Frozen Short Stories
The Spare
He rolled his toy ball into the small wooden soldier figurines, and watched them topple to the ground. He giggled, and started placing each of them back up into a standing position.
A large foot came crashing down on the figurines from nowhere. Shocked, the boy looked up at whoever had done this horrible act.
"Time to grow up, Hans. You're nine years old, start acting like it." said a deeper voice. It was his brother. This brother, who was a little older than sixteen, always messed with Hans' things. Tears flooded his eyes as Hans stared at the splintered wreckage that had once been a great battlefield.
"Why did you do that?" he cried.
"Mother and Father want to see us in the throne room, come on." his brother yanked Hans up from a sitting position, and dragged him through the spacious castle into the throne room.
It was a long, narrow room, that had many tapestries hanging on the walls. Each tapestry depicted a different scene. In one, a man battled a lion, and in another, a king pulled a flower from the freshly fallen snow.
"Hans, are you paying attention?" his Father snapped. Hans' head shot foreword, making eye contact with the King.
"Y-yes, Father." he mumbled.
"As I was saying, each of you have a responsibility. Edwin, you are to tend to the villagers needs for anything, along with Robert, Christian and Samuel. Micheal, you along with Sebastian and Jason have the task of keeping the Castle up and running while we are gone." Hans' Father droned on and on, naming off brother after brother. He finally reached the youngest one.
"Hans... Don't mess anything up." he said.
Hans exhaled, and looked sadly down to the ground.
"Yes, Father."
"You all have duties that you must attend to. Now, when the Queen and I return it three days, I expect the Southern Isles to be in perfect condition. Do you understand?" His Father's auburn beard blew with the gentle draft that swept through the room. All the boys nodded, except for Hans.
"Hans!"
The Prince shook his head, snapping out of his trance. "Yes Father?"
"Didn't you hear me? Don't mess anything up! How are you supposed to do that when you are so stupid, you won't listen to my instructions?" he yelled. Hans was silent. "You may all leave."
Hans sat alone in his room, desperately trying to repair the soldiers that his brother had broken. The door slowly creaked open. It was his Mother.
"Hans? May I come in?" she asked timidly. Hans didn't say anything. The woman entered his room. She was tall and elegant in her flowing purple dress. Her black hair shined in the sunlight that came from the window just across the room from her. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"No." Hans admitted.
"What's wrong, dear?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"Well, why aren't you alright?" his Mother asked again.
"Nobody likes me." Hans said, holding back tears.
"What? Hans, of course people like you," his Mother said, sitting down beside him, "I like you."
"I don't have any friends."
"I'm your friend, right?" she asked.
"I guess." he shrugged.
"Are these those brave soldiers you were talking about?" she asked, her voice deepening. Hans giggled.
"Yes."
"They look really tough. I bet they can take down a whole army!" she laughed.
"They can! Just watch!" Hans smiled, and moved the wooden figures across the floor, while knocking other ones over. "Ta-da!" he exclaimed when half of the figures lay on their backs against the wooden floor.
"That's great, Hans! Your really good with strategies, aren't you?" she asked.
"Soldiers are fun..." Hans smile turned into a frown. "Will you hurry back home, please? I'll miss you." Hans said. His Mother pulled him into a loving embrace.
"I'll hurry back as fast as I can. I promise. I'll miss you, Hans." she said.
"I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, Hans."
The news shattered Hans' world.
"This is devastating to us all. The Captain protected myself with his life, and fended off the invaders. But... Your Mother was below deck. She didn't make it..." Hans' Father said, bowing his head. Hans sobbed, looking to his brothers. Each of their faces were emotionless, but still hurting.
"We will remember the Queen of the Southern Isles as she was. Wise, beautiful, and a great leader. Rest in peace, darling." the King said, dropping a rose onto the pile of fresh dirt. Hans lingered by the marker long after everyone had gone. He approached the stone, and talked to it like he talked to his Mother.
"I'm sorry Mom. I messed up, just like Dad told me not to. You- you promised to come home, Mommy. You promised. Don't leave me alone, Mommy. Please. I'm scared." he begged.
"Don't leave me alone."
Fourteen Years Later...
Twenty three, and his future was looking bright. Hans boarded the ship that was taking dignitaries to this Kingdom. All those years ago, when his Mother had died, Hans had gone through something. He realized that becoming the heir to the Southern Isles' throne was a tragic impossibility. He'd heard about somebody, in a distant land who was being coronated. A new Queen. Hans knew that he wasn't marrying for love, but the throne was so close he could almost taste it. He needed it.
"Take your bag." his brother shoved the trunk into Hans' arms, knocking the wind out of him.
"Hey, nice of you to show up!" Hans said, holding out his hand for his brother to shake. He didn't.
"Father made me come here, since you forgot your things. Hans, listen, you're representing the Southern Isles here. Just... Do what Dad tells you to do. Please, don't mess up." his brother begged.
"Trust me, it's fine. I'll go there, witness the coronation, and get a good word in with the Queen." Hans promised, lying through his teeth.
"The Queen? That's right, Arendelle. Her name is what... Emma?"
"Elsa."
"Queen Elsa. Alright. Do us proud, Hans." his brother slapped him on the back.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Really. Don't." he said, disappearing into the crowded docks. Hans grinned, and stepped aboard the ship.
Alright, so far, all of his plans had failed.
Plan A: Go to Arendelle, woo and marry Elsa. As it turns out, she won't speak to anybody, and loves to keep to herself. He wasn't getting anywhere with her.
