Here is the second installment for this story. Now that the frame has been set, the next installments will be all the more thrilling. Especially since the real fun is about to begin.

I hope you enjoy this part. I'm not sure when the next one will be uploaded as my next set of classes are Psychology courses and require far more attention than my last class.

Also, do not forget to leave a review if you follow the story. Thank you.

Best regards,

L.

The Scoundrel Prince

Part Two

"Come on," Klaus said as he pushed off the pillar. "I believe it is our turn to greet the queen before we take our seats for the ceremony."

Rolfe nodded and pushed Hans in front of him, forcing him into the shortening line waiting to greet Queen Elsa. Klaus stood on the other side of Hans, both brothers a head and half taller than him and broader in the chest and shoulders. Hans sighed and finished his wine in one smooth swallow. This was going to take every ounce of control and sincerity he could muster.

Slowly, the short line moved forward and the other guests began heading to the chapel to get their seats. When their turn to greet the queen had come, all that was left in the room were a few servants and guards.

It had gotten quiet in the main hall. Elsa straightened and held her head tall, her gaze ice cold as they bore into Hans. He suppressed a shiver and followed his brothers in bowing, murmuring a polite greeting. Klaus was the first to speak up.

"My queen, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." He smiled sweetly at Elsa and she bowed her head in return. "I have heard stories of your beauty and talent, but I see they have done you no justice."

Elsa smiled politely. "Thank you…and you are?"

Klaus laughed sheepishly. "Where are my manners? Pardon me, my queen. I am Prince Klaus of the Southern Isles and this is my brother, Prince Rolfe. I believe you are already acquainted with the youngest of my family, Hans."

Elsa pursed her lips together and narrowed her eyes only slightly on Hans. He could have sworn the temperature dropped as she did. When she spoke, her voice was icy and piercing.

"Something like that." She said coolly. "Though it is a pleasure to meet the two of you, I must ask, why have you brought him with you?"

Klaus looked slightly taken aback by Elsa's tone, but dismissed it and looked at Hans, who cleared his throat and pressed his hand to his chest, covering his heart.

"I believe I can answer that." Hans replied in a velvety smooth tone, almost a purr. "I would like to formally apologize to you for the crime I have committed against your family."

Elsa watched Hans, an eyebrow slightly quirked, before she could respond, Rolfe spoke up for the first time since laying his eyes on the queen.

"As a further sign of good faith," his voice was rough in comparison to Hans' and almost offending to the ear, "our father, the king of the Southern Isles would like to offer a peace treaty to Arendelle, were you to accept our foolish little brother's apology."

Hans glanced at Rolfe and wrinkled his nose.

"However," Rolfe continued, a smug smirk on his lips, "were to refuse, our father would also like to offer that Hans work in your kingdom until he has earned your favor."

That surprised the queen. Hans watched as her eyebrows raised and her purple painted lips parted slightly. She looked between Rolfe and Klaus, both nodding and hiding their glee, before she looked directly into Hans' gaze.

"I will need to speak with my sister before a decision is made." A half smirk slowly curled Elsa's lips. "Speak to me again after the ceremony and you will have your answer."

Hans' heart dropped and his stomach went cold. He was almost positive he visibly paled at her answer. Beside him, Rolfe was biting his cheek, holding his laughter and on his other side, Klaus smiled and bowed.

Elsa bowed her head only slightly and took a step back. "If you'll excuse me, I need to check in on my sister."

After that, Elsa turned and headed toward a guarded door leading to the private rooms. As soon as the door shut behind her, Rolfe laughed and headed for the door opposite to the one Elsa had exited. Hans and Klaus closely followed.

"I hope you are prepared for whatever the queen chooses." Klaus said as they made their way to the chapel. "It is quite possible that the queen and princess may both want to see you perform tasks that a prince would not normally do."

Hans grumbled to himself quietly and stepped into the very same chapel the queen had her coronation. All of the seats were full, save for a few in the back. Hans and his brothers seated themselves in it, Klaus on one side and Rolfe on the outside. It made Hans feel like a child in need of disciplining, though in their eyes, he probably wasn't far off.

