The Evil That Men Do

Through the dense fog that had enveloped his mind, Kristoff heard his name being called as if from a great distance. He tried to answer but found that he was unable to make any sound or even to move. The voice grew clearer, as if it was coming closer, but his attempts at a response proved to be in vain. Nearer it came, until it was almost a yell, and slowly the mists began to part. As Kristoff regained consciousness, he managed a low groan. He put a hand up to his head to massage it and was vaguely surprised to feel soft fabric under his skull. Gingerly, he opened his eyes and blinked in the glare of the lantern that had been placed near him. Hazy at first, his field of vision slowly came into focus, dominated by Anna's distressed countenance hovering above his. She had been cradling his head in her lap and now upon seeing him looking back at her, she broke into a relieved smile. The splitting headache, brought on by the blow, had not abated but Kristoff's earlier feeling, of his head being about explode, had now ceased. Becoming more aware of his surroundings, he noted that they appeared to be inside a single-room stone building such as those used for storage. The room was bare, save for a metal door as their only means of entry or exit, and a high, barred window which offered no hope at all.

"Are you ok?" Anna inquired as his eyes scoured the room, "I was so worried." She shifted to relieve her own pins and needles but started in alarm at the agonized yowl that it elicited from Kristoff.

"Sorry, sorry," she soothed, stroking his cheek as he grimaced, "My legs were falling asleep."

"How long was I out for?" he murmured, as the memory of their capture slowly returned.

"A little over half an hour," Anna told him, "They locked us… What do you think you're doing?"

At the word 'they', a galvanized Kristoff shot up, unmindful of the pain that threatened that cause his head to come apart. Turning to Anna, he asked urgently, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, "I think they felt that I wouldn't put up much of a fight but they didn't think that for very long."

"Why?"

"When they knocked you out," Anna explained, "I tried to come to you but a couple of the guards grabbed me. I lashed out and caught one of them on the shin with my boot. This seemed to surprise the other guy and I managed to get my elbow in his face and shook him off. I'd just got to your side when a third guy stepped in front of me and he'd had the sense to bring a crossbow."

"Well, I was angry but not stupid," she shrugged as she continued, "So they talked among themselves about what to do with us, most of which I couldn't catch. The two guys whom I hit seemed a bit upset but the third guy was the boss, I guess, and he said something and then they brought us here and locked us in."

Kristoff listened to her exposition with stunned admiration. "You are amazing," he observed in awe, evoking a shy smile from Anna, "Have I asked you to marry me yet?"

"Yes, you have."

"Good. I could probably use a bodyguard," Kristoff grinned; attempting, and failing, to evade a smack on the arm from Anna.

"How's your head?" she asked with sudden concern, as she reached up to stroke the spot where he had been bashed.

"Its fine, it's fine," he winced, "I have…"

"A thick skull," Anna finished, rolling her eyes, "Don't I know it."

As Kristoff prepared to respond to this stinging repartee, the sound of a key in the lock wiped out all thought of light-hearted banter. They both scrambled to their feet and faced the door, with Kristoff unconsciously moving Anna behind him. A uniformed guard strode in, brandishing a crossbow, followed by another man whose demeanour clearly marked him as the leader. He was in his late thirties, his dark hair tinged with a hint of white. He had an air of authority about him, and his clothes were of noble cut. Anna peered at him thoughtfully, wondering why he looked so familiar.

There was no corresponding flicker of recognition as he sized them up. "What were you doing, sneaking around the island?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"Look, this is all a big mistake," Kristoff bluffed, "I'm just an ice harvester from Arendelle and this is my fiancé. We were out for a picnic and decided to take a boat ride out to the island. We had heard that it was deserted. We didn't know that there were people here."

The man's peered unwaveringly at Kristoff. The cold depths of his blue eyes held no expression and Anna suppressed an involuntary shiver. Kristoff stared right back at him, determined not to show any hesitation that would cause the man to doubt their story.

"Very well," he said at length, apparently satisfied. "Leave them here," he instructed the guard, "We can worry about them later."

The man turned to leave and Kristoff and Anna both spoke up in protest, but their voices died out as a young man stepped into the room. The light shone full on him and Anna's eyes grew large. Kristoff's expression switched rapidly from surprise to rage and his meaty hands clenched into fists till the knuckles stood out white.

"Henrik, I…" began the auburn-headed new entrant and then he froze in his tracks as he too noticed the prisoners.

"Anna?" he goggled, as if unable to believe his eyes.

"Hans?" she queried in reply.

The older man looked from one to the other, perplexed. "Do you know this girl, Hans?" he asked.

His initial shock wearing off, a wicked grin marred the chiseled features of the youngest prince of the Southern Isles. Anna kept a tight grip on Kristoff's arm, afraid that he would do something stupid, and keenly aware of the guard with the crossbow who looked like he would brook no aggression against his master.

"Know her? I was engaged to her last year," Hans sneered, "This is Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"I called off that engagement when I socked you into the fjord," Anna snapped, her cheeks flushing with anger as she moved to stand beside Kristoff while still keeping a hand on his arm. Hans' smirk devolved into an expression of contorted rage. He took a step towards her but was brought to a standstill by the older man putting an arm out in front of him.

