Chapter 6: Facing the Ice Queen
Anna was finally able to fall into a deep sleep after her exhaustion had taken over. The sun rose over hill tops surrounding the Southern Isles. Anna was having peaceful dreams about chocolate and warm summers when she was literally shaken out of it.
"Anna! Let's go, the ship is ready to set sail."
"Whaaaa, Hans can't this wait till later."
"I've been knocking on your door for ten minutes. My brothers are growing rather impatient to say goodbye, you know."
Anna slowly opened her eyes to see Hans above her. Other than that shiner on his face from last night's confrontation, he looked quite handsome. He wore something strikingly similar to what he wore in Arendelle. She shivered internally, thinking back to that person he once pretended to be. Hans's expression turned from an irritated frown to an amused smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Anna asked suspicious.
"Anna, all I can say is I'm glad we were never married. I'm not sure I could handle your hair every morning."
Anna's face began to blush as she realized how flustered she looked in the morning. She quickly attempted to tame her long poufy hair and responded, "I- you know… Oh shut up." Hans chuckled lightly. He left the room, allowing her a little time to compose herself. She quickly threw up her hair in her usual up-do and put on her signature green outfit. In her haste to leave, all she had was her one outfit and dark cloak. It wouldn't do for anyone to recognize her during the execution. Shaking out all her nerves, she went to meet Hans at the doc where the brothers from the previous night were waiting. She promptly said goodbye to each of them, some more curtly than others. She refused to shake Christopher or George's hands, even with all the brothers present, she'd be wise to keep her distance from them. Nicholas was the last in line.
"Goodbye, princess Anna." He took her by the hand and kissed it. They two stared at each other a little too long and Anna wasn't able to keep her embarrassment in. She quickly took her hand back and gave him a quick curtsy, her reddening cheeks prominent. "Goodbye, Nicholas."
Nicholas watched the beautiful princess make her way up to the ship. He hated that they'd only had the chance to talk briefly, he couldn't believe the impact she'd made on him in such a short time. But he'd be sure to be the first on that ship to Arendelle in a few months. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Hans glaring at him. Nicholas responded in kind.
Hans has never been particularly close to Nicholas. He was arguably one of his most hateful brothers. Anna needed to be a lot more careful if she's going to survive their visit in a few months. As Hans made his way to the ship, he could see Anna and a Southern Isles guard waiting for him with a pair of handcuffs.
"For the princess' protection, his majesty the King has ordered you be sent in chains."
"That won't be necessary." Anna responded.
"Your majesty, the King has left me specific orders to-"
"Hans Westergard is my prisoner. As such, he will abide by my rules while we journey to Arendelle. I am ordering you not to put him in chains."
The guard, not entirely sure how to respond, bowed to the princess and left.
The princes watched the spectacle from below, some shocked by her blatant disregard of a monarch's command and others thoroughly impressed by her bold move.
Hans was the latter. The ship was now in open waters, setting sail for Arendelle. "You just stood up to a monarch. A King, no less."
"Well… it was wrong. He just did that to humiliate you in front of your brothers. After last night, I would never allow that to happen."
"What do you mean?" Hans asked confused.
"I know what you did for me last night. Thank you for protecting me."
Hans wasn't sure what to say. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he did it. His brothers were right, he didn't care what happened to the Southern Isles or its citizens. For whatever reason he was holding deep inside, he just couldn't let it happen. All he knew was that Anna didn't deserve it, not after everything he'd put her through.
Out of smart remarks or responses, he simply nodded.
"Let's get you some ice for that bruise."
(Back in Arendelle)
Elsa was still beside herself wondering where her sister could be. Her day past by in a complete blur. She could hardly focus on her daily responsibilities, without having the urge to break down. Part of her was terrified something awful happened to her, while the other part feared she was off doing something reckless. As much as she loved Anna, she knew how impulsive she could be.
"I'm sure she's fine, Elsa. Anna's a tough girl, she can hold her own." Kristoff said.
"I think Anna's okay. And when she comes back, I'm gonna give her a big warm hug!" Olaf hugged himself gleefully.
Elsa smiled slightly. She was grateful to have a little company, now more than ever. They were currently in the dining room, readying themselves for dinner when a guard suddenly burst through the front doors.
"Your majesty! Princess Anna has returned! She's currently disembarking one of our ships."
Elsa and Kristoff gave each other a quick glance before running towards the docs with the guard close behind. "Wait for me!" Olaf yelled as he tried to get his tiny legs to catch up.
Elsa couldn't believe it. Her sister was alive and well! All the excitement built up in her as she made her way to the ship. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Kristoff nearly ran into her, as he was trying hard to keep up with her pace.
