Darkness, pure darkness and no air; this was all that existed to Hans as he swam towards the boat. It was impossible to make it there. His muscles ached as stroke after stroke drained what little oxygen was left in his body. He prayed that the pirates would be too busy keeping an eye on Elsa's ship to keep watch in the water. One slip-up, however small, would mean her doom.
Stroke, stroke, stroke...
Hans' rage had subsided the second he had hit the water, as had his fear. It did not matter what the Pirates were doing to her now, because he could not stop them. All that mattered was getting to her, and getting her to safety. He couldn't let her go without her knowing how he felt about her. Yes, it was terribly greedy of him to want her to know, unfair to her position. But he wanted her to have the words, to know she was loved by someone other than her sister.
Stroke, stroke, stroke..
Anna was completely blanked from his mind. Whatever games she was playing no longer mattered. And now that she knew how he felt... well, it's not like nobody could see the way he looked at his queen. Hans kept pushing the red-head out of his mind. He wasn't here for her. He had done his best to show the Southern Isles she was to be dealt with gently. Elsa knew that.
Stroke, stroke, stroke...
Hans allowed himself one more fantasy as his vision clouded. His mind was turning off from lack of oxygen, and he was still an eternity away from his goal. So he let himself drift into that wonderful place with Valkyries between life and death. He and Elsa and Anna and Kristoffer were all happy, dining together in Arrendelle, safe from the diabolical plots of the Isles, and safe from pirates. Laughing, dancing, singing, in love...
Stroke... strooooke... str-
He stopped moving. His body drifted to the surface and he gasped for air. His mind was fuzzy, and his vision blurred, but he kept going forward, gasping for air. Finally, he looked up. Miraculously, nobody had seen him. He had done it, he had made the swim.
Now to save Elsa, and tell her how he felt.
Hans climbed onto the ship, and made his way below decks.