Pressing for Answers

"Calcas, Connyn, Coth!" Anna exclaimed, racing into their arms with a sob. Tightly they caught her.

"Oh Anna, we couldn't stay away from you now," Coth said gently to her.

"When we heard about the baby… We wanted so badly to come, all of us, but we were the only ones who could get away," Calcas said.

"We might not be the best moral support, but we're something," Connyn stated, shrugging.

"I'm glad you came," Anna said, voice muffled against their clothing.

"How's Kristoff been?" Connyn asked as he and his brother drew apart.

"Horrible," Anna answered. "But he's started to get better. In no small part thanks to Hans, Eugene, Erik, and Francis's moral support. Hans's especially. He wrote a beautiful story about her… I wish it could be reality…"

"How is our brother anyway?" Calcas asked.

Anna blinked then cringed. "Um… He was, is, doing good, it's just, uh, we had a small incident yesterday that… He's fine!" she said, flushing.

"A small incident? How small?" Coth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Anna cringed. "He was mobbed in the streets, beaten near unconscious, and stabbed with a poisoned dagger?" she said. The triplets blinked blankly at her. Oh boy, Anna inwardly said.

"Mobbed? And beaten and poisoned?" Coth repeated. Anna nodded.

"Nothing new," Connyn brushed off. "Err, what exactly is being done in the way of finding the perpetrators in this little mob?"

"W-well, Erik, Francis, and Eugene, Rapunzel's husband, are out trying to track them down," Anna said. More questioned, really, but still.

"Uh huh, we see," Calcas said, musing something over. "Alright boys, let's go head-hunting," he said.

Anna frowned, unimpressed. "Your concern for me is touching," she said, folding her arms.

"After we pamper little sister," Calcas covered.

Anna smirked. "I'll let that one slide," she said. Together they headed inside to make the presence of the triplets known.

Frozen

Hans was the first one who became acutely aware of the change in the servants, even those who had come to like him. The whispers that died when he approached, the fearful and uneasy glances, the suspicion, the moving out of the way… The heck was happening here? Even the ones who liked him, like the stable master, were starting to seem a bit wary. It was kind of freaking him out. He entered the throne room where Elsa stood with Anna and Kristoff, making sure they had all their things together for a trip to Corona. She looked over and smiled at him. "Are you going to be alright here on your own?" Elsa asked.

"You're only gone for a week or two, love. I don't think I'll burn down the kingdom in that time," Hans replied.

"Burn, heh, powers reference," Coth said from behind Hans, smirking.

Hans frowned, glaring back at the triplets who were lingering. "They might, though," he flatly said, jerking a thumb back at his brothers. When Anna had presented them to him and Elsa, Elsa had been overjoyed. He'd been… less than enthusiastic. Not to say he'd been unhappy to see them, just less than enthusiastic. Especially given the first words from Connyn's mouth, the ones that had alerted them to their presence, were 'Tell us the truth, Elsa, does our baby brother do it for you? Because the last diaper changing story we heard from Duach hinted that Hans lacked in that area.' To which Elsa had burst into laughter and he'd sat there mortified and fighting a stubborn urge to smother or torch them all.

Elsa giggled softly. "Still sore about the lacking remark, kiddo?" Calcas asked, seizing his sibling and noogying him.

"Let me go!" Hans demanded, pulling free and fixing his hair, glaring at them. He'd thought he escaped this degradation and humiliation, dammit! They were too old for this!

"Don't worry Hans. You probably stopped lacking around puberty," Coth taunted.

"Shut up!" Hans shot.

"Behave, you," Elsa said, turning him to her and kissing him gently.

He seemed to calm at her touch and soon drew back with a smile. His smile fell as he caught a glimpse of muttering servants who were looking right at him. "Err, have the servants been acting… different lately?" he asked.

"I haven't noticed," Elsa replied, frowning.

"They've been a lot more protective over me and Anna," Kristoff admitted. "But other than that, not really."

"Have they said why they're being more protective?" Hans asked.

"No," Anna replied. "Wait… There was gossip, for a little bit, that the reason I lost the baby was because I'd been poisoned."

