Chapter 13: Too Close for Comfort
"…How dare you!" Frederick roared. One rapid swipe of his arm cleared his littered desk. Parchment pages fluttered all over the floor, and many of them crunched under the king's boots as he whipped around the desk.
"Frederick, will you calm—"
Frederick could feel his left eye twitch as he turned to face his brother. "Oh, don't you dare tell me to calm down. And don't you stand there unphased by this turn of events." His eyes narrowed, "in case it hasn't sunk in through your skull, my wife has been abandoned in a foreign land where who-knows-what is happening!"
The King's hands flexed in and out of fists as he advanced on Captain Hostetter. The man hadn't uttered a word since initially describing the attack. He merely stood in place, cap clutched in his nervous hands, and watched as Frederick's rage boiled to the surface.
"And you…" Frederick spat, "How could you do this to me? To your kingdom?! I trusted you! How misguided I was—"
"Your Majesty, I—"
"You betrayed me!" Frederick shouted and caused Hostetter to take a step back, "You disobeyed my orders. For such a decorated officer, I expected far more than a coward's retreat…"
Astor shook his head and stepped forward as Frederick continued to berate the captain. He could tell where this was going to lead. Past experience has shown him that Frederick would lose his logical filter if he got angry enough.
Though, by the words coming out of Frederick's mouth, the filter was lost about five minutes ago.
"Fred, stop it…"
His words fell on deaf ears to both Frederick and Hostetter, as the captain decided that now was a good time to make any form of defense for himself.
"…with all due respect, Your Majesty, I am no coward!"
"Like hell you are! You abandoned your queen! Left her behind to fend for herself in the middle of an invasion!"
"I had no choice!" Hostetter replied, "What was I to do? Let those invaders board my vessel? Murder my men? Sail here on false pretenses—"
"I can't believe Alexei is making us do this…."
"Well, the sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can eat. I'm starving."
Dirk and Derrick's voices could be heard in the corridor, and before either the Captain or the King could utter another word, the younger twins pushed their way into the chamber.
"Ah, Freddy. There you are." Derrick said and glanced around the room, "God, this place is a mess."
"Out." Frederick growled, not taking his eyes off Hostetter.
"Look. We gotta talk to you," Dirk replied anyway, "It's kinda impor—" He paused, surveying the scene before him. Astor off to the side with his arms crossed; Frederick practically towering over some sea captain; "Oh, wonderful. You're already in a bad mood. Just promise not to shoot the messenger—"
What little bit of control Frederick had left was instantly gone. Reaching behind him, he snatched up an empty decanter off the desk and hurled it at the twins. It smashed against the wall barely a foot away from where Derrick was standing.
"HEY!"
"That almost hit him!"
"I SAID GET OUT!"
The twins didn't need to be told twice. Their boots crunched through the broken glass as they fled in a panic. Frederick then returned his full attention back to Hostetter. There was still a venomous look in his eye. As he straightened himself up to go another verbal round with Hostetter, he was suddenly startled by Astor pushing his way between the gentlemen with raised palms.
"Frederick!" Astor said softly, "Stop."
"Stand aside, Astor." Frederick muttered.
"I will not," Astor replied calmly and then glanced over his shoulder at the Captain. "Would you mind leaving us for a moment?"
Hostetter's gaze bounced between the two royals before he reluctantly nodded. "Yes, Sir…" A quick bow and he stepped out into the corridor. The door shut behind him.
"You had no right to—"
"Yes, I did." Astor interrupted. "Because you and I both know that if I stood there and did nothing, you would have said something—or worse—done something regrettable."
"Hardly." Frederick sneered, "that man betrayed me. Betrayed Charlotte. He deserves far worse than some simple verbal lashing."
"He's an innocent man and deep down, you know it, too." Astor narrowed his eyes and grasped onto his brother's arm. He tugged Frederick over to a set of armchairs near the fireplace and pushed him down into one of them. "You're angry. I get it. I understand," He said much softer, "but right now you're letting pure rage consume you—"
"I am not."
