This is a bit simpler than my last one because, what can I say? I needed something simple after the complicated mess that was my evil!Anna AU! However, this piece is still a part of the same AU!
This is kind of meant to be the moment Elsa watches her long forgotten sister enter the throne room again for the first time in years. It’s also kind of meant to show off the damage Anna accidentally inflicted on her sister before leaving.
Believe it or not, this one (while it is simple) actually took me quite a while! I think I like the finished product though!
Fitz was blinded by the sudden brightness as her blindfold was pulled off. After weeks below deck in her ship’s brig her eyes were unaccustom to normal light let alone the glare that assaulted her here in her captor’s castle. She was in the throne room she guessed, a fact that was confirmed as her eyes adjusted to the harsh light refracted through a million facets of ice. It was as beautiful as it was painful. So too, she realized as she looked into the hard cold unimaginably blue eyes of the woman on the throne, was the woman who had made this shimmering room, the queen of this frozen kingdom, the Snow Queen herself, Elsa of Arendelle.
“Anna, and who exactly is this?”
Princess Anna, Queen Elsa’s general and sister by accounts, was a short but surprisingly strong whelp. Resplendent in her black leather uniform that fit her like the proverbial glove, Anna was still furious that Avalon had not fallen to her despite her efforts and the Snow Queen’s help. She sent Fitz tumbling to her knees with a well aimed kick. Then she pushed her face first down on to the floor by jamming the pointed toe of her boot in Fitz’s back.
The rest of the party that had dragged her into the throne room included Anna’s aide de camp and muscle, Kristoff, scruffy looking man who held hygiene and mercy in equally poor regard. The last man was not even a man at all, but the Queen’s personal snowfiend, Olaf, an animate snowman who reflected the Queen’s own brand of cruelty and perversity. Olaf loved nothing better than to drag off random captives for lengthy torture sessions featuring “warm hugs,” something that fortunately Fitz was not familiar with. But she had heard the frantic screams and wails of his victims, the piteous howling, and she had heard that many of those subjected to the warm hug treatment sought the solace of the grave afterward. Most of her own crew had jumped from the ship into the icy North Sea rather than face the fiend again.
“It’s Captain Fitzwilliam, formerly of the Avalonian frigate Vigilant,” Anna said, drawing out the word formerly in a mocking tone. We captured her ship after the rest of the Avalonian fleet ran like the dogs they are. We pursued, but they disappeared in the fog. But we’ll get them next time, after this woman gives us the location of their hideways.
“I let you capture me,” Fitz mumbled indistinctly, her face still pinned to the floor.
“What?” Elsa asked. “Anna, let the Captain up, if we want information from her we probably need to be able to hear her.”
Anna gave the back of Fitz’s head a parting blow, but let her rise up to her knees.
“I let you capture me,” Fitz repeated.
“What?” Anna sputtered.
“It’s the only explanation for the ease of my capture.”
“Easy – you call that easy?” Anna began to lay into Fitz’s torso with a series of kicks. Then Fitz heard the sound of a sword being drawn.
“Anna, stop.”
The queen didn’t raise her voice but the command was clear. Anna ceased her assault, and resheathed her sword. Fitz would have checked to see if her ribs were broken, but with her hands manacled behind her that was impossible. She settled for a sharp intake of breath.
“Anna, come here.” The queen beckoned and Anna dutifully trotted over. Elsa pulled her sister into an embrace and then a decidely not sisterly kiss.The snow queen’s hands traced patterns over the black leather garments paying special attention to Anna’s voluptuous backside. Then, as Anna nuzzled into her neck, Elsa whispered promises into her sister’s ear. When they broke apart Anna looked calmer and much less angry.
Fitz breathed a sigh of relief.
“You say you let my sister capture you,” Elsa said. “And why would you do that?”
“Because Your Majesty, may I call you Your Majesty?” Fitz asked keeping her tone light. Everything was riding on her next words as she knew it. Already she could feel Kristoff’s boot on her, prepared to take up where Anna had left off. Of course his stench might kill her first. “You see, I want to be on the winning side. And I’m smart enough to know that it is only a matter of time before Avalon falls. I can make that fall happen much sooner in exchange for my life and a place in your Navy.”