"Whoa, hold on, what?" the triplets said. One part of the sentence for each. Wow, they hadn't done that for a while, Hans noted.

"What? Anna, why didn't you tell me?" Elsa asked, frowning concernedly. That was a very serious thing.

"It was just gossip. How would they know anyway?" Anna replied.

"It should have been looked into!" Elsa said.

"Well I went to Dr. Jekyll and asked him if it was likely. I told him the first time I started to feel the pain was right before dinner that night, and that I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, so that kind of ruled the possibility out. I mean, I had some tea not long before, but that wasn't the cause."

"How can you be sure?" Kristoff demanded.

"Because it was Hans that made it and brought it to me," Anna replied, pointing to the prince. Hans stiffened up, eyes widening in shock. Wait, what? Oh no… He got the sinking feeling he knew why the servants had been wary around him lately. Elsa, Kristoff, and the triplets looked quickly to Hans, obviously stunned at Anna's declaration.

Elsa remembered the dream, then… All too clearly… Where he had done just as the rumors said.

There was suspicion in Kristoff's eyes for a moment before he seemed to kick it out with extreme prejudice. There was no way he was buying that Hans had poisoned his wife. "The heck motive would Hans have had?!" Kristoff demanded, gesturing to the prince.

"That was Jekyll's reasoning for poisoning in general," Anna replied. "I mean if Hans was still, you know, an evil son of a bit…"

"Anna!" Elsa sharply cut off.

"Dog!" she quickly covered. "If Hans was still an evil son of a dog, he'd probably get plenty of pleasure out of seeing me in anguish and pain, but he's not, or doesn't seem to be, so that's not likely. It's not like he'd have any other reason anyway. Any child of his by Elsa is the heir to the throne automatically, even if I gave birth to one first, so there's no birthright motive behind it."

"Exactly! I had nothing to gain from it and everything to lose," Hans said. "But that might explain why the servants are suddenly acting like I have the black death. Even the ones who like me are being kind of cautious lately." And had been for a while.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea to leave now," Elsa worriedly said. If gossip like this started to spread about Hans… If people started to truly believe poisoning was the cause of Anna's miscarriage, the prince wasn't in a good position. All that would keep him from being lynched by the masses was the fact there was no motive, and even that might not be enough in the wake of the whole mob and poisoned dagger thing, and the servants starting to get edgy… To say nothing of his history of treachery and resentment towards her and Anna, and the fact he was the one who had given her sister the only item that could possibly have been poisoned.

"I'll handle it, Elsa, me and the triplets," he assured. They had ways. "Go, have fun in Corona. I got my vacation, for the most part, now you can get yours. By the time you come back, we'll have it all squared away."

"You're not going to use Southern Isles methods, are you?" she deadpanned.

Hans blinked then flushed, grinning innocently and shrugging. The triplets exchanged looks and put on blameless expressions. She face-palmed. "It won't be that extreme!" Hans said. "Look, I don't plan on becoming the man my father was anytime soon. They'll be treated fairly and justly. Listen, I've had experience rooting out things like this. Back then I didn't handle it in the best of ways, sure, but I've improved since then."

"You know that as long as no one is hurt or killed I'll be fine with it," Elsa said with a sigh. Well, the ones who had orchestrated the mob—which had probably been a distraction so someone could come by with the dagger—would have to die, she supposed, but she kind of hoped it didn't come to that. "I trust you to deal with them fairly. Now impress me and deal with them compassionately too." Instead of heavy-handing or terrifying them, she inwardly added. Who knew? If Hans ruled Arendelle well on his own, maybe the qualms the subjects had, and the servants, would wash away. Hans's taking the throne was kind of a huge test of trust for them. They didn't like it, perhaps they even feared it—he would be acting with no input from her—but if it went okay, things would be a lot easier in future.

"It'll be alright," he promised. He kissed her softly. "Have fun, Snow Queen," he said, smiling at her. She smiled back, though inwardly she was more than a little uneasy. She really, really hoped this went well…

Frozen

Hans watched from a tower, his brothers, Kay, and Gerda at his back, as the ship disappeared. As soon as it did, he said, "Kai, Gerda, round up every single servant in this castle and have them gather in the throne room. Now."