Astor immediately deadpanned, "I just listened to your vengeful tirade for the last fifteen minutes. You nearly took out Derrick's head. And I get the impression that Captain Hostetter would have been next."
Frederick frowned and looked off to the side, to the flickering flames. His lack of eye contact confirmed Astor's suspicions.
"Frederick, it's okay," Astor sighed and placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You can lower your walls. Let what you're feeling come out. No one will judge you or make you feel weak for expressing yourself. It's just you and me."
"I am not weak. I am the king—"
"A king who has just lost his queen in a violent uprising." Astor butted in, "Take a deep breath, and process things one at a time."
Frederick's eyes closed and his head fell to his arm propped up on the chair's armrest. "I knew it. I knew this would happen," he sighed as he took a deep breath. His fingers rubbed at his temple. "No one wanted to believe me. Not you, not Lottie. My gut told me it was wrong, and I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Look how well it turned out."
Astor was silent for a moment before giving a light shrug of his shoulders. "Well, you know, it could always be worse—"
"WORSE?!" Frederick leapt to his feet and roughly shoved his brother back a few steps, "How could things get worse? My wife is stranded! Who knows what's been going on out there? For all we know, the Alvanians have stormed the capitol and killed everyone!"
"I highly doubt that—"
"—You don't know! No one does!"
Astor held out his hands, hoping to subdue the next wave of rage threatening to come out. "Charlotte is probably fine. What reason would they have to hurt her?"
"What reason did the Alvanians have to storm Rheland's port and murder innocent civilians and sailors?! There's no logic to any of this!"
"There may be—we're just not privy to it." Astor replied, "Besides, there's always the chance that Charlotte and Hans are out of harm's way."
"No!" Frederick began pacing frantically, "There's no chance of that now. Do you know why?" He angrily pointed towards the door, "because that coward decided to hoist anchor and leave. There's nowhere for her to go—"
"Well, seeing as Alvania blocked off the northern ports, it wouldn't have mattered if Charlotte and Hans managed to get back to the ship."
"The chance was still there." Frederick walked back behind his desk and braced his palms down on the wood surface. "Not any longer." His eyes narrowed as they stared hard at the wooden door—as if he could see Captain Hostetter waiting in the corridor. "That man won't get away with this. He disgraced the entire navy."
Astor shook his head and moved to the other side of the desk to block Frederick's stare. "What did you really expect him to do, Fred? Sit tight in port as it suffered an attack? Surrender his vessel—his men—to the enemy?"
"I expected him to follow my orders. Keep Charlotte safe at all costs."
"And he did!" Astor countered, "when she was aboard. How did you honestly expect the captain to protect her if she was miles inland and he was not?" He shook his head, "you're letting your anger cloud your judgement again. Be reasonable. Think logically."
"I am—"
"Are you? Because you're about to condemn a man for something out of his control."
Frederick stared long and hard at his younger brother before eventually collapsing into his chair. His hand slowly dragged down his face as he let out a loud sigh. When he finally spoke up again, his voice lost all of its edge. "I was so looking forward to welcoming Lottie home. In the best of times, her month-long absence has been absolute torture."
"Yes, everyone in the castle can attest to that."
Frederick flashed a dirty glare, "I was so close. So close to believing everything would turn out fine after all. We only needed a few more days, and she'd be safely home." He shook his head defeatedly, "To think of what could be going on over there… I can't lose her, Astor. She is everything to me…."
"And we'll get her back."
"…but what if it's already too late?"
"Look at it this way. Captain Hostetter risked his life and his career to plow his way through an incoming blockade—just to get back and warn you of what's happened. Had he not acted, then you would be none the wiser until the day Charlotte was truly meant to return." He leaned forward onto the desk. "And when she didn't arrive on schedule, you'd go into a bigger panic and be left in the dark until Beker decided to send some sort of notice."
