Chapter:20 A Date with Discord

The ocean's restless waves battered across the side of the ship. The sky darkened as powerful gusts of wind picked up. Hans remained steady at the wheel, keeping his eyes forward. The Duke of Weselton nervously gripped the side of the ship, doing his best to hold back his seasickness. He shuddered and ran inside after thunder boomed ferociously.

"Get back out here!", barked Hans. "We're almost to our destination."

The old man poked his head out of the captain' quarters. "I never should have trusted you. You're going to get us killed!"

"Feel free to take the wheel from me.", sneered Hans.

"I don't understand how this is part of your 'master plan'."

"Trust me."

"NO ONE trusts you.", scoffed the duke.

"Your bodyguards do! And they should be halfway done with their mission by now!"

A rogue wave elevated the ship before fiercely bringing it down. Seawater nearly flooded the vessel as dozens of fish flopped across the deck. The duke emerged from the cabin completely soaked, his toupee in a sloppy lump. "This is suicide!", he complained.

Suddenly, something pinched his chest and made him yelp. The duke reached into his uniform and pulled out a tiny crab. "Let me go, mon!", it exclaimed.

"It talks!", gasped the old duke before tossing it back into the sea.

It was then that Hans spotted a titanic wave headed straight for them. He firmly grasped the wheel. "This is it! Hang on!"

"What's it? What do you mean.", panicked the duke. He turned to see the wave and trembled in his tiny boots. "Oh...my-"

WOOOOOOSH!

The wave struck the ship with all of its might. Much to the men's amazement, they passed through after the initial collision. Their ship floated safely to an ominous shore with blackened sands. Hans and the duke dried themselves off and leapt off of the ship. "Come on.", beckoned Hans as he unsheathed his sword. The duke cautiously trailed behind him as they came across the ruins of an ancient temple. "This is it."

"How do you know about all of this?"

Hans replied, "I was quite the scholar back in the Southern Isles. I had found such a thrill in mythology and folklore. My twelve big brothers always made a fool of me for it. None of them wanted to believe. But I...I knew better."

The duke raised a white brow in both intrigue and fear. "What are you saying, Hans?"

"I'm saying..." The young man's green eyes examined various glyphs on a dusty pillar. He gave a deep chuckle and smirked devilishly . "The legends, are true."

As they walked on, Hans noticed that the duke was bald. "What happened to your hair?"

The duke worriedly patted his bald spot. "My toupee...My toupee! WHere is it?", he panicked. "It must've been lost when that wave hit us."

"Well, it's long gone now.", replied Hans. "Lost to the sea."

A scruffy seagull sat atop a rock while a school of curious fish gathered around him. "What...what is it, Scuttle?", asked a curious yellow fish.

"Pipe down, Flounder!", squawked the old bird. "I'm about ta tell ya." He held up the Duke of Weselton's toupee. "Ladies and gentlefish, I give you, a one of a kind, high class, fuzzmaladooper." He placed the fake hair on his head and lectured. "The fuzzmaladooper is a powerful tool used by humans to shield their faces from harsh temperatures. It is to be applied, like so." The bird plopped the wig over his face. "The fuzzmaladooper is also a highly affective way of keeping one's ugliness to themself." Scuttle pointed at a fish with a huge underbite and jagged fangs. "I'm talking to you, Reggie."

The fish smiled hideously. "I knew it! I knew there was a cure for the ugly! I'll take one fuzzmaladooper, please."

The two ventured far into the temple, walking over clusters of skeletons and destroyed structures. Soon, the scene began to transition into a vast desert with a starry sky. "Just what exactly are we looking for?" wondered the duke.

"If my plan against the Arendelle sisters is going to work, we're going to need help."

The conversation halted as the sand began to shift. Instantly, a huge black claw forced itself up, followed by another...then an entire body. Out emerged a gigantic scorpion, whose eyes were glowing orbs of white fire. The duke shrieked. "I don't suppose he's the help we came for?" The cowardly man quickly bowed. "Oh great scorpion, we have come to form an allegiance with you."

