Chapter Eighteen: No more servant as you wish
Conceal don't feel
Keep it under control
I'll try to surpress it...
Don't...
Don't...
Her eyes flew open.
The morning light was shining through a small window nearby. Elsa groaned and wanted to sit up, but something held her back.
She looked down in confusion and noticed an arm around her naked waist.
Wait...naked?
Elsa looked up again. She was laying against Jack's chest. He was naked too and still asleep.
Her eyes widened as the memories of last night came rushing back.
That night...the night the two of them had...
She remembered how he kissed her and how she kissed him back. How they did the deed without exchanging a word, how good it had felt, but also very strange...something had driven them to do it. And it wasn't just love...it was something that activated every instinct to mate within them...
"Elsa...?"
Jack woke up too.
At first he seemed dazed, just like she had been, but suddenly he remembered last night too.
He hastly pulled his arm away and sat up.
"I'm going to be beheaded..." Jack whispered in distress.
Elsa sat up too, covered her chest with the sheets and put her hand against his arm. "Jack...I'm so sorry for what I did last night...I..."
Jack looked at her. He blushed heavily, but smiled and said; "Don't blame yourself, I blame myself instead...and last night was wonderful with you, but..."
"We shouldn't be doing this, I know." Elsa said. "But last night...something else drove us to do this."
Jack nodded. "I know...I can't put my finger on it, all I really know is that I felt the urge to kiss you...and do other things..."
Elsa blushed and looked down. "R-r-r-right...I suppose that it was nice..."
Jack now blushed too. The two of them sat in silence, both staring down at the sheets. They briefly looked at each other, only for them to turn their heads away again. There was a feeling of love in their hearts bounded with embarrassment and nervousness.
Jack scraped his throat. He turned towards Elsa who looked at him in surprise.
"Ja..."
He grabbed her hand with his and gave it a squeeze as he intensely stared at her.
"Elsa..." He said. "I..."
"Hm?"
"...I love y-"
BAM!
All of a sudden the door flew open.
Elsa and Jack both turned their heads towards the door. They froze in shock.
Kai stood there, breathing heavily.
He stared back for what seemed like minutes before he quickly turned around and shut the door behind him.
"K-Kai..." Elsa stuttered.
Kai turned back around to face them. He looked at them with an angry stare.
"I can already see what has happened here!" Kai said. "You..." He sighed and rubbed his head. "I will have to report this to king Hans..."
"Kai, you can't!" Elsa said.
"Queen Elsa." Kai spoke with a softer tone towards her, giving her a bit more respect. "As a servant of the royal family I cannot keep quiet to the king about these matters. What if you had gotten hurt?"
"I'm not!" Elsa said. "Jack wouldn't hurt me..."
Kai frowned at her. "I know...but this...this isn't good either." He sighed. "Both of you better get dressed. I'll escort you back to the castle."
Later they got back at the castle.
As Kai told Hans what had happened, the king was everything but pleased. He told Elsa and Jack to follow him into the office. There he shut the door and turned around to face them with an angry look.
"Hans, I can explain!" Elsa said and she took a step forward. "I seduced Jack, I found the wine in my pocket and had ordered him to..."
"That doesn't excuse this."
"But-"
"ENOUGH!"
Elsa jumped a little at his yell. Hans walked over towards Jack. He grabbed him by his lapel and pushed him against the wall.
"You!" Hans yelled. "I am done with a peasant like you touching MY wife!"
And with that he punched Jack down. Elsa gasped as Jack slid down to her floor and she noticed his nose bleeding.
"Stand up!"
Hans pulled Jack up by his arm and hit him again. He then threw Jack to the other side of the room. Jack hid a small table and fell down hard. Jack was dizzy for a little bit, but managed to get up again.
"Hans, stop it!" Elsa yelled.
Hans turned his attention towards her. He scoffed and said; "Did you do it because I can't have children?"
"What? No! I..."
"You are always having so much fun with that damn servant of yours..." Hans walked up to her. He grabbed her roughly by her shoulders. "Do you even love me?"
"Of course I do!" Elsa said. "Otherwise I wouldn't have married you! But beating Jack up isn't the way to prove your point..."
Hans sighed. "It is...he has been touching you for long enough. I have to do this."
Elsa felt fear deep in her heart. Hans pulled away from her. Her body couldn't move an inch as he walked back towards Jack.
"You damn servant!"
Elsa watched in horror as Hans punched Jack down again.
He then started to kick him while he was down. Jack took the beating and simply protected his head while Hans kept kicking him, allowing the man to kick him a few times in his stomach, causing the air to be kicked out of him.
"You don't deserve to be here!" Hans yelled in anger.
He kept kicking for what seemed like minutes. After a while he stopped, but suddenly drew his sword.
Jack looked up at him. His nose was bleeding and he grunted in pain. Hans chuckled at his pain and pointed the tip of his sword underneath his chin.
"I could kill you right now." Hans said coldly. "But..."
He glanced over his shoulder at Elsa with a small smirk.
"I shouldn't, should I?"
Elsa gulped and silently shook her head. Hans chuckled lightly.
"Ah...well, this was some good therapy."
Hans looked back at Jack. He put his sword back in his holster. Without another word he walked towards the door, opened it, walked out and closed it with a bang.
Silence filled the room for a few minutes. Jack locked eyes with Elsa before he suddenly fell unconsious.
"Jack!"
Elsa's body finally moved again. She ran towards Jack and kneeled down at his side. She shook his shoulder, but he gave no response. She put her finger against his neck and let out a relieved sigh when she could feel a heartbeat.
