Family Business (Part 1)
Warning: This chapter will contain very disturbing scenes. You have been warned.
Arendelle, 1841
The wind had begun to pick up as both men went further and further North. Hans sighed relieved by the warm cloak he had been given, as it kept out more cold then his grey coat.
"You okay?" asked Kristoff, knowing that the foreigner wouldn't be used to the harsh temperatures.
"I'm fine. I had worse" commented Hans while Kristoff led Sven through the more thinner and thinner trees. "I don't understand why the queen let me go alone with you. For all she knows, I could slit your throat the next night."
The bulky Ice harvester glanced to the foreign prince. "You won't get the chance to. We stop at multiple cottages, and they know about us coming there. If they don't hear or see anything about us in the forthnight, they will send ravens to the queen."
Hans smirked. "Good. she isn't that dumb as I thought she would be."
It was silent for a moment before Kristoff asked a burning question to the prince. "Why were you glad that Anna was 'gone'?"
The prince looked confused to the Sami by the odd question. "You told me that in the cave" explained Kristoff while turning Sven to the right.
"Ah, well... Let's just say my...brothers have another way of treating their women" said Hans casually while hesitating on the word 'brothers'. It didn't go unnoticed by the Sami, who raising his eyebrow at the strange hesitation."If they laid their hands on Anna..." The prince's eyes flashed in anger at the last sentence. Yet The Sami had the feeling it wasn't exactly about Anna he was thinking about. THe anger was about someone else.
"Who was she?" asked Kristoff softly causing the prince the look up.
"Excuse me?"
"Who was it they laid their hands on?" Kristoff saw the prince's eyes darken.
"Let me be very clear, Mountain man. Spies or not, If you ask me one more time such a personal question, You end up with a dagger through your chest."
"You don't have any weapons with you".
"Do you want to take that chance?" spoke Hans dangerously calm.
"Without me, you don't get to Lappekonen. and without her, you will die." spoke the Ice harvester. "the headaches have gotten worse since we began our trip isn't it? I have seen you trying to hide your pain."
Hans gritted his teeth at the man's comment. " You think I freaking care about all of this?! All I wanted was a ship to get away. Yet you drag me arround like some trophy, hoping you can gain my trust. well guess what mountain man; I don't like you" pointed the prince with his finger to the blonde man. "And I never will. I see through your and the queen's facade. trying to be 'understanding', and 'kind'... " mocked the prince. "There is a reason behind it all."
"There isn't always a reason behind being kind to someone" spoke Kristoff. Hans' eyebrow went up.
"Oh yeah? then why does the queen spare my life after I tried to commit regicide? Because I'm suddenly someone who has some kind of 'magic'?"
"Yes"
The prince didn't expect that answer and looked confused to the Ice harvester. "What?!"
"In a way, I believe she does spare you because you're special, Hans. She never met anyone before in her 13 years of isolation who's just like her. Suddenly she meets two people in one day who can somehow relate to what she feels. Its a huge shock for her. She wants... she doesn't want you to feel just as isolated as she did. She wants to help you get control over it, Like she learned from Anna, and is learning now from Ingrid." The ice harvester paused. "she truly wants to help you, Hans. I want to help too, if you give me the chance."
Kristoff stopped Sven by a small cottage and began to unload their materials. The prince helped the man, as he didn't want to stay any longer outside. It began to become dark soon, and the prince knew like everyone that they didn't have much time for getting everything ready for the night. After a half hour, their sleeping place was ready and the prince stretched himself on the bed. He was going to dream again. He knew it now. Being aware of this... Sight, as well as going further and further North, seemed to strengthen that strange ability. Although he didn't want to, the prince fell asleep, exhausted from the long trip.
Storybrooke, Present day.
Emma immediately called everyone together the next morning. "We know what the Snow queen is planning now. She took Regina's mirror and a shard out of Hans' chest last night, and we believe she wants to complete the Troll Mirror. If she hasn't succeeded already."
"That means we have to act quickly" spoke Charming this time. "We have to take the fight to her, and camp out every inch of the forest. There wasn't anything in her house, nor in her ice cream shop. she must have cleared out everything before hand."
"Which means she's hiding something" said Hook, causing everyone to murmur in agreement.
"What about her ice cream truck?" asked Henry. Everyone looked to the little kid.
