Hans shook his head as be headed to the Queen's office; the sun was setting. There was gaurds going home, others going on about buzzing with castle gossip and the pretty maids, others coming to stay the night watch; their faces with dread. He greeted a few of his fellowmen on his way nodding as aknowledgment.
He knocked three times and opened the door to her majesties office. Princess Anna was in there with Elsa.
When the two women saw him they both smiled; approving his presence. He stepped inside and closed the door behind himself.
"I didn't know you were busy queen Elsa. I just wanted to pick up my pay and be gone." He placed his hands behind his back and stood there quietly.
Anna looked around and then excused herself.
"We'll talk later?" The princess asked and Elsa nodded. Anna smiled and walked out the door, she bid a good night's rest to the gaurd and the queen, closing the door behind herself.
He stood a good distance away from Elsa, his eyes glued intently on the ground. There was so much tension going on lately between the two. They had almost been caught, the Southern Isles family, and other things in between.
"You've been busy, haven't you?" He asked her conversationally in hopes of lightening the mood.
The queen looked at her papers, a sudden blush on her face, "yes I really have." She bit her lip and looked to him, then she smiled nervously.
He stayed in his spot, focused on a broken tile just under his feet. "I've been invited to-" he stopped himself before he went on. He didn't know if telling Elsa about his father's comment would be such a good idea, the two kingdoms were finally engaging once again.
Elsa arched a brow to him. "You have been invited to..."
He suddenly smiled and chuckled, his lips easily lying to her, "some of the men invited me to drink at the alehouse downtown. I just thought that it would bother you if I told you were I would be headed tonight."
Her eyes hooded and her chin went slightly up, "the alehouse?" She had heard many stories about those kinds of places. Fights, loose women, liquor. She did not like it one bit.
"There really is no reason for me not to go, after all I am not a royal." He lifted his shoulders. "It'll make it easier for me to get along with others."
The blond took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, "you're not going."
Hans rasied a red brow challenging her, "excuse me?"
"You're not going." She stacked some papers neatly on her desk and she cleared her throat; looking at him with her prideful hooded eyes.
He now rose his own brow and suddenly his eyes went to those letters that haunted him.
"I believe that I am queen Elsa. You have not officialized our relationship, according to everyone else, I am a free man." He chuckled darkly and stood firm.
This triggered the queen. "You are married to ME Hans, if I'm not alright with you going about drinking, then you will not go!" She was standing over her desk now.
"If you scream louder they whole castle will know about us." He calmly replied.
There was a moment of silence.
Elsa breathed heavily and grabbed at her head with her eyes closed preparing to sit back in her chair. "Fine. Do as you please."
His green eyes went to those damned letters again. "I'm the one who should be upset, not you." Hans began towards her slowly.
Elsa looked up at him blinking fast. "What?" Her tone was irritated.
He reached the desk and bent over it, reaching forward to those ever longing letters.
"To my dearest Elsa!" He pointed his finger at the words on the letters, written with so much emotion. He just couldn't get over them.
"What!?" She stared at him in disbelief, "what are you on about!?"
He picked them up, that pride of his skyrocketing. "This Elsa! I've sworn secrecy, I've sworn faithfulness, I've sworn my life to you, even the most important thing I have, Gretel. So you can go about and," he threw the letters back on her desk, some falling to the ground, "this!?"
Elsa simply stood there dumbfounded as she stared at the letters. "You went through my personal letters?"
His eyes stung.
"No Elsa, I didn't need to."
Her blue eyes suddenly looked angry and a blush appeared on her face. "You have no rights to come and go through my things, Hans, who do you think you are!?"
He breathed heavily, "I am your husband, that's who I think I am! You swore love to me yesterday as I laid between your legs!" He began screaming now.
Now her eyes stung, and her cheeks had gone red, even more red, there was no need to humiliate her. "How dare you!?" The walls began to spike with ice.
"Who are these letters from!?" He changed the subject, guilt taking over his heart.
"I don't need to explain myself to you!" Elsa looked as if she would cry now.
"Yes you do Elsa, as much as you hate it I am your husband."
Her blue eyes were sad and angry, "you read them, you know who they're from. Now leave!"
Hans huffed some air, his chest heavily falling and raising. "I did not read them. I wanted for you to explain things to me. But once again I'm simply nothing to you..."
He began out the door, and she froze it to stop him.
He looked back to her, his eyes defiantly. "What now Elsa?" His tone was threatening.
She looked at the letters on the ground, and as they scattered over her desk.
"Here's your pay. Do as you please." She lifted her hand and there was a small pouch full of coins for him.
His boots thumped against the floor as he walked back to her. His heart devistated. "You believe I will always be there for you, because I'm in love with you, your majesty. But Mark my words queen, I will do everything in my power to rip this damn feeling out of my chest, I have tolerated enough.."
He lifted an accusing finger at her, "Everything you've done, except this!" His hand went on to grab a letter and lifted it to eye level. "I'm not worthy of being called your husband then I won't be, Elsa."
"What are you on about Hans!?" She threatened him with her eyes.
He smirked suddenly, his own gaze showed so much hurt. "I'm going to forget about you."
He reached his hand to his sword and walked on off towards the door. With two heavy swings he broke the ice and angirly walked away.
Maybe the alehouse was not such a bad idea.
Xoxoxo
James hurried his horse, whipping it with his quirt heavily. They had informed him that Berry had been beaten half to death, and was laying outside the alehouse unconscious.
"This boy!" James shook his head, he could not help but be worried about him. "Hiyaa!"
He rode a good ten minutes through the dark forest; the air was chilly and the path was extremely dark, he did not appreciate that there was no moon that night.
