"Why?" Was all Anna asked, her voice echoing around the room.
"You'll never know why." Hans bitter voice replied.
It was just the two of them alone in the darkened room. Anna stood by the door, her ginger hair glowing faintly in the ill light of the flickering candle flame. A small piece of light seeped through a crack in the drawn curtains which guided to the centre of the room outlining the four legs of a chair with two legs of a human tied to the two front legs.
"I didn't travel all the way from Arendelle to get that answer." Anna's voice had a hint of viper within. Hans let out a dry laugh, "You wasted your time coming here."
"No I didn't." Anna spat at him. She had travelled on horseback for two days in a row. She had lied to her sister and her boyfriend about where she was going. She'd said she was going to check on Elsa's ice castle she had built previously in the month and both Elsa and Kristoff had insisted on going with her but she refused. If they knew the truth about where she was going they'd have hit the roof. Kristoff would have made Elsa freeze her to the ground for good.
"Go back home Princess. You're not welcome here."
Anna placed her hand in front of the flame to stop anything from blowing it out. Her footsteps echoed around the room causing a daunting feeling to spread through Hans. For once he felt intimidated by the damsel, not the other way round. The chair scraped on the floor as Hans legs tightened around it in an attempt to move . "Don't come any closer to me!"
"I can do whatever I want to. I am the guest and you treat me as a guest."
A booming thud came from outside the door. "Is everything okay?" A loud voice shouted through sending a sharp pain through Hans body. It was his eldest brother. The worst of all his brothers. For years on end as a child he would bully Hans and reduce him to tears. He would break his toys, insult what he wore, make up lies to get him in trouble and so much more. All the dreams Hans had he would crush in a second before laughing in his face. He even ignored Hans for two years in a row and got one of the others to join him. The worse thing he done was rip up his books. Hans loved his books, especially ones where the hero fought the dragon or the evil villain to save the Princess and they all lived happily ever after. His brother would snatch them away and rip the pages out right in front of his eyes. 'Ha! You want your happily ever after?' His brother would shout, 'One, you'd never be able to run a kingdom and two, nobody would ever want to marry some scrawny little wretch like you!' His other brothers would then join in chanting about how pathetic Hans was causing him to run away to his room. Eventually he gave up on the 'happily ever after' stuff. He didn't want to believe in happily ever after. His brothers were right; nobody would ever want to love him. Maybe that's why he turned so bitter, because he had believed his brothers for so many years. If he couldn't have his happily ever after nobody could. But then when he heard of Arendale and Elsa and Anna it gave him some form of hope he could possibly have some form of happiness, he could run a kingdom and prove his brothers wrong. Too bad his plan backfired. Now here he was tied to a chair while the person he wanted dead walked over to him wanting answers.
"Yes, everything is fine thank you." Anna replied as she continued to walk over to Hans.
Hans held back a whimper as Anna got ever closer. He hung his head low so she couldn't see his face when she eventually reached him. Why couldn't his brothers just finish him off and do everyone a favour? He was weak and vulnerable and he knew once Anna had left his twelve brothers would return and give him another trashing. As much as he wanted to be alone, he was also glad she was with him.
Anna slowly reached him and stopped in front of him. She moved the candle light down to see his hair all matted and dried with sweat on his head which groggily hung low. Moving the candle slowly around, she admired in shock at his bodily condition. His hands were tied back behind the chair with a rope tightly tied around his middle causing him to wheeze a little each time he breathed. Anna's eyes widened as she saw both arm sleeves were ripped in various places to reveal cuts and bruises. Some bruises were fresh in a dark purple colour while some were older and turning a sickly shade of yellow while the cuts were either deep or just minor scratches. His legs were bound around the chair with rips around his thighs while blood had seeped through the white trousers staining them red.
Anna placed her free hand over her mouth. What had they done to him? The once handsome and charming Prince she once knew was now a battered mess in front of her every eyes. She knew his brothers would have something to say about what he had done but she never imagined it would be this horrifying. "H-Hans." Was all she could manage. She couldn't speak; only stare at his corpse in front of her. What could she say? What was there to say?
Hans shook his head, "Are you happy now Anna? Are you happy that you have seen what they have done to me? Well, take a good look and enjoy it because I won't look like this later. If anything I will look worse than I do now, or in your eyes I will look better than I do now. Just go, go back to Elsa and Kristoff and spread the news of what has happened to me."
"What...what do you mean you won't look like this later?" She managed, shock still evidently clear in her voice.
Hans let out a laugh but still had his head low. "You really are thick sometimes. What do you think? They are going to beat me some more, just like they have been doing so ever since I came back here. They will do this for days, weeks, months, and years on end. The reason you came was probably to see me like this, I'm amazed you didn't bring the other two."
"Hans I didn't know they were going to do this to you. I thought you were going to be locked away. I didn't know they would do this."
She slowly moved her hand to his shoulder and moved a ripped flap of fabric to reveal a fresh cut which was still bleeding. Hans winced a little and moved his shoulder away from her. "Please just go Anna. Go and be happy."
