24
The next morning broke with a brilliant sunrise as the days were gradually growing longer as Arendelle moved towards summer. Hans awoke around 7:30am as the daylight made its way into his room and flooded his eyes with light which made it hard to keep his eyes closed.
It took him a few minutes to gather his thoughts and remember that he was now in Arendelle, not the Southern Isles. His room at home did not let in anywhere near the amount of sun this one does, even with its drapes closed. In fact, he had to admit that this room was better than the one he had back in the Southern Isles.
He opened his eyes slowly, brushed his hair and sat up in his bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, in fact very comfortable and he had to admit he had one of the best sleeps he had, had for a long time. This, he thought, was because he was focused on his goal, if plan A doesn't work, move onto a plan B and don't get upset about it.
Hans remembered that the next meeting with Anna and Elsa was at ten and he wanted to make sure he looked his best. He still had plenty of ammunition regarding what his brothers said about Elsa because what he had told her so far was by far from the worst of it, so he started to rehearse how he would bring it up and tried to anticipate how Anna and Elsa might counter it.
Of course, there was the chance that Anna and Elsa may have figured out what he was trying to do already, they were pretty smart and if they have, he will admit it, talk more about how badly his brothers treated him to try and gain a little sympathy. Not sure if they would feel sorry for him, but hopefully little Olaf maybe there this morning and appeal to their better nature.
He liked the little snowman; someone he could talk to and didn't judge him too much. the talk he had him last night, he was quite honest about himself. There were many times he did hate himself, but he realised that he was conditioned by years of mistreatment from his brothers and unsympathetic father.
He stood up out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror, yes, he did look pretty pathetic in his nightwear and went to the door and asked the guard if he could arrange a bath and breakfast. Within minutes, the palace staff came forth with jugs of warm water and filled the tub in his rooms washroom then advised they would bring his breakfast in an hour giving him plenty of time to wash up, eat and be at the next meeting by ten.
Hans enjoyed the bath immensely and put on a new dress uniform for the day. Once again, he looked at himself in the mirror and thought, 'now I am far from pathetic, I am the greatest Prince ever and I will succeed this time.'
This put a smile on his face as did the knock on the door that brought his breakfast as he was quite hungry and Arendelle provided great food. The only down side was that he was eating alone here. While he was happy to be alone in the Southern Isles, he found himself wanting company here because he knew in the back of his mind that Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf were all good people and the conversation would be interesting and stimulating. The thought made him sigh and he begun to eat his breakfast.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the castle the others were enjoying breakfast to, though Elsa was a little late to join them and much to the other's surprise she chose to wear another outfit from her past, this time the magenta-coloured outfit she wore on the day of the Autumn feast where she first heard the Fifth Spirit calling her.
"Elsa," spoke up Anna, "you still look great in that."
"Thank you," she replied, "it's been a long time and this was one of my favourites."
Elsa sat down smiling then turned to Anna.
"Anna," she started, "Olaf was quite inciteful last night and he had a point about if we were going to try and change Hans's hearts' direction."
"Oh," replied Anna, "what did he say?"
"About showing him a better way than what he has known, by setting the example and letting him know we won't stop trying to show him a better way."
"Olaf has a way of simplifying things that are complicated Elsa," spoke up Kristoff.
"Or do we complicate things that are simple Kristoff?" responded Elsa, "look at me, I threw you all out of my ice castle, well Marshmallow did on my behalf, but you didn't give up on me and I thought it was so complicated regarding ending the winter I created when it was simply love that was needed."
"Okay Elsa," spoke Anna, "just how do we do this then."
"It may be as simple as being ourselves and our strong bond, Olaf did say he was envious of that, not that I am saying we should be best friends but at least not worst enemies."
"That's an interesting approach." Said Anna.
The conversation continued through breakfast as the time passed and brought the ten o'clock meeting closer.
The knock came on Hans's door.
"Prince Hans, it's time," announced one of the guards.
"Thank you, I will be right out." He answered.
Hans opened the door and the usual contingent of guards were there to escort him down to the main ballroom again for some more questioning. He thought this was another opportunity to see if he can push Elsa's buttons again, to see if that same anger he saw up at her ice castle could be reproduced towards his brothers.
It only took them a few minutes to get to the main ballroom entrance and once again the head of the palace staff Kai, announced him to Queen Anna and the others, then motioned him to come inside.
