Marriage based on dying promise of princess Anna, does not seem like valid foundation to base claims on. But complainers are silenced, there are titles pased around and position to be given out. He makes sure to surround himself with competent people. Experts in theire trade, several advisers for single position. He awoids yes men. He cares not fro birth of those helping him from policies. He gives high positions to aristocracy, a lot of honor, but no resposibilities. No chance to mess anything up. He gains approval with aristocracy.
Hans, his face filled with nostalgia, orders Anna's ice statue to be placed in the gardens. "All her life she remained behind the closed door, I wish that in her death she could see the beautyfull kingdom of Arendele." Hans comes everyday, puts fresh flowers amongst hudreds of those by Arendele citizens. He light candle, kneels and sometimes he can be see talking to love of his life. Hans tells her about his day. "Duke Weaselton thinks, that because your sister is dead, he can try to contol our economy. I am negotiating with Moria to open new trade routes. They want send delegation, the royal princess will come with her husband. It appears that she too maried for love, just like you dear. His name is Flynn RIder, originaly a thief, he even stole from my father. Father was naturally furios, he ordered rounding up all known thiefs and setting dogs on them. Barbaric, I know. Anyway the Flynn saved Rapunzel from tower, she was prisoner of witch for 18 years. Doesn't that sound familiar? He was the first male, she has ever met." Hans smiles his shinning smile and thinks of meeting someone just like him. Thief who charmed a naive goose of a princes to rule in her stead. He might meet his conterpart. But there is a lot to be done beforehead. Official royal visits tend to be grand and complicated affairs. Luckily ruling and organising are something, he isreally, really good at.
The fool actually loves her, was the thought behind Hans' frendly smile as he welcomed Moria's delegation. Turns out Flynnn is actually Eugine, and loves Rapunzel to bits. Rapunzel the poor thing knows nothing of court, the tower has left it's marks on her. Goethel has left her marks on her. He looks appropiately sad as he mentions Anna. Then he asks them to go to the gardens with him. He shows them Anna, she stands face frozen in fear (of him), what a warm feeling. He ordered gardeners to turn gardens around her in the paradise, as if her presence that makes the flowers bloom. This part of gardens is open to the public. Rapunzel stared at staue with wide green eyes her hand holding on her husband. Hans tells tale of ELsa, someone whose power of magic has lead her astray. Rapunzel tells tale of her imprisonmet, he of course nods and give his sympathy whenever needed. He know this already, he had his agents investigate her. He is building up his intelligence network between, handeling squables between nobles and introducing public school system. His father does not have agents, he does everything by brute strenght. Hans knows already Father is going to be assasinated. Most likely by his brothers, for being weak, old and softheaded, or nonsence as such. Hans will be loved, Hans will make allies, Hans will one day tear Southern isles from hands of "tyranicall brothers" Hans the Just, Hans the Protector of Innocents. Alliances are important he remembers and looks at Rapunzel, important indeed.
The negotiations are going great, he does not know what were Moria's king and queen thinking, sending Rapunzel here, but he thinks of sending them a fruit basket. She reacts badly to emotional manipulation, he find out Goethel must have done that all the time, but half truths, lies by ommision, or straigh up lies, those work on her. Her husband knows lies, but emotional manipulation works here. Nobles will eat them alive, his father will eat them alive. Hans is in the trainnig yard, eradicating training dummy out of existence, when he realizes that A, he must become Rapunzels and Eugine's friend and give them advice after her parrents die of their inexperience and kindness will destroy their land, and Arendele can't even think about invading. Elsa's Summer winter froze crops, he had to import from other countries and tresury is half empty. If his father takes Moria, Arendele is next, the influx of capital will cause aristocracy to love him, Hans refforms will be revoked. Small folk would soon taste his fathers feudalistc cruelity, and his brothers have zero initiave, putting them as governors of these lands would please them, but the people would suffer. Moria can't become base for his father's conquest fantasies they need strong rule, there is not other option. He needs Rapunzel, he needs her on the throne, as an ally, as a competent ruller. Still he will need regular military paid soldiers trained to obey, loayal to him only. ELsa was a terrible ruller and he doubts Arendele had a capable regent in those three years after the death of king and queen. There is so much to do, Hans soars. He loves the change.