"Please don't do something you'll regret, my lord," Gerda pled.

"Why do you all assume I'm going to do something evil? I mean come on, give me some credit. I have a policy. Do nothing my father ever did and it'll all be good. Well, except for the things he did right, but that's not the point! Look, just do it," he said, frowning at them.

"Right away, your majesty," Kai agreed, bowing and hurrying off with Gerda.

Hans breathed a sigh and thought this over. This could go one of two ways. Either he terrified them all so much that he got nothing, or he somehow managed to put them at ease and find what he was looking for. If he got nothing, he'd move onto plan B. Whatever plan B would be. "Right. Now that that's done, Connyn, Coth, we're going head hunting," Calcas said.

"What part of don't do something you'll regret didn't you get?" Hans said.

"We'll bring them back alive, baby brother, don't worry," Coth said, waving to their brother with a smirk.

"Please do," Hans all but pled.

"We wouldn't ruin your happiness like that, Hans. Once upon a time, maybe, but not now," Connyn assured as they left. Hans sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. Oh he hoped this turned out okay.

Frozen

Hans stared into a mirror uneasily, holding his crown in his hands. Wow, he was really not ready for this. He sighed, looking at said crown. It just seemed wrong to wear it when Elsa wasn't there with him… Or maybe he was just that scared of himself and his desires for power and where having it might take him. Again. But he could handle it… Right? He looked back up at the mirror determinedly and put it on his head. He hated how right it felt… And how his reflection seemed to be changing… Not physically, just… Shaking his head, he turned the mirror away. He hated mirrors. He hated them so much.

"King Hans?" Kai asked from the door.

"King-consort," Hans corrected, though only half-heartedly. He really should just get used to the title of king.

"The servants are assembled," Kai said.

"How are they?" Hans asked.

"Frightened," Kai admitted. "Very frightened."

"Yeah… Guess they have a right to be," Hans replied, looking down and to the side. He should just resign himself to the fact he'd always be the terror in the night. Fine. He could work with that. "The Wicked Prince, right?" he said.

"Sir…" Kai began.

"Thank you, Kai," Hans said, walking quickly by. Kai watched worriedly after him then sighed, following the prince. When Hans had said all the servants, he'd meant every single occupant in this castle.

Frozen

The king, king-consort that was hereafter known as king, that is, walked into the throne room and straight to the throne without looking at any of the servants that were huddled together in an uneasy mass. He noted to himself that it wasn't unlikely one of them had spread the rumor of Anna being poisoned. If he played his cards right, maybe he could solve this mystery in a sitting. He doubted it, but maybe. He sat upon the throne and looked over them all commandingly, authoritatively. They fell silent, watching him with wide eyes. "As you're aware, the reigning monarch will be away for some time. In her stead, I take on the role." They were quiet. "I presume there are objections?" Hans said.

Silence. "None, my king," a servant finally and bitterly said. "We suppose now we will see your true colors."

"Yes. Yes, you will," Hans replied, resisting the urge to give the speaker a dark look. "And whatever you see, you will report to the queen." Apparently the statement took them aback, because there were surprised murmurs before they fell quiet again. "Now, to business. It's come to my attention that certain rumors have been spread among you. It's said that I poisoned the princess and caused her miscarriage, correct?"

At first there was no answer. Kai glanced around then sighed. "Correct, my lord," he said. The others gave him spiteful glares.

"Don't look at him like that," Hans said. "At least one of you has a spine. Let's cut right to it. Who believes I murdered the princess's unborn child?" As expected, no one reacted. Hans pinched the bridge of his nose. Unbelievable. "You're really that scared of me, aren't you?" he said to them, shaking his head. Silence again, but now he saw slight unease and guilt too. "I'm not going to hurt any of you," he said in a gentler tone, looking tired. I just want to know so that I can give you a chance to explain why you believe I did this and what you heard, then try to explain my side of what happened. What you believe from then on is up to you. It's hardly my right to bring harm to my wife's servants anyway."