"Leave us, Hans," he uttered, his gaze still lingering on Anna.

"But…"

"Leave," he growled, turning to Hans and pointing to the open door.

Hans stalked out of the room like a sulking child and the man turned back to Kristoff and Anna, his inscrutable face now featuring a smile, but a smile that lacked any warmth or humour.

"I must apologise for my brother's behaviour, Your Highness. It is such a pleasure to meet you finally," he said with a little bow.

"And you are?" she asked, attempting to act as royally aloof as Elsa did sometimes.

"Ah, forgive me, where are my manners? I am King Henrik of the Southern Isles," he disclosed, "I am Hans' eldest brother."

"King?" Anna asked in surprise, "I thought Lord Marcus was King of the Southern Isles?"

"Unfortunately our dear father passed away last year," Henrik told them, "It was very sudden. We were all shocked."

There was something in the way he said it that sent another chill through Anna's spine. Looking at the way he strutted around the room, she realized that they were dealing with an extremely ruthless family.

"You should have told us who you are, Your Highness," Henrik was saying, "We would have arranged for more appropriate accommodation for you and…" he looked distastefully at Kristoff.

"Kristoff. Arendelle's official Ice Master," Kristoff muttered darkly. Though he did not actually laugh, Henrik allowed himself a smirk before the cold smile returned. Before he could say anything though, Kristoff spoke up again.

"Enough of this pointless chattering, Henrik," he spat, irked in part by his reaction, "Where's Grand Pabbie?"

"Where's who?" Henrik asked, somewhat taken aback yet still maintaining his controlled manner, "What on earth is a Grand Pabbie?"

"The troll that your goons kidnapped," Kristoff retorted, dimly aware of Anna's hand still clutching his arm. Henrik's face cleared and his gaze turned contemplative.

"So you're here about the troll," he observed, almost to himself. His brow furrowed with concentration, he turned to walk out.

"Where's Grand Pabbie? Why did you kidnap him?" Anna asked.

"Patience, Your Highness," Henrik responded, his foot on the threshold, "You'll have all your answers in due time."

"You're going to attack Arendelle, aren't you?" Kristoff prodded, desperate to learn more about their plans. He knew they had to get word back to the kingdom about the impending assault but, try as might, he just couldn't imagine how they'd be able to, incarcerated as they were.

"No, we just thought we'd drop in for a tea-party," Henrik snorted sarcastically.

"Why?" Anna shot back, angrily, "Because of what happened last year? Because we sent Hans back in chains for trying to kill Elsa and take over Arendelle?"

"Is that what you think this is about?" Henrik gaped at them, appearing genuinely astonished. He stepped back into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Well, he is your brother. And I thought…"

"Hans is an idiot," Henrik sniffed, waving a hand, "His plan may have had some merit but, moron as he is, he stuffed it up."

"Then why…," Anna was now utterly lost.

Henrik leaned against a wall, his arms crossed. "Whatever Hans got himself into, it's really none of my concern," he told them, "After all, I have spent my whole life pretending that he's not my brother."

"I do, however, have eleven other brothers whose intelligence isn't quite as stunted as Hans'," he continued, now pensive, "And though they all pretend to be happy as princes, I know only too well that they are no longer content to stand by and await some, shall we say, happy accident to take me out of the picture."

"I am a busy man and I really have no time to keep fighting off attempts to usurp my throne. If I have to prevent a coup, I have to give each of them a kingdom of their own," he said, pacing around the room, "Hans tried charming his way into your fair kingdom last year, but that's going to take too long, and some of my other brothers wouldn't know charm if it hit them over the head. Force it has to be then."

"But why Arendelle?" Anna demanded, knowing that it sounded cruel to ask only of her own kingdom when the Southern Isles appeared to be on a path to forcefully annex all their neighbouring kingdoms too.

"Because of Elsa," Kristoff cut in before Henrik could answer. "You know that Arendelle's the safest kingdom around right now because of Elsa's powers," Kristoff continued, his mind drawing the inferences from Henrik's explanation, "You know that if you can defeat Arendelle then every other kingdom would fear you. You'd be the strongest king in the land. All the other kingdoms would just surrender rather than risk being attacked. You'll have the whole region in your control in no time."

"Hmm… maybe I have misjudged you," Henrik mumbled softly, glaring at him with some displeasure, "Christopher here seems to have it all figured out."

"It's Kristoff," both Anna and Kristoff said together.

Henrik shot them a condescending smile and left the room, the guard following closely behind. As the key turned in the lock, Kristoff threw himself at the door.

"Where's Grand Pabbie? What have you done with him?" he demanded of the silence without. No response was forthcoming save for some snickers from the guards stationed outside.


A/N: So, what say you of King Henrik? By the way, 3 chapters in a week is definitely a record for me but I absolutely love writing this story. Your reviews are spurring me on so keep them coming and I'll keep the chapters coming.

Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. A big thank you to all who have faved/followed/reviewed.