The queen’s right eyebrow lifted into an arch and a smirk formed on her lips. “Why shouldn’t I just take the information I need from you? I am sure I have the skills to loosen your tongue. And if I don’t then my minions do.”
Fitz shuddered as Olaf laughed with an evil cackle.
“Certainly you could take the information, but that would take time, and more unfortunately render it impossible for you to make use of my other skills.”
“Oh really, enlighten me about these ‘other skills.’”
“May I stand?” Fitz asked. When Elsa nodded yes, she hopped up to her feet as if she was fit as a fiddle, not aching and nauseated with pain. “You see Your Majesty, I have a rather remarkable record as a Captain in Avalon’s fleet. Were you to let me live, I am sure I could add to the caliber of your Navy.”
“I have plenty of captains, as well as my own creations which need neither food nor sleep.”
“And ...” Fitz threw her shoulders back even as the manacles cut into her wrists. “Well, this is of a more private nature.” She glanced at Kristoff.
With a gesture Elsa erected an ice wall between Fitz and Kristoff that went from floor to ceiling, with another twist of her wrist the ice turned opaque. “Is this better, it’s just you, me, Anna and Olaf, who is dying to get to know you better.”
Fitz thought she felt a twig brushing at her shoulder.
“Well, I know that you’re love for Anna is true and deep, and certainly her love for you is apparent. However Anna is young.”
Anna scowled, but Elsa stayed her with a touch.
“And the tragic circumstances of your own separation from the world by your own parents is well known.”
“A tragedy I remedied with their deaths,” Elsa returned, and the room became colder.
“I just thought that someone worldly and experienced might be of use to you. A tutor perhaps, nothing to interfere with your radiant relationship with your sister, but perhaps to augment it, improve it actually.”
Elsa smiled, and ran her tongue across her brilliant white teeth. “A plaything.”
That wasn’t the word Fitz had hoped to hear, but it was better than ‘a dead plaything.’ She kept her smile in place.
“Well perhaps.” Elsa nodded, considering. “I’ll have the staff escort you to bathe and put on some clean clothes. Anna will debrief you, and then … perhaps. But Olaf will be nearby should you prove to be unsatisfactory.”
“Satisfaction,” Fitz said with false confidence, “is my guarantee.”
The end since most of the fun is imagining the characters as their mirror selves, and I think I’ve managed that.
This is a late birthday gift for sun-moon-and-talia. What if Hans wasn’t the only one hiding his true self in Frozen? Evil!hans, evil!anna, nsfw (for language and subject matter), major character death. I love you Talia! Sorry this is late but I hope you like it. <3
–
Part 1
–
Fuck…fuck…FUCK!
Anna put her hand on her chest and stared up at her sister. She knew Elsa had struck her once before – but it had been in the head that time. Not that Anna could remember it – but the trolls had told her. That memory had been viciously stolen…that one and so many others. Memories of her childhood…memories of their parents…
She narrowed her eyes as Elsa turned away. How dare she turn her back again? The bitch always defaulted to it. Run away. Hide. Conceal.
Damn. Anna rubbed her skin over her heart. The pain was building inside – a slow cold burn.
Just kill her, Anna’s mind whispered.
But no. She couldn’t. Then the ice wouldn’t melt. The trolls had told her so. The bitch had to thaw the fucking ice storm first. Then Anna could slit her throat.
A smile crossed her lips at the thought.
The idiotic ice harvester raced into the room. “Anna! Are you all right?”
She coughed, stoically. Blinked prettily. Staggered helplessly.
“Who’s this?” Elsa shouted. A moment later, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
Of course it didn’t matter. All Elsa wanted to do was control her. Control her, and keep her under her boot heel.
So she played the part. Pretended to be the kind, caring, sweet, innocent little sister they all expected her to be.
Her time would come.
–
Anna’s eyes darted around as she, the ice harvester, and the creepy talking snowman neared the troll village. Fuck, she was cold. Fucking Elsa.
The ice harvester gave her his hat. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to kiss her. She inwardly rolled her eyes.
