Chapter 21:
Collateral Damage
After digging what men were left out of the snow from Elsa's attack, Hans carefully planned his next move. Anna and Elsa had killed dozens of their men since they started out on their journey, but they still had plenty leftover. However, Hans could tell that that the men remaining were beginning to question the point of this mission. He overheard several men talk about the velocity of Elsa's powers, and the top shot that Anna had become. They seemed frightened at the possibility of ending up with the same fate as their comrades. Hans dismissed these fears as childishness. Elsa may be powerful, and Anna may be a worthy opponent in her own right, but Hans was certain that he and the rest of the Duke's men could take them. The youngest prince of the Southern Isles surveyed the damage done to the campsite. Twenty men were dead, five wagons destroyed, and one of their fire spraying machines severely damaged as well. They had definitely been wounded, no doubt about it. But as far as Hans was concerned, this was all collateral damage, nothing they couldn't bounce back from.
As he looked over a map of the area, the Duke of Weselton came storming up to him.
"Twenty men! Twenty men those vile women killed! Prince Hans, this little quest of yours is proving to be more trouble than it's worth. The men of mine who are still alive wish to return home at once!" the Duke cried. "As do I!"
Hans put down the map, and glared at the Duke. "After all that those women did, as far as we've come, you want to give up and go home! Have you lost your senses, old man!"
"I still have my senses, thank you very much. I question whether you have yours!" the Duke snarled.
"We are only a week away from France, which means we're a week away from finding the first half of the amulet. After that, only one more to go, and we'll know exactly where King Nicholas hid his treasure," Hans argued.
"That is if Queen Elsa and Princess Anna don't get to it first," the Duke remarked.
Hans walked face to face with the Duke, breathing heavily on his face. "Listen to me, old man, I won't rest until that treasure is ours. Do you really want all of this to be for nothing? Do you really want the deaths of your men to be all in vain? I'm done having this discussion with you. We're moving on! End of story! Before you know it, you'll be heading back to your kingdom a more prosperous man than you were when you left. Not to mention, you'll have all the glory. You'll be the one who found the long, lost treasure of King Nicholas. People will be writing about you for decades to come! You'll be a legend."
The Duke thought of reading his name in one of the history books. The Duke of Weselton the one who found the treasure of King Nicholas. His name would go down in history all right. For the rest of time whenever people spoke of him, they would speak of his incredible accomplishments.
Hans was also right about another thing. The deaths of his men should not go in vain. The Duke knew that Queen Elsa was a menace, and her sister was no better. If he killed those two, he would be doing the world a favor, saving it from their menace. Hans was right. The trip may have taken a huge toll on them, but they couldn't give up. He'd never be able to live with himself if that witch and her blasted sister indulged themselves in thousands of coins, and jewels. The treasure may have belonged to their ancestor, but that didn't mean that they deserved it. A person with Elsa's destructive capabilities certainly didn't. The only thing that witch deserved was a dagger through her heart.
"So what do you say, old man, how about we finish this once and for all?" Hans said, extending his hand for the Duke to shake.
The Duke narrowed his brow, gritted his teeth, and firmly shook Hans' hand.
"Prince Hans, I'll go round up the rest of my men," he said.
When the Duke left, Hans smiled brightly. He always took pride in his ability to manipulate people. He twisted Anna's mind so that she played right into his hands, and now he was doing the same with the Duke. Without the old man's help, he wouldn't stand a chance against the sisters. The Duke had the muscle, but he had the brains. As long as he kept the Duke believing that he would be going home with his share of the treasure, everything would be alright. Still, the reality of Elsa's powers began to dawn on him. They were very powerful, no doubt about it. He had to find a way to use her to his advantage.
Hans remembered how Elsa reacted when he told her that Anna had been killed by her out on the fjord a year ago. Instantly, the storm stopped, and she was vulnerable. If he could get her in that state again, he would have power over her. In order to do that, however, he needed to have Anna at his mercy. Simply killing the princess wouldn't make Elsa obey him. If Anna were dead, then Elsa would have no reason to go on. She wouldn't listen to him at all. Anna meant everything to Elsa. If Hans had Anna as his prisoner, and promised to release her if Elsa backed off and obeyed him, then the problem would be solved. Elsa would do whatever he wanted as long as she thought that Anna would remain unharmed. The die had been cast, the ball set in motion. There was no time to waste.
A/N: I wanted to show how calculating, and manipulative Hans is in this chapter. Greed has obviously consumed him as you can probably tell. The first half of the sisters' journey is almost over, but there's still a long way to go!