Chapter 3

Hans

Two years later

The night air was cool, a light breeze guiding the large ship along. Few men roamed the darks, the majority having chosen to sleep down in their quarters. Some were sitting in a circle and passing along a jug of rum, talking in quiet voices. It was another peaceful night at sea with no surprises on the horizon. The captain had retired to his cabin, a man fiercely loyal to the royal family of the Southern Isles, and to Hans himself.

Hans had chosen the captain for that very reason. There was much on his shoulders, and much to consider within the next few days. In case he had any reason to make a quick retreat home, the captain was one he could trust.

The kingdom of the Southern Isles had been an island of constant suffocation and practically unbearable. It was Arendelle who had finally announced to the world their gates were opening, and it was Hans who volunteered to represent his kingdom, if only to escape his kingdom for awhile.

He stood at the side of the ship, his hands resting on the railing and his gaze on the stars above. The moon was high in the sky, a small crescent moon far in the distance. It was a beautiful sight, one he never was able to see very often. Constantly in the company of his brothers and the dealings of his kingdom, he barely had time to escape and just relax.

It was on the ship where he finally could rest his shoulders and do nothing. There wasn't a brother to argue with. There wasn't some servant girl claiming to be pregnant with one of his children or his brother's. There wasn't picky nobility to deal with.

Right now, it was just him and the sea.

"Arendelle!" one of the men broke out in a loud voice, clearly having drunk too much, "I haven't been there for ten years!"

"I've never even been there," another man said, taking a swig of the bottle. He was dressed like the other young men, wearing the dark colors of the Southern Isle's navy. "I hear the king and queen died."

The third man in the party hiccupped. "They died years ago, you dimwit."

"Hear their daughter's becoming queen."

"Hear she's quite the looker."

"I betcha they were hidden because they were ugly."

"What is Arendelle hiding?"

"Ugly or not, they must be quite the snobs if they wanted to hide all these years."

"We're to attend the royal coronation," Hans said, deciding to add his two cents into the conversation. He walked over, fixing the cuff on his jacket, quite done with their reckless conversation. "Well, I am, at least."

All four of the men stood up, quickly bowing at the waist yet swaying as they did so. Apparently they hadn't noticed Hans standing on the deck. "Excuse us, prince Hans, we were just talking. We weren't too sure why Arendelle suddenly opened up their ports."

"We received word of the coronation, and we're to stay till the festivities have finished." Hans raised an eyebrow and held his hands behind his back. "I trust you boys will behave yourself during this time?"

"Prince Hans, sir, we wouldn't do anything differently than behave," the eldest of the group said, an older man with slicked back grey hair.

"But if someone, say an Arendelle girl," another sucked in his breath, "I wouldn't pass her up." The eldest elbowed him in the back.

"What you do is your business," Hans merely shrugged. "Remember we are representing the Southern Isles, and wish to make a good impression with our trading partner." He turned and left, walking to the stairs at the back of the ship without further word. He heard the men mutter and chose to ignore it. They could talk all they wanted as what mattered most was representation, which was what Hans was all about.

He would secure their alliance with Arendelle and see what the other kingdoms were up to. A grand ball was something he couldn't miss; there, he would be able to understand everyone's position, and see which nobility was rising and who was falling.

His brothers would be curious, as well. He would send them letters directly after the ball, but he wouldn't include any important details. There was too much they could use against him; there had been a time or two when his brothers had tried to cut him out of deals or money. Arendelle was the hidden answer to that; Hans would see his position secure elsewhere, not with the backstabbing of his brothers, nor in close vicinity of the Southern Isles.

No, that was his old life. Arendelle was his new life, and from there he could direct how his life would take place.

He continued to watch the stars as the ship slowly drifted through the water, heading ever closer to their destination.

It wasn't until midday the next day when the land of Norway appeared on the horizon. Hans had never ventured this far, preferring to always stick closer to home. This land offered new alliances and new ideas, and with the castle of Arendelle in the distance, he could tell this land had more than plenty to offer. It was an anxious feeling and his hands nearly shook in anticipation.

Dressed in a fine white tail-coat, blue vest, blue pants, complete with a silk maroon cravat and sleek black boots, he was dressed to impress. He was more than ready to talk business with people, and more than ready to prove to his brothers he wasn't another useless brother. He could do this. He was a strong, confident young man with plenty of options.

He just had to believe in himself.

The castle of Arendelle stood tall, surrounded by water and connected by two bridges. It almost reminded Hans of his castle, though his was secure on a cliff overlooking the sea instead of eye level. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful castle with a homey little village surrounding it on the hill above. The docks were busy that day, with several large ships docking at the same time with more ships resting in the fjord. People roamed this way and that, carrying their belongings or going their own way. Most of them were speaking Norwegian, reminding him he was on foreign land. He was suddenly grateful for his intense language lessons as a child, easily fluent in the surrounding languages of his country, which none of his brothers were. His fluency in language was probably his main reason for being chosen as a representative for the Southern Isles.

His horse Sitron was saddled and brought on deck, still a little bit nervous about traveling on open water. He laid a reassuring hand on his horse's neck. "It's all right, Sitron. We've made it this far, and you only have a little bit longer to go today." He turned to the captain, who was also dressed in dark finery. "Please deliver all of my belongings to the inn as soon as possible. I want to explore a little bit."

