What Happened After Everything?

Hans

"Han, where are you, Laddy?" Merida whispered intimidatingly, making me duck my head under her father's old wooden desk even lower.

We were playing hide-and-go-seek and obviously she was the 'seeker' in this round. She was a fierce lassey. Even in such a plain and childish game like this, she's completely in her own world--more like a battlefield if I say so myself.

"Hann! Got ya!" she said heavily placing her small but powerful hands on my dainty prince arm.

I wasn't Scotland's strongest nor bravest prince (nor was I either back in my home country) but my father's title says other wise for I must be exactly like him when I grow up. Our country needs a fine king to rule, not a scrawny cowardice ruler. If it were my decision... I'd rather think that Merida was fit to be in my father's place. She wasn't the smartest (surely, I am smarter) but she has the skills and courage that I could never have. 

Sadly, I doubt that I would even be given the chance as I have twelve older brothers who only care about succeeding the throne than to even give the slightest affection to each other. 'Brother, once I succeed the throne, I'd probably behead you, immediately' my brother, Bjarne, once said to my other male sibling, Geir.. Here's a fine one that my older brother, Alf, said, 'My dear younger brother Espen, do you really think with such a dimwitted brain like yours that father would choose you as his successor? I'd rather believe that a wild and dirty boar could easily run this place better than you ever could!'

"Stop day dreamin', Han. Snap out of it." she said, tilting her head to the side.

She looked a bit worried... 

"S-sorry..." I said, with a sad expression on my face. "Just been thinking 'bout some deep things, lately... Don't worry though... You needn't hear any of it."

Everything went quiet.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, tears come rolling down her cheeks. I hadn't the slightest clue of what I should do in this particular situation. Like, 'oh, the princess and I been playing some games then she starts crying out of the blue!'. 

"D-don't cry!" I said, flailing my arms to the sides, trying to distract her.

She began to stop crying and sniffed in some air for her clogged nose.

"Now, why you cryin'?" I asked.

"I... I can't tell you." she said with her flushed cheeks and puffy red eyes.

"It's fine..." She looked at me with a complex look stuck on her face. "Really, it's fine. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"Tha-" she snorted in some more air. "Thank you, Han."

"Oh, by the way... I'd really like you to stop calling me as 'Han'. It's actually 'Hans'." I said with a weary smile.

"Oh. Sorry, Hans..." she said, apologetically. "Heh..."

I gave her a gentle smile.