To Warm The Frozen Heart

A FROZEN Story

"Elsa, you can't be serious," Anna said for what seemed like the hundredth time today, though it was really more like twenty. "You know what he did. What he tried to do."

"Yes, Anna, I was there, remember?" Elsa replied. "Hans deserves his punishment, but I think this may be a better way to deal with him."

"Well, if he tries anything, I'll punch him in the nose again," Anna said, balling up her fist and taking a wild swing at the air.

"You will do nothing of the sort," Elsa told her. "He is our guest and a visiting dignitary. You will treat him with all proper respect regardless of your feelings."

Anna just sat there, staring in disbelief at her sister. A sister who also happened to be queen.

The two young woman both immaculately dressed, one the even tempered queen of Arendelle the other her spirited younger sister and a princess herself, sat in the royal coach as it moved smoothly along the winding mountain pass, the coachmen expertly guiding the horses so as not to upset his royal passengers.

Following them were two additional coaches and a caravan of buckboards which were loaded with supplies. Food, clothing and medicines were being delivered. And also one special passenger. Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles, the thirteenth in the line of succession. Up until a few days ago he was serving out his just punishment for trying to assume the throne of the Kingdom of Arendelle through deception and attempted regicide. Today he was an invited guest of that very same queen he had tried to execute, riding in a luxurious coach to a location not known to him, though by his earlier comments the prince was convinced it was a prison.

Though Hans was a guest he was still surrounded by several armed guards who watched his every move. Clearly Queen Elsa did not trust him to be on his best behavior, despite his pending punishment back home. At least during this sojourn he was able to take in some lovely panoramas. The pass wound through the valley of several great mountain peaks which were capped by pure white snow. The sides of these mountains were lovingly decorated with towering pines and the occasional protruding rock. Present among the trees were long bare spots as if scoured clean by unseen forces of nature, possibly rock slides or avalanches. Rivers and streams carried melting snow from the peaks down to wherever they were headed.

Hans wondered again what the queen's intentions were. Hopefully, he would soon find out. Until then he could continue to admire Arendelle's lovely landscapes while berating himself quietly. This was almost all mine.

As the carriages and heavily laden buckboards ascended a rise their true destination was made known. A small, isolated area of Arendelle. Here were three towns which were nestled between the mountains and a harbor. They bustled with daily activity as their local economics were dominated by fishing, logging, mining, hunting, tanning, farming, craftsman of the various trades and of course ice harvesting during the winter time.

When the caravan stopped Queen Elsa disembarked from her coach followed by Anna. Their "guest" Prince Hans was led, under guard, from his coach to a rise where he could overlook the serene landscape.

"Why are we here?" he asked the queen, the very woman who had requested his presence.

"Elsa, don't do this," Anna quietly advised. The fiery princess then crinkled up her nose, narrowed her eyes, stomped her way right up to Hans' face and spat, "If you try anything I will deck you!"

Upset, Elsa restrained her sister who was about to demonstrate yet again how she could carry out her threat. She had balled up her fist and was rearing up to deliver a wild and spectacular haymaker into the air when Elsa yanked her away from the man. "Please, Anna. I know what I am doing."

Anna, peering over his sister's shoulder at the shifty looking prince, counseled her sibling queen once again. "Are you sure he can be trusted?"

"No, I'm not."

"Oh well that's a re- Wait, what?! You don't know?!" Anna exclaimed, shocked by this unvarnished admission. "Elsa, if you can't trust him why do this?"

"It's a calculated risk, but it's one I am willing to take," Elsa replied. "And as my sister, as a member of the royal family and as the next in line of succession to the Throne of Arendelle that you means you must, as well. Please. For my sake."

Anna glared at Elsa, clearly unhappy and more than willing to go against Elsa's wishes. However, realizing her position of authority and duty to her sister she complied, but not without reservation. "Uurrrrrgghhhh! Okay fine. But if he tries anything…"

"Yes, I know. You'll deck him."

While Elsa returned to her conference with Hans, Anna tried to emphasize her point. She bobbed, weaved and flailed wildly with her fists as if fighting an unseen foe. "I'll give him a right! And a left! And an uppercut he'll never forget. Umph! And if he hits back… Hey, he can't hit back, you can't hit a girl. Oh but he did try to kill us, didn't he? Ooh, he's a slippery one. So if Hans tries to hit back I'll step to the left and then I'll step to the right and when he's not looking, POW! Right in the nose. I sting like a butterfly and float like a bee. Wait, what? Sting like a butterfly and float like a bee? That can't be right. Elsa? Elsa, where…? Oh oh, Elsa! Elsa, wait for me."