At least the trolls would be pleased.
A union between herself and this blond mountain man was part of the deal she’d sworn with their leader when she was fifteen – the day a funeral was held over two empty graves. Her parents.
The troll king – Pabbie – had revealed the truth about Elsa’s evil powers. He’d shared how her parents had died searching for a cure. And he told Anna how her memories had been erased as a child to keep her in the dark about the icy secret.
The trolls had foreseen a future where an ice queen banished them from their hallowed homelands. They wanted Elsa out of the way – and a permanent alliance with the crown of Arendelle.
So an agreement was made. When Elsa came of age, Anna would murder her. The trolls would send their human, Kristoff, to aid her in the quest. After Elsa was dead, the trolls would restore Anna’s memories and continue to bless her reign with their black magic. In exchange, she would wed Kristoff, sealing her people and the trolls forever. Even though she would only be eighteen, Kristoff was three years older, and would make their titles of King and Queen legitimate by the laws of the land.
Anna didn’t mind at all. Any man was as good as another, as far as she was concerned – and a foolish, uneducated one was even better. There wouldn’t be any question about who was running the kingdom.
She glanced over at his profile, then nodded to herself. And he would sire attractive children.
–
The trolls acted surprised to see them, and both Anna and Pabbie played innocent as they were introduced. He’d told Anna to never reveal the truth to Kristoff. The man was too noble – too honest – to understand the necessity of what they were doing.
But when they tried to hold a bizarre troll wedding…well, that was too much. Anna wasn’t queen yet. And she was certainly not saddling herself with the hulk of a man until the trolls fulfilled their part of the bargain, no matter how innocently cheerful they sang.
“She is engaged to another man!” Kristoff shouted. But he was blushing.
So he did like her. Of course. Why wouldn’t he?
The other one had been head over heels for her too. The simpleton prince. The sweet fool could still be a wonderful ally in her goal to kill Elsa. Maybe he could even take the fall for it. She smiled. That would be perfect. And it wasn’t like it would even mar things for their political allies in the Southern Isles. He was only a thirteenth prince – the lowest of the spares.
But damn, she was cold. And getting colder. Pabbie said something like a kiss of true love was the only thing that would thaw her. She wanted to roll her eyes and ask if he was messing with her. But the look in his eyes told her that he was not.
She glanced at Kristoff. Did he love her enough to thaw her? No. He hardly knew her. It would have to be the prince. Royal blood probably held more magic in it, anyway. It always did in the fairy tales.
–
“Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you.”
“What?” Anna sputtered. “You…you said you did!”
And then…unbelievably…he began to go into a villainous monologue. Was he fucking kidding?
Her eyes widened as the truth of the situation began to unfold. He wasn’t a simpleton after all. He was shrewd. Conniving. And he…he was planning on taking her throne!
And she was freezing to death. By this point, she had fully expected to be thawed, and cuddled, and then maybe sweetly encouraging him to go slaughter her sister.
But he was admiring himself in the window pane, talking about his brothers, and blathering about how he thought he’d have to stage a little accident for Elsa.
Of all the fucking ironies…this one really took the krumkake, didn’t it?
She tried to get to him, but her body was weak. She collapsed on the floor.
It couldn’t end this was. She was going to avenge her parents and kill the woman who’d made her suffer her entire life. She was going to be Queen of Arendelle…not freeze to death on the parlor floor.
Elsa couldn’t win again. She just couldn’t.
She had to stop him. “You’re no match for Elsa,” she choked out.
He put his warm hand on her chin and sneered down at her. “No, you’re no match for Elsa.”
FUCK!
She was every bit the woman Elsa was. She was more. She didn’t need evil black ice magic to win.
At least, she hadn’t thought she did.
Hans chuckled at her again and left her to die.
She stared down at her hands as the ice began to crisscross her skin.
–
And then the snowman was there.
The sweet, childlike snowman.
Anna squinted at him for a moment. Surely he wasn’t going to turn out to be an evil mastermind as well.
But no. Instead, he hurried over to the fireplace and lit a match. Moments later, a blaze was crackling merrily. Anna leaned into its warmth.
