Insidious Plot

Hans was about halfway through drafting letters to various rulers of other kingdoms who wished to come to Arendelle for diplomatic discussion when he heard the door open and quickly looked over, eyes narrowed guardedly in case of another assassination attempt. To his surprise, there stood Dr. Jekyll. "Henry," he greeted, turning back to the letters. The young ruler read over each one carefully, cross-examining them with various sources to make sure they were as accurate and diplomatically sound as they could be.

"I came to say I very much admired the way you dealt with the captive your brothers brought back," Jekyll said. "Not many men would have done the same for a would-be assassin."

"I probably shouldn't have," Hans dryly said.

"But you chose to because you were afraid to become a monster?" Jekyll asked.

"Maybe… I don't know," Hans answered.

Jekyll was quiet. "You certainly handled your monster better than I did," he soon said.

Hans glanced over at him then sighed. "Hyde is dead and buried. You're free of him," he said. "And if we're arguing monsters, yours was an unwanted part of you. Mine wasn't."

"Will I ever be truly free of Hyde, I wonder...?" Jekyll said. "I've had dreams about him. Nightmares, more like it. About the fate that would have been mine had you and your friends not come… Laid to rest in an unmarked grave as befits a murderer who should not be remembered. I would be damned. Do you know the rites for men like him? 'May no one mourn the passing of this soul', or something similar... The only ones who ever would have known that it was a man not a monster who'd been lain there, would have been my friends and servants. A good man imprisoned in the body of a criminal, and given a murderer's burial. Lost to the ages… But then I suppose Jekyll would have been gone by then…I think I would have overdosed, trying to get him back for the last time. I would have had nothing to lose. Either I lived and was Jekyll once more, or I died and Hyde died with me."

"You don't look like you've been sleeping," Hans remarked to him gently.

"No… I haven't," Jekyll answered. "I got in contact with my friend Utterson, you know. At least he may know I still live so he need not mourn at the grave of one who was in no part me anymore… I killed so many…"

"Hyde did," Hans said.

"How can I know I didn't?" Jekyll asked. "There would be blackout periods, where I would become Hyde. Long before the potions and serums. Long before I gave him another form and he was still just me with another personality."

"It was still Hyde," Hans said. "He may have looked like Jekyll, but he wasn't."

"He was," Jekyll insisted. "I didn't stop being Jekyll, I just…"

"I know," Hans said. "It's a fine line sometimes."

"And you? Do you consider the monstrous part of yourself another being? Because from what I have been told, and what I have gleaned, the monster was nothing like Hans Westergaard."

"Hans Westergaard was nothing like Hans Andersen," Hans corrected, ruefully smiling. Maybe that was part of the reason for his pseudonym. "But no. I am that monster. I'll always be. Nothing that I did was done without my understanding full well what I was doing. I never blacked out. I never read or heard of some cruel thing a wicked little boy had done, and shook my head scornfully at that little boy too before realizing that that cruel thing happened around the time of a blackout."

Jekyll smiled weakly, looking towards the window. "I suppose," he said.

"Hyde is gone," Hans said.

"But not the things he did or the legacy he left," Jekyll answered. "And this mirror you speak of… Who's to say this 'Carabis', was it, can't capture the essence of him and restore him? Hyde was never truly a man. He was born from no woman's womb. He only came to life for the mirror's essence, so technically he is the shards of the mirror finding a tangible form. I gave them a tangible form. Which means its master can call it back."

"If you don't tell the wicked troll, I won't tell," Hans replied, smirking. Jekyll did bring up a concerning point, though. It was all theory of course, but you could never tell with Carabis. Say what you would about him, but Hans was kind of impressed with his mind games… He tensed, cringing slightly. Ooh, that sounded more like the old him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He should probably go to sleep before the cruel aspects of him crept from the dark of the night and started permeating his mind until he decided it wouldn't be so bad to one day try a little psychological torture in the same vein as Carabis.

Jekyll chuckled and turned to Hans. "You should go to bed," he said.

"I could say the same to you," Hans replied. "Gerda swears by hot milk to help you sleep."

"Perhaps I'll try it," Jekyll stated, rising. "Goodnight, Hans."

