Anna’s body felt even colder than when she was out in the storm. But it was a relief to tell Hans everything, to know that he could help her.
After hearing the whole tale, Hans looked at her with a tender smile. “A true love’s kiss,” he said pensively. He leaned in close, ready to kiss her. Anna lifted her chin and closed her eyes in anticipation. Then he stopped.
“Oh, Anna,” he said. “If only somebody loved you.” “What?” Anna said in shock.
Hans rose to his feet and walked away. He stood in front of the window, looking out over the kingdom. “As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn’t stand a chance,” he told her. “I knew I’d have to marry into the throne somewhere.”
Anna could barely lift her head. “What? What are you talking about?” she asked.
“As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course,” Hans continued. “But no one was getting anywhere with her. But you...” He trailed off with a small smile.
“Hans?” Anna said, growing concerned.
“Like your sister said,” he told her. “You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me just like that.” He walked over to a table and grabbed a pitcher of water. Then he moved closer to the fire. “I figured after we married, I’d have to stage a little accident for Elsa.” He poured the water on the fire, putting it out.
Anna reached out to stop him, but she was too weak and once again fell to the floor. “Hans, no, stop!” she cried.
Ignoring her plea, Hans took the fire poker and smothered the remaining embers. A cold draft filled the room. “But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her,” he snickered.
“Please,” Anna begged.
Hans laughed. “All that’s left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer.”
A sense of despair engulfed Anna as she realized the depth of Hans’s cruelty. “You’re no match for Elsa,” she said bravely.
Hans looked down at Anna. “No, you’re no match for Elsa,” he told her. “I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save Arendelle from destruction.” He strode to the door.
“You won’t get away with this,” Anna said fiercely. “Oh, I already have,” Hans said with a nasty grin.
He walked out, locking the door tight.
Anna tried to get up from the floor, but she was too weak. She could feel the cold taking the last of her strength.
“Please, somebody,” she called out hoarsely. “Help!” She looked around the dark room and knew she was totally alone. “Please, please,” she whispered.
And then she collapsed.
Hans left Anna and went to the council chamber where the Duke and other dignitaries were gathered. “It’s getting colder by the minute,” the Duke said.
“Forget starving; we’ll soon freeze to death.”
Hans fell into a chair, looking weak and grief- stricken.
“Prince Hans!” a dignitary said, reaching out to him gently.
Hans lowered his head and chuckled to himself. He had sat down on the throne. His plan was moving along perfectly. Pretending to be full of remorse, Hans said, “Princess Anna is... dead.”
“What?” the other men exclaimed.
“How could this happen?” one of the dignitaries asked.
Hans shook his head slowly. “She was killed by Queen Elsa.”
“No!” the Duke shouted.
With his head in his hands, Hans played the part of a grieving man. “We said our wedding vows... before she died in my arms.”
“There can be no doubt now,” the Duke declared. “Queen Elsa is a monster!”
“Prince Hans,” stated one of the dignitaries. “Arendelle looks to you.”
Hans nodded grimly, but he was secretly elated. Never in his wildest dreams could he have plotted his ascent to the throne so gloriously. “With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa with treason and sentence her to death,” he declared.
In her dungeon cell, Elsa stood by the window. The snow was cascading down heavily. She wondered where Anna was at that moment. Anna would never be able to survive this storm.
Maybe I am a monster, she thought. Hans’s words haunted her. Her powers had done nothing but cause great trouble for the kingdom.
Elsa knew that she had to leave Arendelle so she wouldn’t do any more harm. As her eyes welled up with tears, she looked down at her shackles. They were completely frozen, and suddenly, they broke open. Then, with a thunderous crash, ice broke through the dungeon walls, splitting them apart as Elsa’s emotions overwhelmed her mind and heart. Realizing she could escape, Elsa hurried through the gaping hole in the wall.
Hans heard the noise and ran down to the dungeon. The Duke and his guards were already there.
“What happened?” Hans asked.
“The queen has escaped,” the Duke replied, gazing through the opening in the wall.
