Jump Into the Fog
Chapter 5
"What a great achievement it was to find someone who shirks such little self-restraint."
-
With Elsa working on a proposal allowing more manufacture of winter clothing, Hans approached one of the meeting rooms, scroll in hand, to confront the Duke of Weselton.
Hans rather hated that little weasel—he'd only done what he could to really get on his nerves. And there really was no reason Arendelle even needed Weselton as a trading partner; Elsa wasn't one to easily forgive the Duke who singlehandedly instilled fear into her people over her powers.
After much discussion with Elsa, the two came up with a proper dismissal. And Hans couldn't be happier that Elsa really trusted him in royal affairs; the title of king was as good as his.
Now, Hans wasn't outright greedy or malicious. Like all humans, he had his limits, though—and he wasn't afraid to play dirty if those limits were reached. Such as when Anna stupidly threw herself at Hans. He couldn't stand such naïve people. Life wasn't a place of sunshine and happiness; life had consequences, and the best way he could be happy, he knew, was by being the best.
And in this life in Arendelle, he definitely didn't want that little weasel anywhere near the kingdom he was about to rule.
There the Duke was, with his two goons hovering over him as usual. Keeping a calm face, Hans unrolled the scroll Elsa herself had quilled and signed. "Gentlemen, thank you for joining me today," he said politely, placing the scroll on the table for all to read.
The Duke's eyes scanned over the scroll, his priggish mustache frowning along with his mouth. "How dare you…!" he cried, slamming one of his fists on the table.
"Queen's orders," Hans deadpanned, his hands clasped behind his back. "Her seal makes it official. She wants you out of Arendelle, and she does not wish to open up trading routes with Weselton." Watching the Duke break down like this was absolutely divine. Hans had a hard time suppressing the smirk that wanted to emerge.
"B-but you just can't do that…!" The Duke was still in denial. "You don't rule Arendelle! You can't get away with this!" His face turned red in anger, and Hans had to dig his nails into his palm just to keep the straight face he wore.
"On the contrary, this is the Queen's decree. I have nothing to do with her final decision in the matter." Not entirely true, but the Duke didn't need to know that.
"Your Highness, permit my rudeness, but you've taken quite an interest in that monster," the Duke spat. "Why the sudden change from the Prince willing to lock her up and put her life on the line?"
Why that little—Hans felt tempted to punch him square in the jaw. "The Queen is no monster; she is just misled," he replied through gritted teeth. "I have noticed the error of my ways, and I will do whatever it takes in my power to protect her from dignitaries that plan to exploit Arendelle's riches."
"You're attracted to her," the Duke challenged, slitting his eyes. "Do you really think that will earn you a good reputation after your marriage to Princess Anna?"
"I vow to stay by the Queen's side," Hans countered. "Now I suggest you leave Arendelle before I myself travel to Weselton and tell your king and queen of your greed to abuse this great kingdom."
"My greed or your own, Your Highness?" The Duke smirked.
"How dare you—" Hans had reached his limit, his sword unsheathed. After a moment, he cleared his throat, then covered it again. "The Queen has ordered you out. I suggest you leave before the Captain of the Guard does it himself." He turned quickly on his heel, heading to the door.
"I'd leave, but the fjord is frozen solid." Hans could just feel that leer on the Duke's face, practically.
"Then find a way," he growled, slamming the door shut.
-
The first glimpse of a darker side of Hans that Elsa saw was soon after the Duke of Weselton left back for his kingdom.
And it really did scare her.
"God damn it!" he cried, slamming her office door shut. Elsa jumped, heart pounding in her chest. She almost dripped stray ink on her parchment.
"Hans, please, I'm trying to draft this proposal," she replied calmly, putting the quill back in its inkwell.
"Damn that little weasel!" Hans wasn't calming down, though; he ran his hands through his hair and slumped in one of the chairs by the window.
Elsa felt a bit frightened; the arms of her chair started to freeze up. Putting her gloves on, she approached Hans quickly. "Calm down, please," she pleaded. "Let me help you out…"
Hans looked up at her, clenching his fists tightly. "I absolutely can't stand—"
Elsa held her hand up and kneeled before him. If Hans could comfort her in her most vulnerable moments, then Elsa could surely do the same. But she could feel the temperature drop more around her…
Taking off her gloves shakily, Elsa held her hands up. "Let's try it again…" she whispered, looking up at Hans hopefully.
"Damn it, Elsa, do we have to do this now?" Hans frowned, but he took his gloves off anyway, tossing them to the ground.
The exercise was to keep contact with him, trying not to let her powers touch him. Elsa thought of it as one of the most intimate activities in which she'd ever took part. They'd been trying at it for about a week and a half now, and the longest Elsa had lasted before Hans pulled away from cold hands was only about a minute. Elsa couldn't help it, though; she found an attraction to the look and feel of his hands—not callused, incredibly regal, slightly on the large side. They were the only pair she'd ever really touched in her lifetime. And the thought only made her more nervous and scared.
But she was willing to try; it was a good exercise to keep her powers in check.
"Please, Hans…" she begged, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I think I can do it this time."
Hans nodded, and slowly, with a shaky breath, Elsa threaded her fingers with his, closing her eyes. So far, so good… Deep breath, slow counting…
"Elsa, you know it won't really work if you don't look at me," Hans coaxed, squeezing her hands gently.
