Kurzheim, August 1840
Hans strolled through the courtyard, as he watched the last shipment of Capital roll into the newly constructed vault. Unimpressed with the previous treasury, he had promptly ordered his Groundskeeper, Rolf to construct an annex from the old one. Now finished, Rolf had begun improving the Keep's outer wall. The already small courtyard was littered with piles and piles of bricks.
This was of course bothering Lady Johanna, who enjoyed gardening. As it was August, she was putting the last work on the summer garden before preparing to move things to her small greenhouse. All the bricks piled everywhere wasn't not making her happy. Hans allowed himself to be petty, laughing when she vented throughout the day.
As he sat on a bench doing more paperwork and figures, he also handled two appointments for the day. The first was with Wagner, who Hans had not seen much of. Wagner was on a general assignment of intelligence gathering. Wagner was effectively assessing the shadow world of Kurzheim. Not only the underworld, but the unofficial world. For example, a Village might have a Lord-assigned Mayor, but usually, every village had a guy. The guy people turned to when they had issues. Wagner was finding those guys.
Today, though, he was dealing with a simpler task.
"Wagner, Soon I'll need a personal Guard. As of now, I got units rotating through. I don't like that. Find me 3 dozen good, hard, loyal men. They don't need to be soldiers, just men. Men that I don't need to keep an eye on."
"Of course, sir."
"Good, get it done."
With the shadow business taken care of, Hans put his mind into an economic stand point. The next appointment was a small team of surveyors, economists, and other experts. Paid via a small down payment plus a bonus for every item of interest, they had every incentive to find things of value. The team leader, did not look encouraging.
Hans sprung to his feet, waiting for the report for ages. "Well?"
The older man shook his head. "My Lord, while Kurzheim has a decent farming and fishing economy, neither could be developed into a booming industry. There's no Iron, Coal, Silver or gold here. The timber is substandard, and we're poorly placed for trading. In other words, Kurzheim is of little value."
Hans fumed. If these men couldn't find anything, there was little hope. Angry at the shitty nature of the Island, Hans screamed, grabbing and flinging a brick as hard as he could at the wall. Lady Johanna laughed as she weeded, glad to see she wasn't the only one having a bad day.
Hans paced angrily, cursing before a stray thought had entered his head. One of a childhood memory.
…
Kesselburg, Summer 1826.
"HANS, GET DOWN HERE, NOW!"
10 year old Hans pouted as he started climbing down for the brick building in the castle. Part way down, his feet knocked out an older brick, as Hans watched as the brick fell the 10 or so feet shattering on the cobblestone. He made the rest of the way down, where a furious Queen grabbed her youngest son, shaking him. Her long black hair running down her back, and her blue eyes of the sea staring intently at him.
"You could have gotten hurt! You're confined to your room until further notice! And I assure you, your father will hear about this!"
Young Hans, terrified to face his father, began sobbing as he shuffled to his room. The Queen stood, defiant in the face of a troublesome little boy. It wasn't until her boy was out of sight, that she softened her posture. She hated being harsh, but it was the only way boys learned. She had played this game 12 times before, and she always won.
…
Present Day, Kurzheim.
He walked up to the brick he threw at the wall. He picked it up, remembering how hard he chucked it. Remarkably, it was still intact. Most masonry bricks were not that strong, yet this brick didn't have as much as a crack in it. An attentive fellow, Rolf approached, inquiring.
"How may I help you, My Lord?"
"Rolf, where do they make these bricks?"
…
Hans stepped out of his carriage, taking in the sight and smells of the poorest town of Kurzheim, Kanton. Kanton was the village that provided most of the coastal settlements with their raw materials. Wood, clay and bricks all came from Kanton. Life was hard, dirty and crappy here.
The Brick makers turned out to be no different than others Hans had encountered. Shaping the raw materials by hand before firing it, there was little special about their technique. Eager to please their new Lord, they did inform Hans that the clay was what made the bricks so strong.
So he visited the Clay Pit. Little more than a hole dug into the ground, with standing grey water. A Dozen or so men dug and shoveled clay into bins, as a large bald man directed them, unafraid to get dirty with his men. Upon spotting the former-Prince, he immediately made his way up the ladder. Reaching the top, he removed his mud spotted cap, bowing his head in reverence.
"My Lord, it is an honor." The man spoke with a slight Slavic accent, hinting of an origin in the Baltics.
"Relax, I'm just curious about your… facilities."
"Ah! We make the best mud in the world here, sire!" The foreman picked up a brick, slamming it into a hardwood support beam. "5 times stronger than steel, but half the weight!"
