AN: New chapter, and shit is going down. XD Read and review, please. It's much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to Frozen, have never and do not work at or for Disney and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.
Anna was just holding the tiny dark haired infant swaddled in blankets, sitting in an armchair in front of the fire. She looked like she was about to doze off, trying hard to keep her eyes open.
Kristoff walked in slowly. "Anna, you'll never believe what just happened."
Her eyes snapped open and she turned to look at him, fighting a yawn. "What?"
Meinhard was right behind her husband, and she sat up straight. "I-I'm not dressed well enough to have guests, Kristoff!"
"No, you don't understand, Anna. This is my father!"
She turned completely, looking at both tall blondes. "What? Really?"
Kristoff nodded. "Turns out he'd been under our noses this whole time."
"That's Hans' brother, Kristoff." Anna lowered her voice to a whisper, furtively looking at Kristoff, even though his father could easily see them both. "That means you're related to him. You're his nephew."
Kristoff looked from Meinhard to Anna and back again, adding cheerfully. "I know. It's so hard to believe this weird coincidence."
Meinhard had lowered his gaze respectfully, as Anna tightened the dressing gown around her. "The child, Princess. I would just like to see him for a moment."
Her gaze lowered as well, to her son's sleeping face. "Do you want to hold him?"
Meinhard nodded, carefully holding his arms out for Anna to place the baby. She did so, and pulled back. Gunter stirred in his arms, opening his blue green eyes and staring up at the entrancing face of the unfamiliar blonde.
"I guess he likes you. Most of the time he cries around strangers."
Meinhard cracked a tiny smile, offering his finger for the baby to hold. "You were right, boy. He looks just like Darja."
Anna turned to look back at Kristoff again. "Was that your mother's name?"
He nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it.
"Do you mind if I sit, Princess?" Meinhard gestured to a chair by the fire.
"No, go ahead. I need to stretch my legs anyway." Anna allowed it.
She took Kristoff by the arm and went out into the hall for a moment. "What are you doing, bringing him in here? This could be a trap! How do you know he's really your father?"
"Anna, he knows my mother's name. He said I have her eyes."
"Kristoff..." She spoke wearily. "I don't doubt his story. I just.. this is too unbelievable. What if he's working for Hans?"
"Anna, he hates the both of them, Hans and his mother."
"He could just be saying that to gain your trust!"
"I don't trust him. But he is my father."
Anna shook her head. "Kristoff, I left him in there with our son. What if he's a murderer?"
"The only blood on his hands is from leaving my mother to be killed by bandits."
Meinhard cleared his throat from in the nursery. "I can hear you in here. And they weren't bandits, I'm sure of it."
Kristoff stiffened, and squeezed Anna's hand tighter, as they slipped back into the room, Anna closing the door and locking it. "What were they then?"
"That Dowager bitch's hired men."
"What, why would she want to kill Kristoff and his mom?"
It was too ridiculous and far-fetched to be true. Anna didn't believe it for a second.
Kristoff, however, was slightly more open to listening.
"Because of me."
"Isn't she your mother? Why would she do that?"Anna demanded to know, still incredulous.
The very thought of Jekaterina being his mother sickened , he spat. "That whore murdered my twin, just to get on the throne."
Anna cringed at the harshness of his language. "Does anyone else know?"
He scoffed. "Like they'd believe a madman who ran like a coward from everything?"
Anna bit her lip, an action she copied from her sister. "And you just showed up here? Why? So you can warn Elsa of some treachery?"
"I had only heard my brother had married, but yes, I guess you could say that. I didn't want any woman ending up like Darja."
"Do you think Queen Elsa will have an attempt on her life?"Kristoff asked, looking at him.
Meinhard shrugged one arm, cradling Gunter tighter. "Couldn't say for sure. If my brother has changed in any way from how I've heard he was when he was arrested, maybe if he ripped himself away from the conniving hag, he'd not let anything happen to her."
"How can you be so sure?" Anna asked, shocked.
"Did you see how he looked at your sister? That's love if I've ever seen it."
Anna closed her mouth, blinking as if she had been dealt a blow. Hans had always wanted Elsa, hadn't he? She was just the spare.
