The final gusts of summer began to drift away from the kingdom of Arendelle, leaving the heavy burden of it's annual harsh winter to take over. Small rivers and brooks eventually froze within the frigid temperatures, including larger lakes swaddled beneath the mountains. Transformed into thick, stubborn ice.
The citizens of Arendelle eventually shifted into the groove, cloaking themselves with husky coats and drapes, shielding the tips of their ears with hand-made hats, dense with fur and wool. Most seemed unfeigned by this winter. For the last one they had came unexpectedly early from their beloved queen. This time around, the climate was natural, and plenty stocked firewood and hoarded meat. The elderly knit blankets and quilts for their grandchildren, who were much more intrigued by the first snowfall outside their frosted windows.
A young lad clad in curdled drapes kicked at small sleets of ice that fell from the gutters above. His gloved hand gripped his mother's tightly. The mother was a broad woman, her temples touched with grey from age. The boy glanced up to his mother, his blue eyes marbled with interest.
"Mom, I've been thinking." He said. His mother exchanged his glance, but kept her eyes on the sidewalk ahead, attempting to keep her balance as her scuffed boots dipped into the compact snow.
"Of what, dear?" She replied.
"I want to harvest ice when I'm older." The boy replied, gesturing to Arendelle's most trusted ice deliverer barreling down the snowy streets atop his trusty reindeer, a sleigh piled high with blocks of ice trailing behind them recklessly. A few pedestrians stumbled against the walls of shoppes and homes as they avoided colliding with either of them.
At that moment, the mother pulled her son close, away from harm, as she watched the duo quickly skid to a stop in front of the castle gates.
"Well," The mother breathed, pulling her apron taught from wrinkles and snow. "We'll worry about that once you're older." Her hand gripped her son's again and she tugged him all the way home, muttering at the cold beneath her breath.
Kristoff dismounted his steed, his expression hidden behind his frosted shawl. His eyes burned from the cold wind that had whipped his face, though they were glassy with worry rather than dehydraiton. The guards paid no mind, for they were used to him showing up unannounced and without an explanation.
They tightened their grips on their spears and kept their sharp chins jutted forward. One guard, on the left, was kind enough to nod to Kristoff as he let himself past the gates. He tugged Sven by the tuft of fur on his neck, but released him, knowing there was no need to guide him anymore. Sven nudged Kristoff from behind, giving the signal to go on without him.
"Good boy." Kristoff's voice was muffled. He pat Sven on the back once, then charged up to the castle doors. Exhaling with relief as he found the doors were unlocked, he first stomped the caked snow from his boots, and closed the door behind him against the raging winter winds.
The rest of his clothes were also covered with snow, but there was no time to make a mess for the palace workers to clean up. He leaped up the stairs and into Princess Anna's room, where he found the princess perched in front of her fireplace, clutching a mug of some kind of liquid. Swirling clouds of steam rose from the lip. Kristoff could tell it was tea from the herbal smell that drifted across the room.
His sudden presence startled Anna, and she turned to see who had the nerve to bust into her bedroom. By this point, she had gotten used to Kristoff simply walking in wherever and whenever he pleased, but he was supposed to be at work. Her eyebrows tilted with concern as soon as she spotted his pinked nose.
"Kristoff," She spoke softly, "What's wrong? Did something happen?" She began to rise, but the harvester made his way across the room and gently pushed her shoulders back onto the couch. His shawl was gone, now dripping over the side of their foot board. A small smile crawled across his thin lips.
"Of course something's wrong. I heard you were sick. So I'm here to take care of you." He replied matter-of-factly.
The princess' chest uncoiled with comfort. A small smile appeared on her lips for a moment, but she nibbled the inside of her cheek guiltily.
"Thank you, Kristoff, but you didn't have to leave work just for me."
"Yes I did." He argued lightheartedly, marveling the warmth of the fire as he softly donned Anna's shoulders with a blanket.