Her heart was beating out of her chest...
She bit on her lip and tasted a bit of salt. It was difficult for her, but...
HANNAH!
Hannah blinked with her eyes and looked at Kristoff.
The two of them were sitting in the town on a bench, both holding a sandwich. Hannah had just taken a bite of hers, which explained the salty taste in her mouth.
"Whaffiffyoufay?" She said with a full mouth.
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Oi, I know that you're not raised by the royals, but please, learn some manners!"
Hannah swallowed her bite and gave him a small shove. "I don't want to hear it from you, ice-boy. Now, what were you asking?"
"I wanted to know your favorite colour."
"Green, why?"
Kristoff grinned awkwardly. "Well...I wanted to gift you something soon...as...as your boyfriend."
Hannah became red. "B-b-boyfriend?!"
Kristoff looked away from her. "I know it's a bit soon, but-"
"It's not soon, it's sudden..." Hannah tapped with her finger against her chin and her eyes gazed up at the sky. "Boyfriend and girlfriend, huh...it does have a nice ring to it...and it isn't too weird. I mean, I can roll with it!" She turned her head to look back at Kristoff. "You can too, ri-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Kristoff placed a kiss onto her lips.
He quickly moved back with a soft smile. Hannah stared at him for a second, before her lips curled up into a smile and she moved a bit closer.
"Heyyy, you really got the gist of the moment!" Hannah said and she poked him with her elbow. "But your technique is a bit underwhelming."
Kristoff chuckled. "You're really not romantic, idiot. But you're right. Let's practice."
The two of them kissed again, this time longer.
His eyes flew open after a long time.
Jack noticed how he was laying in bed in the nursery. He saw Elsa sitting by his side. She was holding his hand as she slept in her chair.
Jack sighed in relief. He remembered how he was beaten down by Hans. It had hurt so much, he couldn't breathe. All he could do was to protect his head as the king beat him. To make matters even worse, the king also held his sword under his neck...but...
He stared at Elsa.
She's beautiful.
He smiled a little at her. She really was beautiful. He was lucky to have been at her side this whole time. But...
He closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
"You really scared us."
A day later Jack had woken up again.
He sat up as Kai sat besides him. The nurse had just checked his injuries and told them that he would make a full recovery. Kai was relieved to say the least.
"I know I scared everyone." Jack said. "I'm sorry."
Kai smiled at him. "Don't apologize, I'm glad that your injuries are treatable."
"Yes...but...can you perhaps get the queen? I know it's unusual to ask..."
Kai stood up. "Since it's you, I'll make an exception. Wait here."
He left the room in a hurry.
The nurse asked him what he wanted to eat later and after Jack asked her for some soup, she left the room too.
Jack was now completely alone in the nursery. He looked at the window. The sky was grey. It was probably going to rain. Not that it would matter, the nurse had told him to stay in bed for a couple more days. That way he would recover faster and would be able to work again...he really had to start saving up some money. He hadn't given it much thought, but he should do that. If he ever needed a bit more money, then he would actually have a back up. But where should he store it? Maybe in a sock or something...or perhaps he could ask Hannah to hold the money. Or better Gerda. Hannah would spend it in one day.
The door flew open again, interrupting his thoughts.
Elsa was let into the room by Kai, who made a bow and left again.
Elsa walked up to Jack. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed.
"Jack..." Elsa grabbed his hand. She folded her hands over it and pulled his hand closer to her. "I'm so sorry..." She lowered her head. "I didn't knew Hans would do this...and I shouldn't have given into those urges..."
"Queen Elsa..."
"I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..."
"Remember when we first met?"
Elsa raised her head again and looked at him. "Huh?"
"I was too late, so I snuck into the castle. I climbed over the fence, up that one tree in the garden and fell down..."
Elsa nodded. "Yes, I remember...you were really clumsy."
Jack chuckled. "I was...and remember when you taught me french? Tu te souviens de tu m'as appris le français?"
"Yeah...still not perfect. But you got a lot better than before..."
"And when we met up with Hannah and Gerda for the first time?"
"Yes..."
"And...that time I showed you what that poem meant..."
Elsa blushed a little, but she didn't look away. Instead she made direct eye contact.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I...I can't be your servant anymore."
Elsa felt her heart drop. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock.
"Let's stop this."
"W-wait!" Elsa stuttered. "Why...what are you saying? You're my servant, I..."
"That is just it." Jack pulled his hands back. "And I...I have been serving you for years. We've had fun, there were times when I made mistakes...and I don't regret it. It's...I can't do this anymore. I am not good enough anymore."
"Is it because of the incident? Because Hans beat you up?"
"It is because of various reasons...I want to keep working in this castle, but...I can't stay as your personal servant. You are the queen and I can't protect you anymore."
"That is not a reason..." Elsa's eyes started to tear up. "You can't leave...Jack..."
"It is a reason. Queen Elsa..."
"Stop calling me that!" Elsa yelled. "I don't want you of all people to call me by that title as if our past doesn't mean anything! And I don't wish for you to leave! I...I'll try my best to protect you..."
"Are you hearing what you are saying?!" Jack yelled back. "I am supposed to protect you, not vice versa! Why don't you understand that?!"
"I only want to understand why you're leaving!"
"Stop trying to be kind! I don't even understand myself sometimes, how can you..." Jack stopped yelling and his voice became softer. "...how can you even try to understand when you won't listen to my reasoning..."