Hans seriously doubted the truth of the statement, but he knew he had found the source of the bricks. As the Foreman continued to rattle on about his "pit," He turned to Kurt, one of the experts, a man who understood everything there was to be known about soil and dirt. Though his expertise was farming soil, he did understand what mud made good bricks or not.
"Kurt, what do you think of all this?"
"Well, I don't know, my Lord."
"What do you mean? We could make the best bricks in the world!"
"Yes, but shipping costs would make them far too expensive to be viable. However, I can do tests for Kaolin."
"Kaolin?"
"It's a vital ingredient for Porcelain. If the test comes back good, it means we could make fine china here."
Hans thought about the implications. The Southern Isles never had a local Porcelain manufacturer, they had always to buy from Denmark or Norway. Even Arendelle had a small factory. They just never had an island with the raw materials to make it. Until now.
"Do what's needed. We finally may have what we need to make money."
"As you wish, my Lord." He bowed and departed for his tools. As the scientist departed, the Foreman focused his attention on the Lord. "My Lord, do you want to take a tour of the storage facility?"
Well, he had nothing better to do until the afternoon. Extending a hand, he gestured "Carry on."
"Good choice, My Lord!" The Foreman slapped Hans' back, with his thick muddy gloves with a thick, hearty laugh, leaving a muddy print on his white uniform. Hans didn't notice. He was too busy thinking and planning.
It's going to be messy, and hard. But I will beat the Royal Copenhagen plant out of the Southern Isles!
…
Hans watched the Signal Engineers closed their kits, finished with their tasks. It had been a long month, but they had completed their task- Installing a Telegraph wire. Hans had commissioned them the day he was informed he was to be exiled here. While the basic technology had gone back a century, practical widespread use had just come into use. Only major cities had spent the money on the technology, with the military already buying as much of the stuff as they could.
Hans had put down a considerable amount buying the miles of telegraph wire, linking himself to the nation's system. Running to the Telegraph Office in Nordsiden, the Duchy's capital, Hans' could now be fully up to date with news and business through the major centers of the Southern Isles.
One of the engineers sat down at the station, placing a headset on his head, and conducted a test message to Nordsiden. Hans understood that he was using something called Morse code, a system in which every character was represent by a series of "dots" or "dashes." To Hans though, it was a series of unintelligible Hammering on the device. The message was sent out in short order, followed by a brief pause. Hans, the operator, and the other Engineers waited without a sound.
After about a minute, the device emitted a series of beeps, in which the Operator began to translate and copy onto a piece of scratch paper. Once the message concluded, the man handed the paper to Hans, before signaling once more. Hans read the message.
Kurzheim, this is Nordsiden,
We read you loud and clear. Welcome to the Network, Boys!
Hans had already began work on his intentions for the device. The Engineers would now spend the next few weeks training hand-picked Soldiers for Signal duty, where they would learn Morse code and everything they would need to repair the system if it went down. Then the Engineers would depart.
At this point, the men would be manning the station day and night, as they would receive and transmit vital information. Hans wanted daily reports from both Nordsiden and Kesselburg, where men of his would send messages to be transmitted, so Hans would be fully aware of the Happenings of the outside world, instead of relying on ship travel or messenger pigeons to deliver the news.
And it would just be the beginning. In time he would install such an office in every major settlement on Kurzheim, as well as the Army Camp. And it would all come back to here, the hub of the nervous system. He could put the Garrison on Alert in a moment's notice, or schedule a shipment of goods without sending a man to oversee it. It would be wonderful.
As he left the room, he met the 15 Men handpicked for signal training. Literate, good reflexes, loyal, and good hearing were what brought these men here. In addition to that, these men would supplement the Keep's Guard. It was time to inform these still unaware men their new purpose.
"Gentlemen, as you know, you've been selected for a special assignment. However, you don't know what your assignment was when you were selected."
Gesturing through the open door, Hans displayed his new toy. "You are to become the start of Kurzheim's Signal Corps."
Some sighed in relief, others shook their heads in frustration. Hans had an inkling why.
"You all came from an Infantry Battalion. Some of you wanted to fight, some of you didn't. That doesn't matter now. Each one of you will be more valuable than an entire Company in regards of the defense of this Island, and our Country as a whole."
Hans had dealt with the young bucks before. He had spent a short term as an Officer in the Royal Marines. There was always untested boys who wanted to go to battle. No matter how horrible the older men describe the affair, no matter how many books come out describing the futility and horror of war, it doesn't matter. Young men are always drawn to battle.
Hans would have Oleg review the short list again, see if he could get the eager boys out of the outfit. There is no more undisciplined man than a young buck who is stuck in a non-combat outfit.
