Facing Judgment
"But it was working so well!" Kristoff said as he finished his explanation for visiting Hans to the sisters. "He seriously acted like he wanted to avoid hurting me. Does that sound like a vengeful murderer to you?"
"Remind us again, why did you think it was a good idea to be there in the first place!? You knew he was dangerous!" Anna argued.
Kristoff sighed. He really didn't want to strain his relationship with Anna, but now, it was necessary. The princess was being completely irrational. Even after explaining the logic behind the choice to develop Hans' character into a better one, she was still reacting purely on emotion.
Kristoff was never very good at emotional stuff. He was a "manly man" after all.
"Queen Elsa could be dangerous, but there is good in her. You saw it, right? That's why you went after her, even when everyone else said it wasn't a good idea. Even after I said that it wasn't a good idea," Kristoff said.
"But Hans is different! Don't try to compare him with Elsa!"
"You're not getting it! What if I can see good in him? No one else sees it, so how in the world is he going to change if no one is going to encourage it? That everyone keeps seeing the negative image they've built around him? Everyone else is saying it's a bad idea, but it's the only idea that we have at the moment."
"I agree with Kristoff," Elsa said, confidently. "About everything. I could be dangerous, Hans could be dangerous. All I needed was to understand my own abilities so that I can control them properly. We know barely anything about Hans', but we know that the only way to control it is for us to follow the land's demands. It's for the good of everyone. Why can't you see that?"
"I just… I'm scared that he'll hurt me again. I know that you guys want to do what's right for the kingdom but…" Anna said, tears threatening to fall onto her cheeks. "I'm terrified that if I start to form any sort of trust in him again, he'll betray me." Anna collapsed to her knees and began to sob. "I don't want it to happen again. I don't want him to destroy everything again. I'm… I'm scared, Elsa."
Kristoff fell to the floor beside Anna, wrapping her into an embrace. Elsa followed suit and joined in comforting the weeping princess.
He finally, finally understood his fiancée's irrationality. She was scared, and had every reason to be. Once bitten, twice shy, right? Fear made people either flee, as in Elsa's case; or it made them combative. It appeared that Anna filled more into the latter category.
"We would never let him hurt you," Kristoff said. "You just need to trust us."
###
Hans hadn't moved a muscle from where he sat against the wall. He kept staring at this hands, half-expecting them to form a mind of their own. As preposterous an idea that would be, but given the circumstances, it was not completely without reason.
What new burden had the pixie placed on him this time? That whomever he touched would be tormented? What had she meant by "touch of death?" Would people really die just from coming into contact with him? Was there a way to work around this? Was there a loophole?
Hans almost berated himself for trying to find a way around the situation. Leave it to him to try to twist words around for his own benefit. Some things just never change.
He placed a hand over his heart, almost wishing the land to torment him again so he would have other things to focus on. Almost being the key word, of course.
He gasped aloud when he felt a twisting pang exploding across his chest. Something about the pain this time wasn't right. The lack of otherness in his mind wasn't present. It felt like he was being torn apart, not like the tug he felt towards the scythe either.
The pixie couldn't have been so cruel to make it that he wasn't immune to his own curse, would she?
To his horror, more flares of agony erupted throughout his body, causing him to fall the rest of the way to the floor onto his side, curling in on himself. A faint wisp of gray floated about him, then cascading into an ethereal covering around his form. It reminded him so much of what happened to Klaus that Hans had no question of what was happening. It was just as torturous as he thought having his soul separating from his body would be. Grey-colored? How sadly unsurprising.
Apparently the pixie wouldn't be above such cruelty in his curse.
Hans tried to keep his hands away from himself, completely fearful of them.
The torment lasted for what seemed an eternity. He was sure that he was crying out as he spasmed in pain on the floor. There was no way anyone would be able to keep silent with this happening to them. It was by some miracle that the guards didn't rush into his cell to see him in such a state. If this new curse didn't kill him, the sheer embarrassment if the guards were to witness this probably would.
It was after a few more minutes of writhing about on the floor where the pain stopped and he was able to breathe easy again. However, the brief relief was cut short when a sob escaped him, now realizing how more miserable this added curse was going to be for his situation. He almost wished that the curse ended up killing him so he didn't have to live with it for long. Of course, he was much too stubborn to actually want such a thing. Anyway, it was only a thought.
All his strength exhausted, Hans fell unconscious into sleep.