"As you wish, prince Hans," the captain said, tilting his large hat downwards. He turned toward his crew, his jacket's pleats twirling, "you heard the man! These bags have to get to the inn safe and sound! I want no lollygagging, and be back here sharp!"

Hans left the captain to do his work, jumping on his horse and riding him down the ramp. He eased in with the flow of people, his gaze moving from one thing to the next. People were dressed in commoner's clothing, for the most part. Here and there he saw nobility like him, and they nodded their head in recognition. It was almost surprising the crowd Arendrelle had drawn; not even a ball at his own kingdom drew this much attention.

"I said no," a man shouted in German to his horse who was sniffing a barrel of apples. "No, no, no. We're going to be late. Goldie's waiting for us."

The horse, strong in spirit, all but ignored him and continued eating his newfound apples.

The man lifted his arms in defeat, catching Hans eyes. "Horses, am I right?" he said in broken Norwegian.

Hans reached over and patted the man's horses on the neck. "Horses are wise creatures with a mind of their own," he said in perfect German to put the man at ease.

"Hey, you do speak German!" he thrust out a hand, lifting an eyebrow as he grinned. "Eugene Fitzherbert, at your service."

Hans shook his hand, despite wondering how the man could be so brash. One did not simply shake the prince's hand with ease, not one dressed as simply as Eugene. Hans couldn't tell the rank or status of the man, but he clearly wasn't royalty. He was an older man in his late twenties or early thirties, with thick brown hair styled to the side of his face and a beard on his chin.

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"Prince?" Eugene looked impressed. "I'm actually the prince of Corona."

Hans tilted his head. "I've never heard of you in the courts."

"I'm, ah, fairly new to this whole nobility life." Eugene chuckled, shrugging. "Personally, I didn't think it would suit me. I'm married to that little brunette right over there." He pointed towards the village where a young woman stood dressed in a purple gown admiring a dress in the window.

Hans raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet. The woman had short hair, which was unusual. He couldn't think of one woman he knew who kept her hair that short. But if she was the princess of Corona, her story was well known, having been found five years ago after being lost for eighteen years. He would be sure to talk to her at the ball.

"I'm sure you have much to get to," Eugene said and lightly kicked his horse to get him to move. "See you at the coronation, prince Hans."

Nodding a farewell, Hans rode past the two of them in a trot, nodding again to Rapunzel as he passed by. She was a beautiful woman with a dash of freckles across her face. Eugene was a lucky man, that much was obvious. He would have to find out his story later, and as to why a commoner was permitted to marry a royal princess.

Everyone seemed to be headed to the main chapel, where the tall spire of the building stood taller than the rest of the buildings, making it easy to spot. There was still some time yet before the coronation, and Hans still wanted to explore a little. Arendelle was well known for its timber trade, though as years had passed, their trade had all been cut small. Timber wasn't as shipped as often as it could be, and money was being lost as Arendelle wasn't accepting as much trade as it had been.

His mind on trading and shipping manifests, he didn't notice a certain lady who bumped into the front of his horse, and he watched with beguiled amusement as she tumbled backwards into a small boat on the dock, a bundle of skirts and petticoats. At risk of making the boat tumble into the water as it was tinkering on the edge of the dock, he stepped off his horse with haste and quickly grabbed the boat with his hands and pulled it back with a huff.

"I'm so sorry, are you hurt?" The lady still on her back in the boat, he stepped inside the boat and offered a hand down to her. "My lady?"

"Oh," the lady gushed, her face turning red once she finally looked at him. "Ah, no, no, I'm okay." She took his hand, and Hans couldn't help but admire her pretty face. She was definitely nobility, with the fine cut of her clothing and the silk of her dress.

"Are you sure?"

"I just wasn't watching where I was going, I was distracted…"

"Oh. Thank goodness." Hans stepped out of the boat, still holding onto her hand. He held on till she stepped outside, let go of her hand then bowed at the waist. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"Oh!" Hans bowed lower at the waist. What a way to make a first impression. "I'd like to formally apologize that I hit the princess with my horse."

"No, no, no! It's okay, I'm not that princess. I mean, if you hit my sister," Anna shrugged and looked a bit horrified. "That just might be terrible." She giggled nervously and sighed, looking up at him.

He knew one lovesick look from another, and decided to work with it. He gave her a winning yet charming grin. "My dear princess, wouldn't that happen to be the bells for the coronation?"

Sudden realization dawned on her face. "The bells. The coronation," she said, stepping back and hitting the post behind her. With an embarrassed look, she continued to step backwards. "I gotta go. Ah, yeah. I better go. Uh, bye!" She waved and dashed off towards the chapel.

Hans gathered the reigns of his horse and followed after her. He considered himself lucky he had run into the princess of Arendelle; not the main princess he had first wanted to meet, but still an opportunity, and a lucky one at that. From the way Anna had looked at him he wondered just how locked up she had been. Maybe the rumors about the castle keeping the girls locked up were true.

He would have to be careful as he planned out his next moves.

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