…
Hans and Johanna ate dinner silently, as they had for the past month. Neither had spoken to each other beyond table mannerisms and asking to pass food. They had brief discussions outside of their evening meal, when it was easy to pretend they were not husband and wife. Here, it was harder to obscure that "relationship."
Both had been just too damn proud to play nice to smooth the feathers, and become anything more than bitter roommates. Once again Hans cursed himself at failing in Arendelle, though it was a different reason why. This time, it was because he had tasted love, at least the love of someone else. How to Princess Anna, he was everything she wanted and needed. Had it been anyone else but her sister that ran, she would have never left Hans.
It was a false relationship, built on lies, greed and deceit, but he had that taste in his mouth. The cold blooded murderer was still exactly that, except now he had felt love, and now wanted it. So he was desperate to find a way to begin a true relationship with Lady Johanna.
But if there was a total opposite of Anna out there, it was her. Johanna was quiet, very graceful, had no adventurous spirit, and while not a pessimist, had a very realistic outlook on life. For a month Hans had probed, trying to find a weakness, an entry way, but he could not find one. It didn't help he had little courting experience.
Hans had never seriously courted for a suitor during his teen years. He wasn't in demand, and he was too focused on making himself "better" than his older brothers. All day he studied and trained. Suddenly Hans was 16 years old, and had had yet to even dance with a girl at a ball. King Friedrich had decided to intervene. Hans still remembered that talk.
…
Kesselburg, winter 1832
Hans sat in his room reviewing the newspaper for stock prices. He had recently discover investing, and was hooked on turning his princely allowance into even more money. A distinct knock of wood on wood interrupted him. His father had come to talk.
"Come in, Father."
His father came in, a little nervous himself. He had already given "The Talk" to Hans, which was easy considering he had done it 12 times before. This was a little more awkward. He had notice his son's total lack of interest in women at the various balls, which made Frederick worry that his youngest boy was more… interested in other men. He felt it was time to deal with it.
Pulling up a chair, the older man gathered his thoughts. Hans, a little worried started first.
"Father, what's wrong?"
"Son, I've noticed you don't like dancing, talking or looking at girls at the ball."
Hans was a little confused. "And?"
"Well, I gave you the talk a few years ago, because that's when boys start getting urges. When you hadn't, I thought maybe you were a late bloomer. But you're 16 now. Hell, when Alexander was 16, he was sleeping with maids, for god's sake!"
"I don't understand what this is about."
"Son, do you feel the way I described men feel about women, about other men?"
Hans face twisted to one of surprise and horror. His father thought he was Queer.
"No, God no!"
"Then what's your issue, boy?! I moved heaven and earth to stop your older brothers from fucking the staff and other ladies, and yet you don't even give them a second glance!"
"I don't know! It just seems a waste of time, no one wants to marry the 13th in line anyways…"
"Is that what this is about?" The King laughed, slapping his leg in a fit. "Hans, I was the son of a Knight, and yet I married the Princess! If anything, you have it better than your older brothers!"
"How so?"
"Hans, your oldest brothers are doomed to political marriages, with little to no love in them. You, you get to choose."
"Even then, I have no idea what to do. What if I make a fool of myself?"
"Son, did I ever tell you how I met your mother?"
"No." Hans had attempted to say it in a way that had no curiosity in it, as he really did not want to hear his father's story. It was to no avail.
"We were both 12 years old. It was her Birthday, and her parents and the entirety of the young nobility was there. You mother was… eccentric as a young girl. Most of the others didn't really interact with her that much. So I decided to be brave, and offer her a dance. And it went perfectly at first."
Hans struggled to imagine his father as a 12 year, as Frederick slightly blushed, remembering the embarrassment of that day.
"Then there was a… accident, and I was sent over a table, into a bowl of punch, ruining my cadet uniform."
Hans began to laugh, causing the older man to shoot his son a look. Hans quickly stifled his laughter, knowing that this was a thought to laugh at later rather than annoy his father.
"She then did something very odd, and me being a stupid boy, nearly undid any connection we gained from that dance. In anger, I mocked her unusual traits. And it nearly cost me everything I value in this world. She would not talk to me for years. For 15 seconds of stupidity. I had to prove myself a man before I could win her back, show that the stupid, vain boy was gone."
He sighed, feeling such shame that he had nearly not had the life he cherished, and the family he loved.
"In closing, be brave and jump in. Love isn't a problem that's defeated with strategy, it's a leap of faith. Sometimes you get hurt, son. But sometimes, it's the greatest thing that will ever happen. Be yourself, and don't hide who you are. Don't be quick to judge or mock her faults, sometimes, it's the best things about her. Embrace them."