Hans yanked the duke behind him. "That's not who we're here for, you old coot!"

"Oh.", realized the duke. "In that case...you're on your own." He ran as fast as his dainty little legs could carry him, crying,"Nope Nope Nope Nope."

Hans rolled his eyes and stared the scorpion down. "Come on!", he taunted. "A year in prison made me yearn for a good fight!"

The giant scorpion abliged and snapped its claws at him. The ex-prince rolled under and struck the claw with his sword. His blade merely scratched the creature's natural armor and further enraged it. Its eight legs skittered rapidly as the scorpion cornered Hans. The man remained steadfast, glaring into the monster's glowing eyes. He leapt back as its tremendous tail jabbed at the ground, sending sand everywhere. Hans took a running stance and sprinted forward, ducking under the beast's claws and dodging its tail. He then stabbed it in its vulnerable underbelly.

The scorpion hissed in pain before tumbling over, slain by Hans. He saw the duke running towards him and shouting, "Theeeeere's MORE!" An entire horde of giant scorpions swarmed around them. The duke tightly grasped Hans. "We're done for!"

Suddenly, a black cloud formed above them. The scorpions cowered at the sight of it and fled underground. Hans sighed in relief smiled up, "THAT, duke, is who we're here for."

The men watched as the cloud struck the sand in front of them, and formed into a humanoid figure. It spoke in a seductive, alluring female voice. "You're here...for me?"

"Yes.", replied Hans sternly, doing his best to show no fear.

"Oh really?", the shadow figure chuckled. "Now there's one I haven't heard before." The figure materialized into a woman wearing a violet dress. She had grey skin, flowing black hair, and a pair of eyes that would haunt your dreams forever. They were yellow with bright red pupils, glaring at Hans and the Duke of Weselton. She smirked, "A handsome stranger...and his grandpappy venture to my lair, actually looking for me! Hah!" The woman floated in circles around them, a dark mist chasing behind her. "Come to see if the stories are true?"

The duke was too frightened to speak, so Hans did so. "No, your excellency. I always knew you were real."

The woman acted surprised, "Really now?"

"Yes.", Hans bowed. "Great Eris, goddess of discord and chaos."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, hotstuff." Eris walked up and caressed his face sadistically, allowing her nails to lightly scratch him.

Hans winced, "My name is-"

"Prince Hans.", she pointed out. "Well, now it's just Hans, isn't it?"

The duke was puzzled, "How do you-"

"I know everything, Duke of WEASELtown." The words enraged the old man, but he knew better than to insult a goddess. Eris laughed, "You've caught my attention, dearest Hans. Playing the hero?...Breaking Princess Anna's heart and leaving her for dead?...Manipulating the kingdom?...ALMOST killing her queenly sister? And amidst all of that, you're dropdead dreamy. Hans, honey, you complete me.

Hans knew better than to trust her fully. After all, he was a master of manipulation himself. "I'm glad you think so. Because I have a proposition for you."

Eris laughed, "Oh my. Now the mortals are proposing to us? This is classic. Shoot, loverboy."

"I want to take revenge on the sisters of Arendelle. On their friends. On the entire kingdom!"

"Uh-huh. What will that get you?"

"Payback. Power. The crown.", replied Hans.

"Hmmmm that's right up your alley." Eris whispered in his ear while giving him a backrub. "But what's in it for me?"

Hans looked at her with his piercing green eyes. "All the chaos your black heart desires."

"Go on...", she smirked.

"The spoils of our victory. Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and all who follow them, made your prisoners. Of which you can do with as you please."

"Hmmmm horrendous chaos wreaked on Arendelle AND I get custody of royal mortals forever. You, dear Hans, have such a way with words." She held out her hand. "Count me in."

The duke looked up at Hans nervosuly and whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Eris was losing her patience and amplified her voice so it echoed, "Do we have a deal? Or not?" Hans took a deep breath, and firmly shook the goddess's hand. "It's done then, partner!" She laughed maniacally as they shook and a black shroud covered all three of them.