The Troll and the Mirror

(A/N: Second up today, given the first went up so early. Kind of a major Easter Egg to be found in this chapter. It probably won't take much to guess what it is or how it ties in to the Westergaard family. Take if as you will, either as just a reference or as a genuine tie-in. In my defense, if you think about it, it kind of makes sense. Helps that when you search 'Southern Isles' on a browser, and specify you're looking for the real life thing, Scotland pops up. Sort of where the Easter Egg idea came in, though I think the Southern Isles are more a reference to Denmark, given Hans's namesake was Danish.)

Anna moaned softly. Her head was pounding. What had hit her? She heard voices. "She's waking up," one familiar but not often heard voice said. Wasn't that Rhun?

"Thank heaven," another breathed. "Finally." Kelin-Sel, she noted. Was she dreaming? What would they be doing in her room?

"Anna? Princess Anna," a third voice said. Iscawin.

"Anna! Anna, honey, open your eyes, please!" a voice she knew intimately pled. Kristoff! Anna's eyes flickered open and fell on her companions. She started. With Kristoff were the Princes of the Southern Isles! Minus one. Hans. She bolted upright like a shot and gasped in pain. "Easy," Mael commanded. "You struck your head and must rest."

"Where are we? What was that? What happened? Where's Elsa?!" Anna fearfully asked.

"The Queen is alright. She wasn't taken by the creatures," Moren stated. Nor had Hans been. He was unsure if that was a good or bad thing, given the two were now stuck together. For once, though, he was thankful Hans was the most easily forgotten prince. It seemed even the one who had taken them had forgot there had been a thirteenth brother. At least for now.

"What about Hans?" Anna asked.

Moren was silent. Finally he sighed and answered, "He escaped too."

Anna paled. "You mean your psycho brother is alone with my sister?!" she freaked. "I don't think so! How do we get out of this place?"

"We don't," Connyn bluntly replied. "We're in the hands of something with power you don't even know. There won't be any getting out of this place."

"Sure there will be. There always is," Anna replied, scouting around for anything that could possibly be used to get out.

Calcas smirked. "She's spunky," he remarked.

"She's my fiancée. Stay away from her," Kristoff bit, frowning at him. Calcas innocently grinned, shrugging. Kristoff rolled his eyes then started helping Anna look for a way out. The princes exchanged looks. Damned if they sat by and didn't at least try to get away. They too began to start strategizing or finding possible escape routes.

Frozen

Hans reigned in Sitron by a creek and slid off of his back. He patted the horse and led it to said creek to drink. Elsa remained seated on her ice mare, staring after the clouds worriedly. "How many days do you think it will take to catch up?" she asked him.

Hans looked in that direction, frowning. "Four, maybe five? Perhaps less. It depends on how fast we ride and what obstacles get in the way. How long it'll take to get them out alive has yet to be seen," he answered.

"I'm sure you wouldn't shed a tear if any of them died," Elsa replied.

"You have no idea how right you are," Hans answered. "And if I happen to lose you along the way, I won't be protesting."

Elsa's eyes narrowed coldly. "Unfortunately it's more likely I'll lose you, and sadly I can't afford that. Not if you know what we're facing," she said. "After all, the winters in Arendelle can be frigid. The cold doesn't bother me, Hans. What about you?"

Hans chuckled icily and turned to her. "Oh don't worry about me, your majesty. After all, I'm the one with the weapons to defend against the monsters," Hans answered. "Up to and including you."

She started, mouth dropping in anger. Did he just call her a monster? "How dare you!" she shouted at him.

"How dare I what?" Hans retorted sharply, turning his back on her and wandering towards the forest to find wood for the fire they'd need when evening came. "Sorry to say it but out here, Elsa, you're not a queen. You're a liability, and I don't have to treat you with any more respect than I would afford any other enemy. Fact of the matter is you can't make it without me, and as much as I hate to say it, you'll probably prove invaluable in this quest in ways I couldn't hope to be, so really all we have to worry about out here is surviving each other and everything will be rainbows and butterflies."

"The only monster out here is you, Prince of the Southern Isles!" she shot sharply.

"You know what, you're probably right," Hans answered, turning back to her with a smile, opening his arms wide. "I'm the monster. Have at me, your majesty. After all, we all know what happens to rulers when monsters are left alive. Smite me, oh mighty queen."

"Don't tempt me," Elsa coldly answered.

"Look, I get you hate me. Trust me, the feeling's mutual. The only difference is you have every reason to despise my guts and the only reason I have to despise you is because you and your sister got in the way."

