"Yes, Hans," Gerda answered. "My sketchbook is on THE PURPLE CROCUS." Hans shivered. "What if my father is on THE PURPLE CROCUS waiting for me?" he asked. Gerda chuckled. "And what are the odds of that happening?" she replied. "Well, at least you have your powers to protect us with," said Hans, smiling at that thought.
"Well yes, but I'm sure whether my powers can protect us against undead sailors."
"Surely at least you can create a bunch of giant snowmen that can fight them off."
"Well… actually no."
Hans' hair stood on edge. "What do you mean no?" Hans gasped. "Don't you have ice magic?" "Yes, but not like that, not like Elsa's magic," Gerda explained. "But I'll do my best to ensure nobody gets harmed." "You'd better, otherwise I'm cutting you out of the deal," warned Hans.
Gerda led Hans to THE PURPLE CROCUS. Up ahead, they saw THE PURPLE CROCUS and THE RED CROCUS drifting next to each other. The sails on the two ships were lowered; otherwise the wind would have blown them away. Hans and the rest of his crew shivered when they saw that the ships were devoid of life. Some areas of the ships appeared burnt. Hans turned to face Gibbons. "Get a rowboat ready," he ordered. Gibbons nodded and set to work, mumbling about how Hans had gone soft as he did so. Turning to Gerda, he said, "Gerda, Captain Hans orders you to come with him on board THE PURPLE CROCUS. He may need some help identifying the sketchbook he needs to use to find the Eternal Dagger." "Aye, aye, Captain Hans!" cried Gerda, giving Hans a salute. Kai came to Hans and asked, "Uncle, can I come with you and Gerda on board THE PURPLE CROCUS? I want to help!" But Hans shook his head. "I'm sorry, nephew," he answered. "But the sun's going out, and Gerda said there are corpses on board the ship. It's better to stay here."
So Gerda and Hans got into a rowboat and rowed towards THE PURPLE CROCUS. They secured the rowboat to THE PURPLE CROCUS with a rope and climbed on board that ship. Hans didn't get very far on the deck of the ship before he tripped on something boney and dry. "Whoa!" Hans cried as he fell on something thin and boney. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, he saw a pair of cold dead eyes staring back at him. The face those pair of eyes belonged to looked dark, dry, and boney. "Zoinks!" Hans cried; sweat forming on his face and hands.
On THE THROWAWAY, Kai heard Hans scream. "Uncle, are you alright?" Kai shouted. But Kai's voice was drowned out by the sound of Hans' constant screaming. Kai turned to Gibbons. "My uncle needs help," Kai ordered. "Get a rowboat ready."
"Quiet down, Hans," nagged Gerda. "If you keep screaming like that, even the dead will hear you, and they'll come after you." "Sorry, it's just that seeing mummified bodies is not something I'm used to," Hans apologized. "By the way, where is your sketchbook?" "I'm sure the bag that contains my sketchbook is below deck," Gerda answered. Gerda opened the door of the deck, and the two of them descended below it. Gerda and Hans made sure to light their lanterns extra bright so they could see in the dark dank compartment. It didn't take long for Gerda to find her bag. She expected that it would have taken longer. She excitedly opened it, only to find that something was very wrong. "My sketchbook!" she exclaimed. "The map, it's gone! What happened to it?" Hans shrugged his shoulders. "Looking for this?" a voice above the deck quipped in. It was a voice that was unfamiliar to Gerda, but disturbingly familiar to Hans. "Oh no!" Hans gasped, his lips trembling with fear. He dropped his lantern on the ground. Fortunately, the lantern didn't break. The voice belonged to Caleb, Hans' brother. Caleb was standing above them, looking at them from the open door of the deck. He was holding Gerda's sketchbook in his hand. "Caleb, my brother!" said Hans, who pretended to be glad to see him. "How long has it been since I last saw you? 20 years? 21 years? Your face has changed somewhat. What's your secret? A lifetime of obedience to that wretched enslaver of a father?"
"Shut up!" shouted Caleb, in a tone that could make mountains shake. "Father hasn't exactly lived an easy life too you know. It's your fault I'm like this, Hans. I used to be flesh and blood. Now I'm a rotting carcass." "I'm truly sorry you're like this, Caleb," said Hans, who truly felt for Caleb. "But look on the bright side. At least you're not your father. Got to be excited about that, right?" Hans' words only caused Caleb to moan with grief. "Hey, don't be cross, Caleb," said Hans, who genuinely tried to comfort Caleb. "Just give me the sketchbook you're holding, and me and Gerda will be gone. It's her sketchbook, you know. You'll never hear from me again. Is this not a deal that will satisfy both parties?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hans. You see, you two are flesh and blood."
"Planning on having us for dinner?"
