'Drip'
'Drip'
'Drip'
The slow, continuous sound of water falling into small puddles was all Hans could hear in the small cell he had been thrown into.
Stone, stone, and more inky black stone. it was the only thing his eyes had seen in…
How long had it been now? The days started to run together not long after he had been in imprisoned by Alex. pain emanated through his body as memories flashed through his mind. Memories of scathing words as an abusive foot brook ribs. Memories of a glinting knife pierced just below bruised skin, forming words as it went. Words that cut deeper than sharp steel ever could.
Hans laid motionless on the cold stone floor of his cell. His apathetic eyes tracing the ridges where one stone met another. Where else was he supposed to look? The ceiling that was identical to the walls? Or the floor that matched? Or maybe the door that never promised escape when it opened? The door that refused to open for the last several days.
'Where is he,' Hans thought to himself. The man who captured him loved tormenting Hans, leaving him weak. Providing just enough food or water to keep him alive. But Hans hadn't seen him or a sign of nutrition in so long. He knew his sense of time was horribly messed up, but he also knew it had been at least a few days thanks to the fact that he hadn't had food in so long, he couldn't bring himself to be hungry. He was more than thirsty too. His throat and mouth were so dry it felt like they had become a dessert. He was so thirsty, he had the passing thought that he'd actually be fine if Alex came to torment him some more if it meant he could have some water.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard the sound of footsteps enter the dungeon. Footsteps that undoubtedly belonged to that very person. The surprise and fear that shot through him at the sound caused him to cough. He attempted to stifle the rest of them in hopes that the man entering the dungeon wouldn't taunt him with what he so desperately needed. He couldn't keep the coughs at bay for long though, and soon the itch in his throat became unbearable.
As the onslaught of coughs racked his weak body, he didn't hear the footsteps become louder as they neared his cell. Just as he was finally able to catch his breath, he heard the clanking of keys working to unlock the door. Hoping to protect some part of himself, he pulled his legs ever so closer to his chest and his arms he placed in front of his face.
"Hey man," Hans couldn't help but flinch at the voice, "Its ok. I'm not here to hurt you." The voice moved closer, "I'm gonna get you out of here, but you need to stand up first. Can you do that?" it finally clicked in Hans' mind, this…this wasn't Alex. This was someone else. One of his father's men maybe? But, if that were the case, that would mean his father knew. He can't know, he can't! how will his father ever see him as anything else but a disappointment after this?
"hey, hey, it's alright," the stranger soothed, "I promise I wont hurt you. If you don't want to stand, can you at least show me your face?" That… was an odd request. His father's men would know who they were coming to retrieve. They shouldn't need to see his face. Actually, they wouldn't even be this gentle if they came with orders. His father's men get their jobs done swiftly. In this situation they would force him to his feet. Not… this. Maybe this actually was someone who wanted to help him. But… Alex wasn't above trickery so maybe this was some sort of sick joke. Still, of there was even a slight chance that this person really did want to help him, then he would take it.
Removing his arms from his face, he glanced up at a young blond man who looked rather relieved that he had done as asked. That relief, however, soon turned to shock as the man's eyes widened.
"Hans?"
The reaction confused Hans. This stranger really wasn't expecting to find him down here. He also seemed to know him, actually know him, like they had met before. But Hans didn't recognize him in the slightest. Was the starvation and dehydration affecting his memory? He went to ask the man if they had ever met, but his throat was to dry to attempt to speak without pain flaring up.
With a sigh the man reached out a hand, the motion sending an irrational bout of fear through him, "Here, take my hand. I'll get you out of this place and take you to where we can get you some water."
It-it didn't sound real. Was this man really going to help him? Hans started to second guess the situation. What if this was just a trick put in place by his captor? What if the man turned on him as soon as he took his hand? Alex had pretended to take him home once and he fell for it. The event left him with trust more broken than it already was.
But, this man had yet to hurt him. His eyes were open and honest and seemed to be truly worried for Hans. Besides nothing else made since. With a reluctant nod, he put his hand in the stranger's, his elbow popping with the movement.
The blond man was gentle as he pulled Hans to his feet and supported his weight. "There ya go," His voice was calm, not an inkling of malice in his tone, "Now, lets get you somewhere warm."
With the stranger holding almost all his weight, the two made their way out of the dungeon and into a brightly lit corridor that seemed very familiar. They walked until they reached a dinning hall.
"It's all clear in here." The man announced. Why did it seem as if they were sneaking around, "You should be able to sit down and get some water." When the man finally sat him down, he winced as tense muscles and underused joints protested his movements. he gasped at the pain and accidently threw himself into another coughing fit.
The stranger was quick to fill a glass with water and hand it to him. As Hans grabbed the cup though, he found that his hands were too weak to hold it and dropped the glass. Luckily, the man had fast reflexes and caught it before it could hit the ground. "Here, let me," the stranger offered and held the glass for him as his own guided it.
As he brought the cup away from his mouth, the man started to question him, "Now, do you think you can tell me what happened? How you got down there?"
honestly, he didn't, one minute he was… doing something with blankets, the next he was in the dungeon, Alex hovering in the shadowy corner of his cell. "I do—" he tried to talk but was cut off once more by coughs. Taking another sip of his water he remembered that he didn't even know who this man was. "Who… Who are you? Where are… We?" He asked, his voice hardly working.
There was a bewildered look on the man's face before he answered, "My name's Kristoff. We're in Arendelle. Do you remember anything?"
"Arendelle," Hans whispered, to himself. What was he doing in Arendelle? "That's right… I was… Visiting." But why was he visiting? "There… Was it a party?… No, a… a coronation. I met a princess… Anna." Hans paused as he reached for the glass of water, the man helping him take a few sips. "I… don't remember… Kristoff?" Hans didn't remember a Kristoff being there. But, the ball room…, "No… But, there was Ice… Why was there ice? Anna had to leave… Why was that?" Memories stated to flash through Hans mind, "Alex was there… I was… I was supposed to be alone but… he followed me here… Then, there was stone… I—" Painful memories of non stop beating filled his head, "I was in a room… He locked me in… but, he didn't - he didn't leave me… He just- He kept… It hurt, so much… it was never - never enough for him. I didn't want to be there. I don't wanna go back. Please I-" More and more memories played out in front of him, so real it felt like he was reliving them.
He was so caught up in the images he didn't here the words of the man trying to sooth him, or the familiar voice of a girl join him. The scenes continued to play out in front of him until he saw nothing at all and fell into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.
So sorry for taking so long to update this. I just sorta lost all motivation to write it for a while.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter though, and getting to see Hans' POV.
Again. so sorry for taking so long to update and for any grammatical errors.