Anna tugged the corner of the blanket across her collar bones. Her head was slightly spinning, her throat throbbing, and her muscles weak. It was undeniable that she was truly ill, but she still didn't want to believe it. She had gone through the week insisting she was fine, up until she couldn't stand for more than five minutes without feeling the need to lay down.
Exhaling, defeated, the princess attempted to chuckle. Her throat stung, and she coughed.
"What about your ice deliveries?" She inquired.
Kristoff settled himself beside her, his clothes cold and damp against her side. His chin rested upon her shoulder.
"Kai is taking over my shift," He kissed her shoulder. "So don't worry."
"But what if they need you? You're the master ice deliverer." Anna persisted.
Kristoff waved his hand at nothing in particular. "Ah, the ice isn't going anywhere. You're more important than that."
"I thought ice was your life." She teased, earning a soft chuckle from the harvester.
"It is, but," He swathed his arm around her waist, using his free hand to scratch at the stubble upon his chin. "You always come first."
The princess grinned, shifting uncomfortably against his clammy attire.
"Fine. But you really don't have to do this for me." She raised her mug to her lips and took a quiet sip, wincing as the fluid burned her tongue and throat.
Kristoff slowly unraveled himself after a few minutes of discussing weather or not his decision was a smart one, nearly apprehensively, as if any wrong touch could kill her. The princess willingly leaned forward to allow his bulky arm to withdraw from her waist, and she sat her mug atop the table before them. She brought her elbow to her mouth as she coughed once more. Kristoff stood and began to remove his soggy costume and hung it to dry over the back of his chair opposite the fireplace. His shirt from that morning was crumpled on the floor beside their bed, and he pulled it on before returning to his lover's side. A soft yawn escaped his lips, though found himself not to be tired at all as he pulled Anna close again. It was true he adored his job, and he hated leaving it for any reason beforehand, but with a wife on his arm, he didn't mind. In fact, he was almost voluntary.
Anna seemed stiff within his embrace. He frowned, pulling back to take in her paled face. Her bright eyes were slightly dimmed from the darkness of the room, though the illumination from the fire lit up her features gorgeously.
"You okay?" He quirked a brow, realizing how dumb his question sounded aloud. He was relieved to find his wife smiling up at him.
"I just don't want to get you sick." She admitted, covering her mouth as she felt the tickle of another cough surging forth. Luckily, she was able to swallow it down.
Kristoff shook his head, pulling her closer once more.
"Ah, a little sickness never stopped me before." He replied, daring to steal a kiss once her lips were unveiled.
Anna could only smile. Her head began to feel heavy again. She cursed it, for she felt responsible for coming down with this illness. She wished she could kiss him again with the confidence he flaunted a few seconds ago.
"By the way," Kristoff started, his thumbs caressing the small of her back, "What got you sick, anyway?"
The princess shrugged, clearing her throat irritatingly. "Elsa thinks it has to do with the sudden temperature drop."
Kristoff laughed. "Ironic."
Anna pinched his stomach in an instance to scold him, but found the strength to laugh along with him. "Very funny."
Inwardly, she hoped her sister wasn't lingering to hear them. Though Anna's voice was already hushed from her inability to speak clearly, Elsa had a way of overhearing nearly everything she said.
The harvester drew Anna closer to him again, merely to prove he wasn't afraid of any kind of virus she was carrying.
Leaning against his chest, Anna eventually agreed there was no need to worry about infecting him. She picked away at the pills of cotton from his shirt in silence, occasionally being struck with a sudden cough or intervals of dizzy spells. Whilst her physical self was enervated at the moment, it seemed all she really needed was Kristoff by her side. Anna was prepared to take on her weakness by herself, with her mug of tea and warm waves of fire. The warmth from Kristoff's chest was much more comforting than any freshly-chopped wood blaze. She thought that if Kristoff did become sick, he couldn't say she didn't warn him. And she knew that he would. Eventually he fell asleep with his arm protectively curled around her hips and his chin pressed against his chest. The princess had closed her eyes and counted each heartbeat she could feel against her cheek until slumber enveloped her as well. She hadn't even noticed that her throat wasn't burning anymore.