#because of ( in my hcs ) the toxic relationships within his family and esp between his parents

[islesheir]

𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐒 + 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

it is not so much that h.ans 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 in love ... than that he 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚞𝚎 in it .  for the prince of the s.outhern i.sles was not born from love ; he was not raised with love .  taught from a young age that 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒 , for power rather than for any healthy and harmonious union , h.ans could not find purpose in a feeling that he had neither witnessed nor personally experienced himself .

what he knew was loyalty : 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚞𝚍𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚞𝚝𝚢 towards his mother & maker , 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢 towards a father & family who resented him for so much as breathing , and a 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 for his own survival .  while h.ans was never in love with a.nna , their brief faux romance was arguably 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 .  in moments , so very fleetingly , he would catch himself almost playing the part of would-be betrothed too well .  for one without love , he was both repelled by yet starved for the emotion , and it was only natural for him to be charmed by someone who 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 just as much as he was 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝 .  but we all know how that story ended ...