"There is none." Elsa said. "You simply...you hate me because Hans beat you up."
"I would never hate you. You know that." Jack grabbed her hand. "I care about you. That is why I'm doing this."
Elsa pulled her hand back. "Don't..." Tears streamed down her face and she stood up. "You can leave if you want to. I won't associate with you anymore."
"I'm so sorry, queen Elsa."
"No...I never should have made you my servant."
Jack stared at her in shock. Her words went through his heart like a dagger.
Elsa turned around and ran out of the room. She shut the door behind her with a loud thud.
"This is for the best..." Jack whispered. He looked at the window again. It has started to rain heavily. He laid back down and pulled the sheets over his head. The ticking of the raindrops against the windowpane made it hard for him to think. All he knew was that he had just broken his relationship with her within fifteen minutes...
Days passed by.
Jack was now working with Kai, since the man could use the extra help.
One day it was busy in the castle.
There would be a an important guest coming, the duke of Wesselton, so the kitchen was busy preparing the food and the staff was cleaning the castle.
Jack was cleaning the throne room together with some of the other maids. They were mopping the floor and cleaning the windows and walls.
"You missed a spot."
Jack was mopping the floor. He looked up from his work when a familiar female voice called out to him.
It was the maid with the brown eyes and blond hair. Her blond hair was reaching down until her shoulders and she wore her usual maid outfit.
"It's you..." Jack mumbled.
The woman smiled at him. "Your name is Jack, right? We haven't really introduced each other properly. My name is Catherine Alfson."
"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier." Jack said. "I was in a hurry back then..."
Catherine nodded. "You serve the queen, right? Or rather you have served her..."
Jack smiled a little sadly. "Yes...my contract with her has come to an end. Now I work with Kai..."
"Ah...and what do you want to do after this?"
"Hm?"
"I always wanted to travel!" Catherine grabbed the mop from his hands and pointed the stick at him. "If I travel around, then maybe I'll meet the vikings!"
Jack laughed a little. "Really? Vikings?"
"Yeah!" Catherine exclaimed. "I want to see what those brutes really look like...but how about you? What will you do after this job?"
"I..." Jack rubbed his neck. "I haven't thought that far ahead."
"Not much of a thinker about the future, huh?"
Jack shook his head. "I just want to work here for now."
"But what if you have become old and are still working here? Is that what you want, grandpa?"
"Hey, don't call me grandpa!" Jack exclaimed. "And we're almost the same age, probably, so you'll be a grandma then too!"
"Don't call me a grandma, grandpa!" Catherine hit him on his head.
Jack rubbed his head and groaned. He heard Catherine laugh loudly and was about to retaliate when he noticed Elsa stepping into the room together with Kai.
Everyone stopped cleaning and looked at them. Elsa paid them no mind as she walked up to the glass case with the crown in it.
"We have taken good care of it, your majesty." Kai said as she stood still in front of it.
Elsa studied the crown. "Really..." She said. "Then, you better continue to do so. I will be wearing the tiara for the visit of the duke. The crown is a bit too much..."
"I see." Kai said.
"Why is the crown too much?" Catherine whispered.
Elsa heard it and turned her head towards the woman. Everyone froze as Elsa walked up to the woman.
"What is your name?" Elsa asked.
"Catherine Alfson."
"You must be one of the new maids...but, to answer your curious question; the crown is for official events. Since the duke will be visiting, it will be unnecesary to wear it. And it is safer behind the case."
"Then-"
"Queen Elsa." Kai interrupted Catherine. He smiled at the queen. "Shall we go to the kitchen to see what the chefs have prepared? The king is there too."
Elsa nodded. "Alright."
The two of them left the room. Jack gave Catherine a push against her shoulder.
"What?" Catherine said.
"You can't talk so casually to the queen." Jack said.
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Okay, grandpa!"
Jack grabbed the mop from her hands. "What did I tell you about calling me grandpa?!"
The two of them chased eachother as the others laughed.
The whole day Elsa and Hans had to check everything; the food, how clean everything was, their clothing for that day...everything had to be more than perfect.
"Such a long day..."
Elsa sighed as she fell down onto their bed. She was tired after the long day. She knew that it has to be perfect, but this was too much...
Hans fell down next to her on his back.
"It really was." He said. Elsa nodded in silence.
The two of them looked up the ceiling. Elsa wondered if they were doing too much. Everything was clean, even the damn ballroom...
Her mind went to Jack again. She remembered how he was laughing with that maid...Catherine...she was really pretty, blond hair with a cute smile. Jack could easily fall for someone like that. He was such a dumbass...
"Elsa?"
She turned her head to look at Hans. He was turned towards her and leaning on his elbow.
"I'm sorry for beating your servant up..." Hans said. "But I couldn't hold my anger back anymore. You're my wife, I don't want any other man to have you."
Elsa blushed. "R-right...I'll forgive you this time...but Jack isn't my personal servant anymore...he told me that he couldn't protect me."
"I'm so sorry, Elsa."
Elsa's blush dissapeared and she sighed. "No, it's alright...I should've seen this coming...personal servants either die or quit."
"That is correct...but don't worry." Hans grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it. "I'm here for you."
Elsa smiled at him. "Hans..."
"And...I love you."
Elsa was silent for a minute. She didn't understand how to respond to his sudden and abrupt love confession.
"H-Hans..." She stuttered. "I..."
Hans moved so that he was on top of her. Elsa felt the blush on her cheeks returning and her heart beating faster.
