Authors note: Thank you all again for all of the reviews.
Things are going to get more and more interesting from this point forward. :)
Iceice: Hi to you too. Glad to meet another fairytale geek. Actually yes, I not only researched history while making this story, I also did use other stories and such while making this one and like you said most are not well known, though the mains ones which I drew inspiration from were the Hans Christian Andersen stories. You will be seeing a lot more winks and such of different stories as the chapters go on.
Actually I am sure that Hans means precious gift, but it was in another language...which I cannot seem to find...sorry again as this story I did it a long time ago, years to be honest and I am posting it now so some details are a bit..you know...but I will be changing them to make it better. Yes you are right the meaning would also fit the story.
Your welcome, and I send you regards as well. :)
Miryamji: Thank you, I did wanted it to be that way, but at the same time keep Hans from being too occ if you know what I mean. He basically acts like he would in the movie...if you ignore the him turning evil part...If you love that then you will definitely love this chapter. ;)
guest: Of course, but Iduna still has to keep her cards close as she is planning something huge. ;) Yes its is funny, it was inspired by something which happened to me once when I was babysitting. It was so funny that I had to include it in the story.
Irene is a queen, a very powerful and rich queen, you will find out more later on in the story.
Then you will love this chapter and the rest to come. ;)
yubima-chan: Just because Hans did not encounter the queen yet does not mean he won't as he will encounter her...eventually...
Yes Karen knows that they are her uncles, because if she did not know then she would be freaking out and being terrified of the snakes, because they are common vipers and are very venomous, the only kind which has poison in Norway.
Any way, please enjoy and remember to review when done..
Arendelle forest:
Hans stared wide eye at the person before him, she was a woman around his age or a bit younger, short of stature, yet elegant in her form, much like a work of art, her platinum blond hair was done in braid with snowflakes decorating it, a simple dark blue dress with black patterns on the skirt and a black bodice which complimented her pale yet lovely skin tone, but her eyes..he never forgot them...how could he? They were as beautiful as two blue shinning stars.
"Snow White?" asked Hans as he stared at her quite shocked, he never though he would see her again, yet here she was, all grown into a fine young woman,
"Thank God that we meet when I am clean" though Hans in relief as he doubted that she would react well to seeing him how he was back then when he was "working" for Valhalla, Runo and Rudi, with them he always was ragged and covered in dirt and ashes.
"Ross Red?" asked Snow/Elsa as she seemed just as pleasantly surprised as he was as she smiled at him, she has a very beautiful smile.
For a moment they were quiet, just starring at one another before they both began to laugh, though Hans was not sure if it was because she was as nervous as he was before he said "Snow, its been a long time since we last saw each other",
"Too long Ross" said Elsa between laughs "Look at yourself, you have grown into quite a stunning man",
"And you too...I mean...your not a man, your a woman...I mean you beaut...I mean stunning as well" stammered Hans as he felt his face turn red in embarrassment as he walked over, took her hand and kissed it, Elsa covered her mouth and giggled a bit before saying "I see that you are still charming as always",
"Old habits die hard" said Hans rubbing the back of his head hoping that he had not made a fool of himself,
"So why are you here? Not that I am not happy to see you, its just that I though that you lived in Corona" asked Elsa curious as she remembered how many years ago he said he lived in Corona,
"I live and work here in Arendelle now" answered Hans deciding not to tell her about his "job" as he was afraid she would get curious and try to ask more of his past, maybe even find out about the "slavery" he went through, "I better not tell her, I don't want her pity" though Hans deciding on the matter,
"Really?" asked Elsa glad to hear that as she hoped they would have more time to interact with one another,
"Yes and do you still live here?" asked Hans hopeful to have more time with her than he did when they first met,
"Yes" answered Elsa,
"Then it seems we will be seeing each other more often" said Hans with a smile "Would you like to walk around a bit with me?",
"You know...I am not supposed to talk to strangers" answered Elsa playfully,
"But I am not a stranger to you" said Hans offering her his hand,
"True, provided your still the same courageous boy I met years ago" said Elsa placing her hand on his,
"Ah my dear Snow White, you will see that the only thing that has changed about me is my height" said Hans jokingly closing his hand, marveling how her small yet cold hand fitted perfectly on his,
"What about you? Are you still the same girl who was afraid before?" Hans asked,
"Ah my dear Ross, you will find that I have grown quite brave over the years" said Elsa laughing before they both began to walk around, no destination in mind, just enjoying each others company.