Olaf began to droop in the heat. Anna admonished him to get back from the fire. He certainly couldn’t help her if he was gone.
She played up the situation to him, easily earning his sympathy. In no time, he thought up another plan for salvation, and led her out the window and toward Kristoff. Olaf was convinced the man’s kiss would thaw her.
At this point, Anna would have stuck her tongue in the reindeer’s mouth if she thought it would save her life. She hurried on weak ankles across the frozen fjord.
–
Suddenly, the storm stopped as the sound of a sword coming out of nowhere sliced through the air. Anna turned her head to see Elsa crouched, collapsed on the ice. Hans was brandishing a sword above her.
But the storm wasn’t over. Even though everything was silent and still, it was still frozen. If he killed her, it would never thaw. Never.
“NO!” she turned and ran, jerking her body between Hans and Elsa.
And then everything went black.
–
Part 2
–
He’d suffered enough. At least for now.
Anna traced her fingers along the thick iron bars and looked down at the sleeping prince.
The ship rocked lightly in the fjord. A moment later, his forehead creased, then he winced. She tilted her head as she watched him. What could he be dreaming of?
Perhaps the moment when she’d punched him overboard. Served the cocksucker right for not saving her life when he’d had the chance.
Still. She needed him. He’d proved himself to be the only person even remotely capable of what she wanted to do. Kristoff was…oh, he was so willing, but honestly. It wasn’t like he was going to help her do away with her sister. All he wanted to do was follow her around with puppy-dog eyes.
She’d still have to marry him…eventually…but for now, she needed someone a little more…cold.
Who better than a prince with a frozen heart?
“Oh, Hans,” she murmured. “Wake up!”
His eyes slowly opened. She watched as he blinked twice, then gazed up at her.
Oh, but he was so lovely to look at. If she wasn’t already promised to the troll boy, then she would have liked to have had this one. She frowned. Even if he had proved to be more devious than she’d originally thought.
He slowly rose to his feet and stared at her through the bars. She could see his mind processing the scene before him. Trying to determine what way would best manipulate the situation.
Then he smiled.
So he had decided to choose the sweet, simple prince again. She automatically raised the sides of her mouth in response.
“Anna!” He reached through the bars and touched her fingers. Then he shook his head briskly, as if remembering himself. “I—“ He dropped to his knees. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me, my darling. Please, please forgive me.” He gazed up at her. “Oh, Anna. I don’t know if I was bewitched, or—“
“Save it.” She smirked at him.
He blinked in surprise. “What?”
She chuckled. “I know what you were bewitched with. The desire for power. To wrench Arendelle away from my sister and have it for your own.”
“I—no!” He jumped to his feet and held his hands in front of him, in defense. “On my honor, Anna. I only wanted to protect Arendelle. But then when you came to me, I was…I was confused. I think someone must have put a curse on me. Maybe Elsa! Does she have other powers? I would never hurt you, Anna. I love you.” He put his hand over his heart and searched her eyes, imploringly.
She frowned, touching his chin lightly through the bars. “Silly boy. Didn’t you know that if you’d killed her while the curse was still in effect, it would have never broken? And who wants to rule over a frozen tundra? Wouldn’t you rather have Arendelle like this?” She held her hand out, drawing his attention to the beautiful day – the fresh salty breeze and the warm sunshine. “That’s why you have to kill her now…while everything is perfect.”
His eyes bored into hers. “What…what are you trying to say, Anna?”
She slowly drew the heavy iron keyring out of her skirt pocket.
–
The big city bells rang loudly, sounding the alarm throughout Arendelle. Footsteps raced past Anna’s bedroom door.
Everyone, everywhere, was searching for the elusive, escaped thirteenth prince of the Southern Isles.
Who was currently sitting in front of Princess Anna’s vanity table.
Anna checked the door for the hundredth time, making sure it was still locked. Then she pushed a small chair under the knob, just in case.
Hans’ long legs were stretched out in front of him, boot heels casually balanced on the shiny wooden floor. He crossed his arms and eyed her. “And why would I do this for you?”