Anna's eyes widened in shock, had he really just told her to go and be happy? Surly he didn't want her to be happy; he had been willing to let her freeze to death before killing her older sister and run Arendelle in place of them and he was telling her to go and be happy.
"Yes, I did just tell you to go and be happy." Hans said gingerly as he noticed her silence. It's what she deserved. Like she told him, for years on end she had doors slammed in her face through no fault of her own then she bumps into a man who she believes is in love with her only to find out he wants her and her sister dead. He meant it too. He wanted her to be happy. For once he didn't care about himself. He wanted Anna to enjoy her life and being stuck in a room wouldn't make her happy.
Anna looked over his body again. Seeing the state he was in made her feel sick. "I...I didn't want them to do this to you."
"Well it's what I deserve Anna, now just leave."
"No matter how much I hate you for what you done, you don't deserve this."
"Yes I do Anna." Hans snapped. "I deserve every inch of this punishment now just go back to your family and friends...please."
Please said again? He had stated it previously but this time it seemed more meaningful. Anna stared down at him. How had someone of such power of both her and her sister fallen to this state?
Anna slowly lowered herself down to her knees and placed them on the cold floor in front of Hans legs. She held the candle in her hand still while the other rested upon his knee. "Hans look at me." She said gently too him.
"No Anna." He replied helplessly. He didn't want her to see what he looked like. He didn't even want to see what he looked like each time he received a beating.
Anna slowly moved her hand up to his chin and titled his head up so she could look into his eyes. Her initial aim was to have him look her in the eye and give her answers but instead it backfired and she let out a gasp of both horror and shock. The face that stared back at her was not the man she had once known. Plum purple bruises circled around both his eyes. His right eye was squinted shut and weeped a little in the corner. Both cheeks were swollen with a sour yellow and had multiple grazes. No more side burns lined his face. They were gone and in their place slashes from what only Anna could assume were knife cuts. Blood stained his upper lip where blood had trickled down from his nose and placed itself on top. His bottom lip had a split in the centre which still bled faintly. Some of the blood had trickled down his chin and crusted up.
Hans stared at Anna through his open eye with dismay and some form of anger. He had left his head down for a reason, for her not to see. He didn't want her to see because he was ashamed of his state but mainly because he knew it would upset her. Her face was confined with horror as she looked him over while fear and disgust swamped her eyes. This was why she should have listened to him. He knew that once she had seen him guilt would overrun her accompanied by a feeling of sorrow and despair.
Anna could feel her eyes watering. She fought back the tears and moved her hand to his cheek and gently touched it. The warmth of his face was strong, they really had damaged him. Hans slowly closed his eyes and pursed his lips.
"Hans...I-I..." Anna couldn't finish her sentence. What had become of him?
"That's why I told you not to look at me." Hans huskily said.
Anna looked down at the floor. He had hurt her and her sister, surly he deserved this? He deserved every beating, cut and bruise that was given to him. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself he really and truly deserved this, she couldn't find it in her heart to believe it. "The handsome Prince I once knew is now a bloody and bruised mess in front of me." Her voice wavered a bit as she placed her hand over her mouth. She could feel a sob forming in her chest and she let out a little whimper.
"Anna please don't cry. I deserve this. I may have been handsome to you once but what's inside me will never be good." Hans looked up at the ceiling. Anna once believed he was everything to her. She believed he was the one for her and nobody else could beat him. But he went and crushed her heart because he was selfish. He didn't want the young Princess to be sad. Maybe he wanted her dead before but ever since the past events his mind had changed on many views. She deserved every happiness.
"Was it all twelve of your brothers?" Anna demanded breaking Hans from his thoughts. Her eyes had changed from sadness to anger. Her eyebrows arched as she looked up at him.
"...yes...it was all twelve of them." Hans responded with distaste.
Anna stood up, her anger overwhelming her. Sure what he had done was beyond bad but this was wrong. No matter how much she hated him she wouldn't wish this upon him.
"Anna what are you doing?" Hans raised his voice a little.
"I'm going to tell your brothers to stop this! It is wrong!"
"NO!" Hans shouted, his voice echoing around the room. Hans was annoyed but also confused. He was annoyed at her for wanting his brothers to stop but confused because the one question he expected her to ask, she hadn't. Instead she'd asked if it was all of his brothers. Why hadn't she asked if he had ever loved her? He had him bracing himself for the answer the whole time she was here but it never came about. He knew the answer. He had loved her. He did love her. Who wouldn't love the young Princess of Arendelle? She was young, pretty and full of life and energy. Maybe if his heart hadn't been so overrun with his own greed he would have seen that he could have had a life with her and they would have been happy. All this was too late now.
Anna stared at him in shock at his anger. He was glaring at her.
"Why not?" She questioned raising her voice at him.
"I don't want them to stop Anna! I deserve this! If only you would listen to me!"
