Many Beauty and the Many Beast

by Felicity Collins

  There were small unspoken conversations in those small glances we gave one another which mostly were 'watch your back'. She was on her guard and so was I. I could strike her at any moment. Kill her without a second thought, free my brother and disappear. But Elsa knew that I was well aware of her powers as well, and knew that the only opportunity I would have to end her without turning into an icicle, would be the second she got distracted. Suddenly she spoke up, breaking the ice… lame joke, I know.

  "You're actually pretty quiet" she commented.

  "I call it: being reserved" I said "I could say the same thing about you"

  "Well, I don't know if talking about your past to two complete strangers can be considered as 'reserved'"

  "Touché" She shook her head with a small smile.

  "Look, I know I'm probably going to be indiscreet now and you don't need to answer if you don't want to but... what did you mean when you said that you turned your back on him?"

  "No, you aren't being indiscreet at all. I knew I would have had to answer you that question, sooner or later" I answered "Hans and I used to be very close, just like you and Princess Anna. He is the only brother I actually have. Being the 13th son of the royal family put us on the same boat: he was ignored and shut out because he was the youngest, less than a spare, while I was ignored, despised and shut out because I was the result of the King's 'affair with another woman'. My mother worked in the palace. She was actually the princes' tutor. I don't exactly know the dynamics, but I lived in the palace for the first few years and I remember being referred to as 'Miss Engel's daughter' or 'the tutor's daughter'. When I was 6 years-old my mother asked the king if I could join the princes' lessons as well… they argued, Queen Amber was present, Mom lost her temper and well…she let the secret slip. That was the day I found out my father was the king. And what did my 'dear daddy' do? He kicked us out. Hans was a kid, but sometime later he had found out where we had gone and came to the house every day. He would stay in the house and babysit me while my mother went to the local school to teach. When his siblings found out, it took a turn to the worst for him, but he didn't care. He has always been there for me. It was him and I against the world…" I paused realizing I was beginning to talk too much. "Thing is, when I married Landon, I didn't notice it, but I left him alone. Becoming queen put even a bigger distance between us, more than the sea dividing our countries. I had a kingdom to run now and he was back to being the 13th son. I didn't mean to, but I gave him a reason to push himself off the limit" Elsa remained silent for a moment. In that moment thought, the tension seemed to be slowly dying down.

  "I think I understand" she said.

  "You think?"

  "You haven't said much but… I can sense there is so much more behind it. It seems like you lived the reason he tried to take over my kingdom yourself" she observed. I gave her a small side smile.

  "Well, I'm a lot like him" Elsa stopped dead in her tracks looking at me raising an eyebrow.

  "Really?"

  "Really"

  "Don't get any strange ideas, but I beg to differ, your track record says differently. He tried to murder both me and my sister, manipulated her, made her think he was in love with her only to marry her and try to kill me afterwards. You, on the other hand, fought to bring back the rightful king of Drakora on his throne, you showed great loyalty to the point of taking an arrow for him-"

  "- and a dagger…"

  "-and a dagger- wait- a dagger?!" she exclaimed shocked.

  "Yup. Right in my back" I said like I was talking about picking primroses. Elsa shook her head and started walking again as I followed.

  "Anyway. Your actions say differently" she said.

  "Actions don't really say much about personality" Slowly the tension that was dying down, started to pick up again, and I admit I was enjoying myself.

  "I think they do"

  "Not all of them"

  "Still think they do"

  "So, basing myself off your actions, you didn't shut your sister out because you were trying to protect her, right?"

  "No! I was trying to protect her"

  "Really? Because shutting someone out seems like a thing someone who doesn't care would do. Someone who shuts you out for years is someone who doesn't want to have anything to do with you. But anyone can actually see the strong affection between you and the Princess"

  "I see your point" she said "But my intentions were good. You fought for a rightful cause. Hans deliberately tried to kill us by putting up a mask-"

  "And what makes you think that my past actions weren't just a mask? Just look at my brother before the big reveal" I said looking at her in the eyes. Elsa seemed puzzled and stopped once again in her tracks.