"I know that you like people like Jack, a man who cares about what you truly want and knows how you're feeling at all times...and I can't give you that. Sometimes I do not understand you, but I do love you. And..." His brown eyes scanned her face. "I want to be by your side. I want to stay king and have you as my queen."
"I suppose I could try to understand you more too...and I'm sorry for sleeping with Jack. I know I shouldn't have, hell, he should only be my servant...but he did give me support and it seemed like he wanted to listen to my complaints..."
"Well, now you'll have to do it with me."
Elsa giggled. "Aww, that's too bad, you aren't the greatest listener."
Hans grinned. "I'll guess I'll have to work on that..." He moved down and kissed her neck. "I love you..." He whispered.
"I know..." Elsa whispered. "I love you too, my king."
The next day the duke of Wesselton came around.
The small man with his grey hair stepped past the gates with his two guards. He was greeted by Kai at the front door who let him inside.
Inside of the hallway, which had been cleaned so much that you could eat of the floor, were the king and queen waiting.
"It is nice to see you again, your majesty..." The duke and his two men all made a bow.
"See us again?" Elsa muttered.
Hans chuckled and put his hand onto her shoulder. "He was at our wedding, sweetheart."
The duke straightened his back and smiled at them. "That is correct! Unfortunately, back then, I was not able to dance with you, queen Elsa, but I did enjoy myself that night! And as I have already mentioned, it is lovely to see you again! King Hans, you have become taller! And queen Elsa, you are more beautiful!"
Elsa and Hans both smiled awkwardly at his compliments.
"Shall we head to the lounge for some tea?" Kai suggested.
"That sounds lovely." Hans said. He took Elsa's hand and nodded at her.
Elsa nodded back. She knew that they had to behave better than normally to get this business deal done.
And so, the trio sat down for some tea.
The guards from the duke were standing behind him and the guards from Arendelle were behind and next to Elsa and Hans.
"This tea is delicious." The duke remarked.
"It is." Elsa put her cup down. "But we are here for business, are we not?"
The duke and Hans both seemed a bit surprised at how direct the queen suddenly spoke.
Elsa stared at the duke with a calm face and said; "We are here for the deal of an alliance. If our kingdom would be attacked by other kingdoms, then we would be able to count on the help of Wea...Wesselton, correct?"
The duke nodded. "Yes! Of course!" He smiled at her. "And vice versa! If our kingdom were to be attack, then we could count on you to help us out. I have heard of your previous victory, and I must say that I was impressed! Your opponent wasn't weak, how did you defeat him?"
Elsa felt how her hand started to shake. She grabbed her wrist to stop it from shaking and forced a small smile at the duke.
"I used my powers to defeat him and one of my knight and...good friend...he..." She gulped. Albert had died for her. How could she even...she didn't found herself worthy to die for, but Albert...that idiot threw himself out there...
"He...?" The duke raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"He...he...he-"
All of a sudden Elsa felt Hans' hand on hers.
She looked at him and he gave her a quick smile before turning his attention towards the duke again.
"He saved my wife, but unfortunately he died. "
The duke nodded. "I see...anyhow, we should indeed discuss the deal! Our kingdom has a lot of grains, which we can trade for armor..."
"But we just got new armor." Elsa said. "If we trade that, then we won't have much left."
"Then...how about some of your research?" The duke asked. "I heard that you have a sorceres that can make anything..."
Elsa put her hands onto her knees and tilted her head a little. "Duke, what is your suggestion?"
The duke smiled a little. "My kingdom would benefit from some good potions...potions that would sniff out an enemy in seconds, that would break someone's heart..."
"You're talking about poison."
The duke clapped in his hands. "Yes, I am! But not only that, we should need potions that strenghten our soldiers and..."
"Slow down..." Hans said. "You are suggestion a lot, but are only giving us grain?"
"Well, I could also give you some armor..."
"The king of Berk already did." Elsa said.
Hans nodded. "Yes, he did. So, armor is off the table."
"Then..." The duke sighed. "Is there anything else you need besides grain?"
"Give us one of your strongest soldiers." Elsa said.
The duke looked confused while Elsa gave him a cold stare back.
"You want to make your soldiers stronger, so you won't be needing him anymore, correct?"
The duke stayed silent for a bit before he suddenly smiled.
"Alright, your majesty, as you wish. I'll follow your command and give you our strongest soldier."
And so, a few weeks later their strongest soldier arrived. The duke of Wesselton went back and forth to his town to pick him up.
Elsa was waiting at the docks with a couple of guards, Kai, and Hans. A ship was slowly sailing towards the bay.
Elsa gulped nervously. On that ship was the strongest soldier...and she had no idea what to expect.
Hans grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze. Elsa looked at him and he gave her a small smile.
"It will be okay..." He whispered.
Elsa nodded. "Yes...I know..."
The ship docked into the harbor. As the crew jumped down onto the docks and fastened the roped around the poles etc, they waited for the soldier to jump onto the pier too. Elsa wondered if he would even be on there. What if-
All of a sudden they heard the loud sound of boots hitting the wooden docks.
A man in with heavy armor on walked towards him. The man had grey-brownish hair and stern dark eyes. His helmet was in one hand, his sword was in his holster and his shield on his back.
He walked towards the royals with heavy footsteps. There was no hesistation in his steps or any fear.
He stopped in front of them. Elsa looked up at him since he was taller than her. Hans also was a little smaller than the man.
"Your majesties."