Later:
"I can't believe we met" though Elsa as she walked with Ross Red/Hans through the woods. She could hardly believe that the little boy she met years ago had grown into such a man, he still had freckles which just made him more charming, auburn hair which was more red than not, was tall and seemed to be quite strong physically, not like Kristoff, but he still was impressive, his clothes consisted of a simple white shirt, brown vest, pants, boots and a hooded cape which were just right for the climate and walk through the woods.
Looking Elsa blushed a bit as she looked away, Hans did the same, it was so strange how despite all the years away they would feel the same butterflies in their stomachs and act so shy towards one another as if they had had a crush on one another for their entire lives.
To be truthful they did have a crush on each other their entire lives as they never forgot one another and went to as far as dreaming of the day that they would meet again.
"So Snow, how has life been for you?" asked Hans curious,
"Its been fine, I...work at the palace now" said Elsa, it was not a lie technically, since she did work at the palace as the princess,
"Ah, were you hired as the courts magician? Because back in Corona the King and Queen have an Alchemist at their court" asked Hans quite eagerly,
Well, I do make a lot of magic happen" said Elsa with a smile and though "Its true as I did work wonders on Arendelle",
"Do they treat you well?" asked Hans,
"More than well, like a princess almost" said Elsa then asked "What about you?",
"Well, been around, doing stuff here and there, mostly odd jobs I guess" said Hans rubbing the back of his neck,.
"You will not tell me more?" asked Elsa,
"Will you tell me your real name?" Hans countered,
"Alright then" said Elsa raising her hands in defeat as she did not want him to find out that when she said that she was treated like a princess it meant that she was an actual princess.
Walking further they found a lake, Hans smirked and asked "Since you do so much ice magic...why don't you use some to have fun?", Elsa smirked and asked "What do you have in mind Ross?",
"Nothing much" said Hans innocently "How do you feel about ice skating?", a glitter seemed to appear in Elsa's eyes before she said "My favorite pastime" as she walked over to the lake.
Moving her hands she threw her ice magic at it, freezing the lake solid, before stepping on the ice and sliding a bit, "Come on Ross" said Elsa as she turned to face Hans who smiled and said "Coming, but I warn you, its been a while since I did this".
Carefully taking a step he winced a bit as he slid, almost falling on his face as he slid unsteadily towards Elsa, who was snickering and laughing at him, "Come on now, give me your hand" said Elsa as she offered him her hand.
Taking it Hans actually slipped and fell, pulling Elsa with him by accident making her fall on top of him, both froze as their faces turned red as Hans was on his back and Elsa was on top of him,
"Sorry sorry" they both said as they scrambled to get up,
"Sorry again, like I said, its been years since I skated on ice" said Hans not looking at her,
"Its fine...umm...want to try again?" asked Elsa as she offered her hand, but not looking at him as she tried to hide her blushing face. With a shaking hand Hans reached and took her hand, hoping that he was not sweating from nervousness as Elsa's hand closed on his.
"Okay, lets start with baby steps, one foot then another, left and right, left and right" instructed Elsa as she moved, Hans held on, following her movements. As time passed he got the hang of it as they were sliding around the ice with ease.
"Much better" said Elsa smiling as they slid and slide together,
"I will say, you make an excellent teacher" complimented Hans,
"Thank you, like I said before I-",
"You were born to lead" said Hans surprising Elsa,
"You remember?" asked Elsa,
"Ya..." said Hans then sheepishly admitted "As crazy as it sounds, I never forgot, I never wanted to, I still have the snow globe you gave me", Elsa smiled back and said "I too still have the shell you gave me and...I never forgot about you to" then frowned and back away "Sadly I am afraid I have to go",
"Go? but we just barely talked" said Hans complained,
"Sorry but I must" said Elsa as she backed away,
"When will I see you again?" asked Hans,
"Soon, tomorrow, probably here" said Elsa as she turned and left running, "I will wait tomorrow!" Hans called as she left running.
As she ran Elsa held back laughter as she made her way to Kristoff's cabin, entering she rested her back against the door smiling as she clutched her hands unto her chest happily.