  "I'm sorry, I'm confused" I couldn't help to let out a small laugh.

  "Oh, my goodness, Queen Elsa… you never stop surprising me. You should know very well how to hold masks yourself since you've been wearing one for years and still seem to wear it from time to time" she narrowed her eyes at me stopping.

  "Now, hold on a second-"

  "- Queen Elsa might be a mature woman who could prove herself to be a ruler greater than many other experienced monarchs and be the image of the 'perfect queen'. Only that once you dig a little deeper you realize that Elsa is just a 21 year-old girl with all her flaws and virtues, who might be more cautious and reflective than her little sister but sure as heck is just as naïve and gullible as her. Looks like those years of solitude backfired, since you seem quite easy to mess with" then I got the answer I was looking for.

  "Or maybe I'm just playing your game and wearing a mask to study you since you're the one who seems to enjoy playing little mind games just like…-" she trailed off as realization hit her.

  "Hans" I finished "Still think I'm not a lot like him?"

  "What is your point, Queen Skylynn?" she said seriously.

  "My point is precisely this: people don't do things just because they feel like it. There are many things that influence our choices. Hans isn't really evil as you think he is. Have you ever thought of the reasons behind why he did what he did? What if I'm actually sneakier than Hans and becoming Queen of Drakora was exactly my goal? What if Hans is not the real reason why I'm here?" I slightly leaned down towards her so I could directly look at her in the eyes "What if I am not really the hero? What if I am… the bad guy?" Elsa didn't break the eye contact, she boldly held her ground. She was calculating, analyzing what I said. Then she continued to walk towards the dungeons and I kept following.

  "You are here for Hans… you have no interest in my throne" she concluded.

  "Because I'm the heroine of Drakora and I just offered you an alliance?"

  "No, because if you were here for my throne, you would have already somehow tried to trick Anna to get to me"

  "Your Majesty, we both that is just so predictable…" I commented raising an eyebrow. By the flash in her blue eyes, Elsa was slightly getting irritated, but she went on speaking.

  "Also because of the way you behaved during our meeting, what you told us and what you just told me. Don't think I didn't notice the attitude slip for a moment, you realized you were opening up to me" she paused for a moment. Dang! She could play this game! "Did Anna also tell you what Hans said to us when we met him and your brothers?"

  "Yes, she did"

  "That was no mask, there was pure fury in his eyes, I saw it" she said.

  "And what if mine is just a pose? What if what you think of me is exactly what I want you to think?" I retorted.

  "Why the pose?"

  "I could ask you the same. It's all part of this game we both know the rules to. It's a game of chess, masks and actors; the more accurate is the strategy, the more complex is the mask, the better the actor. Hans has already played his part and had his turn that got him out of the play, but he still keeps his mask on. Your mask is the mask of the queen by all means of the word"

  "And what is your mask, Queen Skylynn?" her blue eyes staring straight into my grey one
s.

  "That is for you to figure out" Elsa scoffed rolling her eyes.

  "And now you can't tell me, why?"

  "Because it's now time for you to play your part…" I paused leaning closer to her and smirked "What's your move going to be?" Elsa stayed in place for a moment longer. She was annoyed by me, but yet she was studying me like a scientific sample. She didn't reply, but went back to walking and I beside her as silence ruled between us once again, until we got to the hall that lead to the cell door, which had two guards standing high and mighty.

  "Maybe it's better if you hand your sword to the guards" Elsa said

  "Why?" I asked raising an eyebrow

  "I don't want him to try anything"

  "That won't be a problem, he won't" I said

  "Queen Skylynn, I insist, it's better if you do. Hans is dangerous" Elsa said. I smiled reassuringly.