"No, not yet," Caleb said, waving the sketchbook around. "I think father will find some use for the both of you. This sketchbook contains directions for where to find the eternal dagger. The dagger holds the key to break my curse. To break the curse our crew is under." Gerda was a bit confused regarding where Caleb had received that information. "Why would you think the dagger can break your curse?" Gerda asked him. "I've spent my life studying the stories about the dagger, but never once have I heard that the dagger can break a curse like yours." "My father told me about the power of the dagger," explained Caleb. "I trust that he knows best." "Horrible decision really," Hans remarked. "Shut your mouth!" Caleb roared. "I just want to find the dagger so I can return to my family. I lost my family because of you." "You didn't lose your family because of me," Hans protested. "You lost your family because of your cruel actions. You weren't exactly popular with your family to begin with. Do you think your wife and children could ever forgive-?" "Shut up!" shouted Caleb. "Do you think anyone out there will ever forgive you for the things you've done? Trying to kill Anna and Elsa is only the beginning of your multitude of sins." Hans had no response to Caleb's words. If you looked closely at Hans' face, you could see a single tear dripping down his face.
"I need you both," Caleb explained. "You two may serve a purpose to help me and my father get our hands on the dagger." "We'll never help you!" rebutted Gerda. "You can't even read my sketchbook. A lot of it was written in a code." Caleb chuckled grimly.
"Oh, but I can read it. You see, I managed to decode what was written on your sketchbook. Whether you like it or not, you two are going to help us get to the Island of Trolls. We have ways of making you comply."
Caleb was so busy talking to Gerda, that he didn't notice two people creeping out from behind him. The two were Kai and Gibbons. Clang! Kai swung his lantern and smashed it on Caleb's face. Caleb moaned in agony, because his face was now on fire. Despite being undead, he could still feel pain. He dropped the sketchbook and desperately tried to figure out a way to put out the flames. Finally, at the last resort, he ran over to the side of the ship and leapt into the water.
"He's gone now!" Kai called out to Gerda and Hans. Gerda and Hans sighed with relief, and climbed out from under the deck. Gerda took her bag with her. When they made it above deck, Kai handed the sketchbook over to Gerda. "I believe this belongs to you, my princess," flirted Kai. "Why, thank you, my prince!" quipped Gerda. Hans rolled his eyes upon seeing Kai and Gerda interact. "There's no time for this," Hans nagged. "Less talking, and more moving. Caleb is still very much not dead. He'll be coming back soon." Gibbons, Kai, Gerda, and Hans got into their rowboats and boarded THE THROWAWAY as fast as they could. Immediately, Hans ordered the sails to be raised, and the ship sailed quickly away.
Soon, Hans and Kai approached Gerda. "Gerda, me and my uncle were just thinking about how to read your sketchbook," asked Kai. "How do you read it?" Gerda smiled and took out a mirror from her bag. "It's quite simple really," she said, opening up her sketchbook and placing the mirror right next to the pages of the sketchbook. Hans and Kai looked at the words that were reflected in the mirror. The reflection of the words revealed their true meaning. "But… but that's so easy!" gasped Kai. "I would have figured it out sooner or later," Hans claimed. "Would you really?" Gerda asked him. Hans paused for a moment. "Yes," he answered.
Soon Liz approached Hans. "Hans, I'm not sure about your plan to find the dagger," she said. "It's too dangerous. The undead are searching for that dagger too. They may no longer have the map, but I've got a feeling they know a thing or two about the island where it's hidden." "Then we'll have to be faster than them," Hans replied. "We can't out sail the undead," Liz protested. "My mind's made up," said Hans, steadfast in his answer. "You'll destroy us all!" Liz yelled. "You're more than welcome to leave," Hans said, pointing at one of the rowboats. By now, Liz was starting to snap. She pulled out a pistol from one of her pockets and pointed it at Hans' face. "Step aside, captain," she threatened. "I'm taking over your ship. From now on, I'm the captain!" Hans smiled in the face of potential death. "Your hand is trembling," Hans smiled. "Tighten your grip if you're really thinking of killing me." "Don't think I won't do it!" snapped Liz. "Go on then, try," quipped Hans. "Do you really think my crew will listen to the mutineer who killed their beloved captain?" A few members of Hans' crew chuckled upon hearing Hans say that he was a beloved captain. "Uncle, please step aside from your post," begged Kai. "I don't want you to die." Liz pressed her finger on the trigger. Bang! Kai collapsed to the ground, for he felt as if he was about to faint. But Gerda held him tightly.
Everyone was shocked at what they saw. Hans was entirely unharmed by the gun, for the gun was empty. Hans swung his fist and punched Liz on the face. She fell to the ground, conscious but only just. "Why is my gun empty?" she cried. "Because I removed the bullets," Hans answered. "I was wary because you'd just joined my crew. And I heard you saying nasty stuff about me. So I emptied the pistols that belonged to you and your comrades. It was one of the wisest things I ever did." Upon seeing this, Gibbons and Crowley clapped loudly. "This is the cool Hans I know!" exclaimed Gibbons. "Hans Westergaard is back!" shouted Crowley. Hans' face was filled with rage. He pulled out his sword and swung it up high. He was just about to strike Liz with the sword when Merry, Gerda, and Kai ran up to Hans and grabbed his right arm, which was holding the sword. "No, uncle, you can't do this," begged Kai. "She's a mutineer!" justified Hans. "But she's also a mother," protested Gerda. "If you harm one hair of my mother's head, you'll have me to deal with," Merry shouted at Hans. "My mother's men won't like you if you do this."