After so many years she never thought that she would get to see Ross again, yet despite their brief meeting it left a lasting impression as she felt feelings she had never felt before.
"Elsa?" she heard making her snap out of it, turning she looked and saw Anna holding a basket full of vegetables, "Are you okay?" she asked confused,
"Yes" squeaked Elsa trying to control her feelings and compose herself,
"You sure? Your face is all red" Anna pointed out,
"Its nothing" said Elsa covering her cheeks with her hands, Anna stared then smirked and asked "Are you sure? You seem so red" walking over she got close to her sister and said "I know! You met somebody!", it made Elsa turn redder as she stuttered "No, no, no, its not that",
"Seems so, I have never seen you like this before" said Anna "Tell me about him, Who is he? How does he look like?" then her eyes lit up and said "OMG! Its him isn't it! Ross Red! You finally saw him after all these years",
"Anna!" said Elsa exasperated and embarrassed,
"I knew it! See I told you that fate was working its magic to bring you two together" said Anna with glee,
"Anna, we just met" began Elsa,
"So you do admit it! It was Ross Red" continued Anna,
"Anna!" said Elsa embarrassed.
Iduna's chateau:
Giving up on the map Hans walked back to the chateau deciding to seek Anna out the next day at her work place. Pushing the gate open he closed it behind him before entering the chauteau foyer where Karen greeted him.
"Did you find where the map leads?" she asked exited, she wanted to join in, but Hans convinced her to stay for her own safety.
"No, it took me in circles for hours" said Hans as he immediately went to the kitchen only to be stopped by Karen.
She looked at him, her eyes glaring with judgement as she walked around him in circle like a shark would to its prey, "What?" asked Hans uncomfortable because of how his niece was acting and starring.
"I know that look" said Karen in a sing song voice as she crossed her arms and a smirk spread across her face,
"What look?" asked Hans playing dumb not looking at her directly, pretending that the window on the side was much more interesting to look at, Karen smirked even more and said "That look! I know that look a mile away! You met somebody!",
"What? Me I-" Hans stuttered and froze unable to say anything, Karen just burst out laughing "She got you good whoever she is, I have never seen you interested in another person",
"She is...not a stranger...we met years ago" said Hans all red,
"Childhood sweethearts, how romantic" said Karen sighting lovingly,
"Not like that" said Hans "We met once",
"Who care if you met once or many times if its true love" said Karen "You found it uncle, you found your true love",
"Karen, there..." Hans stopped as he decided not to finish that sentence as he did not want to ruin Karens belief in true love,
"It has to be true love! There is nothing to it!" said Karen dramatically then though and asked "What is her name uncle?",
"Snow white...but its not really her name" said Hans,
"You don't know her name? Why?" said Karen whining,
"It was a mutual agreement, she does not know my name and I don't know hers" said Hans,
"Alright fine, but regardless this is true love" said Karen stubbornly as she crossed her arms,
"How can you be sure?" questioned Hans,
"Because I am a woman and we woman know these kinds of things" said Karen confident, while Pascal nodded yes quite eagerly and Thumbelina sighted happily and said "Its just like in fairytales"
"Not helping Pascal, you too Thumbelina" said Hans while the snake, lizard and bird brothers and Pascal looked smirking, enjoying the scene which was happening before them.
"What's like fairytales?" they heard, it was Iduna entering the foyer,
"Nothing" said Hans quickly hoping to change the subject, but Karen squealed loudly "Its Hans, he is in looooooovvvvvvveeeeeee!",
"Love? Really? Who is the lucky girl?" said Iduna smiling,
"Nobody" said Hans, if there was such a thing as dying of embarrasement then Hans was sure he was close to it,
"His childhood sweetheart Snow white" squealed Thumbelina happy,
"The one who gave him that snow globe?" said Iduna with a smile,
"Yes!" yelled Karen and Thumbelina at the same time.
"How sweet, your right, it is just like a fairytale" said Iduna as she joined in the squealing.
It was at that point that Hans decided to "abandon ship", he ran up to his room and closed the door, locking it, resting his back against the door Hans covered his face with his hands groaning a bit as he tried to control the redness which was threatening to cover his face.
The next day:
Sitting down on the front of the store Anna hummed happily as in her mind she daydreamed her perfect wedding to Kristoff. "Maybe a long train...no no short is better, no better go traditional, no I want cute, argh its so hard to decide" though Anna as she continued her daydream and sketching them out in book she had with a charcoal pencil.