"What's wrong?" He asked. He looked up and saw it right away. He spotted Anna on the docs, but she wasn't alone. Beside her was the person he hoped he'd never have to see again. Hans was standing right by her side, unable to meet their gaze.
Elsa stood there for a few moments, trying to fully comprehend what she was seeing. A second ago, whatever adventure Anna was on didn't even matter. Elsa resolved to forgive her no matter what it was because all that mattered was that she was okay. But now… everything changed. How could Anna do this to her? How could she invite a monster into their home, knowing full well what he was capable of?
"Your majesty?" The guard awaited an order.
"Seize him." Elsa ordered in a cold tone.
As the guard did what he was told, Anna attempted to intervene. "Elsa, wait! You don't understand."
"How could you do this, Anna? You stole one of our ships, took a voyage to Southern Isles without my knowledge or consent, and most likely committed some act of treason. All for what? For him? For a man that tried to destroy you, to destroy us? You endangered not only yourself, but your own family and to the people of Arendelle." She turned to the guard with Hans in chains. "I want him taken directly to our dungeons for the night and on a ship back to the Southern Isles by morning."
"Elsa, you can't!" Anna yelled.
"Why not!?" Elsa could feel herself losing control. Anna shivered as the air grew colder by the second. The ground beneath them began to freeze over in an icy crystal blue sheen. Kristoff and Olaf could only watch nervously as the incident unfolded.
Anna grew closer to her sister and placed the contract in her hands. "We have an agreement." Anna stated simply.
Kristoff knew he needed some serious damage control before things got any worse. He gently placed his hand on Elsa's shoulder in a comforting manner, "Elsa, maybe we should take this conversation inside. We're all freezing, it's the middle of the night, and I'm sure we are all exhausted from these past few days. Let's just try to relax and we'll all come back to this in the morning."
Elsa's breathing began to slow to its normal rate. Although Anna attempted not to show it, she was absolutely terrified of the hateful look her sister was giving her in this moment. She knew Elsa wouldn't be happy when she found out where she'd been, but she'd never seen her this angry in her life.
After a few tense minutes, Elsa agreed to return to the castle where she ordered Anna to return to her chambers and for Hans to be placed in the dungeons while she gathered her thoughts on the entire situation. Kristoff agreed to meet with Elsa in the library for a small discussion.
"What was she thinking?" Elsa asked not directly to Kristoff, but to herself. She simply couldn't imagine what Anna's motive would be to travel to the Southern Isles for a traitor.
"Elsa, you need to calm down. Being angry isn't gonna change anything. Hans is here and obviously isn't going anywhere according to Anna. What does the "contract" say anyway?" Kristoff asked.
"I don't know. I'm terrified to look if I'm being completely honest." Elsa frantically paced back and forth, trying to organize her thoughts until Kristoff took her by the hand.
"Then let's find out together." Kristoff gave Elsa a calm, reassuring smile and she knew everything was going to be okay.
They both took a seat on one of the tables of the library and cautiously began reading the contract between Anna and the King of the Southern Isles.
On this day, I, King Philip of the Southern Isles, here by agree to the following terms and conditions made between myself and Princess Anna of Arendelle:
The traitor, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, will be sent to Arendelle for six months to be evaluated for his crimes against Queen Elsa of Arendelle and Princess Anna of Arendelle.
In order to avoid a biased evaluation, Queen Elsa will be the sole decider in Hans' fate. She will not be permitted to reveal her decision until the day of Hans' trial in the Southern Isles, as it is tradition for his sentencing to be revealed in his homeland.
By the third month of Hans' evaluation, princes of the Southern Isles will be chosen to journey to Arendelle to evaluate Hans as well in order to keep me up to date on his progress.
In the event that Hans should fail in his journey to redemption, his original sentencing would be invalid. Therefore, he would be sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in the dungeons of the Southern Isles.
In the event Hans should succeed, Queen Elsa has the right to sentence him how she deems fit. He shall be sent home to the Southern Isles to receive his pardon and will be granted amnesty for his past crimes.
Once the trial has commenced and the fate of Hans has been decided, it is the obligation of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna to enter into a marriage contract. By signing this contract, either Queen Elsa or Princes Anna will be legally obligated to marry a Prince of the Southern Isles, effectively creating peace between our two kingdoms and binding them together as one for generations.
Prince Philip of the Southern Isles
Princess Anna of Arendelle
Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN! Hopefully this isn't too dramatic for you guys. I know a lot of people haven't been too crazy on the whole Anna/Hans pairing but personally I don't feel there's been enough of it. I just think that there's so much depth and personal growth that can be shown through these characters and I'm honestly falling in love with this storyline. I have so many fun ideas and I'm ready to keep going! For the people who genuinely enjoy my work, thank you so much! I'm always open to new ideas and constructive criticism. This is only my second fanfic so please be easy on me. Hope you enjoyed!