May 10th, 1809

Kesselburg, Southern Isles

Queen Ariel arose to a beautiful morning, walking out onto the Balcony. The sun had a reddish tint as the sun rose over the thick misty sea. A red dawn. Despite 17 wonderful years with Eric, she had never grasped the meaning of the old sailor's superstition. No matter if there was rain or not, today would be wonderful. This afternoon they would finally announce to the world the existence of Atlantica as well as some other news. She rubbed her now swollen belly, smiling that Melody would finally have siblings, now that Morgana was no longer around to threaten her family.

Having woken and dressed hours ago, Ariel quickly turned about to head downstairs. She was greeted by castle staff, as she quickly made her way into the ballroom. Ornate and beautifully decorated, it was full of people gathered for Princess Melody's 16th Birthday. However, none stood out quite like the reason for the party.

Melody was now 16 had had come into her own as a woman. Gone was the awkward teenage girl who felt alien and out of place at the royal court. If anything, Melody was now a star on the dance floor, and many had already proposed arranged marriages between their children and her. Ariel would not budge on the subject. Mermaids married for love, and the idea of auctioning off her only teenage child put her in a foul mood. Most would-be suitors backed off after a stern lecture. All but him.

His name was Frederick of Tågeøen. The son of a minor Knight, his father didn't have the gall to even suggest that a lowly noble such as him marry the Princess of all people, but that didn't stop Frederick. The young man tried and failed as a 12 year old, before disappearing for years. Now 16 as well, he had reappeared, grown and mature. He never did anything to disrespect or sully the young girl's honor, but he seemingly always there to court Melody.

The thing that troubled Ariel was Melody wasn't too troubled by this. Melody even admitted that despite an earlier grudge, she was starting to take a liking to the try-hard young man. The only thing stopping Ariel from barring him from the palace was her own experience at that age. Love should set its own course, as much as she didn't like it. However she could always offer advice.

She quietly strode up next to her daughter, the two sharing a moment of quiet peace before Ariel started.

"So- about Frederick…"

"Mother!" Melody immediately protested, rolling her eyes. "You promised you wouldn't interfere with my love life!"

Ariel raised her hands slightly, trying ease the situation. "I won't interfere, I'm simply advising you on some realities."

Melody sighed, before crossing her arms but still listening to her mother. They both knew from experience that bad things happen when you don't listen to parental advice.

"Listen, about Frederick. While I'm not saying I know for sure, we have to face reality. You are the Crown Princess. Who you marry will be King. Boys will try to woo you to win the crown. Frederick may be simply playing you."

"I know that mom. But I honestly think Frederick likes me for me."

"I hope so dear. I just don't want you getting hurt." She paused, before recalling a certain other suitor. "Whatever happened to that nice merfolk boy?"

"Ah, him." Melody recalled the merboy she met on her fateful journey 4 years ago. "He was too obsessed, Mom. He didn't want anything but me. It seemed unhealthy to me."

Ariel did draw some comfort from that. Some girls would date such a boy to be pampered and waited on, instead of developing a healthy give-and-take relationship. That her daughter wanted real love gave her comfort.

Please, don't let her get hurt.

Despite the worried mother's hopes, Melody would be very hurt today.

…

Remy shivered as the long boat made its way through the mist. While he was grateful for the mist as it hid the landing party, he wished the warm rays of the sun would bask him with their warmth. Visibility wasn't great, but he could still see jagged rocks jutting out of the ocean, the experienced sailors making their way around them. It was surreal landscape, at least for him.

Remy was a French conscript of the Grande Armée under Napoleon, having been called up from his farming village to fight in the never-ending wars. He had never travelled outside of 25 miles from his farm, and yet here he was preparing to fight the Norsemen.

Remy was not educated. At all. Being illiterate, the young farm boy had no knowledge of the outside world other than the sometimes fantastical stories and rumors he heard. As such, he half-expected that he would be fighting the Nordic giants, armed with axes and horned helmets. As such he shook from much more than the cold.

The shoreline approached, just below the castle walls. The mist was particularly thick here, so the barely focused Marines walking the beat could not see them, or hear them over the lapping of the sea. The passengers dismounted, joining an already sizeable group gathered there. French Marines, Sappers and various types of infantry crouched in absolute silence, only waiting on one more wave before they began their assault.

An officer checked his timepiece, before returning it. He turned and addressed his soldiers in a raised whisper. "Right on schedule, boys. Don't worry, we'll be out of this damn mist soon enough!"

