A/N: I know this has been on hiatus so long. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I am back now for some more whump. This is just starting to get rolling. A big thank you to all of you who reviewed, because that is one of the reasons I decided to keep going with this story. I promise that this will get better for Hans at some point for those of you who are worried, but not just yet. If there are any inconsistancies, I'm sorry, but it's been so long. I can't remember everything.
Warnings: Emotional Angst, some trauma, some drug use, general sadness, and abuse
After the incident with the closet, Hans had become much more managable. He was nearly always silent, drifting around his brother's room like a ghost. Declyn had to find superfluous reasons to punish him now. Once, he had beaten his brother for breathing too loudly.
Whenever Declyn was truly angry with his brother however, he would threaten to chain him in the darkness of the closet and never come back. Once Hans had dropped his sword while polishing the jewels on the golden hilt. Declyn had flown into such a rage. He had grabbed Hans by his hair and taken him to the threshold of the closet. Hans clung to him, terrified to be starved and alone again. Declyn couldn't help but feel a thrill when he saw his brother begging. Controlling another human in such a way was incredibly empowering.
Declyn glanced at his brother with hooded eyes. Hans was sitting quietly in the corner of the room, holding his legs up to his chest. Just the past week, he had beaten his little brother for sitting on furniture. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Hell, it still did.
Hans curled up further into himself when he noticed his brother staring at him. He lowered his head. Declyn smirked. All of this was well and good, but he still had to make certain that his brother was punished enough for his crimes in Arendelle. Those poor princesses had to have their justice after all.
"Brother, come," Declyn commanded.
Hans unfurled his body, and limped over to his brother's desk where he sat. Maybe he shouldn't have taken to beating his legs, Declyn thought. But then, Hans' back was becoming too crowded with welts and bruises. Hans stood a few feet away from his brother, wisely out of arm's reach, with his head bowed. It was a nice change to see his arrogance fade away.
"I have something for you," Declyn said gruffly. He reached in his pocket and took out a small leaf wrapped into pill like packaging. "Take it."
Hans looked at the leaf pill distrustfully. His amber eyes searched his brother's face for some indication of why. Declyn's expression was closely guarded. His lips pursed disdainfully as he explained, using as much gentleness as he could muster. "It will help with the pain."
Hans hesitated for only a moment longer. He wondered why his brother would help him after all this, but hope is eternal as they say. If there was even a chance of saving himself a bit of the agony he would take it. He snatched the pill from Declyn's outstretched hand and swallowed it dry.
Declyn sneered triumphantly. He watched his little brother's expression become peaceful. Declyn was no liar. The leaf, Ercinym, would help with the pain for a little while, maybe fifteen minutes. After the healings effects wore off, the misfortunate one who imbibed the drug would experience stimulation of the mind's pain receptors, and would not be able to sleep.
Declyn stood from his desk, sweeping past his brother. He had no intention of staying around for the fallout. Hans' shrill screams always hurt his sensitive ears. He took his cloak from the closet, and draping it over his shoulders said, "I'll be out for a while. Do try to behave yourself."
He left his room, locking the door from the outside. Declyn was due to meet his brothers outside the palace at the main gates. The royal party was taking a weekend vaction in the country side. Only the servants would be home for the next three days, and none of them had a key to his room.
~~~Scene~~~
As Declyn had promised Hans had felt all the pain leave his body for those beautiful fifteen minutes. After that, all the agony of hell erupted over his body. He felt as though he were burning, fire tearing at his skin. He couldn't breathe for the heat. He had couldn't bring himself any relief, even lying on the cold stone floor. It was the very meaning of misery. And as Declyn predicted no one was there to help Hans. No one even knew that he was in any trouble at all.
Two days had passed in this agony. It came to him in waves now. Sometimes it was only a nagging issue at the back of his mind. Sometimes it seared itself painfully into the forefront of his mind. However it presented, it was never far away. Hans barely moved from his place, curled up on the floor. He couldn't see to force himself to move. He couldn't pass out either. He was forced to endure every second of torture wide awake.
After two days of sleepless agony, Hans was on the very edge. His face was pressed against the floor, trying to cool the fire licking at his skin from the inside. One would think that tears would cool him, even if only a little, but instead his tears burned like acid. He had given up on cursing his brother and shouting for him to come back. Now he was hoping, rather, that his brother would let him die swiftly. The pain and exhaustion was taxing on Hans' brain, until his mind began to rebel.
"Hey, you don't look so good," said a light voice from above him.
At first, Hans couldn't place the voice. It had been at least a month since he had heard any voice but his brother's. He wasn't sure what to do with this new person. So he did nothing. He didn't even look up. He kept his eyes shut tightly and face pressed firmly against the stone floor.
"Leave him be. He doesn't deserve your pity." Another voice joined the first. The second voice was sharp and cold.
"I know that," said the first. "But look at him! I think he's crying."
Suddenly, there were hands lifting him up. He was set up against a wall, forced to sit up. He moaned but kept his eyes shut stubbornly.
"Come on, open your eyes," the first voice encouraged.
"Why would you want to see his ugly eyes?" snapped the second voice.
"Because..." the first voice trailed off.
Hans felt fingers on his eyes. He was forced to open his right eye. His other eye flew open as well. In front of him knelt Anna of Arendelle. She was wearing the same stunning green dress she had worn to the party where he met her. Behind her, sitting callously on Declyn's desk, was her sister, Elsa the Ice Queen.
Anna smiled sweetly when she saw Hans' eyes open. "Because I want him to see this." With no more preamble, she drew back her fist and struck him on his jaw. His head jerked to the side. She still had a forceful right hook, it seemed.
