Part II

Meanwhile within an undisclosed location…

For twenty minutes straight the young Princess Anna directed a most intimidating yet amusing glance at the regal captor sitting directly across with only elaborately prepared food covering the expansive distance brought about by the oaken table. Initially, the redhead outright refused to be escorted to dinner and much less by a servant, alas it was only after careful consideration and threats involving grievous bodily harm that the miffed royal elected to accept this 'gracious' invitation though it came with a heavy price. Suffice it to say that particular attendant immediately found himself within the infirmary as Princess Anna's powerful heel had crushed several bones within his foot as well as penetrated the skin and muscle tissue to some extent. The doctor informed this unlucky soul that he wouldn't walk without a cane or boot for several months at minimum so long as he kept from agitating the feisty redhead any further.

Feelings of unstoppable determination and indefatigable rage dissipated inevitably vanished with the passage of time as Princess Anna found herself lost amongst the never-ending system of hallway and junctions littering the entire floor and perhaps the entire complex. By the time she'd finally arrived the young redhead discovered she'd not only managed to wander about for forty-five minutes but somehow eluded four search parties sent to retrieve her as well. Needless to say, Prince Hans had been wise to hone his reflexes in preparation for the feisty redhead's arrival as he caught well-timed knee to the shins just shy of impact. For the remainder of the time leading to the present, this entire ordeal appeared to shift from an atmosphere dominated by tension and irritation to that of stifling boredom and curiosity though neither redhead dared shatter the uneasy silence occupying the room at present, at least neither had until the kidnapper cleared his throat expectantly before proceeding an almost innocuous line of questioning.

"Princess Anna, I do hope you're pleased with your attire. After all, the fabrics proved most difficult to acquire and the seamstress reportedly worked nonstop for ninety-six hours to ensure a completely exact recreation of what you'd described in your journal." The side-burn adorning prince considerately added as he awaited a hopefully cordial response from his esteemed 'guest'. With bated breath the young prince watched the fuming Princess cast a spiteful glare his direction before looking down in admiration of the handiwork performed by the aforementioned seamstress.

Allowing a dramatic sigh to escape her lips, Princess Anna mentally conceded to Hans in his ability to recreate the objects of pure dreams. The formal dress consisted of a black sweetheart bodice with off-the-shoulder dark green sleeves in addition to the rose, teal, blue and purple prints and had greenish-gold lacing, Additionally, a jeweler included a black satin-laced necklace with a bronze pendant depicting MegaKindom Arendelle's symbol. The lower make of the dress consisted of an olive drab skirt with sashes, all consisting of asparagus centers consisting of pink, crimson, dark olive-green along with olive drab, and blue prints on it between cream sides, as well as including both a cream petticoat and bloomers coupled with white stockings. Handcrafted by shoemaker in MegaRusso, Anna found a pair of black ballet shoes to finish the entire ensemble within her closet. Seeing as the occasion was formal, the feisty redhead styled her wild mane in a bun with part of her hair both braided and used as a headband in an intricate display of regal elegance and prestige. Adorning the royal Street Judge's ginger locks was a green comb-shaped barrette with several satin ribbons consisting of both green and a mixture of green-yellow, attached to the back of her hair. The deceptively spacious wardrobe further contained a matching teal cape with a cyan bow as a clasp boasting a sapphire oval-cut hem with azure line, blue dots on each cut, and small sapphire dots throughout the material itself. All in all, the dress embodied the exact image she held whenever she considered such attire while patrolling the street and she would've congratulated her kidnapper had it not been for the fact that he ordered her abduction and procured the specifications from her personal diary, both of which she intended to bring to full attention.

"Yeah it would be perfect if…oh…I don't know perhaps if you DIDN'T BRING ME HERE AGAINST MY WILL, THREATEN ME, AND RIFLE THROUGH MY DIARY ON TOP OF IT ALL!" The hotheaded princess screamed at the dazed Prince as she expertly aimed a sizeable Smalahov directly toward the usually composed kidnappers face. Anna's triumphant smirk fell just as soon as it appeared in seeing Hans deftly tilt his head several inches to the left without so much as moving an inch in his seat and in doing so dodging the smoked goat head with amazing reflex.

"It's not nice to throw food at the dinner table, especially when your host has been gracious enough to clothe and feed you." The Prince calmly spoke, taking several deep breaths to assuage his mounting irritation at the feisty red-head's behavior.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to hold someone against their will?" Anna retorted smugly as she returned to her seated position with an indignant huff.