That was till the bell rang when the door opened making Anna snap out of her daydream, quickly hiding her book she composed herself and said "Welcome to Arendelle dre...Asher?" as she looked at the person who entered the shop,
"Ya...got your note..sorry, got messed up in the wash" said Asher/Hans as he took out the water damage note and held it for Anna to see, she covered her mouth in an effort to not laugh as he looked quite embarrassed at having to tell her that.
"No no, its fine, glad you came" said Anna "I figured you could use a friend",
"Who does not?" said Asher and added "I am greatful for the invitation",
"And I am glad you accepted it, if you stay I can show you to my home where there is a pie waiting" offered Anna,
"A pie, I have not had any of those in a while" said Asher with a smile,
"Then your in for a treat oh and wait till you meet my love Kristoff, I think you two will get along quite well" said Anna happily, true she wanted to befriend him, but at the same time she wanted to know if Asher was Ross red, if he was then it would explain why her sister was so red the last time they spoke.
"Oh Elsa, you soo will owe me a wedding after this" though Anna with glee.
"The more the merrier" said Asher/Hans,
"Speaking of that, I did not catch your real name" said Anna,
"Its...complicated...my biological parents did not name me at first, years later the person who birthed me called me that...Asher..." said Hans softly then added "My loving parents named me Hans",
"Hans, I like that name, much better than Asher" said Anna then added angrily "Why would you be called Asher?",
"I think I said it before...I was always covered in ash for cleaning the fireplace" said Hans,
"Well then I will never call you Asher" said Anna as she turned to walk to the back and paused before thinking and smirking before saying "If I were to give you a name...I know the perfect one...",
"A nickname? Which one?" asked Hans rather unsure, he hoped it was not humiliating or insulting, though he doubted Anna would do any of that,
"Ross...Ross Red" said Anna turning to watch his expression change to surprise, true she had suspected it before, but now that he was clean she could easily see the similarities shared between her sisters Ross Red and him. So it was very possibly he and Ross Red were the same person.
Hans seemed to fumble a bit unsure of what she said before saying "Yes, another person gave me that nickname",
"Really? and who was this person?" asked Anna prying in, for a moment she could taste the victory of winning a bet against her sister, if he was Ross Red then all she had to do was to set him and Elsa on a blind date or put them on several romantic "accidents" and before long they would surely fall in love and end up marrying.
"I don't know" said Hans "All I know is the nickname I gave her",
"Oh, what is her nickname?" asked Anna feeling disappointed as this was not enough to prove that Hans was Ross Red,
"Snow white" said Hans then added quickly hoping to change the subject "Want me to help you around before you have to leave work?",
"Sure" said Anna glumly as she went to get something from the back of the store.
Who was Snow white? Was it Elsa? There was a possibility that she was Snow white, but at the same time she could not be and its not like she could go and ask Elsa if she was Snow white without her suspecting what she was doing.
"Guess I will have to wait and see" though Anna deciding on the matter, she was happy for her new friend and regardless on whether he is Ross red or not, she always liked having new friends.
3 days later:
In the manor things went back to normal or at least as normal as it was for Valhalla, Rudi and Runo without Karen and Hans as neither one of them noticed their disappearance.
Yawning Valhalla went downstairs and sat down on the dinning table, soon afterwards Rudi and Runo joined her, they too were tired, after a while waiting they grew impatient as they saw that Hans had neither made breakfast or tended the fires.
"Asher is being lazy" said Rudi,
"Asher!" screamed Valhalla hoping Hans would come in shortly afterwards, but he never did,
"Rudi, Runo! Go and get Asher, seems he has yet to learn his lesson" growled Valhalla,
"Yes mother" said Rudi and Runo quickly as they got up and left, of course they knew that Hans was not around as in their minds he was still locked up in the barn, suffering, but of course they instead of letting him go they decided to keep him there in hopes that he would not do any work and get punished again.
"How many whips he will get this time?" asked Rudi,
"Who cares how many he gets? He deserves them, oh maybe if lucky mother will let us use a hot poker on him" said Runo with glee,
"That would be very interesting to see" said Rudi as they arrived at the barn, neither of them noticing how Sitron was not around or how the animals seemed to be quite skinny from the lack of food and care.