Elsa was with Hans in the castle, when they received notice the remains of a ship flying the royal colors had been found smashed against the rocks off the coast, which was only a distance of a mile or so. Riding Sitron and a pale gelding called Caesar, with Hans and Elsa on each respectively, got them there within the hour, given the terrain they had to cross.
Coming upon it, Hans confirmed it was indeed the ship his brothers had embarked on when leaving Arendelle two months ago. Somehow it had not reached land until now, despite the fact that Arendelle was only a week long journey away, or two weeks if the conditions were bad enough.
Leaving his horse, Hans hurried to the wreckage where a few sailors and guards were searching for survivors. Elsa soon followed after him.
Spotting a few bodies laid out on the soft damp sand, Hans feared the worst. The Queen caught up to him and gripped his wrist, to keep him from going too close.
"Hans, wait.. Those might be your brothers."
"Don't you think I know that?" He wriggled out of her grip.
"Hans, no, stop!" She chased after him, lifting her skirt so it didn't trail in the sand. "You might not want to see them like that!"
Elsa finally caught up to her husband, grabbing at his arm.
All of the bodies recovered were those of his siblings. The rest of the crew, it seemed, had vanished or were eaten by fish.
Hans ran among the search party like in a manic fury.
"Where is Hjalmerr? Where is my brother?"
"He hadn't washed up, my Prince. Neither had his family."
Hans' expression crumpled when he heard that and he covered his face with his hands, sinking to his knees in the sand. He had owed Hjalmerr his life. That man was his favorite brother, the eldest brother he'd ever known.
Elsa put her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Were there any survivors?" She looked up at the sailors.
"Only one." A brawny blonde deckhand spoke up. "If you follow me, I can take you to him."
Elsa pulled Hans to stand, gripping his arm in both of hers. "Come on, the man just said there was a survivor."
The deckhand, Edward, he callously identified himself as, led them to where a shivering mass of blankets was seated on a rock. "This is him."
At the sound of his voice, the mound lifted its head to reveal Hans' youngest brother.
"Vendel?!" Hans' voice broke as he ran at his half-brother, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. The Albino's trembling only grew worse, and he began babbling frantically about dragons and horses riding along the water.
"Vendel, it's me!" Hans held him out at arms length but he didn't seem to recognize him.
Only when Elsa came into view did Vendel respond, leaping up and throwing off the blankets. "My queen! My lady!"
Vendel prostrated himself at her feet, clinging to her legs. "You'll save us from the burning death."
Elsa stared at him before looking to Hans. "I.."
"The seawater's likely driven him mad, my Queen." Edward, the deckhand spoke up from behind them.
"Leave us." She commanded the sailor, and crouched in the sand, taking Vendel's hands which were so like her own, albeit rougher and larger. "Tell me what happened."
"Fog, it was the fog." Big tears start rolling down his cheeks and he squeezed her hands. "The fog was like fire. There were shapes in it! Horses! So many stampeding horses!" Vendel had wrapped his long arms around her, sobbing against her shoulder.
"Hans?" She called out to him and he came from where he was identifying the bodies. "I think I know what happened to the ship."
She was smoothing back the Albino's hair, futilely trying to soothe him. "There was a storm, and it was too foggy to see."
Hans looked up at the deckhands and sailors. "There was no fog around, we would have seen it."
Elsa bit her lip, as Vendel's trembling ceased. He had fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder like a child.
"Maybe he was hallucinating, and they were just stranded." She offered, unsure.
Hans called one of the deckhands over to fetch Vendel and bring him to the castle. Of course, Edward the deckhand was the one to volunteer.
Elsa let him go, before looking to Hans. "Perhaps we should go too."
"No, I want to stay here with the bodies."
She touched his scarred cheek. "They're in good hands here, Hans. Please, come with me to your home. I don't like seeing you like this."
Hans met her gaze hesitantly. "Elsa—"
She kissed him suddenly, looking up at him, breathless. "I insist you take me to your castle."
He closed his eyes to keep from meeting her eyes and letting her see how red and puffy his own eyes were, and sighed, looking dejected. "Yes, Elsa."