"So I missed a few etiquette lessons, but in the end I'd say I turned out rather well."

"Conceited and arrogant, you weren't spanked enough as a child were you?" The Princess tactlessly inquired causing the calm prince to spew the modest sip of wine he'd ingested moments prior all about the floor directly to his right. Dabbing the corners of his maw and bringing the white cloth slowly across his lips, Hans angrily tossed the napkin across the room and retrieved another from an unused set to his right. Determined not to lose his cool, the Prince held his guest's gaze with stability and grace desperately containing a primal rage deep inside. His captive did little to help matters as the most he'd received for his efforts was a series of short chuckles followed by boisterous laughter from the young woman causing his right eye to twitch in anger.

"What…is so funny, Your Highness?" The redheaded abductor menacingly asked the uncontrollable royal as she slapped the table several times attempting to regain her composure only to experience another round of hysterical giggles.

"You…you…a little tyke…running around getting…spanked…" Anna barely formed these words as she fell from her seat and proceeded to roll laughing at the prospect of a three year old Hans receiving spankings after being caught by his parents. The image proved too unbelievable for the young Princess, thus resulting in uncontrollable laughter, which began to die down as the rest upon the cold marble floors. Hans merely watched with an arched eyebrow, disbelief apparent in his facial expressions as he began to wonder whether or not this woman was in fact a true Princess of Arendelle. Startling the young Prince from his internal discussion, Anna rose straight from the ground to an upright position and held that posture before swaying about briefly due to a rush of blood leaving the brain. Luckily, Anna resumed control of her faculties and decided that retuning to the table was the most viable alternative at this point in the evening. Prince Westergaard buried his face within the palms of his hands in complete confusion as to how someone of her character could've possibly become a certified Street Judge. In the end, the stressed Prince abandoned that particular avenue of thought as the further he traveled the more painful a headache he induced.

"Ah…that was fun…SOOOOooooo, when's the Duke showing up? I mean let's face it, someone of his reputation wouldn't ever be late to something so important as this, so were you lying to me when you said he was coming just to scare me?" The whimsical Street Judge asked with a suspicious inflection as a look of utter indignation flashed across Han's face. Carefully reminding himself of this young woman's importance in addition to the repercussions of letting too much information slip past his lips, Prince Westergaard steeled his nerves and mentally prepared a series of potential answers to possible question that may or may not arise from his response in the event this princess proved more cunning than she appeared.

"The Duke is…attending to last minute arrangements which will ensure those working for the Hall of Justice remain in the dark as per your whereabouts."

"Oh okay…Liar." Hans nodded graciously at the princess's response with a contented grin before rapidly shaking his head in realization of the latter part with an expression of complete surprise and insult.

"I'm not lying, Your Highness." The Prince vehemently defended as he straightened his uniform out of habit.

"Yes you are." Came the rapid fire retort of the feisty redhead.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"AM NOT!"

"PROVE IT! What's his real name then, huh?" The Princess asked smugly, folding her arms across her chest in wait of her captors response. Hans sputtered a few semblances of what could potentially have become words had the thought processes clearly developed. As the Prince nearly launched into a tirade he suddenly remembered that if he weren't careful he'd end up saying something he'd ultimately regret. Exhaling dramatically, Prince Westergaard chuckled as he returned to his designated seat before answering the question posed to him.

"Excuse me? I don't have to prove anything, Your Highness."

"In other words, you don't know because you were lying?" Anna responded in a challenging tone laced with disbelief.

"I…I am not lying, and I'm not going to tell you what his name is and that's final!"

"Okay fine, so you don't know The Duke's name because you were lying. I get it, you wanted to make a big deal and claim you were some high and mighty criminal of the century out to control the MegaKingdom when really you're just a small time crook." The Princess casually reasoned with a false intonation of acceptance and comprehension masking the true feeling of personal pleasure gained by watching this main squirm and bluster like a raving lunatic. Prince Han's had reached his rational limits, and instantly took the bait which Princess Anna had so carefully laid before them both. Though the Prince inadvertently remained defiant to the very last but Anna reasoned it probably was related more so to his one-track-mind rather than his duty bound nature. Nevertheless, the redhead felt content to goad this inflamed Prince until he spilled the proverbial beans.

