Chapter 55
Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen
"If only there was someone you could trust."
Hans's eyes widen. No, she couldn't have played him! He's the one with the charm and the charisma! He's the one with the secret agendas! How could she have done this?
"Th-that isn't possible," the man says, shaking his head. His knees buckle and he drops to the ground of the empty shop.
"Why, Hans?" Nora asks, taking a step farther from him. "Why isn't this possible? All my life, people have seen me in the same light. 'Poor, sweet Nora, so small, so shy, she's so naive.' But never has anyone actually thought, 'Perhaps Nora isn't a blithering idiot. Perhaps she remembers when Hans came to Weselton the first time and duped the princess. Perhaps she can see when a person isn't being honest with her.' People like to think they know who I am, but nobody considers that I may be intelligent enough to take care of myself."
"All of it, w-was a lie?" Hans asks, knitting his brows together. "Everything about you?"
"No. Stuttering, art, all of that was only part I ever lied about was when I implied I liked you," she says. "I can't stand you."
"W-why?" the man asks.
"Well, you're dishonest, always pretending to be perfect, and not at all who you are," she begins.
"No," he says in a harsh voice. "W-why did you do this?"
Nora nods slowly, understanding his question. "As I have said previously, I remember when you came to Weselton the first time. But before I get fully into that, I'd like to know, first, do you remember Victoria?" she asks, pursing her lips.
"Sh-she was the princess of Weselton," Hans answers, still frowning. "I courted her for a short time, and later on she..." he trails off, realizing.
"Later on she killed herself. Because you pretended to love her, and you broke her heart," Nora finishes for him. "After you, she lost all faith in people. She lost all faith in life. And it didn't happen all at once. Her self-destruction was a long process. And the only thing worse than witnessing someone die, is watching them die slowly, the way she did."
"I still don't understand. What does this have to with you?"
"Despite her being a princess, and myself a maid, Victoria was my best friend," Nora says. "You were the one who caused her death, and though I have accepted it, I never forgot about it. And then one day you have the audacity to return, and then attempt to seduce me in the same way, proving you have no respect for her and you never changed!"
Hans falters, trying to bring words to his mouth. "That w-was years ago, with Victoria! You were only a ch-child! How could y-you have been her f-f-friend?"
"A child?" Nora raises her eyebrows, seeming surprised. "Exactly how old do you think I am, Hans?" she slowly asks him.
"S-seventeen..." Hans says hesitantly, realizing she never informed him for a fact.
Nora lets out a short laugh, folding her arms across her middle. "I know I seem a little younger than I actually am, but that's surprising." She narrows her gaze. "I am twenty-four years old, Hans. You really know nothing about me, do you?"
Hans glares at her, still not sure whether he should be furious or sad.
"As I was saying, you showed up in Weselton, and the entire castle staff knew you were up to no good. I was the only one, though, who saw a chance there to pay you back for what you did to Victoria. I never set out on getting revenge, but seeing that even after years you haven't changed, it infuriated me, and the opportunity presented itself so neatly, I had to take it. I attempted to gain your trust, in hopes of getting you to allow me to send your orders, but more importantly, send your employees payments."
"Payments? Y-you-!"
"Payments they never actually received," the girl continues. "They're all quite upset with you. Just thought you ought to know," she says with a quirky smile.
"Why, you- ah!" Hans attempts to lunge at her, only to fall short at her feet.
Nora steps back. "But then I noticed that you were beginning to care a little more than what you normally did. You didn't even realize it. So I started using that to help enforce a stronger trust. I was going to hurt you, just like you hurt Victoria," she tells him, her voice gravely serious. "This situation ended up perfectly convenient for me, because now you are dying and realizing that no one in this world w-will ever love you enough."
"A-and you think they'll l-love you?" he counters angrily.
"I wouldn't know." She shrugs. "But I'm able to happily live without it. You, however, aren't, and I mean that in many more ways than simply freezing."
"Why tell me a-any of this?" Hans asks. "It c-could b-b-backfire drastically."
"Because I want you to know what you did was wrong. I want to make sure you understand that everything that is happening to you right now, you deserve."
The small girl turns, exiting through the front door, a small bell ringing at the top. "Goodbye, Hans," she says, leaving the man to lay there on the ground. Hans blinks, his gaze blank.
What a pathetic thing Hans has turned into. He used to be great; a prince, people adored him, considered him a hero, but now look at him. He hinged all hope on this girl to save him, and he was crushed for it.
What to do in his final moments of life?
Destroy the lives of those who caused this.