The first thing he noticed was that there were extra guards in the room, General Mattias was sitting with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf as well. He also noticed Elsa holding what he thought was a little lizard again, plus she had a different outfit on. As did Anna whose was a lot less formal and more casual than you would expect of a monarch.
His first thoughts after noticing this was that he may be in trouble, that they have figured out what he was doing, which initially made him a little uncomfortable but then, he remembered what he told himself, if they figure it out, fine, find a plan B.
"Prince Hans," spoke Elsa firmly, "I believe you are curious about the new powers I have acquired since becoming the Fifth Spirit?"
"It has crossed my mind Your Majesty." He replied a little relieved.
"Well, let me give you a short demonstration, this is Brunei," she said as she got up and walked towards an area of the ballroom floor that was polished stone.
"I was wondering about your little lizard Queen Elsa?" replied Hans curiously.
"He's not a lizard," answered Elsa, "he's a salamander, but he's more than a salamander, he's the Fire Spirit."
"He is," smiled Hans a little sarcastically.
"Yes, let me demonstrate," replied Elsa as she placed Brunei onto the polished floor, "okay Brunei."
With that the pink flame appeared on the back of Brunei and grew slightly in intensity.
"Oh," said Hans with a bit of astonishment, "I gather he can set things on fire?"
"Absolutely,' replied Elsa, "okay Brunei, you can cool down now."
Elsa created a little patch of snow for Brunei which he jumped into as he turned his flames off and cooled in the snow. Elsa then offered her hands to him to which he promptly jumped into.
"Now I'd like you to meet Gale," she said with authority.
Suddenly the doors to the ballroom blew open and a rush of wind carrying leaves enveloped Hans which made him panic a bit.
"As you have probably gathered, Gale is the wind spirit," announced Elsa, "thank you Gale."
With that, the wind disappeared from around Hans and went back outside. He was quite shaken up by it all.
"Okay," he started, "a bit of intimidation is your tactic today."
"Maybe," responded Elsa, "remember, I also have control of the water and earth spirits."
"So why, the intimidation?" asked Hans, "is this because I upset you yesterday?"
"Prince Hans," began Anna, "we know you were at Elsa's ice castle when she almost killed Wesselton's men and we believe you are telling her what your brothers said about us in order to get her mad again so that she would lash out against your brothers with her powers."
Hans's heart sank as he realised, they had uncovered the first of his plots, but he only let it upset him for a moment as it was just his first idea, so he decided to go along with them.
"Okay," he started, "you got me, yes, that was what I was hoping to do because, yes, I saw Elsa mad at Wesselton's men up at her ice castle, and she had every right to be, they were trying to kill her. So, I was hoping to channel that anger towards my brothers by telling you some of things my brothers said about you and trust me you haven't heard the worst of them."
"I bet we haven't," responded Anna, "but do you know what that would have done to Arendelle's reputation because if the Southern Isles suddenly got blanketed in snow, everyone is going to know who to blame."
"I didn't take that into consideration." He answered realising this.
"No, you didn't because it's all about your revenge Hans," spoke up Elsa, "your selfish lust for revenge."
"So why show me your powers?" asked Hans.
"What do you mean?" responded Elsa.
"Well, it's not like you're going to use your fire salamander and wind spirit to cause me harm if aren't prepared to harm my ex-kingdom." He exclaimed confidently.
This caught Elsa by surprise but then Anna spoke up.
"You're right," answered Elsa, "we wouldn't hurt you with them, but we can use them to prevent you from hurting others."
Now Hans was stumped, because he realised, they were right.
"Okay," he began, "we are in agreement, the least you could do to help me is to stall that trade agreement?"
"I could," replied Anna, "and I will think about it. Plus, I will bring it up with your brother the king the things that were said about Elsa and I. However, we shouldn't be rooted in the past about who said what years ago and stall the future with it. If the trade agreement is beneficial, I will sign it."
"Wow," replied Hans sarcastically, "you have become quite the diplomat."
"I'll take that as a compliment Prince Hans," she answered firmly.
Suddenly Olaf spoke up, "Elsa, remember what we talked about last night."
"Oh yes," answered Elsa, "Prince Hans, what would it take for you to end your quest for revenge on your family?"
"That's simple," responded Hans, "I get my revenge."