Witnessing her sister now reengaged in negotiations with their (almost) ouster and assassin, Anna, regaining some semblance of her composure, sternly strode over and assumed her position at her sister's side hoping for a certain reaction from Hans so he could be returned to his brothers and his new and well deserved role in the Kingdom of the Southern Isles. To make it known that she was still disgusted with the deceitful prince she glared at him as Elsa spoke, shooting daggers with a frosty and mistrustful countenance.

Anna had hoped that her little "demonstration" would have impressed upon Hans just how easily she could deal with him. Unfortunately, not only did he not react to her scornful expression, but he continued as if he never once noticed her display. Instead he continued with that same condescending furrow to his brow and that same arrogant smirk to his mouth that he had exhibited when his plans to take Arendelle were nearing fruition.

Hans was a real piece of work, Anna concluded, and not a particularly likeable piece at that.

~O~

"Why have you brought me here?" Hans asked Queen Elsa, his voice calm and measured yet absolutely dripping with contempt.

"I have a proposal for you, Prince Hans," she answered him. "One that I think will be to your liking."

He was surprised for just a moment. Then he smiled and even chuckled a bit. "And what makes you think any proposal you have for me would ever be to my liking?"

"Because I am going to give you what you've always wanted," Elsa replied. "The chance to rule."

Blindsided, Hans said nothing. He had assumed Elsa and Anna had chosen to confine him for his attempts on their lives. That he was being brought to this isolated location because it would be a most suitable place to imprison the most dangerous criminal in their kingdom's long history.

"Have you gone mad?" Hans bellowed.

"Hey, that's what I said," Anna blurted out. "You see, even he agrees with me, Elsa. And if Hans agrees with me then something is definitely wrong this whole idea."

"Anna, please," Elsa whispered from the corner of her mouth.

"Tis a shame I never finished what I started," Hans added, that sickening arrogant smirk returning to his lips yet again, "Arendelle would be in much saner hands right now."

Anna did not take well to this insult to her sibling. "What? Why I oughta," Anna was veritable whirlwind of activity, stamping her feet, swinging her arms and ready to knock this arrogant prince all the way back to his home country, no sailing vessel required. Elsa, ever composed, simply put her hand on Anna's arm and the redhead calmed herself if only for her sister's sake.

"Perhaps this will change your mind," Elsa continued, unflustered. "I am going to give you a chance to redeem yourself, Hans, and prove to your brothers and your father that you are a capable and worthwhile leader."

"What do you know of my father and brothers?" he asked.

"I know they mock you and treat you with a terrible disregard," Elsa replied. "They are uniformly unkind to you and see you as worthless. I pity you."

"I don't need your pity," he sneered.

"No, you don't. What you need is a means to achieve your potential."

"And just how do you intend to do that?"

"By making you the royal governor of this region of Arendelle," Elsa told him. "You would rule in my name and follow my rules."

"Of course, I would. Clearly you don't trust me. Not that I blame you."

"Trust must be earned, Hans," she answered, "and if you prove worthy of it you will be given a freer hand."

Elsa explained that the three towns below were prosperous, but quite remote from the rest of the kingdom. The ride from the castle to the three harbor towns was at least a full four day's ride in good weather. The only two methods of connecting to the rest of the kingdom were either through the narrow mountain pass or via the bay which connected to the open waters and Arendelle's main port at the castle gates.

During the spring, summer and fall the road was clear and the waters were navigable, but during the winter months heavy accumulations of snow and the occasional avalanche would seal off the mountain pass while the waters of the harbor would ice over stranding the boats until the spring thaw. During those months these cities were effectively cut off from the rest of the kingdom and the world. If something terrible happened here during the calmer months, outside assistance would not arrive in a timely manner. During the winter period, there would be no assistance whatsoever.

"My father often found it difficult to respond to the needs of the people here," Elsa told the prince. "Their relative distance and remoteness is a hindrance to proper rule. The citizens of these cities have often suggested that they should be allowed to conduct their own affairs. My father's answer was to appoint a royal governor. Someone who would live here and rule with a firm, but wise and decisive hand. Someone who did not need the constant counsel of the distant monarch before proceeding with any necessary actions. Someone whom the crown can trust to safeguard the people and provide for their welfare."