He crawls closer to the wall, using it to brace himself as he staggers to to his feet. The man hobbles out of the door, not able to feel his limbs. Hans believes it's only best to allow the good citizens of Arendelle to know how he got this way; they must see him. It will be his last victory.
Let's see Elsa love her way out of this one.
"Are you a doctor?!" Brandr asks in a panicked voice, frightening yet another poor towns-person.
"Ah! Er, no..." The man backs away from him. He points to an area with other people. "Try over th-"
Brandr runs that way before the man can finish. He's been asking every person he's come across. Although, Anna did say the doctor was a man, so he might need to refine who he's asking some.
He jumps in the middle of a crowd of people. The boy faces the first person.
"Are you a doctor?"
"No. Why do-"
Brandr turns to the next man. "Are you a doctor?"
"Ah, no. Boy, are you-"
Next. "Are you a doctor?"
"No, sorry. Why aren't you answering anyone's-"
Next, the last man in this group. "Are you a doctor?"
"I'm not. Maybe we ca-"
"Argh! Why isn't there a doctor anywhere?!" he yells, frustrated.
"Brandr!" Anna calls from a distance. "Brandr you ran off! Where are you?"
Brandr sighs and starts to run to the place the voice came from.
"There you are!" Anna shouts.
She begins to run his way, holding someone's wrist and pulling him with her, though he seems to be having a little trouble keeping up with her pace. Anna and the tall, wiry man stop near the boy.
"We've been looking all over for you," Anna tells him, letting go of the man's wrist. He takes the chance to fix his glasses on his face.
"Is this the doctor?" Brandr asks in a hopeful voice.
The man nods. "Yes. My name is John. John Thatcher." He shakes Brandr's hand. "My goodness, young man! I understand why you needed a doctor! I can feel a fever in your hand! Your skin is even steaming, now that I look at it! What are you doing out in this cold?"
"Looking for you, but nevermind my skin! I'm not the issue here!" Now it's Brandr's turn to drag the man away. "You see my sister got cut and hit on the head; she's in serious trouble, -guy."
"It's that dire?" Dr. Thatcher replies. "Hurry then. Bring me to her," he commands, allowing Brandr and Anna to take the lead. They all rush back to the castle.
"Olaf! Kristoff! We found a doctor!" Anna says as they all burst into the room where they left everyone. The see Olaf, sitting next to Alexandra/Laila, who was now on a sofa, but still unconscious.
"This is her," Brandr says, guiding the doctor towards his sister.
Anna looks around, noticing a few things missing. "Olaf, where's Kristoff? And Elsa?" she asks.
"Uh, Anna," Brandr points to a large, wave of ice, frozen to the wall near them. "I think Elsa freaked out."
"Yeah, kinda. About ten minutes ago," Olaf confirms, hopping off of the settee and waddling towards them. "Kristoff went after to talk to her, while I stayed here. I think they'll be fine. Kristoff can handle it."
"What? Are you sure they're gone?" Anna asks, halfway stepping into the hall, with the slight she could still see them.
"Yep." Olaf nods. Anna sighs, standing next to Brandr, both watching the doctor.
"I see..." Dr. Thatcher murmurs to himself after his examination of Brandr's sister. Kristoff was somehow was able to stop the bleeding from her side, which was good, and the doctor had some bandages in his bag that he was currently using to fix her up, and that's good too.
"Will she be okay?" Brandr asks.
Dr. Thatcher nods. "I believe so."
"You see, Brandr?" Anna says, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine."
"She's going to wake up with a rather large bruise on her head and a nasty headache," the doctor says. "I may have check on her again when she's awake, but in time, she'll heal."
Brandr nods again, his eyes narrowing. "Hans won't get away with this. Nobody loves that guy enough to save him, but he wants to blame Elsa. He doesn't deserve to die the way he wants."
"You're right," Anna agrees. "If anyone hears that Elsa just, well I don't want to say 'killed,' but killed the guy who saved them, it won't look good for us. He'll twist the story. We can put him on a trial. That's fair."
"First we gotta find him."
"And save his life."
"Unfortunately, but yes. If he's going to die, it won't be on his terms."
Anna nods. "Let's go. Olaf, doctor?" She turns, looking at the two. "Will you please watch her?" the princess asks, gesturing to Alexandra/Laila.
"Don't you worry Anna and Brandr," Olaf assures them. "We'll keep a close eye on her."
"C'mon, Anna." Brandr jerks his head towards the door. Anna nods, and they both run out to find Hans before he can do any more damage.
"Elsa!" Kristoff finally finds the queen again. She had lost him when she ran into the woods, but the ice harvester knows the forest better then she does. He runs to catch up with her.
