AN: My dearest apologies with how late this has been! I successfully graduated college and moved out at pretty much the same time, along with working, so everything has finally begun to settle down. Here you guys go, and again, thank you for your patience!
Enjoy!
It had been a month since Elsa left, and Zian found himself constantly distracted over the news he had been given. A short time after she had left, he had met with both his Council and the Court, to propose a lesser sentence for Johannes' good behavior. He had hoped that the sessions would have yielded at least a few favorable votes, but his mother had been right- Islanders didn't forget. When he had proposed to end or at least lessen his brother's sentence, the room of dignitaries and owners of old money had exploded. Men had jumped to their feet quarreling at how Hans should have been hung years ago instead of being given such leniency as had already been afforded to him. Zian had reviewed all of his options to free Hans, and he wasn't crazy about any of them, however as he stood in his throne room, he couldn't help but think it shouldn't be up to him.
As he heard a guard enter the room, he turned and nodded, heading with him. He was going to talk to his brother and try to make things right.
As Zian's boat landed in the West Isle, he grinned to see his brother there to greet him. "Zian! Come to see the progress we've made on the dam? It's coming along great, I must admit. Come on, I'll show you…" Hans' good mood died as he caught sight of the look on Zian's face, and he paused, putting his hands on Zian's shoulders. "What is it? Is it Hania? Jojo? Or…" Hans seemed to choke on his own words for a moment and then spoke again, voice sounding haunted. "Is Maman… is she okay?"
Zian nodded quickly, assuaging his brother's fears, and he took Hans' arm, leading him wordlessly to the Foreman's hut. It seemed as though the foreman sensed the need for privacy, as he quickly vacated his cabin and bid the king goodbye. As the door shut, Zian motioned for Hans to sit, and he sighed heavily, trying to figure out how to put his feelings into words. "You recall, of course, how an Arendellian was to visit us before you left?" Hans nodded, and Zian looked down, rubbing the nape of his neck awkwardly. "Queen Elsa accompanied the dignitary, and brought rather shocking news… It appears that recent evidence has come to light there, where she has declared you… innocent of your crimes within her land."
Hans' jaw dropped in shock, eyes widened in surprise, and after he got over his surprise, his voice flattened into a dark and irritated tone. "I… well, I've been saying that for years, Zian. Why believe anybody else now? Especially the queen." Crossing his arms, Hans was well aware he was acting and sounding like an impertinent brat, but he couldn't find the sense to care.
Zian rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out how to explain Elsa's visit. "She said she had discovered some sort of evidence that proved that while you did indeed act on what you were accused of, it was not of your own intents. She did not elaborate on what she found and frankly I did not ask nor care to know, but whatever it was, it showed her that you were not in control of your own actions. I… Johannes, I am sorry for not believing you." Hans refused to look his brother in the eye, and Zian sighed. "I do not blame you for being angry. I would be, too. I have spent the last month trying to figure out how to acquit you without the kingdom falling into a civil war of some sort… and while I don't like my options, I felt like I needed to come to you and present you with your options. None of them come without issues, but--"
"Well forgive me for being so problematic. Heaven forbid my innocence cause you problems." Hans spat out his rebuttal, and Zian sighed, massaging his forehead.
"I can arrange to send you to a whole new country, not unlike how you stowed away to care for Hania. I would arrange a fund for you for the rest of your life, you could completely start over. You just… you could never return to us, for any reason…" Zian winced at the look on Hans' face, and quickly continued before his younger brother could say anything.
"I received an offer from Queen Elsa, that you could come to her kingdom. She sent a message before I left the Main Isle, stating she released a statement to the press in her land proclaiming your innocence. You could go there and be free to do as you wish… and I could arrange it in such a way you would be allowed unlimited return to us for visits and all else." Pausing a moment, Zian quietly finished, "You should know, however, that Princess Anna is bound in matrimony now." Zian felt his heart ache for the young man before him, who had been smiling ear to ear, only to have it drop to a disappointed scowl as Zian had spoken that information.
"I cannot pardon you in our land, Johannes. I cannot override Father's punishment, not without our kingdom falling."
Hans stood, fury written all over his face. "The kingdom is not my concern!"
"BUT IT SHOULD BE!" Zian shouted, his frustration at the entire situation making his skin prickle and his blood boil. Growling under his breath, he calmed himself and spoke again, forcing his voice to level. "As far as I am concerned, you are still a prince of my kingdom. That means this kingdom should always be your concern."
