A/N: A one-shot for my FrozenHearts fanon popped into my mind! If you haven't read Frozen Hearts, the fic this one shot is based on, no worries! You don't have to know it to enjoy it, although those who do might catch a little more! (The timeframe for this piece is set just a little while after an infamous "accident" of the Southern Isles family, so, yes, I consider at least this one part of my canon). Set-up: Horatio decides to help his youngest brother sleep but things don't go exactly as planned…

Horatio's Tall Tale

The moonlight flooded through the windows of King George's castle, casting glowing beams through the glass, coming and going as the clouds drifted by overhead. It was a cooler than usual September night in the Southern Isles, so many of the windows were shut, but the curtains were left parted to allow natural light in for the servant's use. Horatio knew his way along these halls well, for he preferred to spend most of his time indoors, unlike some of his other brothers. He walked at a steady pace, his gaze set nowhere in particular, his mind wandering. He stopped before his destination, cracking the door and letting it swing gently open, walking inside the room.

Books. Books everywhere. Most royal families had large libraries, but the contents tended to differ. Some were composed solely of reference materials, others of history or cultures or even family lineages dating back decades or centuries. Horatio had seen three libraries in his life besides his own, most on visits to other countries, and none were as large and varied as his own family's. He brushed his fingers over a stack of books lying on one of the several tables, letting his fingers rise and fall silently over the ridges of the spines.

He had always loved reading. He learned to sound out words at an early age of four, moving on to reading chapter books by the time he was five. Since then he had found solace in the fantasy worlds the writers wove on the pages. He could forget the unchanging, constant world of numbers, facts, and finances he was being trained in, the calculated world where emotion did not exist. He passed by the chessboard resting on the polished coffee table, the glass pieces reflecting the moon's glow. Rounding the corner of one of a few chaise lounges, he suddenly came to a full stop. "Hans?"

His youngest brother was sitting in front of the fireplace, where only embers glowed now, a blanket wrapped about his shoulders and pooling around his feet, his stuffed horse smothered among the cloth. Hans looked up at Horatio with wide eyes, his body language making it clear he had not expected to be caught. He bowed his head, awaiting the scolding which he seemed to expect.

Horatio strode over to the little boy, hands placed on his hips. "What are you doing still awake?" He glanced at a decorative clock in the room resting on the shelf over the fireplace, vaguely taking note of the design. It must have been a gift, because it had no insignia for the Southern Isles anchor crest, nor the royal colors of purple or blue. The hands read somewhere around nine-twenty, far too late for his youngest brothers to be up and about. Hans was silent until Horatio crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped a foot. "Well?"

Hans reached over and took his stuffed horse in hand, squeezing it close. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. His words had been few and far between since the tragedy had befallen, even to their mother and father. "I had a bad dream…"

Horatio gave pause after hearing this, stern lines softening on his face. "The dream about the cold and the ice?" His brother nodded reluctantly, going back to cuddling his horse as if it needed the comfort as much as he. The older prince dropped his gaze and bent on one knee, putting a hand to his brother's forehead. His skin was dotted with perspiration, heated and flushed with classic signs of fever. "Hans, you need to go to bed. I'll fetch mother and inform father of your condition."

"No." His protest was a mix of petulance and pleading, more so the latter. "She asks me about my dream…I don't wanna tell again."

"Why not?" Horatio asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Because I have to remember it again," his brother mumbled, shaking his head as he buried it among his horse's yarn mane. "And I don't wanna remember it again."

Horatio hesitated as he stood to his feet, considering the ramifications of his choices for a few moments. Though Hans was hot, it did not seem such a drastic change from his recent conditions. If telling his parents were to upset his little brother, it may only worsen his sickness. He sighed deeply through his nose. He couldn't remember ever having much trouble falling asleep as a child, but he did recall enjoying stories being read to him by the servants. Maybe that was the simplest answer. "If I read a story to you, will you promise you'll try to sleep afterward?" he asked.

Hans emerged from his feeble curl with sad eyes, looking at Horatio. "You would read me a real story?"

Horatio scoffed and waved a hand. "If it will get you to sleep, yes. But the correct way to phrase it is this: Would you really read me a story. There is no such thing as a fake story as opposed to a real one."

Hans tilted his head, a bewildered expression washing over his features.