"Goodnight, Henry," Hans replied. He'd finish up this last letter then head to bed himself.

Frozen

Five minutes later, Hans rose from the desk and went towards the door to head for his and Elsa's room. He reached for the knob then suddenly stopped. There was a sound outside. He stepped back swiftly. That… couldn't be good. He frowned, eyes narrowed, then took hold of the door and pulled it open. He hardly had time to gasp before he found a dagger at his throat. The man the triplets had brought, he saw immediately. The one he'd let go! The would-be assassin's eyes blazed, but Hans stayed calm. "Think very, very carefully about this," he warned him evenly. The man was silent, staring at him. Hans saw unease. He didn't question why, he just took the opportunity and suddenly reached up, seizing the other man's wrist in a painful grasp. The man gave a sound of pain. Hans squeezed tighter until the other dropped the blade with a gasp, then threw the wrist down in annoyance. The man held it quietly, looking away from him with eyes closed. The king watched a moment then sighed. "I wish none of you ill will, not you or your family. Just go home."

Sharply the other man looked at him. "You wanted answers," he finally said. Hans tensed, straightening up slightly. "I'll give them to you," the man said.

Hans was quiet. "Did you act of your own accord?" he soon questioned.

"No," the man answered. He turned to Hans. "I acted on behalf of the Council."

"Council? What Council?" Hans asked.

"Yours," the man answered. "Queen Elsa's, rather."

Hans felt a chill shoot down his spine, eyes widening in shock. "What?" he finally asked.

The would-be assassin looked away again, closing his eyes. "It is they who spread the rumor you had caused the Princess's miscarriage. It was they who started the rumors that you had raped and beaten the queen until she subjected herself to you. It was they who started to sew the seeds of doubt in the minds of the people and the servants… I dared to speak against them, call them out on their lies before everyone without hesitation. When the queen fled, freezing Arendelle in her wake, my family would have died if not for you, so I spoke for you… And then they found my father and my mother, and they threatened me with their lives and the lives of whoever else of my family they could find if I did not do a task for them. They ordered me to kill you. I wanted answers, but they threatened to slit my mother's throat if I asked questions. They threatened to kill them both if I ever told you anything… I have doomed my family for your sake and Queen Elsa's, because I can't stay silent anymore. The Council plots against you, my lord. And I fear against the queen too… They won't rest until they've turned the world against you or seen you fall," he soon said.

Hans was quiet, now on high alert. "Your family will be alright," he soon said.

The man shook his head with a sad smile. "No. They won't," he answered.

Hans was quiet. "Dare I ask how you know?" he soon said.

"They're already dead. My father, my mother, my brothers and sisters… Burned alive in the home… They will blame it on you," the man said.

"And you?" Hans asked.

"They're waiting for me. Or someone is," the man answered.

"Then stay here where you'll be safe," Hans said. "You're all that can clear my name."

"I won't be able to clear your name, and you can't protect me… But there is a wife. Pregnant with our first child. We live by the shore. It's peaceful there, beautiful… They're searching for her to take her from me as well," the man said. He turned to Hans. "The three men who found me, your brothers… the Council doesn't know they're here. There was no fanfare, they stayed only briefly before setting out to headhunt, they're as invisible as it can get. Will you send them to find and protect her? Will you do that for me? I know I have no place to ask, but…"

"I'll send them for you," Hans cut off.

The man nodded and bowed his head. "Thank you," he soon said.

"I can protect you," Hans said again.

The man smiled then went to the door. He reached out then dragged something inside. Hans's eyes widened. A body?! Another assassin... His mouth dropped in shock. The man looked down at the figure, shaking his head ruefully. "I died protecting you," he soon said, looking up at Hans. Hans stared at him in disbelief, stunned. The man wavered slightly and Hans quickly helped him to a chair, sitting him down. It was then that he felt something warm and looked down at his gloves, stained with blood that was tainted with black. Poison… He looked up at the man once more, but he was gone. A chill raced up Hans's spine. Oh, it was the Southern Isles all over again. He moved back from the body then turned and raced out of the study, looking around. Determinedly he raced to find Jekyll and Kai to help him deal with the bodies, and to find the triplets and send them after the wife the man had mentioned.