"A ransom, no doubt." Frederick sighed bitterly.
"Or worse. By then it could very well be too late."
His fingers drummed against the desk, "Something will still need to be done about Hostetter." Frederick replied. "Disregarding the will of a king has serious consequences. I can remember our father punishing other sailors severely for lesser offenses."
Astor shook his head. "You're within your rights as the monarch—I'm not trying to take that away from you. However, I really think you should reconsider the circumstances before you condemn him to an unfortunate fate. His decision wasn't an easy one. There was no satisfaction in it. Hostetter is a man of honor, and I imagine he already feels at his lowest. He even lost sailors in the escape. And now with the queen and the prince left behind…." He straightened up and gestured to the door. "I'll let him back inside. Pass whatever judgement you deem necessary. Just do us both a favor and save your rage for another time."
"Wait." Frederick stopped him just before the door opened, "Who else knows about this?"
"Dirk and Derrick—and thanks to them, probably the entire castle."
He groaned and slouched back into his chair, "I suppose that's what they burst in to tell me."
"I believe so, yes."
Frederick groaned, "I'll deal with them afterwards. That is, if you'll permit me to expel some decent Westergaard rage."
Astor flashed a small smile before opening the door and waving the officer back inside. Hostetter came forward slowly, standing at attention at a safe enough distance from the desk."
"Your Majesty…" He said with a bow, "I am ready to accept punishment for my actions."
Frederick stared at him with a frown. The room was uncomfortably silent for what seemed like an eternity for everyone present. "You're very fortunate, Captain," He began and crossed his arms over his chest, "that the Ambassador has become your personal advocate. If you came before me on your own, I would have sent you to hell in a heartbeat."
Hostetter swallowed. "…sir?"
"However, I think that letting you wallow in your guilt would be a far better punishment. I'll let you go about your duties—for now—and let the weight of your decisions truly sink in as time goes on. Go back to your ship. Oversee repairs and send me detailed reports on the damage, as well as anything from the attack that could be of useful information."
Hostetter's eyes widened in surprise at the monarch's sudden change of heart, "Your Majesty?"
"The Queen trusted you to be her transport. As soon as it's safe, yours will be the first vessel back to Rheland. And when the time comes, you had better pray to God that she's still alive and well." Frederick's eyes immediately narrowed, "because if she's not, your guilt will pale before the wrath that I will unleash, and hell itself would be too good a paradise for you."
It was sunny and bright when Hans stirred himself awake. He slept far better than he anticipated, especially considering how rocky the night began.
He was always something of a sound sleeper. Usually, once he found a comfortable position, he stayed put for the majority of the night, and last night was no exception.
As Hans blinked away the remnants of sleep, he took a deep breath, and it was then that he registered the added weight on his chest. That and the fact that his right arm was incredibly stiff. He tilted his head slightly and copper tresses came into view. Anna was still sleeping on him, and her one hand had fingers curled into the fabric of his linen shirt. He watched her for a few minutes. She was quiet. Peaceful. A shame the moment would be ruined the instant she'd awaken.
His pocket watch was sitting on the small table across the room, so he had no way of knowing what time it was. His mouth twisted into a slight frown. He would have to get up eventually. Not just for the hour, but to get on with the day. Hans was very much a morning person and wasn't one to dawdle in bed for too long after first waking up.
Unfortunately, Anna had other plans for him this morning. She was still deep in slumber. A soft sigh escaped her lips as her head nuzzled deeper into his chest. Acting purely on instinct and without thinking, he tightened his arm around her back to keep her close.
She was certainly warm; he gave her that much. And she didn't even seem inconvenienced by being jammed up against his side all night long. At least not now. The tension he first felt when his arm wrapped around her was long gone. She was completely at ease; perhaps even comfortable. He certainly was.
His head shifted on his pillow and he watched as her shoulder rose and fell with every breath. He would have to wake her eventually. No matter how much she would protest, they had to keep moving forward.
