Hans sat on the steps of the ballroom, his head in his hands; he had long given the order to remove the ice Elsa had thrown in defense, so the room looked perfectly normal yet empty. Why was he here? In Arendelle, taking charge of a Queen's wild mistake? He should be courting a lovely princess. This was not the plan. As much as he knew it would be worth it, he hated being behind a mask, a facade. The amusement only lasted a while and soon he was bored. He hated being fake. That was for Gail, not him.

"Sir, Your Highness," a page stammered behind him. Hans lifted his head, listening intently. "His Excellency, the Minister of State, wishes the honor of your presence in the library."

"Did he say why?" asked Hans, his head still pounding with an insufferable headache.

"No, no, sir." The page sounded nervous.

Damn the minister, damn them all. He didn't need this, not right now. He just wanted some time alone, but apparently he couldn't even get that. Hans sighed. "Help me up, then."

"I'm sorry, sir?" The page hurried into view, his dirt stricken face full of bewilderment. The boy was young, no more than ten years of age. His light brown hair was plastered to his face and his cheeks red from working hard outside. "You mean-?" He stopped from embarrassment.

Hans raised an eyebrow and held out his hand. "Problem?"

"Of course not, sir, it's just that...," he replied slowly and revealed his mud crusted hands. "You'll need to be presentable for the Minister."

"And what's the harm in a little dirt?"

The boy smiled, reminding Hans of himself. The expression defined the boy, not his appearance or occupation. The page grasped Hans' hand and pulled him up with a swift jerk. Hans stumbled a bit, not expecting to experience the boy's strength. The page quickly apologized, but Hans waved him off.

"What's your name?" asked Hans, slowing his pace to speak with the curious page.

"Jay, sir."

"Do you know the Queen well?" Hans had no idea where the question came from, but it burst out of his mouth in a rush.

The page seemed astonished. "Not really, sir. I'm only a page. Besides, Her Majesty stayed in her room forever, never even left for meals; they were delivered to her. Suppose it was because of her powers. I feel sorry for her though." His cheeks reddened, thinking he spoke too much. "Sir."

Hans frowned, his face thoughtful. "Why?" He assumed the majority of the people thought her a monster; why would they pity her?

"Well, sir, it must have been incredibly lonely. Don't you think so?"

"You're not afraid of her? Of what she can do?" asked Hans. This page was quite a wonderment.

"Are you, sir?" Jay stopped before the doors of library.

"No, of course not," murmured Hans.

The smile widened. "There's your answer. She's my Queen; I'll stand by her no matter what. My family had served her family for centuries. That sort of loyalty digs deep inside of your heart and is never tarnished. You grow to care for the family you've served and become an overbearing mother to them. That sort of affection never dies."

Hans laughed. "What a curious boy you are, Jay."

Jay stared at him, his eyes never wavering. Hans felt as though he were being examined. "Pardon for my saying this, but I could say the same for you, sir. You're unlike any Prince I've ever met."

Hans' expression darkened. "Worse, I suppose?"

"I'm not the judge of your character, sir, but you have some good qualities." The page bowed. "Good day, sir."

Hans nodded in acknowledgement, his hand on the door handle, ready to face the others. He noticed the dirty smudges on his hands from the page and smiled. Perhaps he'll ditch the meeting and do what he'd like instead. He didn't have to be perfect all the time. Hans let go of the handle and followed Jay's path down the hallway. This hallway looked down at the snowy villages and towns. He glanced out, feeling as though he were sixteen again.

It was his sixteenth birthday and he was all alone in his room. It wasn't supposed to be like this; there was a party downstairs for him with guests from all over. He was supposed to be with everyone, laughing and having a good time, or at least, looking as though it was the best day of his life. Today was a planned show, but Hans didn't abide by the script; he didn't even show up. He didn't want to be there. It was his birthday and he wanted a day to himself. A day where he didn't have to pretend to be the golden boy who loved everyone and was never upset. He wanted a day where he could sulk and no one would judge.

So there he was in his bedroom, reading a book and glaring at every page.

A knock disturbed his silence, making him look up at intruder. It was the King, dressed in joyful colors, but wearing the most terrible expression on his face. "Your guests have been asking about you."

"Have they gotten bored of Gail and finally remembered that another brother has birthday today and he hasn't showed up for the past few hours?"

The King's face grew sterner. "Speaking of your brother, he wanted to see you."

Hans laughed coldly and replied, "Send him in then."

