Hans stood once more on the deck of a ship.
"Sir?"
Hans smiled. This... was more like it! He turned to the steward, waving off his offer for more wine. The prince then requested more delectable cheeses be brought out. Say what he would about the French, by they threw a smashing party!
When they had fished him out of the water, he had, guided by experience, surrendered. The crew laughed hardily, and he then learned that they were, indeed, big fans of his.
Huge, in fact.
Thanks to his analysis of the Black Spot pirates, the International Consortium had put the brigands on the run for the first time in decades.
The one thing that hadn't changed was the focus of his time at sea; Arrendelle. Once they fished the way-ward admiral out of the water, they sailed back to hold a review on Baragor's rule.
"Cheers to you, lovely," He toasted the town, letting the sour liquid alcohol run down his throat. For a second there, he allowed himself to feel actual grief for something he missed;
Elsa.
"Cheers to you too, lovely," He said quietly.
"My name is Ellen!"
The commotion drew Hans' attention. A blond woman was being accosted by a couple of guards. For one impossible moment, she almost looked like... no.
"Take her to the dungeons," The prince commanded wearily. He stepped down the gangway and bumped into-
"Sorry," Said a familiar voice. Hans' head spun so hard, it hurt. He grabbed her.
"Excuse me," He said, with a falsely friendly tone, "I'm looking for a companion..."
"I don't do that kind of work, sir," Said the raven-haired beauty. She was quiet, small, and looked a lot like the queen. Hans let his lust go on auto-pilot.
"You do now, congratulations. Unless, of course, you feel like following your friend Helen...?"
The girl swallowed hard.
"No sir."
"Come here," He commanded, feeling the force of his command on his shoulders again. Perhaps he wasn't king, but facing his fears... maybe he wasn't destined to live afraid. And more to the point, during the trip back to Arrendelle, Hans realized his desires towards the queen contained unequal parts respect and lust.
The girl stood in front of him, "Yes sire?"
"What's your name?" He queried.
"Jo, your majesty."
"You're very pretty, Jo," He said quietly, "I think you need my help, Jo. Do you, Jo, know why that is, Jo?"
She looked to the side, "I'm just here for the-"
'Jo' was cut off as the hardened prince trapped her against the side of his ship.
"I knew it! I knew you weren't dead," He hissed, "Eeeeeellllllsa!"
The queen squirmed and wriggled, "Let me go!"
"No," He said calmly, "although I am sure that Baragor would love to see you again!"
She wriggled a bit more before stopping herself, "I heard... I'm supposed to be dead."
Hans nodded, "I put that in my report, yes."
"...what will it take... for me to stay that way?"
He smiled darkly, "I want something you've never given anyone, something you'll never give anyone again."
"...Yes?"
"Kiss me," He ordered.
She burst out laughing, "Ha ha ha! You must be insane."
"No, I'm Hans, also the leader of this fleet, and brother of a guy who needs you dead. Now... do as I command, or we can have a very different conversation with your sister with your severed head as the main topic of discussion."
Elsa paled. She looked around worriedly, "You... you can't be serious."
"Give me what I want..." Hans breathed in her ear, touching her lobe with his lips, "And you'll find out how serious I am."
She stopped, staring into his eyes trying to figure out which Hans she was dealing with; manipulative Hans? Perhaps. Admiral Hans? Unlikely. Happa Hans? Definitely not. Fearful Hans. No.
This might be a new side of him.
"...you won't tell?" She asked worriedly.
"A gentleman's word," He whispered, inches from her lips. He wanted this so long. And now... now that he had dealt with his obsession to kill her (mostly) he figured that a kiss would deal with any lingering desires.
He was, of course, very, very wrong.
She was a terrible kisser- leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his directly, and briefly, before slamming her head back against the wood (painfully, one might add) before taking a second to look panicked, and running away.
Hans let out a cuss. This was supposed to quench the fire he had for her. Not make it burn brighter. He had to have her now. All the violence and bloodshed within him now turned to lust.
Still, he couldn't lust after her if she was dead. So, there was only one solution; help Elsa. For now. Then undercut her, seduce her, and use her until his system tired of her.
...hopefully. That was the best case scenario. Of course, if the past were any indication, they, more likely than not, would start circling each other, looking to figure each other out all over again, then his brothers would interfere, and no matter how hard he tried to use her and loose her, he would crave her love.
Hans climbed up the gangway. His life had gotten so much better since he started going after Elsa. Only time would tell what would happen next.