He patted his son on the shoulder, confident he had set his son up for success in the game of love. He had no idea what damage his lesson would inflict. Not even Hans knew yet. Hans would one day "embrace" the odder qualities of a Princess Anna, to disastrous effect. But that lesson would one day be used for a less diabolical purpose.
…
Kurzheim, August 1840
Hans was done with it. Time for a leap of faith.
"So how was your day?"
Johanna lifted her head in puzzlement, surprised by the sudden inquiry. "Excuse Me?"
"How was your day?"
So shocked by the question, she initially went with it. "Tolerable, I guess. Finished my gardening preparations for winter."
"That's… interesting I guess."
"Well, asshole, what did you do?"
Despite trying to avoid being as self-important as always, Hans couldn't help but take up the opportunity to boast about his minor and not-so-minor accomplishments.
"Installed a Telegraph office, reshaped our mud farming industry."
Despite growing up on Kurzheim, even Johanna was thrown off by the concept of a region being so poor, as to farm mud.
"Mud farming?"
"Well, technically Clay mining. But on the subject, perhaps we could start exporting compost-"
Johanna's sense of vertigo had passed. Her mind realized who she was talking to, and panicked. As far as she was concerned, one would be better off having a conversation with the serpent of Eden.
"Stop. I know what you are doing, you're trying to charm me, like you did with Anna."
Hans shook his head, tired of the doors being slammed in his face. "And to what end?"
"You're trying to make me love you, and I'm not having it!"
Han's charming mood vanished, as his true feelings revealed themselves. His face twisted into an angry snarl, as he bolted up, throwing a glass at the wall. He was angry at being stuck on Kurzheim, at being hated by anyone who was literate, and at having a wife who was hostile to the concept of loving him. He was angry at himself and the world. Finally, true words came out.
"AND WOULD THAT BE SO DAMNED BAD!?"
Before Johanna could respond Hans launched into a tirade. His face turned red, and hammered out words so fast he scarcely had time to breathe.
"For god's sake, we are married! Even political marriages they try to love each other! We are a month into our marriage and we don't speak, we sleep in different beds, and we can't be in the same room for more than 5 minutes!"
Hans calmed down, with less shouting, but still firmly convicted and truthful.
"Yes, I lied and manipulate Anna to get her to marry me. I did so to steal her kingdom. What the fuck am I going to steal from you? We are already married!"
Johanna finally found a chance to interject. "Then why, why charm? Why try to court me instead of just using me to sire children?"
Hans was sickened by that very thought. That is one morality lesson his father imparted that stuck. "I am many things, but I am NOT a rapist!"
"It's not rape, I knew what our union meant. I signed up to be nothing more than a baby factory in your eyes! Why are you, he who does nothing but advance his own standing, care so damned much if I like you or not."
Seeing no choice, Hans slumped into his chair, admitting one of his revelations from his time in Arendelle. He had embraced his identity as a monster with a frozen heart, so he hated revealing anything that betrayed that. But, his father was right. He had to be himself with his wife.
"Because of Anna."
"Anna?"
"Our courtship was built on lies, spying, and schemes, but not for her. She honestly thought she loved me. Everything I did, said, or was, was the world to her. A good girl with a big heart, who was determined to give it all to me. I still did what I did, but I had a taste of that love. And while I still have my plans, my schemes, and my goals, I want that feeling again."
Johanna shook her head with a mix of pity and disgust. "Anna was a stupid girl who was desperate for love. I will never give you what she did- total, blind, and stupid love." She sipped her wine, feeling that perhaps it was fair to elaborate and be truthful herself.
"When I was 18, I was set to be married to a young Officer named Franz. I truly loved him and he loved me. Then three years ago, he was killed in the war. I can never love anyone like I did Franz."
"Have you tried?"
"No I-"
"What's the harm of trying? We are stuck together until one of us dies, and I can assure you, if you die in a way that's anyway suspicious, I'd be joining you quickly. So now I have to keep you safe to keep me safe. Since we are stuck together, can't we just try to love each other?"
Johanna was torn. She was so lonely since her Mother and Franz died, and did wish for family again. But she was truly loyal to Franz, even past the grave. Even with faced with consummation of her and Hans' wedding night, which still had not happened, her plan was one of a raped woman- Lie back and think of Franz. But Hans was right. And as great as he was, Franz was dead. She wasn't ready to move on, but she was ready to finally try to.
"I guess… we can try."
…
Kesselburg, the Southern Isles.
