Hans' Snow Queen

Chapter Four⎮"Trust"

Gold blotched Arendelle's sky as the sun rose. Elsa slept snuggled up against Hans. Her cold touch awoke him and he lay contemplating the day's agenda. It crossed Hans' mind that Erik would be waiting for a message.

He sat up carefully so as not to disturb the slumbering queen. She was pretty this way; her face peaceful and lacking its usual resentment. Hans limped away, and once out of sight, willed fire to hover above his palm. The flames twisted and contorted until a faint image materialised.

Erik sagged on an armchair, a heavy gold crown resting on his light hair.

"Erik!"Y3V0IGhlciBmaW5nZXJzIHVudGlsIHRoZXkgYmxlZA0KSGUgY291bGRu4oCZdCBoZWFyIGEgd29yZCBzaGUgc2FpZ

The weary prince's head snapped up and he scrambled closer. "Hans! How are you?"

"Oh, you know, I got impaled by an icicle and now Queen Elsa is the only doctor available. You?"

"Bloody hell," whispered Erik. "The invasion was successful and all rebellious citizens subdued. King Aleksander, Magnus, and Isak arrive tomorrow. Keep the queen at bay until then."

Hans glanced down at the bandages Elsa had wound around his injury last night. "Doubt we'll cover much ground anyway. There's a problem: my powers are no longer secret."

Erik blanched to an almost grey colour. "Q-queen Elsa...she knows? Our family has hidden this for years! How could—"

"I know. This was not part of the plan." Hans leaned against a pine dusted with charcoal.

He terminated the link. Bird songs rang in the brisk air. Hans slid down his back to a sitting position and raked his numb fingers through stringy grass. If he could just forget everything in the peace of the forest.

Back at camp, a conscious and furious Snow Queen awaited him. "If you try escaping again I swear there will be no one to thaw your frozen heart."

Spring flowers shattered as frost overtook them. For the first time in forever, Hans felt grateful for his own magic. Not that it helped much last time.

Elsa thrust a rucksack and makeshift crutches his way. "There is a small village nearby. I would thaw my guards but we can't afford delays. Let's go."

"Take it easy," he griped. "It's difficult to walk with a skewered leg."

"Hurry up!"

Amidst rolling hills, a passing farmer offered to take them into town. They clambered onto the hay-filled cart and rested on burlap sacks. Hans found the action painful given his injured leg.

"What's your story?" Elsa pushed platinum hair from her forehead. "I didn't know there were others like me."

Hans observed cottages and flocks of sheep. "Everyone except Erik and Mama was terrified. It scared me too at first. Then I was angry. Ice can be beautiful, but fire is only destructive."

"Oh. My parents hid me from the world," said Elsa, "Life was quiet and lonely at best."

He shrugged. "I suppose we have something in common."

She huffed and scooted away, but Hans saw empathy in her expression. The Snow Queen wasn't so cold after all. Bumpy dirt roads turned to an easy journey through paved city streets. The farmer stopped the cart in a town square crowded with shoppers and allowed his passengers to disembark. Queen Elsa thanked him graciously.

"Do you have money?" she enquired Hans.

"Yes."

"Buy yourself food and a ticket for the ferry."

Hans nodded. "Absolutely. What about you?"

Elsa smirked and crossed her arms. "I'm the queen."

About that.

Late morning sunlight glittered off her gown, attracting the attention of passersby. Hans admired her confidence. They wandered through the marketplace waiting for the ferry. By noon, Hans had gotten a ticket while Elsa boarded with only her title. The staff seemed eager to serve.

Although people bended over backwards for her, Queen Elsa retained a gracious attitude. Guilt overwhelmed Hans as he witnessed the queen in action. She really was good. What would become of her in Arendelle?

Even with clear skies, a sea breeze chilled Hans through his cloak. Elsa did not mind this of course and seemed to bask in triumph. After all, she had captured a fugitive and would single-handedly drag him back to prison.

Ignorance is bliss.

"What do you plan to do with me once we reach Arendelle?" Hans leaned on the railing overlooking the ocean beside Elsa. Her hair glowed orange with the afternoon light. He found it rather nice.

She locked eyes with him. "You could have burned your prison away but you didn't. Why?"

The question caught Hans off guard and he gripped the railing tighter. Elsa noticed. "Because I deserve it. That's where murderous freaks like me belong."

He waited in vain for her response. Confessing was a mistake. There were no second chances in real life. People made terrible decisions and lived with the consequences, no matter how painful. Despair filled Hans as he contemplated.

Elsa reached out to hold his hand. Hans looked down in disbelief. They remained this way for a while as waves crashed in bursts of white foam and sea spray. The wooden deck swayed gently.

On a choppy horizon was the outline of Arendelle's largest city. The palace towered over it all. Hans imagined the silhouette of a ship headed there. One fit for a conquerer and a king. His throat tightened. It was not right to trade an innocent queen for a cruel tyrant. He could refuse compliance, but Hans knew his eldest brother and vice versa.

If Queen Elsa was not brought for slaughter, King Aleksander would murder everyone Hans cared for.

Erik may die.