Authors note: I want to thank you all for reviewing and reading the last chapter. Hearing your opinions means a lot.
The last time we left it has shown that Firebird and Elsa fought, but it did not stay that way.
Now for some answers. Yes it may seem that way, but in reality it is the other way around, Hans is doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons. Like he said in the past chapters "There is a method to my madness", Elsa in this au never got to quote "Let it go" she never got to the point where she began to embrace herself and her powers, she remained meek, reserved, the "gates never opened", it got worse as she was forced into the throne earlier than in the movie and the added stress, the pressure of the crown, having to be perfect, controlling her emotions took a huge toll on her emotionally, socially and psyche. Anna did try to help but failed as she could not get close to Elsa because she was always so busy being queen and had an image to uphold, so seeing this Hans did what he did to get Elsa to show emotions and such, to draw her out of her cocoon.
True it seems manipulative, but he has every good intention of helping her. As for the marriage, he got a little bit carried away when he realized she was his destined bride and forgot that falling in love takes time and is not something that happens overnight. Luckily Kristoff managed to help him with that by pointing this out.
Yes he seems one way, but he is very complex (even in cannon he is a complex character), like in a past chapter which was mentioned "He is like a Russian nesting doll, opening one layer reveals an entirely new layer".
Now this is all I can say for if I say more then it will be huge spoilers for future chapters.
For now please read on, enjoy and review when done as I would like to know how you all like it so far or if you have any questions. :)
Flying was a lot harder than Hans expected, the altitude made him queasy and he could feel his wings tiring out. Despite this, he flapped them as hard as he could, determined to get away the enchantress' abode.
It was strange though… Just a little while back, he could have sworn he had seen the onyx spires and towers of Westergaard Castle just peeking over the fence, so it was to his complete bafflement when he found himself flying over a dreary farming village, with the castle some distance away. He scowled to himself. This was Agathe's doing, he was quite sure of it. From the looks of it, she most likely teleported her property to another location just as he exited, and at the same time cast a spell to give the illusion that the castle was still nearby.
Eventually, his body could no longer handle the stress, and he wound up careening into a window. Fortunately for him, it was open and he ended up crash-landing onto a creaky old bed.
"Oh!" he heard someone exclaim.
Hans tensed. 'Uh-oh… Now I'm going to catch it.' He frantically flapped his wings, trying to right himself, but it was too late. He felt himself being scooped up by a pair of gentle hands and came face-to-face with a little girl.
She was a sweet, young thing, roughly around eleven years old give or take. She was quite pretty too with her curly raven-black hair and friendly blue eyes, although her complexion was a bit too pale for it to be considered healthy. Her movements were gentle and delicate, and if it were not for the ragged, patched dress she was wearing, Hans could have sworn she was, at the very least, of aristocratic descent instead of a simple farmer's daughter.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Bird?" she asked, her voice soft and lilting. "Are you –" Before she could say anything more, she erupted into a loud, hacking cough.
As much as Hans wanted to ask what was wrong, he knew the child would freak out if she heard him speak; so he simply peered up at her, chirping.
She carefully laid him on the window sill, gently petting his warm feathers. "Have you come to make me feel better?" she asked in between coughs. "Thank you…" She then yawned and leaned back into her straw pillow. "Oh, but I have to sleep now. See you tomorrow."
'Phew! That was a close one!' Hans said to himself as he watched the girl sleep. He then rested a bit to replenish his energy, and after a while, he was ready to set out once more. But just as he was about to leave, he caught the sound of raised voices, the sound of someone arguing coming from floor below. Curious, he flitted off the window sill and made his way to the staircase. Peering down below, he could see a man and a woman, locked in a heated debate. Like the little girl upstairs, they too looked ragged and haggard, but what bothered him the most was how the man was covered in scars.
"We must do something!" he heard a woman wail, "We can't let out daughter die!"
A mixture of pity and dread washed over the prince-turned-bird. 'Die?' He may not have known the child from Adam, but even he knew that nobody deserved to die so young, especially one as innocent and pure as that little girl. He moved even closer, wanting to catch more of the grown-ups' conversation.
"Like what?" mourned the paterfamilias, "We have no money to spare for a doctor, in fact we can hardly afford to put food on the table or pay for our taxes. The king has already confiscated most of my land and all of our livestock. We have practically nothing left!"