"I see, and you have an opening I presume?" Prince Hans of the Southern Isles asked with a haughty tone.

"You are correct," the Queen of Arendelle answered. "The previous governor resigned due to ill health.

Prince Hans sniffed at the air, "So now we have the truth of the matter. This isn't for my benefit, but yours, oh Queen of Arendelle. I should have known. What is the old saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?' What better means to accomplish that than to provide me with a position of authority where I will be under your ever present and watchful eye."

"On the contrary. I could have chosen any of several other qualified candidates which would have most certainly been to my benefit." Elsa turned to look down at the three peaceful looking towns. "Had I appointed, say, my father's most capable advisor I would know that these citizens of Arendelle would be in excellent hands and that I would have someone who would not question my authority or attempt to claim the throne for himself."

Hans chuckled, still not believing in Queen Elsa's explanations. "So the question once again, oh queen, why me?"

"According to reports from the guests, during my absence you acquitted yourself quite admirably. You were a thoughtful, caring and dutiful regent in such a crisis situation. While you certainly possessed ulterior motives, you demonstrated your capacity for extraordinary leadership. A capacity I would hope you can demonstrate again, only this time without the accompanying treachery."

"I would hardly think that would qualify me for such a post considering the 'accompanying treachery' as you so elegantly put it."

"I disagree," Elsa responded. "You revealed traits which are necessary for proper stewardship. No doubt your father and older brothers do not believe you possess such qualities or else they would embrace you rather than spurn you."

"My father believes that the strong should prey upon the weak and my bothers, with one exception, are more than happy to prove him right," Hans growled. "I wanted your kingdom to show them I am made of stronger stuff. I wanted their respect and admiration. Thanks to you not only does my father believe I am even less of a man than before, but he considers my very existence an embarrassment to our family. Only my mother has prevented him from disowning me entirely. The king mocks me, claiming I am hiding behind a dress. A fact which he contends is only further proof that I am eternally weak and useless."

"Then prove yourself strong," Elsa answered back. "Prove yourself stronger than they are and they will respect you. Let this be your training ground."

"Training for what? Following another sovereign's law? How will that make anyone respect me?"

"This can be your training ground to be a sovereign of your own country."

Hans Westergaard burst out into peals of laughter. "Do you really think such a token rule would change my father's mind about who would inherit the throne? You truly are mad."

Anna was infuriated by his comment, but Elsa continued unperturbed. "Not your own, but perhaps another nation."

"And which one would that be?" he asked with much disdain and foul humor. "Perhaps Seahaven, where King Eric and Queen Ariel have a princess in waiting. Maybe I should present myself to the court of the Kingdom of Corona, where the Princess Rapunzel was recently found and has taken a husband. Surely you can't mean France or Great Britain for they both have royal houses that run deep with waiting candidates for their thrones. Ah, or perhaps you mean your own land. You give me what I coveted in the hopes that I won't take it by force. Do the good people of Arendelle truly know the unbalanced queen they celebrate? Or do you hide that as successfully as you hid your unholy powers?"

Anna charged at Hans ready to tear his throat out. But a royal guard grabbed her up in his arms at Elsa's instant command and pulled her away from the two. Anna struggled mightily against the locked arms of her own guardsman. "Let me go! Didn't you hear what he said about your queen? Don't you care?"

The guard placed Anna inside the royal coach and apologized. "My queen has ordered that you are to remain here until negotiations are complete. I am sorry, princess."

Anna merely harrumphed, crossing her arms in disgust.

Queen then resumed. "For a man so desperate for respect you are most unwilling to embrace the opportunity to command it," she observed. "Perhaps your father was right to put you to shoveling manure from the stable grounds. It seems to be what you are most fit to accomplish."

"Do as you will, oh queen of snow and ice," he answered, unmoved.

"Tell me, Hans, when you stare into the hindquarters of a horse, do you see anything familiar," she scoffed, "as if looking into a mirror? As if seeing what your father and brothers see? Or maybe it is the manure that your family contends is the proper mirror image?"

"HOW DARE YOU…!" It was the first time the prince of Westergaard had lost his composure during these negotiations. It was a brief loss, however. Hans recovered and regained his air of arrogance quickly. "Very good, oh Queen of Arendelle. I had not realized that such a stoic woman could possess such a sharp tongue."

"You will find my mind to be just as sharp, if not sharper, than my tongue" she answered him. "Shall we continue, thirteenth prince of Westergaard? Or do you favor an ocean voyage and a return to your current vocation?"