"The snow queen has an ice cream truck?" said Emma to her son.
"Well, isn't that ironic. Ice cream made by an ice queen" laughed Hans softly in Elsa's ear. the queen smiled when she heard his comment.
"I'm a kid, I know these things."
"Alright. Hook, you Regina and Emma take the West. Gold, You are coming with me North-"
"You all know I work best alone" interrupted Gold.
"No time to argue with that" said David while refocusing back on the task. "Hans you are coming with me then for the east." The prince nodded in agreement.
"Belle, how is your tracking about the snow queen? did you find anything new?" asked Charming to the black-haired girl.
"I'm afraid not. But I'm going to the library. its the last place where there hasn't been searched yet about the Snow queen or the Mirror."
"I'm coming with you, Belle" spoke the queen of Arendelle while everyone else walked outside to search in the woods. "perhaps there is something about Anna too." Belle looked taken back by Elsa's comment. Elsa noticed this. "Unless you'd rather have not the company?"
"No, of course not. I would love some." answered Belle politely.
"Elsa?" The queen looked up from the glowing snowflake in her hand and saw her sister entering the study room.
"Anna!" Elsa ran to her sister and embraced her sibling. "I'm so happy to see you again!" The queen forgot her worries for a minute about the upcoming war and the preparations for it.
"I'm afraid you are stuck with me!" smiled the red-head while Elsa took hold of her arm.
"I know you had to, to try to make me feel better..." Both siblings began to walk arround the room. "So what did you learn? do you know why our parents went to the enchanted forest?" Elsa saw her sibling hesitating to answer. "What is it Anna? you can tell me anything."
"Nothing..." evaded Anna the question. "I'm still waiting from some answers from a few people I met, but that could take a while, a long while... So, how has it been here? No coupe d'états from Hans or the duke I hope?" joked the young princess to avoid being asked further about her parents.
"No, no of course not!" smiled Elsa. "Everything is going great!" The queen had learned for years by her father how to not to show her true emotions . The conversation died out a bit and Anna began to look arround. I promise I'll tell you everything Anna. You are too happy now to ruin this with such bad news...
"Wait... no frost on the windows?" asked a puzzled Anna. "Usually when we talk about our parents, it ends up with the chill in the air."
"I have been learning to control my powers when I get upset" smiled Elsa proudly.
"Really, how?"
"By training with me" spoke a female voice, which caused Anna to turn arround.
"Who's that?" flapped Anna out. "I mean... Who are you? I...uh..." Anna smiled akwardly to the strange woman. "Hi".
"She's... our aunt" explained Elsa to her sibling.
"Our what?"
"Your aunt." smiled Ingrid to the girl. "I'm Ingrid. Your mother and I were sisters."
"But...our mother doesn't have a sister" spoke Anna confused. "at least she never told us about one..."
"I'm sure she was trying to spare you a very painful history. You see many years ago I was...trapped by an urn by people who didn't exactly understand me." explained Ingrid.
"Didn't understand you?" Anna avoided the woman's eyes. Despite being friendly to her, she felt that her kindness was a bit too forced, a bit too happy to be true.
The woman gestured with her hand and a snowflake appeared. "Our gift runs in the family."
Later in the stables Anna began to talk to her horse Kjekk. "I'm telling you Kjekk, that woman is up to something." It was a habit she had taken over from Kristoff. At first it was weird, talking to an animal, but she understood now why Kristoff did it. The animal seemed to calm you down when you were aggrivated or sad. Anna looked to her horse intelligent eyes. Yeah, and what makes you think that? seemed the eyes to ask.
"because its weird having her here." spoke the girl while pacing arround. "I want to make sure we are asking all the right questions. Like, is she really my aunt? or is she some imposter, trying to wurm her way into my family?"
The resemblance is rather striking between the two...
"That may be so, but if she's really my aunt... why isn't she in the royal records, the family portraits?" reasoned the girl. "There has to be an explaination for all that."
And how are you going to find out?
"Kristoff's family can help. They can tell me if she's lying or not."
her Horse whinnied. Gran pabbie is still dissappointed you posponed the wedding.
Anna smiled. "I can handle gran pabbie... with Kristoff is going ice harvesting.. I have to find someone else to cover me while I'm gone... to keep Elsa busy..." The girl saw very concidentally Helga pass by, an old kind servant who had helped her and Elsa in those two years after their parents had died. "Helga!"