Elsa twists her head around, seeing the man. "Don't follow me, Kristoff! It's too dangerous!" she warns, stumbling over a branch, but still keeping her stride.
"Elsa, can you just stop running?" the man shouts exasperatedly. He slows to a stop, allowing Elsa to slow down as well, a good distance away from him. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't come any closer, because, believe me, I know how quickly people can make things worse. But seriously, you need to hear this, if not from Anna, then from me," he says, making sure to speak loudly enough so she might hear him. Elsa slowly turns around.
"Good," Kristoff says, his voice gentle. He rests his arm on a tree trunk. "Now, Elsa, I know that you know that running away doesn't solve your problems. Okay? You don't have just Anna depending on you. You're a queen," he reminds her. "You have an entire kingdom you need to be strong for. And I understand that it's pretty hard when you need to make the tougher decisions."
"Kristoff, I killed him!" Elsa says, trying to get him to understand. "With my powers! How could that be the action of a proper queen?"
"Yeah, you did!" Kristoff agrees, surprising Elsa with his response. "But how's that any different from any other king or queen using a sword to attack someone who tried to assassinate their family?"
Elsa thinks for a moment, her eyebrows knitted together in a panic, trying to come up with a reply.
Kristoff continues. "Let me tell you something, Elsa, it's not," he states. "You are just using your advantages and playing to your strengths, like any other good ruler would. Maybe you overreacted in the heat of the moment when you hit Hans in the heart, I don't know, I wasn't there. But I do know feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to help anything."
Elsa sighs, hesitating. "You're right, Kristoff," she timidly admits.
"You're a queen. Doing the hard stuff is apart of your job," the man tells her. "I know I'm just an ice harvester, but I know that Arendelle depends on you. Weselton could have demolished us, and you weren't there. You have to be the brave one too to make the tough decisions."
"I just wish I didn't aim for his heart," Elsa says, walking closer to Kristoff, ready to return. "That was exactly what he wanted."
"He's a pretty tricky guy." Kristoff nods, starting to walk with her back to Arendelle. "But it's already done. All we can do is deal with the aftermath and hope for the best."
"I'm sorry you had to do this, chase after me," Elsa says, wrapping her hands together. "Running wasn't very regal of me to do."
"It's fine." Kristoff waves away the apology. "Like I said, you're the one making the hard choices. It's not easy. I get it. So that's why Anna and I are here to help keep you on track. Brandr too. If you fall, we'll catch you and get you back on your feet."
Elsa smiles. "Thank you, Kristoff."
"Now, let's go. It's not over yet," he reminds the queen. They pick up their pace, Arendelle not far from them.
"E-excuse me!" Hans shouts, his voice quiet, but yearning to be heard. He figured the town square would be the very best place to speak. "Ex-excuse me!" the man yells again.
After he gains their attention, he climbs to the top of a crate, to be better seen and heard. He stumbles slightly, not on purpose, but it still causes gasping and sympathy from the crowd.
"Citizens of Arendelle," Hans yells, his throat frosted and hoarse. "I am dying." He pauses, allowing the collective surprise of the people to accumulate. "Queen Elsa has f-frozen my heart, once again abusing her p-powers! I was in the castle when she a-a-attacked me without warning!"
"What?"
"How could she?"
"Sir Hans just saved us!"
"Where was she anyways?"
"He talked about that, remember?"
Hans raises his arm to silence the commotion. "Please, c-calm down," he says. One lady runs up to him and wraps a blanket around his shoulders. "Th-thank you," he tells the woman. He turns back to the crowd. "I only w-wanted to w-warn you about her. She's n-not to be t-trusted."
"That's not true!" they all hear a voice shout. Nora. Hans can't help but look sad and angry as all eyes turn to her. Her breathing is shaky. Apparently the part about not being a social person was true.
"Hans is n-not what he says," the girl speaks. She quickly wraps her light brown hair in a bun and reaches for a bag at her side. "I have letters, some that he wrote, others addressed to him, p-proof of all of his evil deeds."
"No!" Hans yells. "She l-lies!"
"I'm lying? Really?" She looks at the people, now gaining a little confidence. "Any one of you can contact any one of these people in the letters, and they will verify what I said."
"That d-doesn't mean a-anything," Hans snarls.
"Fine then." Nora raises her eyebrows, her eyes half lidded, ready to deliver her next blow. "On my way here though, I happened to pass a boy searching for a doctor. I followed him and asked what was wrong. And he said something along the lines of a man almost killing his sister and attacking Princess Anna," the girl says. "Would you happen to know anything about that? Or shall I go find the princess and ask her myself?"
Hans's eyes widen. She really has cornered him. He's about to lunge at her, purely out of anger.