###
"I thank you for your time," Elsa said to the Council in the meeting room the day after the sudden execution of the pirate. "We will summon the prisoner to the throne room so that he will face his judgment. I would like for all of you to meet with me there." The group of dignitaries, councilors, and advisers filed out of the room after each one bowed to their monarch.
Telling the Council of all the events that transpired with the meeting of the trolls, of Hans' idea of being an executioner, of the meeting she had with the pixie, of the consequences she considered in the choices laid before her; she was quite relieved to see that each councilman had the same fears and concerns that she had. Some were quite vocal about them, even a bit combative at the worst, but they all agreed with her reasoning.
If there was one thing that Elsa feared the most, other than losing Anna, was that she wasn't fit enough to rule her kingdom with wise decisions. Having the Council helped in parsing out choices that were unreasonable, of course. But in the end, her own word was law. If her words would cause the kingdom to fall to ruin, she was no better than the corrupt leaders her father warned her about growing up, even if she had the best interests of her people at heart.
Hearing the support of the Council in her choice helped to relieve her doubts in her ability to rule, but that didn't banish the fear of how her people would react to such a decision. She sincerely hoped that the rest of the kingdom would share the same sentiment in her as she had with the Council. Councilmen were trained to exercise restraint when it came to outbursts of illogical actions, but a crowd can be easily swayed by emotion, all rationality flying out the window. The wrong ones can cause uprising at the very worst, and dissent at the very least.
Before she could deliver her speech to them, however, she needed to have Hans hear about his new assignment.
She told a servant to bring Anna and Kristoff to the throne room before she herself made her own way there.
###
Hans jolted awake when a guard prodded at his shoulder with the tip of his boot. Remembering the newer curse put upon him, he sprang to his feet and fled to the far reaches of the enclosure, mindful not to touch anyone. He saw that the body was no longer in his cell, and that the scythe was sheathed and in the possession of another guard. Another quizzically picked up the empty bag and dropped it when he saw that it was empty.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't surprise me like that," the prince said as calmly as he could. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest, and he no doubt looked like a mess to the guards, so he doubted his mask of confidence was very convincing.
The guards made no acknowledgment that they heard him and unlatched his chains from the wall. They tugged him out of the cell, away from the dungeon, and led him to the gathering of people in the throne room. He was mindful to keep his hands away from touching anyone. He undoubtedly looked as stiff as a porcelain doll with the way his arms were kept from moving as he walked.
With all the well-dressed people gathered in the throne room, likely the Queen's Council, Hans could only guess that Queen Elsa had made her decision regarding what to do with Hans from this point forward.
The queen and princess appeared to try to keep straight faces, as if they were trying to hold back laughter. It seemed that they noticed his strange gait as he made his way to kneel to his hands and knees in front of the throne.
"Why does he walk like there are iron rods in his arms?" he heard one councilman say to another.
"I doubt he realizes that he looks foolish doing so," the other responded, laughing lightly. Hans resisted the urge to snap at them and bit his tongue.
He almost fell over in shock when he saw Kristoff making his way to stand beside Anna. His eyes widened at the realization that his eyes didn't deceive him the other day when he saw something off about the body. If that man he killed wasn't Kristoff, who was it then?
"I-I thought… I thought I killed you!" Hans gasped in surprise. He reached out to see if the blond man was real, but flinched and drew his hands away when he remembered the curse. "But… how? Who was the man I killed? W–"
The queen held her hand up to silence his rambling.
"I will address this later. Now, you must face judgment," Elsa said as formal and regal as a queen should be. "We have decided to follow through with your idea to be the kingdom's executioner. You will not be executed for your crimes against the kingdom of Arendelle. You have shown that this curse set upon you is punishment enough."
Hans' spirits were lifted upon hearing this. He wasn't going to be executed? He wasn't going to be driven insane to give in to the land? He almost wept in gratitude at the queen's feet. His pride, however, prevented him from doing such a thing. Despite everything, he at least needed to save a little bit of dignity.
He was still a prince, after all.
"Kristoff Bjorgman has suggested that if you were to continue to show traits of good character, you will be allowed to live and serve as a servant to the crown, though under heavy guard. He believes that bringing you out of the dungeons would be more beneficial for you to continue to do what is now expected of you, and that you would be more able to prove your worth to the kingdom. However, the Council and I agree that you must first earn this privilege. You will be assessed for the next few weeks by either Princess Anna, Kristoff Bjorgman, or me. If we deem you trustworthy in your cause to better the greater good, then, and only then, would you be brought out of your cell."