The old lady turned arround. "Anna! You're back!" the two woman embraced warmly. "You aren't sea sick are you? you look a bit pale.. why don't you come inside for a cup of tea?"
"I'm very sorry Helga, perhaps later. For now, I have to go take care of something first. Can you keep Elsa busy for a couple of hours?"
the old woman looked concerned to the princess. "What are you planning Anna? It sounds serious."
"I..." the princess sighed. she had to tell somebody, to get it off her chest. Normally she would have talked about this with Kristoff, but the old woman was someone she knew she could trust. she practically saw her and Elsa as her own children.
"My parents..." the princess swallowed. "They wanted to go to Misthaven to take away her magic, the thing that makes her special..." the princess sniffed. "I don't know how to say it to her... this will break her heart."
"O sweetie..." the old woman wiped the princess' tears away with her fingers. "She will understand that. she won't be angry at you... But you have to tell her as soon as possible. If someone else hears about this and tells her before you do... she will be sad because you hid it from her..."
"Yeah. you're right. I have to tell her." smiled Anna through her tears. "I will as soon as I return. Thank you for listening Helga"
"Think nothing of it my dear." as the princess walked back into the stables to prepare her journey to the trolls and Helga went back to her duties, neither noticed the snow queen earshopping on them both in the shadows.
"Hans!" yelled a girl happily when the young man come from the docks. Thanks to the long sea voyage, the man had gained a small beard. The two ran inside a small alley before embracing each other. The girl giggled when she felt Hans' beard tickle against her cheek. "I missed you."
"I missed yo-MMH!" the prince' sentence was cut off when the girl kissed his mouth greedily. their lips broke apart again, both were out of breath. When the girl wanted to kiss him again, the man stopped her. "Not here, Aliya. If they see us..."
"I don't care anymore. Hans, we have been doing this for months!" whispered the girl. "Somehow the truth will come out."
"And you will be the victim of it!" spoke the man worried. " Us two, we can keep this up together."
"Well... not just...us" spoke the girl hesitantly.
"What? Aliya, have you told anyone? If they tell it further they will-"
"ssh, shhh!" shushed Aliya the panicking man. "No, I haven't told anyone... It's just... I have been late with my Moon blood for 3 months now... I believe I'm pregnant." Aliya smiled with tears in her eyes. "You are going to be a daddy Hans."
"Are you sure?" pressed Hans to be certain.
"Yes..." The girl became worried when Hans didn't say anything. "Are you angry with me?"
"Angry? Aliya... thats..." the man's eyes became wet from tears. "That's amazing..." Aliya laughed and she kissed him again, the one she called her husband, her lover... and now the father of their child.
"There doesn't seem to be anything about Arendelle in here." said Elsa while turning her attention back to Belle, who quickly hid the geographic map of Arendelle. "Have you found something?"
"No, I'm afraid not. I'm not that familliar with Arendelle... or your sister..." lied Belle.
Oaken's wandering trading post, 1841.
"You want to find trolls?" said Oaken. "You know they are dangerous, ya?"
"Oh, no...I mean rock trolls, not bridge trolls." corrected Belle the merchant.
"Oh, ya. they are very nice."
"So, you can direct me to them?" Belle pointed to the map.
"No, have never met them. yohoo!" Oaken waved to Anna before returning his attention back to Belle.
"But you said they were nice." asked Belle confused.
"I've heard." said Oaken to the discouraged girl.
"Please help me out. I just lost my mother..."
"Oh I'm so sorry.." answered the merchant apologizing for not being able to help her further. Anna looked up to see the strange girl having a conversation with Oaken. She didn't want to prey, but the girl looked like she needed help.
"Anyway... thank you for your help" said Belle as she began to walk away, passing Anna in the process.
"I can help you." said the princess.
"You can?"
"Yeah You don't need a map or Oaken's help. I'm on my way to see them.. come with me if you like." smiled the red head. "I'm Anna."
"I'm Belle" both woman shook hands. "Thank you so much."
Friend of Anna's.. half price on the sauna." commented Oaken happily, causing both women to decline politely.
Hans sprinted to the palace, desperately searching for the doctor. "Whoa, Hans! what's the hurry!?" Hans was stopped by one of his older brothers, Andreas.