Hans said nothing for a moment. Elsa made sure to carefully point out that he was the thirteenth in line of succession and that the throne of the Kingdom of the Southern Isles was as distant as it ever. She had also reminded him, in no uncertain terms, just how poorly he was judged by his own kin. How deeply ashamed his father was of him for no other reason than he was thirteenth in line.

Elsa recognized that she was losing at this negotiation largely because he was directing his ire at her. So she carefully maneuvered his long standing anger and hatred back towards his own flesh and blood, as only then could she successfully extract from him what she wanted and provide for Hans what he so desperately needed.

After several moments to contemplate her words, the Prince of Westergaard finally answered, "What did you have in mind?"

"There are rumblings that the people of Weaseltown…"

"Weselton," Hans corrected.

"Yes, or course, Weselton. That the people of Weselton are displeased with their Duke."

Hans chuckled. "Yes, I met the man at your coronation. A distinctly unpleasant fellow."

"Indeed. Then you can imagine just how much his own subjects dislike him," Elsa responded. "There are rumblings that the people of Weselton are so displeased with his taxes, his abuse and the generally poor manner in which he rules the kingdom that the general populace may rise up against him."

"You mean an insurrection?"

"I mean a revolution," Elsa clarified. "And when that time comes there will be a vacuum of power which the people of Weselton will want to fill."

"Someone like me."

"Yes, someone like you. And while I am certain others will come forward you will be able to offer that nation something no other prospective sovereign can offer: practical experience and a glowing recommendation from a sitting monarch."

Elsa could see it in his face. It suddenly all clicked for him. Accepting this post, while degrading on the surface, was merely a stepping stone to the very thing he truly coveted. A chance to rule a nation and extract from those who had previously refused it the respect Hans believed he so rightly deserved. In his mind he could hear the words: Duke Hans Westergaard of Weselton. He could see his vile brothers being forced to bow to him in recognition of his status as sovereign. And his father would have to treat him as an equal rather than a pest or a non-entity as was so often the case.

Elsa could almost see him salivate. "And you do this for me why?" he asked, apparently preferring to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Because in spite of all the trouble you caused us, I respect you," she told him. "You are very intelligent, highly capable and possess great potential. Even if your own are blind to this fact, I am not and do not wish to see it go to waste."

From his reaction this was clearly not the answer he was expecting. Prince Hans was giving her proposal due consideration, from what Elsa could glean. She played upon this and continued, pressing him, "Hans if you accept my proposal and live up to your potential the absolute worse fate which can befall you is that you remain the royal governor of Arendelle in service to the throne. You will earn the respect of the people who live here and the trust of this country's sovereign.

"If you choose to return home the very best fate that awaits you is the daily public humiliation of shoveling horse manure, a constant reminder of just how poorly you are regarded within your own castle. You will be the butt of every family joke for generations to come and be viewed as a national embarrassment. So what shall it be? Do we continue our negotiations? Or should we just return to the docks and your vessel?"

The pained expression on the prince's face revealed much. But her words had also touched a sore spot with the Prince of Westergaard, one which he now threw back into her face. "Humiliation? So that is why you have brought me here. This is merely a means to further humiliate me for what I have done to you and your sister. You expect me to fail, miserably, so I will be sent home a greater embarrassment to my kin. How very clever of you."

"No, Prince Hans. I do not expect you to fail. I expect you to succeed. In fact, I demand it. To expect you to fail in this endeavor would be to endanger my own people," she explained forthrightly. "I cannot and will not do such a thing. And had I wanted to humiliate you there would be no reason to for me to offer you this challenge. You've suffered more than enough and would continue to suffer to the satisfaction of both myself and my sister.

"What I require of you is competence of the highest order. To learn the histories and culture of this corner of Arendelle. To get to know the people so you can rule them properly and be revered for your compassion and due diligence. I demand your superiority in all things just as I demand it from all my royal advisors. If you cannot deliver upon these requirements just say the word and your coach will return you to the docks."

"And should I accept, what are your terms?" he asked, apparently sniffing at the prospect.

"You will be surrounded by my own advisors who will educate you in the laws and customs of our people," she began. "They will judge your behavior and responses to any event or crisis that befalls this region and report back to me. If your performance is commendable you will be given a freer hand to rule. Show me that I can trust you implicitly and you will have no one to watch over your shoulder."

