Chapter Twenty-Three: The Condition

For a moment, Elsa thought he was dead. The entire sordid scenario of dealing with the ramifications of his being assassinated by her people played through her head in seconds. What was she to do now? Without him to help protect her interests, she had to depend on her even less reliable brothers to help navigate her diplomatic relations with the Sixth Coalition. Would Caleb even help her when his brother had been killed on her soil? Perhaps he can even use it as a pretext to pressure her to marry Anna to Holford. What would happen to her vow to Kristoff then? Would Holford even accept her as a bride instead of Anna?

She saw his chest rise and fall. Her mind finally caught up to her. Lord Ragnar said the boys were accused of attempted murder, not murder. Hans was just unconscious with a large bruise that was beginning to turn a side of his face and one eye purple. She turned back to Lord Ragnar for an explanation.

"As you can see, your majesty, General Jorgenbjorgen was their victim, and would have been assassinated if my men had not intervened," he declared.

"That's not true! We're not murderers," the boy Elsa recognized as Kjell Eskelson cried out. "We only wanted him as a prisoner, as a bargaining chip so he and his brother would leave Arendelle alone and get him to confess his crimes."

"W-we didn't mean him any harm," spoke another boy who appeared to be shaking. She remembered his name was Arvid. "W-we would turn him over to you your majesty, eventually."

"Eventually? Elsa sternly asked as she faced the boys. "In this condition?"

"We didn't do that to him," Kjell Eskelson said. "They did," he indicated the Weseltonian who was still holding him tightly by the arms. "He also punched Arvid and hit Mikkel."

"I am certain my men did so to stop them from killing General Jorgenbjorgen," Lord Ragnar replied.

"That's a lie!" Eskelson shouted.

"Enough!" Elsa thundered. "It is pointless to have this turned into an accusation match. This matter will be investigated and will include General Jorgenbjorgen's testimony once he is able. In the meantime," she turned to address her soldiers. "Please confine the boys to the castle. Have those that have wounds treated. I will speak to them in the morning." She turned to Lord Ragnar and shifted her gaze between him and the villagers. She recognized the family members of the boys and they all begged her with their eyes for mercy. She wished there was some way to reassure them but with Lord Ragnar and possibly even some of Hans' and Holford's men around, she could not afford to look impartial to her citizens. When she spoke, it was with a firm tone and she kept her face as neutral as possible. "Until it is ascertained that they have committed a crime, they will remain under the crown's custody. Now please, all of you go home."

The crowd slowly dispersed. Elsa made sure that the boys were turned over to her Arendellian guards who marched them back to the castle.

Once, she saw them off, she went back to the cart to check on Hans who was still slumbering away. Sitron refused to leave his side and so Elsa's men hitched him to the cart to carry Hans back to the castle. She rode on the cart beside him and placed a handful of ice on his temple to ease the swelling from the bruise. He groaned in pain but didn't wake up. Elsa realized his position must feel uncomfortable. It was a short trip to the castle but it would be a bit bumpy and she didn't want to add any more injuries to him. There was nothing in the cart that she can use a pillow, so she took off her cloak, folded it, then draped it on her lap before nestling his head on top of it. It was fortunate that she did, for the cart ran into an uneven stretch of the street and they were jostled rather violently. She managed to mitigate the impact on his head with her body just in time. However, it jolted him awake.

He stared at her for a long moment before a light of recognition formed on his gaze. She felt a blush come up at her cheeks as she realized how intimate this position they were in. She wanted to say something to explain that she was just helping him but she couldn't find the words. He, however, gave her a grin that almost had a goofy quality to it she had to fight off a chuckle. It reminded her of how her father would interpret an expression called the "smolder." It was described in the Flynn Rider Adventure tales as that swash-buckling ruffian's secret charming device against women. However, Elsa's father, whenever he read the tale to her and Anna, would execute the smolder as an expression that looked like a child caught doing something naughty and was grinning too widely in an attempt to hide the deed. Hans certainly looked like a guilty little boy and Elsa couldn't help but find it adorable.

Another bump in the road jolted them once more. Elsa reacted by drawing him closer to her, which unfortunately meant she pulled his head to rest on her chest for a second. His face barely touched her, but even that momentary contact made her suddenly shudder with embarrassment, she almost pushed him away.

Hans stared at her with his mouth agape. Elsa stared back at him in horror and unable to speak. Then his eyes closed once more and his breath fell back into the rhythm of sleep. She breathed a sigh of relief for not needing to explain. She just hoped his mind was too addled to remember this incident with her.

When they reached the castle, Gerda was waiting for them with the physician. The servants carried him up to a guest bedroom. Elsa decided, she should leave him be for now. She had to deal with the matter of her citizens first before Lord Ragnar or Prince Holford had a chance to interrogate them.