Hans' mouth dropped open in shock, and he quickly closed it in place when he realized that he probably looked dumb doing so. Were they really going to give him all of this? After all that he'd done? Were they really going to just forgive him, just like that?
No, it wasn't forgiveness. If they did, Queen Elsa would have just said as much. He was going to be given a lighter sentence. That was all. Still, it showed how merciful the queen could be. Hans wasn't sure why, but he felt ashamed of himself for ever attempting to take over her kingdom.
The ice harvester was sympathetic to him as well. Why? Was there something the trolls told him about that he wasn't yet aware of? It was highly likely that if the old troll told Kristoff about it, then the man would have spread the word to everyone else. How else would the ice harvester convince the queen and her council to allow him such freedoms?
Well, of course he would have to earn those privileges. There was no way he would pass up such an opportunity. Anything to get him out of living in a dungeon for the rest of his life.
"In addition to the criminals currently in the kingdom," the queen continued after a few moments of pause. "We are being sent high-profile criminals from neighboring kingdoms to be tried here in Arendelle. If they are deemed worthy of execution, you will be the one to carry out their punishments, regardless of your living arrangements. The extra criminals are to ensure that there would be enough leeway for you to be free of the land's influence between… sacrifices."
The queen grimaced a bit from saying the word. The gathered councilmen shifted about uncomfortably where they stood.
No doubt that they felt the whole situation felt like a badly-written story about appeasing a hungry monster by throwing unwilling victims to its abode. Hans definitely felt the same sentiment. But sadly, the story was their reality.
"Do the rest of you have any remarks?" she asked, opening the floor to everyone in the room.
After a few moments of silence around the chamber, Elsa gestured to the gathered councilmen, who left at the dismissal. He was left alone with the three responsible for his assessments and the guards who brought him from the dungeon.
"Now, to address the man you sacrificed the other day, that man was convicted of multiple counts of piracy and murders. He was to be executed next month," the queen said, a softer tone to her voice with hint of worry. A pirate? Well, at least it wasn't an innocent man. It still didn't rest easy within him, however.
"I genuinely thought I killed you," Hans said to Kristoff. "I thought that when I was going to be brought here, there was no chance that I would ever be…" He started to choke up, the words getting caught in his throat. The relief he felt that the person who had shown any bit of hope in Hans wasn't dead caused his eyes to water, to his terrifying realization.
"Seriously? You didn't even check to see if it was me?" Kristoff said in a mixture of shock and amusement.
"I couldn't bring myself to. I tried so hard to keep myself from slipping. And then thinking I…"
"Wait… You really didn't want to hurt him?" Anna asked, stepping closer to where Hans kneeled. He shrunk away as she made her advance, pulling his hands closer to his body, which was quite a feat since he also made sure to keep them away from himself as well.
Afraid to hurt Anna now? Even after having a lack of second thoughts about leaving her to die? Oh, how far he'd fallen.
Or… maybe that was a good thing? Maybe it was an indication that he was changing?
"Are you seriously afraid of me?" Anna said with mild annoyance. "Really?"
"I don't want to hurt you," Hans said, panic-stricken when he saw that Anna moved ever closer to where he kneeled. He stood to his feet and backed away from the princess. The queen and the princess' fiancé were glued to where they were, wanting to act but not sure how.
To his horror, he found that he couldn't move any further when the chains around his wrists and ankles pulled taut.
"Please, stay away from me," Hans pleaded, growing more desperate when the guards reached to grab at one of his hands. He twisted away from their reach and yanked at the chains holding him. "Stop! Stop! I don't want to hurt any of you! Please, just listen!"
One of the guards succeeded in grabbing one of Hans' wrists, hand coming into contact with cursed hand. As soon as he did, he screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, dropping his hold on his end of the chain. Everyone in the throne room looked on in terror as the guard's soul threatened to separate from his body, the eerie glow emanating around his form. The other guards drew their blades and pointed them at the captured prince, angry that one of their own was in a state. One made a motion to swing his sword before it clattered to the ground, its blade coated in ice.
"Everyone, stop!" Elsa commanded, the floor around her frosting over in ice. The tormented guard continued his screams, though everyone else froze and turned their gazes onto the queen.
Hans made no attempt to flee, knowing it was pointless (and impossible, considering that he was still chained).
