Should've [HIATUS]

Chapter 1: Realization

Author's note: Okay so, this is my first Hanna fanfic. HAHA! The pair is really tragic for me so I decided to make a story about them. Why not, right? This story will have a maximum of 10 chapters and a minimum of 5. Yeah, it's gonna be pretty short but I hope you guys will like this nonetheless. Thank you and enjoy!

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With his hands cuffed tightly behind him, and his kness touching the rocky ground, no doubt that he's doomed - especially since he's in his father's filthy hands.

"And that is why I, King Robert Westerguard of the Southern Isles, charge you, former Prince Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles, with treason and attempted regicide. For tricking the people of Arendelle, including Princess Anna and the newly-crowned Queen Elsa, I sentence you to life imprisonment."

And that was it, the last time he'll be able to wear his title. He familiarized his ears with the new name he bestowed upon himself; Hans of nowhere in particular.

It suits him, he thought, for at least it cuts all connections that he has with both his country and family. Now, he's just Hans and not the Hans Westerguard he once was. And he felt as if it's better that way, to be a no one who could be anything than a pesky little prince who will forever be a pesky little prince.

"It's - It's just me."

That's when her words hit him, a clear shot to his puzzled mind. Could it be that she went through the same thing he's going through? Or was it just a pathetic word play that she made up when she met him? His eyebrows furrowed as he, for probably the thirteenth time, sighed exasperatingly. She's harder to read than he thought.

He kept his head low, not wanting to make any eye contact with the people that Sid, the royal announcer, is presenting him to. He hated how their sharp glares would unmercifully pin him to near death, how some would whisper his name in another's ear, or how some would chuckle at his misfortune.

"Hang him!" Some people said in chorus, making a huge ruckus in the middle of town.

He smirked at that, at how foolish he was to believe in loyalty. They're the same crowd who used to applaud his presence, and now, they're cursing him, wishing for his death.

The people went wild at the king's unfair judgement, pushing each other to the extent that the barricades between them and Hans nearly broke. They knew well that their fallen prince should either be hanged or beheaded, and that the king was too kind to have his own son killed, but anger had previled in their minds, and all they want is to see him dead as dust.

He is a threat to them, a public menace. They fear the day that he escapes his prison cell - which they bet is not a cell at all - and take over the Southern Isles by killing his older brothers. No doubt that when that time comes, that's when they'll be completely vulnerable to him. They will be forced to comply his every wish, to cater his every whim. They will be his slaves.

The pushing, shoving, and throwing of rocks continued, forcing the guards to bravely step in and hold them back. Hans could not move a muscle, but he was able to grin, for he heard a few people refer to him in a very familiar term.

A monster.

For him, it seems only yesterday that he was on the queen's coronation, clad in yellow and white, and dancing with the queen's younger sister. He remembered how well she gracefully moved with him, like they were in sync, like they were one. He remembered how soft her hair was, and how much her skin glowed when the faint moonlight shone on her, a diffused gleam, when they were on the castle's veranda.

She's perfect for him; and he's a self-proclaimed idiot for letting her go.

He chuckled at the thought, noticing that something as simple as that was able to make his heart, his block of ice for a heart, beat frantically like it'll burst out of his rigid chest. He found it hard to breathe so he raised his head, only to be greeted by the raging crowd right in front of him. Even with them, he felt alone, and like something blocked their noises before they could reach his ears.

Soon after, he felt someone grab his shoulders and arms. They were two burly guards and they dragged him away from the people, helped him stand, and escorted him towards the royal carriage. And for once, he didn't struggle.

He wanted to get out of the sun anyway; and he was more than willing to leave for he had more than enough of the crowd's venomous glares. But even with the loud commotion, his mind was still stuck on one thought - one person, to be exact.

Anna.