They felt so soft, so clean cut and warm—like she imagined a royal's hands to feel. Elsa slowly opened her eyes, meeting his in deep concentration. He looked like he had so much faith in her, and in that moment Elsa didn't feel pressured, didn't feel any fear or nervousness. She only saw trust, and she felt something she hadn't detected in a long time: warmth. It erupted in her core and spread outward, and the whole room suddenly felt… normal.
Elsa didn't know just how long she held Hans' hands, but all she knew was that for the first time since creating her ice palace, she felt in control of her powers. Whether it was his doing or something inside her she didn't know, but all she wanted was to tap into whatever it was.
Taking one hand, Hans lifted Elsa's chin toward his face gently. "Stay in control, Elsa; I want to try something," he whispered.
The temperature dropped slightly, but Elsa just took a deep breath and kept it in control. She trusted Hans. He was the only doing what he could to help her.
Then why was her heart beating so rapidly?
Elsa regained her composure, just as Hans was a breath away from her. "Tell me, Your Highness, has any man ever had the pleasure of giving you a kiss?" he whispered, a bit teasingly.
Slowly Elsa shook her head. Keep it together. "No…" she murmured back.
"I feel rather lucky, then…" Something rather wet and warm pressed against her mouth gently, and Elsa couldn't breathe for a moment. It felt… strangely pleasant. Another sensation of warmth ran through her body, sending pleasurable shivers down her spine.
Neither pulled away. Elsa, for the moment, totally forgot about the exercise; she was giving in to Hans and it felt absolutely right. She felt safe and warm, and she realized that Hans would be the only one willing to help her out. The only one who really cared. No wonder everyone loved him so much…
And if Anna only wanted Hans to protect Elsa, and if this made Elsa happy, then was it really so wrong?
It seemed like forever before Hans parted for air. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he murmured, pulling Elsa up a bit. His hands cupped her face gently. "If you enjoyed that, I'd like to try it again if it's all right with you."
Elsa nodded slowly, letting her hands drift up his chest until they clasped behind his neck comfortably. She felt like she was in a dream or a daze, and she didn't want to wake up just yet.
-
He whole body tingled with warmth and excitement. The proposal was never finished; Elsa was too busy letting Hans kiss her, and she was more than happy to kiss him back.
When she was sure no one was in the hallway, she leaned in and gave him a good night kiss. "You're the reason I never finished my proposal," she lamented, pulling away with a lazy smile.
Hans held her waist; his hands fit just perfectly there. "It's not due until tomorrow afternoon," he assured. "You have time."
Elsa bit her lip, knowing it was late… "Just one more…" she murmured, pulling Hans in for one last kiss by the lapel of his coat.
He was all too happy to oblige, but he also knew it was time to retire for the evening. "Have I unleashed a fiend?" he teased, finally withdrawing his hands.
"No," Elsa guaranteed with a chuckle. "So I'll bid you good night until tomorrow, Prince Hans."
In his true fashion, he didn't leave until he kissed her hand softly. "Until tomorrow, My Queen," he replied as he pulled away.
Elsa didn't close the door until Hans disappeared from her sight.
Her whole body was still tingling with exhilaration as her handmaidens bathed her later in the evening. Elsa couldn't keep the lazy smile off her face. No one said anything, until her thick hair was washed and Gerda was pinning it back into a braid.
"Any suitors, My Lady?" she inquired, keeping her eyes drawn down. "I understand you'll need to marry soon…"
Gerda already knew the answer, though. "I can't do better than a man who doesn't think I'm a monster, can I?" Elsa sighed, looking into the sudsy water.
"But do you love him, My Lady?"
Now that was the million-dollar question. Elsa knew a bit about love, and she definitely didn't love Hans like she did Anna or her parents. Liked him, yes. Appreciated what he was doing for her, definitely. But love was too powerful a word. Too dangerous. That was just diving off the deep end.
"I don't know yet," she replied instead, drawing her knees to her chest. "I just want to do well by the people of Arendelle; that's what matters most right now."
Gerda and the handmaidens slipped Elsa into a silk robe after drying her off. "And you will," the wise, old maid assured. "You've always been a wonderful judge of character, My Lady."
Nodding, Elsa figured that she couldn't do better than Hans. Not only was he a prince, but he was caring, handsome, the only person willing to help her…
If she were his wife, would it really be so bad to rule alongside him?
-
Hans was so close he could taste it. Before long, he'd have it all: Arendelle, the people's trust, and Elsa's devotion. He could see it all in the close distance, and he was almost there…
He knew the hardest thing to conquer would be Elsa, but he was almost there as well. Arendelle loved him, and Elsa had shown him one of her soft spots—she was a sweet, naïve virgin when it came to romantic experience and Hans was going to use that to his full advantage.
Now, Elsa wasn't as much fun as Anna, he had to admit, but he'd be damned if she wasn't a naturally great kisser. Hans certainly enjoyed their impromptu kissing session, and he definitely wanted more. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to run his hands over her body and keep her calm, wanted to lay his head in her lap and hear her lull him to sleep with a song as she threaded her thin fingers though his hair, wanted to control her and get her to do whatever he wanted.
He was almost there, he knew; he'd broken new ground today. So now all he had to do was lead her on more and in a few weeks he could propose.
With Hans as Elsa's only hope for happiness, he knew she couldn't say no, especially if he asked at just the right moment.
The Queen needed a King, and everyone looked to Hans to be the new leader for Arendelle.
Together they'd be the most powerful rulers the kingdom ever knew.
Now all he needed was a ring….