Hans let his fingers travel in a lazy circle along her back. Perhaps gently coaxing her awake would be easier on both of them. His efforts ended up having the opposite effect. Instead of waking, she shifted her head against his chest, and he could feel her foot slide against the side of his leg. She did not wake.
She's certainly not making this easy…. He mused and closed his eyes briefly. I suppose I could wait a few minutes longer. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll get off me all on her own.
Her fingers flexed against his shirt.
...Doubtful.
Hans wasn't sure how long it was after he dozed off again that he heard the sound of creaky floorboards out in the corridor, then something being slid underneath the door into the room.
What was that?
Whoever was in the hall, they were long gone, now. But they left something behind, and curiosity was getting to him. Now for the difficult task at hand—getting up. The first thing he did was remove his arm from around her back. That was the easy part. Hans lifted his head from the pillow and glanced around the bed. Thankfully, the tight space meant he was already close to the edge of the mattress. A quick slide, and he could be on his own two feet. His left hand swept the bedding back and then he slowly tried to move away.
The bed creaked the instant his weight shifted. He froze and waited a few seconds. She didn't wake, but her grip surprisingly loosened, and once he was completely out from under her, he shifted his pillow down to take his place and to give her something to cling to. He watched her carefully for a few seconds. It seemed to work, and once he was satisfied that she wouldn't stir, he stretched and silently moved across the room for his boots and to check the time.
Eight o' clock. Not too bad….
The notice slipped under the door must have been written by the Inn's owner, Helga. The handwriting didn't match the rough penmanship used by the man who checked them in last night.
"Wagners, please see Helga downstairs for a complimentary breakfast."
The mere thought of food made his stomach growl. They didn't eat much the night before. Hans glanced over to Anna. There was no way she'd be rising any time soon.
That didn't mean he had to starve out. Quickly and quietly, he made himself look a bit more presentable, and downstairs he went.
It turned out Helga had a far more cheerful disposition than her husband and apologized profusely for his behavior. The free meal was to help offset lodging them in the worst bedroom in the entire inn.
"It's alright," Hans had told her many times, "we were just thankful to have a warm place to sleep."
The next thing he knew, he was ushered into a large dining room. There was only one person eating—the grumpy elder gentleman from the front porch. Just like last night, he gave Hans a scrutinizing glance-over before returning to his breakfast. As Hans turned his head back to the innkeeper, he saw her filling up a tray with two generous sized portions.
Getting the tray back to the room without spilling anything was a bit of a challenge. He was grateful when he was able to set it down on the small table. It turned out that his noisy entrance didn't even phase his companion. She was still fast asleep and hugging the pillow tightly—just as he left her. He shook his head and walked over to the side of the bed.
"Marit." He said softly. She didn't stir.
For someone who had such trouble falling asleep, you'd think it'd be easy to wake her up.
He extended his hand to shake her shoulder. "Marit," he tried again, "wake up."
"Hmmph…" she sighed and drowsily peeked an eye open. "whaaa…."
"Time to get up." He said. "It's after eight. We can't lounge all morning."
"…fine…" she drawled and slowly lifted her head off the pillow. It was then that she noticed that Hans was already up, not laying with her. "Wait… what?" she said through a yawn, "how'd you do that?"
His eyebrow raised, "do what?"
"Get up? I mean…so…quietly."
"My little secret." He shrugged and gestured to the table. "I got us some breakfast. C'mon and eat." He went back to the table and sat down. Behind him, he could hear the bed creak as Anna shifted herself to an upright position.
"Alright, I'm co—" She suddenly cut herself off and was silent for a moment. "I… I don't believe this."
He didn't look at her, but he could hear the drastic change of tone in her voice. "What?" He asked, assuming she was commenting about all of the food he brought up. "Just c'mon before it gets cold." He took his knife and fork and began cutting up a link of sausage. After about a minute of silence in the room, he realized Anna hadn't moved and so he turned around to figure out what was holding her up.