"I'm searching for the healing master." spoke the prince urgent. Aliya's water had broken a few minutes ago and the prince was now looking for a doctor to help her with delivery of their baby.
"Why do you need him? you look perfectly fine to me..."
"Its not for me" lied Hans. "Its for one of my sailors. He sacrified his life for me during the battle on the Poseidon's Trident. I want to return the favor to his wife by giving her and her baby the best chance."
"Thats very noble of you." smiled his brother. "I will send the healing master to you. where does he have to be?"
"Uhm... Leyer street, second floor above the baker" remembered the young father.
"Alright, I will let him know."
"Thank you Andreas, you're a life saver!" Hans sprinted back to Aliya to support her in these stressing hours. As the young man ran upstairs he could hear his beloved wife screaming already from the contractions she was having. That was fast... normally it would take a few hours at least before the contractions began, knew the stressed father.
"Hans..." Huffed the young woman as she saw her husband sprint to her.
"I'm here, love." The man took her hand, wincing as he felt his hand getting crushed by the woman. "You are doing great" The prince pressed some cold blanket against the woman's sweating forehead.
Aliya smiled before she grimaced again when a strong contraction came up again. "He's going to be a great fighter"
"He?" asked hans.
"Yeah... I believe its going to be a boy..."
"And I still believe its going to be a girl..." It had been a amusing speculation between them two about what the gender would be of their child. Hans looked up when he saw the Doctor come in.
"Alright Miss, I want you to take deep breaths. when I ask you to push, you push alright?" Aliya nodded, her sweaty face glinstering in the dim room. "Alright, Push!"
Aliya obliged while Hans felt like any father; helpless as he could only watch to see his wife in pain.
"Almost there..."
"AAAAAAH!" Aliya screamed from both the pain and exhaustion as she pushed again.
"There you go..." a cry echoed through the room as the Doctor quickly cut the umbilical cord and wrapped the child in a blanket. "Its a boy" said Doctor while putting the baby into the mother's arms.
The tired mother smiled weakly to her husband. "Told you so..." Hans laughed and kissed her on the forehead.
"He looks so beautiful... he has your eyes..." spoke Hans while tracing his finger carefully across the little child's hand. He gasped when the little man wrapped his small fingers arround his. "What are we going to call him?" asked the father.
"Eddard" thought the mother after a long silence.
"Sounds wonderful." smiled Hans. For a moment, everything was perfect for the little family. Suddenly the door barged open and everyone looked up to see soldiers coming in.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked the Doctor. "AGH" the old man got hit with the hilt of one of the soldiers swords and slumped on the ground. Hans had stood up too, but was just as surprised and soon, he too was overwhelmed by soldiers.
"NO! NOT MY SON!" cried the still exhausted mother when the baby was taken out of her arms.
"Leave them alone!" roared Hans while trying to break free. The soldiers however had him pressed against the wall as their numbers were too much.
"Oh, Hans..." the young father looked to the door where Andreas stood. "shut your mouth already."
Hans' face became red with rage. "YOU brought them here? why?"
"Ah, hans... we can't have another bastard in our family can we?" said the brother while taking out his dagger. Hans felt his blood run cold when he walked to the soldier who held Eddard.
"NO, NO, please, NOT MY BABY -AAAAGH!" Aliya screamed when one of the soldiers sliced her throat.
"There. we can have some peace and quiet." smirked Andreas while he looked at his screaming brother. "I got to say... you have some good taste, Hans." The soldiers forced Hans' face to look at how his brother took his child in his arms. The dagger gleamed coldly when the brother raised it.
"Hans!" The prince felt something on his shoulder and still with his mind in the dream, Hans roared and pushed the mountain man against the wall. "Hans! Its me, Kristoff!" yelled the shocked ice harvester. "It was just a dream!"
The prince blinked and came back to his senses when he realized he was in the cabin. Kristoff felt the pressure on his neck loosen and he coughed while trying to get his breathing back.
"No. it wasn't" whispered the tormented man while rolling back under the pelts.
Kristoff swore he could hear him cry that night.
I was crying when I wrote this chapter. This has to be one of the most darkest scenes I have written in my life. I wanted to give Hans more backstory and let you all experience how he became so cold and bitter. Stay tuned. Next time I will put you all of your misery and give you some answers you faithful readers have been waiting for so long. Please review!