He had meant for his words to be comforting, to let Hans know that he forever had a home and a place in Zian's mind. However, as the minutes passed, Hans' face only reddened more and more with anger. "The kingdom should… should always be… MY concern?!" Hans sputtered, the astonishment washing his face of color and then reddening his cheeks with raw fury. "Was it of my concern when I was sentenced to hard labor within the woods? What about when I was branded, marked just as a cow in a field?! Was it my concern then? Or whipped beyond my senses and thrown back into a dark and damp cell without any but Maman and Hania to tend to my wounds? I could have died from those wounds if they hadn't been so prompt! Perhaps that would have been preferable to you, though! Then you wouldn't have this great burden over your head now!"
Hans threw open the door, shoving his brother out of his way and throwing back an infuriated look of pure hatred. "Was I still considered a prince when I was dragged away from my sister and her infant daughter like an animal to slaughter?! If you can answer yes to that, you're no brother or king of mine!" He jerked the door shut with all his might, stalking away to where he knew the builder and foreman would be. The two older men said nothing, merely letting him take the lead and stay out of his way as they took notice of his facial expression.
At dusk, Johnnes stumbled back to his cabin for the evening, exhaustion and irritation still on his face. It had begun to rain again, and he had mud caked in places he didn't even know it could go.
He lit a lamp and had barely kicked off his boots when the light hit a figure sitting in his room, and Hans scowled, turning away towards the door.
"Johannes!" Zian called his name, and Hans halted. "Please, brother. Wait." Standing from the chair, he reached out towards his brother and then thought better of it, retracting his hand and letting it fall to his side. "Hans, I… there is no excuse for what has happened the last few years. In the midst of a most grievous and horrid misdeed that you have suffered for, you have behaved honorably without fail. I am honored to call you my brother and my friend. But I have not treated you as I should have, although I stand by that I've done the best I could with also being heir. I regret that I could not only think of you but also had to acknowledge the crimes we once believed you had committed, and that my duty to the land and law had to come before you." Zian closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as he spoke, opening his eyes and ensuring he met his brothers' eyes. "I cannot make up for the past, Hans, but I can make your future bright. Just tell me how you want me to handle this!"
Hans looked away, jaw clenching and unclenching. "I was not angry or upset until now, Zian. I have spent so long learning to live with my innocence being my own secret that to have it out in the open makes me feel exposed and like you're seeing a part of me I no longer wanted you to see. You're trying to atone for something which is not your fault, and I find your attempts rather pointless- I am halfway through my punishment now, give or take, right?" At Zian's nod, Hans continued. "Had Anna stayed unwed, I would jump on the opportunity to go to her and try to win her hand again. However, I will honor her vows to another and I will stay my distance." Hans' voice broke and after a few moments, he cleared his throat and spoke again, dipping his head and bangs so that they covered the sadness shining in his eyes. "I told Maman years ago that I would not flee from the Court. That was not a one-time pledge to her, but a promise to span my lifetime. I will stay within our land and rebuild who I am here. I have tried through my actions these last years to make it clear- I am no coward. No prince of the Isles has been known as a coward, and I do not intend to be the first. I will not run from this sentence, as unjust and unfair as it was. I have won respect without my title here; here, and on our Main isle. I have been asked for input not because of the brass medals pinned to my chest, but for my brains and for my ability to think outside of the usual solutions." Joy tinged as Hans' voice, his eyes bright with just a hint of pride. "No, Zian. I will do none of the things you have offered to me."
Zian stood, his heart seeming to hit his toes as he felt like sinking in despair. "Brother, please!"
Hans lifted a hand, asking for silence. "You ask how I want you to handle this situation? Clear my name by any means possible. Send for her Majesty the Ice Queen, have her present herself and her evidence before our Court and Council. Let it be known how deeply wronged our father did his own blood; his own child. Send it through our Archipelago that he would have rather to have seen me dead than to see me disgracing him. Send it throughout the land that I took a dishonorable charge of crimes I did not commit and dealt the blows honorably and without complaint. That alone will help me more than you can ever know or perhaps understand."
Zian paused, pursing his lips. "Is that your final decision, Johannes? Are you certain?" Johannes nodded firmly, and Zian stood, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, squeezing it firmly. "Then it will be done as you have asked." As Zian headed out the door, he paused and turned back. "I have not spoken to Maman or Hania about my visit here. Do you wish that I speak of what you have decided?"