"Then my capacity to rule will be based on merit, not just title," he said as a means of clarification.

"That is correct."

Prince Hans Westergaard stood silent for a moment, overlooking the region and judging it from his position. He was clearly deciding whether this opportunity was worthy of his time and efforts. A sparkle in his eye Elsa took to mean he quite liked the idea of attaining the status of reigning monarch of a land all his own, but would he accept that this small speck of land could be a proving ground for him and his exceptional talents? He then turned to Elsa and spoke. "I accept your challenge, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," he said with a smirk. "If only to prove that I am a far superior monarch than you could ever hope to be."

"I will hold you to that promise, future Duke of Weselton," she answered with a wry smile. "I do hope you won't disappoint me."

Hans grinned in return. She might not be fully sane, but who was he turn down such an opportunity as this? Despite having accepted, Hans insisted on one last question. He stood before his coach, surrounded by Arendelle's royal guards and the queen and asked, "You have not answered my question, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Why me? What compelled you to seek me out for this grand experiment?"

Elsa looked him in the eye and stated, "Because we are very much alike, you and me."

He broke into peals of laughter yet again. "And how could we ever be so alike?"

"As children we were both cut off by our parents," she answered him. "Yours did so maliciously. My parents were simply misguided, viewing my unique powers as a curse rather than a gift. Either way, the results were the same. Both of us were made to feel unwanted and even unwelcomed in our own homes, wondering if anyone truly loved us. My heart became filled with fear and dread and hopelessness. Anna was my only lifeline.

"Though separated by a wall she nonetheless remained my closest friend. Each day she read to me, sang happy songs, played silly word games, told me about whatever intrigue was happening on the castle grounds and just generally acted as a caring sister should. When I ran, she followed. Anna gave me a second chance to live, the same second chance I am offering to you. In you, Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles, I see a kindred spirit. A boy who never had an Anna to give him hope."

Elsa turned to walk back to her own coach when Hans called out to her. "Lars!" he announced.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Lars," Hans replied, his eyes cast downward. "He is the only brother who has ever treated me as a person and an equal. He is to me what Anna is to you."

"I stand corrected."

Elsa turned once again, but was stopped when he called out to her once more. "Your Highness, you won't be disappointed. I promise you."

She smiled warmly and nodded. "I know."

~O~

"Why, Elsa?" Anna asked again. "You can't trust him so why?"

Elsa had been staring out of the royal carriage looking at the lovely mountains which separated the harbor cities from the rest of Arendelle. This was her first time viewing them. On the trip to the cities her thoughts were concerned only with her plan and all the reasons why it could fail and the very reason why she believed it should succeed. Now on the ride back she was relaxed. So caught up in the wonder of this natural beauty the queen was not even aware her sister had asked a question.

"Elsa? Hello?"

"Hum? What is it, Anna?"

"Why Hans?"

"It's simple, actually."

Two years earlier as the newly installed queen of Arendelle, Elsa began her intense tutoring to be a good and wise sovereign. She read from the best philosophers, rulers and historians on the subject of proper rule. Her subjects included how to make peace, how to make war, the rules of combat, as well as readings on economics, religion, ritual and governance. She studied Plato, the Ten Commandments, the British Magna Carta, the French Constitution of 1795 and the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers.

"Father collected an extensive library about the subject of proper rule and his books were heavily annotated for his and our benefit," Elsa told Anna. "One such comment he included on how to deal with dispatched enemies came from German philosopher Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. 'A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.' That is why I chose Hans to be the royal governor of the cities by the harbor."

Anna looked quizzically at her sister. "Wait. So this is all about trying to reconcile with Hans? You think he might try to take the throne of Arendelle again and that reconciling with him would prevent it?"

"I don't know, but that was my reasoning."

"I heard what he said about you, Elsa, I don't think he ever wants to reconcile with us or anyone."

"That was the same conclusion I came to, as well," Elsa told her.

"Then why not send him back and be done with that sneaky, no good…?"

"Because while speaking with the prince it occurred to me that the enemy Hans must reconcile with first is not us or his father and brothers, but himself. Just as I needed to reconcile with myself before I could accept the unconditional love of the people of Arendelle… and my sister."

"So if Hans can do what you did, he'll never be a threat to us again?" Anna summarized.

"Correct."

"I hope you are right, Elsa," Anna cautioned.

"So do I, Anna. So do I."

I do hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know what you think of Elsa's solution in the reviews. Thank you.