"Nevermind." Horatio shrugged, approaching the library shelves and running his fingers along the hills of bookends, following titles and passing those he knew would be of no interest to his youngest brother. "Ah, yes, here we are. Grimm's Fairy Tales, that should be appropriate." He removed the book and flipped among the stories. "Yes, Cinderella will do just fine with a little simplifying." Holding his place with a finger, he knelt by his brother and cleared his throat, holding it aloft to use the moonlight to his advantage. He expected lulling his brother to sleep would not take long.

"Once upon a time…" he began.

"Horatio?" Hans asked, his voice weak from exhaustion.

Horatio made an obvious sound of disgruntlement. "What now?"

"I can't see the pictures," whispered Hans.

Horatio sighed and bent down, sitting with his legs crossed, patting the floor beside him. His little brother crawled over next to him, hesitating. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Horatio asked, frowning a little impatiently. "Come on." Hans gave a little grunt and crawled right into his brother's lap, adjusting himself and leaning against his brother's chest as Horatio lowered the book in front of him. "Well? How's that? Can you see alright?"

"Mmhm…" Hans murmured, clutching his stuffed horse in one arm and leaning against Horatio's chest comfortably.

"Good. Now… where were we… ah, yes. Once upon a time… there was a little girl. She lived alone with her father, her horse, and her dog. She was very happy." Hans nodded and traced the picture of the little girl in the book. "But her happiness was sadly not to last, as her father caught ill. To provide for his daughter, he remarried. The woman was cruel, selfish, and unkind, but her nature was not revealed until far after the wedding took place. She renamed her daughter Cinderella and she was forced to work for her living among the cinders, serving the woman's two daughters who-"

"Hey, what are you doing in here?"

Horatio turned to see one of the twins, Henning, entering the room, looking puzzled. Horatio turned his attention back on the book. "We were reading a story."

"What story?" came another voice as Hedvil followed shortly after.

Horatio sighed audibly. "Cinderella."

"That's a good one; I haven't heard that one since I was a little kid!" exclaimed Hedvil, clapping a hand on his twin's shoulder. "Hey, let's both listen in, Henning! You don't mind, do you, Horatio?"

Horatio turned his focus back on the story. "Just try not to interrupt. Now, where was I? Oh, yes… Cinderella was put to work serving the woman's two daughters who-"

Grrrrrrn!

A groan of protest screeched out as the twins dragged a chaise lounge over next to Horatio. He shot them a glower and was silent for a moment until the twins, seated next to each other, gave him an encouraging little wave.

Horatio ground out the words between gritted teeth. "The woman's two daughters who-"

"Can she have twelve other children?" Hedvil asked.

"Oh, twelve other sons!" Henning added with a wild nod. "it's more realistic."

Horatio glowered at his twin brothers. "I'm not reading this story for you, I'm reading it for Hans, who should be asleep."

"It's okay," Hans said softly, nestling back against his brother's chest. "I don't mind."

Horatio inhaled a thin breath through his nose. "Cinderella's stepmother had twelve older sons, who were not very kind to her. They were jealous of her beauty, her grace, and her kindness."

"That's mean of them," Hans murmured, leaning against his brother's chest.

"Yes, it was. Family members should be faithful to forgive one another." Horatio flipped the page. "No matter what the circumstances."

"Like us." Hans said, looking back at his brother. "Right?"

Horatio was silent for a moment, his eyes looking beyond Hans, but then he nodded. "Right. One day, news came to Cinderella's household-"

"I thought I heard voices coming from in here. What's going on?" A new presence came from the hallway- the tall, broad-shouldered figure of Hubert, clad in his night dressing gown.

"We're telling a story." Horatio stated, turning back to his book. "Come in and listen if you like, but please, no more interruptions. At this rate I'm going to be twenty-nine before we finish." Hubert seemed to debate for a moment, but finally moved over and sat down beside the twins, leaning back in the chaise. "As I was saying… yes, Cinderella's household received news, news grand enough to set the entire house into an insane frenzy," he emphasized.

"What's an insane frenzy?" asked Hans.

"It's…" Horatio paused and thought of the best way to explain this. "It's like all of us," he pointed at the brothers one by one, "sitting down together for the same dinner."

"Ohhh…" Hans mouthed, nodding understandably.