"Still, there must be something we can do!" the mother insisted.
"Not this time," said the father resignedly, holding his wife as she broke down and wept. "All we can do now is simply pray for a miracle."
Hans felt his heart break at the sorrowful sight before him. Never had he seen suffering of such magnitude. As a royal prince, he, along with his brothers had been hidden away from the harsh reality of peasant life. Yes, he did have his share of troubles, but he could now see that it was nothing compared to the misery the common folk were subjected to. This family was proof of that.
'There must be something I can do to help,' Hans thought to himself. As he wracked his brain, he suddenly had an idea… His mother had a large assortment of fine jewelry, many of which she never used, so it was unlikely that she would miss one. If he could take one and give it to the farmer's family, maybe they could sell it and use the money to get the little girl a doctor and buy a bit of food.
'But would I dare to steal from my own mother?' The thought itself was unsavory, but seeing how pale and sickly the little girl was gave him the initiative to do the deed. 'It's for the greater good,' he reminded himself. 'The end justifies the means.'
Having made up his mind, Hans quickly left the village for Westergaard Castle. It was still a good distance away, but the memory of the destitute family gave him the endurance to overcome his fatigue.
Arriving at the castle, Hans discovered that it was heavily guarded and the windows were shuttered tight, so getting inside the conventional way was definitely out of the question. But then, he spotted an unlit chimney. It was a long shot, but by this point, he was willing to try anything. Throwing all caution to the wind, he promptly slipped inside.
Going through a chimney, even an unlit one, was not particularly a pleasant experience. It was dark, sooty, and the smell of smoke and ash clung to his nostrils and made him cough. But despite this, he managed to make his way inside.
Shaking the soot off his feathers, he navigated through the castle's cavernous halls until he found his parents' room. Making sure that the coast was clear, he stealthily slipped inside. Fortunately for him, neither his father nor his mother were around, so it was easier for him to sneak around.
He crept over to the vanity where the queen's jewelry box sat. Opening hit, he was greeted by a wide assortment of ornaments and precious gems, glinting in the dim lamplight. However, there was no time for him to browse through the gems; his parents could enter the room at any moment, and he was certain that they would be less than pleased if they saw a bird making off with one of the family jewels.
Without hesitation, he snatched up a ruby pendant by its thick, gold chain before heading back to the chimney. But because he was being encumbered by the heavy jewel, exiting from his original entry point proved to be too difficult a task, so he had to find an alternate route. Using his beak, he lifted the window latch and pushed at it with all his might until it creaked open.
The weight of the pendant made the return journey a bit more difficult, but he spurred on as thought of the sick child and her distraught parents. He barely made it back to his destination when he felt his exhaustion overwhelm him, making him pass out into a dead faint.
Hours later…
A happy crow roused Hans from his blackout and he found himself being squished in a pair of arms.
It seemed that the girl had found his gift.
"Did you bring this? Where did you find it? Is this for me?" she chattered, bombarding him with a barrage of questions. Her arms constricted tighter still as she enveloped Hans into a tight hug, thanking him profusely all the while.
'Is she trying to kill me?' He choked and gagged as he tried to squirm out of her grip, but she paid him no heed. Eventually, she did let go before running downstairs to show the trinket to her family.
Though he was disheveled and bedraggled after the ordeal, Hans still managed to crack a smile, pleased that at least the girl's story would have a happy ending.
The Firebird roused to warmth of the morning sun streaming through the windows. He yawned, blinking a few times, only to realize that he was lying in a bed – Elsa's bed.
'Oh no…'
He was really going to hear it from her now. He knew how Elsa valued her personal space and he had made a promise to respect her privacy, so to have him lying in her bed, of all places, simply spelled trouble. He never even intended to break his vow in the first place; it just so happened that he had just finished the paperwork and was eager to show it to Elsa when he passed out from fatigue.
But just then, he noticed that he had a blanket draped over him, and that Elsa herself was nowhere to be seen.
'Could it be?' he pondered, 'Could it be that she does care?'
When he thought about it, it did make sense… After all, she did go out in foul weather just to look for him, so perhaps there was some hope for their relationship after all.
Once he was sufficiently awake, the Firebird left the room to look for Elsa. Knowing her workaholic nature, he began his search in her study, only to find it empty. 'I wonder where she is…' he mused. Just then, his stomach growled. 'I suppose I could resume my search after a bit to eat…' he decided.