Unlocking the barn they opened it hoping to find their brother but instead they found nobody, just old bloody drag marks which lead to the back of the barn. In fear the two followed the marks as it lead to the outside of the manor then disappeared when it reached the road.
"God, Asher escaped" said the two before they hurried to their mother to tell her the news of their escaped "servant".
Arriving to the manor they saw Valhalla in a panic as she noticed Karen was not around and not only that but some of her things were missing.
"Think Asher took her?" asked Rudi,
"Preposterous! Where would he go with Katarina? Plus he is too injured, he probably died overnight" said Valhalla,
"But there is a possibility" said Runo,
"Who cares! Boys get the carriage ready! We are going to town to look for my granddaughter!" said Valhalla, she was not going to loose her living doll.
Iduna's chateau:
Back at the Chateau Hans was busy washing some clothes while Thumbelina was busy with some dresses scrubbing the spots which needed some extra work to take out. The clothes were Anna's as they belongs to an employer of hers, they decided to help the poor girl out as she had a lot of work to do.
Finishing a dress Hans gave it to Eira the owl/Iduna who carefully hanged it to dry nearby,
"Thank you Eira" said Hans before she landed on his shoulder waiting him to be done with another dress so she could hang it, Eira hooted happily in response to what he said.
"Uncle" said Karen a she ran over proudly showing off her hard work at picking the berries around the property,
"Thank you Karen, can you put it in the kitchen so we can make some jam later?" said Hans,
"Sure" said Karen as she left quite quickly as she hoped to squeeze in some more dance practice before the day was up leaving Hans alone with his thoughts.
For the most part he was happy, he was glad that he made some new friends, Anna was great girl, funny and charming in her own strange quirky way, Kristoff he got along great and he liked the advice which the experience mountain man gave him and Ellen was like a grandmother figure. Then there were his meetings with Snow White, he was surprised that she still remembered him even after all the years that have passed, but he was glad none the less as every time they hang out it was as if they had known each other all of their lives or as if they were never apart for many years.
Yet he could not help but think how it was quite strange how only she made him feel the way.
He once heard of his dad speaking about that feeling when he told him about how he met his mother, how when they met he got that feeling and thank to it he knew she was the one, but was there really such a thing as the one? or love at first sight? soulmates? Did such things existed?
"I don't know...guess I am just going to have to wait and see" though Hans as he decided to take it one day at a time as he continued to finish washing the clothes and sang a bit to help time go faster, not knowing he was being watched.
Close by:
Watching through a telescope Queen Irene sighted as she was disappointed in seeing that the beautiful voice that she had been hunting down for days did not belong to a supernatural being, but a young man.
"A beautiful man nonetheless, never have I seen one with such red hair and beautiful green eyes" decided Irene as she gave the telescope to one of her guards,
"Your highness, there, the voice belongs to nothing but a common servant" said one who took the telescope and looked through it, personally he was glad that the voice did not belong to a hideous monster or worse,
"Yes, he is a servant, but I know a diamond when I see one" said Irene with a smile as she sat back down,
"A diamond?" said another guard shocked at hearing her say that about a ragged common servant, she was a particular woman, she heavily disliked dirt, ugliness and common as she lived in a palace surrounded by gold, riches, rarities and the most beautiful high class people,
"You heard, he is a diamond in the rough, but like all they can be cut and polished till they are perfect" said Irene with a smirk on her coach,
"You cannot be serious; How can you be interested in a common servant?" said the driver surprised,
"A servant he is, but he is anything but common, rare is his looks, the sound of his voice is priceless, now lets go home, I have plans to make" said Irene as she waved her hand, nodding the driver snapped the reins and left with her as in her mind she made plans to posses the servant who worked at the Chateau.
"Wonder if I can tempt him to leave and work for me, if not then I shall buy him from his employer" she though as she mulled over the possibilities and plans.
To be continued...
Authors note: Uh ho...Valhalla knows Hans and Karen are missing, will she find them? Double uh ho, seems that Irene is quite interested in Hans, what will she do?
Ohhh Hans and Elsa meet finally after many years! and seems that their bond is still quite strong even to this day. Seems that Anna now is more unsure whether he is Ross red or not...Will Elsa and Hans end up together? We shall wait and see...
Any way, please review and stay tune for the next chapter.