第19章
安娜的身體甚至比在外面的時候更冷了。但好在她告訴了漢斯所有的事情,她相信漢斯會救她的。
在聽完整個事情的經(jīng)過之后,漢斯溫柔地看著安娜,若有所思地說:“一個真愛之吻。”他靠近安娜,準備親吻她。安娜抬起了下巴,閉上了眼睛,滿懷期待。然而這時,漢斯停住了。
“哦,安娜,”他說,“如果真有人這么愛你就好了。”“你說什么?”安娜不敢相信。
漢斯站起身,走開了。他站在窗前,看著這個王國。“作為我們國家的第十三順位繼承人,我不可能有機會掌權(quán)。”他告訴安娜。“我知道自己必須和其他王室聯(lián)姻才能保住地位。”
安娜連抬頭的力氣都快沒了。“什么?你在胡說什么?”她問道。
“作為王位繼承人,艾莎當然是更好的選擇,”漢斯繼續(xù)說,“但沒人能接近她,而你……”他聲音越來越小,臉上露出了狡詐的笑容。
“漢斯?”安娜聽不下去了,越來越心寒。
“就像你姐姐說的,”他說,“你太渴望愛情了,才會那么迫不及待地想要嫁給我。”他走向桌子,拿起水壺,然后走近火爐。“我本來想在我們結(jié)婚之后給艾莎制造一些小狀況。”他用水澆滅了爐火。
安娜用盡力氣想要阻止他,但她太虛弱了,再次摔到了地上。“漢斯,不,住手!”她大喊道。
漢斯沒有理會她的請求,拿起火鉗,悶熄了余火。一股冷空氣立刻吹進了屋子里。“誰知道她自取滅亡,而你居然還傻到去追她。”他竊笑道。
“求求你了。”安娜乞求道。
漢斯大笑:“現(xiàn)在我只需要殺掉艾莎,恢復夏天。”
安娜認識到了漢斯是多么的殘忍,她絕望了,勇敢地說:“你根本不是艾莎的對手!”
漢斯低頭看著安娜:“錯了,你才不是艾莎的對手。我會成為那個把艾倫戴爾從毀滅中拯救出來的英雄。”他踱步到了門口。
“你不會得逞的。”安娜憤怒地說。“哦,我已經(jīng)得逞了。”漢斯陰險地笑著說。
他走了出去,緊緊鎖上了門。
安娜試圖從地上爬起來,但她實在沒有一點力氣。她感覺到寒冷幾乎要把她最后一絲力氣都奪走了。
“來人,救救我。”她聲音沙啞地呼喊道。“救命!”她看著黑暗的房間,知道自己孤立無援。“救救我。”她用微弱的聲音掙扎著。
她昏倒了。
漢斯撇下安娜,走進了公爵和貴族們開會的大廳。“現(xiàn)在越來越冷了。”公爵說。
“不要說餓死了,我們很快就會凍死的。”
漢斯一下子跌坐在椅子上,看上去虛弱無力,傷心不已。
“漢斯王子!”一位貴族輕輕地拍了拍他。
漢斯低下頭暗自高興。他已經(jīng)坐上了王位,他的計劃正順利地進行著。漢斯裝作自責地說:“安娜公主……已經(jīng)死了。”
“什么?”貴族們不敢相信自己的耳朵。
“怎么會這樣?”一位貴族問道。
漢斯緩緩地搖了搖頭,說:“是艾莎女王殺死了她。”
“天哪!”公爵叫道。
漢斯用手捂住頭,悲傷地說:“她剛剛……在我懷里說完結(jié)婚誓言,就死了。”
“現(xiàn)在完全可以確定了,”公爵大聲說,“艾莎女王的確是個妖怪!”
“漢斯王子,”一位貴族說,“艾倫戴爾就指望您了。”
漢斯悲傷地點點頭,心里卻暗自高興。他從未想過能夠如此榮耀地登上王位。“懷著沉痛的心情,我將以叛國罪判處艾莎女王死刑!”他宣布道。
在地牢里,艾莎站在窗邊望著肆無忌憚的暴風雪。她不知道安娜會在哪兒。這樣的天氣她很難活下來。
她想起了漢斯的話,覺得也許自己就是個妖怪。她的魔法沒有任何用處,只會給王國帶來巨大的麻煩。
艾莎知道自己必須離開艾倫戴爾,這樣才不會造成更多的傷害。她流著淚,低頭看到手銬已經(jīng)完全凍住了。忽然,手銬裂開了。然后,轟的一聲,地牢墻壁上的冰也裂開了,墻壁裂開了一個大口,艾莎的情感壓倒了她的思想和內(nèi)心。艾莎意識到自己可以離開這里,連忙從墻上的大洞逃了出去。
漢斯聽到了動靜,帶人趕到了地牢。公爵和他的護衛(wèi)們已經(jīng)到了。
“怎么回事?”漢斯問。
“女王逃跑了。”公爵看著墻上的大洞回答說。