"Send that to the other room," Elsa commanded the guard holding the scythe. Hans' panic grew even larger when the guard disappeared with the enchanted harvesting tool behind a door. However, he knew that it was for the best, since the whole situation had escalated enough where someone's life was in danger with it around. His own comfort wasn't necessary.
"Explain. Now," Elsa said, her act of calmness failing at the breaking of her voice. Anna fell to her knees next to the tortured guard, attempting to comfort him as she cried. She whispered unintelligible things to the guard, which appeared to help calm him a little.
"The pixie added another curse," Hans started, verging on tears. No, enough with crying. It never served him well anyway. He clamped his eyes shut, willing them away as he continued, "That whomever I touch with these hands shall experience torment. I assume that she means for this to replace the wasted dust I spilled while in my grief the other day."
"… and that's all?"
"She also said that it's irrevocable. She told me to figure out everything else on my own. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I wasn't immune to my own curse." A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he opened his eyes to gaze the floor. As he sank back to kneel to his knees, he added, "Hilariously enough, I even half-wished it was literally the 'touch of death' she off-handedly mentioned."
Of course, it wasn't hilarious. He was absolutely miserable.
He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down, stifling the chaotic storm of emotion stirring within him. It wouldn't do to have a breakdown in front of the queen, of course.
The writhing guard ceased his screams, panting heavily as his soul returned to its peaceful state back into the far reaches of his body. The princess helped the man back to his feet when his breathing returned to normal. The other guards around Hans returned their swords to their scabbards, but their stances did not relax.
"I'm sorry," Hans said to the guard. "You shouldn't have gone through that." The guard only nodded and returned to his place holding his end of the chain.
"You really didn't want to hurt him…" Anna said, shocked realization contorting her features. "Y-you… b-but… Why? Suddenly you're acting all guilty, and that you're owning up to your mistakes, and it's like your so easy to read all of a sudden. What…?"
"To be quite frank, Princess Anna, it's as if Fate no longer wanted me to continue to be… well… me. Knowing that Fate is an actual conscious force of some sort, that's probably not an exaggeration. Other than that, I'm just very tired of all the games."
"I'm sorry it's just that… I don't know whether or not I can believe you. After all the deception, and the death threats, and…" Her eyes widened at an epiphany. "I really don't know you."
Hans offered her a sad smile and sighed, "You and me both, it seems." He stared at his hands in disgust, curling his fingers against the floor in anger. "And now I'm stuck like this. If only I wasn't so oblivious to where my original path was leading, none of this would have happened. Now I have to be extremely cautious doing anything. Even changing my attire! Hah! How pitiful."
"Why don't we just cover them?" Kristoff suggested. "You're not really touching anything if they're covered, right?"
"I doubt the pixie would give me such an easy workaround."
"It doesn't hurt to try, right?"
"I suppose not," Hans sighed.
"Is there any other concerns that anyone else wants to bring to my attention before we're dismissed?" Elsa asked. The ice around her dissipated as she took a few deep breaths. After a round of answers of the negative, she instructed for Hans to be sent back to the dungeon.
After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, she made her way to prepare herself to speak to the kingdom, small motes of snowflakes trailing in the queen's wake.
###
"People of Arendelle," Elsa said, starting her speech when a good number of the kingdom's citizens gathered in the square in front of her. "I regretfully bring grave news from my excursion to the trolls in the mountains. Prince Hans' curse could not be broken, nor is there any way to quench the fury our land feels for humanity other than to submit to its demands for sacrifice."
At this, the crowd started to murmur amongst themselves. A few gasps echoed around the audience.
"We have been warned of a great disaster should Prince Hans be prevented in carrying out his assignment. To help prevent the deaths of innocents, the Council and I have decided to carry out an agreement with the prince. We have established Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles as the official executioner of Arendelle. This way, only those who deserve death would be sacrificed."
The murmurs grew louder, their dissatisfaction of the ruling becoming more apparent.
"Yesterday, the dread pirate Thaddeus was executed for his crimes. I know that it was premature, but know that it was necessary. Had this decision not been made, we risk much more than failing to follow the bureaucratic proceedings of proper execution of a criminal. Since we do not yet know Prince Hans' stance in whether or not he is concerned for the people of Arendelle, he will continue to be under heavy guard, and will not be allowed to be among the common populace for everyone's safety."
The crowd's voices died down, though a few rowdy shouts could be heard.