…

Ariel was about to enter the bedroom for the 3rd time in an hour when the door, revealing her husband of almost 17 years, King Eric. Dressed in a White Naval uniform for the occasion, his once black hair still contained streaks of the hair color of his youth with grey shocks having recently appeared. Despite this and the first wrinkles, he still looked terribly handsome after all these years, even if he was late this morning. Ariel greeted her finally awake Husband with a deep kiss while clutching her arms around him. Pulling out of the kiss, she smiled and greeted him.

"Good Morning, Dear."

"Good Morning to you too, beautiful."

"Are you ready to be seen by the public?"

Eric smiled, his eyes weary though. He certainly did not enjoy some of the aspects of his job, wishing for simpler days when he was merely responsible for a single ship and its crew, not an entire Nation involved in the greatest war in Human history. But he would never sell his family short.

"I am as ready as I'm ever going to be. Let's do this."

Eric took her by the arm and escorted her down the hall. As was normal, they began to talk about things that had happened so far in the day, one of the keys to their happy marriage.

"Well, Melody still doesn't mind that Tågeøen boy, unfortunately."

"Say what you will about him, that boy tries hard. And that's a good thing in my book."

"I'm worried that he's more in love with the crown than our daughter."

"That may be, but we have to accept that Melody is a Crown Princess. We have to accept that the crown is part of the equation. It be very unfortunate if she married a man who had no desire for the crown and was therefore incompetent. Frederick is hardly the worse boy she could marry."

Ariel paused, starting to put the pieces together. While a decent father, Eric had previously had little to no interest in any of Melodies suitors beyond "You dishonor her, and I'll kill you." Knowing Frederick's name and speaking positively of him didn't sit right.

"…that boy talked to you, didn't he?"

"He was the perfect gentleman! He's smart, military, and well-mannered, he seems genuinely interested in our daughter!"

"Because you are such a good judge of character. That's why you nearly married Ursula."

"She used magic! I thought she saved my life because she stole your voice!" He sighed, somewhat calming down. "Look, I'm not saying we need to set a wedding for next week, and I want Melody to choose. But Frederick is a good choice, and he has my blessing- for now."

"If you choose, dear. For now, I'll keep my blessing until I'm sure."

It was an argument, but any two people are bound to disagree on something. Though at odds, when the two reached the door leading to the main ballroom, they smiled at each other genuinely, before entering through.

…

Remy smiled as a familiar face climbed off the boat, his brother Emile. As compared to Remy's own black hair and fairly average appearance and height, his brother had inherited their mother's brown hair, and his father's large stocky build. His brother had left the farm behind when Remy was called up with the levy, as while Remy was likely better prepared for the battlefield, as an older brother Emile felt it was his duty to watch out for Remy.

The two hugged as the older brother joined the assaulting party, before the rasp of an officer's sword told them that brotherly love had to wait. The officer turned, addressing the men.

"We attack now. If we win, we dine and sleep like kings tonight. If we fail, we will be slaughtered. Stick to bayonets and sabers until the alarm is sounded, and follow the orders of your officers, but most of all attack!"

"Lutte pour la France, la lutte pour Napoléon, et se battre pour l'autre!"

…

Melody smiled as she spotted a familiar face in the crowd, now approaching toward her. Wearing a simple yet sharp Army uniform and his blond hair topping his maturing face, Frederick smiled back as he approached the Crown Princess. Reaching her, he bowed before greeting himself despite the two knowing each other very well.

"Your Highness, it is a pleasure to see you again." He smoothly said as he leaned down, kissing her gloved hand, causing her to blush.

"It is a pleasure to see you too." She returned, smiling.

"Care for a dance?" He asked somewhat boldly, not too much of a risk considering they had danced at lower key events before, but there where matters to be taken into account.

It was her 16th Birthday, the beginning of open season for courtship. While backroom offers had been made before, the yet unclaimed princess would soon be of age to get married, if not already. Her mother was only 16 when she was married, let alone engaged. So the sight of a Crown Princess dancing with a noble so low ranking on the totem pole he didn't have a title was certainly unorthodox.

However Melody was anything but Orthodox.

"Yes, I would." As the two embraced and stepped off to the beat of the current waltz, the young man decided now was the proper time to tell her everything.

"I'm afraid this will likely be our last dance, your Highness."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, incredulously.

"I had my father purchase a commission. I do not know where I will go, but it will be away from here."

