Hi guys! I was planning to leave 'The Evil Love Experts' as a three shot, but a fourth part was so highly requested I decided to write it. I wanted to bring Hans to justice anyways.
Summary: Anna and Elsa look deeper into the case of the Great Freeze to find reasons to avenge Hans' actions, but soon realize he is not to blame but rather a group of magical creatures deemed good in the beginning.
"Elsa!" Anna called. The young princess darted across the throne room to her sister. It was a warm summery day and Anna was in high spirits. "Any word from the trolls yet?" She asked. She giggled as she spotted an opened box of chocolates on Elsa's desk and snatched a piece.
The queen frowned, looking up from the paperwork she was rifling through. "Strangely, no."
"That's so weird." Anna commented through a mouthful of chocolate. "Ever since the Great Thaw they haven't said a word. And that was weeks ago."
"I thought Kristoff went to see them!" Elsa said. "Nothing from him either."
"Well," Anna frowned. "The trolls have been the last thing on his mind lately. That's what I was going to talk to you about. Kristoff's been acting strange since a few days ago until he went to pay them a visit. When he came back, it all changed." She smacked her lips on a raspberry filled chocolate before continuing. "One moment he's talking and acting normal, and the next he's frantically running through the halls peering through windows like he's being chased!"
"Is that just an ice harvester thing?" Elsa laughed.
Anna shook her head, dead serious. "I'm worried, Elsa. One day we were at the library looking for a recipe book, you know, that day we were going to make a triple duple layer chocolate cake," she glanced around her like the trolls were listening, "he was quietly flipping through a book when he suddenly dropped it and scrambled to the mythology section and started pulling books off the shelves and mumbling about trolls and revenge and a three hundred year old curse."
"Has he seen a doctor?" Elsa asked, looking concerned.
"Yes. Right after we went. They can't find anything wrong with him!" Anna replied, irritated.
Elsa pondered for a bit, tapping her fingers on a scroll. "You're absolutely sure this isn't an ice harvester thing?"
"Elsa!" Anna whined. "This isn't funny! That's the prince consort you're talking about."
"Maybe he's just homesick for the trolls." Elsa suggested.
"I don't think so." Anna glared at her sister. "I can't believe you of all people are taking this situation so lightly!"
"I'm taking it heavily!" Elsa argued. "I'm just making suggestions!"
"NOT helping." Anna stomped her foot.
Elsa's face suddenly lit up. "The trolls! We have to hunt them down and ask what's wrong!"
Anna shuddered. "I think we should stick to the library."
Minutes later, the two royals were on their elbows and knees hunting for every script on the trolls in the great library. Anna hunted the bottom shelves while Elsa created a simple ice staircase to scour the higher ones. They opened old dusty volumes, yellow with age; sharp cornered, shiny modern novels, and everything in between. After countless minutes of searching, Anna pulled out an extra dusty novel sandwiched between two glossy high backed volumes. Her teal eyes widened as she read the cover. "Elsa, look."
Elsa quickly slid off the staircase and hurried to her sister. Her steps slowed as she saw the book.
"T-that was the book Papa used the night I hit you with my powers." Elsa said in shock as she stared at the leather bound gold inscribed cover.
"Wow." Anna breathed.
"T-there was a map inside." Elsa continued gravely. A small bit of her still feared of harming Anna deep inside and she feared it would resurface. She took a deep breath to push her fear down. "It lead us to the trolls."
Anna facepalmed. "How did I not find it sooner? I've hunted through this library end to end top to bottom for thirteen years and haven't come upon it until now."
Elsa scanned the shelf they had found it from before responding. "Maybe someone moved it." She said quietly.
The two looked at each other simultaneously. "Kristoff." They said.
Anna sank down to the floor and opened the book. The pages crackled with age and a musty smell emanated from it. Anna scanned across a couple pages.
"Hey, turn back one." Elsa said. "I think there's one on mind control."
"Mind control?" Anna looked quizzically at her sister.
"That's what I'm thinking." Elsa explained.
Anna raised her eyebrows. "All right. 'The trolls have been accused of mind control for centuries,'"she read aloud. "Normal human beings, after coming in contact with the trolls were reportedly showing random signs of disembodiment, personality change, and often violent behavior. Those 'troll swings' would go on from a few seconds to hours. The only cure is to locate the victim book and to burn out the victim's name using fire."
"Victim book?" Anna shuddered. "Fire?"
