"This feels familiar, doesn't it?...You, all alone, disappointing everyone once again. The family, not caring one bit about you. I feel as if you are stuck in some sort of a loop, Prince Hans...Like you are destined, to just fail. Again and again and again."
"Hah! You think that's new? Those bastards you call my family are just imbeciles. They have always known I was better then them. I could be a better prince then my brothers, a better king then my father. They fear what I can do, that's why they have always tried to push me down...But they're wrong, and so are you...My destiny is not to fail. My destiny is to sit atop the throne as a king." Said Hans.
"Will you ever stop with the needless obsession for the throne? How many times have you plotted to become king? How many times will you fail before you realize that you are worthless. You are nothing but a failure. How many times must you be humiliated before you realize, that you will never amount to anything, that nobody wants you, Hans. Nobody wants you, not as a king, as a brother, as a son, or even as a friend."
"Shut up! I don't need anyone to tell me what I can and can't do! Especially, you!" Hans snarled as he sat up on the stone slab.
"Well, tough luck then. Since I am the only person who at least takes the time to talk to you, excluding your regular whippings and beatings from the guards or your brothers."
"Can you please not talk about my brothers, I have had my fill of them to last me ten more lifetimes." The disgraced prince replied, as he calmed down a little, and laid back down.
"Well, what do you want to talk about? Anything you want to share with me, or anything you want to get off your chest? I can't do much else for you, but I can listen."
"It-It's silly...but sometimes I begin to think if I was cursed from the day I was born. Cursed to become a man so unlovable and unlikable, that no man or woman would ever spare a single good thought about me." Hans said, in a quiet voice, staring up at the ceiling.
"Maybe you are, who knows...We live in a world where ice-conjuring queens, and girls who can talk to the oceans exist...Curses aren't a far cry."
"Yes...maybe...But still, I can't give up. Everyone else is allowed to dream, so why can't I. I will become a king, one day. It may not be the Southern Isles, or arendelle, but I can assure you, one day I will sit atop a throne, overlooking masses of people, who will love me and respect me for who I am." Hans said with a sad longing in his voice.
"Is that true?"
"Yes...They will know that I am more then just a disgrace, more then a traitor or a throwaway prince...They will look at me and see a hero. A man worthy of their respect, a just king who cares for his people and his kingdom."
"It's a nice dream. But it might just remain a dream, with the way things are looking for you right now. It doesn't really look you might survive another year or two with the way your body and mind is deteriorating right now."
"Is that all just a fancy way to say I'll soon be dead? Because if it is, then I don't really care. A part of me longs for the sweet release of death, from this cursed plane of existence."
"Hm. Do you think your family will mourn you, if you die in here? Do you think anyone would shed a single tear for yo-"
"Enough!" Hans snarled as harshly as his dry throat allowed.
"Very well, let's talk about something else...How long do you think you have been here? I can't seem to even tell how much time has passed these days to be honest?"
"...I-I don't really know. Maybe a few months, I am not exactly sure. The last time I can remember stepping out of this cell, was maybe my last day of working at the stables...When Runo came to inform me about the letter from Elsa."
"Elsa? Oh, you mean the Queen you tried to kill and whose kingdom you tried to takeover."
Hans let out a sigh, as he felt the rage coming back, just thinking of the woman who had ruined his life. "Yes, that one...That bitch, she told my father that she liked the punishment my father had given me...That was my last day outside, after that I was thrown in here. And have been here since then."
"Hm. Seems like a long time in solitary confinement, it seems...It's a wonder you haven't gone mad yet."
"Hah! It will take more then that to break me, even my wretched family should know that. They think a few beatings and whippings will be enough to break my spirit, when in reality, they only give me more motivation to destroy each and every single one of them once I get out." A large grin rose on Hans's lips as he spoke.
"I am impressed by your tenacity, Prince Hans, I truly am, even if that always leads to nothing more then humiliation. But being your only confidant, I must also tell you what others won't."
"If it's more bullshit about how I can't win, then you should keep your mouth shut." Hans said as he turned over the side, and faced the stone wall.