The man went down onto one knee and put one hand on the ground to balance himself while lowering his head.
"It is my great honor to be fighting for your kingdom from now on. My name is Arne Vaernes, son of Victor and Lilith Vaernes. I shall be your soldier from this moment forward."
Elsa released Hans' hand. She took a step forward and kneeled down in front of him.
"Knight Vaernes, please, do not lower your head like that."
Arne looked Elsa into her eyes and the queen smiled at him.
"I don't know how things are in Weasel...I mean, Wesselton, but here we do not consider you only a shield to protect us...we expect you to build a life here and to...simply put it...make friends along the way-"
Elsa was suddenly pulled back by Hans.
"Elsa, what are you doing?!" He exclaimed.
"I was welcoming our new knight..."
Hans glared at her. "Honey..." His voice sounded stern and dangerous. "This new knight will be only a knight to us...I don't need a repetition of what happened with Jack."
Elsa pulled away from him and glared back. "I understand. But it is my duty as a royal to welcome new guests into our kingdom...and your duty as well."
Hans sighed. "Ah..." He looked at Arne, who had already stood up again. "Then, welcome to our kingdom, knight Vaernes. Kai shall show you around."
Kai nodded. "Yes, your majesty." He looked at Arne. "Vaernes, I'll show you to your room. Follow me, please."
Arne complied and walked after the man.
Hans looked at Elsa. "Sweetheart, next time don't remind me of my duties. I know that I should welcome him, but again, he is only a knight."
"Yes, I know..."
"Good." Hans grabbed her hand. "Now, how about we go and eat some lunch? I heard that we got some delicious new mini cakes."
"If Christian hasn't eaten them all." Elsa smiled at him. "But even so...I would enjoy doing anything with you."
Hans chuckled. "Getting romantic now, are we? But Christian might be leaving within a month or so, so then we can have the cakes all to ourselves again."
As they started to walk with the knight behind them Elsa laughed lightly.
"Oh really?"
At times like this she felt in harmony with Hans again. It was as if the incident with Jack never took place and Hans had never hurt her...all those things faded away when he held her hand like this and smiled at her with a loving gaze...
If only moments like this would last forever.
The rest of the week went by smoothly.
One day Jack was watering the plants in the garden together with Catherine. The weather was slowly becoming a bit warmer than usual, so Kai had ordered them to do it.
"You forgot that plant over there." Catherine said.
Jack sighed and watered another plant. They had been at it for an hour and there were still a few plants they had to water.
"This is too much work." Jack said. "And here I assumed that we had garderners."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Right. As if. I think we are the garderners. Speaking of, we don't need to water trees, right?"
Jack looked at her as if she didn't understand the world around her. "No? I mean, trees are strong enough..."
"Then..." Catherine interrupted him and pointed at a tree near the garden wall. "...why does that one has a broken branch? It isn't sick, is it?"
Jack stopped watering the plant. He stared at the tree with widened eyes as the memories came flooding back towards him.
"Oh my lord!"
He heard a strange voice. The branch was lifted from his back. He stood up and coughed. He rubbed his back. Damn. That was going to give a blue spot.
He looked up and his eyes widened. A girl with blue eyes, blond hair in a bun was standing there. She was holding a book in her arms. Her purple dress was covered her shoes. She had an expression of horror on her face.
He grinned nervously. This must be the princess.
"Jack?"
Catherine waved with her hand in front of his face and Jack snapped out of it.
"Ah, don't do that!" Jack yelled.
Catherine smiled a little at him. "Are you alright? You suddenly had a saddened look in your eyes...did you..."
"Tell me..." Jack whispered.
"Huh?"
"How do I forget?"
Catherine stared at him. "Are you...talking about her?"
"Yes...she...I actually broke that branch the first time we met." Jack chuckled lightly with a hidden sadness. "I scared her a bit back then...but I really needed a job and she gave me one. It was stupid but for a while I thought that I could be with her for eternity...not only that, but-"
All of a sudden Catherine put her lips against his.
She quickly pulled back with a blush.
"This is how you forget..." Catherine whispered. "I'll be with you and you'll be with me. Her majesty, queen Elsa, might be untouchable for you, since your status etcetera, but I'm not..."
Jack felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks. Catherine took his hand in hers.
"I'm here to heal your heart."
Jack stared at her. He had no idea on what to say. His heart felt otherwise, but there wasn't much of a choice. He could be hoping to be with Elsa once again, but such a thing was nearly impossible. If he wanted to love someone, then...
"Alright." Jack whispered. "I'll try to give you my heart."
Catherine smiled at him with glee. "Really?"
Jack pulled his hand back and rubbed the back of his neck with an look of embarrassment.
"I mean, you are willing to fall in love with someone like me...the least I can is to do my best and fall in love with you too...I mean, you do have some good points. You are funny, beautiful and someone who thinks ahead..."
"Guys!"
One of the knights ran into the garden. Jack and Catherine looked at him as he stumbled in.
"Jack, Catherine, you guys are missing the best thing ever! The new knight is winning against one of our best! Come on!"
The knight ran off as quickly as he came. Catherine and Jack both looked at eachother for a second before they both giggled.
"I guess we'll have to see what it's about! Come on!" Catherine said.
She took Jack's hand before he could protest and dragged him along.
At the training ground, where the knights were always training, Arne was fighting against one of their best knights.
Jack and Catherine just arrived in time to see him from the small crowd of soldiers that gathered to see him fight.
Arne easily disarmed the other man. He then hit the man with his wooden sword and made him fall down.