Do not let the Council know you know… Never let them know you know.

Frozen

The triplets had set out instantly, almost before Hans had finished the story. Now he, Jekyll, Kai, and Gerda hurried to get the two bodies somewhere where they wouldn't be immediately noticed. "Sir, what do we do?" Gerda fearfully asked. They couldn't very well smuggle them all the way to the morgue! Hans was quiet. He didn't know. As much as he would like to give them a decent burial, at least the man who had come to him with the warning, he didn't think it was going to happen…

"Put them down and step back," Hans finally said. They did so. Hans looked them over then suddenly called forth fire, engulfing the two corpses. Gerda gave a small scream, covering her mouth.

"My gods!" Kai exclaimed, looking quickly away and holding Gerda near. Jekyll stared quietly. Gerda began to cry softly.

"Let the man's ashes join the ashes of his family," Hans finally said tiredly. He wished he could have given the widow closure… This way, at least, it ensured the body wasn't traced back to the castle. He looked to the body of the nameless assassin. "Let him join them too," he said. He knew nothing about the nameless one, but he deserved something. Especially if, like the other, he'd been threatened into this ridiculousness.

"You deal with such matters like an old hand, child," Jekyll remarked.

"Because I am," Hans answered, letting the 'child' remark slip. Jekyll used it to get under his skin anyway. "I'm tasking you to take care of the ashes."

"I will, Hans," Jekyll answered.

"As far as any of you are concerned, this never happened," Hans stated to them all. Their silence was their confirmation.

"What of the Council, your highness?" Kai asked. "If they've made it their mission to carry out a coup…"

"I tried to play this game Arendelle's way. I'll play it a little while longer… But if in the end it doesn't seem to be working, then I'm handling it personally, and this game will go from being played by Arendelle's rules to being played by the rules of the Isles in the most horrible and dark respects," Hans menacingly stated. He wasn't about to lose this home now. Uneasily, the other three watched him…

Frozen

"Hans? Hans," a voice said urgently, slowly rousing the sleeping prince. Hans groaned, opening an eye tiredly. Wait… that voice wasn't supposed to be here.

He gasped, sitting up straight and seizing a knife. The speaker leapt back in alarm. Hans blinked blankly and shook his head. "Jekyll?" he demanded. "What the heck are you doing in my room?"

"We have a problem," he replied.

"A problem? What do you mean a problem?" Hans asked.

"The burning building has been discovered. The dead man's family… Their screams pierced the night… The Council has said it was your doing… That they were made an example of in vengeance for the attack on you in town," Jekyll said.

Hans stiffened, eyes widening. Oh no… After a moment, he uneasily rose. "What am I facing?" he asked.

Jekyll shifted uneasily, rubbing his arms. "It… might be wise if you avoid contact with the people until your wife comes back."

"What's being discussed?" Hans pressed.

Jekyll drew a breath. "Revolt, assassination, exile, execution, torture? It might be better to ask what hasn't been discussed," he answered.

"What evidence has the Council set up against me?!" Hans demanded.

"The fact the building was burned to ash with the family of someone who tried to kill you still alive inside, was enough," Jekyll answered. "And the fact a cufflink of yours was found at the scene…" He removed the cufflink and gave it to the prince, who stared at it. "I was the one called to examine the bodies… It was a horrible sight, my Lord. Horrible… There were children among the corpses…" Hans was quiet. When the flip had any of the Council gotten into his room to get a cufflink, he inwardly panicked? And when the flip had they gone full psycho?! "Your Majesty?" Jekyll asked after a moment.

"When people get caught up in mob mentality, there's not exactly much rational thinking going on. They always want a scapegoat, always. It seems I'm it… Figure out as much as you can about everything, but don't rub the Council wrong. Stay invisible, Jekyll, as well as you can… They don't want to get their own hands dirty. They're trying to turn the people on me to get them to do the work for them. Given the way you're describing things, it's working," Hans gravely said. Jekyll nodded then quickly left to start to do a bit of investigating.