"What makes you think that will satisfy you Prince Hans," spoke up Mattias with authority, "I was trapped with some of my men in the Enchanted Forest for thirty-four years. Some of my soldiers wanted revenge on the Northuldra thinking they were the reason we were trapped. As it turns out, they were very wrong about that and we learned to co-exist with the Northuldra. It was an uneasy truce, but we all came out alive and that's all that mattered."
"How were you trapped in a forest?" asked Hans
"The spirits closed it off to the world," said Elsa, "no one could get in or get out, until I came along with my powers and Anna did what needed to be done, the right thing that had to be done to free it."
"Is that where you froze to death and Olaf died?" asked Hans.
"Yes Hans, that's what happened," replied Elsa with a bit of pride, "and Anna with the help of the Earth Spirits broke the dam despite the danger to Arendelle in order to return order to the forest and nature. We had to do it to save both the forest and Arendelle."
"So, what has that got to with me?" he asked.
"It's an example," started Anna, "of doing the next right thing and the next right thing for you to do is to give up this endless search for revenge that has brought you nothing but misery."
"Really," started Hans sarcastically, "you think it's that simple, well maybe for you two it is but, you didn't have to endure the constant abuse and vitriol I have had to endure. Day after day of it, I mean you thought being separated was terrible, to me that would have been heaven. I was told over and over again that I killed my mother to the point where I began to believe it. Can you imagine thinking your guilty of your mother's death?"
Suddenly, Elsa's face went to one of sympathy.
"Actually Hans, I do," she answered, "but it wasn't Anna telling me that, it was me."
"Oh, why would you say that?" he asked.
"I don't know if Olaf told you, "began Elsa, "but Anna and I with Olaf found our parents' ship washed in from the Dark Sea and through my powers I discovered they were on their way to Ahtohallan to try and find answers about me."
Now Hans had empathy for Elsa.
"I'm sorry about that," he answered, "the news we got about your parents was that their ship went down in a storm in the Southern Ocean."
"Yeah," began Anna, "that's what we thought to, but as you can see, you aren't responsible for your mother's death like Elsa isn't of our parent's choices that led to their deaths."
"Okay, but I still want my revenge for everything else," replied Hans.
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Mattias looked at each other thinking Hans was a lost cause.
"Hans,' began Olaf, "I have no idea what you went through but I know it must have been horrible."
"Olaf, I don't need a pep talk here," said Hans, "or some feel good speech to make me feel differently, I doubt there's anything that can take me away from my path, as I told you last night."
"So why do you prolong your pain?" asked Olaf, "and how do you know when you get your revenge you will satisfied, because you probably won't be and you will continue loathing yourself and find something else to be angry about."
"Loathing myself!" yelled Hans, "I don't loath myself."
"But you do," continued Olaf, "and as long as you do, your brothers win."
"My brothers will never win little snowman!" screamed Hans again
He then stopped as he could see the faces of everyone else in the room and he realised this was counterproductive to his goal. He breathed heavily a few times to get control, then thought maybe play along. That's where he might find his plan B.
"I'm sorry your Majesties, Kristoff, Olaf and General," he started trying to keep his calm, "maybe you are right Olaf, sometimes I don't like myself, I feel inadequate which is, as you said, what my brothers want me to feel like."
"Hans," began Olaf again, "like how Anna's heart was frozen your heart is full of hate and rage, put there by your brothers. The only act of true love to cure your heart is for you to love yourself."
'Damn, this snowman is clever', he thought, how does a snowman become so smart.
"Queen Elsa, how did you make him so smart?" he asked.
Elsa looked at Olaf and smiled, "well he was created with the love I had for Anna, the rest he learned himself and I am very proud of him."
Olaf blushed as much as snowman could blush.
Hans, though, just thought Elsa's statement was just sentimental nonsense as he hardened up again. However, he thought he should play along.
"So, how do I learn to love myself, I mean, I tried to kill the two of you, how is that supposed to make me feel good about myself?"
"It doesn't," responded Anna, "but, like I am probably never going to like you, let alone be your friend Hans, I also don't want to hate you. After what I saw at Ahtohallan I knew I had to bring you here to confront you over it so I can better understand and hopefully take actions so that it won't happen again even if that means making you a better person. Believe me, it would have been much easier just to leave it at Ahtohallan, but as someone advised me, when you see something is wrong you have to do the next right thing to try and make it right."
"So, what is the next right thing for me?" he asked.
"I'm afraid that's for you to discover for yourself." Replied Anna.