"My Prince, I have been with you since you were a child. I was with you when you were plotting to take over arendelle. I was with you when you were wooing Princess Anna. So heed my words when I tell you, you are bound to fail spectacularly once more when you try."
"I won't." Hans replied, as he closed his eyes.
"Yes, you will. In this world, their are winners and losers. And you, Prince Hans Westergaard, are the biggest loser. Nobody will ever willingly follow you or heed your words ever again. From the snowy mountains of arendelle, to the scorching deserts of Agrabah, no man or woman will ever think of you as anything more then treacherous scum."
"Shut up I said!" Hans said as he put his hands over his ears, and curled his legs in to shut the words out.
"You can do whatever you want, Hans, but the truth is that you will one day die, and nobody will ever notice. No history books will remember you, nor will your family ever think of giving you a proper burial. They will just throw your dead carcass among piles of dung and throw you into the seas. That is your destiny, Hans."
"SHUT UP!"
"Or what? You think you can do anything? You failed to defeat two young girls? You think you can defeat me? You can use the glass to try and cut me, but I am always going to be here, you ugly scum. I will always be here to remind you of what you are."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Hans screamed as he got up.
"I will always remind you of what the world already knows. That you are nothing but a treacherous, conniving, evil, unlovable, ugly, heartless monster."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Hans screamed his heart out.
"What in the hel is wrong with you?" Suddenly the cell door slid open, and two guards came rushing in. The two heard screams from the cell, and immediately came to check, a little worried over what was causing the commotion.
"What in the name of Odin?" One guard asked in a confused voice as he looked into the room and saw the disgraced prince sitting in a dark corner of the room, panting wildly, with beastly wild eyes red with tears and dirt on his face. Hair grown long past his shoulders, in a tangled mess and caked with dirt, face a sunken mess. A pungent odor coming from his worn and torn out clothes that he had been wearing ever since he returned from arendelle. He looked more like an animal then a former prince.
"Oye! What were you shouting about?" The second guard grumbled out as he went closer to Hans and nudged him with his foot. But no answer came, only hurried pants, and eyes open wide and stuck on a single spot in the room.
"Leave him, Onar, he's probably lost it. Seems like three whole years in confinement are finally taking a toll on the bastard's mind." The first guard scoffed out, with a throaty chuckle leaving his mouth. The prisoner had no clue what he was seeing or what he was hearing, instead his eyes were fixed on the doorway, where he could the silhouette, a shadowy silhouette of a woman, one he knew the past.
"All of this would've never happened, Hans...If only you hadn't betrayed us."
Her voice, her smooth and velvet-filled voice, it beckoned the fires of rage in his belly once more. "SHUT UP, YOU WHORE! SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH BEFORE I KILL YOU! I SWEAR TO ODIN, I WON'T REST UNTIL I SEE YOU DEAD AT MY FEET, YOUR MAJESTY! EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" The guards once more jumped back a little, startled by the ex-prince's words.
"What-what the hell, Hund? Should we call someone?" The second guard asked, a little startled and nervous as he stared at the man still shouting obscenities and curse words at some woman that was seemingly visible only to him. The first guard, Hund, just chuckled at his partner's words, and cracked his fists walking closer to Hans.
"Just wait a second. We don't need no doctor in 'ere, this bastard just needs to have some sense beaten into him. Quite literally. I understand you are a little soft-hearted, so you might want to turn away." The moment he spoke out his words, his fist connected with Hans' weak jaw with a painful crunch. With the state his body was in, he couldn't hold his body as it crashed against the stony floor of the dungeon. But it wasn't the end for his punishment, the older and more muscled man then proceeded to kick him several times in his stomach and face, while the other one just spared one look at the pitiful excuse of a prince before walking out.
The fight had left Hans' body a long time ago, as he just lay their, taking his beating, not attempting to defend himself. Soon after some time had passed, his consciousness had started fading, but he faintly heard the man spit on him before walking out the cell and locking the door behind him, locking him once again, in perpetual darkness.
Tears slowly fell out of his eyes, as he lay a broken pile of meat on the floor, utterly spent and exhausted and pain his mind couldn't even register. No words or sounds left his mouth, even after the small effort he put trying to cry, instead only the sounds of his low grunts and shudders and weeping escaped his dried out throat.