"Why?" Melody eyes began to slightly water. What they had was hardly true love yet, but both were fond of each other. Melody would hate to lose one of the few people who had the courage to befriend her.

"It's for the best. Melody, the only way they'd allow us to marry is the morganic way. You deserve a life of comfort and privilege, not the life of a dame of some two-bit piece of land."

"You don't know what life I want!" She said in a raised voice. As upset as she was, she hardly wanted to make a scene on the ballroom floor. "It's my life, I should have a choice in how I live it!"

"I'm afraid it's too late now. I leave in the morning. Nothing can stop this." He paused, fighting back his own emotions. He did after all, love her. But loving someone meant letting go for their sake. "Nothing can stop this now."

The waltz had just ended, leaving Frederick to bow before turning his back on the Princess. As he left the room, he finally allowed tears come to his eyes.

…

Remy watched with fascination and horror as the sailor crept bare-foot up to the Marine, before silently and viciously dispatching him. With one hand clasping his mouth and the other violently jabbing a small knife into his kidney. The sheer pain of the assault caused the guard to black out, and blood loss would ensure that he would stay down.

The sailor was one of a few men hand-picked for their criminal past, as Remy was sure the man had used this technique to assassinate rival criminals in Paris or Marseilles. The sailor gestured to the group as they crept forward. The wall was secured silently and now the assault party moved down the stairs to the courtyard, moving into assault positions.

One group was positioned outside the barracks, as they would assault and clear out the building. Doing so would wipe out the majority of the Marine Guards, ensuring the rest of the battle would be mere mop up.

Remy and Emile were part of the main force that would secure the keep of the castle proper, and hopefully capture or kill the cursed royalty. It was still foggy, allowing them to literally walk up to the two men guarding the main entrance.

The two marines squinted their eyes in an attempt to read the rank of the apparent officer approaching them. So engrained in garrison life that they did not seriously question why the officer's saber was drawn or why he had a group of soldiers following him.

As the Marine gave the proper greeting of the day in Danish, the officer simply thrust his saber into the man's chest. The Marine was too shocked to even scream, as he keeled over. The other man, faced with cold steel dropped his musket, feebly raising his hands up in an attempt to save his life. A French soldier simply grabbed him and dragged him off to a designated prisoner holding point. Orders were to take prisoners- Napoleon needed cannon fodder for his wars, after all.

The door was now secure, as the group braced for the breach. The sailors were dismissed, sent off to guard prisoners and secure the gates, as the time for knives had ended. It was now time for bayonets. Things were about to get loud.

The officer glanced at his men, who nodded in return as a silent indication of readiness. Nodding back, he turned and proceeded to slam his foot into the door, which gave way. Neither side had any idea how bloody the next hour would be.

It was after all, a Red Dawn.

August 31st, 1840

Kurzheim, the Southern Isles

Johanna was baffled.

While she certainly hadn't known Hans for his whole life, she had felt she had gotten a certain stock of him, that stock being that of a cold blooded psychopath. Image was everything to Hans as far as she could tell, with special consideration to the opinion of Hans' family. He consistently went to extreme pains to act dignified and respectable when in the presence of these people.

And yet, with the arrival of the Queen Dowager Ariel, arguably the most beloved and respected woman in the Kingdom had reduced Hans to a quivering shadow. Instead of the cold blooded killer she was familiar with, she saw a boy who was in fear of a spanking.

Finding herself in uncharted waters Johanna decided it was best to simply sit back and observe.

Hans sat in uneasy silence as they began dinner.

To his staff's credit, they had done remarkably well in the preparations for the Queen Dowager, given the lack of prior notification. Even now, they ate a traditional dumpling and chicken meatball soup, without a trace of seafood. He really was grateful to Chef Hauser and Klara. It would appear that they would be keeping their jobs.

But none of this helped with the issue at hand. Sitting across from him was his grandmother, and she scared the shit out of him.

He didn't know what it was that scared him so. Other than assisting with spanking as a child, Ariel had never really beat on the young prince. His father had used his wooden fist more than once on Hans, and yet Hans never cringed when seeing his father nor did his mere voice didn't cause him to submit.

There was something subconscious that made Hans fear and obey his grandmother, though he didn't quite what. He looked at his grandmother subtlety, once again looking for any explanation for why she had such a control over him. No luck.

Ignoring her grandson's observing, Ariel began to make friendly conversation with the newlywed wife.

"So Johanna, what does the local nobility do for entertainment around here?"