Plan B: Marry Anna, and get rid of Elsa to inherit the throne. That seemed simple enough. Hans turned on the charm, and obviously won Anna's heart. Then it turns out she could control ice and snow. Not only did this turn the citizens of Arendelle against her, it gave Hans the opportunity to usurp the throne without having to kill anybody. Maybe next time. Then that came crumbling down.
Plan C: Since Anna insisted on going after her Sister, Hans was left in charge of Arendelle, as he had hoped. So, he'd try and rescue Anna, arrest Elsa, and bring them both back to Arendelle. Once back, he'd have Elsa tried for treason, then killed. Anna was probably going to be heartbroken, but a wedding would fix that. After they were married, Hans would have to rid himself of his Wife. She would inherit the throne, not him. By getting rid of Anna, Hans would become the king that everybody deserved. Not only would he look like a hero by saving Arendelle from an eternal winter, he would also take the throne and rule like his Father never could.
Anna's heart was frozen, and she would soon die. After convincing the dignitaries that they had married, and that Elsa had killed her own Sister, Hans made his way down to the dungeon.
"Take her to the lynching post." he ordered the guards. The men hesitantly obeyed, and began towards her cell door. Elsa was restrained, and her powers wouldn't flare up. At least, that's what Hans hoped.
"She's dangerous. Move quickly!" a guard ordered the others.
"It won't open." he heard a guard say. Hans frowned. "It's frozen shut."
Hans heard a deep rumbling, followed by loud crash. The wall had fallen down on itself. The guards rushed into the room, but Hans already knew that he was too late. He barged through the guards, and sure enough, Elsa was gone. He glared towards the raging storm outside. Hans retreated back to the castle, and grabbed a cloak. He was going to end this.
"Elsa! You can't run from this!" Hans called through the icy winds. The icy woman turned to face him, her platinum hair blowing in the harsh winds, and a look of concern on her face. She began to back away slowly.
"Just... Just take care of my Sister..." she cried.
"Your Sister? She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said you froze her heart!" Hans lied.
"What..? No..." Elsa tried. Hans had to hold back a smile.
"I tried to save her, but it was too late! Her skin was ice, her hair turned white!"
Elsa's face sank, realizing what she thought she had done. Time to bring it home.
"Your Sister is dead... Because of you!" he said, trying to sound sad.
With that, Hans knew he had broken her. She sank to her knees, in pure shock. She was emotionally broken, all thanks to him. Job well done.
Elsa dropped to her knees, causing a massive cloud of warm air to shoot from her body. The air cleared, and snowflakes hung suspended in midair. Everything was silent. Now was the time.
Hans took a few steps foreword, and drew his sword. He gripped it in his hand, and he drew closer to the Queen. Sure, he'd stain her pretty gown of ice with crimson, but that didn't matter anymore. Hans drew his sword over his head, preparing to strike. Then quicker than anything he'd ever seen, a girl leapt in front of his sword. But... She was dead...
Anna.
Hans didn't have to to stop his swing. He noticed Anna's skin take on a blue, crystalline form. Maybe he had succeeded. But then his sword struck her hand, and everything went dark.
Before he knew it, he was on a ship back to the Southern Isles. Hans dreaded to think what his family would do to him. They trusted him. He just wanted to make them proud... Only...
Only he didn't regret a thing.
"Oh Hans. If only there was somebody out there who'd forgive you." his brother mocked him, as he delivered another punch to his jaw. Hans spit out the blood, and wiped his lip. Two of his brothers held him down, while another taught him a lesson.
"...I-"
Another punch.
"You shamed us, Hans. Father was right. You're not wanted. It was a mistake ever sending you to Arendelle. Your whole life. Just... A mistake." a brother said from behind him.
Hans' mind flashed back to when he was a child.
He saw himself in the reflection of the pond, just outside in the garden. The pond was frozen solid, and there were two shatter marks in it.
One obscuring his face, and the other over his heart.
Who was he? Why did anybody want him? He knew now. At least, he thought he did. His Mother was the only one to ever love him. She was gone. She had died. Hans had nobody who loved him anymore. Hans saw a teardrop on the thick ice. The cracks mended themselves, and froze back together. His flashback was becoming more of a dream.
The pond now shone like a mirror. Hans saw himself, age twenty three. Tall, handsome, and confident. He was ready to take on the world. Slowly, the reflection hunched over, becoming a darker, terrifying man. He wore a purple cloak, and had the face of a psychopath. His mouth was shaped into a twisted grin, as the reflection gazed on its owners suffering.
"I'm glad to be you." the reflection said.
"What?"
"I'm glad to be you." it repeated, its voice angry and terrifying.
"You're... You're not me." Hans said.
"But I am. Look." the reflection pointed. Hans turned around, and found a mirror directly behind him. Looking back at him was a bruised, bloodied version of himself. Hans felt his face.
"No..." he said. The figure in the mirror still had the intense, crazy eyes that he had seen in the reflection of the pond. Except this time, the man had been put in his place. "You're not me. I'm... I'm Hans. I'm me! I'm me!" Hans screamed. His vision faded, as the cold stone floor came into contact with his body.
"He's just rambling now. Lock the door behind you. I think he's had enough. Alright Hans, you'll be in here for a long time." His brother said. The other two left behind him, and Hans heard the lock click shut. They left him alone.
And there he sobbed, alone.
More Short Stories coming soon!