  "Hans is not dangerous" she raised an eyebrow at me "Okay, maybe he is, but not to me"

  "What makes you so sure about that? May I remind you that he tried to murder both me and my sister?"

  "He's my brother… he would never hurt me" I said with a smile. Elsa seemed caught off guard, but she dropped the subject and let me keep my sword. We walked to the door, until we were in front of the guards

  "Queen Skylynn and I would like to see the prisoner" Elsa said not losing her regal composure.

  "Yes, your Majesties" the guards said and opened the cell door. The room was dark and I couldn't see much, the only light was provided by the small window on the wall. There was a figure laying on the cell bed on his side: Hans. I immediately got inside the room completely forgetting that Elsa was there.

  "Queen Elsa you came to pay me a visit with a friend. I'm honored" he said sarcastically as he slowly sat up.

  "Hans" I called marching towards him. He snapped his head up.

  "Sky?" he said surprised.

  "Dude, what the freaking hell is wrong with you?" I scolded.

  "Me? Nothing" he said going back to his previous attitude.

  "Well it has to be something because I can't figure out why someone like you would screw up his life the way you just did" Hans stood up and walked towards the window.

  "Well, you know my life, my past, it shouldn't take you too long to figure it out" he said cynically. As he passed next to me I grabbed his arm but he immediately shrugged it off, looking at me.

  "I can't believe you could be so stupid" I stated getting to his face.

  "What do you want from me, Skylynn? I've spent years telling you not to be ashamed of yourself and embrace who you are. You want me to be different? To not be me?" he paused "Well that's never going to happen, so start liking the real Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles or leave me the hell alone" he said and walked to the window looking outside. I remained silent for a moment.

  "Queen Elsa, can you give us a moment?" I asked her.

  "I don't think that's-"

  "Please?" I asked looking at her. She got the message and nodded.

  "Alright, I'll be waiting outside" she said and got out of the cell closing the door behind her. I turned back to Hans and watched as he sat back on the bed and… was he limping? It took me a moment to take in his appearance. He wasn't looking good, at all… and not just because of his peasant clothes. His hair still made part in the middle but was very dirty and messy, his sideburns gone and replaced with a shabby beard, or the little that grew, and he had lost way too much weight.

  "Are you okay?" I asked softly.

  "What do you think? And why do you care, anyway?" he snapped

  "Drop the act, Hans" I commanded. He smiled faintly but kept his head down.

  "Bossy as always, hu?"

  "It's something you taught me" I said walking closer to him. He didn't move, he just sat there looking at the ground. "Why did you say those things to them?" I asked softly.

  "Because I meant them"

  "Hans…" I warned.

  "It's true"

  "No, it's not"

  "Yes, it is"

  "Hans, you don't need to pretend around me. I know you"

  "What makes you think that you know me so well, when we both know that you weren't expecting me to do such a thing?"

  "We've been on the same boat for years, and to be frank, my side of the boat was even worse than yours" I said raising my voice "So cut the crap and talk to me, Hans!" he looked away

  "About what? There's nothing I need to explain to you"

  "I'm telling you: talk to me" I paused "Talk to me, Hans" I said softly almost pleadingly "Tell me what happened, don't… shut me out… don't do to me what our brothers did to the both of us" he didn't say anything "Hans, we only have each other and we've always been so open to one another. You know you can trust me"

  "I don't want to trust you, Skylynn!" he snapped "I know I can, but I don't want to! I don't want to be open with you because I don't want you to help me because you feel bounded to do so by a stupid 'I'll-stand-by-you' promise we did when we were kids! I don't want to trust and be open with you because of how well I know you!" he paused. His words stung like poison "You have this incredible sense of right and wrong that…" he sighed lowering his head and running a hand through his hair "… forget it… just… forget it"

  "We've spent years together, Hans. We promised we would always be there for each other and you've kept your promise" I paused "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I turned my back on you until it was too late and I'm sorry" His head snapped back towards me, in panic.