The knights all cheered as Arne victoriously threw his sword down and helped his opponent up.
"Good fight." Arne said. "Now, does anyone else wants to fight me?"
Catherine grabbed Jack's arm and pushed it up. "I do!"
Everyone stepped aside and Arne noticed Jack and Catherine.
"Catherine, stop!" Jack said and he pulled his arm down. He glared at her for a second before he noticed Arne staring at him. He gulped as the man looked at him with an expressionless face. "Sorry, I am not-"
"I thought that it would come to this." Arne threw his wooden sword towards Jack who caught it in his arms. "And I have always wanted to fight the former servant of the queen."
Jack looked uncertain. "I don't want a fight, mister Vearnes. I might be the serv-"
Arne scoffed and mockingly looked at Jack. "I called you a former servant for a reason, mister Frost. My instincts do tell me that you are a weak fighter...which is why the queen must had fired you, right? You weren't able to protect her against anyone, not even against her own fa-"
All of a sudden Jack dashed towards him. Arne quickly moved to the side to dodge it.
Jack turned around and Arne saw a different look in his eyes.
"Hate..." Arne whispered.
Jack moved back towards him again and swung his sword at him. But everytime their swords clashed, they raised their swords again and then clashed...again.
Arne chuckled. "Really, even your loyalty to her cannot defeat experience like mine!"
Jack pulled back. He then ran for Arne again, but this time he slipped by him. He slid past him, turned around and raised his sword to hit him in his back.
But without even looking, Arne swung his sword over his back and blocked the attack.
The wood of the sword was scraping against each other. Little bits of splinters came off the wood.
"My..." Arne said. "What a dissapointment."
With that Arne turned around. He pushed Jack back and swung his sword up. Jack raised his own sword, ready to protect himself. But instead Arne lowered his sword and kicked Jack in his stomach.
Jack fell down onto the ground. He held his stomach in pain and grunted. Arne walked up to him and looked down.
"You are weak."
Arne raised his sword.
"If this was real, then you would have been dead before the first strike, boy."
Jack stopped coughing and looked up at him. "You...you were going easy on me?"
Arne threw his sword down. "Yes. I was." He looked at Jack with an annoyed look. "And here I was looking forward to figthing you...while...you are nothing more than a fragile old dog the queen threw aside."
"Jack!"
Catherine ran to his side and kneeled down. She took Jack's arm and helped him up. Her eyes shifted from worry to an angry glare directed at Arne.
"You went too far-"
"Did I?" Arne interrupted. "I was holding back, how did I go to far, woman?"
Catherine gasped while some other knights snickered. Arne sighed and walked away. Jack looked back at Catherine who look worried at him.
"Are you alright, Jack?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah..." He chuckled sadly. "But Arne is right...he is right in every word..."
"No, he isn't..." Catherine gave him a small squeeze in his arms. "You were fighting great as usual. You even had that look in your eyes."
"Still...I could..."
"...have done better..."
Hannah stared at Gerda. She heard Gerda speak those words as they were cleaning the tables and setting down the chairs for the guests for the upcoming night.
"What?" Hannah asked.
Gerda sighed and looked at Hannah with a saddened look. "I should've known when you were little...when you kept talking about being born in a castle, about how your sister was an ice princess...I should have known that you weren't an ordinary kid."
Hannah smiled at her. "Gerda...you didn't know, don't blame yourself. I wouldn't believe a kid either. Plus, if you knew that I was a real princess, then you would have brought me back and...I wouldn't have wanted that. You're like a mother to me."
"Hannah..." Gerda rubbed her eyes as tears welled up in them. "I...I...I..."
"H-hey, no crying!" Hannah blushed. "I know that you feel guilty about a lot that has happened, but despite everything I would never want to miss out on a life with you...and I know that Kai wouldn't either."
Gerda rubbed her tears away and chuckled. "You know that me and mr Kai won't be..."
"But you love him, right?"
Gerda saw how Hannah gave her a cheeky look with raised eyebrows and a little smile.
"Even if I do, he works at the castle and I work in this whorehouse."
"So? Elsa is the queen and she is in love with her servant. Status doesn't matter when it's about love!"
"You mean her former servant."
Hannah stopped smirking. "Former?"
Gerda nodded. "Yes. Didn't you hear? Jack has been let go of his position and is now just a normal servant, working under Kai's supervision."
"Wait, how do you know?"
"I heard it from Kai when I met him during grocery shopping...he told me that Jack left voluntary..."
Hannah gasped. "No, he didn't..."
"Hannah..."
"I...I need to go."
Hannah turned on her heels and ran out of the door. She didn't wait for Gerda's answer.
She ran through the streets of Arendelle. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest as she ran towards the castle. But she had to...she had to reach him...no matter what...
Hannah ran towards the gate. Two guards were standing next to the gate. They perked up when they saw Hannah storming towards them.
"You-"
Hannah managed to slide to the side and climb over the gate a few meters away.
"Hey!" One of the guards yelled, but Hannah ignored him.
She jumped down onto the ground and ran towards the front door. There were no guards there, so she easily managed to barge into the castle.
A few maids and knights looked at her in confusion. Hannah gave them a bewilderd look. Her eyes shifted between them, but she didn't see Jack anywhere.
Hannah caught her breath. "Did any of you happen to see Jack?"
The maids and guards all stared at her. A few of them shook their heads, but most of them just stared at her.
"Hey!"
Hannah turned her head to see the guards from before with a few other guards behind her. She sighed.