“Because you’re my fiancé.” She walked back over to the edge of the bed and sat down. “I just assumed you’d want to please me.”
“And I assumed that our engagement was broken when I was thrown into the brig of my own ship.”
She rolled her eyes. “Her royal majesty was pissed, obviously. But I never told her what you did to me in the parlor.” She smiled. “If I’d let that little bit of information slip, you’d be an icicle right now.”
He frowned. “So this is blackmail? I kill her for you, and you don’t tell our little secret?”
She leaned back on her palms. “You’re quite a bit smarter than you led me to believe.”
He studied her. Then he shook his head. “No.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
“You heard me. No.”
“But I’ll tell her!”
“I’ll tell her you want her dead even more than I do.”
Anna shrugged. “Like she’d believe you.” A mischievous smile tickled her lips. “Especially when I scream and tell the guards how you broke into my bedroom. How you tried to force yourself on me.”
He didn’t look away. “You’ll never get what you want without me.”
“That’s not true.” But she wasn’t sure she believed it. Hans seemed like the perfect answer to the Elsa problem. Ugh! Why couldn’t he just agree to kill her? He’d tried once before, hadn’t he?
She was about to ask him when he suddenly rose and crossed the room to her. She stood quickly, before he reached her bed side, and glowered at him.
“What I want,” he said, softly, as he looked down at her, “is to rule Arendelle. I’ll do everything you wish, but I’ll do it at your side. Marry me, and I’ll give you her head on a silver platter.” He put his hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer to his strong body.
So that was it.
And it would have been perfect, too, damn it all. He would make quite a charming king. A good dancer…an equal in intelligence and drive. And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would be a good lover. The heat and electricity coming off his body guaranteed it.
But the trolls.
She briefly considered lying to him – telling him what he wanted to hear – but she knew he’d discover her treachery. Men like Hans always figured things out. And she couldn’t take that chance.
“I’ve already made an agreement.” She stepped away.
“You what?” He grasped her wrist and pulled her back toward him. “You agreed to marry me two days ago. Are you telling me you’re engaged to someone else? Seriously?”
She yanked her wrist away and glared angrily at him. “He doesn’t know. The arrangement is with his family. An alliance.”
His eyes were like daggers shooting into her. “An alliance? With what house?” He pointed the finger of his stained glove at her. “You know that joining with the Westergaards would be one of the strongest unions Arendelle could even hope for. Why in the hell would you settle for something else?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” She rubbed the red marks on her wrist. Bring manhandled was not something she was used to.
He crossed his arms. “Try me.”
“Fine.” She pinched her mouth tightly and stared into his light green eyes. “It’s trolls.”
“Fucking trolls!” He threw his arms up in exasperation. Then he stopped and looked curiously at her. “You’re betrothed to a troll?”
“No! He’s a man that was adopted by—“ Her eyes widened. “Wait. You believe me about the trolls?”
“Of course I believe you about the fucking trolls! Do you think we don’t have fucking trolls in the Southern Isles?” He shook his head in anger. “What I don’t understand is why you would even have anything to do with trolls. Good God, Anna, don’t you know they’ll fuck with you? What kind of a stupid bitch would even—“
She slapped him. “Don’t you call me that!”
When he turned back to her, his face was still and controlled, but his eyes burned with malice. “Do not ever hit me again.”
“Well, you can’t—“
“This is the third time you’ve hit me, Anna.”
“No, I—“
“The first time was cute. An accident. Smacked me in the nose. Hurt like hell but I just kept smiling, didn’t I? The second time you punched me off a fucking ship. I did leave you to die, so I let you have that one.”
“Like you could have—“
“But this time—“ He grabbed her wrist again. She brought up the other hand, to fight back, and he snatched that wrist too. He was strong. Damn strong. Anna fought for a minute, but when she saw there was no point, she stilled.
He stared balefully at her. “Do not strike me, Anna. Never again.”
“Don’t call me a bitch, then!” she spat.
“Deal.” He stepped back and pushed her away from him in one step. The back of her knees hit the soft mattress and she sat.