Her wild hair was the first thing his eyes locked on. Strands were everywhere. Straight up, straight out, some bent at odd angles. Sure, it looked a bit wild earlier while it was fanned out on the pillow, but he imagined it would somehow just… fall somewhat into place when she sat up. Instead, the sight was almost terrifying.
…if it wasn't that wild in the middle of the night, how could that happen if she slept on me afterwards?
A slight shake of his head forced his eyes downwards to her face, and that sight was almost worse. There was a venomous look as she glared him down. He was puzzled. She had only just woken up. How could he have made her angry already?
"…why are you staring at me like that?" He asked warily.
Her eyes didn't leave him as her hands snatched up the pillow and gave it a squeeze. It mashed up easily in her arms.
"You… you had a soft pillow?"
He shrugged, not quite understanding her fury. "Yeah, I guess. So?"
"You're telling me that while I was tossing, turning, and being absolutely miserable for hours, you were all snug and cozy?!"
Oh brother…. He sighed, "Don't be like that. You were the one who got into bed first. You had every opportunity to feel up both pillows before I got out of the bath."
"But… you knew I was uncomfortable." She tossed the pillow back down and crossed her arms. "You could have offered it to me."
"Why, so I could be restless? Hardly." He snorted and sliced a new piece of sausage. "Besides, the way I see it, you gained a far superior pillow anyway." When she stared at him baffled, he rolled his eyes. "Me."
"You were hardly comfortable." She bristled and slid her legs out from under the blankets. She noisily got to her feet and padded over to the table.
His brow raised. "But you slept through the night. So… you're welcome, all the same."
Anna sighed and dropped into the empty chair beside his. There was a slice of bread on her plate and she immediately picked off a piece. "well… thank you. I guess. Did you sleep well?"
Sure, once you stopped being obnoxious. "Of course, nice, quiet, and cozy," he gave her a sly grin, "and warm. So, thank you for that."
Anna shot him a dirty look, "Don't you dare get used to the idea. We are not doing that again."
"If you say so." Hans replied and went back to his breakfast. He had a bit of a head start on her, so his plate emptied well before hers. He leaned back in his chair and watched her finish. She had set some of it aside was only eating the hot food.
"Not hungry?"
Anna set her fork down. "I was going to save some for the road. Less snacks to buy later."
"Not a bad idea. I wish I thought of that."
Anna forced a smile, "I have good ideas now and then." When she was finished, she pushed the chair back, stood, and stretched. "When are we leaving?"
"As soon as you make yourself presentable." Hans replied, grabbing her clothing satchel off the back of his chair, and thrusting it into her arms.
Her eyes went from the bag to his face, "Well, you get right to the point, don't you?"
"Just get dressed. We can't afford to linger."
With a huff, Anna stomped behind the privacy curtain. "Let me guess. Another full day of forest walk?"
He chuckled, "you know it."
"…wonderful."
Hans used the few spare moments to clean up the room and repack any of their scattered belongings. Anna emerged from the curtain several minutes later fully dressed. Her hands were full of her night-shift and discarded clothes from yesterday. All she had left to do was fix up her hair. It was still loose behind her back, but at least the crazy bed-head was gone.
"I'm almost ready." She said quietly. Once her hands were free, her fingers tried to comb through her locks.
Hans watched for a moment as she started to twist her hair into her signature braids. "Wait—" he said suddenly, "don't do that."
"Why not?" She asked, letting her hands fall to her sides.
"Your hair. Do something… different. Something that doesn't scream 'Anna of Arendelle'."
She blinked at him, confused. "Are you really telling me how to style myself?"
"I'm merely suggesting making yourself look like a traveling peasant." His hands moved around his neck to untie his cravat. Anna had used a narrow braid to neatly maintain her long hair behind her back instead, and once she was done, he wrapped his neckwear around her head. "It's a far cry from a headscarf or a bonnet, but it'll do."