His wife is here wild red curls are halo around her her head. She is brash but poised, she has collection of bows and Hans got to know her even before her father offer her hand to him. Warrior, indepndent argy at her parrent for passing her n line succesion fro her little brothers, loves them regardless. Hans smiles marries her, she looks unsure in her gown, well behaved but her heart is not in it. His spies informed him of her passion for hunt, of her skill in diplomacy. She is bird, that will wither in cage, he will let her soar in the sky. They sneak away after the wedding and insted of bed he takes her to the clock tower. He show her the land, he talks about the people about things that he wants for the country, he asks what does she want? Who is she, he would like to get to know his wife. She is nerovus at first, then in middle of hunting story she looks at him and tells him she can never love him. Hans hugs her and tells that is okay, his heart belongs to Anna, but they can be friends, partners, equals and rulers side by side, to each his own. She looks at him oddly fragile throught tears that she tryed to squash. She tells him story of her mother and how she turned into a bear. Hans wonders if there is a princess in the world that did not get mixed up in some magical disaster. Outwardly he nods, as tells her it is okay to cry. They fall asleep clothed on one bed. Merida looks at her new wardobe in despair, her mother gave her only propper gowns, nothing she would feel comfortable in. Hans calls tailors ans uniform makers and tells Merida he will show her the palace after lunch. He aims to gain her loyalty and by accepting and encouraging part or her that were stiffled.
His wife is comfortable around soldiers, he gives her military, let her take care of drills and guards, he makes her commander, they discuss everything of course. He is not idiot, he holds the power but she does the work. She likes it, she is to be his warrior queen. When there is too many foxes they ride together on a hunt, his wife enjoys it more, but when she tracked down the boar that killed one of their courtiers, she arrived bloodied with twigs in her hair and layed the boar before the weeping widow. Hans gave her son the tusks and pelt, widow gets pension. He is kind, his wife has tale of boar hunt, do her eyes shine in arousal? Hans steps forward and kisses her, she returns the kiss. She wild and aroused by the chase, Hans provides relief and decides that hunt for new wife is not necessary, just yet. There is no need for unfortunate accdent. His wife visits orphanages and people love her. That is okay, because people love him more. He and Merida laid flowers at Anna's legs together. In few days her new colothes arrive, much better suited for her personality and they go on ride just them and a few select guards. Merida smiles as they chase each other around on horses and wind runining throught her hair. Hans starts working on legislation that gives women more rights. Not equal, that would be too much of a change and riots could arise, but better. He pleads for her assistance, decisions about women require women's advice, he says. That is true he thinks as he watches his fair wife smiling as she reads the pages, but this is about something else. She looks at him her filled with happiness, and throw herself in his arms. Checkmate. Latter they argue about why not make women equal, but he has her. One less person to worry about. She is loyal, she would fight and die for him. In his opinion that is so much better than love.
When Duke of Weaseltoon's corsares attack Arendele's fleet, Hans only wonders on what took him so long. His kingdom was always in need of Arendele's resources. He leaves Merida in charge and goes personally on visit to Duke's castle. He tells Merida to prepare the fleet in the meantime, so if the negotian fail they can strike back. Hans plays the good guy, Weaseltoon tryes to have him killed. Assasin looked suprised when the peace loving Hans stabed him. Nobody sneaks up on him not after what his dear brothers did to him.
One of his people buys a pub in city and assasin is held there. His chief of guard finds doctor to stich him up, they need him alive, until it is convenient to accuse Weaseltoon. He talks to the king Ernest, his suprise is faked, badly. His spies informed him that he knew. He pretends outrage how could Weaseltoon attack foregin king while under his roof. He taks with th eking and he sees absoolute unwillingness to cooperate. Ernest wants to rule by subjecting other kingdoms, he sees nothing else. Kingdom with foreign king of questionable legitimacy, is easy picking in his oppinion. He is underestimating both him and his wife. Ernest is stupid, and Weaseltoon is next in line. Hans know that he can't work with current king, what about the next one. King Ernest holds Hans captive in Weasetoons castle. Plausible deniability is key. He is locked in olitical prison on the order of weaseltoon. King pretends to have nothing to with this. Hans talks with Weseltoon. The plan is simple Weaseltoon says he attacks Arendele's ships, it is not his order only. Hans is going to visit to stop this, he will be killed also by Weaseltoon. Arendele is going to retaliate against fleet of Ernest's ships to avenge their king, thinking that it was Ernests order to attack. Ernest then will be justified in attacking Arendele they attacked unprovoked. The first attack was Weaseltoons fault, Hans should have contacted Ernest and told him about being attacked, Weaseltoon is after all his responsibility and his to punnish, not retaliate. He will use this as justification in taking over Arendele. Given the fack it was already taken over by Hans it should be easy. Then to applease his new citizens he will serve them Weaseltoons head on the platter. After all Weaseltoon killed their king. Sacrificial lamb, Weaseltoon was the one who started the war in the first place, King only reacted to attack of Arendele's ships.