Frozen

Hans paced agitatedly inside he castle, rubbing his arms. Outside he could hear the sounds of outraged citizens and winced. It seemed the headlines were hot today in the paper. Things couldn't keep on like this. He looked out the window subtly and grimaced. The guards were doing all they could to keep the masses at bay, but they were starting to lose. The triplets hadn't come back, Hans noted. Probably because they couldn't. He hoped they'd found the pregnant woman that had been the man's wife, at least… He swallowed and turned quickly on hearing someone enter. Jekyll. "Tell me you have information," he said.

"They're still unaware of the presence of your brothers. They're playing it subtle and safe. As to the Council, they're discussing ways to protect you, to make the castle safe, etc," Jekyll said. "They're playing their roles well… But that's just what they are. Roles. I was able to sneak a peek at some messages they've been exchanging… This has been in planning longer than you know." Hans looked disgusted with himself for not figuring it out sooner, and Jekyll swallowed, bowing his head.

"How long?" Hans finally asked.

"Since the day they learned Elsa had chosen you to be her king-consort," Jekyll answered. "The headlines blatantly flaunt the story of the 'Murderer King' who is suspect in not only the deaths of a family burned alive in their home, but the death of his sister-in-law's unborn child as well."

"Will they listen to you if you tell them I couldn't have done it?" Hans asked quietly. They sure as heck wouldn't listen to him.

Jekyll was quiet. "No," he finally answered. "I'm more a stranger in this place than you are."

Hans nodded, thinking. "They trust and love Elsa," he soon said.

"You are her husband. Will they trust her, really, or assume she's biased?" Jekyll asked.

"Given one of the more common rumors spread about me is that I raped her to blackmail my way to the throne, I'm willing to bet they'll believe her," Hans answered.

"I thought you said the people were fond of you," Jekyll stated.

"It only takes the ones who aren't," Hans stated. You couldn't be loved by everyone, especially when rumors like this were spreading about you. "What of the servants?"

"Not a one speaks against you," Jekyll replied, smiling weakly. "You won them completely when you spared the would-be assassin and let him go. They don't believe for a moment you caused that fire. Most know for sure you were here anyway. While there may be those of them who aren't fond of you, they certainly don't think you guilty of any of the charges brought against you." Hans nodded. "What's your plan?" Jekyll asked after Hans was silent a long while.

Hans shifted. "Honestly? To give the Council what they want. At least partially," he answered. "It may pacify the people too."

"What do you mean?" Jekyll asked.

"You'll see," Hans said. "I'll play the game by Arendelle's rules, but I'll cheat by means of the Southern Isles. They aren't getting control over this land for an hour let alone a week. I give them even that much, and for all I know they'll have me killed before Elsa gets back and then attempt a coup under the premise she doesn't know what she's doing, her marriage to me being the key evidence."

"You're a cynical one, aren't you?" Jekyll replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah. Big time," Hans replied. Plots were like weeds. You had to pull them out by the root, or at least get most of the root. Weaken it immediately.

"Is there anyone but them you can hand power to?" Jekyll asked. Hans was quiet. "Is there any Council member you trust?" he pressed. Hans shook his head. He was dealing with this alone this time… He didn't want the triplets coming back in the wake of all this and alerting the Council to their presence. "I'll go out and tell them… Something… I'll figure it out," Jekyll said. "Hopefully whatever I say will keep them at bay. At least for a time. I'll handle things however they come." He hoped. Hans nodded.

Frozen

When Jekyll returned, obviously flustered and looking like he'd narrowly escaped something, he found Hans conversing with some guards in hushed and serious tones. The guards looked highly uneasy, like they wanted to refuse but couldn't. "Your Majesty?" Jekyll said.

Hans looked over and winced. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Barely," Jekyll replied.

"No mercy for the wicked?" Hans asked.

"I tried to tell them you couldn't have done it, but I had only my word and yours. They didn't listen to me. I was very nearly mobbed in your place, but fortunately some palace servants corroborated my story and some measure of common sense began to kick in. People began to second-guess themselves and their belief that you were the cause of the fire and miscarriage. It was enough to dissipate the crowds a little, but to say they believe us? It's a stretch. A big one. There are some of the mob still out there baying for blood. They're very protective of their Queen and Princess," Jekyll answered.