"I'm not lying, I know his name, and I know far more than just his name! In fact I know his plans, and where he operates, and how he operates, and where he'll be most active in the coming months and that's not all!"

"Oh really? It's not?"

"No not even close! He and I have carefully constructed an elaborate plot to dethrone the current monarchy ruling MegaKingdom Arendelle and establish the Westergaard family as the latest addition to this MegaKingdom's rich and glorious city. At long last I shall acquire what had been rightfully mine and sub-sequentially destroyed by my…brothers...so very long ago…that's why I'm doing this…it can't happen again! I won't let it! You're going to help me-" Hans paused and his face paled with harrowing realization that completely escaped the attention of the enraptured redheaded seated before him. Curiously waving her right hand about in hopes to regain his attention, Anna called out to Hans to continue and noticed as he gulped nervously and stuttered in an attempt to register the origin of this debilitating terror.

Before Anna could speak another word, before Anna could even blink, the young royal felt a cold steel blade pressed delicately against her slender throat and the vague sensation of warm breath passing by her right ear instantly giving the petrified Princess a severe case of goosebumps. Anna made motion to crane her slender neck but whoever held this weapon to her throat would have none of that and chuckled as the once feisty daughter of Arendelle squirmed in her seat, terrified at the prospect of having her throat slit by some mysterious madman. A dark chuckle resounded about the room, obviously emanating from the same source as the blade as the young Princess sensed the figure directly behind her close the distance between his lips and her ears until only millimeters separated the two. For a brief moment, an unnerving stillness settled upon the dinning hall.

"Good Evening, Princess Anna of Arendelle, had I known you were so eager to see me I would've come far sooner than later as you see now." The figure undoubtedly smiled as he replaced the antique sword within its scabbard. Quicker than the young woman could process, the mysterious stranger who'd previously held her life in the palm of his hand stepped from the shadows of the dark foyer into the light cast by the ornate chandelier revealing himself to be none other than the legendary Duke of Weselton. The Duke's dressed in similar fashion as one would expect of a foreign dignitary; his attire consisting of a dark blue coat complete with flawless gold lining as well as wavy patterns throughout the collar and the barest indication of a red shirt underneath the entire ensemble. A vast multitude of medals indicative of intense military service dominated the right side of his petticoat but perfectly accentuated his red sash that hung diagonally from his left shoulder. The petticoat itself possessed ornate epaulets boasting eighteenth century style tassels with elaborate red cuffs at the end of hi sleeves. The Duke apparently chose to wear white gloves in keeping with his reputation for leaving little to virtually no traces of his existence beyond reputation. Scanning below The Duke's sash, Anna noted the rather plain gray trousers this criminal legend evidently elected to wear along with a pair of nondescript black boots.

Setting aside his professional appearance, Anna couldn't help but feel as though the man who stood before her very eyes somewhat failed to live up to the image posed by the legends and myths surrounding 'The Duke'. For starters, this man was considerably shorter than herself and Anna knew full well that she was by no means a tall person meaning he was unusually short for a citizen of MegaKingdom Arendelle. The Duke reportedly maimed ten of the strongest members associated with the lisalmi gang, the man standing before the Priness's eyes didn't appear to posses any exceptional physical strength whatsoever seeing how slender and gangly he appeared. Sporting a thick gray mustache in conjunction with a matching grey toupee along with his rather large pointed nose, beady blue eyes, and his apparently trademark spectacles, Princess Anna couldn't help but picture this man embodying the ideal crazy uncle or distant relative than the criminal mastermind that the criminal underworld both revered and feared.

"Perhaps there's more to this Duke than meets the eye? I'll have to be careful around this man. He's dangerous, he's ruthless, he's cunning, and…famished?" Princess Anna's internal monologue abruptly halted at the sight of The Duke as he dramatically occupied a seat situated along the right flank of this expansive dining table aligned perfectly between Prince Westergaard and herself. Watching as this goofy old man loaded his plate up with copious amounts of food, Anna couldn't help but switch her attention from this ravenous individual to the petrified Prince, confusion undoubtedly imbued within her expressions.

"Egil…" The Duke spat between unimaginably large bites as he continued to shovel food deep within his gaping maw. Anna quizzically stared at this bizarre older man and directed a similar gaze to the host of the entire arrangement only to find Prince Westergaard eerily fixated with the silverware as beads of stress-induced sweat rolled down his forehead.