Liar, you know it is more than that...

Immediately Hans denied the voice and continued. "I hurt you. Badly. Anna too. You know, I don't even regret it. Resent it, yes, regret it, no. When all's said and done, I know the odds are you'll never forgive me even if I beg your forgiveness, or if you do it'll take a long time. I can't say I'm happy about this situation we're stuck in, but in the end this is beyond you and me, your majesty. This goes beyond Arendelle and the Southern Isles. This goes beyond treachery, pain, deceit, grudges, revenge, or even the past. It isn't about us, it isn't about me, it isn't about you. What we're dealing with… there's no room for any of that… we can't save your people and our families without one another," he said.

"I'd be more than happy to try!" Elsa shot.

"Elsa, you don't have any idea what's coming. It may cost us everything and everyone here. Our kingdoms. Now maybe you haven't noticed, with my twelve brothers coming at you all at once and me suddenly coming back into your life like this, but I have people I have to protect. As little as they deserve it," he said. "And I know for a fact you do too, so let's drop this game and try to at least tolerate each other's presence. I said things, you said things, let's stop that now and focus on the task at hand. This can't be about what happened between you and me, or me and Anna, or all three of us. Am I asking you to forgive me and let it go? Hell no. I get that there are some things that can't be forgiven. All I'm asking is that you help them. Not me, but them." He paused and looked towards the black clouds in the distance. She was quiet, digesting all he had said and hating him all the more. He didn't regret it? He didn't regret nearly murdering…? Ugh, no, she couldn't even think about it. If she did she'd kill him in his sleep. "There are people my brothers need to get home to, too," he suddenly said, and she quickly looked over at him, a little surprised. Had he alluded to families? He met her eyes again. "I may hate them, but despite that, I will stop at nothing to try and get my siblings back. Even if it's going to fail. Put aside what happened between us, at least for now, because something so much worse is coming. Something so much worse is here…"

Elsa was quiet. Finally she sighed and bowed her head. "Fine," she answered. "Fine. For now. But when this is over, mark my words you'll be judged accordingly. Not only for your actions then, but for your words and actions from this point forth until your trial." He harrumphed and turned back to the forest, going into it to find wood and hopefully food to add to what they'd brought along.

Elsa sighed and slid off of the snow mare's back. It nickered at her, nibbling her hair. She smiled and gently pushed it away. It snorted in derision. Sitron looked up from the stream, checked the woods for his master, then immediately pranced over to the snow mare, putting on a show. The mare watched curiously. Elsa couldn't help but giggle, covering her mouth at the stallion's antics. She looked to the stream and went to it. She should probably stock up on their water supply. Who knew how many streams they'd pass by before there would be no more? She looked towards the dark clouds worriedly. "Be safe, Anna," she pled softly.

Frozen

Anna collapsed back onto the ground panting. "It's no use! Give it up already. There's no escaping this dungeon!" Franz shot to her. "You're going to kill yourself trying."

"There's… always… a way," Anna panted.

"Then where the heck is it?!" Franz snapped.

"Well-well maybe if-if Kristoff and I weren't the only ones trying…" Anna began.

"Even Kristoff's given up, Anna! We're doomed, all of us! Doomed, okay?" Justic snapped. "We can't save ourselves and for all we know Hans and Elsa have killed each other or gone to war."

"Oh for the love of… You're all so helpless!" Anna shouted at them. "How have you managed to survive this long?"

"Helpless?! We'll show you helpless, you ungrateful little…" Duach began.

"Hey, back off!" Kristoff snapped.

"Stop it! We're going to end up killing each other before the troll king does at this rate!" Kelin-Sel cut in. "Now look, we can't give up. What's the worst that can happen? We get killed? We're dead already."

"Had it been Elsa taken with us, we would be out already," Rhun suddenly said. All eyes went to him. He was tapping the walls, feeling them, and examining them.

"What do you mean?" Connyn questioned.

"These walls. They've weakened over years. It must have been a long time since the hobgoblin has made shelter here. They're brittle, in disrepair. Enough force would break these down. If Elsa were here and she froze the walls of this place…" Rhun began.

Anna's eyes widened. "They'd crack and be broken down like they were in our dungeons," she realized.

"But Elsa isn't here. It's only us," Moren said.

"And my abilities will not save us," Mael said. "The most I could do is conjure a giant of dark magic and hope to weaken them."

"No… It might be enough," Rhun said. "And even if it isn't, what have we got to lose? Kelin-Sel's right. We die if we do, we die if we don't."

"Or we could wait for rescue," Coth remarked dryly. "More chance of surviving."