"Elsa and Anna are loved very much here," Hans said with a soft but worried smile.

"What's your plan, my liege?" Jekyll questioned.

"Satisfy their desire for action while at the same time retaining control over kingdom matters," Hans answered.

Jekyll was quiet. "I don't follow," he finally said, trying to figure it out but not able to.

"You will," Hans answered. He turned to the guards. "You know what you need to do," he said to them.

"Your Majesty, Queen Elsa will be incensed," a guard argued.

"Imagine how much worse she'll be if she comes back only to learn her husband's been lynched by a mob and the Council is now in power," Hans bluntly replied. "Look, I'll deal with my wife. You were just following my orders."

"Couldn't you order something simple like crowd control. Or death for the ornery citizens or Council?" the other guard said.

"Yes, because mass executing a mob trying to express an opinion looks so good on Arendelle's record," Hans said.

"They aren't trying to express an opinion, they just want to make noise!" the first guard said. And probably see some bloodshed too for gods only knew what reason.

"Just arrest me and throw me in the dungeons already!" Hans ordered, getting annoyed at the protests. "It's not like I've never been locked up before.

"Wait, what?!" Jekyll demanded. "That's your plan? Arrest yourself? Are you mad, boy?"

Hans cringed and looked over at the Doctor. "It'll give the crowds the satisfaction of knowing that something's actually being done about this, Henry. Not to mention keep me way safer than I will be out here. The Council will let down their guard, and I may be in a better position to deal with everything. Kai will make the announcement to them and then we sit tight until Elsa gets back. I'll convey orders through Kai, the Council will have to suck it up—and they will because either way they'll have more power than they've had in a long time, even if only a little more, and it'll seem a sign of progress—and when Elsa gets back, we can work on this."

"The Council may try to usurp your power regardless. With the people in this state, riled against you, they could do so," Jekyll stated.

"That's where Southern Isles law is coming into place," Hans said in a slightly darker tone. "The Council's outlived their use anyway." Jekyll felt a slight chill at the coldness in Hans's voice. "Them I will heavy hand." He turned to the guards. "You know what to do, if they start thinking they have more power than they do in this situation."

"Yes sir," the guards gravely said.

"Dare I ask?" Jekyll wondered.

"They'll be locked in the dungeons with me, and believe me, that's the last thing they want right now," Hans said. Those men were terrified of him. More so than they'd ever been of Elsa, for which Elsa had been relieved. She'd never felt like she had total control, when she met with them before. He probably played the role of her enforcer more than he played the role of her king whenever they met with them now, but hey, it made her job easier and got things done that she hadn't been able to get done before.

"Isn't that against the law?" Jekyll questioned.

"Doctor, now I'm making the laws," Hans said. "Southern Isles Rules, remember? Nothing lawful is going on at the moment anyway, so hey, what's a little more chaos? Gods, I'm starting to see why father got so heavy-handed at times. That's not a good thing!" Hans paused. "He always said the people needed to be controlled. That it was apparent they couldn't think for themselves, so it was up to someone to decide what was the least stupid decision among all the stupid decisions. He would say that when people were by themselves, there could be cleverness and signs of intelligence, but when they mobbed, that there wasn't a functioning brain between the mass of them… I think I agree with at least that."

"When a mob mentality takes over, rational thought stops," Jekyll agreed. "He was a bit… extreme in all his other views."

"I downplayed them," Hans said. Jekyll stared in disbelief. Wow. If that was the case, then the king of the Southern Isles had really been a piece of work. "In the interest of preserving this kingdom until Elsa comes home in a week, I'm willing to bend rules. And break them," Hans continued. He turned to the guards. "Let's go to the dungeon already," he said to them. He looked to Jekyll. "Send Kai to tell the people I've been imprisoned. And keep your ear to the ground when it comes to the Council. Congratulations. You're now a spy too."

"Do I get a say in this?" Jekyll asked.

"Nope. Aside from my brothers, you're about as invisible to them as it gets," Hans replied. Jekyll sighed and nodded. Hans nodded back and left. Well, this was a great start to his 'kingly' career, he dryly joked to himself.