"Well your Highness, there really isn't much of a courting scene here in Kurzheim. There is a few Knights and Dames on the Island, but I'm afraid we really don't congregate very often."

"Please, call me Ariel. There's little need for titles here. I found that they can have a… corrupting influence on some people." Ariel spoke with such grace and kindness, even though her eyes shot daggers at a silent Hans.

"I would recommend that you do organize more social gatherings, dear. I doesn't hurt to make friends with the movers and shakers of the island, and noble life otherwise can get very dull. Besides, you could really use some decent company."

Johanna was starting to notice a pattern from the Queen dowager. Judging on how casual she was in her either sarcastic or snide remarks about Hans, this had little to do with the incident in Arendelle. Johanna got the impression that Ariel had a deeper and long lasting antipathy for the young man, one that went back years. Perhaps Hans did something long ago that forever sealed the Queen Dowager's opinion of him, or perhaps it was the sins of the father that condemned Hans.

"So far I've come to somewhat enjoy Hans' company, Ariel. Perhaps I was wise in approaching His Majesty for help in my betrothal."

It wasn't the most subtle way of figuring out Queen Ariel's opinions, but Johanna took the risk. She had remembered being told that while wise and fairly intelligent, even after all these years Ariel was not the best at playing "the game" of the court.

The risk paid off. Secure in her position, and no longer in a position of power that had to be fought over, forcing her to watch everything she said, Ariel quickly played into Johanna's hand.

"Well dear, you place more trust in his Majesty's judgment than I do, between you and me."

It was clear to Johanna now. Ariel hated the King, not his son. And as a continuation of his father, that doomed Hans to Ariel's wrath. Arendelle had very little to do with the Queen's opinion, likely only reinforcing her dislike and allowing her to me more open about it.

And as such, she classified Ariel as a rival. While she suspected she would get tired of hearing her grandmother in law put down her husband, she had little issue with her disliking Hans. It was Ariel's emotional aspects that bugged Johanna.

Johanna respected the King, because the King was an intelligent man with a good heart, but cold blood. He preferred to do the right thing, but he was never enslaved by his morality. And as such the Southern Isles had prospered. The reign of King Eric suffered because he was too good for his own damn good. And look where it got him.

No, Johanna would rather let a cold-blooded murderer run the country than see an emotional do-gooder run the show.

As she pondered her next move, the table as a whole was interrupted. Kristina entered the room, her hands matted and stained with animal blood as she worked to clean them with a cloth. She approached Johanna's side and began to softly speak in her ear.

"My lady, the butchered pork is almost ready."

"Good Kristina, I will take a look after dinner."

Hans found some of Kristina's many talents, such as her butchering skills, odd. But considering the delectable quality of some of the past meals, as well as Hauser's praise of her meat, he had no issues with it.

But while he didn't mind the sight, a serving-woman was nauseous at both the sight and smell of the blood. As such she nearly gagged, causing her to spill Wine on the Queen Dowager. It was a minor spill, most of it landing on the Queen's golden necklace and bare skin of her neckline, but enough to bring the dinner's pace to a screeching halt. Hans stood up, wincing at the oncoming shouting he expected his grandmother to lay on him for the Servant's clumsiness, while Johanna was horrified at the prospect of ruining her reputation as a host and housekeeper because of one maid's weak stomach.

However, Ariel's temper remained calm, as she simply stood up in shock, as the maid recoiled in horror, sure she was to be fired for the incident. Ariel simply began patting down the spill site with her tablecloth, as she chuckled.

"Oops, that got a little messy."

Johanna, though, was in damage control mode. "Kristina, take care of the mess."

"Yes, my lady." She moved over to the Queen, immediately undoing her necklace. "I'm sorry your Highness, I'll have this jewelry cleaned in a few minutes. I also will be sure to draw you a bath of your preference and have this dress cleaned by the morning."

Ariel almost protested, but the Lady-in-waiting had already removed the necklace and had passed it off to a passing maid before she could raise an objection. As such she reluctantly let the issue past.

"Very well. I do find myself tired from the trip, so I do believe I will retire for the night."

"As you wish, your highness."

…

Kristina entered the kitchen, where the clumsy maid stood, head bowed in shame. Kristina was sure to look about, sure to ensure they were alone.

"We're alone now. Well done, Madalena."

"They bought it?"

"Yes, they did." Kristina approached the maid, slipping coins into her hand. "That's two weeks' pay. If anyone asks, you were suspended without pay for a week. Remember, do not buy anything until you are paid again."