"Send him back to the Isles, Queen Elsa! We don't want him here!" a villager argued. Sounds of agreement rumbled throughout the gatherers.
"As I have explained before upon returning to Arendelle from Corona, it was my actions during my coronation that caused these events to occur. I am responsible for the fallout, and Hans' condition is a part of that responsibility. Should any of you want to voice your concerns, you may request an audience with me in the throne room. I thank all of you for your patience in this matter."
Elsa gave a practiced, graceful wave to the crowd before returning inside the castle. She exhaled a sigh, the almost-unnoticeable snowflakes disappearing as she calmed down.
The people weren't very happy with the decision. She was sure to have an earful awaiting her in the throne room later on.
###
Princess Anna took a deep breath before opening the door to Hans' cell. Yes, she knew it was foolish to not bring Elsa or Kristoff with her, but the guards were enough, right? Besides, Elsa was super busy with meeting with people after her speech. Very unhappy people. Kristoff wanted to come, but she had to speak to Hans alone. After everything she did, she felt that it was only fair that she, by herself, should speak to him. Or, relatively by herself.
Her fear made her forget who she was, and because of it, made everything worse. It was a wonder how no one had died because of her lack of tact. At least, not directly. While she didn't believe that she was responsible for the deaths of the people in Corona, she couldn't claim complete innocence. For all she knew, she even might have contributed in some part. It almost made her as bad as the man chained up in the cell in front of her.
As much as she still held grievances against the prince in her dungeon, she should at least fess up to her own wrongdoings. It was the right thing to do, after all. A royal should know and fix their faults, lest they fall into corruption, as her parents used to tell her.
Stepping into the cell, with the guards tailing her closely, Anna saw Hans sitting hunched over at the edge of the cot, staring at the wall in front of him, looking to be on the verge of breaking down. Into tears? Hysterics? Insanity? Maybe all of the above.
This was the same man who was able to woo her in one day, and leave her for dead the next. Wow, what a mess he'd become.
"Hey… uh…" Anna started. Hans jolted at the sound of her voice, as if his staring earlier was a trance of some sort that she had interrupted. "I just came to say I'm sorry."
His head snapped to gaze at her, eyebrows raised in disbelief. He blinked a few times rapidly before clearing his throat and replying, albeit hesitantly, "A-apology accepted. For what, may I ask?"
"For everything. For making you angry, for being blind to your suffering, for not noticing that you're… different now… somehow. Pretty much for being a jerk to you."
"Oh."
"You're not going to say any witty remarks?"
"No. I'm… surprisingly at a loss for words."
"Wow, if an apology was all it takes, people should do it more often," Anna laughed. She bit back her amusement when she remembered who she was talking to. Ugh, why did he make things so complicated? "Anyway, I brought these as a… peace offering. Or, something along those lines."
She reached out to one of the guards next to her, who placed a pair of gloves into her hand. Hans eyed the exchange, expression unreadable.
"I also want to thank you for… uh… restraining yourself when Kristoff was in the cell with you when you were about to go psycho," Anna added awkwardly. She nodded and cleared her throat. She really needed to work on being a "graceful princess."
She placed the gloves at the foot of the cot and left the cell along with her entourage. She heaved a huge sigh of relief, the weight of guilt leaving her shoulders, before locking the door behind her.
Okay, so he didn't try to hurt her this time. Maybe Kristoff was right all along, that all Hans needed was for someone to encourage him to develop his good side. She didn't know how to do it, but the least she could do was to keep from antagonizing him whenever they spoke.
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is also on the shorter side or if it wasn't as well-written as you guys would've liked. There was a sudden death in the family, so I might be caught up in a whole lot of things in the coming days. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging while all this goes on in the event that I don't update in the meantime.
Don't worry about me though, I'll be okay.
Thank you to everyone that left a review! I love you guys so much :D
And thank you to everyone else who has shown interest as well by following/favoriting this fan fiction.
To answer the question whether or not this plot will contain Helsa, (or any other pairing other than the established Kristanna, for that matter) uh…
*grins wickedly*
I dunno, what do you think might happen ;)
A bit of a disclaimer: There may or may not be pairings that will form in this fic. I honestly do not have an outline of any sort as I write this (only a little checklist of ideas and major events), so anything that happens is as much as a surprise for me as it is to everyone else. Should any form of romance happen, it would likely be due to a natural sequence of events. (Or at least an attempt at "natural.")
In other words, if it happens, it happens ;P