The latter part is news for Weaseltoon. Hans thinks to himself, that Weaseltoon is blind, and easily manipulated. Weaseltoon does not want to die, it is only natural that starts to look for a way out. Weaseltoon is next in line to be king, Hans notes. Would Weaseltoon like to be king? Hans asks. Negotitiation in prison for political prisoners take days, Wesaeltoon is foolish and greedy, Hans has to aplease him while covertly gaining more control over Dukedom . Hans throat hurt when it is over. Plans are made, messages are sent to his lady wife. Merida attacks the fleet and wipes the ground with it. Ernest is gleefull, he goes in Hans' room to confront him. Hans gloats king into attackt on his wife. Is king coward? Hans inquares. His lady wife is standing proudly in the head of her forces. King hides behind plausible deniability and manipuletes him untill Ernest is ready to lead his forces into battle. Ernest wants to be warrior kingm Hans' know very well how to work with that. King Ernest dies in cannon fire when Merida's ship attacks his ship. It is all very unfortunate. Weaseltoon is crowned and lets Hans go. Hans immediately negotiates peace treaty, with hold of kings death over Weaseltoons head as leverage.
He joins Merida as she lands in Weaseltoons port. Her blood is running hot from the battle and she drags him to bed. They are hungry, but not for food. It is not love, but it is make love after practice duels and hunts and Hans politely does not question her about it. He is not one to talk when it comes to healthy relationship with violence.
By the time his father attacks Moria, Arendere and Moria are such strong alies that Hans has to send an army. Best trained army in the world, given his and Merida's know how and his idea of regular army combined Merida's hands on approach. He gives her new armor, makes public speech about conflict of duty versus his love for his family. He tells them that Moria people are friends, they can't let them get attacked by his misguided father. His wife will offer helping hand and he will make sure that Arendele is taken care of. When logistics of army are statisfactory, then he will join his wife and attempt to reason with his father. If his father does not back down, then he needs to bring him to justice. But that is something, he does not want to do no sir. His wife stands there dressed in shinning armour her red, red hair spilling down her back, she brandishes her bow ans shots straight throught the rope that tyes her boat to pier. She looks like warrior queen from legends. The crowss are going crazy, warrior queen promises to protect our friends and stands on the bow as the ships sail toward falling sun. It is all for show, it would be more practical to sail at dawn and Merida will change out of armour immediately after they leave view of the shore, but pandering to public is important. Hans commands to light torches, and makes an impressive speech he makes it look like improvisation, but he went over it a dozen times, every moment of being overwhelemed by emotion, every impassioneate statement. The crowds are silent, then Hans says to celebrate. City guard brings tables and from nearby waiting wagoons cooks bring food nothing extravagant, but traditional good and filling, and the mead, and pies and music and people dance,and sing for their heroes. For sons and husbands sailing to Moria, they sing not for Hans, but for their countrymen. Hans watches from table eating the same food as his people and amkes sure cicrcle the crowd and ask popular relatives of his soldiers if they need anything. His intelligence network work flawlessly, the portraits and interests, that his secretary covertly gives him work. He is king concerned with his people. He dances with old lady and gives peasant children candy. Then he retreats because it would not do, to be too jolly when his wife is ridding to war. Bread and games he remembers his father sneering at peasants. Some idiot tryes to attack him on his way to the place, he is proptly captured. King's work is never done.
Hans oversees his interogation. His chief of intellegence and he watch as the man is carved up by torturer. Hans gets his coat bloodyed when the prisoner spits on him. His coat is ruined by the time he is finished with the prisoner. His fosts need a doctor and Hans tryed not to squirm as his knucles are cleaned and covered in soft gauze. He thinks of name the prisoner gave him. Officialy he is here to oversee the harvest, it just so happens that his secret prison is outside of capital. Never interogate your prisoners in the centre of your power, small hotel by border will suffice. He remembers reading from list of some kind. He send his regards to his older brother. Next thing on his list are granaries, the need repair before new harvest. Being king is difficult, but revarding. He next few weeks are sent on fixing harvest granaries, staging his brother's death so it looks like unfortunate accident, and getting new coat. He thinks light green might bring out his eyes. He settles on dark blue given the circumstances, it is appropriate color for mourning. Merida writes about Morias terrible defence system and that horse, who names horse captain of the guard? Rapunzel that is who. The horse is the most reasonable and competent of all people she has to speak with. Hans smiles at that. Eugine is inexperienced, when you told me I would have to play babysitter I did not think you actually meant it. Lucky, for you I have a lot of experience with baby sitting, send more weapons and some training instructors Morias army is out of practice, she says. Hans know what next item on his to do list is.
