Elsa stared in shock. She had read the report, seen this bloodthirsty hate first-hand, and had nightmares about it, but...

Hans was in the corner. Crying.

She couldn't believe it. His reports had been so matter-of-fact. Down to earth. Divorced from any and all sense of emotion. There had never been any hint of terror behind his work. Never even a clue that he ever felt afraid, or that he was cracking under the pressure.

He gave another anguished cry.

The sound was like a scared puppy, not that she'd ever had one. It was somewhat impossible coming from him, almost signaling a sense of innocence being lost deep within him.

In his mind, Hans was reliving his past nightmares, blood, fire, smoke, death... it was like the images were seared into his brain no matter how hard he tried to separate himself. Elsa watched as he vibrated like an exposed nerve, shaking at nothing, while simultaneously trying to stop himself from crying. His mind was shattered, keeping up a bravado in order to function.

This was not helping her nerves. It was bad enough that she was stuck on a ship of Southern Isles sailors who were going to kill them both, and that this particular ship was being followed by Black Spot pirates. And now the only ally (temporarily, of course) she had in a hundred leagues was breaking down.

A dark thought passed through her mind; why couldn't he have had his meltdown when he was trying to kill her?

The answer came back from his mutterings, "I'm done, I'm done, I'm just done, no more. I'm done. No more."

He had run away. The monster she had dreamed about had never existed. There was no powerful man here, just a scared child trapped.

Like her.

"Hans," She said softly. He shook his head, pretending to be somewhere else. This wasn't working. Tears streamed down his face. He was fighting her, fighting reality. Like someone scalded with a red-hot iron again and again and again.

He shook his head. She sighed. Ever since sharing her plan with him, Hans had been... well, he had lost his mind. First was screaming, then ramming against the walls. Finally, he just curled up in a ball. The man was seriously psychotic. Elsa took a breath and moved in.

"It's going to be okay," She said, putting her arms around him, "...it's going to be okay."

She got lost in his eyes for a moment. Deep within, a young prince was trapped under smoke, blood and rubble. A prince who had hidden behind that smoke in her mind, like a demon, hidden in the rubble of his conquests when she read his reports, and hidden behind the blood of royalty, blood that was likely to be spilled soon.

"It's never going to be okay," He rasped. All hope had left his voice. Elsa nodded.

"I'm here now..." She hugged him as tightly as possible, something unthinkable hours earlier. Yes, they were chained together, but this time, the hug was on purpose, "Hans, I need you to be the hero."

His eyes were vacant, "...can't. Just... no more."

"One more time," She pleaded, "I need you to prove yourself just one more time. You can do it."

For a second, his eyes focused on her, "Elsa...?"

"Yeah!" She gave him a brave smile.

"I'm afraid."

"Me too. But I've spent my whole life being afraid of things. And I won't let myself stay afraid just because of my past."

Something got through to him, "...if I'm to die... it will be in a pool of my enemies' blood."

"Um... close enough. Ready?"

He shook his head, but she began anyways.

Their shackles seem to have been made out of a material that was frost-resistant, but not Hans-proof. He had figured out a way to get an impression of the inside of the lock using old tree gum in the wood around them. From there, Elsa had made a key, freeing them. Once out of their chains, Elsa tried to make another key for the cell's lock, but found it difficult. Instead, she froze it.

"Now!" She ordered. Hans rose, took a breath, and knocked it down. The second it popped open, havoc erupted on the deck. The queen watched, breathless as the scared little boy disappeared and the monster reared its ugly head.

"Grah!" Hans ran toward the first guard, twisting his arm 'til it cracked, caught the sword before it hit the ground, sliced through the second guard's sword hand, then took that sword and rammed it through the third guard.

In seconds all three were dead. Hans took a breath, and let it out in a hiss.

"Hans?" Elsa called quietly. It was pointless. The person she knew from the cell was gone. He was 'Happa Hans' now; an insatiable killer bent on destruction. A relentless monster. One she had unleashed. His eyes were still faraway, alive with fury and hate. His once handsome face contorted into a vicious sneer.

For a second, the young woman felt something akin to guilt. As someone who had been the victim of this... creature, she should know better than to unleash it on others.

Then she realized that there was no other option available. The two had been stuck on a ship and smuggled out to sea to be killed by sailors or pirates.

The fact that she was fighting back was not her problem. If anything, these men deserved what they were about to get. There was only one thing that still bothered her.

Hans.

If he really was the broken, shattered thing in that cell, she had twisted him to her own purposes. Even as the two fled from deck to deck, he sensed incoming attacks, and had an almost supernatural ability to counter them, she wondered whether or not she had done the right thing unleashing this beast.

Much like her, Westerguard was dangerous in a quiet way. How would she feel if he had pressured her into going on a killing frenzy?

There was no time to think about it at all. Hans had found his way to the upper-deck and was quickly running up one of the masts in an attempt to flee the greater numbers of the sailors. Elsa conjured a small snowstorm to confuse their opponents. At this point, her 'ally' elbowed her back, slowing their pursuants. It was smart, but terribly wicked of him to do so.

The guards grabbed onto her arms, and knocked her out, shouting orders. As blackness crept about her eyes, Hans turned about. The mad look of a vicious killer softened for a moment. He owed Elsa. Even as much as he hated her, he owed her his life.

She had cut through the madness. She had convinced him to live. He had chased her up and down mountains, endlessly pursued her, and for what? To die alone on a log in the ocean? Whatever thoughts he had about his life came to an abrupt end as an explosion signaled the arrival of the pirates. Hans swung from his perch and into the ocean.

Elsa had died on that ship, and he had survived. For now.
So why didn't that seem to be enough anymore?