"Where are the boys?" she asked Berge, the footman on standby.

"Confined in the conference room your majesty," Berge replied. "The errr… dungeon is currently full with the French prisoners," he reasoned almost too quickly. Elsa knew the dungeon was more than big enough to accommodate additional prisoners, but she was also not willing to put those children in with their French captives. Elsa could tell Berge didn't want them anywhere near the dungeons too.

"Have the cook send something up for them," Elsa told him. "And prepare them a room in the servant's quarters for the night."

Berge couldn't help but smile at her in gratitude. "Thank you, your majesty."

She nodded and proceeded to the conference room. She found the boys were all sitting on the floor as if afraid to touch the seats on the table. They stood at attention when she came in and bowed reverently at her. She closed the door softly and bid them get up.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" Elsa gently asked them.

The boy Arvid sniffled before speaking up. "We didn't mean for it to go this way, your majesty. As Kjell said, we just wanted him as a hostage. He killed Kristoff Bjorgman and four others like us. We knew the French hid it, but we know the truth. We heard it from soldiers who came home from the war. Kristoff deserted and they were caught. That scum executed him in cold blood and now he's trying to marry Princess Anna. He must have told lies to make you and Princess Anna trust him again but we were planning on getting him to confess so the truth will come out."

Elsa wanted to slap her forehead over this trouble. She never realized that keeping the secret of Kristoff's court-martial will come to haunt her again, but here it was. The boys mean well but if she didn't tell them the truth who knows what else they or others like them will do to Hans.

"General Jorgenbjorgen did not kill Kristoff and the others," Elsa whispered to them.

"Your majesty, with all due respect," the other boy Mikkel replied. "We are certain he would have told you a story to explain away the crime but we heard it from reliable sources that he was the one who executed your brother-in-law."

"Those sources were wrong but it's not their fault for few people know the full truth. And I am going to entrust you with that truth, but only if you trust me as your Queen that you will swear not to say this to anyone."

"We trust you, your majesty," said Arvid gratefully.

"And we swore not to tell anyone," added Mikkel. One by one all the other boys offered their oaths.

"Very well," Elsa replied. "I know General Jorgenbjorgen didn't kill Kristoff because he is alive. But no one knows, not even the Duke of Weselton and I would prefer to keep that between us for Kristoff's safety. General Jorgenbjorgen was the one that let him escape from being executed, along with all his other Arendellian companions."

Kjell Eskelson's face brightened. "He's alive! Then does that mean my father…"

Elsa sadly shook her head and took the boy's hands. "Kjell, I'm sorry, but your father passed away in a Cossack camp. He didn't make it. I cannot tell you in full detail but I need you to trust me that I am putting Arendelle's welfare first. We need General Jorgenbjorgen and for now, he is our ally and I want you to treat him as such."

"What's going to happen to us?" Kjell asked regretfully.

"I believe you when you said you didn't want him harmed. But there will be an inquiry in the morning and I just want you to be honest when that investigation happens. I will speak to General Jorgenbjorgen on your behalf and perhaps he can be reasoned with not to press charges."

There was a knock on the door and Gerda entered. "He's been patched up and asleep your majesty."

"I'll speak to him in the morning," Elsa replied. "In the meantime, please bring them to the kitchen for something to eat then let them rest. Are their beds prepared?"

"In the servants' hall, your majesty."

The boys looked at her with gratitude. Arvid even had tears in his eyes.

"There will be consequences to this," Elsa warned them. "I will not stand for violence, do you understand? You must never do this again. If there is something you need, you come to me but do not take the law into your hands."

They muttered their assurances that they would follow her. She took her leave of them and headed to her room. She felt so exhausted that she didn't even bother changing into normal fabric clothes. She just used her powers to convert her gown into a more comfortable nightdress before crawling under the covers. She closed her eyes to rest and clear her head. However, the last image that swam into her mind before sleep overtook her was that of Hans and his amusing smolder.

He wanted to count her freckles. He wondered how many exactly there are. She didn't have that many, but he was still curious to know.

She chuckled or at least tried not to. She gave off this tiny "hmmm" and he wanted to know what her full belly laugh would sound like.

There was a stray lock of silvery blonde hair currently falling down her cheek and he wished he could just reach out and tuck it back behind her ear.

Oh and her scent… that wintry fresh scent. It was still there… the ghost of a pleasant memory or a figment of his fantasy. He thought perhaps this vision was another fantasy, one that he created out of wishful thinking when he imagined what could be if she hadn't run off and slammed that library door on his face.

Suddenly he was between her breasts.