Horatio continued, "The news was about a grand ball being held in the kingdom."

"A grand ball? Where's a grand ball?" questioned a new voice. The oldest of the brothers opened and closed the library doors behind him. "I followed Hubert here intending to play him in a match of chess and I stumble into some interesting news!"

Horatio sighed and served Harvard an annoyed look. He was stunned when one of the twins spoke up in his stead. "Can you believe him, Horatio? Just waltzing in like he owns the place."

Henning nodded. "Well, he will one day, if father passes away before he marries elsewhere, but you're absolutely correct, Hedvil, it is terribly, terribly rude of him to interrupt Horatio in the middle of his story-telling."

"Quite right," Harvard agreed with a regretful look to Horatio. "My sincerest apologies, brother. Go on with your story. I'll listen until you're finished."

Horatio shook his head. "Yes… so… where was I? The news, yes, the news came about the ball being held because the prince was seeking a bride to be."

"Ewww…" Hans said, wrinkling his nose.

A few chuckles came from the audience. Horatio shrugged a shoulder. "Yes, I know, you think that's… erm… how would you put it… yucky. But you may find someday you like the prospect. Regardless, Cinderella was determined to attend." He paused, but to his surprise, there was no interruption. Straightening, pleased, Horatio continued. "In order to attend such a fanciful affair, Cinderella's stepmother knew she would have to wear a ballgown, for which she had no money to buy the materials."

"What did she do?" Hans asked.

"Well…" Horatio paused as he turned the page, then another. Hans being so young was unlikely to understand certain pieces of the story, especially the bits about a tree growing from Cinderella's tears and so forth. He would have to simplify it, and he feared the longer he took, the more interruptions he would get. "She was good friends with the animals nearby their home, and she asked them for help in finding a proper dress. The birds loved her so much they threw down a dress for her to wear."

"What did it look like?" All heads turned to see a young prince standing half-inside the library holding a teddy bear in one arm, rubbing sleep from his eyes, which were now bright in excitement.

"Heins… why are you awake?" Horatio frowned at his younger brother. "You should be asleep. Have you any idea how late it is?"

"Um…" Heins looked at the ground in thought a moment, then back up at his brother with an innocent grin. "Not too late?"

"I'm afraid it's just the opposite," Horatio said, shaking his head. "Now go on, head to bed."

"But I want to hear what it looked like," Heins said morosely, hugging his teddy bear to his chest.

"You want to hear what… what looked like?" Horatio asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"The dress. You were talking about a dress. I want to hear what it looked like," Heins said, lingering. "Please? I promise I'll be really quiet."

"Well…" Horatio hesitated at the sight of his brother's hopeful expression. He already had half of his family here, what harm could it do to allow one more straggler, especially when the story was more suited for his age group? "Oh, alright."

Heins brightened into the normal ray of sunshine he was, quickly scampering over next to Hans and snuggling up next to his brother. "Okay, I'm ready."

"As am I. So, as I was saying, the animals, birds, specifically, threw down a lovely gown for Cinderella to wear to the ball," Horatio continued. "She put it on and to the festival she went."

"Wait!" Heins said, cringing as Horatio scowled at him. "I'm sorry… b…but you didn't say anything about what the dress looked like."

"It's not important," muttered Horatio with a wave.

"Why?" asked Heins, face scrunched in thought.

"Because saying it's lovely is sufficient."

"Why?" Heins repeated stubbornly.

"Because lovely is enough description," Horatio countered.

"Whyyy?" Heins drew out, looking sad at the lack of a picture.

"Because the Brothers Grimm who wrote this book felt expanding on the fashion details of Cinderella's gown was not important."

Heins inhaled a little breath of shock, looking at his brothers in horror. Then he looked to Horatio and opened his mouth as if to ask the same question.

Horatio knew what was coming and shook his head firmly. "And do not ask me why."

Heins paused, resting his chin on his teddy bear for a moment, and then turned back to his older brother. "Why not?"

Horatio groaned out loud and leaned back, putting both hands to his scalp and running them through his hair. "Please, please, just listen to the story!" He waved a hand. "The dress was silver and gold and silk and the shoes were pearl-lined satin! There, are you satisfied?"

Heins beamed from ear to ear, nodded, and snuggled back against his brother's side. "Mm-hm."

