The Traitor King - Book 2 of the Iceburns Series

Memorabilia & Mirrors

Hans opened his closet, where he found King Agdar's suit. He carefully removed it, making sure not to wrinkle the fabric. He took off his tunic and trousers, folding them up. He put on his suit, walking to the mirror. "Wow," he said softly; he actually looked pretty good. His hands, for some reason, felt dry and odd. Hans quickly searched for his gloves, hastily putting them on. The gloves were a constant reminder, a barrier, like Elsa's had been. But, they didn't conceal any elemental powers... no, it was much deeper than that. They concealed his true self, his true emotions, his true intentions. He rembered the day when he had first gotten them...

*Flashback*

"Wake up, Hans."

Queen Sarima of the Southern Isles gently nudged her son awake. He had fallen asleep on the couch (again), the poor boy. Hans muttered indistinctly, clutching a book in his hands closer to his chest. Sarima looked closer at the book, squinting in the firelight. The title read, A History of the Scandinavian Navy Forces. "Oh, Hans..." she said to herself. He had recently taken a liking to the navy, heaven knows why. "Hans, my dear, please wake up." Sarima smoothed his hair. The little prince slowly opened his eyes.

"Mother?"

"Yes, darling, it is me."

"But... why are you awake? What time is it?"

"A bit after midnight. Guess what day it is?"

"Sunday?"

The Queen laughed light heartedly. "Well, yes, but today, Hans, is your birthday!"

Hans' green eyes lit up. "Oh, yea! But-"

"Forgive me, Hans, but I knew your brothers would tease you if I gave you your present in the morning," Sarima interjected. She picked up a little blue box from her lap, and gave it to her son. Hans carefully opened the gift, and pulled out a pair of crisp, white gloves. "Gloves?" he asked.

"As royalty, one of our duties is to always keep a good face, no matter what the situation. We must hide our emotions and inner turmoil, for the good of our country. These gloves, Hans, are just that. They can, if you are willing, keep our true feelings locked away."

Hans wasn't so sure about his mother's advice."Are you sure that's wise?"

Sarima sighed. "Repeat after me. Conceal, don't feel."

"C-conceal, don't... don't feel."

"Come now, more certainy! Conceal, don't feel! You must mean it!"

"Conceal, don't feel!!" Hans said, the strength of a 100 bulls in his voice.

His mother nodded her head in approval. From that moment, Hans would do everything Sarima had told him, and more. He trained himself to mimic the actions of those around him, which grew to adapting to their emotions, which then grew to almost becoming the person. He would do so to make whoever he was with more comfortable. This camoleon-like behavior led him to also become a "mirror"- he could reflect what his friend or foe was feeling. He did this so much that he soon lost his own, genuine personality, buried deep beneath the dozens of personas he had adopted. So naturally, when his gloves were removed, he was often lost, angry, confused, or stressed. It was, in a sense, like going through withdrawal. Hans couldn't stand it.

Sorry for the short chapter. But did you get my references? If not, here's a list-
"Always keep a good face, no matter what the situation."- Adaptation of Zelena's quote, OUAT
Sarima- Fiyero's wife in Wicked
I may have not listed all of them.