"Give me a moment to catch my breath, guys..."
"Get her!"
Hannah picked her pace up again.
She ran through the long hallways as the guards chased her. Hannah turned a corner. But she saw a door on the side. She opened the door quickly and quietly closed it behind her. She crouched down as she heard them passing the door and their footsteps dissapearing further into the hallway.
She sighed as this time she could finally catch her breath...
"What are you doing?"
Hannah looked up to see a man with grey-brownish hair and stern dark eyes. He was wearing some simple clothing and light armor as he stared down at her.
Hannah saw that she was in the library. She stood up and stroke her dress.
"Hiding from the guards...but have you seen Jack Frost around? He is my friend and I need to talk to him. Speaking of talking; my name is Hannah."
The man sighed. "Alright...first of all, my name is Arne Vaernes, thank you for asking me. And I have seen Jack around, but since I have never met you or know anything about you, I suppose I could turn you in..."
"W-wait!" Hannah put her hands up. "What if...you don't do that? Believe me, I don't mean anyone harm, I just wish to see Jack and punch some sense into him."
"You just said that you didn't mean anyone any harm..."
Hannah looked away to the side and whispered quietly; "Well, he did suddenly leave my sister's side, even though he has always promised to stay at her side..."
Silence filled the room.
After a few awkward minutes Hannah looked back at Arne.
"I see..." Arne suddenly said. "Then...I shall fetch Jack Frost for you."
Hannah's lips curled up into a smile. "Really?!"
Arne nodded. "Yes. But after you have punched him, then I suggest that you leave. The guards will be looking for you all day."
"No problemo!"
Hannah gave Arne a thumbs-up. Arne simply sighed and left the room.
As he left Hannah lowered her hand and let out a deep breath.
They would have caught her if she wasn't didn't knew how to run away from dangerous men...she really was lucky to have been raised by Gerda. All her skills from the streets really came in handy...
Hannah looked around her. Besides the big shelves filled with thousands of books she noticed a painting on the wall.
It was a painting of her family...the old king, the queen and a teenage Elsa...the family she would never have again. Well, except for her sister...but...Hannah knew that she would never be a real princess.
Not that she needed that. All she needed was her friends, Kristofff, Gerda and Elsa in her life. That was enough. She would be probably be poor and sell her body her entire life, but this was enough...right?
Right?
The door opened up again. Arne stepped into the room with Jack behind him.
Hannah turned her head towards them.
"Miss, here is Jack..." Arne said.
Jack stepped towards her. "Hannah, what are you doing here? If the knights catch you-"
Hannah slapped him across his face before he could finish his sentence.
"HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE HER?!"
Hannah grabbed him by his collar and pushed him against the wall. She glared at him.
"Why the hell are you now her former-servant?! Weren't you going to be by Elsa's side forever?"
Jack stared at her with wide eyes, before he chuckled dryly.
"Forever doesn't exist...not when the king and almost the whole castle find out about the story of the servant and the queen who slept together."
"W-what...?" Hannah whispered. She released him and took a step back in shock.
"I don't know why..." Jack said. "But we did it again. Even when we wanted to keep our distance, something in both of us attracted us to each other. I don't know what, but we slept together. The king found out, beat me up in front of her and then...I had to resign. For her safety and my own too."
"And you also got into a new relationship, right?"
Jack and Hannah glanced at Arne who suddenly spoke up. He looked at Jack with no emotion.
"Y-yes..." Jack stuttered. He looked back at Hannah. "I have a new girlfriend, her name is Catherine..."
Hannah stared at him with a saddened look. "Then...you won't be at her side ever again?"
Jack shook his head. "No. I'm so sorry, Hannah...I never meant for any of this to happen."
"Really now..." Arne sighed. "Anyone could have figured out that this would happen. A servant and a queen can never be-"
All of a sudden Hannah slapped him across his cheek. Arne's head wipped to the side.
"Shut up." Hannah said through gritted teeth. "You might be a strong knight, but you haven't been here long enough to know how much has happened."
It was silent for a second before Arne turned his head back towards her. Hannah glared back at him as he looked down at her with no emotion.
"I was only stating the facts...princess."
Hannah and Jack both froze.
"H-how..." Hannah whispered. "How do you know...?"
"I heard you say that 'he suddenly left your sister's side' when you asked me to fetch Jack for you. And...you have the same kind eyes as the queen."
Jack took a step forward. "Are you going to tell everyone in the castle now?"
Arne looked at him. "You knew?"
Jack scoffed. "Yes, I did. But I'm just an old dog, right? What I know probably doesn't interest you very much."
Arne ignored his statement and turned back towards Anna.
"Well, I suggest that you leave this palace, princess. The guards might still be looking for you. And there is no need for worry, I won't tell anyone. I am serving the royal family and I won't do anything against you or your sister's wishes."
"Good." Hannah folded her arms. "You can go now."
Arne made a bow. "Understood."
He left the room. Jack and Hannah both let out a breath of relief.
"That's is one scary man..." Hannah said. She looked at Jack. "But...you have a new girlfriend?"
Jack nodded. "Yes..."
"Then...do you love her?"
"Does it matter? Even while I do care for her...this way I won't get into trouble. I still work at the castle, so it's all good."
"But what about Elsa?"
Jack smiled sadly. "She is living her life and I am living mine. This is fine."
Hannah felt that he didn't mean any of those words. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Not when she knew that their relationship would put them in danger...but, yet...was this really all fine to let it be this way?