From his half-shut eye, he could see the same woman slowly walking towards him, dressed in a light blue royal gown, bringing alongside her a thin sheen of ice and cold wind. He couldn't turn his head up to look up at her, but then she sat down before him. Placing a cold hand on his bruised cheek, and slowly wiped the tears.
"It did not have to be like this, Hans. We would have accepted you. Anna, Kristoff, everyone. Arendelle would have accepted you...I would have accepted you, Hans. If only you had spoken the truth from the beginning."
Her words were filled with overwhelming sadness and sympathy, but were also sharp and cold. And this time, they did not make him angry or furious. They only left him sobbing and weeping, crying his broken heart out. Cursing his existence, his birth, and everything that was him. And only a few words left his exhausted body.
"S-Somebody...h-help."
Elsa beamed with happiness as she almost twirled through the castle corridors, walking towards the throne room. She could feel the warm rays of the sun seeping through the large windows, warming her body with a warmth that balanced out the coolness inside her perfectly. Dressed in a formal white gown, with her hair that once used to be free-flowing, were now tied in a perfect bun, she had grown quite a lot since the last three years had gone by.
She wouldn't admit it out loud but she felt as if she had grown much more mature in the times that had gone by, she wouldn't admit it in-front of someone else, but when she was in her room alone, away from the eyes of the public, she would tell herself that she had become a much better queen, a better person, and more importantly a better sister. Arrendelle had become a thriving kingdom, with it's beautiful towns and villages, resources brimming and a happy people, it was basking in it's glory like it once did under the rule of her parents.
And thanks to Anna's urging, Elsa had become more sociable and hospitable to her own people, and visitors from other kingdoms, relations with other nations and kingdoms were flourishing and trade had never been better. Elsa was proud of herself, and proud of the people of her nation, together they had all faced adversity and together they all struggled and overcame it.
The fear that once resided in the heart of every person of Arrendelle, the fear of their unknown, magic-wielding Queen, that had slowly started seeping out after they finally saw their Queen for who she was, and now what they assumed. Not a vengeful, hate-filled witch, but a beautiful and a benevolent woman who loved her kingdom more then anything else.
The flames of fear that once burned higher then the castle's highest towers, day-by-day they had grown lesser and lesser, until it became just a small spark and then nothing. When they saw the Queen ice-skating with her sister, when they saw the Queen helping an old lady on the street, when they saw the queen laughing alongside children playing with a talking snow-man, they began to realize perhaps they were too quick to judge her and label her as something she most definitely was not.
All of this and more, in the three years after the great thaw had returned Arrendelle to it's former glory and nobody was more happy then Queen Elsa herself.
And today was a particularly joyous occasion as well, because today was the day Anna was returning after her 3-month long honeymoon with her newly-wed husband and Arrendelle's chief ice-deliverer, Kristoff. They had been been putting off their wedding for a long time, even though Else knew that they both wanted to get married as soon as possible. Partly because after the events that had transpired during her coronation and the events that followed, there was too much to be done in the kingdom and they did not have the time for a wedding, not when there was a crisis that needed to be handled.
But exactly two years after the great thaw, once the kingdom had gotten back on track, Elsa gave them her blessing for their marriage, and the two were wedded during one of the most beautiful spring the kingdom had seen. It was the most happy Elsa had ever seen her sister, and it still - even after a year - brought a tear of happiness to Elsa's eyes everytime she remembered her sister standing on that altar.
Among the people who attended the wedding was the princess of the kingdom of Corona, Rapunzel. She was there alongside her husband, the prince of corona, Eugene. Rapunzel, like Anna was a very warm and bright soul, Elsa noticed and the two hit it off almost immediately. Rapunzel and Eugene had happily offered Anna and Kristoff to come and spend their honeymoon in Corona, and even came to Elsa to with their request, with Rapunzel doing most of the talking part.
At first, Elsa was hesitant to send Anna off Arrendelle, somewhere where she couldn't see her everyday but when she saw how much her sister wanted to go, she had to let her go even if her heart was still conflicted about it a bit.