His brother dies in an "accident". Hans wear the new coat and looks sad. The harvest season is over, people are starting to prepare for the winter, he annouces that he will join Merida. They fix roads, they lower watter levels in ponds, his people prepare salted fish and he works on aid for the poor, he visits nobelmen's baquets and and panders theire favor as they hunt for boar and deer and he mentions his wife who fought this war for so long, and would you perhaps have soldiers to spare? The brewery would look do good on your lands. It would bring trade would not it? He makes deals and solves petty squables and esablishes chain of command for rulling the country, while he is away, in such way that no one is can gain power to overthrow him. He brings in experts in their respective field, for good of the people, not because they know nothing of politics. With advisors things are going smothily, perhaps he could hold on some of them when he returns back. People cry, candles are everywhere he promises to return. His flagship is named Arendele's light. He stand on the board waving to masses he is clad in armour. Somber time indeed, when king who detest violence has armor up. He stand on the front of the ship as long as coast can see his cape in distance.
His father fights during winter. Most of people know better, but his father thinks frozen corpses of theire comandres linning the roads motivate soldiers. His father is idiot, love is so much better as a motivator than fear. His trops stands against forces his father, but they're in much better state, they grew up in Arendel's more extreme climate. His wife leads from the front and he himself is part of few squirmishes. Surrounded by his guard of course, to loose the head of state would mean, get conquered by Summer isles. Nobody wants that, he spares with Eugine and talks about logistics with Rapnzel, and few times when both Eugine and Merida are on the battlefield, Rapunzel cryes for them. She cryes for people who die outside and for her dead parents. Hans is there to hold her puting on brave face, he "breaks" once tells her how disappointed in his father he is, how sad he is he has fight him. But how he can't stand by and let him hurt innocents. Merida Eugine and Rapunzel are present "coincidentaly", it has been long day his wife holds him tenderly and Rapunzel lays hand on his shoulder. Hans burries his head in his wife's hair and idly wonders, would he rather hang or decapitad his father, should he do it publicly, or in private? What face should he wear? Is it wise to kill him? Maybe he should make peace and make him pay tribute to Moria and Arendele. No he decides immediately. His father is warrior, he try to rise rebelion. Hans can't have that after all the work he has done. His father will die.
It is Merida who kills him, at last. Hans could kiss her. His eldest brother bows his knee, and Hans plays him like a violin. He is manipulator and politician, his brother is brute. War is tune of his brothers, his is the song rulling. He makes them accept his terms while sounding like he is doing him a favor. He takes in humiliated look on his face, Hans knows this is the last, he will ever see of his brother. He will by dead in a month. His brothers will squable over the crown and Summer Isles will fall apapart. Then in say ten years Hans will offer finacial help, open traderoutes make economy dependant on Arendel his influence will grow. His wife is still bloded from the battle, as she drags him to bed. He asks her to recount his fathers last moments. She moans in his neck about blood spraing out of his fathers neck, he kisses her like never before. His son is concieved on that night. Hans thinks it is poetic, from blood of his father his son is born. Hans will be a loving father, not perfect his...condition prevented him from that, but he will make sure his son loves him and is more or less happy. His wife was a bit...odd after she realized he made love to her as she recounted his fathers death. But that was only slight oddity and he is good husband otherwise. He sees her supress the thought. Wonderfull thing about loyality? People would rather ignore what is right in front of them than to change their believes.
Hans the Great died in age 84. He was remmembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Arendele's history. His wife Merida the Warrior Queen bore him two sons and one beatifull daughter. Till his last days he often visited his beloved Anna, in now legendary Anna's gardens. He is forever remmebered as wise and kind king beloved by all. Aristocrats and smallfolk mourned his death and we remmember him on our national holiday. He perfected the road system, established public schools, build sewer systems in major cities, opened trade routes with Moria, Summer isles and Dukedom of Weaseltoon, he created regualr army. He even build Arendele's first university called in his honor Hans Wetergaard's universty. The rulling House Westergaard ruled in Arendele for centuries after his death. It is rummourded that statue of princess Anna, weeps each year on King Hans' day. Let it be remmembered that theire love was so strong that even death could not stop it.