She looked up at him while he secured the cravat and tilted her face curiously to the side, "do you really think that'll fool anyone?"
"It only has to work long enough for us to leave populated areas." His eyes briefly met hers, "…and you're looking at me funny again."
"Because you look funny."
"I'm the same today as I was yesterday."
"No." She shook her head and brought a hand up towards his face. Her index finger stroked the edge of his cheek and then immediately retracted. "Ew! You're all rough!"
Hans immediately ran a hand slowly down his face. "Huh. So I am."
"…well? Aren't you going to shave it or something?"
He thought it over for a moment. "No…I think I'll keep it." He eyed her, amused by her sudden reaction, "Why, don't you like it?"
"I think I prefer you clean shaven," she huffed.
"Oh?" He raised his brow, "I didn't think you preferred me at all."
"I don't!" She said quickly, "I'm merely suggesting that a beard doesn't suit you."
"Maybe not Hans…" He said, stroking his scruff thoughtfully, "but I think Nikolai Wagner likes it. He is a peasant, after all."
"Well, Marit Wagner doesn't like scruff." She bristled. "It's not very handsome. She finds it appalling."
"It's a loveless marriage, anyway. You have no reason to worry. Although…" His mouth twisted into a sly grin briefly, "Marit Wagner has never kissed her scruffy husband to have a proper opinion—"
"Dear lord…" Anna pushed away from him and grabbed her bags, "I'm getting out of here before you get any stupid ideas."
"So Hans…"
Oh no, not this again…. Hans inwardly groaned, "please tell me we can go at least one day without awkward conversation."
Anna glanced down at him from her seat on the horse, "I should point out that yesterday's tensions were caused by you, not me."
"Were they? I distinctly remember you being too nosy for your own good."
"Says the man who inquired about my love life!"
…she hasn't even asked a question and we're already arguing…. He rolled his eyes. "What is it?"
"You said we were going to your brother in Corona, right?"
"Yes."
"Well… can you tell me about him?"
Hans sighed. Clearly, Anna didn't seem to learn from last time. He already knew what would happen. She would ask about this first, then want to know about the other eleven men back home. Despite the danger and dire circumstance that he found himself in, he was in a way happy to be away from his family for a little while longer. True, he was homesick, but only for the peace of mind. And for Sitron. The longing certainly didn't extend to his relatives.
"I mean, I'm going to meet him eventually," Anna added when Hans failed to answer, "but it's nice to know before we get there."
"It's not like we'll be arriving tomorrow." He countered, hoping she'd drop the subject.
"Oh? You'll be willing to talk about it later?" She hopped off the horse and scampered to his side. "I doubt that. Since I brought it up, just roll with it!"
Hans shook his head in defeat, "we're going to see my brother Ludwig." He finally said after a long pause, "he's the fourth oldest."
"Oooh…" Anna replied, "What's he like?"
"Well he isn't a pompous ass like the rest of the family. Ludwig was the only one consistently nice to me when I was growing up."
"Really? Just Ludwig?"
He shrugged, "well, he and Astor, I suppose. But really, it was always Ludwig. He was the one I was closest to."
"Anna smiled, "then it's a good thing we're seeing him then! That's why you're so confident that he'll help us."
Hans nodded.
"Are you two still close?"
"Not as much as we used to be. During his later academic years, Ludwig traveled to Corona to attend Chartridge University. The man enjoys being a walking library. He lives to learn. It's odd finding him anywhere without a book nearby." His gloved hand came up to scratch his cheek as he began to feel a bit more at ease. "He was always happier in a learning environment. At home, he practically lived in the library. I'm confident he's read every book in there at least once. Most of the family left him alone, aside from some low-key name-calling, labeling him the odd one out for being shy and reserved. You know how it is—no one likes a know-it-all. Going abroad to study was probably the best thing to happen to him. He even met his wife through the university." He readjusted his hold on the horse's reins, and a sideways glance towards her showed her staring at him with immense interest. There was no doubt that she was hanging on his every word, eager to absorb all she could before he cut her off.