And so, a few months after the wedding, the loving pair had left for Corona, and that was the last time Elsa had seen her dear sister. Elsa had to admit, even though she had been Queen for about three years now, she had never once left Arrendelle, and the thought of leaving home scared her. But when she saw the look on Anna's face as she stood with Kristoff while the ship sailed away from the harbor, she truly envied her sister for the fearlessness Anna possessed.
And somewhere in her heart she again felt envy when she saw how safely Anna's hand was nestled in her husband's.
That was another thought that plagued the Queen's mind from time to time when she was alone in her room at night. Anna had found her one true love in a matter of days, and Elsa couldn't have been more happier to see her sister happy.
But a part of her would also question herself, would she ever have someone look at her the way Kristoff looked at Anna? Would someone ever look at her the way Kristoff looked at Anna, like she was the most beautiful being in the whole world?
And most of the times she would just bring more despair to herself. That no matter how much the people love their queen, no man would ever desire her as a woman, as a wife. Once the kingdom had started flourishing, there had been more then a few suitors that came for her hand. But it only took a few meetings for her to realize that all they wanted was the kingdom and the throne, not the woman who sat on it and so she rejected all of them.
Every time a suitor left, Anna would try to cheer her up by saying that she would one day find someone, that her true love would one day come for her. But even Anna had stopped saying that a while ago, and Elsa knew why, it was because deep down, no man wanted a woman who nearly froze an entire kingdom over a tantrum. And so, now she had put the entire notion of falling in love, or being married in the farthest corners of her mind.
She didn't need a husband, or someone to hold her at nights when her nightmares wouldn't let her sleep, or someone to aid her when ruling became too much too handle, when everyone expected so much more then she could deliver. Now when the court members asked her to think about the future of her throne, she would just plainly tell them that she didn't need children of her own, her sister's first born would become the heir and that was all she needed.
"My queen, princess Anna and prince Kristoff have arrived." The soldier's words broke the queen out of her stupor as she returned to the present. She looked ahead and saw the confused look on the man's face, no doubt because of the lost look on the queen's face. Elsa immediately schooled her expression to a polite smile.
"Thank you for informing me, I had heard the horns myself. I was just heading towards the palace gates." She said in her soft voice. Just then, two more soldier's came up behind the first soldier.
"Please allow us to escort you, your majesty." With a small nod, Elsa started walking towards the palace gates, with the guards following behind her.
As she reached the gates, Elsa couldn't stop the bright smile that lit up her face at the sight of her beautiful sister walking towards her alongside Kristoff and Sven, who had also gone with them. And when Anna noticed her sister, she forgo all and any decorum, and just dashed towards the queen without a second thought.
"ElSA!" Tears sprung in both their eyes as Anna landed in her sister's arms with a thump. Elsa was still hesitant to touch but not with her sister, she held Anna in her arms as tight as she could. Just savoring the feel of her dear sister back safely in her arms. It had been only three months, but it felt like a lifetime for Elsa as she laughed and cried while holding Anna.
"Oh Anna, I missed you so much. Welcome back home." Anna just held her tighter at hearing her words before loosening her hold and leaning a bit back. Elsa softly kissed her cheek as she tangled a strand of her hair behind her ears before looking at her sister.
"I missed you too, Elsa. Corona was a beautiful place but I have to say, nothing beats Arendelle. I missed home so much as well." Anna said as Kristoff walked next to them chuckling slowly at the sight of the two sisters.
"I can vouch for her. There were more then a few nights when I had to quieten Anna as she bawled for Arrendelle." Kristoff said in a light humor-filled tone, looking at Anna.
"Did she now? Well, I must hear more about your time in Corona then it seems." Elsa said with a small giggle as she held her sister's hands. Anna's eyes lit up in excitement at the thought of telling all the new things she had seen in her time away from home.
"It was so much fun, Elsa! I don't even know where to begin! Corona has so many beautiful green forests, and the towns are so different from Arendelle but just as beautiful and Rapunzel's birthday was last month, and they had a huge, huge feast where they lit up hundreds of lanterns and-" Elsa had to stop her sister's stories because this wasn't the time or the place for such conversations.
