For those of you who have been following my Hunger Games fanfic, "A Thousand Lifetimes", rest assured, I have not abandoned it. I just so happened to have recently watched Frozen and I've been feeling so inspired, I figured I should just surrender to my motivation and just get it down on paper while I have the chance! No worries! :)

- HW

Anna POV

Despite my proud, stubborn nature there a few flaws that I am willing to admit.

First, I have a compelling need for human companionship.

I'm not exactly what some people would refer to as 'clingy', but I do have a particular distaste for being alone. That might be due to the fact that my best friend shut me out of her life for the past thirteen years, but hey, I might also just be naturally lonely.

Second, I'm not exactly the prime image of dignity.

Okay, so I can be a little awkward at times. Some people find my playful, happy-go-lucky to be rather endearing. On the other hand, a lot of the wealthier citizens of Arendelle view it as impractical. Personally, I think that their collars are just a little too tight and that they need to just lighten up and have a little more fun, but whatever. The fact still remains the same: I don't exactly live up to the polished elegance of my position as a princess.

Third, I have a tendency to act impulsively.

My past experiences can support this one. My agreeing to marry I guy I had just met a couple of hours before at a party, asking a stranger for an escort up a mountain to argue with my sister who withholds the power to plunge the kingdom into eternal winter, and oh. . . Maybe the fact that I am running through the snow in nothing more than a knee-high spring dress in late February.

Okay, so I don't always make the wisest decisions. But that's Elsa's job, isn't it? Heck, I'm only eighteen and I've been socially deprived for almost my whole life. I figure it's carpe diem, live and let live. . . Surely you understand. Kristoff is due to return to Arendelle from his most recent expedition to harvest blocks of ice for the kingdom and I wanted to look my very best. I prance through the unspoiled banks of snow in a light evergreen dress that subtly brings out the viridian flecks in my eyes. I'm not wearing too much make-up, but I've released my hair from the confines of my usual braid and I let it dance with the breeze the billows through the valley. The least I could have done was grab a jacket, but that would only taint the image I was striving for, right?

My heart palpitates with joy as I spot Sven's silhouette bounding toward me, Kristoff huddled close to his companion's flank.

"Kristoff!" I cry out, accelerating my pace.

Kristoff flashes his set of bright white teeth in a triumphant grin as he rapidly approaches me, effortlessly vaulting from his steed and bounding toward me in large, stocky boots and a dark blue parka.

"Anna!" he says with an elated laugh, his strong and muscular arms wrapping around my waist and spinning me around. The sensation leaves me dizzy and slightly nauseous, but I'm beaming as he sets me down and pulls me into a tight bear hug.

"What are you doing out here? Did you walk all this way to come meet me?" he chuckles, his smile faltering a little when he notices my outfit, quickly replaced with disbelief. "You didn't come dressed like that. Aren't you freezing?"

I place my hands on my hips in a sassy fashion, my lips curling into a snarky smirk. "No 'Anna, you look simply ravishing' or 'Anna, you got all gussied up for lil' ol' me? You shouldn't have!'"

Kristoff fixes me a look, his eyebrow raised scornfully, and I have to laugh at his expression.

"While I appreciate the flattery to my ego, you really should have dressed a little more according to the weather." he chastises me, his tone light and playful. "Geez. You act like no one's let you out of the castle for the last thirteen years."

I scowl good-naturedly at him and punch him in the shoulder, savoring the sturdiness of his thick arm muscles. I let out a gasp of shock as my foot catches on something solid embedded in the snow. I lunge forward, my face plunging into the icy depths.

Kristoff erupts into laughter, doubled over as I lift my head and shake the frosted flakes from my hair, glancing over my shoulder to see what I tripped over. A large, formidable boulder juts out of the ground, prominent now that I've uprooted it from its snow bank.

"I'm sorry, is your middle name Grace?" Kristoff teases, helping me up with one fell swoop of his forearm.

I pretend to appear disdainful as I frown at the stone. "Is this some cousin of yours that I've never met?"

Kristoff laughs, a quiet, natural sound. He pulls me into a warm embrace, his fingers threading around my bare arms and skimming my goosebumps. "Come on, you nutcase," he chuckles, facilitating me as we mount the sled. "Let's go get you warm."

We say little as Sven pulls us into the harbor and the stablemen assist us within the castle grounds. As soon as Kristoff's beloved companion is situated in his stall, his jaws working furiously as he devours a bale of hay, Kai leads us into the dining hall, announcing that it is nearly dinnertime and the queen is waiting for us at the table.

As soon as we emerge into the dining hall, a spectrum of delicious scents dance around us, making our mouths water and our stomachs to shuffle in anticipation. The table is vibrant with various dishes and plates, each meal looking more and more delicious than the first.

"Well it's about time you two showed up."