He turned and walked back to the vanity. She stared at his backside as anger flowed through her body. No one, ever, had treated her in such a manner. She was a princess of Arendelle, damn it! He couldn’t just—
But he could. And they both knew it.
She needed him.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror for a moment before straightening his cravat. Then his eyes flicked to hers.
She needed him.
At least until Elsa was dead.
–
“Let me get this straight.” Elsa shook her head slowly. “You have Prince Hans…in your bedroom?”
Anna hung her head, shyly. “I didn’t know where else to hide him, Elsa. I…I just couldn’t let him go back to the Southern Isles like that. I…I love him.” She looked up through her lashes at the queen.
“No. No! Anna, how could you—“ Elsa reached for Anna, then pulled back at the last minute. “He tried to kill me, Anna!”
“Just because he was trying to save my life!” Anna squeezed her eyes shut tight, forcing tears to the surface. When she opened her eyes, they were brimming. “He thought it was only way to thaw my heart!”
Anna felt a tug on her skirt and looked down into Olaf’s earnest face. “But you said you were wrong about him, Anna. You said you didn’t know what love was.”
Anna smiled kindly at the aberration before her. “Because the kiss he gave me didn’t work, Olaf. I didn’t thaw. So I thought we weren’t meant to be after all.” She gazed back at Elsa. “But love doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s something that has to be nurtured. To grow.” She rubbed her arm awkwardly. “Maybe Hans and I don’t love each other as much as I needed to thaw. But I know that I want to love him like that. I want to get to know him better.” She held out her hands to the queen. “Please, Elsa? Can he have another chance?”
Elsa sighed. Then she held out her arms for a hug. “I can’t blame him for trying to save your life. Of course he can have another chance, if it means that much to you.” She buried her nose in Anna’s hair and softly kissed her cheek before giggling in her ear. “But he cannot share your room.”
–
Kristoff wasn’t much more difficult.
His forehead creased as he stared into her eyes. “But…I don’t understand. We kissed, Anna. Out on the docks. I thought…I thought that meant something to you. It meant something to me.”
She threw her arms around the big brute and hugged him tight. “Oh, it did, Kristoff! I just…I just care about Hans, too. And I need some time to think about things and decide what I need to do.”
When she’d kissed him, she’d thought that maybe he was the answer – that he’d help her kill Elsa, like the trolls said he would. But the longer she was around Kristoff, she was becoming more sure that he’d never have anything to do with the assassination of her sister. He wasn’t the type. And if she was supposed to woo him into marriage, she’d have to make sure he never found out she had anything to do with it either.
So. Best to keep him at arm’s length while Hans helped her with the whole murdering business. Then she could marry the troll boy and rule over all of Arendelle.
It was going to be perfect.
–
Part 3
–
“I’ve decided what I want from you.”
Anna looked up from the chess set separating her from Hans. “Oh, really?” She picked up a pawn and moved it forward two spaces.
They were sitting in the parlor, quietly whispering over their pieces. Gerda, their chaperone, was asleep in the wingback chair, on the other side of the expansive room.
He moved his knight, blocking her pawn’s progress. “If I can’t have Arendelle, I want the Isles.”
She frowned. “Your homeland?”
“Yes.” He sat back in his chair and studied her. “I want to rule it.”
“But your brothers—“
“Twelve of them. The eldest is king. I want them gone.”
“What do you mean, gone? You mean dead?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Just as long as they’re out of the picture and the throne is mine.”
“They’re your brothers. I can’t believe you’d just—“
“Really.” He smirked at her. “My, but isn’t the pot calling the kettle black right now.”
“It’s different.” She looked down at the chess board again, then quickly moved her queen into a defensive stance. “She’s barely even human.”
The moment her fingers were off the ivory piece, he slid his rook over into her, knocking the queen to the ground. “Checkmate.” His eyes met hers. “Just because my brothers are human doesn’t mean they’re not monsters.”
She rolled her eyes and stood up. “How would I even be expected to do that, Hans? It’s not like I have the power to kill a dozen royal men.”
“Of course not. Just an army at your disposal, once you’re queen.” He crossed one leg over the other and glared at her.