"What good would listening to you do?! I listened to you before and believed you loved me and look how it turned out! It turned out with me freezing! I came here to get answers but instead I try and help you and you tell me not to do anything!"
"You know I always admired that about you Anna." Hans said staring at her.
"What?"
"Your courage. When we met and you admitted I was gorgeous, I thought that was brave. And then when you went alone to find Elsa I admired you even more for that. And now your courage has grown even more. You've come to face the man who wanted you dead."
Anna remained silent. What could she say in response? Nothing, only stand there and watch her previous lover stare back at her. She looked away from him before saying, "But I want to help you."
"Well I don't want your help! I'm grateful for it but just go."
Another silence passed but it soon disappeared as the echoing of loud thuds from outside the room thundered through. "Is everything okay in there?"
Anna went to reply but Hans interrupted her, "You should never have come here!"
Anna looked at him in confusemeant. His voice was filled with rage and anger but his face showed nothing but agony. "Hans what are you doing?" She knew what he was saying wasn't true because she could see it in his eyes.
"Making you leave." He said almost sobbing as he looked away from her.
"I want to help y-"
"You should have died and so should your sister!" He shouted again refusing to look at her.
Anna reached out to Hans, "Please stop." Her eyes stung a little with her salty tears that formed in the corners of her eyes.
"I should have finished you instead of leaving you!"
The doors slammed open letting light into the room. Hans looked even more of a state in the bright light than he had in the candle flame. A well built man much taller than Hans stormed in followed by eleven others, all of different shapes and sizes and all much bigger than Hans.
"Hans." Anna mumbled as she felt some hands grip around her waist and pull her back.
"Is he causing you grief?" The tallest demanded as he wrapped his arm around Hans neck and squeezed it tightly.
Through his squinted eyes, Hans gave Anna a look that told her to go along with it and just say yes.
Anna looked at the men surrounding her and then back at Hans. She didn't want to say yes but she had a feeling that even if she didn't say it they wouldn't believe her. She also felt intimidated. The only female in a room of thirteen men waiting for a simple yes or no answer which either way would end with Hand being beaten.
"Don't be scared to tell us, he can't hurt you Anna." The man holding onto her said.
Anna fought back the tears and looked at Hans as she slowly nodded her head. "Yes. Yes he is." Anna let a sob escape her chest. What had she just done? Now his beating would be worse than ever. Maybe if she hadn't have said yes it wouldn't have been so bad but a yes provided the ammo needed for his brothers to beat him worse than ever.
The man behind Hans, from what Anna could only assume was his eldest brother pulled Hans head back and punched him in the centre of his back. Anna covered her mouth as Hans let out a mournful gasp and leant his body to the left in agony. He let go of Hans and pushed the chair forward so Hans crashed to the floor with the chair on top of him. He was unable to move, only wriggle slightly underneath the weight of the chair.
"Come on Princess." The man holding onto her said as he turned her around towards the door.
Anna bit her lip to stop the tears pouring out. She turned her head to see the remaining men surrounding the Prince who looked helplessly at her from the floor. "Go Anna!" he shouted from the cold ground. "Go to your pathetic kingdom and NEVER return!"
Anna shook her head at him as she was taken out the room. It was silent until the cry of Hans came from the room she had been in echoed all around. "No!" She shouted gripping her hair. More cries of pain came from in the room and images of them beating Hans flooded her mind.
"Where's your happily ever after now huh Hans?" She heard one ask followed by an agonising shout come from Hans.
"He will never get one because no Princess would ever love someone as pathetic as him."
"Or someone as 'gorgeous' as him."
"Gorgeous? Ha!"
The men all laughed in unison before more shouts and yells came from Hans.
"Maid, take Anna away. Make sure she gets home safely." The man said to an elderly lady holding some flowers.
"Yes Sir." She said walking over to Anna as the man returned to the room.
Anna's vision was blurred from her tears but she could make out him closing the doors shut.
"Come on my dear; let's make sure you get home safely." The elderly lady said gently wrapping her arm around Anna's tiny waist.
Anna let more tears escape her eyes. "I d-d-don't want h-him to b-b-be b-beaten u-up." Anna sobbed as she got pulled down the hall.
"Oh dear, you're just tired and in shock. It's time to get you home."
They got further away from the room but the sound of Hans crying out could still be heard by Anna. Maybe it was because she had heard them previously and the sound stuck in her mind or they were still genuinely there. Either way she didn't want to hear them.
Clasping her hands over her ears, she sobbed as they continued down the hall. "I just want to go home." She mumbled.
A/N - Well this is my first ever piece of Frozen writing. I actually adore the film! It is so amazing and I love all the characters. I went to Disneyland Paris and saw Let It Go on the castle and it was amazing.
Not sure where this idea came from but it just came to me one day. And I had wanted to write a Frozen story and yeah, here it is and I hope you like it.
If you follow me or whatever on here you will notice this isn't my typical writing style. Usually I do happy stuff but this is completely different. I really hope you like it. I'm thinking of doing a continue on maybe at some point but I'm not sure.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!