Kristoff and I glance up to see Elsa, sitting tall and regal at the end of the table, a bemused expression playing upon her lips.

"Blame him, not me. I've been dreaming about dinner since lunch," I say, licking my lips as I take a seat beside my sister.

"Well, I didn't bother looking for you because I figured you were going out to meet him," Elsa says slowly, her expression clouded with suspicion. "But judging by your outfit, I'm beginning to think that you've been up to no good instead."

"No, your original theory was correct," Kristoff says, sitting down across the table from me while shrugging out of his coat for Kai to hang up. "She was running through the snow like a schoolgirl when I found her."

"What?" Elsa turns to me in shock. "You went out looking for him dressed like that?"

I lean against the table on my elbows, not thinking twice about my manners. "Oh, listen to you two whine like a pair of old ladies," I tease, my eyes adopting a playful glint as I shoot a glance at my sister. "Besides, the cold never bothered me anyway."

"No, the cold has never bothered me. You're just an irresponsible teenager with very little concept about how to take care of yourself."

I roll my eyes at her. She sounds more and more like our mother every day. "My sister is the queen of ice. Surely, some of those genes could have rubbed off on me a little bit."

Elsa notices me sniffle and the ghost of a smile plays upon her lips. "I don't think so,"

"Oh, let her do what she wants," Kristoff waves my sister away, his fork twirling his pasta in a rhythmic fashion. "If she wants to freeze to death, then she is more than welcome to."

I growl playfully at him and am unable to suppress a giggle. "I missed you,"

Kristoff offers me one of his genuine smiles and lowers the fork from his lips. "I missed you too," he says. "Just two more days of being gone and then I should be done until next autumn."

Memories of last summer trickle into my subconscious and I smile at the thought of having Kristoff present in the castle with us every day again.

Throughout dinner the three of us are our normal, playful selves, relishing in the casualness of our relationships with one another. My dress takes a little longer than I expected to dry out throughout the evening, but I'm not particularly uncomfortable. The sniffling, a result of wrestling with the winter wind, eventually subsides and leaves me open to enjoy our conversation. It isn't until Kristoff points it out, however, that I realize I haven't eaten anything more than a few bites of mashed potatoes.

"Anna, are you okay?" Kristoff asks, disrupting my momentary daze. "You've hardly touched your plate."

I feel Elsa's attention focus upon me and I stare down at my plate in confusion. "Oh, uh, yeah. . ." I say, unaware that I had barely been nibbling on my food. "I guess I'm just not that hungry."

Kristoff and Elsa exchange a glance, but they say nothing. I shrug it off and they drop the conversation. Later on that night, we all gather in the study, curled up on the couch with books on our laps. I'm having difficulty focusing on the plot, however, and the words seem to be melting together. Eventually, I shut it with a sigh and set it down on the coffee table at our feet.

Kristoff chuckles. "Not interesting enough for you?"

"I'm just really tired," I manage through a yawn, rubbing my left eye with the palm of my hand.

Kristoff grins at me, obviously amused by my sleepy expression and probably thinking about how much I resemble a child right now. "Did that quarter of a mile walk tucker you out?"

"It was more like a half of a mile, actually," I counter drily, leaning back against his chest with a smile. I curl up against his muscular build and close my eyes, comforted by the warmth of his body and the scent of pine trees emanating from his shirt.

"Anna, it's only 8:30," Elsa points out with a smile. "Aren't you the one that always used to berate me about how the sky was awake, so we should be too?"

"Mmm," I mumble drowsily. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do," Elsa suddenly grows hushed and she leans toward me, her voice taking on a mischievous quality. "Come on, Anna, wake up. Don't you want to build a snowman?"

"Shut up," I laugh, waving her away and snuggling deeper into Kristoff's shirt. "We can't make a better snowman than Olaf, so why even bother trying?"

Elsa laughs softly.

"Anna, if you're so tired, why don't you just go on up to bed?"

His question hardly registers and I moan in protest as he chuckles and scoops me up into his arms. "No," I grumble, shuffling slightly, my eyes still stubbornly closed shut. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you up to bed," he breathes.

Though I can't see, the sounds and smells of each room we pass through paint a picture in my mind and I envision him carrying me up the mahogany and down the hall, penetrating the walls of my room. I feel the soft linen of my bed as Kristoff gently sets me down and tucks me in. I scoot farther away from the edge of the bed and sink into my pillows, letting out a soft and sleepy grunt.

"Okay, sleepyhead," Kristoff murmurs softly. "I'll see you in a couple of days. Don't go running through Arendelle in your underwear or anything while I'm gone."

He strokes my cheek with his fingers, dulling my senses as I fall into the blissful state between consciousness and sleep.

"Good night, Anna," he whispers. "I love you."

I smile faintly and manage to return the saying before the tendrils of sleep pull me into a deep stupor.