He made his way towards the dining room, only to find Elsa already seated at a table laden with a breakfast spread for two.
"It's quite unlike you to sleep in," she quipped, by way of greeting. "Nonetheless, I hope you were able to rest well."
The Firebird merely stared, caught off guard by her sudden amicability.
"Well?" the queen prompted, gesturing to the empty chair in front of her, "Aren't you going to join me?"
"Isn't this a surprise?" he replied rather snippily, "If I recall, you mentioned that you didn't want to be in the company of a dumb animal, so why the sudden change of heart?"
"Yes, about that…" Elsa began, looking quite contrite, "I just want to apologize for saying all those horrible things to you. I really stepped out of line, considering I, of all people, should know what it's like to be belittled for circumstances beyond my control. You did not deserve to be treated that way, and if there was a dumb animal, that would be me because of how I treated you."
"I agree…" said the Firebird, making her wince, "However, I wasn't exactly blameless either…" His gaze softened. "You were already in a difficult position, and I just kept pressuring and teasing you, never taking your feelings in account. By all means, it was very insensitive and inconsiderate of me, and I shouldn't have acted that way in front of you. You are royalty of the highest order, and given your standing, I should have behaved accordingly."
"To tell you the truth, I don't really mind if you tease me a bit," Elsa replied, sheepishly twiddling her spoon. "Other than Anna and Kristoff, only you have ever had the courage to treat me like a regular person."
"That may be so," said the Firebird, nodding, "But my approach wasn't exactly proper. I promise I'll try to tone it down a bit."
"Alright then," said Elsa with a nod of her own, "So are we good?"
"Yes," the Firebird said, smiling as he took the empty seat, "We're good."
"By the way, I read your revised proposal," Elsa told him as she lazily stirred her porridge. "You really outdid yourself in listing down the agenda that need to be addressed. I guess you really have had some experience of being a royal adviser."
He shrugged. "You could say it's a part of the job description. As the Firebird, it is my duty to go from kingdom to kingdom and guide the monarch in establishing good governance."
Elsa gasped. "Even in great empires like Britain and Spain?"
"Especially in great empires like Britain and Spain," the Firebird pointed out, "Contrary to what you think, the people do not serve their monarch, but rather the monarch serves his people. It's the subjects' wellbeing that measures the monarch's success."
"You sure do know a lot," the blonde observed with a wistful sigh. "It must be wonderful to be able to explore the world and experience all these wonderful things."
"And you can!" urged the Firebird as an idea crossed his mind. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to fly?"
"To fly?" Elsa echoed. "You mean like you?"
"Yes!" the Firebird replied with a vigorous nod.
"Well-l, as a child, I used to wonder about that," Elsa told him, "But it's silly… If humans were really meant to fly, we would have done so a long time ago."
"But what if I told you that you too can fly?" he asked.
"F-fly? Me!" she squeaked, "Impossible!"
"Au contraire, my dear," said the Firebird, "I think that you should know by now that nothing is impossible if one puts their mind to it. Tell you what, let's meet up in your room after breakfast. There's something I want to show you."
"It's not something dangerous, is it?" she asked, apprehensive.
"Don't worry," the Firebird assured her, "It's perfectly safe. But for now, let's eat."
Once they had polished off their plates, both Elsa and the Firebird then returned to the queen's chambers. "So what is this thing you wanted to show me?" Elsa asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"It's not anything tangible, if that's what you're thinking," the Firebird told her, "But I wasn't joking when I said that you too could experience the joy of flight, and what I'm about to show you can help with that. Now, if you could sit down and hold out your hand, please…"
"O-kay…" she said, wondering where the Firebird was going with this.
Once she was seated, the Firebird then flew over and pressed his head against Elsa's outstretched hand. There was a strange sensation, as if she was being sucked through a tube, and then nothing.
"Ugh, what was that all about?" she moaned, queasy from the ordeal, only to choke back a scream upon seeing her unconscious form slumped on her bed.
Elsa whirled onto the Firebird, her eyes blazing with fury. "What did you do to me?" she shrieked. She moved to grab him by the neck, only to pale in horror when she phased right through him. "I-I'm a GHOST!?"
"What? No!" the Firebird exclaimed, looking somewhat miffed at the accusation. "It's an ability of mine– I merely separated your consciousness from your physical body. In layman's terms, you're alive but comatose."