"So, Cinderella put on the gown and went to the festival celebration at the castle. She found that when she was there her sisters did not recognize her. They thought she was still home sitting in the ashes and doing chores."

"That's mean of them…" came a soft voice from the doorway. Horatio glanced over to see Harry, one of his other younger brothers standing there. Dropping his gaze and shaking his head, he simply waved a hand with a motion for his brother to come over and join them.

After he'd done so, Horatio continued. "She danced with the prince there, who swore he'd dance with no other partner. She eluded him when he insisted upon escorting her home, and when her family returned home, they found her sleeping amidst the ashes wearing her old clothing." He waited, but there was no interruption. Pleased, he went on. "The next day the birds brought her an even more beautiful dress than the first, which she donned when she went to the festival. The prince was so enamored with her he would not dance with anyone else."

"Good," Hugo established. "If he's the prince, he deserves nothing but the best."

"When did you get here?" Horatio asked, quirking an eyebrow at the new presence of his brother, sitting on the chaise lounge in Henning's place, who was pouting next to his twin on the floor.

"Oh, a few moments ago," Hugo said with a wave of his hand as if it didn't matter. "Go on, explain what happens next."

Clearing his throat, noting how many of his brothers were around him listening, Horatio continued. "The ball again went well but again Cinderella evaded the prince by running away when he asked to escort her home."

"Stupid girl…" grumbled Hugo. "You think she'd know better. It's not as if she'll ever get another chance to be in the company of royalty."

"On the third night of the festival, which was also the last night, Cinderella was gifted the most beautiful gown yet-" He caught Heins' subtle lean forward, his smile widening as he listened, and added, "a gown made of the finest materials in the land, lined in sheer white lace and with golden slippers studded in diamonds." He turned the page. "Once again Cinderella tried to flee when the prince asked to escort her home, but this time the prince had set a trap for her." The littlest ones gasped. "The prince had set pitch all over the stairs, and Cinderella lost her shoe among it."

"Oh no!" Heins gasped, squeezing his teddy bear close. "Her poor shoe!"

"If he'd spread more, maybe he'd have caught her, too!" exclaimed a lively voice from the library doors, which now swung open. "Hey, I bet Dad would do that for my birthday next week! We even invited the princesses from Arendelle! Who knows the possibilities of how many I could end up with?"

Helm frowned at his brother as he followed in behind him. "Heinrik, be quiet, you're going to wake up-" He gaped at the group of his brothers crowded around the center of the room.

Heinrik flashed a smug smile at his brother. "You were saying?" He dragged a chair over to join his brothers, sitting on it backwards and grinning. "Go on! Tell us more about how this prince managed to get his girl!"

Horatio shook his head with a sigh. "Worst butchering of Cinderella I've ever heard…" He continued with a clearing of his throat. "The prince began to search the land, using the shoe to try and find his bride. When he arrived at Cinderella's household, the stepmother encouraged-hm." He stopped. But she doesn't have two stepsisters in this version. She has twelve brothers. And they certainly can't pass for princesses.

"Is there a problem?" asked a new voice with a dull edge to it. Horatio looked up, but he already recognized the voice as Harken, who stood in the doorway with crossed arms. "I do hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, it's alright. Come in, we're nearly finished." Horatio chewed his lip. "So… the stepmother encouraged Cinderella's twelve brothers to keep her away while the prince visited their home, thinking the prince would never find her in time."

Harken narrowed his eyes as he approached. "That's not what happened… I remember that story. The stepsisters wanted to wed the prince so badly they were willing to cut off their heels and toe, respectively." At this last statement, he grinned, exposing a toothy white smile.

Harry stared up at his big brother in horror, and then looked at Horatio. "Is… is that true?" Hans turned to face him as well, a vulnerable look etched on his face.

"Of course it is. Go on, tell them the truth. The only reason they were caught was the blood pooling out of the shoe. It's in the story, isn't it, Horatio?"

Horatio scowled at his brother. "Not in our story, it's not."

Harken crossed his arms and huffed. "Well, why not? It's so deliciously disgusting."

"Well it isn't in ours. In ours, as I was saying, the prince came to Cinderella's house looking for her."

"What is going on in here?" All eyes turned to face the final missing piece of the family, Harald darkly glowering at the family gathering. "Why are we all gathered in the library in the middle of the night like a bunch of ladies at teatime?"