He looked around the chapel at the guests. None of them really stood out to him. In the front row was Princess Rapunzel and her swollen stomach showed she was heavy with child. Beside her sat her husband, Eugene, who was holding their toddler twins, both of which didn't seem pleased about the suits they were put into. Hans smirked slightly, then glanced at the choir seated above the altar on a narrow balcony. They wore the same red robes as before and were filling the chapel with their crystal clear voices. The bishop stood at the altar in crimson robes lined with a deep royal purple trim, waiting patiently for the groom and bride.

Suddenly, the door to his left opened and servants filed in. There were two rows, from what Hans could see and one was made up of women while the other were men. Each of the women wore light pink gowns with a cerulean and violet trim, their hair was braided up with flowers weaved into it. The men wore purple suits with pink flowers pinned to their chest and led the women to the altar, as was the norm for traditional weddings. The women stood on one side and the men on the other, their eyes on the doorway.

Slowly, Hans shifted and turned his gaze to the doorway to see a large reindeer walk in with his head held high, a shiny medal around his neck depicting a snowflake. Hans tilted his head slightly, he could swear that reindeer was strutting down the aisle. Following him closely was a tall, broad shouldered man in a white suit with blonde hair that curled slightly at the edges. Hans saw his face for only a moment, but he saw large brown eyes, a wide nose, a grin stretching from ear to ear, and a trimmed beard lining a strong jaw.

Hans didn't know much about this man, not even his name. However, he had heard that the groom was raised in the mountains and by the look of him, he might have been. Though he wasn't sure if the rumor he was raised by trolls was true or not, but with Elsa's ice powers and the talking snowman, he supposed it wasn't impossible.

Suddenly, everyone in the chapel stood up, including his brothers. Reluctantly, Hans got up and turned towards the door. There, the queen stepped in with her head held high and shoulders square. From what he grew up learning, Queen Elsa was the vision of regality and grace. The perfect princess turned queen. However, Hans had seen that shell crack and knew just how unstable Elsa could be.

For a brief moment, Elsa's icy gaze held Hans', a ghost of a smirk on her lips, but before he had time to react, she was walking down the aisle with both hands clasped in front of her. She stood by the bridesmaids, her long sheer cape flowing down the steps.

Hans felt a moment of slight panic, his heart skipping a beat and stomach dropping. It was becoming more real to him that it was possible that Elsa and Anna would want to see him shoveling horse waste rather than falsely accepting a half-heartedly apology to be rid of him for the rest of their lives. Hans shuddered at the thought of having to perform back-breaking manual labor unbecoming of a prince.

The music sung by the choir changed and Anna walked in. Though she was not one of the most beautiful women Hans had ever seen, far from it, in fact, but he could not deny how beautiful she was in this moment. Her auburn hair was braided and held up with sparkling diamond and sapphire clips with a long sheer veil flowing down her back and trailing out the door. There was a string of pearls around her long neck with three rows of pearls and a large shimmering sapphire in the center. She was clad in a long white gown that wrapped around her shoulders. From what he could see, there were three sapphires on the sleeves, one on each shoulder and a larger one on her chest. The corset around her waist was tied tightly and embroidered with shimmering silver thread, making her thin waist look even smaller as the skirt flared out around her into a long train.

As Anna walked down the aisle, head held up high and grinning from ear to ear, Hans saw the small snowman follow in after her, holding up her veil. He too looked just as happy as Anna and her groom.

It struck Hans in that moment, as Anna finally reached her groom and stood beside him, both facing the bishop, when he realized that had things gone even a little differently, that would be him standing up there with Anna. She would be looking up at him with those big innocent eyes, all too eager to be wedded to him. On some level, Hans knew that they had no real compatibility. Her delicate air and sunny disposition were charming at first, but after a long exposed time frame to it, he could easily grow weary with her, as he would with an overly enthusiastic child. In a way, Hans had dodged a bullet, but in doing so, he stepped right in front of a barrage of them.

Hans settled back in his seat and leaned back. From his spot, he couldn't hear the bishop's voice, not that he cared much. He never cared for weddings. To him, it was a meaningless words, a façade. However, Hans had also grown up knowing that his father was not exactly true to his vows. He wasn't blind to what his father did with the chambermaids and other women in his travels. Life wasn't a fairytale. Back when Hans first met Anna, he had not lied to her about his childhood. It was true that he had twelve older brothers and that some of them had even played cruel jokes on him, but he failed to tell her how many sisters he had and how many half siblings he had, mostly because he didn't know that exact number. Hans spent a great deal of his life watching child after child come to the castle claiming to be the illegitimate bastard of the king. He saw how it tore his mother apart.