“Do you really think I’d send my entire army off to be butchered, just to win you a crown?” She snorted. “Be serious.” She turned away from him.
His hand was on her elbow in moments. “Oh, I’m deadly serious, Anna.” His breath was hot on her ear as he held her close. “One way or another, I’ll have my crown. Either here, or there.”
She spun around and faced him. “You’re being unreasonable. You know I can’t get the Southern Isles for you. And you know I have to marry Kristoff.”
“It’s funny how you think you can get me to do exactly what you want, and get basically nothing in return.”
Her face softened. “Oh, I can surely think of something you’d like.” She turned her lips up toward his.
He chuckled. “Oh, like you wouldn’t get any pleasure out of that deal.” But he kissed her anyway, grabbing her chin in his hands and pulling her against his mouth in an embrace that left her head swimming.
It was pleasurable. It was wonderful.
“Marry me instead of him,” he murmured, “and that’s only the beginning. You’ll have your every desire – both as queen of Arendelle in the daytime and in my bed at night.”
“I can’t!” she cried.
Gerda stirred but didn’t wake. Anna lowered her voice slightly before continuing. “If I don’t marry him, who knows what the trolls will do to me! We made an oath! And you said yourself that they’re dangerous!”
The parlor door swung open.
Anna’s eyes opened wide. There, on the other side, was Kristoff. A handful of flowers were clutched, forgotten, in his hand.
He pointed his other hand at Anna. “You…you…”
Hans frowned. “What did you hear?”
Kristoff’s jaw tightened. “I heard everything.” He dropped the flowers on the carpet and spun around.
“Hans! He’ll tell the trolls!” She grabbed at his arm. “He’ll tell Elsa!”
“Oh, fuck me,” Hans groaned. Then he grabbed a heavy candlestick from an endtable and raced down the hall after Kristoff.
–
Two hours later, he slipped into her bedroom under cover of darkness.
She peered at him in the moonlight. “Hans?”
“It’s me.”
“Where is he?”
“Don’t worry. He should be happy. He’s with his beloved ice. And no one will find him.”
“Wait.” She frowned. “He’s still alive?”
“No, he’s not alive!” He rolled his eyes. “But I’ve got him packed in the back of the ice house. Nobody’s going all the way in there. They just pull the ice off the front.”
“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. “Why’d you put him there?”
“I have a plan. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” He began to unbutton his blouse.
“What…what are you doing?”
He dropped his shirt on the floor and moved on to his breeches. “I thought I’d give you a little preview of what you’ll get when we’re man and wife.”
She smirked in the darkness. “And who says I’m going to marry you?”
“I say so.”
“And if I say no?”
“You want your sister dead, don’t you?”
She couldn’t argue with that. And really, she wasn’t losing anything at all.
His hands brushed against her skin and she leaned into his touch.
There was only one thing Anna lost that night…but she never even missed it.
–
Three days later.
She stared at the door.
Five in the morning.
Where was he?
He’d left at midnight. To do it. To kill her.
But it shouldn’t have taken this long.
She’d been lying in bed, counting the minutes, but she couldn’t take it any longer. She slid out from under the covers and began to pace the floor.
And then the door clicked open. Light streamed in from the lamps in the hall.
Her heart was caught in her throat. Was it Elsa? Was it a guard? Was it—
It was Hans.
“It’s done.” He closed the door behind him and strode to the fireplace.
“You took forever! What—“ She stopped. His clothes were covered in blood.
Hans peeled the bloody gloves from his fingers and tossed them in the fire. “Whoever finds them will believe they were lovers.” He continued stripping, throwing the bloody garments into the flames. “They’re in bed together. Naked. His body’s frozen solid. She’s impaled on a thick icicle. They’ll think she accidentally froze him, then killed herself.” He peeled his long woolen stockings off and added them to the blaze. An unpleasant smell filled the air.
“You killed Elsa…with an icicle?” Anna touched her hand to her mouth. It was strangely poetic.
“I killed her with a dagger. Then I shoved an icicle in the same place.”
“And she didn’t suspect anything?”