Again, as expected, it was a servant who actually liked him that spoke first. Namely the stable master. It seemed no one would confess to whether they believed the gossip, but they were willing to share the rumors. "King Hans, forgive us, your majesty, but that such an accusation was put against you… What I heard was that you poisoned her with a coated dagger." Someone had got their signals crossed, Hans inwardly noted.

"What was my motive?" the Admiral King asked.

"There was none, sir, so I assume petty spite," the stable master answered.

"Any other renditions?" Hans asked.

"Poison in her food or drink," another servant said. "Because you were afraid Queen Elsa, out of love for her sister and perhaps spite of you, would name Anna's baby heir to the throne regardless of whether the queen gave birth to a child of her own in future." Hans blinked. That… actually kind of would make sense for a motive, he realized. Hmm, maybe he was sinking himself deeper instead of fixing it.

"I heard it was while Princess Anna slept that you acted, but you did not poison her in the version I heard. You drugged both her and her husband so they wouldn't awaken and then ensured the unborn child's demise. You caused its death with your own hand," another said.

Wow, this just got darker and darker, Hans inwardly noted. He almost dreaded to hear other versions. "I heard the child was not Anna's husband's. It was yours. You wanted to be rid of the evidence and so ensured the babe never saw the light," another icily said. Hans sat up straight. Oh, he'd nailed it. That was more than just a serious accusation. It played right into the rumors of his depravity and violence. He didn't even want to ask whether the 'affair' had been consensual or not. He was banking on not.

"Why are you all so depraved?!" he found himself blurting before he could shut his mouth. They winced, looking slightly guilty. "I mean seriously? Come on! Alright, any other versions or do I even dare ask?"

"Those rumors, or similar ones with the same basic story, encompass every rumor, your Majesty," the palace crier stated. Okay, then here he went…

Frozen

"Alright, it seems I'm officially unofficially on trial, so let's start with this rumor where I drugged them to sleep and destroyed the baby myself. Can anyone confirm or deny the possibility of this?" Hans said.

"I can confirm that rumor is ludicrous. There were no signs of any such procedure being carried out. Besides, Princess Anna was awakened by labor pains when the miscarriage happened. The King would have had no opportunity to get away before she saw him and realized what he'd done," Jekyll stated firmly. "And while I'm debunking rumors, the poisoned dagger one is nonsense. For one, how would she not have felt him stabbing or cutting her? Even in sleep she would most likely have awakened at the sensation. For two, there was no sign of injury on her and she never presented to me with a cut or stab wound. For three, it was the king-consort who was poisoned with a dagger when a mob in town set upon him."

"As to this nonsense about Elsa naming her sister's child heir to the throne out of love for her and spite of Hans, it didn't happen. She has said many times any child she may birth will be heir. Aside from that, Queen Elsa has brought no complaint against her husband to even her closest confidants," Gerda said.

"That can be excused by her feeling too great of shame," Jekyll pointed out.

"Whose side are you on?" Kai demanded.

"Let me finish and you'll see. Not once has the Queen presented to me with any signs of abuse and certainly no signs of being molested! I've been here only a short while, but I've spoken to physicians who have tended her before me, since her marriage to the King, and all of them say the same. No bruising, no broken or healing bones, no unusual injuries. And from my own personal examination of her, there was no sign of unusual trauma to her reproductive organs."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, step back! What?! What are you saying?! You've seen those?!" Hans demanded.

"Why yes," Jekyll replied obliviously. "It's becoming a more common practice these days for a sexually active woman to have a regular exam of such places, and…"

"Okay, you need to shut up like now," Hans said, scowling and looking ready to murder. Jekyll started then caught on, eyes widening. Immediately he shut his mouth, tensing up slightly. Hmm, the King had quite the possessive streak, didn't he? Of course, Hans was probably aware of such practices and simply chose to pretend they never happened, but still. He was probably treading dangerously about now, so it was best he kept quiet and not mention it had been Elsa's first one. Poor thing had been horribly nervous. He'd asked her if she wanted her husband present, and she'd asked him if he wanted to lose his hands or head. He'd gotten the 'better safe than sorry' hint. Elsa had had no idea what Hans's thoughts on the matter were, especially given the practice was only still in it infancy in Arendelle, so she'd kept it quiet.

"What of the rumors of the child's poisoning, doctor?" Gerda asked, hoping Jekyll could debunk those rumors too.

"I wish I could say I knew," he answered. "But I don't. It could have been poison, but I don't believe it was. The royal family has a history of miscarriages and stillbirths. Anna's losing that baby wasn't out of the ordinary for the women in her family."

"Then she should be able to get pregnant again, should she not," the midwife pointed out.

Jekyll was quiet. "I don't know what happened that brought on that baby's miscarriage, but I fear it may have to do with her cervix or uterus, or other. I told her there may still be hope, however small, but it isn't likely," he soon said.

"More likely you butchered her for the king's pleasure!" a maid shot.

"Seriously? Why do you people always need someone to martyr?!" Hans demanded. And why did it always come back to him, dammit? "Gods I've never met a more bloodthirsty staff, and I'm from the Southern Isles!" Of course, the staff there couldn't be bloodthirsty, because if they started to show signs of it they were 'disappeared' by father, or under Caleb's rule fired, but still! He had half a mind to fire them all, say for the good ones, and start anew, but that was Elsa's call, not his. They were silent, seeming ashamed. Good.

"Anna's pregnancy terminated, there is something wrong within her that makes her likelihood of having a successful pregnancy very low, that's all there is to it. It was nothing but misfortune," Jekyll stated calmly, thankful Hans had put a stop to any potential revolt against him.

"You have a right to be concerned, all of you," Hans said. "Because if Anna was poisoned, you're right. Only I could have done it." The servants started, taken aback by his statement. "I was the one that made and gave her the tea. The tea was the only thing she had that could have been tainted, and I never had it out of my sight. No witnesses watched me go through the whole process of making it, the only thing that was seen was my giving it to her, and the idea that Elsa would name Anna's child heir to the throne out of love for her sister is a believable motive. Except that's not how it was. There was no reason for me to do something like that to her. I had everything to lose and nothing to gain, because even if Elsa had named Anna's child heir to the throne, what would it matter to me? For all I know neither Elsa or I can even conceive a child, and if you really don't know why that is, there's nothing I can say that will outline it for you in a way you'll understand. I know many of you don't believe I love your Queen, but I do. I didn't expect I ever would, but it happened and now here we are. And I don't plan on going anywhere."

Just then the doors burst open and all the servants turned. They gasped on seeing the three brothers of the king's, the triplets. Surprise turned to fear immediately. "We found the knifeman. Squirmy little bastard," Connyn said, smiling at Hans wickedly. "Like you used to be."

"Bite me," Hans replied, eyes narrowing. Roughly the triplets forced the man forward and threw him at the foot of the throne. He looked up, eyes blazing viciously. "Only one? Here I thought you three had a better track record than that."

"Don't patronize us, waif. We promised no bloodshed, after all," Calcas said.

"Can I just…" Coth began. He punched the man in the stomach suddenly. The man cried out in pain, doubling over. "Okay, now I feel better. Take a knife to my brother again, I'll gut you. Elsa's wishes be damned."

"Enough!" Hans ordered sharply. "Let me handle this."

"Have fun, baby brother," Calcas replied as they moved to stand off to the side.

Frozen

The servants looked fearful, some covering their mouths and some not looking. Hans eyed the prisoner coldly. "Clever assassination attempt, or spur of the moment decision?" he asked.

"Go to hell!" the man shot.

"That's old news, now give me your answer," Hans replied. The prisoner was quiet. "And we're doing this," Hans said with a sigh. He looked at the man again. "I don't suppose there's a chance you'll tell me who the other attackers were?" Still silence.

"He doesn't have to. We know who they are," Calcas said.

"They've been rounded up in the courtyard. Waiting for your orders of course, Hans," Connyn said. Hans looked slightly confused at this. It took him a grand total of three seconds to figure out the game the triplets were playing. It was given away in the way the man paled to hear Connyn's words. Manipulation and mind you-know-what. Part of him wanted to reject it. The other part…

"Liars!" the captive shouted.