No, he thinks, stopping himself. Don't make this situation worse!
"Princess Anna?" one man asks in disbelief.
"That's what I heard."
"Why would anyone want to attack the princess?"
"She's never done anything wrong to anyone!"
"What hasn't he denied it yet?"
"Did he do it?"
"I think he did!"
"That girl looks like she has sound evidence."
"And he looked like he was about to tackle her for it!"
Hans realizes how dangerous it is becoming for him to stay as the villagers' voices quickly turn from confused to angry. He can't salvage this. Not now. While they all try to decipher what's true and what's a fabrication, Hans stumbles off of the crate, pushing through the thinnest part of the crowd.
"Oof!" He throws himself against an alley wall, barely hidden from the citizens, who are beginning to shout, getting the idea to search for the man and interrogate him.
He takes a slow shaky breath and looks down. His feet, he can't feel them. Nor his hands. The ice in his heart is absorbing all the heat in his body and draining it away. He'd better move. An alleyway with a terror stricken face is not where he'd like to be immortalized in ice.
Okay, he thinks, his thoughts being all he has left. Onward. There's no escape for me now. My death is now unavoidable; I shall greet it will valor and with dignity.
He steps, his footing wobbly. And steps once more. Again, and again, the former prince slowly steps, trudging away, determined to walk until his feet can take him no further.
That not very far though. He's on the edge of the fjords before he decides it's time to stop. He looks over the icy ocean. Frozen, like him, but not because of magic. No, this was the natural course of winter.
This is it, he thinks, feeling a sudden surge through his body, originating from his heart. He looks down at his chest to finally see the frost of his clothes turn to solid blue ice. The man fixes his gaze on the horizon, feeling the ice creep through him agonizingly slowly.
Farewell life, he thinks, standing tall.
"Hang on there buddy!" Hans jerks his head, feeling someone grab his shoulder.
"No heroic deaths for you today," Anna says, walking in a circle around him.
"We're gonna save ya, Sideburns, old pal!" that boy Brandr tells him, clapping the man's back, causing him to stumble forward. "Then we're gonna put you on trial!"
Hans still feels the ice spreading, no longer looking heroic. How could they save him? Why? They're ruining everything!
"Yeah!" Anna says, swinging her arm. "Sorry. But we're not even sure if this will work either." She shrugs.
"True love and all." Brandr nods. "Yeah, it doesn't apply to you."
"Brandr?" Anna turns to the boy with her hand outstretched, neither one of them giving Hans room to speak. "If you could please do the flamey thing?"
Brandr takes Anna's hand. "I would love to do the flamey thing." The teen raises his free arm, aiming it at Hans's heart. "For Laila," he says.
"And Kristoff," Anna adds.
Brandr smiles crookedly at the princess. "Olaf."
"Don't forget Sven!" Anna reminds him.
"Oh yeah. And Ingrid,"
"Marie,"
"But right now," Brandr turns back to face Hans.
"Most of all," Anna grins and faces the nearly frozen man. "This is for,"
"Elsa," they both say in unison.
A golden burst of fire explodes from Brandr's hand, the force of it penetrating Hans heart and sending him flying back onto the ground behind him. Brandr and Anna move forward, their hands still joined as the boy continues his stream of flames.
All the time, Hans feels himself... getting better? What is happening? How is this possible?
He scrambles back, the fire slowly dying down, the princess and boy still following him.
"Why?" Hans says, climbing to his feet. He chuckles, swaying away. "I'm alive! You're fools if you think that I'm going to stay he-!"
Thud!
"Aw, right in the face!" Brandr cheers as Anna stands over Hans's now fallen body, her hand curled into a fist. The boy runs over to examine him. "You knocked him out! Ha ha!"
Anna takes her fist and places it on her waist, smirking at the unconscious Hans. "And you didn't really think we'll let you get away?" she asks, raising her eyebrow. "That was easier than I thought."
"Yeah," Brandr agrees, nodding. "Kind of anticlimactic."
"I didn't know you could make golden fire," Anna says, looking at Brandr.
"Yeah, I didn't know that either. There must be some magic reason," Brandr says, seeming just as surprised. He rubs his chin. "Weird, but it worked."
"Yep. Nice touch," Anna comments, raising her fist.
"Thanks." Brandr bumps her fist. "Let's get him back now."
Anna picks up the man's foot. "Already on it. C'mon slowpoke. Let's go." Brandr picks up the other foot and they begin to drag Hans away.
"And are we agreed on the subject?" Elsa asks, sitting at the head of the council table.