Hans fell to the floor again, but he couldn't seem to shut his eyes again. He was staring up at Anna, who now stood over him. She was grinning sadistically. "You know, I couldn't believe we had to ship you home after the stunt you pulled." She paced closer to him as she spoke, then put a foot on his chest, pressing down hard. "I was so angry! I mean, don't I deserve my shot at you too?" She moved her foot to his throat, cutting off his air supply.
"She built little effigies of you to burn," Elsa added, unhelpfully, from the desk where she was making little snowflakes on her hand.
"But it wasn't what I wanted," Anna growled, glaring down at him. "I wanted to see you. Broken, bleeding, begging!"
Hans was trying to move her foot from his neck. His fingers were scrambling on her delicate foot, but she was immovable. She laughed at his weak attempts. "It looks like someone beat me to the fun." She finally took her foot away, leaving him to gasp for air like a fish. "You're already pretty pathetic, aren't you?"
Anna grabbed Hans' face and forced him to look at her. He tried to look away from her green eyes that smouldered with fury. "That's ok. I'll take what I can get." She threw him back, and his head cracked against the wall. He let out a small yelp of pain.
He didn't want Anna to see him like this and still hate him! Hadn't he already suffered enough? He was sorry, damn it! He would do anything, even lick the sisters' boots clean if the pain would stop, if they would stop glaring at him, stop looking at him. He was so sorry.
Hans didn't realize he had been muttering to himself. Anna leaned in to listen. All he was saying, was a long sting of "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.", interrupted only by gasps for air between weak, silent sobs.
Anna pulled back from him, wrinking her nose. "You're disgusting." She kicked him in the gut. He cried out only to be silenced by another sharp kick to his side.
Then more hands were on him. Elsa was holding his arms behind his back. She glared at him. "Have at him," she told her sister.
Anna needed no more invitation. The girl laid into him, peppering his entire torso with punches and kicks. She didn't even hesitate to play dirty, kicking him in the groin. Elsa's grip is bruising. He had had no idea these girls were so strong.
After a few minutes of the beating, his mind began to wander slowly. If he had known this would happen, he would never have gone to Arendelle. He would have contented himself with being forever a prince. Its not like being a prince was so bad. He had had a bed at least, and beating hadn't been a part of his daily routine.
"Hey!" A sharp blow came to the side of his head. "Hey! Are you daft?"
Anna was yelling at him, Hans thought dully. He couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He was trembling and hadn't even realized it. Why would he look at her or respond? She would get angry whatever he did, responsive or not, so why bother? Thinking, acting, all of it was too much energy for him anymore. Let them do as they like.
He was vaguely aware of Elsa poking his back, only holding him with one hand now. "I think you broke him."
"Yeah, looks like that," Anna sighed. "There's nothing for it."
Elsa dropped Hans into a heap on the floor. He didn't move. He only shook uncontrollably, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He felt Anna's foot rolling him over onto his back. "If you ever wake up, let me know. I don't think I'm quite satisfied yet."
He could hear their footsteps receding from the room. He wondered briefly how they left. Declyn had locked the door. But that didn't really matter to him. Once he heard them leave, he began to weep. He couldn't help it. The tears just came, staining trails down his face. He felt so worthless, like Anna said "pathetic". It was true. He couldn't defend himself, and he didn't really want to anymore. Everything he did just led to pain, and no one was coming to help him.
Although he hadn't admitted it, even to himself, he had dreamt often that Anna would come for him. She would forgive him, and stop the pain. How stupid could he be? What he had done was unforgivable. She had every right to be angry, every right to hurt him more. He was well and truly alone.
"I'm sorry, so sorry," he whimpered to himself as he sobbed alone in a dark room.
~~~Scene~~~
Declyn sat restlessly in a carriage with his two elder brothers. He had expected a refreshing weekend. He had not been expecting Asher's whore, Delana to be pestering him with questions about Hans every other hour. What did she care what happened to the disgraced prince?
In any case, her concern had put the dark man in a foul mood. He tugged at his beard as he glowered past the curtains on the carriage windows. His brother's prattle faded into the background. He had to consider his options.
If Delana wanted to press the matter, she was queen, and he would have to oblige her. He would not be able to abate her with suave words forever. She would see Hans sooner or late, so wouldn't it be better if it were on his terms? Yes, most certainly. She would see Hans, but it would be on his terms. Once he was home, he would have to focus on making his little brother presentable again.
At length, the carriage arrived at the palace, and an exhausted royal party disembarked from where they had been sitting for hours of travel. Only Declyn walked with any sort of purpose.
Declyn swept past the servants unpacking his things. He went directly to his room. He paused outside the door, but could hear nothing from within. Unlocking the door, he entered quickly, shutting off the world behind him. He nearly tripped over Hans' prone form on the floor.
Hans didn't move. He only laid there with dull eyes, staring at the opposite wall. Declyn knelt next to him curiously, thinking perhaps he had gone too far and killed the boy. No he wasn't dead. He was mumbling something.
"I'm sorry, Anna. D-don't... I-... I'm sorry... A-anna..."
Declyn raised an eyebrow. This was something new. He grabbed his brother's face and dragged him up from the floor. Hans didn't look at him. His attention was focused on something over his shoulder. Every so often he would flinch, but had no energy for much else.
Declyn grunted. Hallucinations were a common side effect of sleep deprivation. He hadn't considered that hallucinations might have this effect on Hans. A happy coincidence he would have liked to explore. However he remembered himself.
He had to make Hans somewhat presentable again for Delana. Glaring at his dead eyed, husk of a brother, who was still causing him trouble when crushed under his boot, he knew they had a long way to go. Putting Hans back together would be an issue, but afterwards, he would have the pleasure of breaking him all over again.