I suppose I did carry on a bit… Hans thought. He certainly didn't plan on talking so much. It all just came out so easily. And it felt nice to hold a conversation with her that wasn't prone to ridiculous arguments. I guess… so long as it's just about Ludwig, what's the harm?
"How long has he been married?"
Her voice snapped him back to the present. "Oh. Uh, five-six years? I lost track."
Anna nodded slowly with a thoughtful smile on her face, "Did they have some grand royal wedding? It seems like something your family would do. I don't remember any invitations—I guess because our gates were closed at the time."
"To be honest, Ludwig didn't want one. He and Giselle preferred a small and private affair on her family's estate in Corona." He scoffed, "Naturally, my father had none of that, and made them marry in the capitol's grand cathedral in the Isles."
"Wait, what? Why?"
"Because my father only cared about his image and wanted to show off the first of his sons to get married."
"Wow." Anna said, glancing away briefly. "I can't imagine not being able to choose how to have my own wedding…."
"Yes, you can!" He said with a rather amused tone. "After all, we married at a campfire in the middle of the woods—" he laughed at being jabbed hard in the ribs, "—still a sour point, I see."
"Hmmph." She grumbled, eager to get back on topic, "So… if he's been married for a while, I bet you have a slew of nieces and nephews. That must be nice."
Hans opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Until now, it never dawned on hm that he could be an uncle. He felt rather silly now that he thought about it. "I… have no idea, actually."
Anna gave him a blank stare, "how could you not know? It's your family."
Hans shrugged. He walked the horse to a nearby tree and tied off the reins before taking a seat against the tree trunk. The memory was years old, but he could still remember it vividly. "Something happened to him. There was this one hunting trip in the mountains that we dragged him to. He wasn't happy, to put it lightly. Hunting was far from his list of preferred pastimes. But nothing truly terrible happened. We got back to the castle late at night. By morning, both he and Giselle already left for Corona." He sighed sadly and picked at a few blades of grass, "…and he never came back."
Anna sat down beside him and wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders, "you mean… he just up and left because you forced him to the mountains?"
He shook his head slowly, "I don't know. I feel like there was more under the surface that none of us knew about. Something happened to drive him and Giselle from the castle. I wish I knew what it was."
Anna reached over and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry…."
"There's nothing to be sorry about, really. He managed to escape from the hell that is my home. In some ways, I'm jealous."
"And you haven't heard from him since then?"
"Well… he returned home briefly when my father died. And then again for Freddy's coronation. But he came alone."
"Was he happy to see you?"
"Me? Sure." Hans nodded, and pulled more grass from the ground. The small blades twisted and turned around his fingers, "he didn't have much to say though. He talked a lot about the university. He wasn't right though…." He said softly, "I mean, his personality. He wasn't the same Ludwig that I really remembered." A frown formed across his face as he reflected back. "Even though he tried to hide it, he just seemed angry all the time; always glaring off at my brothers across the room during family gatherings. Never smiling like he used to…."
"Perhaps they did something to him. You did say they were all pompous asses."
"Maybe." Eventually he shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. "Anyway, that's Ludwig."
"Wow." Anna blinked, "Do you think he'll still be willing to help after so much animosity?"
"Oh sure." He tossed the grass away and wiped his gloves on his coat. "Because it's me. And it's for Charlotte, too." He took a deep breath and exhale and was surprised that casually talking for so long could be so calming.
Now that that baggage is out, she had better not ask about—
"I uh… don't suppose I'll get to hear about the rest of your brothers…."
I fucking knew it….
He eyed her suspiciously, "Don't you think I gave you enough family history for one afternoon?"
"No?" Anna waved her hands about, "You can't blame me for being curious. I know nothing about your family!"