Hans paused, thinking of how his sister and mother would react. "No. Speak nothing of what we have said here. Once my time building this dam is through, I will return to our main Isle and speak to them myself."
Zian nodded, looking unsure about Hans' decisions, but finally he nodded again, sharper and more resolute. "If that is your wish, then very well. I will take my leave tomorrow morning. Is there anything else we need to speak of?"
Hans shook his head and watched his brother leave his cabin, sitting alone for a while contemplating the days' events before finally sighing and pulling his boots off and readying for a bath and bed.
It came to no surprise that it was again pouring rain with an ugly gray sky in the morning. After Hans saw Zian off to the other island, he glanced up at the sky and rain in contempt. He was more than over this blasted weather, and longed for the sun and warmth more customary for September. Back at the dam's construction the following morning, Hans surveyed their progress of destroying the old dam and their plans for continuing the new dam, taking out a quill and scrawling new plans for a few of the boards. However, his concentration was broken when a loud crash met his ears, and Hans jerked his head up to watch several men leap away in hopes of safety as two of the wooden scaffolds swayed too much in the wind and crashed apart, falling and taking a few of the men with it as the heavy timber tore into the new dam in progress. Hans cursed under his breath as he saw water begin to pour in.
"Who the devil was in charge of diverting the water?! God help you! You four, get here, now! Help me block it up before we're all drowned!" Hans' sharp voice got the men moving, and they began to block the heavy waves with the brick and stone meant for the outside of the new dam. Glancing at the water height as he helped the men block out the water, Hans felt dread sweep through his body as he realized what should have at worst been a trickle of the Channel's water was easily water past his head. The heavy rains must have washed away the diversions for the twin channels that the crew had dug out before he arrived. Knee-deep in mud and mess, the ex-prince froze as the Master Builder pointed out yet another problem.
"Hans! Those beams are starting to sway and come apart!" Master Builder Geoff shouted, pointing at the halfway constructed dam. While it was mostly just a wooden frame with planks to aid in sturdiness right now, the men working had managed to put a few thin layers of plaster between the wood. However, as Hans looked to where Geoff pointed, he felt the pallor leave his face. If the conjoining beams Geoff pointed to were to break apart because of the storm, most of the dam would likely come apart in the next few days and all their work would be for nothing. Without thinking of the danger, Hans began to climb, gripping the wood and shimmying up like he had the trees so long ago. Getting to the problematic beams, he glanced down at the crew of men who seemed more than a bit terrified, and flashed a confidant smile.
"I will do what I can!" Hans shouted to the support crew, already halfway across the scaffolding. As he spoke, though, he felt ice clench his veins as the words spurned a years-old memory- a memory blurred by ice and cold and a queen terrified of herself. Up on the scaffold, Hans was hopelessly sucked into his mind and lost his grip as he fell sideways, hitting several wooden beams hard on his way down before plummeting into the dark icy waters beyond the new dam.
Six days earlier...
Zian stood at the stern, watching the West Isle grow smaller as the storm began in earnest. However, Zian was fully unprepared with the fear and horror that filled him when his eyes caught sight of a lone man who seemed to fall from the heavens.
Too far away from the shore to swim, he raced to the captains quarters and banged on the door, slipping and sliding on the wet deck from the rain.
"Captain Cole! Turn the ship around, quickly!"
The captain looked at him, bowing his head and speaking quietly as he ushered the king into the quarters.
"My liege, to do so now might grant us death and a place at the bottom of the ocean. The galewind is too much to try to fight against. What plagues your mind to desire this, King Zian?"
"A matter of national security and familial concern! Captain, I implore--"
"Risk my ship, my crew, for familial concern?!" Cole echoed, disbelief in every word. "Your Majesty, I cannot-"
Zian moved, slamming the captain into a wall and digging the heel of his right palm into the captains throat. His next words were spoken with as much venom and fury as he could muster, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Heed my words with care, Captain. Refuse again, and I will reinstate the punishments of old and have you drawn and quartered, by ship instead of horse, unless you turn this vessel around this very minute!!"
He released the pressure, and nodded in satisfaction as the captain scurried away and began relaying orders. His father had been sure that cruelty was the only sure way to get those beneath you to listen to your demands, and while Zian was wont to disagree, he had to admit that ferocity had its moments.
AN: There's chapter Ten! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon.