DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own characters and plots!

AN: So many kind reviews! Thank you to everyone, and thank you all for your patience! This is not a very long chapter, but I hope it serves you all well! I'm almost finished with the next chapter too, so you might get another one or two this weekend! Isn't that exciting!? You guys enjoy!

"Anna, it's not that I don't have confidence in you, I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be the one to question Georg." Kristoff was on his bride-to-be's heels as she walked briskly down the hallway towards the guest rooms. She was hellbent on speaking to the Prince and getting to the bottom of what had transpired during the last twenty-four hours. Despite the fact Elsa had seemed to acquit him of any responsibility, Anna had her doubts.

She was conflicted internally about the Southern Isles at this point. It seemed wherever a royal from that land went, trouble would follow. She was mentally beating herself up for having convinced her sister to go with Georg on a ride only to have her missing for the better part of a day and night. Anna took on the blame accompanied with the decision, whether it was rightly placed. Now, the Princess was bound and determined to get to the truth, and Georg was going to tell her.

"Well," She huffed and turned so suddenly to face him that Kristoff nearly ran straight into the woman. Her hands were firmly planted on her hips and she was glaring. Though it wasn't directly at him, he still shuddered somewhat at her look. Elsa may have inherited the icy powers in the family, but Anna had inherited the icy temper that should have gone along with them.

"We have to find out what happened, don't we?" She asked him, never giving him a chance to reply, "And who else is going to talk to him? The guards will only focus on whatever perpetrator Georg tells them about. They'll be in and out of that room in ten minutes!"

Kristoff sighed, "And how do you know you'll be able to tell if he's lying? Anna, I love you, but you always see the good in people, or at least you hope to."

The words hit a little too close to home for the Princess's liking. He was right, of course, but Anna didn't like being confronted with the truth, nor did she like being reminded of the past. She had been too trusting of Hans, and she had only seen the good in him. Elsa was the first one to suspect something was off when she didn't approve of their sudden marriage proposal. Elsa had always been skeptical of people, but then again she couldn't afford not to be. At least not while her powers were still under wraps.

Anna parted her lips, about to say something else when a terrifying scream pierced the air around them. She jumped and instantly found herself pressed against Kristoff's chest, her arms folded between the bodies and her hands covering her face. Two hours had passed, and the doctors were giving Elsa another treatment. It made Anna's stomach churn and her heart break, but as she nestled into Kristoff, she felt his arms engulf her and somehow make her feel safe. It was their own special brand of magic, and Anna was grateful for it. She knew the thought of what her sister was going through now upset him just as much as it did her, but there was nothing either one of them could do.

"This is all my fault, Kristoff." Anna's voice was nothing more than a whisper as her hands still covered her face. Behind her fingers, she was blinking her tears away furiously. She wouldn't give the Prince of the Southern Isles the satisfaction in seeing red, puffy eyes fresh from crying.

Kristoff looked down at her, confused by her words. "Anna, how could this possibly be your fault? You didn't attack your sister with a poisoned dagger. You didn't force her to go on that ride." He pulled back, placing his hands on her shoulders, putting just the slightest bit of distance between the two of them. Anna forced her hands down from her face but still avoided his gaze. She was actively trying to look anywhere but at the mountain man.

"Who's to say that even without going on that outing this attack wouldn't have happened?"

Anna shook her head and wiped her eyes furiously. "It doesn't matter." She stated, her tone hardening, "I have to talk to Prince Georg and get to the bottom of this, and you know it is pointless to try to talk me out of it."

With that, she turned once again and continued down the hallway, stopping at the door with two guards placed in front of it. Neither man questioned the Princess as she ordered them to open the door, and they quickly followed her inside. With the Queen so grievously injured, Anna would find it particularly difficult to move around without at least one-armed escort. Kristoff just sighed again, allowing his shoulders to hunch a little as he took a seat in one of the chairs near a side table in the hallway. He jumped slightly when another ear-splitting scream penetrated the air.

Inside the Prince's quarters, the man was pacing fervently. He hadn't seemed to calm down at all since their arrival at the palace, and Anna was unsure whether this reprieved him of his guilt or confirmed it. He still wore the dirt covered pants and bloodstained shirt from earlier, and his hair was a disheveled mess. Even his hands still had remnants of her sister's blood and mud. The sight of it made Anna just as uneasy as watching her sister writhing in pain.

"Anna!" Georg exclaimed, breaking away from his pacing and moving forward towards her. Instinct stepped in, and the guards quickly positioned themselves between the two royals, hands suggestively on the hilts of their swords. Georg stopped in his tracks and backed away a few paces.

"It's Princess Anna to you." She snapped, pushing past the guards once Georg had backed away. "You had better start talking, and I had better believe your explanation. Otherwise, these fine men are going to throw you in the dungeon."

Georg's eyes widened, and he continued to back up until the back of his legs hit a chair, and he sank down into it. He ran a hand through his longer hair, pausing to stare at it for a moment when he brought it down to his side. He seemed saddened and fearful at the red tinge that was caked onto his skin. Anna had to remind herself the Prince was a possible suspect for fear that his actions would cause her to feel pity for the man.

"I..." Georg started, staring at some imaginary spot on the floor in front of him, "We—We were near the creek, having just sat down for a picnic. I didn't hear them approach, neither of us did. I didn't react until they were upon us, well, just the one actually. He came at me and I fought him off. It's my fault...It's all my fault..." Georg trailed off, shaking his head as he leaned forward in the chair.

Anna looked upon him curiously, "What's your fault, Georg? Did you have anything to do with the attempt on my sister's life?" Part of her knew it was silly to ask. He could easily lie to her if he had been involved, but Anna was no professional interrogator. She only knew what was in her head, and she needed to hear the answer to the question. Guilt could be placed later on.

"What?!" Georg looked up, panic scrawled across his face as he looked at Anna. "No! It was my fault because I didn't keep her close! I was too caught up with fighting the first man, I wasn't paying attention when the other grabbed her from behind! Elsa's safety should have been the only thought on my mind, and I failed in it. So yes, it's my fault!"

Georg slid from the chair and sank to his knees on the floor before Anna. His head hung low in grief and shame, and he looked so defeated. Anna wanted to believe him, she wanted to desperately, but her head wouldn't fully allow it. There was a trust that had to be earned between the two of them, and this incident had not been the best start. His earlier affections and current turmoil all seemed to be genuine, but Anna knew all too well that at least one Prince of the Southern Isles excelled in faking genuine emotions. How could she be sure they all didn't have that skill?

While she stood there, studying every feature, every motion, every movement of the Prince, Anna's eyes widened a little when she saw a bloodstained area of his shirt that looked fresh. She moved quickly, far too quickly for either guard to stop her, and grabbed hold of the fabric near Georg's right arm. The Prince gasped and moved away from her, confusion spreading on his face. When he looked at Anna, he could see the bright red liquid on her hand, and he quickly looked to himself. Could he really have been so pumped with adrenaline and concern that he had neglected any injury he might have sustained?

Sure enough, when he reached up and ripped his sleeve open, a nasty looking gash was revealed. Georg looked upon it with wide eyes. He never once considered the possibility that he had been injured. His only concern had been Elsa from the beginning. The attacker he was battling must have wounded him when he wasn't looking, and until now Georg hadn't felt any pain. Now that he recognized the injury, however, the area began to throb. Being the soldier he was, the Prince never allowed the pain to take hold of his features.

"Go and fetch the physician." Anna directed one of the guards before reaching her hands down towards Georg. He looked up at her with surprise. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the hand of his uninjured arm. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I may not trust you, and you may or may not have had something to do with my sister's near fatal attack, but I'm not a monster."

"Princess, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this. You're sister was speaking the truth when she said it was Weselton men. Please...just tell me...does Elsa live?" Georg was practically begging, and Anna's heart would have swelled had she not been keeping it in tight check. She couldn't let her guard down, not with him. The physician entered just as Georg had asked her, and Anna stepped away allowing the man to tend to his new patient.

As she neared the door of the room, Anna turned back and found Georg had watched her the whole time she had walked away. Their eyes met instantly, and the Princess nodded soundly, "Yes. For now, but the doctors aren't certain their treatment will save her." Before Georg could react, Anna slipped out of the room and the guards followed, closing the door behind her.

Outside, Kristoff was waiting for her, concerned and inpatient. By her puzzled look, he knew it hadn't gone well. Anna was still conflicted, and had every right to be. Both Elsa and Georg had agreed in their stories, and it seemed that for now, Georg wasn't to be blamed. However, now the question was raised about how Weselton would be dealt with. Obviously, the Princess couldn't do anything rash while her sister's life hung in the balance. Without her sister's account of the incident, Anna also didn't have enough evidence to retaliate.

"So? What's the verdict?" Kristoff asked her as they were once again walking down the hall in a fast pace.

Anna shook her head, "I'm not sure, but I still don't fully trust him."

"I don't fully blame you on it,' Kristoff replied. Anna had begun to slow her walking until coming to a complete stop in front of the Queen's room. She turned to look at Kristoff, her eyes not quite shining as bright as they usually did.

"I'm going to sit up with Elsa for a while," She told him, partially asking, but mainly telling him. "You should go and make sure Sven is settled in the stables. I'm sure he'd appreciate some carrots."

Kristoff gave her a kind smile and nodded, placing his hand against her cheek gently, "Everything will be okay, Anna. Remember, we've weathered worse."

He leaned down and kissed her, softly and tenderly, a sort of reassurance passing between them. When they parted, Anna smiled up at him appreciatively and then disappeared behind the white door. Kristoff shook his head, wondering what kind of crazy would follow them next. For Anna's sake, Elsa had to survive this. Losing her would be like losing the world for the young Princess, and Kristoff doubted even their love could bring her back from that.

AN: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I didn't want the interrogation of Georg to go on too long, and it was more of a way for Anna to search his reactions more than anything. Reviews, comments, suggestions...all are welcome!