"They're asses, as I've said many times. Why would you even want to?"
"Aren't they technically my in-laws?"
"Hell no!" Hans snorted, "Do you really think Nikolai Wagner has twelve bullies for brothers?"
She gave him a light shove in response, "You know what I mean…."
Hans flashed a curious smirk, "Does Marit have an older sister with magical powers?"
"Well no… but—"
"Case in point"
Anna got to her feet and grumbled loudly. "You are so difficult."
"I do try." She had stomped over to the horse and was fishing through one of the saddle bags, so he took the opportunity to close his eyes for a moment. This wasn't really supposed to be a rest break, and he didn't want to get too comfortable. If Anna decided to sit down, too, then it would be a while before they set off again.
But a few minutes of peace and personal space felt nice, and he enjoyed every second. "We should get going." He eventually announced and got back to his feet. Anna was still by the horse, stroking its face.
"I'm ready." She moved to climb back onto the saddle.
As Hans reached for the reins, he heard the sound of a twig snapping nearby. His eyes immediately scanned the area. "Did you step on a branch?"
"No?" Anna glanced down at her feet just to make sure. "Maybe you're hearing things," He shook his head, and seconds later, there was another snap. This time, her eyes went wide. "N-never mind. I heard that one, too."
Hans immediately put a finger to his lips and turned his head away. The noises weren't a mere coincidence. Someone or something was nearby. There were several more minutes of awkward silence as he tried to listen for the sound again. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard it once more and looked off in that direction. "Stay here." He whispered to her, and as quietly as he could manage, he crept off through the woods.
His eyes continuously moved from the surrounding trees to the dirt and patches of grass. If he could hear someone's feet snapping twigs, then they were close enough to hear his. The last thing he wanted was to give away his position.
Or worse. Anna's.
Still, he kept a hand hovering over the holstered pistol on his belt and hoped he wouldn't have to use it. The sounds became louder as he continued to move on, and up ahead, he could see the crest of a hill. Whoever or whatever was beyond that point. He slowed his pace as the bottom of the hill slowly came into view—
"Hans!"
Anna's sudden voice startled him, and he whirled around, pistol in hand. His heart was thumping in his chest and it took him a minute to calm himself down. With it only being her, he holstered the weapon and leaned onto a nearby tree.
"For Christ's sake…" he whispered. His eyes glared into her, "I told you to stay put!"
She shrugged and retied the horse's reins to another tree. "I was afraid you'd get lost on your way back!" She replied quietly. "You were gone a while."
"I'm being cautious." He hissed and turned around.
She came up beside him. "Find anything?"
"A road." He pointed down below, "we must have heard someone passing through."
Her eyes lit up at the sight of the road. "This is great! We can follow it and finally get out of the woods—"
Heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance, and immediately, Hans grabbed Anna and ducked them both down to the ground. His gloved hand clamped over her mouth and he purposely ignored the dirty looks she gave him.
"Mmph!" She managed to pull his hand away, "why must you always get on top of me?"
"To keep you from doing something stupid." He whispered back. "Now be quiet."
It didn't take long before the source of the footsteps came into view. From around the curve in the road, a military squadron came marching through. Alvanian soldiers. Some were armed with swords, others with rifles and crossbows. Hans' eyes immediately narrowed. There were far too many to count, and it made him wonder if the earlier sounds heard were stray soldiers from another regiment. Beneath him, he could feel Anna tense up considerably. One of her hands even latched onto his arm.
"That's… that's a lot…" she said barely above a whisper. He only heard her because his head was right next to hers. That was good—it wasn't loud enough to alert the enemy below.
An unpleasant thought came to him suddenly, and it made his heart start to race. If soldiers in these numbers were moving through the area, what guarantee was there that they kept to the road? His eyes reluctantly tore away from the troops to scan the surrounding area. Everything seemed calm.
For now.
This just got a whole lot harder….