"If we're lying, we can just as easily make it true," Coth said. "I have a list of names here. Poorer people who suddenly became much richer the day of Hans's attack for reasons that shouldn't take long to figure out. Should I read them to you?" The captive seemed a moment terrified, eyes flicking from Hans to the triplets and back.

"No repercussions, no punishment, just answer my questions, and everything goes well," Hans said. Silence. "See, my biggest question now is how to get the information I need out of you. Interrogation methods and whatnot. I don't want to resort to that and you definitely don't want me to resort to that, and I doubt you want anyone else brought in for questioning if you don't speak, so how about you cooperate and just make this easier on everyone?" Hans pressed.

"Go to hell!" the man repeated.

"Yeah, I get it," Hans said.

"Have him taken to the dungeons. We'll bring in his father instead," Coth said.

"What, was forming a mob a family business?" Hans asked.

"We'll soon find out," Calcas replied, heading out.

"No! No, my Lords, please!" the man pled, cracking immediately. "My father is too old, he couldn't take this! He knows nothing of what happened or why!"

"Your Majesty…" Kai began worriedly, more than a little concerned at this point. This court was suddenly seeming too much like the Southern Isles for comfort.

"Calcas, Connyn, Coth, stop," Hans ordered seriously, standing. The captive quickly turned to the king, eyes wide. The triplets did so, smirking to one another, and turned back, masking the knowing looks. Hans turned to the knifeman. "And untie him for pete's sake." How about they not make this too much a play or spectacle.

"Very well, your majesty," Coth answered, approaching the man and cutting him loose. The man began to rub his wrists, wincing slightly.

Hans turned to the captive and watched him in silence. "You're free to go. No harm will come to you or your family or friends," Hans finally said. The man looked up at him quickly, stunned.

"What?" he asked.

"I just wanted answers. But answers aren't worth the pain it promises to bring," Hans replied. Because the temptation was proving a lot. The temptation to wear the masks that guaranteed everything… No. He could handle whatever threat came from this. If they hated him, they hated him. It wasn't like being hated was new to him. "Go," he repeated again, knowing full well he could very well be letting his future assassin go free. Judging by the looks the triplets were giving him, they weren't impressed. They believed he was risking his life needlessly. He probably was.

"The man should be put to death," Connyn said.

"His family and friends can be left alone, even the mob can be forgiven—I mean, they were all dirt poor and their bribery sum was no trifle amount—but this man is the one who came at you with purpose, a poisoned knife in his hand with intent to kill you. He can claim mob mentality all he wants, but you don't need a confession to know that the swarm attacking you was just a distraction for him to get close," Coth agreed.

"No, I don't," Hans admitted, glaring at the man, whose eyes widened slightly. "But I've always liked challenges."

"You're a married man now, brother," Calcas said. "When you believed that you had no one, 'liking challenges' was a good excuse. Now not so much."

"Then how's this? I'm sparing him because I don't want to be our father, even if it gets me nothing but an early grave," Hans said, sharply looking at his siblings. They were quiet. That was about the best excuse their brother could have, they knew.

"You've grown, baby brother. It becomes you," Calcas finally said, tone markedly softer, a smile parting his lips sadly.

"Once upon a time I believed that if any one of us would follow in father's footsteps precisely, it would be you… I see now that you'll never be the monster that was our sire," Connyn said.

"The monster he was forced to be," Coth quietly corrected. Connyn winced at the remark. Calcas closed his eyes. Hans turned back to the captive, who looked unsure what to think or do. Of course, the same could be said of the servants witnessing this.

"Go," Hans said once more. The man rose, looking at him in disbelief, then turned and left the throne room swiftly. Hans turned to the servants. "You're all dismissed. I wanted a chance to share my side of things, and I have. Whether you believe me guilty of the death of Anna's baby or not, that's up to you. I have no ill will against any of you," he said. After a moment, one by one the servants started to leave. Kai watched Hans silently as the young king went to his brothers to discuss matters. It seemed the Chameleon Prince would never lose his masks… but Hans certainly used them in better ways these days than he had in the past. Thank the gods for that.