The days went by as fast as always.
Elsa and Hans were both busy with meetings and everything else. They also had to keep up a good relationship with the people of Arendelle. Elsa did so by visiting the town as much as she could and interacting with the citizens and listening to their concerns.
Yet Hans on the other hand...
"You're leaving?"
They were in their bedroom. Elsa was staring at her husband in disbelief as he told her that he was going to accompany his brother to another kingdom for a small business trip the next week.
Hans sighed. "It is strictly for business, don't give me that look."
"I'm not..." Elsa clenched her fist. "Just...why...why are you leaving with him? Can't Christian do this on his own?"
"Yes, but I was thinking of trying to strike a deal for Arendelle too. Chris knows a few people there and we do need more stock, right?"
Elsa knew what he was talking about. Their stock had decreased. Not by too much, but if the cows weren't going to bring anymore calves, then...
"We could get a famine...almost like the same one 10 years ago." Hans raised his eyebrows at her. "And what did your father do then?"
Elsa relaxed her fists and sighed. "He made a deal..."
"Exactly."
Hans took a step closer to her with a small smile. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to help this kingdom." He whispered into her ear.
Elsa tensed a bit up in his arms, but she wrapped her arms around him too.
Later Elsa went to watch the knights train at the training grounds. There wasn't much for her to do anymore, so she decided to see what they were up to.
She sat down on a bench and watched them fight with the wooden swords.
She remembered how she used to train with Jack and later with Christian for the war...which probably didn't even help, since a lot of people died in battle, even though she had promised to protect them...and Albert...
Elsa grabbed her wrist to stop her hand from shaking. She closed her eyes and took a few small breaths in and out to calm herself.
"Queen Elsa?"
Elsa opened her eyes and saw the maid named Catherine suddenly in front of her. The woman smiled at her and sat down next to her.
"Here to watch them train?"
"Yes..." Elsa answered her. "My meetings were all over for the day and my husband is busy preparing for his trip with king Christian."
"I've heard about that..."
Elsa raised her eyebrows. "Really? News really travels fast withing these walls..."
Catherine sighed. "Speaking of news...I am dating Jack Frost."
Elsa felt her heart drop a little, but she hardened her gaze and said; "That doesn't concern me. Mr Frost is a servant who is working underneath Kai, that is all."
"Good." Catherine said. "Because I really love Jack, unlike you, who used him only for her own pleasure. Jack is someone with feelings and you hurt him so deeply..."
"Yes, I know." Elsa said calmly.
"So, don't associate with him anymore, please, you-"
"Stand down."
Catherine her mouth closed shut and she looked at Elsa with big eyes. Elsa now glared at her in annoyance.
"We are not friends, maid, yet you dare to speak to me as if we are. What happened between me and mr Frost is a completely closed off and private matter. And do not order me around...because I'm already keeping my distance from Jack. There is nothing left for you to be jealous about. The next time you come to speak to me, I suggest you show some actual respect."
Catherine gulped. She slowly stood up. "R-right..." She made a small bow. "I'm so sorry, queen Elsa...I went out of line...I now see that my boyfriend won't be seduced by you."
Elsa fake a smiled at her and nodded. Catherina excused herself and left.
Elsa's smile faded and she clenched her fist. The nerve that maid had...just because she was dating Jack, she was acting all high and mighty as if Jack was the only one hurt...
Wait...
Why was she even thinking about this?
Elsa shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts away.
"Your majesty..."
Now Arne appeared in front of her. Elsa sighed and she tapped with her hand on the bench.
"Sit down next to me."
"Yes, your majesty."
Arne sat down next to her. Elsa glanced at him. She noticed him wearing a normal brown blouse and pants and holding a wooden sword in his hands. He also was a bit sweaty and a few mud staines and blue spot were a part of his skin.
"Knight Vaernes, were you training today?" Elsa asked and Arne nodded.
"Yes...although I could have done better. I managed to defeat all of my opponents, but I made mistakes I shouldn't have..."
"But..." Elsa gave him a small soft smile. "You managed to defeat them all, isn't that what counts?"
"Yes, but those mistakes could make me loose the next time."
Elsa went quiet. She couldn't deny that Arne Vaernes was right. One mistake...one moment of not thinking correctly...you could be on the ground, bleeding out. She sighed and rubbed her arms. She should practice more. But with who...
"Your majesty." Arne suddenly said, pulling Elsa out of her thoughts. "I know that it isn't for me to ask, but I saw you talking with that maid who is dating the servant..."
Elsa bit on her lip, but quickly stopped. "Y-yes...she was ordering me to stay away from mr Frost, but I told her to stop talking down to me and stand down. I honestly can't believe that she would get jealous. There isn't anything left between us two. The cord has been cut, she can have him."
"I see..." Arne stood up and then went down on one knee in front of her. "Then, queen Elsa, would you do me the pleasure of training you?"
Elsa stared at him in confusion. "Where does this come from?"
Arne chuckled a little. "I heard from the king what has happened in the battle against the Darkened Forest kingdom. I myself have fought in many battles and since your former servant is no longer here to train you and king Christian shall be going on his journey, I would like to help you practice."
Elsa stood up. "Please, stand up, knight Vaernes."
Arne did as he was told and jumped up. He looked at her and Elsa smiled at him.
"Please..." Elsa said. "Please do so, Arne Vaernes. Help me to improve my swordsmanship."
Elsa extended her hand and Arne accepted it.
"Yes, your majesty. As you wish."