"You're taking his future from him, Hans; so far, you've done extremely well in maintaining a good relationship with the people and foreigners, but this one night can ruin everything. Presentation is everything, you know that. If they see a proper royal family, then it will increase our chances of gaining alliances and trade partners. You're destroying our relationships with other royal families. No one wants to attach themselves to a torn family. They'll think to themselves, 'If they can't manage a family, then how on earth will they rule a kingdom?' And then our entire kingdom will fall."

"Well, we're even then. You got what you deserved."

"But your brother!"

Hans shook his head. "He's just like you; I won't help his cause because it simply isn't a good one."

The King looked at him sadly. "What happened to my cheerful boy? The boy of no faults?" He opened the door to call Gail over and stepped out to leave.

Hans had a ghost of a smile on his face. "He finally got a fault, Father."

The door squeaked open and a tall figure stepped in hesitantly. Hans wanted to laugh; Gail never hesitated. "Hello, Hans. Happy birthday." He sounded uncomfortable.

"Skip the pleasantries, Gail. You sound pathetic."

"There is no need for rudeness, brother." Gail managed to stay calm.

Hans chuckled. "I'm not one of your servants, Gail. You can't order me around."He closed his book, but refused to look up to his brother. He instead stared at his midsection.

Gail wore some new outfit, shiny and pressed because he had to look perfect. "Why can't you understand what needs to be done for this family? You need to look at the bigger picture, Hans; we serve a greater purpose than ourselves. We need to think about the family and its reputation, not about what we want to do. Why is that so hard for you to do?"

"So hard for me to do? I've been doing it for quite some time, Gail," he barked. "Or have you been too busy to notice that?"

"I'm disappointed in you, Hans. I thought you were different. I thought I treated you well and this is how you repay me? This is how you repay your family?" Gail strode over and turned the chair to face him. He knelt down and took a hold of Hans' chin forcing the boy to look at his brother.

Hans saw the combed back hair, so stark black that it reminded him of his father. He saw the thin gold crown perched on top of his head. He saw gray eyes, the gray eyes that always stared at him so honestly before. He looked at his brother's face and saw nothing from the past. He saw only the present. He saw a machine welded to perfection. "I'm sorry," Hans whispered, going against everything he had planned in his head. "For what they've done to you."

Gail laughed, but it wasn't him laughing; it was the Prince and future King laughing. "No one has done anything. I'm me."

"No, you're not. Can't you see what they've done to you?" shouted Hans.

Gail stopped laughing and stood up, noticing the serious expression on Hans' face. He composed himself and replied coldly, "It's for the best. You must always think of what's best for the kingdom. Stop being so selfish."

"It doesn't have to be you though," said Hans softly.

Gail raised an eyebrow. "Then who?"

"Anyone but you, Gail," answered Hans, keeping his voice still.

Gail turned away, retreating back to the party. "Many happy returns, Hans." He left the door open as if it were an open invitation.

He took it and went downstairs, apologizing pompously to everyone. He didn't want to, but he had to for his brother's sake. Gail still affected him despite everything that had happened. That birthday wasn't spent alone in the literal sense, but Hans felt alone, amongst all the people he had no care for. He could still remember seeing his brother standing in the middle of a crowd, his eyes only on Hans, raising his glass to him silently.

"Your Highness!" The minister exclaimed. "What is this?"

"Pardon?" Hans raised an eyebrow, his eyes still on the village below.

"I called you for a meeting half an hour ago and you keep us waiting outside! That is the most unacceptable behavior, You Highness!" The man was at his side now, his anger evident on his face.

Hans looked down still, now noticing the small details that escaped him before. Like the men struggling with the chopped wood and the children locked up indoors. And the people suffering from the unexpected snowstorm. Something had to be done. "I was thinking. I must have lost track of the time. My apologies."

"And what were you pondering over that made you miss the meeting?" asked the minister, fighting to keep his voice level down.

Hans turned around, facing the officials. He could see Gail with his glass raised. Edward with his concerned face peering back at him. Elsa with her shocked expression as her powers were revealed. And lastly, Jay with earnest personality and dirty appearance. Hans answered slowly, his voice low, "We need to discuss our plans for Queen Elsa's subjects; they are in dire need of our help. We should begin assembling supplies immediately." One by one, the surprised faces of the dignitaries took place of Gail, Edward, Elsa, and Jay, leaving Hans all alone once again, fending for himself.