  "No, Sky. Don't blame yourself for what I did, it's not your fault" he said immediately

  "But-"

  "-No 'buts'. It was not your fault. You didn't do anything. The blame is all mine. I wanted to be king, I took my chance, I failed and now I'm paying the consequences" he paused for a moment as he realized he had dropped the mask "The only thing I'm sorry for is not succeeding in my plan" he replied going back to his previous behavior "I know what you want me to do. You want me to open up to you only to tell me to tell Elsa my side of the story and hope for her mercy. Well that's not going to happen because Elsa won't see anything else in me but the monster who deceived her sister" I sighed shaking my head and walked closer to him.

  "I'm here to help you" I stated. He looked at me like if I were an alien.

  "Didn't you hear what I just said? I wanted to kill Elsa and Anna, I wanted to take over the kingdom, I don't regret anything!"

  "You don't get it, do you?" I said kneeling down in front of him placing my hands on his "No matter what you do, I'm not going to judge you. You don't need to me ashamed around me, weather you want to cry, or laugh, or you're angry… I do all those things too, you know?" I paused as a faint smile appeared on my lips "I'm a lot like you" He shook his head covering my hands with his.

  "No, Sky. You're nothing like me and I'm glad you aren't. You're a heroine, you are a good person, you're… you're very different from me"

  "This is where you're wrong and you know it. I've seen the dark side too, Hans. I know what you've been through because, as I said before, you and I have always been on the same boat. What you don't understand is that you can tell me anything because no matter what you confess to me…" I paused putting a hand on his rough cheek "… Nothing is ever going to make me love you less" I slid my hand on his chin lifting his face up so he could look at me in the eyes "I'll stand by you, Hans and I don't care if you want me to help you or not… I'm not giving up on you because we're in this together… and it's not because I feel bounded by our deal" Hans looked at me in the eyes. Now that I was close I could see his face clearer. Anger flared through me when I saw the bad bruise on his face and saw his rawboned cheeks, I immediately looked at his hands and realized that the texture like thing I was touching wasn't a cheap glove, but a bandage. Hans immediately pulled his hands away and turned his face, his breath hitching.

  "Can you leave, please?" he asked me with his voice almost trembling.

  "Hans, which one did this to you?" I asked sternly. />
  "Go, Skylynn"

  "Answer me" I said

  "I said 'go away'" he repeated harshly.

  "It was Gordon and Herbert, weren't they?" I insisted.

  "Skylynn, get out" Hans repeated raising his voice.

  "Not until you tell me which one did this to you" I insisted.

  "Get out"

  "Was it August? Gordon? Herbert? Brad? Jayden? Linus? Which one?!"

  "Get out, Skylynn, NOW!" he shouted standing up abruptly but yelped in pain as soon as he did. I immediately caught him, only to make him yelp painfully again as soon as my arm clutched his back to hold him. I helped Hans sit back on the bunk.

  "What did they do to you?" I asked again.

  "It doesn't matter. You should leave" was his reply.

  "It doesn't matter?! Hans you're limping, you lost too much weight, you got an awful bruise on your face, your hand is bandaged and now let me see your back!"

  "No. Skylynn go! Listen to me for once"

  "No, I've listened to you for years, now you listen to me. Take your shirt off and let me see your back"

  "Forget it"

  "Now" I said looking directly in his green eyes with determination. He must have seen how angry and determent I was, because he lowered his gaze and obliged.

  "You are as stubborn as heck" he commented.

  "So are you" I countered. He shook his head and first took off his jacket. The back of his shirt was just a warning. There were streaks of dried blood on it. That already made me angry. Then he took off the rope he used as a belt and took off his shirt exposing me his back. What I saw next made my blood boil with anger and hatred. His back was full of slashed wounds, some of them still were bloody others were clearly infected. The skin around them red and angry. What got me even more furious was the fact that his ribs were getting clearly visible.