"My name *gulp* is Sir Egil, Duke of Weselton. I…*swallow* I am the official advisor to the last eligible heir to the throne of the Southern Isles and future King of MegaKingdom Arendelle. Although…every King needs a Queen and well…let's just say you happen to fit the bill." The Duke casually declared to the Princess's horror. At seeing the redhead's jaw drop in sheer terror at such a prospect, the older man bellowed a truly evil guffaw as he slapped the table earnestly in an attempt to choke down whatever food he'd previously compacted into his mouth. Taking a long and deep breath, Egil shook his head and mumbled something to himself before retuning his attention to the redhead with a devilish grin.

"Well, it's either that or we dismember you piece…by…piece…keeping you alive for every second of the excruciatingly painful procedure before feeding you to the animals of the Cursed Earth."

"UNCLE! You gave your word that she is NOT to be harmed under any circumstances!" Hans objected hotly with great haste much to the surprise of the petrified Princess as the side-burned prince arose to stand at his full height, roughly several inches taller than her, but in full uniform it was quite a magnificent display to say the very least.

"Alright…alright…yes you are correct, I did agree…accidents happen though, and I can't control what happens to your family, the poor fools." Egil conceded before firing the latter remarks directly toward the shivering Princess as fears of her families demise coursed all throughout her body, wracking the young Street Judge with fear, anxiety, and anguish. Tears welt up in Anna's soft blue eyes as she fled the room in a flurry of raw emotion and trauma against the request of Hans who stood in a vain attempt to halt her departure. Quickly turning to face his uncle, Prince Westergaard lifted the short old man out of his seat and brought him in close so he'd clearly understand what he had to say.

"When we agreed to this whole plot, you promised me that so long as we could prevent meaningless deaths none of the Royal Family would need to die and they would instead leave in disgrace! I don't particularly care for your words tonight and if you weren't my Uncle I would've run you through myself! Do not terrorize Her Royal Highness, she is a political prisoner in the midst of a political war…she's not a captured spy in need of interrogation…if the stipulations of our original deal cannot be maintained I will be forced to take drastic measures. Do I make myself clear, Uncle?" The Duke snarled in discomfort as he felt his feet leave the ground and withheld any vitriolic comment but merely nodded signaling his comprehension as well as agreement to his nephew's terms.

Han's dropped his uncle flat back into the seat and ran a hand through his auburn hair all the while trying to process all that has taken place this very evening. Just as he started to make for the doorway, the notorious chuckle belonging only to his Uncle reached his keen ears. Swiveling about, Prince Westergaard faced his potentially disturbed Uncle with a boorish expression and a heavy sigh. The Duke stood at attention and wiped his mouth clean of any particles of the meal he'd recently devoured before coming to stand directly in front of his nephew. In the blink of any eye, Egil reached out and clasped his hand tightly around Han's shoulder and pulled his nephew close.

"Hans…my nephew…for the first time in nearly forever, I've witnessed hat same spark of authority I found in your father's eyes only now it's in your very own. With that tenacious display and overwhelmingly sharp mind…we'll make a King out of you, yet!" Egil beamed up at his beloved nephew with pride and awe, carefully noting the surprised smile slowly making its way upon his nephews face. Softening his demeanor, Hans thanked his uncle for his encouragement and excused himself as he needed to find the troublesome redhead before she managed to engage herself in any more trouble.

Chapter Finite:

Author's Note: Weighing in over 11,000 words this chapter takes the title as being THE LONGEST INSTALLMENT OF THE STORY! WOOHOO WOOHOO! All right, all right, on a much more serious note I would personally like to thank Yuki-Hamasaki-Sama for essentially providing me with an appropriate name for our hated Duke of Weselton. Thank you Yuki, I quite literally couldn't have done it without you! Furthermore, special thanks go out to R. Constance for your encouragement and helpful insights as a notable professional in the world of fanfiction…at least you're a professional in my eyes, by the way be sure to check out Constance's fanfic Until The Stars Fade. It's awesome, amazing, spectacular, and awe-inspiring; literally there aren't enough adjectives to describe just how awesome that fanfic is so please check it out. As for the rest, I thank you all for following along and reading as well as offering up great advice in PM's and Reviews, as both are more than welcome! I do apologize if I've forgotten anyone and if I have in fact wrongfully left someone out, please let me know in a Private Message and I will rectify the mistake. Basically this was the ending for the entire chapter but the sentiment is still here!

Read, Review, Have a great weekend!