So… his fantasy was going in that direction now. Well, he wasn't going to fight this, at least not this time.

But then she pulled away.

No! Don't go! I want you back! It was just getting good!

She looked at him with deep embarrassment but he wanted to assure her that everything was alright but he realized his face hurt and she looked a bit out of focus. He closed his eyes to clear it.

When he opened them, a pair of blue eyes stared back at him.

Ahhh… she's still here. Wait… why is her hair red?

"Hans?"

The voice was completely wrong. He allowed his eyes to take in the rest of her face. The freckles were just too many now.

"Hans?"

It's Anna! "Damn it! Why did you wake me?!"

She scowled at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine greetings to you too, you grumpy lunkhead!"

Did I just say that out loud? Hell! What have I been saying out loud?"

She held out her left hand as an open palm and one index finger of her right hand in front of him. "How many fingers?" she asked.

Okay, she's just playing nurse. If I do this calmly, even if I said something inappropriate I can explain it away as being concussed.

"Ten?" he replied sheepishly.

She slapped his arm hard and he realized she knew he was lying.

"Fine, six fingers up, four folded. Which still makes it ten," he admitted.

"Good to know your wit is still intact with your sarcasm," she replied.

"What happened to me?" he asked.

"You got punched by one of Lord Ragnar's henchmen and Elsa brought you back yesterday before dawn. It's not so bad. Your eye is a bit purple but you'll live. You've been asleep for more than a day."

"It's been a day?" he asked as he sat up and saw sunlight streaming into the brightly colored room. It was a nice room with shades of green and purple with the usual rosemaling decors at the edges of the four-poster bed. He wanted to observe more but he winced as he realized the left side of his face still ached.

"And it's advisable that you sleep a little more. That bruise is mild but I figured you've been exhausted over the last couple of days. Have you been sleeping at all?"

He got on with only two or three hours of sleep each night over the past week since he and Elsa arrived at Arendelle. "Just a little bit," he admitted and decided not to elaborate. Anna could already see right through the bags under his eyes.

"Well then as your nurse, I am recommending you additional sleep for the rest of the day until tomorrow. That is until after you speak to Elsa. I mean if you don't mind talking to her for a little while. She's been asking to talk to you all day."

Oh no! Did I say something inappropriate to her while I was half asleep?

Anna looked concerned at him and sat at the edge of his bed. "Look I know you're tired, Hans, but it's kind of important that you talk to her. It's about those boys that attacked you. Hans, I know they did something rash, but they didn't mean any harm… Anyway, Elsa's waiting outside. She'll explain everything. Can you spare her a few minutes?"

Hans forced himself to calm down. This was all about his encounter with the Arendellian youths, nothing more.

"Of course, I'll talk to her."

"Thanks, Hans," and she left to get her sister.

Once he was alone, he sat up on the bed and began to think about those young men that attacked him. He realized they just opened a new opportunity for him to further his goal. He would have preferred to do this with a proper presentation and the full details written down, but at the moment, he may not need them to get Elsa's assent. Those boys, foolish as they were, had just given him ammunition to persuade Elsa to his cause.

Elsa entered the room gracefully in a light pink gown. Her hair was back in its tidy braid. Hans couldn't help but feel his breath hitch and take in her calming winter scent. She sat down on the chair at a little distance from his bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"A little bruised, but nothing serious," he replied. "I'm fine."

"I'm glad," she replied. "Hans, on behalf of those Arendellian boys, I want to extend my apologies. You must understand they are just children. They didn't know anything better."

"And yet they could have killed me," Hans stated evenly and watched as the alarm grew on Elsa's face. "I put down my weapon and asked them to do the same."

"They said they did," Elsa defended.

"Not all of them did," Hans replied. "Eskelson… I believe that is his name. He kept his gun at me. And when Lord Ragnar's men approached, he grabbed my pistol on the ground and fired at me."

Elsa looked away uncomfortably. "Eskelson admitted that but you must understand, he was just defending his companions. He panicked."

"That doesn't excuse what he did," Hans said harshly. "What any of them did. They tried to kidnap me, Elsa. And it doesn't matter that they did not succeed. The fact remains, what they did is dangerous. By your laws, there are penalties for those offenses."

She sighed heavily and looked at him with entreaty. "Hans… please, those boys… their families are dependent on them. If we put them in prison, their families will suffer." She paused and looked at him carefully. "Is there something I can do to… mitigate those offenses?"

Hans was surprised that Elsa had yielded to him so easily. He was suddenly afraid for her. Her compassionate heart left her too vulnerable that anyone taking advantage can do so easily. Well, then it's fortunate I won't be taking advantage of her, well at least only a little bit.