"Yes, your majesty," one of the council members says, rising to his feet. He reads over the notes taken for the meeting. "Sir Hans Westerguard, accused of attempted murder of Princess Anna of Arendelle shall be sentenced to life in prison to be carried out in the Southern Isles, per King Baldrekr's recent request."
"Very good." Elsa nods. "Is there anything else that is wished to be discussed?"
Another man raises his hand tentatively. "You realize that the council typically does not deal with criminal affairs, as that is the job of the queen. So why?"
Elsa nods. "As I had nearly... killed, the man, I felt it would not be fair for me to personally deal out a punishment," she explains hesitantly.
"Respectable," the man says.
"Very well, are we finished now?" Elsa asks.
"Yes, your majesty."
"His punishment will be carried out immediately and he shall be sent on a ship as soon as possible," Elsa says. "Meeting dismissed."
All of the people in the room stand and leave, Elsa the last one to exit. Anna waits outside the door.
"So he's going to prison?" the princess asks the moment Elsa steps out. "I didn't want to interrupt by being in there and accidentally saying something wrong, because Hans makes me so, so mad! But I was listening through the door with this cup." Anna holds up a clear glass. "See?"
"Whoa, slow down a little." Elsa chuckles, lowering Anna's hand. "Yes. He's going to prison, in the Southern Isles. Come, walk with me."
"Don't you think that's not the best idea? I mean, they are his family and all," Anna reminds her as they meander along.
"I know, but don't worry. They banished him in the first place, but everyone agreed it was better to keep him locked up there where his words can't influence anyone," Elsa explains. "Who knows what he could say to anger you or me? They're used to him."
Anna nods slowly, pursing her lips. "That kinda makes sense," she says. "But it's pretty amazing how quickly that went. I mean, all that crazy stuff went down like only four days ago. Like, wow. That's fast."
"Wow, indeed." Elsa agrees. "I don't know how that happened either."
"So when's Hans supposed to leave?" Anna asks. "You know, to prison?"
"We're arranging for a ship to leave tonight," Elsa says.
"So, it's over then?" Anna asks. "No more secrets?"
"No more secrets," Elsa confirms, squeezing the girl's hand. "It's over."
Hans sighs, slumped over a small wooden stool. What's going to happen to him? Now that everything has happened and calmed down, he finally has time to think and allow his feelings to sink in.
A lot of time.
He was prepared to die back then. He was ready to freeze himself, because he would die a hero. But now that's all gone to dust. He knows that the queen and her council are probably deciding his punishment. He won't be seen as great. His already shabby reputation will be further tarnished.
An armored man approaches Hans, bread in one hand, a tin cup of water in the other. "We have to keep you alive," he says, giving Hans the refreshments.
Hans looks up. "Thank you," he says in a kind voice.
"Yeah, yeah." And with a grumble, the man leaves. Hans immediately tears into the bread, taking a bite.
And then there's Nora. Equal to his cleverness, she tricked him, and he allowed himself to fall for her deceit. Even now Hans doesn't truly know where his feelings stand with her. All he knows is that she somehow managed to hurt him, all for the vengeance of a stupid princess.
He didn't realize love, even the platonic love Nora had for her friend, could be that powerful. He didn't think that the Arendelle princesses really had love either, but that was before.
Hans doesn't even want to bother to try getting revenge on them. It doesn't ever end well for him. He can find his kingdom elsewhere. He isn't going back to Arendelle.
Hans stands and approaches the barman, laying a few coins on the counter. "Thank you, sir," he says, exiting the bar. He shouldn't stay in one place for too long.
It wasn't very hard to escape from the castle. He did it early in the morning, the most difficult part being having to convince the guard to fall asleep. As the guard was leaving, Hans grabbed his keys through the cell. He then masqueraded himself as a sailor and left port, abandoning the ship at it's first stop from Arendelle, not wanting to risk being caught.
Still, he's lost. Not as in his bearings, but personally. Now that he's actually cared about someone, and had his spirit crushed, his view on things became confused.
But at least he's safe.
"Hello, Hansy," he hears a deep gruff voice say. Hans's eyes widen in recognition as he slowly turns around.
"You..." Hans says, disbelieving.
"He knows us," another man says, leaning on a cane to support his left leg. Well, his lack of one at least.
"Bruno, and Soled, a-and-" Hans stutters, naming some of the men who worked for him.
"And us," one of the Stabbington brothers states, curling his fists, both of them approaching him.
"Why are you here?" Hans demands to know. "How did you find me?"
"You know exactly how," the Stabbington brother says, every one of the men beginning to gang on Hans.
"Nora!" Hans growls, staring at the ground. She knew all of his backup plans.
Hans had only one thought when the first of many punches came flying at him.
What is he doing with his life?
