The Unlikely Candidate

I'm sure this has been done before. One of Hans' older brothers travels to Arendelle to clean up the mess. He is not exactly successful. Starts 3 months after the movie.

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Hans entered the throne room, a guard on each side of him. While he had come to terms with the fact that his actions in Arendelle were rash and hurtful, not to mention poorly planned, he did not understand why he was being treated as a dangerous criminal. Did anyone truly think he would act in a treasonous way toward the Southern Isles, his home? His actions while in Arendelle were motivated by a desire for advancement and power, but now that that door had closed, he saw no further reason to behave unjustly.

The guards marched him down the center of the large cavern, past each of the ten stained glass windows, and brought him to a halt in front of his father, King Harold II. Hans bowed to his father out of habit, then rose and waited to hear the outcome of their three-month trial to decide his punishment. Sitting through the deliberations had taken their toll on Hans, as he was now much thinner and his face showed obvious signs of malnourishment and exhaustion. Sleeping in the dungeons had further taxed his already-frustrated spirit, as evidenced by the fact that he did not bother to wash or change his clothing to appear before the king.

"Hans, my son, you are present here today to learn the consequence of your cowardly behavior in Arendelle. As you know, we held multiple meetings with the knights and stewards. While there were many varying opinions, the final decision was temporary exile to Waybridge. You will remain there for three years, after which time you may return to live in the capitol city- but never again shall you reside within these castle walls. Within this fortress, there is no room for avaricious schemers." The king pronounced these words, and then closed his eyes. "I regret that this is the last night you will sleep in my household, Hans."

Hans blinked. After a few moments of silence, the guards spun him around and began the long march out of the hall. Hans tried to wrench his body around to look at his father once more, but the king was already making his way toward the side door which led to one of the courtyards. Breathing heavily, Hans struggled to free himself from the guards, with no success. Knights of the Southern Isles were rigorously trained and battle-worn from their recent war against Weseltown. Hans would get nowhere. Hanging his head low, he allowed them to lead him back to the dungeons for his last night within the castle, his home.

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"Where is Peter? Have you seen him today?" Frederik asked his brother William.

"Yes, I saw him this morning at the stables – Klein was saddling his horse and he said something about a cave he had found. I reminded him about the council; he said he would return."

Frederik sighed and looked toward their father, King Harold II. Harold's very small grin could not be hidden from his eldest son, and Frederik shook his head. Peter had always been the brother to run off at the slightest mention of something interesting in the woods, but he was seldom late for scheduled meetings.

It was at that moment that the doors were opened by Percy the chamberlain. Peter rushed in, and Percy closed the door with a thud. It was obvious to each man in the room that Peter had hurried straight in from his adventure, judging by the riding boots, wrinkled cloak, mussed hair, and frazzled look on his face. As he quickly approached the long table, a few twigs and leaves fluttered to the floor in his wake.

"I apologize for my lateness – I should not have kept you waiting," Peter said as he bowed to his father. Breathing rather heavily and looking delightfully ashamed, he took his seat in between Frederik and Theodor.

The king replaced his small grin with a serious expression. "My sons. Now that the actions of your youngest brother have been settled, we must return to my suggestion in the immediate aftermath of his return: I wish for us to send a delegation to Arendelle to pay our respects and deliver our apologies to their new queen." King Harold looked to Frederik. "Frederik, I charged you with this decision: who will you send on this journey?"

"Father, up until today I was uncertain of who would be most fit for this task. I now believe Peter should go," Frederik said. At these words, Peter's eyes widened. He stared at his brother as if willing the words back into his mouth.

"My brother, if it is eloquent words and charm that you wish to send to Arendelle, I know there are better-" Peter began, but was cut off by his father.

"Peter, you have been chosen for this task, and I personally believe that you will do a fine job. You may take two of your brothers on the journey, and you will leave tomorrow at sunrise. I look forward to seeing you at the docks," the king said in a tone which meant the council had ended.

Peter still looked as if he would be sick. As the king exited, Frederik patted his brother on the back and whispered, "Peter – I know this is not what you would have wished, but I cannot help but believe this journey will teach you much about yourself, and give you many more adventures than you could possibly expect. You are growing up so fast, and I'm not sure how much longer you will be allowed to traipse around the forest looking for interesting things to do." With another pat, Frederik followed his father out of the room.

Peter sat still, frozen in his seat. Two of his younger brothers, Maximillian and Andrew, slowly made their way toward him, unsure of his reaction to his new assignment. They sat down on either side of their perplexed brother and waited for him to speak.

"I only just began to explore the cave this morning…. and now it will be weeks before I am able to return," he said more to himself than his listening brothers and closest friends. "There is a waterfall, and the moss was so slippery that I fell in the water the first time. Once I made it across the rocks, I found there were foxes living inside the cave, and the berries growing all around-"

"Peter, I hate to interrupt what would have been the most detailed description of a waterfall we've ever heard, but the thing is, you've just been told that you're leaving on a daring trip across the seas to a mysterious kingdom ruled by an enchanted queen, and all you can think about is riding around on your horse by yourself." Andrew had always been able to phrase the things that were on everyone's minds.

Peter looked up from the table for the first time since their father had given him his new task. He glared at Andrew and replied, "I do not believe that a diplomatic visit should be made by the most clumsy and awkward prince in our kingdom, and yes I am loathe to miss out on the things I like to do, but mostly I just hate that we are cleaning up a mess made by Hans. A very hurtful and offensive mess, which most assuredly will not be mended by one visit." He sighed and stood from the table, then turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, "Make sure your things are packed for tomorrow morning." Andrew and Max could have sworn they saw a small grin on Peter's face, but he turned so quickly they could not be certain.

One thing was certain: Peter did not notice the gleeful look on his brothers' faces when they realized they would be making the trip with him.