'd received a letter from Queen Elsa, he had assumed it would be a note of gratitude for doling out the harshest punishment possible to her attacker. It was no secret that his kingdom was suffering from a bitter depression, and Arendelle was his wealthiest trading partner. Elsa had already cut ties with Weselton over the whole ordeal, and he simply could not afford for the same to happen to the Southern Isles. If Hans' death is what it took to retain that vital connection, then so be it; he could stand to lose a brother much more than he could stand to lose any more trade.

Upon reading the letter, his first reaction was to feel offended. She "will not stand behind this decision?" Was this some sort of joke? Was she really passing judgment on him for condemning the worthless scum behind her attempted murder? It would have been laughable if it weren't so enraging.

"How dare she?" he shouted to no one in particular, though his head advisor, Elias, was standing just a few feet away from him.

"Your majesty, I don't believe the queen meant to offend," Elias offered meekly. "She did thank you for the gesture, after all, and you can't overlook the fact that she's offering to send money. I think you should consider her proposition."

"I have to consider it," Claes roared in exasperation. "What's more, I have to accept it or we'll have a damned uprising if word gets out to the people. My swine of a brother is going to get off easy, and I'm going to look like a spineless fool! I'll be an international laughing stock!"

"I don't think anyone could accuse you of being spineless, your majesty," Elias' voice was shaking now. The king's rage was infamously a force not to be reckoned with. "And we have to think of what's best for the people first. They are starving, your majesty, and we have no way to help them. If we give in to Queen Elsa's request, she will be able to help."

"Like I said, I have no choice," Claes grumbled. His rage had been somewhat pacified, but he was clearly unmoved by Elias' concern for the kingdom's dying subjects. "Write to Elsa. Tell her I'll release Hans to her, and she can do what she will with him. I will write later to arrange a meeting."

"Shall I tell Hans, your majesty?"

"Like I give a damn."

Elias scurried out of the room to write the letter as quickly as his elderly legs could carry him. He loathed his job…or he did now. He'd loved working under Noak; Noak had been a kind and altruistic leader; The Southern Isles had flourished under his rule because that king had been more concerned with the well being of his people than his reputation abroad. Noak may have been viewed as soft by some, but he was respected as a friend to his own people, and Elias believed that was what mattered the most.

Since Claes was very young, Elias knew he would be an unfit ruler. None of Noak's sons had inherited his altruism, but Claes was the very worst. He tormented each of his brothers, taught them to become as coldhearted as he was, and the only value he saw in himself, and in the world, was power. Elias had begged Noak to name a different ruler before he died; even one of the other sons would have been better than Claes, but Noak had refused, believing in the goodness of his own son more than he should have.

"People have a way of surprising you, Elias. My boy will change when he needs to," the old king had told him.

How very wrong he had been. Claes was concerned with nothing but retaining his power and ruling with the most crushing of iron fists that would soften for nothing, not even the immense suffering of a failing kingdom. At least now he'd be forced to accept help from a more benevolent soul.

After sending out the letter to Arendelle, Elias made his way to the prison adjoining the palace; he thought it only right to keep the youngest prince informed of his own fate.

Before he had tried to murder Queen Elsa, he had felt sorry for Hans. He had never known his mother, and his father died before his second birthday, so he had known very little kindness. He was the default punching bag for each and every one of his brothers. Elias himself had tried to befriend the boy; perhaps this one could have been different from the others. Alas, the influence of his older brothers was stronger. Not only was the old man outnumbered, but Hans learned from them to see him as a subhuman, since he was essentially a glorified servant. Hans never learned to respect Elias because of his lower rank, so he was doomed to become just like his brothers, and now he had committed a heinous crime worse than anything they had done, except, perhaps, for Claes.

When he reached Hans' cell, he found what could only be described as a broken man. Hans was on his knees on the floor of the cell, his head hung and his entire body shaking. He was muttering to himself. Elias coughed to announce his presence. The prince instantly snapped out of it when he realized he was no longer alone. He leapt to his feet and swung around to face the advisor.

"What do you want?" he spat. "Can't you people let me live out the last eight days of my life in peace?"

"I just thought you'd like to know that those days have just now been extended," Elias replied calmly.

Hans' entire body froze, and his mouth fell open. For a moment he said nothing.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, but his voice was soft, slow and still full of fear.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle has asked your brother to spare your life, and he has accepted in exchange for economic aid to the Southern Isles."

Hans was once again silent. He was still incredibly tense, as though his body could not believe what his mind was telling him.

"That doesn't make any sense," he insisted. "Why could she…how could she…her?"

What Elias saw in his eyes at that moment was pure, utter shock and disbelief, and it was in that moment that he realized that despite his horrific actions, this was the one son he could still hope for. When the old man spoke again, his tone was gentler, devoid of the formal air he had learned to always use with royalty.

"There are good people in this world, Hans. It's high time you learned that."

Right then and there, Elias decided that, no matter how hard he had to fight for it, he would accompany Hans to Arendelle. This man would not change on his own, but with help, there was hope. Noak's youngest boy could be saved yet.

A/N: Hi all!

First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I didn't expect to get such a great response from you guys for this, and it really made my night.

So, as you can probably tell by now, my chapters for this story most likely aren't going to be terribly long, but I plan to try and get a post out to you daily, at least for the time being. Also, things should start to pick up from here; I know that not a lot has happened thus far; but I really had to establish Elias' character with this chapter and get them both on their way to Arendelle.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and I'd once again love to hear what you think of it!

And last but not least…HAPPY NEW YEAR!