Suddenly Elsa gasped. "Hans was right."
"Hans?" Anna wrinkled her nose. "That scoundrel? What does he have to do with anything?"
"Maybe he was mind controlled into killing me." Elsa continued. "He fits the descriptions exactly. And maybe- the trolls aren't on our side like we thought."
"You're right." Anna looked at the ground.
"We need to find the victim book. And have Hans sail back here immediately." Elsa said, standing up. "It's about time we brought the trolls to the condemnation they deserved."
"Wait, I'm freed?" Hans shouted with joy. His voice echoed throughout the throne room.
"Shhhh!" Elsa hissed, waving a hand. "I'm trying to keep this a small case! I don't want the whole village knowing!"
"Sorry." Hans muttered.
Just then, Anna stormed in. "Back from North Mountain!" She shouted. Her braids with half unraveled and there was dirt and scratches all over her. She thumped a dusty scroll on Elsa's desk and Hans jumped.
"The victim scroll." Anna proudly stated. She spotted another box of chocolates on the desk and grabbed it, immediately shoving four pieces into her mouth.
Elsa reached toward it with tentative hands and froze. "How did you get it so easily? What if it's cursed?" She shuddered.
"Oh, it was nothing." Anna replied with a toss of her head. "I kind of set part of their clearing on fire-"
"You WHAT?" Elsa and Hans shouted simultaneously."I also burned the whole secret lab!" Anna grinned in pride. "It went up in rainbow flames!""Oh, you didn't." Hans shook his head in disbelief, but he was grinning as well. Elsa felt sick but at the same time relieved.
"Aaaaaaaaand the trolls were distracted enough with their magic whiz biz to forget about me. I went into their secret lab hidden in the ferns like the book said-" she shoved another piece of chocolate in her mouth, "and stole it. Easy peasy."
"I don't think so." Elsa said uncertainly.
"Is it cursed, though?" Hans asked.
"Oh shut it, sideburns!" Anna rolled her eyes. "It's just a scroll."
"Scrolls have power." Elsa pointed out.
"I was holding it the whole way down. I'm sure I would've been struck by lightning by now." Anna replied, burying her face into the box.
Elsa waved her hand and a stick of ice materialized. She waved it at the book and it opened to a random page.
"Wait, it's blank." She said, confused. Sure enough, the whole page was blank. She flipped forwards and backwards a few, and they were all blank.
Anna reached forward and flipped it to the first page. "Maybe you should've started from the beginning, smartypants!" She laughed.
The humorous atmosphere dissolved as the three looked at the page. On it was written several names, some faded and some new. Close to the bottom were the names Kristoff Bjordman and Hans Westerguard, clearly written in quite recently. The page was titled Victims.
"That's me..." Hans mumbled.
Elsa, shaking with horror, snatched up the book and threw it in the nearest fire. A few tentative seconds passed, and suddenly a giant cloud of red smoke exploded from the fire. Elsa created a wall of ice to protect her, Anna, and Hans; but everything in a ten feet radius was scorched black. Immediately, staff members, guards, and dignitaries alike rushed in to see the matter. Elsa created a small snowfall to quell the smoke as she explained what had just happened. Soon, the Arendellians' coughs turned to mutters of anger as they realized what the trolls had done to them all these centuries.
"And this is definitely not the end." Anna told them. "Stealing the scroll was too easy." She glanced at Elsa. "They will attempt to revitalize themselves and avenge us. They gave Elsa a curse of ice powers because of my father's success. They will definitely return. Yet we will be ready. And we have the force of love and swords and chocolates. Not to mention my awesome sister." She grinned.
"Wow, that's the properest I've ever heard you talk." Elsa said in awe as the people cleared out in search of mops and dustpans.
"I really am in awe myself." Hans said, placing a hand over his heart. He knelt in front of the royal sisters. "I am really grateful for your help, your majesties. Without you I don't know what would have become of me."
"Don't mention it." Anna said happily. Hans grinned at Anna but took Elsa's hand in his and kissed it gently, and the queen looked like she might faint.
"Uh-h of course." Elsa mumbled. Her cheeks flushed red as Hans smiled at her.
"That was the absolute unproperest I've ever heard you speak." Anna teased as Hans walked away."
WHewewewewe this is finally done. I hope you liked the bit of Helsa I threw in at the end. Please be easy on me this was a lot of story to fit into just one chapter without turning it into a full multi chapter fic lol. See you guys next time!