"Too easy, Kristina."

Madalena left, as Kristina smiled. Madalena was Kristina's go to maid whenever it came to conducting irregular or less than legal activities in the interests of Lady Kurzheim. Incredibly average in appearance- nothing stood out about the woman, so she seamlessly blended in with the other servants. This allowed her freedom to be used repeatedly, as long as it wasn't done too often.

Kristina hired her on a case by case basis, sure to use her own income to supplement the woman's pay to ensure no paper trail. As the good Lady Kurzheim herself knew nothing of the arrangement, true deniability could be kept, as Kristina had enough judgment on the matter to not overdo it.

And thus, the reason for the "heist." She stared at the necklace, engrossed in its details. Made of gold with inlaid pearls, it was a common enough looking necklace. But looks were deceiving. Kristina sensed the magic radiating out from the jewelry, enough to know that while the object itself wasn't very powerful, it was part of something that was.

But she had no interest in such things. She closed her eyes and thought of her devotion and love to her lady and mistress as she waved her hand over the necklace, effortlessly dispelling the power it once held. Now powerless, she placed the clean necklace onto a silver tray to be delivered to the Queen Dowager. Having a grasp for these sort of things, she also knew that the Queen was no enchantress herself, and would not notice any difference from the necklace. At least not until she attempted to use whatever spell was enchanted onto it. While she could sense magic, her ability to identify it was less refined. She could only determine that the spell was one of bending wills, and therefore a possible threat to her Lady.

This was the service she had provided to her Lady since they were but young girls, although one she exercised in secret. The only two that knew was her Mother and the previous Lady Kurzheim, Johanna's mother. As Johanna's mother had passed and her own mother had no interest in revealing the secret to another soul, one that may be less than understanding of her gift, Johanna was kept in the dark.

Kristina herself had never questioned her mother on the matter. When she was a child, she had blindly followed her mother's rule. And when she hit the normally rebellious teenage years, her feelings blossomed for the young Johanna. As such the young serving girl never revealed anything that might cause her target of affection to reject her.

This willingness to please led to other things as well. Darker things. She exited the side room, the tray in hand. She found a junior maid to pass it off to, instructing her to deliver the jewelry to the Queen Dowager. That taken of, she headed to the main kitchen and into the main meat locker. Hardly a large room as the manor hardly had the funding necessary to keep enough ice to keep meat cool for prolonged periods, it had its share of secrets. She closed and barred the door behind her, as she had long ago established she needed privacy for her work.

She hung her white apron up onto the rack before removing and donning her stained apron, the one she used for her butcher's work. She then set about to the opposite side of the room past the pig she had earlier worked on, to open the hidden door on the far side of the manor. Stepping inside was the small dark room, with stone walls and stone floor, with a simple drain in the middle of the room, as it had previously been part of the meat locker and as such needed a place for the blood to go. A recent addition, Johanna herself had this room built, just as Lady Johanna was responsible for its occupant.

A man hung by his wrists, chained to the ceiling with his feet slumped against the floor as he no longer had the strength to stand. He was covered with bruises, cuts, and other wounds that had been inflicted since he was captured. Kristina ignored the man's ragged breathing as she began inspecting the tools of her trade, as she coldly remarked to the tortured man.

"Now. Where were we?"

…

Bit of Notes-

Okay so I did the math by plotting out all the key events of the Frozen and Little Mermaid universe. Long story short, I messed a few things up. Last chapter I described Ariel as being in her 70's, when she is only 64. Also the first chapter describes King Frederick and the late King Agdar as having served together against the Austrians in a "Battle of the Black Forest." I have since changed things to have the battle be the Battle of Waterloo and Ligny, with both still being younger than Hans is, but not as young as I originally intended. I have as such updated the Chapters in question to correct this.

As for the flashback, next chapter will contain more, with possibly a third flashback after that, based on length and pacing.

My apologies for the extremely long length since the last chapter. I had been so focused on getting to the reveal of Ariel as Hans' Grandmother that I completely failed to plan for what happened next. As such I was hit with a terrible case of writer's block. This combined with the busy schedule of deployment led to a much longer interrupt than I planned for. Here's hoping Chapter gets her soon.

-Dragunov

Translations-

"Lutte pour la France, la lutte pour Napoléon, et se battre pour l'autre!"-Fight for France, Fight for Napoleon, and fight for each other!