"Well, doesn't that sound reassuring!" Elsa all but screamed. "If this you getting back me at because of what I said before–"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… I would never do anything of that sort!" said the Firebird. "When I said I forgave you, I meant it. What's happening now has nothing to do with yesterday at all."
"So why am I a… …spirit then?" Elsa asked, gesturing to her now-incorporeal body.
"I believe astral projection would be a more accurate term," the Firebird told her, "And if you want to really experience the joy of flight, this is one way that humans could do it; compared to your physical body, your consciousness isn't bound by the limitations of the physical world."
"I suppose that makes sense…" said the blonde, tapping her chin with an elegant finger. Just then, without warning, she leapt into the air.
"Ohh…" she marveled as she found herself floating a few feet above ground, "This is amazing!"
The Firebird smirked. "That's nothing. If you want to really see something amazing, follow me!"
Together, the two of them slipped out the window and soared into the sky. Elsa giggled as she felt the wind caress her as she and the Firebird flitted over and under the clouds. It was a sensation most exhilarating; never had she felt so alive.
"Wow…" she gasped as they passed over the forests, mountains , and valleys; as well as the rivers, lakes, and fjords that surrounded Arendelle. It truly was a sight to behold, and she could see now how it could have inspired the Firebird to make the emerald jewelry set he had given her not too long ago.
But just then, she noticed him slowing down. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing… Just follow me, I have to show you something." The Firebird veered towards the coast, with Elsa following suit. Not long after, they found themselves flying over a small fishing village. It was a dreary-looking place. Its buildings were rundown and shabby, and the residents themselves shuffled about looking more dead than alive. Their faces were pale and gaunt, and their clothes ragged and dirty; and combined with this glazed, defeated look in their eyes, it was clear that these people were barely scraping by.
Elsa could only stare in fascinated horror. Try as she might, she could not tear her gaze away from the suffering below. "Wh-what is this place?"
"Your village," the Firebird replied. "Let's not linger too long; there is still much I must show you."
Village to village, town to town, he showed her everything – peasant folk struggling to make ends meet, hungry children languishing in workhouses and debtors' prisons, and even a little match-girl who was being beaten by her wastrel of a father – the harsh, gritty reality of human suffering that lay beyond the castle walls.
Every time she asked him where they were, he would give the same answer. "Your town, your village," he would say. Even when they had crossed Arendelle's national borders, he would still say the same thing, much the Elsa's bafflement and consternation. It made no sense. She was the queen of Arendelle, beyond that she had no jurisdiction.
"Enough!" she cried, exasperated. "These are not my towns nor are these my villages! This isn't even Arendellian territory. In case you forgot, I only rule over Arendelle and nothing more!"
"That's not true."
Elsa furrowed her brows in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"That's not true," he repeated. "You're more than just that. Yes, you are Queen Elsa of Arendelle, but with that comes many more lands and titles – duchess, princess, heiress – but most importantly, you are the queen of a united Norway. You are more than just Arendelle. You have spend so much time there that you have forgotten the rest. These people are your people, and they need a strong leader now more than ever. I fear that if something is not done soon, then everything will be lost."
"But what can I do?" she stressed.
"You must take charge," he said, his tone warm and encouraging. "You are the queen of Arendelle, it's time that you accept the powers and responsibilities that come with it. And don't forget… You are not alone. I'm willing to help you, that is, if you'll let me."
For a moment, Elsa was silent, unmoving even, but slowly she nodded. "Very well, I trust you…" she said, "I just hope–"
"Worry not, dear Elsa for I never go back on my word," the Firebird told her, "What I promised you that day… …when I said that I would help you rule… I meant every single word of it, and I intend to keep it so."
"Thank you…" she smiled, grateful for his encouragement and support.
"It's going to be bitter work," the Firebird went on, "But I'm confident that together, we can heal the land."
"Sounds like a plan," Elsa agreed, "Lucky for you, I've always liked a challenge."
"Glad we can come to a consensus," he quipped, earning a playful smirk in response.
Beta and cover image: Nightrain and Brownstone
Authors note: Seems that Elsa and Firebird/Hans did a truce. That is a good place to start if you ask me. :) Any way I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review to tell me what you all think of it and stay tuned for the next one. :)