"We're… reading a story," Horatio said in a quiet voice.

"A story?" sneered Harald, striding inside and staring down at all present. "You mean to tell me you gathered everybody here to hear a story?"

"I… started with just reading to Hans," Horatio explained. "He was awakened by a nightmare and I wanted to help him back to sleep."

"A nightmare?" Harald repeated, walking over to Hans, who he towered over in height. "Whatever about?"

Hans shrank away from his brother's penetrating gazes as all eyes turned on him.

"He doesn't want to repeat it. I'm sure we can all imagine what it was about." Horatio turned to look from side to side.

Harald stared for a moment, the room settling in a still, eerie silence. Then he moved to take the book from his brother. "The story is over now."

"But… but we were only getting to the good part," Horatio held it out of his reach. "The part where the captain of the guard has to help Cinderella!"

Harald paused, his fingers inches from the book. "I don't remember that."

"This is our story. And we say what happens. So if we're coming to the part where the captain of the guard has to help Cinderella, we are." Horatio said firmly, making eye contact with his brother.

Harald's eyes shifted to the left, and he slowly retreated, pointing at the twins. "You two, make a fire. It's too cool in here. And someone get off the lounge. I want to be comfortable when I hear the ending." Begrudgingly, the brothers did as they were asked, and soon the story was continuing.

"The stepmother's twelve sons hid Cinderella successfully and the prince returned to his castle, saddened. However, upon helping the prince back into his carriage, the captain of the guard noticed the brothers laughing amongst one another. Suspecting that something foul was afoot, he encouraged the prince to arrive unannounced to check once more."

"And?" asked Harald, who seemed almost eager to hear more.

"And the prince did just that. Upon returning on the captain's suggestion, he found Cinderella in the gardens, found the slipper to fit perfectly, and took her to his castle to be the princess of the kingdom. And, thanks to the captain of the guard, they lived… happily ever after."

Several of the spectators erupted into clapping, cheers, or the sparse whistling. It only died down at the sudden sound of a deep, but quiet voice.

"Will someone tell me what's got you all in the same room and yet keeping it intact?"

The brothers turned to look as the great, broad-shouldered figure of the king walked inside the library.

"Goodnight!" exclaimed Heinrik, vaulting up and walking towards the library doors.

"Yes, goodnight!" echoed the twins, following suit.

George nodded to each of his sons as they left, imparting hugs to the younger ones, waiting until only Hans, Horatio, and Harald were left. Then he approached the fireplace. "So, who wants to explain?"

"I had a bad dream," Hans whispered.

"I was reading him a story, is all. I promise, it was appropriate," Horatio said, watching his father approach and tucking his hands behind his back in respect.

George bent over Hans and swept him into his strong arms, his lips parting as he exhaled a short gasp. "Hans, you're burning up. We must get you to bed immediately." He looked to Horatio with a stern gaze. "You should have known better than to read him a story when he's clearly so sick, Horatio. I'm surprised you of all people would not be able to think ahead in this case."

"Father." George turned to look at Harald. "Hans does not seem to have changed for worse as of late. His condition is not so severely different to demand such drastic measures. As I understand it, Horatio was trying to help Hans get back to sleep. If anything, he was being compassionate, one of the traits which so clearly makes a prince, according to our creed."

George just stared at Harald for a long moment, nodding finally as he hoisted Hans up into the crook of his arm, where the boy rested his head on his father's shoulder. "I see. Well… in that case… well done, Horatio. Very well done."

Harald brushed past Horatio and bowed to his father. "Goodnight, your highness."

George watched him leave and gave Horatio a brief nod. "Goodnight, my son. Sleep well." He began to leave as Hans spoke.

"Horatio?"

Relieved, exhausted, and slumping in the chair before the chess set, he looked up. "Yes, Hans?"

Hans rested his head once more on his father's shoulder as he was carried off, smiling weakly. "Can you read another one tomorrow?"

A/N: So what did you think? We never really got to see much of Horatio yet in Frozen Hearts, so I thought giving him a little more time to shine might be nice! I'm probably going to do more of these in the future and hey, if one of you readers has a prompt/name of a brother/ a situation you want to see acted out, feel free to PM it to me or leave it in your review and I may use it!