"But less chance that Hans will. You want that on your conscience? Our brother's blood, and maybe Elsa's?" Calcas asked.

Coth's eyes filled with worry and he nodded, rising. "Let's do this."

Frozen

She had sat down by the stream and was looking towards the mountains when Hans returned with wood tied in bundles for the trip. She hardly spared him a glance, and the one she spared was to be sure he hadn't come back with a weapon drawn in an attempt to assassinate her. She knew he wouldn't—as he'd said, for now they needed each other—but she was still cautious. Who knew? He was the type to decide suddenly that he could take his chances alone. "They're following the path I ran," Elsa remarked.

Hans raised an eyebrow and looked in that direction. "Then we'll have something of a base when we reach your ice castle," he answered. He looked over at Sitron and gave the horse an unimpressed look, noticing the stallion trying to court a mare made out of ice and snow. Oh for the love of… It couldn't even be in heat and his own was after it. He looked towards the mountains again. "It looks like it's a couple of peaks over from where your ice castle is situated. Good. Gives us some distance." He dropped the wood and went to the stream as well, sitting next to her and watching the skies.

"What is it?" Elsa asked. "What was that thing?" She could practically sense the change in the air. Hans was suddenly much more on guard… Maybe even uneasy… She looked over at him. "Hans?" she suspiciously asked.

He tensed up then turned to her. "Let's set up camp and get an early start tomorrow," he said, changing the subject. He rose and started away.

"No, no, no, I don't think so! This involves me and my people now, as much as it involved you and yours," she replied, standing as well.

"You think I care? It's none of your business," Hans replied.

"Why won't you tell me?!" she demanded sharply.

"Because I don't know!" he snapped back. "I mean I know, but I just…" He sighed, drawing a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. "It's hard to explain."

"Try," she replied.

"For the love of… What does it matter to you? When we get there your job is to get the prisoners out. I'll handle it."

"What is it?! Ugh, why are you so aggravating?!" she demanded, frustratedly holding her hair before releasing it.

"Why are you so nagging?" Hans said.

"That thing has my sister and my people, Hans!" she snapped.

"Yeah? Well they aren't what he wants!" Hans replied.

"Then what does he want?" Elsa demanded.

"He wants us!" Hans replied. "He wants me and my brothers and that is it!"

"Why? Help me understand," she said.

"Elsa, I don't even know why," Hans replied.

Elsa took a breath, trying to calm down. "Okay. Okay… Who knows, then?" Elsa questioned, trying to be calmer.

"If I were to guess? I'd say the big three," Hans answered.

"The what?" Elsa incredulously asked.

"Moren, Jürgen, and Mael," Hans stated with a sigh. "But they aren't here so I can tell you precious little."

"Tell me what you can, then. If I'm going to help you, you have to let me know what I'm helping you against. Please," Elsa answered.

Hans was quiet. Finally he drew his hand through his hair again with another sigh. "Fine. Fine… I'll tell you while we're setting up camp," he answered.

Frozen

An eerie shadow passed over the walls. The prisoners were dead silent, hardly daring to breathe. Finally it moved on. "What was that?" Kristoff whispered finally, when they dubbed it safe to start trying escape again.

"A palace guardian, a monster conjured by him," Jürgen quietly said. "It appeared when the walls were being attacked by Mael's giant… It may be the spirit of this castle. It will react to damage done to any part of it as if the palace was its own body, because in a sense it is."

"What is this thing we're dealing with?! It can make something like that?!" Anna freaked at the brothers. It was painfully obvious they knew more than they were letting on. It was also painfully obvious they didn't know as much as they wished they knew, because they were looking to Moren, Jürgen, and Mael for the answers. It seemed if anyone understood what this thing that had taken them was, it was the three eldest.

The king was holding the bridge of his nose, stressed. Jürgen was pretending he was deaf, apparently, and blind too. Mael, though, looked ready to talk. "I told you the story," he answered. "This is the work of the troll."

"The trolls aren't evil!" Kristoff insisted.

"Not all of them, no," Mael answered. "This one, though, is." He looked towards the ceiling—there were no windows to look out—and continued. "Surely, when you went with Hans, you heard part of the tale, Kristoff."

Kristoff shifted uneasily and looked down. "They mentioned a mirror. They mentioned something that called itself hobgoblin, troll king, wicked sprite, amongst other titles. Grand Pabby told me the one they referred to was the offspring of a troll and a sprite. That's it."