He moved to sit in the bed with his feet firmly on the floor. This was a negotiation and he preferred to do it on equal posture with her. He wished he was fully dressed for this, but it would be too awkward to have to grab his boots at this time. He pulled the blanket down to hide his bare feet before addressing her again. "I am well within my rights to charge those boys with assault and attempted murder. But I am prepared to withdraw those charges in return for a condition."

Elsa sighed heavily. "What condition?"

"I am planning on starting a military training program for all Arendellians willing to volunteer to be trained. I would have written you a full proposal today had not your citizens decided to make trouble. If you will allow me a few days, I can have that proposal prepared for your inspection with General Mattias."

The relief in Elsa's face was evident when she replied. "General Mattias has apprised me of the idea this morning. Hans, I have no objection. I am aware of the need, even if it will take some convincing among the populace. If the condition is my permission to proceed with the program, then you have it. I will have to review your curriculum and the drafting conditions need my approval of course."

"Of course," Hans said. "I expect no less. And I thank you for approving my proposal. This makes it easier for me to bring forth my condition."

Elsa's mouth fell open and he felt satisfied at seeing her flustered. She looked quite lovely with her face reddening like that. It made her freckles stand out. "That wasn't your condition to withdraw the charges?" she asked

He shook his head. "No, not at all. I would never use the lives of children to force you to bend to a decision that will impact the lives of hundreds more in your kingdom. That would be cruel of me. However, bad you may think I am, I am not a cruel man."

"What then?" she asked.

"The condition for me to drop those charges is for those boys to be the first to be drafted into my training program."

Elsa stared at him for several seconds as if she didn't hear him right. "You want to recruit those boys? Into a military training program?"

"Yes," Hans replied matter-of-factly.

"Where they will be trained to handle weapons?"

"Inevitably they will be as part of the program."

Elsa opened her mouth and looked about to respond but closed it as if she couldn't decide what to say. The silence stretched on for a minute or two before she gave a sigh and finally faced him. "I don't… get it. Hans, one of those boys fired a gun at you."

"He missed because he didn't exactly know how to use one."

"And now you want to teach him how to use one?"

"Correction: I want to teach him how to PROPERLY use one. Proper weapon handling isn't just teaching him how to aim and shoot. It's educating him not to fire in the first place unless it's necessary."

"And you think that will convince him not to try to shoot you again?"

"Yes, and not just him. All of them. Elsa, your citizens are uneducated and misguided about the world. You need to start getting them trained the right way or you will have boys like that running around the country getting themselves in all sorts of trouble, or worse signing up with the Purification League."

"And you will do this? Train them yourself?"

"I will, with the help of General Mattias. I can help him draft the curriculum, set the standards, and bring them up to speed on the latest of tactical advantages and weaponry, but I will leave the management to your men." He paused and then continued to assure her. "Elsa, I know you are thinking that I am doing this because I am recruiting them to join the Sixth Coalition. I'm not going to deny that at some point your people will have to join this cause if called upon. But would it be better for me to train your men to fight than leave them to their devices alone, ignorant and helpless?"

Elsa looked away and nodded. "I do understand that, Hans. And I know why you're doing it." She added in almost a whisper that he barely heard it.

She got up from her chair. "You have my consent to draft those boys into your training program. I will inform them they will need to accept your program or be charged in court."

"Thank you, Elsa," he replied.

She nodded and turned to go but she paused and looked back at him. "Hans, I… There's something else I wanted to ask…"

He stared at her and remembered he wanted to ask her something too: Anna's hand in marriage. He suddenly remembered it as if it was an afterthought. Somehow, he had forgotten it after everything that happened.

Elsa looked suddenly unsure and Hans figured she must be feeling the dread of telling those boys their future lay in their hands. He realized he just pressured her into something she was not comfortable with at a moment when she was vulnerable. To ask her for Anna's hand in marriage at this time would be just mean.

He waited for her to speak again but she was silent for a long moment as if she was trying to find words. Finally, she shook her head. "Forget it, it can wait. I should let you rest."

He nodded. "I think that would be fine. I will send you my proposal soon."

"I look forward to it," she replied. "I'll… I'll send Anna back to you."

"Of course, thank you."

She turned and headed to the door. Before she disappeared behind it, he inhaled deeply to catch one final whiff of her wonderful scent.

A/N: The smolder from Tangled gets a cameo here and I imagined this is something that Eugene got out of reading the Flynn Rider tales. In my imagination, the smolder is just vaguely described in the books as a look that that swashbuckling hero uses to disarm women. Eugene most likely created his version of the smolder to appear charming, while Agdar's version was meant to make Hans, Elsa, and Anna laugh while he was reading to them as children.

I will be on full steam romance in the next chapters but it will still be slow burn HELSA.