A/N: This is my super late christmas present for Kelsey (she's super awesome and writes REALLY good so go follow her on tumblr, her url is bjorgmans), mostly as a huge thank you for being there for me through rough times. I'm really happy to call you my friend and I hope you have an awesome year!
This is mostly based off my headcanons and I've only seen the movie once so a few things may be wrong but still, I hope you like it!
When he'd first laid eyes on her Hans had simply thought she was pretty, and she was, with her slender figure and fair complexion. But that had been it, and even though he had bumped into her all he intended to do was quickly apologize and then be on his way, not giving the young girl a second thought.
That changed, however, when she told him she was the princess. As soon as those words had left her mouth, his original plan to make Arendelle his own changed, targeting Anna as his future bride instead of her sister, for he could already tell she would be much easier to charm. He could see it in her eyes, so desperate to love and be loved in return. It would be terribly easy.
Sadly, she had to run off to do god knows what (he hadn't been paying much attention to what she was saying at the time) and next thing he knew he had fallen into the water. Thankfully she wasn't around to see him and he had quickly hurried away to change into some dry clothes, rather grumpily since he believed he had lost his chance to win the princess over. The chances of getting to talk to her again during the coronation were very slim.
Apparently they weren't as slim as he had thought.
Hans had caught sight of her, tumbling towards the floor, and had rushed over, grabbing her hand at just the right moment. He had shot her his best smile, and the look of relief she had given him in return almost made his heart skip a beat.
Almost.
He quickly pulled her up to her feet, placed her hand on the small of her back and begun to dance. Something happened then, something that he hadn't expected at all. The same way that he had made his way into Anna's heart, she was doing the same to his own. He hadn't realized it at the moment, only later when it was too late to stop the growing feelings.
They had spent the entire evening together, and, as hard as it was for him to admit, Hans had honestly had a good time. At some point, Anna's little habits, like talking without stopping for fifteen minutes straight or accidentally hitting his face several times, endearing instead of annoying and he surprisingly found himself searching for her touch, with little pushes that turned into playful shoves and gripping her hand tightly as they slid across the halls without any shoes on.
He still played the part of the 'charming prince', sweeping the young princess off her feet, but he hadn't expected himself to enjoy it as much as he was.
Soon enough the moment of the question arrived, the moment that would seal his intentions and assure him a place in the Arendelle castle, and just as expected, Anna had said yes.
Everything was turning out just the way it was meant to, with the added bonus of maybe falling in love himself, until her sister had to ruin everything. Things just couldn't go smoothly for him, but Hans had come prepared for anything, and though Elsa's powers had been quite a surprise, they hadn't caught him off guard.
While Anna ventured into the mountains to search for Elsa, Hans stayed behind. He would have gone with her, but staying in Arendelle seemed like a better move. There, he could help the people adjust to the drastic change in the weather, making his way into their hearts just as he had done with their princess. All he had to do was keep his act going and wait for his future bride to return. If she didn't, then that wouldn't be a problem. Hans could already tell that if anything happened to Anna or Elsa, the people of Arendelle would instantly turn to him to take the throne.
Once again, his plan was going smoothly, but a feeling of uneasyness still settled in the pit of his stomach like a heavy rock. Even though he was trying hard to push aside his feelings for the younger one of the two sisters, he couldn't help but worry about her. What if she really did come into harms way? It would be very beneficial for him, but he still didn't want anything to happen to her. Elsa didn't matter, but Anna...
With a shake of the head, Hans tried to focus. He couldn't let those feelings get in the way. He just couldn't.
The next time he saw Anna, her hair was white as snow and awfully cold to the touch. She was shivering, and Hans couldn't help but to do the same as he held her freezing body. Grabbing on to him, she demanded to be kissed and it had taken all of his will power not to blush deeply. Kiss her? Right there and then?
No, he couldn't. He wanted to. God did he want to. Pressing his lips against hers was something he had allowed himself to daydream briefly about, but that was all he was going to allow himself. Under no circumstances was he going to kiss her, for he knew that if he did he wouldn't be able to stop himself from opening up to her, something that he definitely couldn't do. So Hans did the only thing that he could think of to keep his plan in motion.
He broke her heart.
Cupping the side of her face, he laid eyes on her for what he had thought at that moment would be the last moment he'd see her. In just the few brief seconds that he took to slide his hand from her cheek to her chin, Hans tried to take in every little detail. He wanted to remember every little freckle that littered her round face, her bright blue eyes that stared up at him in complete adoration and the lips that he would never get to kiss.
Leaning forwards, he slowly closed the distance between them until they were only inches apart. It was then that his moment arrived to make his choice: kiss her or leave her there to freeze to death.
Of course, Hans chose the second option.
As he closed the door behind him, locking it, Hans had to fight the urge to run back to her. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than what he had thought. Behind those doors was the girl that had almost gotten him to open up, the one that had almost foiled his intentions. He had been able to overcome it though, and he had won.
But if he had won, why didn't he feel any satisfaction? All he could feel was grief. Looking back towards the closed doors, Hans bit his lip, deep in thought. Was it to late to return to her side? To beg for her forgiveness?
No.
He had made his choice and he had to stand by it. If the only way for him to get the throne was through her death then so be it.
''I'm sorry... about everything.''
''Do you expect me to believe you? Because after everything that you've done...I don't.''
He chuckled. ''I know. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, I just wanted you to know.''
Anna sighed, refusing to look up and meet his gaze. She knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to help falling in love with him all over again. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to come and see him before he was sent back to the Southern Isles.
''Why did you it? Why did you lie to me?'' Her voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered the pain and hurt she had felt when he had betrayed her. ''Why did you say you loved me when you didn't?''
A few seconds passed before Hans answered, as if he was hesitating. ''I just wanted to be important. You know how it is, when you're the youngest sibling. It's like you practically don't exist.'' Anna couldn't help but agree with a small smile. She could relate to him with that feeling, but that was no excuse to try to take over a kingdom. ''And...when I said that to you...I wasn't lying.''
Anna lifted her gaze to meet his own in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that answer. Did that mean that their whole relationship hadn't been a complete lie? Had he really grown to love her in the short time they had been together. Her mouth opened as she tried to say something, but no words came out.
''I'm sorry, Anna, I really am.'' Hans murmured before turning around and sitting with his back to her, clearly finished with their brief conversation.
The princess only nodded in response, tucking some of her hair behind an ear as she stared at him. To think that they could have gotten married and lived happily ever after. They could have, if Hans' thirst for power hadn't gotten in the way.
''I am too.''