"Yes… It was a being too smart for its own good with power to match," Mael said. "It claims neither to be a troll or sprite, but something in between. That is why he took the term hobgoblin, because it referred to him as neither, though troll is the most familiar term… Grand Pabby mentioned me too, didn't he?"

Kristoff was quiet. Finally he sighed, bowing his head. "Yeah… some kind of disturbing things too…"

"You don't know the half of it, and I was far from the only one," Mael answered. "We called him the once-man, because more often than not he took on the form of a man… and then he didn't… Then he was something else… He was the one who cursed me with my powers."

"You're not telling us everything. Not even half of it," Anna said. "What about this mirror? What about why it wants you? Why is any of this a thing?"

"At the moment the mirror's irrelevant," Jürgen stepped in. "No one here could tell you more about it than Hans anyway. He'd become enraptured, actually almost obsessed, about the properties of the mythic mirror before he departed for Arendelle. What its purpose was, why it was, everything about it. He stumbled across mention of it in some long forgotten scroll and was immediately intrigued, but again, the mirror isn't our concern now."

"So then why does this thing want you?" Anna asked.

"Because there is a curse on our family dating back thousands of years into medieval—perhaps even dark ages—Scotland and Denmark. There is a powerful force there, and in that time there was a dealing with powers that shouldn't have ever been crossed. The troll king loves power," Moren said. "That he could have opportunity to bring it out, or to use us to awaken things best left never awakened again, tempted him."

"I happened to be the one he caught," Mael quietly said. "And in me he awakened power like that of what he sought, but it wasn't enough. He wanted the source of it. He wanted the force behind our curse and our bloodline's historical ties."

"He tried to get Mael to be his vassal, so to speak. He desired to use him for his own gain. Mael fought back, with us, and the wicked sprite was driven away. It returned when Hans was small, to take a try at the youngest and most defenseless prince. He failed then too," Moren said.

"Now he's back for round three," Jürgen bluntly stated. "Because as it turns out Hans is just the sort of mentality he needs to continue the hex on our family."

"What hex?" Anna questioned suspiciously. The princes were silent once more. "Please," Anna pled. The siblings exchanged looks then sighed and turned to her once more.

"We're bait, that's all you need to know," Rhun said.

"They deserve to know more than that," Kelin-Sel said. "They need to. To understand."

They looked to Moren for direction. The king was quiet. Finally, though, he closed his eyes with a sigh. "Then speak to it," he commanded. Mael nodded and turned to Anna and Kristoff. Taking a breath, he continued…

Frozen

The camp had been set up. Hans had yet to speak, but Elsa didn't press. He was deep in thought, she realized. Which meant odds were he would tell her. When he felt ready to. It wasn't until they had fully finished setting up camp and sat back—him against a boulder and her against a tree trunk—that he finally showed signs of speaking. "There's…" he began. He trailed off. She was quiet, watching the horses playing by the stream while she waited. "He came for us because of a curse on our family. Ages old, dating back to Medieval Scotland."

"I thought you were Danish," she remarked.

"We are," Hans answered. "Three quarters Danish, that is. The Southern Isles are located in the North Sea, as you know, and is a kingdom that both Scotland and Denmark have claims on. Mother was Danish, father was half Danish on his mother's side half Scottish on his father's. Denmark wanted the whole kingdom. The Danes were the majority population there anyway and they decided it was in their right to possess it. However, Scotland wanted to maintain a foothold in the islands, not willing to give them up. So father - at the time king of Scotland, in the wake of his father's death - paid a visit to Denmark, identifying himself as a Danish noble. There he met mother, a princess who the king and queen were looking to marry off. Preferably to a Danish noble, because the Southern Isles were to be under her reign when they passed. Marrying a noble gave her the control and power. Her husband would be a mere consort, if that. However, if she married a prince or king—namely one from Scotland—he would be the one with the power, and their plan to annex the Southern Isles would fall through. Mother and father married and then he revealed what he really was. Denmark was outraged, Scotland was victorious and the Southern Isles would continue to belong to both lands. This curse reaches back through father's family line."

"Go on," Elsa prompted.