"Alright, alright, Anna, you can save all these tales for when we are not standing in the middle of a crowd." She whispered to her sister with a small smile, who immediately looked around and saw quite large group of people who had gathered to see the return of their beloved princess.
"Heh, sorry, my bad." Anna nervously giggled before turning back to the people. The people of Arendelle loved Anna, perhaps even more then Elsa and so they were overjoyed to see her return. Each of them coming closer to greet her and welcome her back from her honeymoon. As Elsa and Kristoff looked at the scene with smiles on their faces, Kristoff turned to the queen.
"By the way, I didn't see Olaf on the way here, where is he?" The blonde haired man asked.
"Olaf, oh he is chauffeuring the kids from the local school for their study tour around the kingdom. I heard he had volunteered and the kids were over the moon to have a talking snowman be their guide." The queen answered as she hid a small giggle behind her hand.
"I understand, if I was a kid, a talking snowman would be probably be the most exciting thing ever." The prince spoke with a small smile on his face, to which the queen gave a polite nod and continued to observe her sister.
"By the way, there is another matter that we need to discuss, more preferably away from any listening ears." The sudden change in Kristoff's tone made the queen realize that he wasn't joking, as she turned to the man with a serious look on her face.
"Is something wrong?" She asked in a voice devoid of any humor. This wasn't Elsa talking, this was the Queen of Arendelle. An uncomfortable look crossed the ice-master's face before he softly voiced his concerns to the queen.
"It's...It's nothing too concerning, just a bit disturbing if you ask me." said the blonde man.
"Speak plainly, Kristoff. What happened?" Asked the queen in a curt voice. Her attention completely diverted from her sister.
"Well, I don't know how to put it, but on princess Rapunzel's birthday, among the many nobles we met, we also chanced upon a meeting with prince Franz." The name was familiar to Elsa, but she couldn't identify the man or make sense of what Kristoff was trying to say, but it all became clear when he continued. "Prince Franz of the southern isles, Elsa. Second oldest brother of Hans."
Elsa couldn't stop the gasp that left her lips at hearing the name of the traitor again. It had been years she had last seen him or heard of him. With the letter she had sent for the king of the southern isles, she had decided to forget his entire existence as he wasn't a person worth remembering. And from what she had heard at the time, the murderous snake had been sentenced to a life in prison by his father. At the time she had felt a very little amount of pity for the man who tried to murder her and her sister, but overtime with all the things transpiring in her life, the meager thought of that man left her and he became a distant memory.
And now, after three years, hearing his name, it brought upon her the same effect as it did the moment he tried to kill her and Anna. Hate and anger. But before Elsa could voice her distaste and question Kristoff about what had happened, the blonde answered all her un-voiced questions.
"And he told me something, Elsa. Something I've hidden from Anna."
"He told you what? What did he say? Did he threaten you or Arendelle?" Elsa questioned in a rush, but Kristoff immediately gestured her to lower her voice before someone heard.
"No, no, nothing of the sorts. He told me about Hans...The traitor has been kept in the dungeons, in confinement for the last three years. But the really disturbing thing he revealed to me is that lately it seems that Hans has started losing his mind. Said that he spends entire days and nights speaking and screaming at imaginary things." Elsa would never admit it but she felt a strange sort of chill pass down her spine at hearing the man's words. The feeling that came over as she tried to imagine what was happening to the traitor, it was a feeling she had never felt before. A mix of fear, pity and confusion.
"But it's what he said last that really shocked me to the bone...He said that in the last few nights, he just screams cursives and threats at an imaginary person, normally he would just throw threats and cursives at his brothers and parents, but since a while now, he only speaks to a single person." Elsa's eyes were wide open in shock and fear as she slowly mustered the strength to speak her next words.
"Who?" The queen whispered in a soft voice. Kristoff turned to her with a scowl on his face, feeling anger rise at the thought of the traitor. But he softly answered.
"You, queen Elsa. All he does is speak to you."
Hope everyone who is reading this is enjoying the story so far and I hope you stay for the long haul. I can't say how long this story will last but it is a slowburn so let's see what happens. Chapter 3 is currently being written and will be uploaded soon.