King Frederick was overlooking a report from his Royal Quartermaster when the knock came. While the assessment that Breechloaders were not feasible for mass issue was troubling, he never was one to leave company waiting.
"Come in."
It was one of his Stewart's underlings, sent to deliver a message or report. Fairly new, he was a little nervous to talk to or address the king.
"Yes?"
"Your majesty, Master Wolfgang wishes to inform you that the Queen Dowager has planned a spontaneous trip."
Hardly news. His wife's mother, she was a free spirit and was prone to go one trips with minimal planning or forethought. However, she was smart, tough and adventurous, so she always made it work. Frederick never saw an issue with it. She was loved throughout the land, and even his critics loved the old, former Queen as she was a kind, loving soul. Even if he felt that she wasn't to kind towards him and his boys…
It was surprising as the Queen Dowager adored her daughter, and she was sick. Very sick. He didn't think it like her to leave now of all times. As such, Frederick wanted to know what was so damned important to visit now.
"Did the Queen Dowager inform Master Wolfgang where she was headed?"
"Indeed she did, Your Highness. She's travelling to Kurzheim."
Frederick stood up, feeling dread. Hans was in trouble now.
…
Kurzheim, the Southern Isles
It had been a good day so far for Hans. Kurt had come back with very positive results for Kaolin. There was loads of the materials needed to begin porcelain production. He had already sent out feelers to investors and his business contacts, as to start on his plan immediately. As such he was anxious for any news about that.
He was walking through the hallway of Manor Kurzheim, heading towards the office when a signal cadet ran up to him, saluting, before handing his a piece of paper. While they still trained on the systems, the Engineers had a funny way of making the recruits do all the heavy lifting.
"Message for you, Sire. Came in this morning."
"Thank you, soldier."
Hans read the report, one of several due that day. It was mostly political and courtly news, minor pieces of information and gossip that Hans read to try to get a big picture. Nothing on investors or business partners. Attached, was a significant piece of information, however.
Queen Dowager to visit Kurzheim, to congratulate Lord Hans and Lady Johanna on their marriage.
Hans hand shook with terror as he read that message. More than their father, Hans and his brothers grew up in absolute fear of their grandmother, also known by them as "The Red Terror". She made a habit of scolding and punishing the hell out of them, to avoid them growing up "like their father." She was always one to stress respect for women, honor, and being a good decent person in them. And Hans had strayed very far from that.
He was quite scared, as he should be. The Red Terror was coming, and she was coming for blood.
Bit of News-
Another chapter finished, as life goes on in Kurzheim. This chapter crashed and halted when I introduced the Clay, as I had to go online and look up Brick making, Clay mining and Porcelain. I was going to go with Bricks, but the first automated Brick mass production is almost two decades away, and the cost of shipping bricks is not really feasible. Since we were on mud and ceramics, I decided a Firefly reference was not only cool but necessary.
And yes. I do intend to include a number of more cameos for Firefly. Hero of K(C)anton, anyone?
Building up for a big reveal next chapter, which I intend to churn out as fast as possible, so I can finally tell my brother what it is. (Never been good at keeping secrets.) All I can say is that the material being incorporated has been hinted at, and diehard fanatics will most likely already know what I am going to do. If you want to guess, send me a PM. Reviews might spoil it for others. (Though as always, reviews are more than welcome.)
Most of you are probably not happy with some turn of events. I know many of you tuned in to see a perpetual motion machine of Hans' torture, the equivalent of seeing Hans fall down an "Up" escalator. So the idea of possible romance with Johanna might not be appreciated. I still don't know how this ends, but I do know that Hans must build himself up before he's any threat to Arendelle. And Johanna is hardly a victim of Hans. Don't think Beauty and the Beast- think Bonnie and Clyde.
Evil Love anyone?
I also know that at first glance Johanna may sound like an Elsa proxy, which might piss of "Helsa" haters (btw, I hate Helsa too). But she's not. Elsa was prim, perfect, quiet, and neat because she self-tortured herself to be that way. While years of acting like that has resulted in Elsa being the "refined" sister, she has shown traits that counter that.
Johanna is not like that. Johanna is far more cold-blooded than Queen Elsa, and has OCD issues. While not afraid of dirt and grime, she cannot stand an imperfect garden or dirty Manor. Not because she's desperate to maintain an illusion of perfection (that perfect girl is gone…) or impress people, but because doing otherwise would drive HER insane. And while Elsa is intelligent and is capable of tough decisions, Johanna is as willing to do very ugly things in pursuit of her goals. If Johanna is anyone, she's a female Hans.