"Our family has a long history of producing a large number of heirs, more often than not all, or mostly, male. Triplets or twins—but mostly triplets—are commonplace. If there are girls, there are usually only one or two. Years ago, four sons were born to one of the two clans father is descended from. One of them, though, was wicked and cruel. He lusted for power and nothing else mattered to him… He loved power more than he loved even family… So he went to a witch, and he asked her to give him the strength of ten men, or something like that. Mael's the historian. He would be more accurate in explaining this. She warned him to rethink his priorities, in so many words, and decide fast whether it was power he wanted more, or to fix the rift between him and his brothers… He chose power… He gained the strength of ten men. And a bear. Which incidentally was the form he ended up in. Again, I can't remember the details. Mael would, but I can't. What I understand is he murdered his brothers in cold blood and continued on his reign of terror, razing villages, devouring women and children and men… Not even the power of a whole clan could bring him down. Only one with the strength of another bear, or something like that. An ancestress of ours, from the second clan father was descended from, was the one that defeated him. More, the standing stones ended him. His spirit was set free, but the curse remained. From then on, whenever a situation similar to what happened to the four brothers back then occurred in the family line, and a descendant made the same choices as the original perpetrator, they took on the form of the bear. It's said that every few generations it happens. A choice is given, made, and another takes on the bear form. It's said it will continue happening for all eternity until finally one given that same choice chooses family over power and breaks the spell for good. My brothers and I happen to be the generation the curse is supposed to fall on."

"It will happen in you," Elsa realized, eyes widening.

"Or so that's what the troll king thinks," Hans bitterly replied.

"And he's right, isn't he?" Elsa murmured.

"I'm not one to roll over and submit to destiny," Hans replied.

"Unless you want to," she answered.

"This conversation is over," Hans said, laying down at the base of the rock.

"Maybe I should finish you," Elsa remarked. "For the sake of your family. For all our sakes."

"I'm not moving to stop you," Hans said, and Elsa was taken aback. Had he… had he actually just said that? "When this is over, when they're free, you have my permission to kill me. Or try," he suddenly added, and if possible she felt even more stunned. "Not like anyone would mourn my passing anyway. Or be missing out on much of a life, dying this young."

She was quiet, watching him. "You're afraid too," she realized. "Afraid the hobgoblin is right… You don't know what you'll choose, do you?" He was quiet. Bowing her head, she thought it over. "I've seriously thought about it, you know. About killing you."

"Then do it," Hans answered.

She was quiet. "I will if I have to," she finally replied.

"You'll have to," he stated bluntly.

She tilted her head. "You seem so sure you'll do this," she remarked. "You think you know yourself that well?"

"I don't think I know myself anymore, and that's why I believe I might go through with it," Hans answered. "I've worn so many masks that… Go to sleep, Elsa. Whatever has to happen, happens. Not like you'd care anyway."

She inwardly cringed at that and looked away. She wouldn't, she realized… She wouldn't shed a tear, and she felt so guilty for that… "There are twelve others who would," she remarked.

He laughed sharply. "Yeah, because they've cared so much in the past. They would mourn me like you mourn a lost pet or distant relative. Maybe a few tears, maybe a few laments, but in the end it would take them a grand total of a week—if that—to get over it."

"You know, you should try telling yourself they actually care. Maybe then you'd see they do!" Elsa shot. At least some of them.

"Oh for the love of…" Hans began, standing up and walking towards the forest agitatedly.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"Away from you! In the forest I might actually get some sleep!" he called back.

"You'll freeze to death!" she protested.

"At least I wouldn't ever have to see you or your sister again!" Hans called back.

"You want to be that way? Fine! Go freeze!" Elsa shouted. He didn't grace her with a reply, just disappeared into the forest. She sighed in frustration, massaging her temples. "Dammit, Hans," she whispered under her breath. She stood and quickly went after him, grabbing a blanket from their supplies. "At least take this!" she called after the prince. No reply. She made a frustrated sound and went after him.

Frozen

It took her about half an hour to find him again. By that time he was asleep against a snowdrift. She glared reproachfully at him, seriously considered waking him up and lecturing him, then decided she was too tired to deal with the man. With a sigh she went to him and laid the blanket over his body. She rose and turned to head back… only to realize she had no idea where she was. She frowned worriedly then cursed her luck. Of all the things to happen. She looked around, searching for the glow of the fire. Nothing. She shifted uneasily, biting her lower lip. If she tried to head back she might end up lost and never be found again. She turned back to the sleeping prince and shifted uneasily. Oh she was going to regret this in so many ways.

She fell to her knees at his side and quietly searched him for weapons. These she took off his person. If she was risking this, she was making darn sure he wouldn't wake up and kill her while she slept. She buried them beneath the snow, marking the spot, then moved next to him. Giving him a reproachful look, she got under the blanket, moving close to his side and leaning against it. Oh she was going to regret this in so many ways. She was fully prepared for self-loathing in the morning, but at the moment she was just too tired and agitated with him to care. Shaking her head, she made herself comfortable at his side and closed her eyes to sleep.