The lantern at the base of his carriage did little to nothing to help him see. Luckily he knew the paths to downtown better than anyone.
His horse soon hit pavement and he crossed the town with raging speed, his horses hooves sparking as they hit the ground and his carriage bounced dangerously.
"Oh lad, please be alright..."
He finally arrived at the alehouse downtown, it was next to the docks near his old stand. unmounting his horse he caught on to his lantern and began his search for the prince.
There was a few drunks out still, even in the late hour, but none of them had been of much help. They were so intoxicated that they couldn't even speak, James was surprised they could still stand.
He searched around desperate to find him, but no luck. He went around the alehouse, and there afar, his lantern barely lighting, was a figure of a man atop some scrums.
Down an a dark Ally lay the prince of the Southern Isles, husband to queen Elsa, extremely beaten; his armor torn to pieces and his clothes showered in blood. James almost cried at the sight of him. He had never seen the boy like that.
"Lad!" James ran up to him, quickly trying to wake him, his eyes watering. "Lad!" Hans did not move. "Son!"
James began to cry. "Please son..." he moved his hand to the young man's face, slapping him gently to try and wake him.
Hans moved ever so slowly and his eyes fluttered but the slightest open. He gave James a small smile he recognized him.
"James..."
The big man threw the prince over his shoulder; he could smell the liquor he had drank, his skin wreaked of it, and carried him back to his carriage, he would take him home, he would clean him up, and when the boy was rested, he would ask him what had happened.
"Let's get you home son."
He carefully sat him inside the carriage, and closed the door securely, he would ride off this time slow, to not injure him any further.
Xoxoxo
Elsa paced back and forth, her heart was heavy. She had fought with her husband once again. Only this time... Something in her heart felt heavy.
Kai eyed her as he entered the room of her Majesty, sadly, with no news of the prince.
"Is he here yet?"
The butler shook his head and looked at Elsa unhappily. "Your majesty, maybe you should go see if he's alright, serves that you see how your daughter is doing."
She looked to him pleadingly for a while.
She paced around slightly and then looked back to Kai. He rose a brow towards her and held his hands behind his back.
"You're right, I will go see them."
Kai suddenly smiled, "and fix things with your husband."
Elsa lowered her head, "Kai, I did not ask that man to write to me..."
The man shook his head with his eyes on her. "Your majesty, I... Understand, but I am not the one who needs an explanation."
She sighed and closed her eyes. "But Kai, how will I tell him... Adam... I just... I have not even sent a response, prince Hans made his own assumptions... I have done nothing wrong." Her eyes were to Kai. "This man... He's looking for me, not the other way around."
The butler shook his head. "I understand that queen Elsa, but tell me, why have you not denied him?" She looked to him with woe.
"I understand you did not marry prince Hans by choice. But you have been with him after the spell was broken, am I wrong?" Elsa blushed at his comment. "Then you have to put him before everyone else queen Elsa. You claimed to love him didn't you?"
Elsa nodded her head ever so softly.
Kai went on, "When a woman loves a man, she will fight to be with him. To get him back. There is no stopping her from being with him." He looked at Elsa yet his eyes were distant. "I've seen it before. When she wants you, it's the most beautiful feeling in the world."
Xoxoxo
Heidi looked down at the prince, almost as if scolding him. "See."
Hans grunted in response, his whole body ached severely and his stomach churned. "Please don't."
She chuckled slightly, but went on. "That's what happens when you over drink, Berry!" She pressed down on a bruise on his rib, and the prince jumped in pain.
"They even stole your money."
The prince shook his head, he did not even remember who had attacked him. He remembered he had seen Jim and his gang, that punk sailor kid, with his crew in the alehouse but he wasn't too sure it had been them who had ambushed him. He had a slight suspicion, but then again, being a royal gaurd made you many enemies.
"It could have been that sailor and his crew, Jim. Do you recall him?"
Heidi suddenly looked seldom, "how could I forget about him?" She bit her lip, "what were you doing in the alehouse, Berry? That's not like you."
He stared at her suddenly, and lowered his eyes. Not daring to say a word.
"I... I was-"
There was a knock at the door and James walked in interrupting his explanation. "How are ye lad?" The man closed the door behind himself and stepped inside.
"I'm fine... Thank you James once more. My life is in debted to you..."
"Nonsense boy..." James smiled towards him and shook his head.
"What happened, son?"
The prince stayed still for a moment without saying a word, he really did not remember. He was extremely drunken he did not know what he spoke. Everything was dark. No memory at all.
Heidi shook her head, but tended to his lip. He did not have much swelling in his face, but his body was almost completely injured.
"I think it was the sailor, Jim."
James grunted, "shoulda known."
Hans furrowed his brows. "What do you mean, James?"
Heidi lowered her head, and James face went dark.
Hans tried to sit up but failed, "what has happened?"
The big man shook his head and sat at the side of the bed Hans lay in. "The night before last night, Kari came home cryin. She said she had been malested by a gang o' sailors. We assume it was him and his gang." James stopped and sighed. "She came home running, her arms were bleeding. She said they had chased her and she had fallen off the horse."
Heidi interrupted, "luckily she wasn't caught. Amos and Albert went after them, when they found out, but it had been too late. They were already gone."
Hans shook his head, "why hadn't anyone told me?"
James looked at him, "we didn't want to trouble ye lad."
The prince was angry now. "Those cowards."
There was a knock on the door and Kari walked in, she had a bowl of food for the prince and a small smile on her face. "Berry?" Hans looked her way.
"The queen is here... She would like to see you."
Xoxoxo