He twisted his mouth to the side as he stared at his burning clothes. “I went to her room to ask for her blessing on our marriage. When she closed her eyes and nodded, I plunged the dagger into her heart. Quick.” He shrugged. “Not necessarily painless. But quick. Then I had to haul your frozen friend up to her room and set everything up. That was the hardest part.”
As the last remnants of his fine clothing collapsed into the flames, he turned away and walked over to the bed. He slid under the covers and stared back at her. “Get in bed. I want you.”
“I don’t…” She looked at the door. Could Elsa really be dead? Had it really been so easy? All those years…all that planning… Could it be true? She took a step toward the door. “I want to see her.”
“No!”
She froze in place.
“If you go up there now, someone will find you. And then they’ll suspect us. You have no reason to be up there. Now get in this bed.”
He was right.
Elsa was an early riser. If she wasn’t up within the hour, the help would go looking for her.
She turned back toward Hans’ shadowy figure, then smiled at him. He did deserve a reward, after all. “All right,” she purred. “Since you’ve been such a good boy.”
–
They were wed before the funeral even took place. Anna was still only 18, and the advisors would have taken over the kingdom again unless she was legally able to rule. She had to be 21…or married to a man who was of age. And Hans was of age, plus a few.
The wedding was a somber, quiet affair with only a handful of witnesses and the priest. Anna didn’t care. The wedding was for convenience. That, and for the pleasures of the bedroom. And, as virile as he seemed, she assumed she’d quicken soon. It certainly wouldn’t do for the townspeople to be wagging their tongues if any young princes or princesses came less than nine months after the wedding.
Anna had won. She had everything she’d always wanted – the crown, the throne, and a handsome man to pleasure her and sire her children.
Only one thing threatened to stand in her way.
The trolls.
The fucking trolls.
Less than a fortnight after the wedding, the old one appeared in her bedroom.
“What are you doing here?” she shouted. “Get out!”
“We know you aren’t innocent, oh sweet Queen Anna,” he whispered. “You have your people fooled, but we know who you really are. And we know you had something to do with our beloved Kristoff’s death.”
“I…I didn’t do anything! He was with my sister, and—“
“Somehow you were involved. And as soon as we have proof, then woe be to you and those close to you. Woe to the babe inside of you, and his father as well.”
She was pregnant? Already? And a boy? She automatically moved her hand to her flat belly. “You…you can’t…”
But he was gone. She ran to the doorway and looked both directions down the hall, but the troll was nowhere in sight.
–
“Fucking trolls!” Hans swept his hand over a dresser, knocking the lamp and an exquisite jewelry box to the floor. Glass shattered against the shiny tile, but he didn’t even look down. “This won’t end well, Anna. And I can’t stop them. I could take care of the ice man and the witch, but I can’t do anything about trolls.” He sat down suddenly and shook his head. “We’re fucked.”
She rested her hand against her belly and gritted her teeth. “Maybe not.”
–
Banished.
She signed the decree before the sun set. All trolls were banished from Arendelle, today and until the end of time.
Hans stood next to her, pointing at lines in the decree and suggesting additions. “Burn their entire village to the ground.”
She nodded with a dark smile. “And cover the earth with salt, so nothing will ever grow there again.”
She might not have wanted to send her entire army to the Southern Isles, but she had no trouble sending all of them to the troll village. “Enlist additional men, if needed,” she ordered the commander. “It is high time we free Arendelle from this plague against humanity.”
For their part, the trolls did not fight. They were hopelessly outnumbered anyway. King Hans and Queen Anna sat on their horses, a safe distance away, as every last troll was marched from their homeland and sent out of the country.
Pabbie was the last. And just before he was out of eyesight, he turned and stared at Anna. He knew exactly where she was. And he knew who she was.
Elsa had been able to create ice, but inside, she had been warm, and kind and loving.
And Anna appeared kind and warm, but inside, she was as cold as death.
She was the ice queen, not Elsa. And she was the one who the prophecy had spoken of, when it was foretold that the ice queen would banish the trolls.
Anna smiled at Pabbie one last time, before he turned away.
He’d put his faith in the wrong princess. And he’d underestimated her, again and again. After all, she was only the spare.
