An Education

I.

"Do you know why I called for you, little brother?"

Hans looked bored as he stood before the throne, and rocked back on his heels. "No idea, Your Majesty."

His eldest brother's gaze narrowed. "Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, is finally paying us a visit," he said. "No one told you?"

The youngest prince stood to attention, his brow twitching. "No one tells me anything, apparently," he replied, clasping his hands together behind his back. "I suppose you'll be locking me up in the dungeons while she's here, so you can all pretend like you've actually been punishing me for my crimes against her kingdom?"

The king frowned. "Don't try my patience, Hans," he warned, folding his arms, "and no, you will not be 'locked up' during her visit. But I do expect you to be on your best behavior, should you two have the misfortune of running into each other during her stay."

Hans stared at his sibling in disbelief. "What-you're just going to let me roam the palace unguarded, even while she's here?" he asked. "Don't you think that she might object to that, Your Highness?"

"Her Majesty has already agreed to visit on these terms," the king replied, baffling his youngest brother. "It appears that she does not fear you as she once did."

He paused as Han remained in shock, and then smiled. "Though I would still warn you against saying anything foolish to the Queen, if the right hook of her younger sister is anything to go by," he remarked, tapping his right eye for emphasis.

Hans frowned at the reminder. "I'd be more worried about her ice than her punch," he muttered.

The king's stare was cool. "I highly doubt that Her Highness would want to waste her powers on you."

Hans swallowed, his smile thin. "You're right, of course, Your Majesty. She wouldn't bother."

His brother nodded. "Good, I'm glad we're agreed on that point. You may go now."

Hans bowed deeply, allowing himself a moment to scowl at the marble floor below. When he rose to stand, his expression had returned to one of false admiration.

"As you wish, Your Highness."

*

You're no match for Elsa. I, on the other hand-

He winced at the memory.

You didn't turn out to be much of a "hero" at all, did you?

The idea made him scoff as he sat on the floor in the archives of the library, having long since given up on trying to read an old encyclopedia on the history of Arendelle and its surrounding kingdoms.

In fact, he was so far from even the notion of heroism that he could hardly believe he'd ever once thought himself capable of being considered one. That was evident enough, he thought, from his current seat amongst dusty stacks of long-forgotten books.

Still, it gave him the quiet he needed after his conversation with the king; he closed the book he'd been skimming and laid it in his lap as he leaned against a shelf, staring at the thin pillar of light filtering in from the small skylight above him.

It appears that she does not fear you as she once did.

His brows furrowed. Even if that were the case - seeing as two years had passed since his "incident" in Arendelle, and he was sure that the business of managing a kingdom had kept its queen too busy to dwell on the past - he didn't understand how she could accept his presence during her visit, let alone run the risk of running into him while there.