Hans looked around, shifting slightly. Maybe he did grow up jaded to the different forms of love. He received little to no affection from his siblings. His mother, having been exhausted from constant heartbreak, began neglecting him at a young age. And his father, the king, couldn't be bothered to spend even a minute of his precious time with his youngest son, as he had nothing to offer that his other sons already couldn't.

He inwardly scoffed at his own cynical thoughts. Sometimes he surprised himself with how quickly his thoughts turned dark. Hans rubbed his forehead and took in a deep breath, relaxing himself so that his brothers wouldn't notice his sudden mood change. He glanced at both of his brothers and saw that both of them were paying attention to the wedding, ignoring Hans. Relief washed over him and he closed his eyes for a moment, once again contemplating his fate after today.

Moments passed before Hans realized it and he soon found himself being nudged roughly by Rolfe, who looked annoyed. People were filing out of the chapel, only the last two rows had people waiting to leave. Hans looked up at his brothers and yawned, then stood with them. He had not intended to fall asleep, especially considering how uncomfortable the benches were, but it did pass the time.

Hans and his brothers waited for their turn to file out of the chapel and into the courtyard. The sun was blinding to his tired eyes and he shielded them from the sun until he could see. During the wedding, the servants had been setting up for celebration. There were tables covered in deep pink cloth with gold trim, vases holding flowers and plates as white as pearls adorning each of the tables. At the far end was a platform of what looked like ice with a large curved arch above it, glittering in the sun. Guests were waiting to congratulate the bride and groom, creating a long line leading to the chapel. Those who had already spoken with them were sitting at tables, drinking wine and chatting happily.

Hans couldn't hold in his groan as they waited in line, earning him a glare from both of his brothers. The sun beat down on them as they slowly made their way up to the platform, causing beads of sweat to form on Hans' brow, though he wasn't sure if it was entirely from the sun. His apprehension was growing and his stomach began to turn cold. As they reached the stairs and carefully climbed them, the urge to flee was stronger than ever, but Hans remained in line between his brothers until he stood before Princess Anna, her husband, and Queen Elsa. An audible gulp escaped him and he was sure he had paled considerably.

"Congratulations on your wedding, Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff." Klaus said with smile and bowed deeply. "As a gift, we have brought you two of our best horses which the servants have taken to your stables this morning. Also, my father has offered that my foolish little brother be added to the castle staff."

Hans tried to keep his face blank as his brother spoke, desperately trying to keep his heart under control.

Princess Anna thanked Klaus with a polite smile, which disappeared the moment she looked at Hans. She clenched her jaw and Hans was sure he saw her fist roll into a tight fist, he tried his hardest not to flinch. Kristoff looked at him with utter distain and Elsa remained unreadable.

"Of course," Klaus continued, "that is only if you need proof he is sorry for his actions against you."

Anna opened her mouth to reply, but Elsa touched her shoulder and smiled at her sister. When she spoke, her voice was soft, at first.

"Although my sister and I would very much like to be rid of your brother and have him never set foot in our kingdom again, we would be hasty in falsely accepting an apology we don't believe he means." She said to Klaus, then looked directly into Hans' gaze, her voice growing stern. "After speaking with my sister and steward on the matter, we have agreed that until Prince Hans has proven that he is truly regretful of his actions against myself and my sister, he is to work in Arendelle doing as he asked without question."

Hans' heart sank at her words and he tried to remain rooted in his spot, though he desperately wanted to run back to his family ship.

"Furthermore," Hans felt physically weak when he heard that word from the queen and his knees began to shake, "as he is not to be trusted at this time, he will be sleeping in the stables with the horses. However, the two of you," she addressed Klaus and Rolfe, "are welcome to rooms in the castle."

Klaus smiled sweetly and bowed. "We are grateful for your hospitality, your majesty. However, I will be returning back to our kingdom after the day is out to tell my father of your decision. My wife is also expecting our first child and I wouldn't miss the birth for anything."

Anna smiled and said something in reply, but Hans didn't hear it. The blood was rushing through his veins, making his ears ring loudly. He suddenly got lightheaded and the world spun around him. Just seconds later, his vision went black.